Bob’s Burgers recap: “Putts-giving” is an odd Thanksgiving side dish

There is nothing quite as special as a Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving episode.

Every single year, Bob’s Burgers manages to top itself. No matter what can go wrong for the Belchers, somehow it happens. Most of the time, it usually has to do with Bob not being able to properly cook his Thanksgiving turkey and all of the sides.

Since Thanksgiving is Bob’s favorite holiday, it makes sense why it’s such a big deal on the show. For the rest of the world, everyone’s ready to skip ahead to Christmas but on Bob’s Burgers, the Belchers never forget to celebrate Thanksgiving and there is something to be said about that.

If you haven’t watched the 2022 Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving episode, “Putts-giving,” there will be spoilers from this point on.

Here’s what happened on Bob’s Burgers episode, “Putts-giving.”

The episode begins with Tina getting ready to ask about going to Tammy’s “mature” after-Thanksgiving party with teenage boys. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Bob and Linda are getting things ready for Thanksgiving dinner until Linda throws away a coupon for a local mini-golf course. Louise comes in, immediately sees it, and grabs it, causing the kids to beg to go and Bob hesitantly agrees.

The family goes to the course with Louise wanting to stay at the Yeti hole while Bob and Linda decide to keep playing. Louise comes up with a plan to try and make the yeti do all of his moves at once but Tina doesn’t want to so the two get into an argument, resulting in Tina calling Louise immature. Tina spends time with Bob and Linda, trying to ask about the party but Linda is obsessed with getting another hole-in-one while Louise and Gene are still trying with the yeti.

Louise eventually comes up with a plan to use her putter to help but it ends up getting stuck thus breaking the yeti’s legs off while Tina still hasn’t asked Bob and Linda. Gene and Louise try to put it back together until Tina shows up and figures out Louise broke something so the two argue again. Tina feels bad so she decides to help her siblings by telling them to grab a bunch of tiny pencils to replace the part they broke.

More customers show up but the Belcher siblings are able to fix it in the nick of time until the customer uses that hole and it breaks. Louise eventually admits what happened, resulting in all of them getting grounded since Bob and Linda had to pay for it. However, the episode ends with the Belchers having their Thanksgiving dinner along with Louise and Tina making up.

“Putts-giving” is a unique Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving episode

With an episode title like “Putts-giving,” it’s clear this wasn’t going to be the typical Thanksgiving offering. However, for me, this episode felt like it strayed a bit too far from what we’ve come to know and love. While I do think there were a few great family moments, Bob’s Burgers didn’t commit entirely to the Thanksgiving theme and that’s really what makes me sad.

For me, the fact that it was a Thanksgiving episode felt like more of an afterthought. The plotline felt like it could have been incorporated into a regular episode. Holiday episodes are the show’s bread and butter, so maybe my expectations were too high. Plus, it doesn’t help that there’s been a new Thanksgiving episode since Season 3.

Personally, it felt like Thanksgiving was the side dish in this episode when I wanted it to be the main course. I did love the moment of Bob and Linda together at the end and seeing the Thanksgiving spread but sadly, I didn’t love this episode. Thankfully, there are plenty of other Thanksgiving episodes of Bob’s Burgers for us to enjoy so you can take your pick.

What did you think of “Putts-giving?” Do you have a favorite Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving episode? Let us know in the comments.

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