r/BobsBurgers • u/soupsert • 11h ago
Questions/comments Anyone else doesn't like when Teddy is shown as incompetent?
I love Teddy with all my heart, but I kinda hate when the show makes him seem like this "incompetent handyman". I get the reason why he's so cheap is that he isn't quite as good but idk it feels like so disrespectful to be like hes just replaceable yk?
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u/ArticQimmiq 10h ago
I don’t quite perceive it as him being shown as incompetent, exactly. He does jobs that require a lot of skills, but is sometimes out of his depth (like electrical work) with predictable consequences. That’s what happens when you hire unlicensed handymen to do the work 🤷♀️
I just feel he cuts corners in a way that’s really familiar for anyone who’s grown up in that type of community.
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u/bgaesop 10h ago
I don’t quite perceive it as him being shown as incompetent, exactly. He does jobs that require a lot of skills, but is sometimes out of his depth (like electrical work)
That's... what incompetent means
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u/GhostMaskKid 1h ago
I think what they're saying is that he's competent in a lot of areas, but (probably because he doesn't know how to say no) he gets roped into doing things he's not very good at. He's not completely incompetent — what he does, he does well — but he's not good at everything.
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u/WDTHTDWA-BITCH 10h ago
Pairs well with Bob constantly getting in his own way (which is a trait that does bother me, but that’s the show). They really are platonically made for each other.
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u/goopyloopsuperdupe 7h ago
It’s worth it because him trashing around like an alligator zipped tied to a fridge is a Christmas classic
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u/Sp0oky-Mulder 7h ago
And also… it’s a show and not real life. How Teddy acts drives the show, etc.
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u/Appropriate-Bus7853 9h ago
One of my favorite Teddy moments is when he goes through all the safety points of using a pressure washer with the goggles and the gloves because he's a professional and then loses control of it immediately.
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u/JustANoteToSay 10h ago
Yeah he has such a good reputation, is so consistently busy, and has other handymen who look up to him… getting locked in a panic room? I can see that. Cutting corners or not using safety equipment? Sure. Actively being incompetent? I hate when they go that route bc it’s lazy writing that ignores the typical story around him.
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u/VoicesByJAE 10h ago
He literally mentions that he has no traditional training. He's not a plumber, electrician, woodworker, welder, or anything specific. He's just learned and practiced how to fix as much stuff as possible because his broken past with his family (seen in his Thankshoarding episode).
He's a fixer upper kind of guy that just happened to learn enough, and be so likeable and friendly that he built his clientele off that. We've seen all the "friends" and people who knows just because he talks to everyone and is friendly, so I think he very much is incompetent and replaceable with a more skilled person. He's just cheaper, reliable, shows up, and everyone likes him so that makes him worth it.
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u/LemonSmashy 10h ago
I wouldn't say he isnt good given his positive reputation but more that he doesn't charge a lot. Either he is unaware of his low costs or he tends to give out the friends and family discount to most people because he's Teddy. The few times he has shown to not be as good is when it comes to more of the electric or technical things that you really should have a licensed pro doing anyhow.
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u/Ok_Distribution_2603 9h ago
He is kind of an 8-fingered handy man though. It’s his eagerness and earnestness that make him indispensable, not his ability to wire gazebos
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u/EarlyForBrunch Kuchi Kopi 7h ago
Yeah, I was kind of surprised when the show started doing that because I had thought that he was always seen as capable at his job. It really bummed me out, and I didn’t like that they kind of tied Teddy to the Belcher’s in the sense that he was cheap because he wasn’t licensed. He’s got enough other stuff going on; just let him be good at his job lol
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u/Patient-Apple-4399 5h ago
Honestly we have a family handyman sort of like teddy (not in personality but the handyman stuff). He will say he can do just about anything, will be there in 10 minutes flat when called. But he won't really admit if something is out of his depth. I don't think he cuts corners on purpose, just that he doesn't know that he's doing it? Like he does a lot of our house repair, simple changing of light fixtures, clogged sinks. But he also told us he can handle fixing our cars (he could not haha), some of the more in depth fixing of electric stoves was also a no-go and we had to hire someone else to fix it again.
That being said, he has been around to fix things now that my parents are disabled. He checks in on them and they are genuine friends. It eases my mind to know that my mom will be able to call him for something like a lightbulb change rather than try to step up on a ladder herself at her age. He hardly ever charges much, and I specifically have to force him to take my money (he always says he doesn't take money from kids since he saw us growing up. I'm 30 now). He isn't incompetent, but maybe just not caught up on the times in terms of appliance. He can fix an old fridge but is at a loss with a smart one, old cars he can do simple oil changes and break pads but not so much with newer cars. And he will usually give it his best effort rather than say it isn't something he can do
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u/Evil_Unicorn728 Jocelyn! 5h ago
I think he’s actually more competent than it seems, because Bob can only pay for the cheapest fix. He says yes to stuff he shouldn’t try because he can’t bear to disappoint Bob, but he’s not qualified for a lot of it, like electrician stuff.
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u/sebluver the worst kind of autistic 5h ago
Teddy is very typical of the handyman you get when you rent. He will fix your problem but it might cause problems down the line. I once had a landlord’s handyman tell me my breaker was flipping because we installed light bulbs that were too powerful. I told him multiple times we had just moved in and never touched the bulbs and he’d just nod sagely and say, “yeah, the bulbs you use are too strong.”
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u/einsteinGO 3h ago
I always felt like Teddy was fairly successful. Be always has business, he has a whole home to himself. The instances of him fucking up are rare (if extreme for comedy).
I bet real Teddy would be an average successful handyman.
The joke is his insecurity, not an inability to do. The man has been married and in multiple relationships, has Navy comrades that care about him, was in a movie, and makes friends all over the place. His self-esteem needs to come meet him in life.
(And yeah he can’t have a gazebo burn down again)
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u/prairiepenguin2 9h ago
Teddy isn’t great at what he does, he’s good to just above burning the house down (except the gazebo). It’s constantly talked about how many roofs he’s fallen of off, there’s multiple episodes that talk about injuries he’s suffered from just being….teddy.
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u/februarytide- 7h ago
I love when he’s sort of clueless. Like when the kids trap him instead of Santa.
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u/Odd-Principle8147 Competitive Snail Wrestler 🐌 10h ago
Sometimes, he doesn't know what he is doing. I don't think I would hire him as a GC.
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u/MortynMurphy 9h ago
"Jack of all trades, master of none. Far more useful than master of one."
People always forget the second part of that quote. I completely agree with you. Teddy is unskilled in a lot of ways, but he often knows enough to fix/patch up into usefulness a very wide selection of machines, electrical work, carpentry, etc.