Bob’s Burgers: Did Just the Trip promote Nat to iconic status?

Bob’s Burgers has some of the best side characters including Nat. With a second appearance this season, will she follow the other iconic side characters?

In a lot of ways, side characters are just as important as the main characters. In the case of Bob’s Burgers, that sentiment rings true. A perfect example is, of course, Teddy who went from being a regular in the restaurant to an honorary Belcher family member. Teddy is the biggest example but other characters have made their mark including Regular-Sized Rudy, Zeke and Mr.Fischoeder.

We’ve watched a lot of side characters come into the forefront. Recently, the show has seemed more focused on the family. When there are side characters, they take a backseat to the Belchers but things might be changing. First introduced in Season 8, Nat could end up being in a similar position to other “iconic” side characters but what constitutes an iconic side character?

Everyone has a different definition of how a side character can go from just popping up occasionally to becoming a larger part of the series. For Teddy, it started with his friendship with Bob. For Nat, things are a little bit different as the Belchers have stumbled upon her twice and soon to be, a third time. Her presence isn’t mandatory but rather something that makes for a solid plot device.

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The other way that a side character can become iconic is their relation to the Belchers. This is the case with friends of the Belcher kids. They might pop up in six episodes and then we won’t see them for the next four. It’s a mixed bag and that seems to be the case with Nat. We saw her in Season 8 and then she didn’t return until Season 10, Episode 1 and now, making another cameo towards the end of the season.

With Nat only appearing in three episodes, it’s only right that we’d talk about her role in each of them including “Just The Trip” and ultimately decide if she’s an “iconic” side character. There will be spoilers from this week’s Bob’s Burgers episode, “Just The Trip.” If you haven’t watched, this is your spoiler warning!

Moving ahead to her most recent appearance, “Just the Trip” begins with Nat coming into the restaurant to pick up her order before a road trip. She invites the family along and after a bit of nudging, Linda convinces Bob to come along. Then the family finds out Nat is transporting a snake named Steve to her ex-girlfriend. Gene gets scared by Steve before they get to the end of the street, making the first stop. They stop again due to Tina getting carsick where Steve gets out of his box. Then, Gene gets stuck in the car with Steve before they both end up outside.

Eventually, they’re able to resume their trip after they find Steve who falls asleep on Bob’s neck. Finally, they arrive at the animal sanctuary where the kids admit they had fun during the trip and it was more about the memories than the unfortunate moments. The episode ends with Nat’s ex giving her a bag of snakes and Bob driving everyone home after they fall asleep.

With her latest episode in the bag, it leaves the big question: Is Nat an iconic side character in the series? Personally, I think Nat is an iconic side character. Every single one of her appearances is memorable and while she might not be at the same level as other characters, she’s incredibly interesting. Every time she shows up, the Belchers always end up in a wacky situation but they always have fun with her.

While I don’t think she’ll show up as often as other side characters, there are no other characters like Nat on the show. With Jillian Bell voicing Nat and one of the main characters in Bless The Harts, we might be seeing even more of her. Nat seems like a character who won’t appear consistently on Bob’s Burgers but when she does, it’s worth noting.

Bob’s Burgers airs Sundays on Fox at 9/8c. 

What did you think of “Just the Trip?” Do you think Nat is an iconic side character? Be sure to let me know in the comments!