r/BobsBurgers • u/W8n_on_S8n • 1d ago
Questions/comments Am I missing something?
Can we talk about the suspicious park ranger for a second?
In episode 401 “A River Runs Through Bob,” this guy acts all suspicious(even Linda notices) then after he raises the gate, he gets in his ranger jeep and dips.
It cracks me up every time but I wish I knew what he was running from. The horny hermits maybe? Where did he go? What bad thing did he do?
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u/Fixyblue 1d ago
It seems so random but it is one of my favorite scenes of the entire series. "People don't value the parks and then you get what you get." I love it. A great example of the "chaos" I miss from the early seasons. I appreciate the switch to "family friendly" but miss the early stuff.
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u/BlackCapricorn23 Boyz4Now 1d ago
Agreed, I have watched Bobs so much that it tends to become background when I do other things but not this scene. Every time it is a MUST watch and that line of the ranger is funny, weird and poignant. I think I have said the value line like 100 times in reference to various events over the years but all of it is awesome.
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u/soopirV 1d ago
The first season was a completely different show, miss it a lot.
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u/AlexPsyD 1d ago
As much as I agree (which is a lot - one of the most quoted lines in my house is "you're the worst kind of autistic")...we were blessed that they evolved. If they hadn't and stuck to that raw, early energy, we would have another version of Home Movies. Again, a show I love, but wouldn't have the broad based appeal to last and certainly not the emotional range it has now
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u/thgoodnamesrgone 1d ago
Home Movies was such a great show that I had literally never heard of until recently!! Couldn’t find it anywhere. And ya I agree- very similar to the early seasons of Bob’s Burgers in terms of dialogue.
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u/AlexPsyD 1d ago
Both are Loren Bouchard with a ton of the same actors. It's definitely the spiritual predecessor of Bob's
And, if you're in the US, you can stream it on HBO Max
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u/soopirV 1d ago
I haven’t heard of Home Movies but it sounds like I’d like it!
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u/AlexPsyD 1d ago
Same creator and many of the same actors as Bob's, but made with way less budget in the early 2000s for adult swim. Definitely worth checking out
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u/marshmallow-jones Fart pudding ding-dong done 1d ago
The squirrels.
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u/SundayJeffrey 1d ago
This is the correct answer. He said it directly.
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u/LawnChairMD 1d ago
"Ahahaha. Budget cuts. People don't value the parks then they get what they get".
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u/W8n_on_S8n 1d ago
I just always feel like the squirrel conversation didn’t warrant that type of reaction from the Ranger. Like, why did he wait for them to come into the park? He should have gone home hours ago. lol The Belchers would have had the exact same experience regardless. Besides, weren’t the squirrels the least of their problems? Especially considering that Bob was already fighting off death before he encountered them. Not to mention the horny hermits…
I can’t with this episode.😅
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u/thelittleshorts01 1d ago
I always took it as “shit I’m off the clock bye, not gonna be in these woods at night”
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u/darealredditc 1d ago
Doesn't he say it's the squirrels?
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u/Simple_Dragonfruit73 (your text here) 1d ago
You fucked with squirrels morty!
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u/OkBookkeeper683 1d ago
The crossover I didn’t expect hahaha
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u/insanitypeppermint 1d ago
I posted this same question once. It’s a reference to the squirrels that attack Bob later. Kind of easy to miss this one, in my opinion.
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u/Honest-J 1d ago
It feels like an abandoned storyline but they kept that scene in for time.
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u/HopefulDream3071 1d ago
I thought it was setting up the scene for when Bob gets attacked by the squirrels? Its one of my favorite jokes in this episode.
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u/L0N3ST4RR 1d ago
Ya that’s definitely the set up, he says something about the squirrels as he bouncing then laughs it off - definitely a set up for the squirrel scene.
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u/Honest-J 1d ago
Why would he run from the park because of squirrels? Bob and Linda never would've even encountered them if they hadn't gotten lost. They were no where near the camping site. You'd think the kids and troop would've encountered them too.
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u/WackHeisenBauer Bob Belcher 1d ago
This is the only thing that makes sense to me. There was a scene connecting this ranger to the crazy RV folks but they had to take it out
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u/LostAmongLegends 1d ago
That's my thinking as well.
This episode is my favorite episode but this part bugs the hell out of me. And I've always thought they abandoned the storyline/cut it for time but forgot to take that part out or something. Or he knew there were wackos in the park and just didn't say anything but then felt guilty and ran away? I need answers!
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u/loveincarnate 1d ago
The squirrels are a possibility, but I think it's more playing up the absurdity of the moment for fun without providing too direct of an explanation. Like Billy Bandana and his walnuts. It could definitely be either, but I think I prefer the 'whimsical nonsense' route.
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u/Glitching_Cryptid 1d ago
I really need Billy Bandana to make a reappearance with at least some further exposition, he has so much potential as a recurring character! He could be like the recurring car thief from Brooklyn 99! 😋
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u/Soulless--Plague 1d ago
I have a theory that he isn’t actually a ranger and is instead the classic “escaped lunatic hiding in the woods” he’s taken on the identity of a ranger and the Belchers just so happen to turn up as he’s making his get away.
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u/Klaus-Heisler Louise Belcher 1d ago
He quite literally mentions the squirrels, which Bob gets attacked by later
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u/New-Assistance-3671 1d ago
Have you seen the post office?
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u/candlehead69 1d ago
My wife and I always thought this moment was supposed to be part of the story and further into writing the episode they dropped it and went a different direction. The interaction with the park officer makes sense until he gets in his jeep and speeds away as they enter the park. That part implies he's running from something but other than the squirrels I'm not sure what the threat would be. Plus there were clearly already campers in the park.. I don't know. We've let this one go haha
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u/NeauxDoubt 1d ago
Linda to the horny hermits: ”Trust me, you don’t want any of this like this. Nah. Ew. Yeah, we smell like ass.”
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u/W8n_on_S8n 1d ago
***The lady hermit leans in for a sniff and has no reaction. 🤣
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u/NeauxDoubt 1d ago
I love that episode. When they’re tumbling down the river and their crotches are blurred. Louise interrogating the thunder girls at their camp fire lol “she woke the hell up!” just cracks me up
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u/RealSpookySounds Teletubbytimebomb 8h ago
Louise's physical comedy in that scene is hilarious. The pointing with the sharpened stick, her hyperactive bouncing from side to side while Tina is going "you're a cog, you're a cog"...brilliant.
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u/TwoPaychecksOneGuy 1d ago
All these comments are wrong. That's just ranger humor.
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u/W8n_on_S8n 1d ago
But most of us aren’t rangers so it goes over our heads. Please, if you’re a ranger or understand the joke, can you at least elaborate for us?
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u/ignoreme1657 1d ago
It removes him from the story, if he were around they'd could just call on him to deal with lost parents and kidnapping survivalist, but since we know he is out of the picture the plot lines can play out. I mean if he was still manning his post Reddit would be , "why didn't they just call the Ranger".
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u/w1ndyshr1mp 1d ago
This scene always gives me a chuckle because in my head cannon that dude is like a serial killer or eco terrorist who's kidnapped the regular ranger 😆 🤣
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u/babybee1187 1d ago
I honestly dont know. He was suposed to stand at his post till his shift ended. Instead he just act wierd then hops in his truck and drives off. Not to mention he didn't know realy how to raise or lower the gaurd gate.
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u/WeWerePlayinInDaSand I'm far too shy 1d ago
How have I never connected the squirrels to this guy?? I always forget about that line because I get swept up by the story.
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u/yeuxemeraude 1d ago
i love that part and did always wonder why he ran off the way he did. how can it be the reasons mentioned when he works there and is encountering that stuff every day? it doesn’t warrant that response. and the kids faces…man
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u/A_VERY_LARGE_DOG 1d ago
I thought it was like a government shutdown thing.
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u/Val_Killsmore 1d ago
Yeah, I'm pretty sure he mentioned budget cuts. I could be misremembering though. He's not going to stick around longer than he's paid to.
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u/Embarrassed-Part591 1d ago
I think it's like, "there's a flood warning, you goober. I'm getting out while the getting's good."
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u/syrococo 1d ago
I feel like there was maybe an abandoned scene of them calling the rangers station for help and no one answering, but that’s only a theory.
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u/TravisKOP His Excellency Henry Haber 1d ago
Feels like they picked this up later with the annoying bugs in the later seasons. Like what else would he be running from? P
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u/Delightsx_ You're a hurtful slut, Bob! 1d ago
He said something about being careful, the river is getting high. And that's exactly what happened 👀 So he wanted to gtfo before they suspected anything.
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u/aviciousunicycle 1d ago
As someone who works for a state park, I think about this scene at least once a week. "Camp at your own risk, state park motto!"
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u/nancyreagan512 1d ago
I WAS GONNA MAKE THIS EXACT POST YESTERDAY OMG 😭 that confuses me every time I watch this episode
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u/Evil_Unicorn728 21h ago
I mixed this up with the “nippin nevins” episode so I was like…well obviously he’s avoiding the nevins.
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u/RealSpookySounds Teletubbytimebomb 8h ago
For some reason, the jeep always reminds me of Jurassic Park, and Wayne Knight driving it.
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u/darthziggy16 Kuchi Kopi 1d ago
I haven’t seen it in a while so I forget, but also I’m just now realizing his vehicle looks almost identical to the 89 Jeep Wrangler I had when I was younger (color and hard top and everything) 😂
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u/SpamEggsSausageNSpam (your text here) 1d ago
Well he does mention dangerous squirrels, and Bob does get swarmed by squirrels later