This Is Me Now: Queer Time and Animated Childhood

Abstract

Animation has a complex relationship with time, often subverting linear narrative tradition and freezing characters in space and time. Animated sitcoms deal in seriality and repetition, with an episodic structure that prioritizes narrative closure. At each episode begins, the equilibrium is reset and order is restored. This apparent triumph of equilibrium, however, should not detract from the subversive potential of animated sitcoms and, specifically, the queer potential rooted in the rejection of linearity and temporal progression. This article discusses the character of Gene in the Fox sitcom Bob's Burgers, exploring how his queer identity is foregrounded by the subversion of temporality.