There are few characters on television that are as unabashedly weird as Gene Belcher. The middle child in the Belcher family is truly a maestro of the bizarre. Whether he’s dressing up like Queen Latifah or falling in love with a manatee puppet, the perpetual 11-year-old truly marches to the beat of his own drum. Bob’s Burgers (which airs Sundays at 7:30 on FOX) is full of whacky shenanigans, but Gene is the only one who found a talking toilet in the woods. While it may seem weird to look to an elementary schooler on matters of how to live your life, everyone can use a little “just do you” pep talk from time to time. As we all get a little more homogenized, there is something to be said for constantly being yourself, even if that looks a little strange to others. Sometimes you just have to channel your inner Gene and let your freak flag fly. If you’re looking for a little inspiration following Sunday’s Bob’s Burgers premiere, here’s a roundup of some of Gene’s unique nuggets of wisdom.
“This is me now!”
If you’re anything like Gene, you sometimes take on different personas to fit your mood. When it’s football season, you’re a diehard fan. When a new Star Wars movie comes out, you’re lined up for midnight showings in a Wookiee suit. You’re not one to hold back from your passions, and neither is Gene. Sure, you haven’t committed to a bit so fully that you’ve ruined your father’s chances at a cooking show with your Beefsquatch shenanigans, but you’ve probably come awfully close.
“You saved us, Gene! I owe you my life.” — Tina
“No thanks. I’ve seen it and I’m not impressed.” — Gene
Other people may not get how you live your life, but you’ve certainly got things figured out. People may try to change you, even with the best of intentions, but you’ve got your own way of doing things. Gene’s family may not always get him, but they try their best to get into his weird brain. Hopefully you find a core group of the same ilk. Until then, keep doing your thing. You don’t want anyone else’s life.
“You should know when you hold hands with me, you are holding hands with everything I’ve ever eaten.”
When approaching romance, you may take a different track. Your wacky approaches to romance may not work with everyone, but you don’t need everyone. You just need someone who likes your particular brand of weirdness, someone who is willing to get your sandwiches on their hands.
“Do you really want to stay here and get pee ballooned?” — Louise
“Yeah. I can pee on myself. I don’t need any handouts.” — Gene
Gene is never one to let anyone take his freak flag or let other people dictate how he’s going to live his life. Sometimes the best option is to check out a little early to avoid a scuffle. Like in Gene’s case; full chocolate bars are the Halloween holy grail, but at what cost? Sometimes it’s best to take care of things yourself, even if you always take the weird way out.
“Ugh, summer is awful! There’s too much pressure to enjoy yourself.”
The thing about Gene is that he usually sees things from the opposite perspective of everyone else. While many see summer as an opportunity to let loose and have a little fun, Gene sees it more as a prison of expectations. You may find yourself in similar situations, and have realized after years of fighting it that you just can’t change what you like. Better to embrace it rather than becoming miserable trying to conform.
“Camera, take the day off. I added ten pounds to myself!”
Sometimes you need to attack things head on instead of beating around the bush. Your real talk and unwillingness to sugarcoat things may be off-putting to some people, but you and Gene know that honesty is the best policy, especially about yourself. While most people only project certain things to the rest of the world, you own every bit of yourself, lumps and all.
“I’m more of an indoor kid. I can’t survive out in the wild. I’ve been declawed!”
Part of the beauty of Gene is that he accepts who he is, limitations and all. It may seem like a good choice to pretend to be someone you’re not in an effort to fit in, but that just won’t work out in the long run. The sooner you accept who you are, be it house cat or mountain lion, the sooner you can be the best version of you. Now, go write that Die Hard musical.
