Bob’s Burgers’ Catchiest Episode Still Lives Rent-Free in Fans’ Heads 8 Years Later

by

Bob’s Burgers is a hugely popular and critically acclaimed animated comedy for adults. Over its sixteen seasons, the show has given us hundreds of hilarious, heartwarming, and often shocking stories. One episode that stands out as particularly funny and memorable is “Ex MachTina” from Season 7.

The 2017 episode “Ex MachTina” is a fan favorite, often considered one of the best episodes focused on Tina Belcher. Beyond the strong storyline, Bob’s Burgers is famous for its original music, and this episode features a particularly memorable song that many viewers still can’t get out of their heads. But what happens in “Ex MachTina,” and what makes it such a standout Bob’s Burgers episode?

What Is “Ex MachTina” About?

Tina is very interested in Jimmy Jr., but he doesn’t seem to feel the same way. Meanwhile, Bob, the owner of Bob’s Burgers, and Jimmy Jr.’s father, have a difficult and often argumentative relationship.

Tina and Jimmy Jr. have managed to mostly ignore the ongoing conflict between their parents. However, even without Bob and Jimmy constantly competing, Jimmy Jr. doesn’t reciprocate Tina’s feelings. Fortunately, the events of “Ex MachTina” bring them closer, though in a really unusual situation.

In the seventh season of Bob’s Burgers, episode 8, titled “Ex MachTina,” Tina and her classmates are looking forward to a beach bonfire. Tina hopes Jimmy Jr. will go with her and tries to impress him by wearing new high heels to school, but her plans don’t go quite as expected.

Tina is a bit clumsy, and she’s especially uncoordinated in this episode. She trips and injures her ankle while wearing high heels, forcing her to use a boot and crutches. Luckily, Mr. Frond offers a solution: a program that lets her try out a robotic mobility device.

I was so excited to hear about this new program at school! It’s going to let students like Tina, who have trouble getting to class, attend remotely using a really cool robot a tech company donated. Tina’s the first one trying it out, and Mr. Frond is helping her get everything set up. It’s amazing – now she can basically be at school, participating in class from her bedroom using just a computer. It’s such a fantastic way to make education accessible for everyone.

Tina uses a wheeled screen – a kind of robot – to go to class, which some students don’t appreciate. Surprisingly, this new setup brings her closer to Jimmy Jr. However, she soon discovers that Jimmy Jr. seems to prefer her as the robot, rather than herself.

“Ex MachTina” Puts Tina and Jimmy Jr.’s Relationship in the Spotlight

Tina had a difficult day, and accidentally ended up trapped in the AV closet while on screen. Instead of being a frustrating experience, things turned around when Jimmy Jr. showed up, making her day much better.

Jimmy Jr. was really frustrated that he couldn’t take dance classes—his dad insisted on speech therapy instead. He angrily went to the AV closet to complain, not noticing Tina-bot was inside. Once Tina got his attention, they started talking, and Jimmy Jr. surprisingly shared things with her he’d never told her before.

This episode features a really funny sequence of Tina and Jimmy Jr. awkwardly connecting with each other online, set to the incredibly catchy original song, “Watching You From a Distant Place.” The song, with lines like “I’m calling you from my home base” and “I can see food on your face,” is definitely one of the highlights of Bob’s Burgers‘ music.

A lot of people feel Jimmy Jr. isn’t a good match for Tina, and it’s easy to see why – he’s often inconsistent and doesn’t always treat her well. But they’re both just thirteen and figuring things out, so it’s probably unfair to expect a perfect relationship from them.

Even though Tina and Jimmy Jr.’s relationship isn’t popular with many fans, “Ex MachTina” is widely considered a standout and hilarious episode of Bob’s Burgers. Interestingly, watching it now, after 2020, makes the episode even more impressive, as its story feels surprisingly relevant and forward-thinking.

Tina’s life – attending school and even going on dates online – feels very similar to what many people experienced during lockdown. Her line, ‘Now, excuse me, but I gotta check my battery level, stretch my joystick hand, and get dressed above the shoulders,’ is particularly funny and captures a lot of how life changed after 2020.

Bob’s Burgers Original Songs Always Make Episodes Better

What really sets Bob’s Burgers apart from other animated comedies for adults is its use of original songs. These songs often playfully relate to the plot or characters’ dialogue. “Watching You From a Distant Place” is just one example of the many funny and memorable songs on the show that aren’t even part of full-blown musical episodes.

The Season 7 episode “Teen-a Witch” features an original song called “Witchy Witchy” that plays during the credits and highlights key events from the story. Similarly, the episode “There’s No Business Like Mr. Business Business” includes a short song, “Cat Trainin’,” which plays while Bob teaches Gale’s cat, Mr. Business, tricks for a cat food commercial.

A particularly memorable and humorous moment is the short song, “Parents Make Their Kids Do This for a Reason,” featured in the Season 8 episode “The Hurt Soccer.” The episode centers around Louise being forced to play soccer after Bob signs her up without telling her. Despite Louise’s reluctance, Bob insists she participate.

The song used in “The Hurt Soccer” episode cleverly echoes a moment where Bob explains to Louise that many parents push their kids into sports, and there’s often a reason behind it. When combined with the song’s lyrics – which jokingly ask if parents do this because they dislike their children – the scene becomes much funnier.

“Ex MachTina” Isn’t Only Memorable Because of a Catchy Song

Even though “Watching You From a Distant Place” is a really catchy song from Bob’s Burgers, that’s not the only thing that makes this episode so good. The whole idea of Tina having a virtual relationship with Jimmy Jr. was original and surprisingly modern, which makes it an episode you can enjoy watching again and again.

In this episode, a side story unfolds with Gene and Louise secretly using Tina’s robot after she’s gone home. They decide to have some fun by playing pranks around school at night, but their mischief is interrupted when the security guard spots them. Louise quickly thinks on her feet and pretends the robot is a new security measure.

Tina’s story connects with Gene and Louise’s when she decides to bring her robot to the beach bonfire – Jimmy Jr. asked her, but only to bring the robot as her date. A security guard nearly stops them, but Louise manages to handle the situation, as usual.

In a separate storyline, Bob impulsively buys a banjo despite having no musical experience, and nobody encourages his attempt to learn. This little adventure eventually connects with Tina’s story when she changes her mind and decides to attend the bonfire, joining Bob there.

Throughout their conversations, Jimmy Jr. shared his creative idea – combining poetry and music, which he calls “musoems.” He attempted to showcase some of these musoems at the bonfire, but the audience wasn’t very enthusiastic. Seeing this, Bob briefly jumped in to help with his banjo.

It’s not common for all the smaller stories in Bob’s Burgers to neatly tie into the main plot, especially lately. That’s what makes “Ex MachTina” special – it feels more unified, giving each character their own arc while still bringing everything together in a satisfying way.

“Ex MachTina” is a standout episode of Bob’s Burgers, successfully combining the show’s strengths – like original songs and well-developed storylines. Though other episodes might be considered even better, “Ex MachTina” remains incredibly memorable for fans, largely due to its unbelievably catchy tune.

Read More

2025-12-09 00:11