- “Oh, no. I'm accidentally spilling this glass of water on your shoe.”— Tina Belcher to Jack Conway
"They Serve Horses, Don't They?" is the fourth episode in Season 7, being the one-hundred-and-eleventh episode overall.
Plot[]
After a tip from Jimmy Pesto, Bob secures a new meat provider who claims to save clients money on every order. The Belchers quickly realize that the situation is too good to be true, as they find themselves involved in a full-blown investigation, led by Hugo and Ron.
Synopsis[]
In the restaurant, the kids are trying to get out of work (using Gene’s sore arm from rummaging for a cashew as an excuse) when Jimmy Pesto barges in. He is sporting a tan and after telling Bob he doesn’t do things like save on food costs and charging more, brags about how the family spent a fun week in the Bahamas (except for Jimmy Jr, who forgot to put on sunblock and became sunburned red), on account of his new meat vender, Jack Conway, who saves Jimmy over $1,000 a month.
Later in the kitchen, Bob is counting up costs of items such as toilet paper, and Linda suggests they call Jimmy’s meat guy to save on the shopping list. Bob says they already have a meat guy, Demetri, but Linda says that he might be able to save them money, and Bob is convinced to do ‘just a phone call”. Later, Jack Conway shows up, and tells the two he can save them $400 a month without sacrificing quality. Bob is skeptical, but Jack says he has relationships with several small cattle farms in Ohio and Vermont, with friendly prices. Bob is still concerned given Jack does business with Jimmy Pesto, but Jack outright says Jimmy is an idiot with great taste in meat distributors. He convinces Bob and Linda to buy a small box that day to try it.
The next day in the restaurant, Bob and Teddy are trying the new meat in burgers, but Bob finds that it is not great but rather tastes weird. While Teddy loves it, Bob says it won’t work out and that they won’t buy from Jack again. Just then, Hugo and Ron enter. After Hugo’s accusatory truth-or-dare is derailed by the other Belchers, he asks Bob if his menu says he serves “USDA Prime Beef”, which Bob says is true, but Hugo tells him that they have photos of Jack entering the restaurant. Hugo asks Bob if he knows what “meat fraud’ is, and reveals that the “beef” jack sold them is in fact horse meat. Everyone is shocked, Teddy is disgusted, and Tina, ever the horse lover, begins hyperventilating.
Hugo tells them that they have to be shut down while Bob swears he did not know. Hugo tells him there is another option: Bob will wear a wire and help Ron and Hugo do an undercover sting investigation to bust Jack. Bob calls and sets up another delivery with Jack. Hugo then tells him to take over his shirt to be shaved for the “wire”, Bob asks why Hugo didn’t ask Jimmy, who bought more, but Hugo says that while he thinks Jimmy is “gorgeous”, he is not smart. Bob reluctantly removes his shirt, but is exasperated at Ron shaving his chest with sweet and sour sauce from a Chinese restaurant, as they lacked shaving cream. Bob asks if health inspectors even do this, as it seems it’s more an FDA thing, and Hugo says it is and they are out of their jurisdiction, but refuses to call them and instead wants to solve the case himself and “throw it in their stupid faces.”
Bob says that the two have no idea what they’re doing, but Hugo tires to prove him wrong with a “wireless audio transmitter”, which is really a pink star-shaped radio and microphone for kids. Hugo says it will work, and with its 50-foot range, he and Ron will be parked across the street listening in and recording onto a child’s red cassette player. Hugo needs two things: Jack claiming his meat is USDA prime beef, and Jack accepting payment for it (while an angry Tina says she will punch Jack over and over before Linda stops her).
Later in the restaurant, Bob tells the kids that the interaction will be over quick and asks them to act normal for five minutes, but when an upset Tina throws a salt shaker cap, Bob tells them to go upstairs. Louise and Gene protest, as they feel there is little to see around there as is, and Linda tells him to let them stay when Jack arrives with another box of meat. Bob awkwardly mentions the meat he ordered and hands Jack a check, but he manages to stop Jack with a stilted conversation about meat and how Jack sold him USDA prime, but fails to get Jack to say it is USDA prime beef as well (and Ron in the van saying Bob is even worse at this than they thought he’d be). Jack merely finds Bob “a little weird” but likes it and says they are both “weirdos”.
Just then, Tina comes up to Jack and maliciously spills a glass of water on his shoes, but Jack manages to step away from most of it before leaving. In the van, Hugo berates Bob that they got nothing, and that Bob now has to order more horse meat for another sting before ordering Ron to reshave Bob’s chest. Bob protests, as it is starting to get itchy, and Hugo and Louise get into an argument about Louise calling the FDA if the kids are not allowed to stay in the van while Hugo says he will shut them down in response. Bob stops them and agrees to call. Later back in the restaurant, Jack delivers boxes of meat to Bob and Linda. Jack says out loud this time it is USDA prime beef, but as Hugo, Ron and the kids listen in, they hear a sound blocking it out; Bob, whose chest was itchy from being shaved earlier, is now impulsively scratching the area where the microphone is taped. Ron calls the restaurant with Linda answering, telling her they are losing all the evidence due to Bob’s scratching, and Linda tries to tell Bob to stop scratching, but it’s too late.
Back in the van, Bob says he was really itchy and tells Hugo to use less tape on his chest, while Hugo tells him to do yet another sting. The next day, Jack makes another delivery, but the microphone, due to having less tape, falls off Bob’s chest, and he accidentally steps on it. Hugo yells at Bob to do another sting call, but Bob says the walk-in is full of horse meat. An angry Tina tells him they need to get Jack as a horse cannot walk away and it “might be dead soon” if he doesn’t act. Bob then gets a call on his phone, and it is Jack inviting his “favorite customers” to his birthday party. Hugo tells him they will go to the birthday party to finally take down Jack.
Outside Jack’s apartment complex, Hugo and Ron are with the Belchers in the van, with Bob unsure since Jack seems like a nice guy apart from the meat fraud, but Hugo and Tina yell at him. Hugo tells him that with the microphone crushed, Bob will need to carry the tape recorder in his pocket and get up close to Jack as possible, while Tina cannot blow their covers. In the apartment yard, the party is in full swing, with Jimmy and his kids there among others. Jack greets them, and Gene and Louise go off to sue the Slip’N Slide. Jimmy Jr is still sunburned and Tina rushes over to apply aloe on him. Jack waves over to his wife Marian that the Belchers are there, and Bob is more uncertain about the job, given Marian is several months pregnant and Jack’s family is growing.
Jimmy Jr stops being slathered in lotion by Tina to eat a hot dog. Tina, however, becomes convinced that Jack is serving horse meat dogs at his party and swats it away from him. At the food table, Linda loves the huge wine glass she has, while the kids have snacks in between slipping and sliding. Bob meanwhile is having a horrible time having to do a sting of a person who seems like a nice guy. Linda wonders if they should avoid ruining the other family’s lives and enjoy the party, before they all have to hide their enjoyment from Tina.
Later, Bob and Jack are sitting at a picnic table, where Jack admits Jimmy Pesto just heard about the party and invited himself. Bob asks Jack about the meat he sells, and Jack says Jimmy buys. The “super cheap stuff’. Bob awkwardly tries to get his pocket closer to Jack to say he sold Bob “USDA Prime”, including standing on the table’s bench next to Jack, but manages to get Jack to say “USDA prime beef” before he asks Bob what he’s doing standing on the seat. Bob tries to bluff that he is just enjoying the view, but Jack suspects something. He asks Bob if he likes ska music, and invites inside their ground-level apartment to listen to some ska. Once inside the living room, Jack urns up the stereo very high, before leaning into Bob’s ear and whispering that he knows about the sting, to Bob’s horror (and confusion, when Jack accidentally kisses his ear).
Jack is upset at Bob wearing a wire and lying to him, while Bob points out that Jack lied to him first about the horse meat, which Jack tries to ignore. He turns down the stereo and asks if someone like the feds are listening in right now, but Bob admits he’s now just carrying the tape recorder. Jack is relieved that no one has heard what he has told bob, and Bob realizes he should not have told Jack this. Jack asks to look at the tape recorder, but Bob just says no. Meanwhile in the van, Hugo is nervous while Ron puts on a book on tape read by Alan Alda to pass the time. Jack says he can pay Bob back, but Bob says it is not about the money. Jack offers to sell him real beef instead of horse meat once he can find a distributor who sells beef, but Bob refuses and says he will hand over the tape. Jack manages to distract Bob and grabs the tape recorder, resulting in the two struggling over it.
Bob manages to run outside with the tape recorder and tells his family they are leaving as Jack chases him. Jack manages to block the exit, and runs after Bob, who runs back in. Bob manages to use the Slip’N Slide to escape, sliding on his stomach with the tape recorder held up to keep it dry. But the grass is wet, and Bob ends up sliding out into one of the bushes separating the yard from the sidewalk. Hugo and Ron see him sticking out, and Bob throws the tape recorder at Hugo to keep Jack from grabbing it. But Hugo is self-admittedly terrible at catching things, and fumbles the tape recorder, dropping it on the street and breaking it. Jack is happy thinking the evidence is destroyed, before Tina finds that the tape survived.
Later back at the restaurant, Bob notes Jimmy across the street, who, due to being made to raise his meat prices again, is making crude gestures and yelling at Bob. Teddy tries discreetly asking for a certain burger, before Bob figures it out and says they do not serve horse meat anymore; Teddy is upset, as he found he loved the horse burgers and cannot stop thinking about them. Jack comes in to apologize, carrying a notebook. Bob surprised he is not in jail, but Jack tells him he will be able to stay out of jail, but has many legal fees and fines, and they might take away his slippy slide. Tina, still angry, asks Jack what he is doing there, but Jack says he is there just to apologize, and to thank Bob. He’s done selling horse meat, to Teddy’s disappointment, but has started writing a book about his experiences. Entitled Friday Night Meats (to Bob being confused again about why it is titled that), Jack begins reading from his notebook of his selling horse meat on Friday nights, to Linda’s amazement and Bob’s exasperation.
Cast[]
Starring |
Also Starring
|
Videos[]
External links[]
- "They Serve Horses, Don't They?" on IMDb
- "They Serve Horses, Don't They?" press release via The Futon Critic
- "They Serve Horses, Don't They?" script via Springfield! Springfield!
- "They Serve Horses, Don't They?" review at The A.V. Club