Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: March 11, 2012
PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: Bob’s Burgers, “The Belchies” (Season 2, Episode 1). [Stream the episode on Netflix.]
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Bob’s Burgers had its essential charm and sense of humor pretty much from day one, but even given how strongly it started, it’s still pretty remarkable that the show was able to deliver a stone-cold classic like “The Belchies” so early in its history. The premiere episode of the second season, “The Belchies” took a creative risk by attempting a stealth remake of the children’s classic The Goonies.
The plot, such as it is, sees the Belcher kids seeking hidden treasure in an abandoned taffy factory, and they’re soon joined by a motley crew of classmates, friends, and frenemies: Jimmy Jr., Zeke, Andy, and Olly. One of the best things about Bob’s Burgers is how it lets the kids be funny by actually being kids. Louise is a bit maniacal, and Tina is worldly in her own strange way, but ultimately their sensibilities are all rooted in the fact that they’re kids, and their fascinations enthusiasms and fears and whatnot are all essentially childlike. Which makes them perfect analogues for the Goonies, who for all their potty mouths were also decidedly childlike adventurers.
This is also the rare classic Bob’s Burgers episode where Louise is more of an emotional anchor than Tina. Tina is probably the show’s best character because there’s absolutely no one else on TV like her, with all her budding teen-girl adolescence and how utterly bizarre she is about it. Louise is a lot louder and more abrasive, which makes the moments when she finds her heart all the more touching. That Louise’s big emotional moment happen opposite a golem made of taffy makes it all the more perfect.
The fact that the episode is a Goonies parody kind of sneaks up on you, especially if you don’t know the title right away. Jimmy Jr.’s Footloose interlude in the empty warehouse kind of throws you off the scene temporarily, but by the time the kids are washed out onto the beach to their waiting parents, you knew, if you hadn’t already figured out the Taff/Sloth parallels. And then, as confirmation and reward for your precious nostalgia, there was Cyndi Lauper belting an alternate version of “Goonies R Good Enough” called “Taffy Butt” over the credits.
