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[SPOILERS START HERE]

Throughout the events of the movie, Louise, albeit reluctantly, admits her concern that she’s not brave and that others view her as a baby. This fear is somewhat materialized by her iconic bunny-ears hat; Louise reveals that she got the hat from her parents, a gift made by Linda so that Louise would be brave before starting pre-school. She reasons that if she can’t ditch the ears, then she’s just proving everyone right—maybe she IS a baby.

Louise’s worries appear to be proven true. The normally fearless little girl, often reprimanded for her reckless nature, was paralyzed with fear at certain points. Her Kuchi Kopi nightlight reflects her hesitancy, continuously flickering in and out at crucial times. It seems Kuchi, and by extension Louise, simply can’t pull themselves together.

But while the Belchers become frustrated at the little lamp’s uselessness, they never blame Louise. Even when she takes ownership of fault for their seemingly impending deaths, Bob and Linda are quick to correct her.

As it turns out, Louise’s hat wasn’t actually a precursor pre-school gift. Linda made it after Louise started school. And she wasn’t given the hat to encourage her to be brave; no, she got the ears BECAUSE she was brave.

I relate to Louise in a lot of ways—the youngest, maybe the meanest, small for my age, ambitious, (maybe a little less impulsive), and yes, insecure.

When the creators and cast of the show said that hints of the movie were sprinkled into the twelfth season, I assumed the broken sidewalk was the main attraction. And it was, sort of.

But also dotting this season were hints of Louise’s fears coming to light—we’ve already seen her fear of public pooping conquered, but what about her fear of being overlooked or treated unfairly in the Greek class episode? Or her concern that she was too dangerous? That she simply wasn’t being a girl just right? Sure, all kids face insecurities or phobias, irrational fears and the like, but at multiple times throughout the season, we saw Louise uncharacteristically self-conscious.

And now it makes sense. If Louise formed her entire identity, her bunny-ears persona, around the idea that she needed a comfort item to face challenges, then upending her routine, pointing out a previously unknown flaw, or suggesting that she ditch the comfort item (looking at you, Chloe), would place her in an unnavigable situation. When Logan stole her hat, he stole what she believed to be her courage. And when it’s suggested she’s a baby with her hat, she’s caught between a rock and a hard place. Lose the hat, and she loses her might. Keep the hat, and she NEEDS the hat to endure the teasing.

Louise’s reluctance to leave the hat behind is clear, and while it was understandable, I almost wanted to see Louise overcome this fear like every other one before. I wanted her to take off the ears.

But now, I’m so glad she kept them. Or can choose when to take them off. Because Louise’s hat was never the object which gave her strength; it was a gift given to her because she demonstrated said strength. Or, if you had later asked Bob and Linda off-handedly, it might have simply been a gift without any conditions.

So Bob’s Burgers the Movie showed us what we fans have always known—that Louise is undeniably brave, but not in the way she thought. She never needed anything extra—she’s always been brave, with or without the ears. They don’t make her who she is. She’s Louise, bunny ears or no bunny ears. And by the end of the film, she can risk losing the hat because it no longer represents a false sense of security that can be lost with a strong gust of wind; it can just be a hat that she likes wearing.

1. Gene-centric episodes only take up about 12-13% of the show’s 10 seasons (194 episodes), so extra content wouldn’t be overkill in comparison to Tina (20%) and Louise (18%)

2. Gene may be the most realistic character of them all—I know everyone says Tina’s relatable and she is because of her awkwardness, but Gene has a very real phobia of snakes that isn’t always played for laughs (compare “It Snakes a Village” to “Just the Trip”).

Gene was also incredibly scared of a laser show bc of what I assume was sensory overload or just being overwhelmed, and a trapeze event but was able to overcome those fears to spend quality time with Bob

He also stood up to Logan when Louise got scared, even though he was terrified, too

Gene also didn’t want to go to a slumber party because he would miss his family, which is in contrast to Louise who didn’t want to host a sleepover because the girls in her class annoyed her (both VERY valid ideas)

3. Gene is SUPER talented—for his age, he’s a pretty good songwriter (“Topsy,” “The Gene and Courtney Show,” “The Quirkducers,” “Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl”), he was a cheerleader AND the Yell King, he placed 4th in the tablescaping competition and had he actually prepared for the second round might have placed higher

4. Gene might also cause the family the least amount of financial strain, or he’s at least the least amount of trouble, despite Bob and Linda saying it’s Tina. Tina once totaled the car, got to go to horse camp, got a 13th birthday party, capoeira lessons, and sneaked out of the house on more than one occasion and once with margarita mix. Louise almost forged a check for a very expensive film reel, she broke the family’s couch and then made the family get the old one back, she ruined Linda’s bed-and-breakfast, and she extorted Linda for money during their Mom-Daughter therapy class. Gene did get baseball camp and helped Linda burn down the restaurant, but he’s a generally easy child.

“We’re not doomed. In the grand scheme of things, we’re just tiny specks that will one day be forgotten.”