What About Bob? poster
What About Bob?

Picking Nits

The panel questions Bob’s shifting symptoms, the Gutmans’ constant availability, Leo’s murder plan, and the length of Leo’s vacation; Bob’s apparent inconsistency is answered as gradual improvement through Baby Steps.

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:24Read transcript
  • Bob’s OCD behavior seems to come and go: he cannot leave home or touch a doorknob, then suddenly socializes with the answering-service workers.
  • Anna’s immediate invitation of Bob is called a borderline nitpick and prompts debate about the character’s age and possible attraction.
  • The response is that pursuing Leo forces Bob into increasingly difficult interactions and therefore functions as treatment.
  • Bob touching the family car without a napkin becomes evidence that his trust is growing.
  • Bob’s impersonation and detective work show him re-entering the world rather than remaining static.
  • The Gutmans appear across the lake whenever the story needs them despite supposedly running a diner.
  • Leo’s plan to blow Bob up offers no credible explanation for the death or evidence.
  • The panel accepts that Leo has lost his mind but still finds the attempted-murder mechanics excessive.
  • A participant’s only nitpick is that committed therapists would treat possible patient self-harm as a 911 emergency.
  • The producer questions whether a psychiatrist would leave patients from July 31 through Labor Day.
  • A roughly thirty-five-day vacation is judged unusually long for an active practice.