This episode was watched by a total of 4.66 million households, up from the previous episode's viewing by 0.52 million viewers. Critical reception has been positive.
The AV Club gave the episode a B+ rating, stating It's Tina and Linda's turn to keep Bob's Burgers from, ahem, jumping the shark.
This episode and the script cover is a parody of the 1975 thriller film Jaws. Some of the references include:
Bob, Teddy, and Mort all represent the three main characters; Bob is meant to represent Sheriff Martin Brody; Teddy represents the bounty hunter Quint; Mort represents Matt Hooper. In addition, Mr. Fischoeder is likely representational of Mayor Larry Vaughn.
Teddy pretending to scratch his hand on the chalkboard
Teddy's vendetta towards the shark is very similar to Quint's obsession
"We're going to need a bigger restaurant" is an obvious callback to the famous "We're going to need a bigger boat".
Teddy fell into the shark's mouth.
Bob's Burgers supervising director Bernard Derriman is caricatured as the man vacuuming while wearing headphones in a property along Ocean Avenue where the shark smashes the glass. His name tag says Derriman.
In every episode after this episode, there are visible shark bites on the side of the ice cream machine. It is still fully operational as seen in "Friends with Burger-fits."
This is the first episode where Gretchen is shown wearing her actual clothes. She wore a Lobster-maiden dress in "Lobsterfest," she only wears a towel in "Beefsquatch," and wears a cheerleading fancy dress costume in "Full Bars."
Steven Spielberg non-speaking cameo/likeness. How he appeared while filming Jaws.
When Bob is attempting to blow his block captain whistle, a caricatured version of Jaws director Stephen Spielberg can be seen behind Tina and Mr. Fischoeder. Interestingly he doesn't appear in the promo image from the same scene and behind Tina and Mr. Fischoeder is a man who got moved over to the left of the screen. (see Gallery)
The sign on the door of the restaurant where the townspeople are gathered reads "Emergency all block shark stopping meeting."
In Jaws fashion, the script cover shows Bob as a shark while Linda rests on an inflatable bed.
Seeing how The Deepening movie was made in the 1980s and how Teddy is currently in his 40's, Teddy was 18-27 years old when he starred in said movie.
The Deepening film starred Linda Blair, a real-life actress best known for playing Regan MacNeill in The Exorcist (although Blair herself does not appear in the episode).
This episode is the first time we see Teddy's teeth in the series (Or at least, his young self).
There is a fan theory that this may be the hole where Cotton Candy Dan was killed and buried by Grover Fischoeder, as shown in The Bob's Burgers Movie.
The scene in which the Belcher kids accidentally knock over the shark, Tina's movement with her fist in the air is similar to Jesse's pose in the ending scene of the 1993 drama film Free Willy when he finally succeeds in setting the titular Orca free into the ocean.
Bob justifies his first plan of using spikes to stop the shark by saying it worked on "those drunk shriners". Shriners International is the name of a Masonic society and fraternity that is based on fun, fellowship, and such principles as brotherly love and truth.
Goofs[]
The number on the helmet of the fireman behind Bob is reversed in the shot after the shark becomes electrified.
Kristi Sanducci's prosthetic arm switches back between being a left arm and a right arm when Bob pries it off Louise and when Kristi slaps Bob with it. Also when the hand is over her head the hand becomes Kristi's skin color as if it were her hand.
The vanilla ice cream comes out of the left pump instead of the right at the start of the episode.
