The holiday season is a time for gathering with friends and family, reflecting on the past year, and enjoying seasonal festivities. For many, an integral part of these annual traditions is settling in to watch holiday-themed episodes of their favorite TV shows. In the world of animated sitcoms, few holiday episodes have reached the cult status of “The Quirk-ducers,” the Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving episode that originally aired in 2016. Centered around a school play gone horribly wrong, “The Quirk-ducers” exemplifies the show’s trademark blend of quirky comedy and family warmth.
A Very Belcher Thanksgiving
The premise of Bob’s Burgers revolves around the Belcher family – Bob, Linda, and their three kids Tina, Gene, and Louise – running a small hamburger restaurant in a seaside town As with most sitcoms, many memorable episodes take place around the major holidays. Thanksgiving, being centered around food and family, is a natural fit for the Belchers Previous Thanksgiving episodes involved the kids ruthlessly competing in a Thanksgiving-themed go-kart race (“An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal”) and Linda and Bob getting trapped inside the walls of their apartment on Thanksgiving night (“Dawn of the Peck”).
“The Quirk-ducers,” written by Steven Davis and Kelvin Yu and directed by Mauricio Pardo, debuted on November 20, 2016 as the sixth episode of Season 7 It became an instant classic among fans for its ridiculous storyline mingling the innocence of a grade school play with the absurdity of a Coen Brothers film.
Tina’s Quirky Turkeys
The episode opens on the school bus where middle child Tina is reading her erotic holiday friend fiction aloud to younger siblings Gene and Louise. The story describes a group of “quirky” turkeys who fail to conform to the rest of the flock. Rather than ending up as Thanksgiving dinner as tradition would dictate, Tina’s quirky turkeys revolt and eat the bland, conformist turkeys instead.
Louise and Gene are half-listening, more focused on their plan to ruin the school’s annual Thanksgiving play. The school holiday pageant, organized by guidance counselor Mr. Frond, always takes place the afternoon before Thanksgiving break. This cuts into Louise and Gene’s long weekend, so they aim to sabotage the play and get it canceled.
Louise’s Devious Scheme
Ever the schemer, Louise hatches a plan: convince Mr. Frond to use Tina’s insane story as the plot for the school play. The offensive content will force Frond to shut down the production halfway through, giving the kids their afternoon off. Louise slyly tricks both Tina and Frond into agreeing. Tina is flattered that her work will be performed, while Frond thinks doing a student’s writing will make the play more “relevant” to the kids. The plan works flawlessly so far.
Meanwhile, a B-plot follows Linda, who becomes attached to a potato that resembles her deceased grandfather. Bob insists it looks nothing like Grandpa, leading to typical Linda/Bob marital squabbling. The grandfather potato provides some laughs by acting as the angel on Linda’s shoulder, giving her advice with a grouchy voice Bob provides by contorting his face.
Trial by Turkey Giblets
On the day of the play, Louise intends to take her sabotage even further. She and Gene have rigged bottles of turkey giblets inside the actors’ hats to spray on the audience halfway through the show. But a horrified Tina overhears their scheme backstage and realizes Louise never intended for her play to be performed seriously. A guilt-stricken Louise apologizes, but the turkey giblet prank still goes off as planned, drenching the auditorium (and Grandpa Potato) in a revolting explosion of turkey innards.
While Tina admits she enjoyed the absurdity, Louise and Gene now feel awful about ruining their sister’s creation for their own benefit. All seems lost until Tina pulls out a song she had written for the play’s finale – a catchy power ballad called “The Quirky Turkey.” Louise and Gene rally the disgusted cast and audience for an impromptu performance of Tina’s uplifting tune about accepting yourself. The episode wraps with the family laughing over memories of the insane play while happily enjoying a picturesque Thanksgiving dinner together.
Why It Works
On paper, the premise revolves around fairly typical sitcom fare – misbehaving kids, a sabotaged school event, and hilarious disaster. But the script’s attention to character puts “The Quirk-ducers” a cut above. Tina’s personality as a budding – if awkward – young artist shines through in her quirky turkey tale. Louise’s scheming ways are employed for good in getting Tina’s work recognized. Linda’s doting nature comes out through her attachment to Grandpa Potato. The whole fiasco brings out both the kids’ mischief and their loyalty as siblings.
That loyalty wins out in the end, as does the spirit of Thanksgiving. Rather than just nihilistic hijinks, the story is grounded by the Belchers’ familial bond. As absurd as the situation gets, it all stems from a place of youthful creativity and enthusiasm. This balance of zany humor and genuine heart is what makes Bob’s Burgers, and this classic episode in particular, such a winning formula.
Trivia[]
- Jimmy Pesto, Jr. does the splits twice during the dance-off in “Two for Tina,” but in this episode he only does them once.
- There is no apron on Linda in the picture where Bob is telling her his mashed potato joke.
- When Zeke and Jimmy, Jr. are shown with Tammy and Jocelyn looking at their phones, are assembling costumes, Jocelyns haircut is reversed.
Bob’s Burgers – Quirky Turkey Montage
FAQ
What episode of Bob’s Burgers is the quirky turkey?
In what episode of Bob’s Burgers does Bob put the turkey in the toilet?
Who has autism in Bob’s Burgers?
Why is Jimmy Pesto not in Bob’s Burgers anymore?
Is Bob’s Burgers a good Thanksgiving show?
Bob’s Burgers produces some of the best Thanksgiving episodes on television, never failing to send the Belcher family on a series of zany adventures as they try to celebrate Turkey Day.
What is Bob’s Burgers’ first Thanksgiving episode?
In Bob’s Burgers ‘ first Thanksgiving episode, Bob gets an offer he can’t refuse: cook Thanksgiving dinner for his landlord Mr. Fischoeder, in exchange for five months’ rent. The catch?
What is ‘Turkey in a can’ by Bob’s burgers about?
Bob’s Burgers tries its hand at a classic mystery with “Turkey in a Can”. In the days before Thanksgiving, Bob’s precious brined turkey keeps winding up in the toilet in the middle of the night. All eyes are on prankster Louise, who is determined to prove her innocence.
Does Bob try to make a perfect Thanksgiving turkey?
Every Thanksgiving episode, he goes overboard in his attempts to whip up the perfect turkey, becoming much more intense than usual. In no episode does he try as hard – or go as crazy – as he does than in “Now We’re Not Cooking With Gas”. Bob gets his hands on the perfect heritage turkey after years on this farm’s waiting list.
What episode does Bob’s burgers take on the producers?
Bob’s Burgers takes on comedy classic The Producers in the Thanksgiving episode “The Quirk-Duecers”, which focuses on Tina, the oldest Belcher child. Gene and Louise are dreading their school’s annual Thanksgiving play, which takes away their half day before the long weekend.
Who owns Bob’s burgers?
Bob’s Burgers focuses on Bob and Linda Belcher, the owners of the titular restaurant, as well as their three children: Tina, Gene, and Louise. A dedicated cook, Bob is passionate about food, and he always relishes the chance to show off his skills on Thanksgiving, his favorite holiday.