The holidays are one of the busiest times of the year, anyone can attest to that. Every year, I have these grand ideas about holding onto some of my favorite films or waiting until the last minute to purchase a gift, believing that I will magically find time that has not been there in previous years.
One tradition that goes unmissed, though, is my yearly rewatch of what I purport to be the best episode of Bob’s Burgers ever made: “The Plight Before Christmas.” In this episode — which comes in at Season 13 Episode 10 for anyone who goes searching — Bob and Linda realize they have overbooked themselves in their pursuit to be good and dutiful parents around the holidays.
Tina is supposed to attend a holiday play with Linda, Gene is partaking in a holiday recital at school, and Louise’s event is, well, forgotten about. After much agony of the decision, Bob and Lisa opt to stick with their original plan and just add in Louise doing a reenactment of her poem when everyone gets home later in the evening. While Louise swears up and down that it’s fine — her poem got selected, but she just submitted it so that she could have the word “poop” up on the wall in the library — Tina can sense something is wrong. I’ll leave it there and let you watch to see what happens.
Here’s the thing, so many movies and TV shows with a Christmas hook claim to understand what the holidays look like, but few of them actually portray it well. What’s more, even fewer of them have identified one of the most important dynamics that gets us through life: siblings.
As someone with a bucket load of siblings (seven to be exact) I’m constantly reminded that of all the people that come in and out of your life, siblings are one of the only relationships that will be a steady constant. If you’re lucky, you’re born with a friend and companion during the good times and the bad, and occasionally a worst enemy — no one hurts or annoys you like a sibling, that’s for sure. “The Plight Before Christmas” not only gets that right, it highlights the importance of those relationships.
To be truthful, I have yet to watch this episode of what is otherwise a very silly show — and trust me, you will still laugh at this one — without shedding a tear or two. It’s the epitome of bittersweet and feels like that twinge of sadness that you get looking around the room on Christmas Day, only to smile a second or two later at the beauty and that warm, fuzzy feeling that hopefully is filling you up inside. It’s a type of melancholy that hurts so good. If you know, you know. If you don’t, well, I have just the episode of television for you.
It’s the holidays and time is in short supply, that I understand, but I truly believe that this is one way you can fill 20 minutes that will not be regretted.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (At least, that’s what Andy Williams promised.) The holidays are a time to celebrate with family, friends, food, and, let’s not forget, fun things to watch. Whether you’re huddled up with the whole family in your living room or cozying up under the covers with your tablet, let Decider be your guide to all things festive this holiday season.
How To Watch Bob’s Burgers
“The Plight Before Christmas” is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
If you’re new to Hulu, you can get started with a 30-day free trial on the streamer’s basic (with ads) plan. After the trial period, you’ll pay $10.99/month. If you want to upgrade to Hulu ad-free, it costs $18.99/month.
If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the Disney+ Bundles, all of which include Hulu. These bundles start at $12.99/month for ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu and goes up to $32.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max, all ad-free.