Bob’s Burgers recap: 3 Gene questions after “Seven-tween Again”
When it comes to Bob’s Burgers, Gene is the true epitome of a middle child. In the Belcher family, Gene is definitely the most dramatic of the group, isn’t afraid to express himself, and doesn’t try to shy away from the spotlight. That’s why it’s so surprising that the show doesn’t feature more episodes focused on him.
Nevertheless, the episodes the show focuses on Gene can sometimes be hit-or-miss. For the most part, though, it depends on Gene’s behavior. While Gene can be “too much” at times, he does end up having a handful of solid episodes including “The Unnatural,” “Gene It On” and “Cheer Up, Sleepy Gene.” Either way, Gene always seems to have a lot of fun so that’s all that matters.
Most notably, we’ve watched as Gene actually started to come out of his shell and make some friends including Alex. Gene and Alex’s friendship is one of the best and most underutilized in the series. It’s only right that we’d see Alex return in Season 12 and hopefully, see their friendship continue to flourish.
Before getting started, there will be spoilers from Bob’s Burgers episode, “Seven-tween Again.” If you haven’t watched, be warned. If you have, then be sure to let us know your favorite moment from the episode.
Here’s what you missed on Bob’s Burgers episode, “Seven-tween Again.”
The episode begins with Gene and Alex getting ready for a “Life Skills Week” at school. Gene gets a dose of reality when he gets home as he’s getting ready to start puberty but eventually, he realizes it’s from Bob. The next day, Gene decides to go “job-hunting” for his school project and runs into Gus who tells him he stays young by doing “young things,” an idea Gene quickly latches onto.
Gene doesn’t find a job but instead hangs out with the little kids at the community center. Tina and Louise are quick to figure out what he did and he decides to continue it as evidenced by him blowing off Alex again. It all comes to a head when Alex finds him at the kids club especially when another kid says he’s Gene’s best friend.
Gene tries to explain to Louise and Tina why being seven again is so great while Tina, Louise, and Alex all try to bring him back to reality. Finally, Gene starts to realize that being seven isn’t as awesome as he remembers and that he shouldn’t have blown off Alex since he’s probably going to fail the “Life Skills” project. The episode ends with Bob signing Gene out and him apologizing to Alex so they can be “pretend roommates.”
With Gene at the center, it’s only right to focus three questions on him.
Is Gene a bad friend?
Thus far in Bob’s Burgers, we haven’t seen much of Gene’s friendships. His friendship with Alex has been his most solid but the two don’t always treat each other the best. In particular, Gene kinda treats Alex like crap especially in “Seven-tween Again.” Ultimately, the question is if Gene is a bad friend or is he just not realizing how his behavior affects Alex? Considering he’s only 11, it could be the latter but we’ll see how the show decides to address it in the future.
Is Gene a little too immature?
As far as the Belcher kids go, the only one who hasn’t seemed to mature is Gene. It’s honestly a little bit frustrating as the show could incorporate more character development for him. However, he always seems to be less mature than his siblings. Maybe it’s his dependence on Linda, his tendency for theatrics, or his age. Nevertheless, it doesn’t feel like Bob’s Burgers allows Gene to have as many mature moments as his siblings.
Will Bob’s Burgers finally give Gene more love in the future?
As far as characters go, it’s no surprise the show struggles with writing episodes focus on Gene. It can’t be easy, but it doesn’t seem like Bob’s Burgers goes the extra mile. If anything, the show always seems to shove Gene into a side-character role. While Gene doesn’t have nearly as much star power as Tina and Louise, he deserves to be in the spotlight, too. Maybe it’s just the case of him being a middle child but Gene never seems to be the star of any particular episode.
Hopefully, the series does decide to right their wrongs when it comes to Gene. While Gene might not be everyone’s favorite character, it’s nice to see him at the center of an episode. While Season 12 featured a doozy of an episode for Gene this time, we’ll hopefully see him be more mature as the show progresses.
Next. Bob’s Burgers recap: Is Bob too harsh on Teddy?. dark
Bob’s Burgers airs Sundays on Fox at 9/8c.
What did you think of “Seven-tween Again?” Do you have any lingering questions related to Gene? Be sure to let us know in the comments!