Why the "failed Thanksgiving dinner" is actually the best sitcom trope
SalonBob Belcher is a big fan of Thanksgiving. Fourteen seasons of “Bob’s Burgers” dotted with near-annual Turkey Day episodes have taught us this — which is why it’s such a shame that the big meal never quite goes as planned. But perhaps most memorable, especially for anyone who has ever babied, basted and otherwise fussed over a 14-pound bird, is the season four episode “Turkey in a Can.” Initially, it seems like a clear-cut case of holiday sabotage: Bob has spent three days massaging a special salt rub onto what is supposed to be his Thanksgiving turkey only for it to end up face-down in the toilet. It’s an excellent example of one of my personal favorite sitcom tropes, the “failed Thanksgiving dinner.” Think back on most popular network comedies from the last couple decades and, from “Friends” to “Gilmore Girls” to “Modern Family,” I guarantee you that tucked somewhere in their back-catalog is an episode centered on a Thanksgiving meal that goes poorly — or at least it looks that way. More so than many of the plot points that tend to get recycled from situational comedy to situational comedy, it shines a really direct light on the gap between the messy chaos that can be real life and the image of a “perfect” holiday sold to us year after year, as well as the hidden domestic labor that makes up the ample space in between.
History of this topic
Thanksgiving 2024: Ranking the most iconic Friends holiday episodes
Hindustan Times
When Thanksgiving goes wrong, "Bob's Burgers" gets it right
SalonDiscover Related
)
