For the first episode of today, we’ve got a pretty interesting one in “Slide Whistle Stooges”. Fun fact, this episode originated two separate tracks, which were both very uncreatively named (
Slide Whistle Stooges and
Slide Whistle Stooges 2), so that’s pretty cool. They’re also just excellent tracks, with the first one being great for chase scenes, and the second one being more of a chill track, perfect for scenes with less dialogue. I wish they did a little better with the names though, especially because whenever the track is listed somewhere I get confused lol. Anyway, let’s get chatting about the episode.
I guess I’ll go ahead and address the big thing first…is this episode annoying? Is the main gag repetitive and/or unfunny? Luckily for me, I'm able to combine the answers to all of these questions into one single answer:
no. Firstly, the slide whistle sound is not annoying to me at all, and in this way I consider this specific part of the episode to be an improvement to "Squeaky Boots", making a sound that is annoying to characters in-universe not annoying to me. and the way the slide whistles are presented in this episode kind of reminds me of the notorious
Johnny Test whip crack, except not irritating haha. As for whether the whistling is repetitive and/or unfunny, I don't feel this way either. I'll discuss it more during the review, but I think they vary the gag enough, even while it is the same basic premise. I'm sure during some rewatches this episode could be like "Employee of the Month" where the repetition simply doesn't do it for me, but during my last rewatch I really enjoyed it.
Now that that’s settled, I’ll discuss the rest of the episode. I mean, I can’t really
not talk about the slide whistles again, because this was a fun little gimmick that makes the episode stand out. The beginning scene with Squidward slowly catching on to whatever’s going on was pretty entertaining, as we’re pulled right alongside him in trying to figure out what these noises are coming from. I also love how he’s like “it’s too early for this”, because that’s one of my favorite phrases lol. But just like SpongeBob says the slide whistling adds zest to everyday life, the act adds some zest to this episode. I love how SpongeBob and Patrick pull off all sorts of feats while slide whistling and messing with Squidward. And seeing Squidward slowly grow more and more insane over the slide whistles is pretty entertaining, if not exactly funny. The ensuing chase scene is similarly amusing, especially with the new music for it.
From here, the episode shifts to Squidward now getting in on the slide whistle action, with his ego being stroked. This was definitely a necessary change because even though SpongeBob and Patrick chasing Squidward around all day with the slide whistles was fun, I’m not sure it would’ve been good enough for 11 minutes of just that. And seeing Squidward get in on the fun is super enjoyable, both because it’s wholesome to see him have fun with SpongeBob and Patrick, and also because it’s just an entertaining sequence. The part at the Barg N’ Mart was great, and I love how Squidward was totally trolling that guy. Seeing Squidward actually let loose in this episode makes me think a lot of “Squidville”, since it’s a very similar, yet very different thing. I love how Squidward gets increasingly out of pocket too, which was a good escalation.
Moving on, y’all know what I’m about to say. I love the dramatics of the townspeople, pulling out the whole torches and pitchforks stop, to chase after Squidward for defiling the sanctity of Bikini Bottom. Man, this episode has a lot of chase scenes. But I mean Slide Whistle Stooges (the song) is best used for chase scenes anyway, so I get it. Anyway, I love the part with Squidward in the truck, and how the driver just fully abandons the whole vehicle. This of course ends in some glorious universal justice for Squidward, and I love how he accents his fall with the slide whistle…I feel like the entire episode was made just for that one joke lmao, like all the slide whistle build up really culminated in that, and it was hilarious. And on top of that, the “Band Geeks”-esque shot with SpongeBob and Patrick playing the sad music enhanced things even more. The ending of this episode is great too, a good continuation of the shenanigans that have been taking place throughout the entire runtime, with a side of “everybody laughs”.
“Slide Whistle Stooges” was just a really fun and entertaining episode. Delightful, I’d even say. A very warm episode. I really don’t have any issues with it at all. The only thing is that this episode wasn’t super funny, but like it wasn’t exactly trying to throw jokes left and right (being entirely focused on its one kind of gag), so I’m fine with that.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9/10
