- “Uh, why do all your ideas involve shouting 'gotcha' and scaring children?”— Bob Belcher to Linda Belcher
"Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien" is the ninth episode in Season 8, being the one-hundred-and-thirty-eighth episode overall.
Plot[]
When a new playground game is introduced, the school's social hierarchy is turned upside-down and Gene disapproves. Meanwhile, Linda fills in for the local library storyteller and pulls out all the stops to perfect her storyteller persona.
Synopsis[]
Recess at Wagstaff, and Gene is working on trimming and sculpting a shrub by the fences into what he calls “Monkey Booby Man” while Tina and Louise sit by him (and are unsure where the shrub’s “boobs” are). Rudy stops by to compliment Gene on the sculpture coming along, as well as tell them that he wasn’t around them last recess because he was trying to play basketball (and losing badly to Zeke), before asking to help trim.
Just then, Mr. Frond makes an announcement over a megaphone, and tells them that recess is “broken” with kids doing things such as playing catch with a shoe and pretending to be cats on the grass. Frond asks them why they are doing their own thing “when [they] could all be doing the same thing together.” He presents the students a game called “ga-ga ball” that he invented, and everyone gathers around a new octagonal waist-high ring in the yard. Frond says that there is no catching and no throwing, so anyone can play “no matter how hopeless un-athletic they are” (while looking directly at Rudy). Everyone climbs into the pit ring with Frond, who holds a dodgeball and explains that rather than hurling the ball, one just slaps it; to get someone out, one must hit them below the knee with the ball slapped at them. Frond decides to demonstrate by playing a few rounds with the students, but the Belcher kids leave.
At the restaurant, a bearded man in a wizard costume enters, surprising Bob until Teddy recognizes him as the “Wizard of Books” who reads to children at the public library twice a week. The Wizard, real name Frank, sits down to eat, while Linda says she’s jealous he can have fun reading to kids, while Bob asks if he is on the way to read (which he is, as he is no longer allowed to change behind the periodicals). Frank says he will have to miss that Friday’s reading due to being out of town, so the story time reading is cancelled. Just then, Linda gets he idea to do the reading, and gets excited thinking of what character to go as and what to read, while Frank agrees and tells her story time is at 2:00 that Friday, and he will tell the librarian to expect her. However, Linda is not sure what name to use to read.
At the school cafeteria, Gene wants to hurry up and finish so they can get to his shrub and make up for the time spent listening to Frond. Louise doesn’t like Frond trying to take over the playground and says that it does not change for anybody. However, they are shocked to see everyone normally playing outside all playing ga-ga ball instead. Frond is happy the kids actually like it, while Louise notes that usually his ideas are bad and ignored. Just then Rudy comes up behind them and asks them to play ga-ga with him, which surprises Louise, but he says he almost won at recess and might be good at it as he walks off. The kids don’t want to play, but right after Tina says they don’t give into peer pressure, she leaves to join Jimmy Jr and Zeke in the ga-ga pit, soon shouting to Louise and Gene that she loves the game.
The next day, Gene and Louise walk through the cafeteria, noting how everyone loves ga-ga ball suddenly. They sit with Tina, who is sitting with Jimmy Junior and Zeke, with Jimmy showing off his dodging moves bluntly telling a slightly nervous Zeke that the latter’s aim is bad. Louise wants to talk about something besides ga-ga ball, but when Tina cannot remember what they talked about before, she and Gene leave.
At the restaurant, Linda is busy thinking of library story-time characters with Teddy and Mort, while ignoring her jobs in the restaurant. Linda’s ideas of a fake librarian shaking her out and body-painting herself to look like a shelf of books, then jumping out are questioned by Bob, who asks why all her ideas involves surprising children and saying “gotcha”.
In the school hallway, Rudy is confidently bragging to several students about his natural skill and ability with ga-ga ball, which surprises Gene and Louise. Rudy surprises Zeke with a move, and promotes to “go easy” on Zeke, before saying he own’t and talks about being the best as Zeke walks off with “some shame”. Louise is unsure if Rudy is even there, but he tells them he’s found a sport he can dominate in, and that they would love it. Louise and Gene refuse, tired of everyone telling them to play, with Louise further irritated by him calling himself “the Rudester.” However, Louise is convinced once Rudy tells her that due to the rules, their small size allows them to win against bigger kids by being naturally lower to the ground but also smaller targets to hit. Soon, Louise is in the ga-ga pit loving the game and taking out other players. Gene sadly watches from the shrubs by the fence with Monkey Booby Man.
At dinner, Linda asks the kids what their favorite bedtime story was, as she needs a book to read at the library. The girls however are more interested in talking about ga-ga ball plays of the day, to Gene’s frustration. They explain to their parents the sport, and how everyone except Gene are playing it, while telling him he would love it. Gene however, while saying he might love it, is tired of hearing it, as the playground was the one place at school where anyone could do what they want, including working on the shrub (and giving him ideas like giving the shrub a pet fern called “Fern-ando”). Gene eventually gets so upset hearing about the sport at home that he storms off from dinner, nearly forgetting his plate.
At school Thursday, Rudy defeats Wayne and has eliminated all other players again, bragging “there’s no shame in losing to the best.” Frond says he wishes they had ga-ga ball when he was school, rather than spending recess talking to roly-poly bugs. He announces he has secured funding for three new ga-ga pits with workers taping off octagons for the ga-ga games. As the pits stretch all the way to the fence opposite frond, Gene looks and sees Mr. Branca cutting donut he shrubs, including Monkey Booby Man, distressing him (while also taking the fern with a leash he left by it). Frond further announces to the students on the playground that the school will be holding a winner-take-all ga-ga ball tournament that Friday at recess, but an angry Gene drags the shrub up behind him and asks what is wrong with everyone and yells behind the guidance counselor until LaBonz tells him to be quiet. Louise and Tina try to give condolences but instead join the game.
A broken Gene drags the shrub to a nearby trash can and says goodbye to Monkey Booby Man, before noticing Zeke hiding behind the trash can. Gene says he is the only one there who doesn’t love ga-ga ball, while Zeke nervously lies that he loves it and doesn’t mind losing al the time. However, a ball rolls over, and Zeke asks Gene to throw it back as he told Jimmy Jr that he was going to fart in the yearbook room. Gene, still angry about the shrub, slaps the ball hard back to the pit, and Zeke notes that Gene has both power and accuracy, which Zeke admits if he had he would not lie in bed every night dreading recess (before being spotted by Jimmy).
At the restaurant, Linda displays her new storyteller character: Punky Bookster, with an ensemble including pigtails and a torn-up white shirt (which Bob realizes is his). Mort and Teddy like it, so Linda tells them with story time the next day, Teddy is on tech, which includes music and lighting cues, and a guitar.
That night in the Belcher apartment, Bob and Linda join Tina and Louise in playing ga-ga ball in the living room, using sofa cushions and other furniture as the ga-ga pit. Gene is shocked and asks if it is bedtime (which he admits he never thought he’d say). Louise wants to beat Rudy in the tournament the next day, who is always saying “no shame in losing to the best”, while Tina tries out her new winning phrase “you just got banged” (due to her plan to point to her bangs) to Bob and Linda’s disapproval as she misses the other meaning. Gene is surprised that that the winner gets to say somethign to the crowd, but his sisters note that people will have to listen.
The next morning, Frond announces on the playground the start of the first annual Wagstaff Ga-Ga Ball Friendship Tournament of Annihilation, when Gene signs up for the tournament at a nearby table. Louise and Tina are surprised, sad he has never played ga-ga ball before, but Gene is determined. After Mr. Branca’s ribbon-dancing opening ceremony, Frond tells everyone to get into the ga-ga pits as his energy goes up (from drinking energy drinks).
At the restaurant, Teddy and Linda pack up the gear, including an amp, guitar, strobe light, Waller chain, and switchblade, but Bob asks if they have a book. Linda dismisses it and says there will be something at the library.
At the playground, Frond explains the tournament rules through his megaphone: four preliminary rounds, with the top two players from each round advancing to the final match. Gene and Rudy play well as the others get are ousted, and soon they are among the final eight players (which upset a lot of faculty brackets).
At the public library, Linda and Teddy set up, with Teddy and Linda noting that the small space means the pyrotechnics are not a good idea. Just then, Frank, in his wizard costume, shows up, explaining he cancelled his trip to Seattle. After remembering who Linda is (as a “random lady”), he tells her he’s got it and they can leave, but Linda wants to read. Frank leaves to pee but expects hem to be gone; Teddy, however, say that Frank knows Linda’s character is better, and that Punky Bookster would stay and fight. Linda agrees and suggests a “read-off”.
At Wagstaff, the final is done to Gene and Rudy having an intense back-and-forth slapping the ball.
At the library, kids are sitting for story time while Linda and teddy set her amp and guitar, when Frank finds them having stayed, with Linda saying the two will have a read-off and see who the kids like better. Frank agrees. Teddy lays out the rules: One book, two readers, each one reads a page then the next. The librarian shows up and is confused at having two volunteer readers, and hands them The Dinosaur Went To The Store. Linda’s tempt gets off to a bad start due to the amplifier’s distortion.
At the school ga-ga pits, the final match is still going on as Rudy trash-talks and Gene tries to catch up.
At the library, Frank’s reads a page to the kids and Teddy’s attention.
At the restaurant, all is quiet and Bob asks if Mort said anything.
At the library, Linda reads the final page in the book to scattered applause, Frank tells her she read well, and she tells he was good too, ands that the read-off was silly. Frank and Linda agree that story time shouldn’t be about the characters but about the kids. The librarian approaches Linda and tells her that the sue of the switchblade during the reading alarmed some parents and the cops are now on their way (while saying she didn’t call them). Linda and Teddy run, leaving the amp and guitar, even though they belong to Mort.
At Wagstaff, Rudy messes up a slap, and Gene uses the opportunity to slap the ball into Rudy’s legs, knocking him out of play and making Gene the winner. As everyone cheers, Frond hands Gene the megaphone, who uses it to say that they have taken it too far. Frond asks for the megaphone back, but Gene says he’s earned it. Gene continues, saying that ga-ga ball is fun but that some people there only played because they were pressured by their friends and Frond, who considers the notion ridiculous, and says more people have wanted to be involved more than any other school activity they’ve had in the past. Rudy asks Gene why he hates ga-ga ball, but gene says he doesn’t, but does say he doesn’t like when it is all anyone talks about and that when someone says “everyone” loves something, they’re being loose with the word.
Gene runs out of words and Frond says he got through to no one there, but soon Zeke, Wayne, and other kids who miss their pre-ga-ga recess activities speak up. Gene asks frond about himself, the who as a little kid talked to roly-polies at recess. Frond remembers being a kid and being made to play football rather than with the bugs (technically crustaceans), and realizes to his horror that he is the “super cool football guy”. He says t he school can do with one ga-ga pit, telling everybody to do what they want at recess and Branca to destroy the remaining pits. As the crowd disperses, Tina, Louise and Rudy apologize to Gene for getting arrived away, but Gene accepts and suggests playing a round of ga-ga ball, before noticing a nearby row of hedges and plots out his newest work “Mr. Hippo Man Bun Shrub” in it before playing.
Videos[]
External links[]
- "Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien" on IMDb
- "Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien" press release via The Futon Critic
- "Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien" script via Springfield! Springfield!
- "Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien" review at The A.V. Club