Bob’s Burgers: How was the return of Jimmy Pesto in “Bully-ieve It or Not?”

Bob’s Burgers has truly perfected the role of the frenemy and one of the best pairings is Bob Belcher and Jimmy Pesto.

Since the inception of the series, Bob and Jimmy have been at each other’s throats. That’s why it was so shocking to see Jimmy seemingly removed from the series. As most fans know, the voice actor for Jimmy Pesto, Jay Johnston, was involved in the Capitol Riots on January 6th.

Due to that, he was banned aka fired from the show. However, the feud between the characters has reignited in season 14’s “Bully-ieve It or Not,” with Eric Bauza stepping into the role of Jimmy Pesto. I feel like this one has been hotly anticipated by lots of fans as we’re all curious to hear his return.

If you haven’t watched the Bob’s Burgers episode, “Bully-ieve It or Not” there will be spoilers from this point on!

The episode starts with Tina introducing Zeke to a new student and it’s clear there’s some tension between him and Zeke. Meanwhile, Bob and Jimmy start teasing each other but Jimmy comes over to talk to Bob which is strange. That same day, Bob sees that Jimmy stole his burger ball pit idea and made it into a pizza. Jimmy Jr. starts to wonder if Will bullied Zeke and that’s why Zeke doesn’t like him.

Louise starts to come up with a revenge plan for Will so it’ll look like he peed himself but Jimmy Jr. shuts them down. The kids are trying to figure out what’s going on with Zeke and enact the plan yet Zeke tries to stop him. Eventually, Zeke admits that Will never bullied him but in fact, he was the one who bullied Will.

Zeke explained what happened and that Will was one of many he bullied at his old school. The rest of the group tries to convince him to apologize so they decide to meet up after school. As for Bob, he decides to confront Jimmy Pesto and he’s giving an interview about “his idea.” They walk away from him but Bob decides to stay to make sure the reporter knows the truth.

Zeke apologizes to Will and Will tells him that he didn’t accept the apology because he made fun of his lisp. Jimmy Jr. is immediately angry on his behalf and Zeke tries to say he’s changed. Tina suggests Zeke lick the booger wall to make up for what he did and he agrees while Bob tells Jimmy that the idea isn’t even his best and he’d rather be himself than Jimmy Pesto. The episode ends with Will stopping Zeke before he can lick the booger wall but he licks it anyway.

Was the return of Jimmy Pesto worth the years of waiting for fans?

While I’d normally break down the episode, I think we all know why we’re here. With Jimmy Pesto making his triumph return, there’s a lot to talk about. Firstly, was the long wait worth it? Honestly, I’d say have to say yes and no. Yes, because he’s a fun character and a great foil to Bob’s character plus the plot with him made a lot of sense. That sounds exactly like something Jimmy would do.

Then it’s also a no because the episode felt like it should have just centered around Jimmy and Bob. I know that he’s been part of the other B plots in the past but his return should have warranted something bigger. As a fan of the series, that’s just my opinion but maybe we’ll see him as the center of a larger plot. Ultimately though, I’m happy to have Jimmy back and I hope the show decides to utilize him more in the future.

As for Zeke’s plot, it was pretty good and a little shocking. I never thought we’d find out Zeke bullied someone for a trait his best friend has. It was a nice change of pace though and made the episode feel more well-rounded. While this isn’t the most memorable episode of Bob’s Burgers, it was still pretty solid.

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