My penultimate week of coverage begins at HEAVEmedia, and the word bittersweet has become synonymous. I have loved covering Bob’s Burgers and The Americans, but unfortunately, I won’t get the chance to finish either season out.

Even more unfortunate is how half of “Ambergris” just feels a little too dry. The kids discover a chunk of ambergris, basically whale-digested squid, and learn it’s worth thousands of dollars. It is a Louise story if I ever saw one, but that’s a blessing and a curse. Louise has a way of hamming up her own schemes, but typically to overcome in an outlandish fashion. Here, however, Louise is given a sure thing and the greed consumes her. For a guy whose film school education was 90% watching A Simple Plan, the concept is not lost on me. There’s a problem with the puzzle, though: Louise’s character. Louise is already the greedy kid talking change from your wallet while her brother stands on her shoulders so you can pose as an adult in a trench coat at a fancy party. Greed consuming her is often the starting point for most plots, not a result. If it were Tina or Gene, the more innocent Belchers would be more interesting. However, it’s Louise at the wheel and somehow the fun deteriorates. A good explanation would be the absence of Gene and Tina, as she avoids them. She doesn’t have the innocent souls opposing her as much as this episode should allow.

She does, however, get to play off Mickey, voiced by Bill Hader. Mickey is great because you know he will never get on his feet. He’s a good guy, but he’s addicted to crime. His humor, along with that of his friend The Nose, provides some dryness around Louise’s screaming and twitching. Ultimately, it just doesn’t feel like enough. Louise rarely learns important lessons, and that’s okay. However, this episode presses too much on the fact that she should.

What does work most in “Ambergris” is the b-story. I don’t know if it could have worked as a central plot, so I’ll accept it for what it is. Mr. Fischoder’s brother, Felix, comes to help landlord after he squanders his inheritance. Felix is voiced by Zach Galifinakis, who I would absolutely love to play Kevin Kline’s brother in a live-action movie. Something indy, small scope, but lots of fun. (I’m pitching, Hollywood, why won’t you listen?) Anyway, Felix immediately takes Bob’s need for cleaner water into a chance to remodel the restaurant’s bathroom into something chic. Bob’s growing impatience with the unnecessary extravagance of the project moves in perfect tandem with Felix’s “vision.”

I could have sat and watched Felix’s failed bathroom shtick for a full half-hour, but I guess my tastes weren’t to be satisfied tonight. All the while, the mystery of Mr. Fischoder’s eye patch was quickly and quietly solved. Nice touch. Siblings who get carried away was the ultimate theme of this episode, and the two stories were tied together with precision. However, if Tina or Gene had taken up the reins on this one with Louise spinning her own anarchy, “Ambergris” could have been stronger.

Spec episode update: Just have to complete the third act and I’ll be done with my first draft. Incidentally, I’m trying to make Louise as the head player work smoother than episodes such as this one. I find that Louise best excels as a growing character when other characters are changing with her. Influence is a potent thing for Louise. If she feels she’s affecting someone, she becomes more open to change. She gets that one from Bob.