“Toy Store of Doom” is a very…interesting episode. Because if memory serves, this episode is seen very positively. But it also has many elements of episodes that I dislike. Like I mean the entire plot of this episode basically makes SpongeBob and Patrick children without an adult bone in their bodies, and y’all already know I’m not the biggest fan of that. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that this episode is going to be bad though.
The beginning of this episode is boring, which is the point. That doesn’t mean I have to like it though. See, just because you can create boringness effectively does not mean it’s conducive to a well-crafted episode. The fact that they were in Squidward’s house the whole time (which was obvious) was funny though. But I mean seriously, these first few minutes are such a drag. And then when they start crying about the store not being open…why? Why are we doing this right now? I don’t want to see or hear them crying, it’s borderline irritating. Thankfully, the construction worker feels the same way and throws Patrick inside the store. SpongeBob doing it to himself was also amusing.
When the poor cashier dreads the possibility of SpongeBob singing, I feel them deeply. Because ever since “Choir Boys” my trust in the singing in this show has gone down the drain, where it will remain until we get a good song again. And you’ll never believe what happens…that’s right, annoying noises! Not as egregious as “Choir Boys”, not even close, but they’re still there. Thankfully everything is covered up by a time card, for the most part.
Moving on, after Patrick convinces SpongeBob to hide in the store so they can stay past closing, this scene takes just a bit too long for me, especially when they’re leaving their hiding spot. When the lights turn off and they start freaking out, I find it to be…kind of amusing. I mean this episode is really leaning into the child aspect of things, so makes sense that they’d be afraid of the dark I guess. And there were a few good jokes in this part too, like Patrick not being able to hear, or the “night vision”. Patrick’s paranoia is also pretty funny, because why is he even this paranoid LMAO.
When SpongeBob and Patrick decide to fight back, I thought this was pretty entertaining. I love their little outfits. And I like how even though the toy is revealed to just be a tiny robot, they end up fighting it anyway. It’s a good subversion of the usual trope. And then the fact that they got all dressed up like this and then give up immediately was pretty funny. Patrick’s little quip about being an interesting guy was also funny. So this section of the episode was pretty good. And then the ending of the episode is good too, with SpongeBob and Patrick running out the store and their eyes burning. It’s all so fun and dramatic, and I love how Patrick just runs back inside.
I think my main issue with “Toy Store of Doom” is the fact that it feels so…incomplete and empty. Like it feels like not enough happened, which is a problem in the pacing. And I’m thinking it’s probably because we spent 3 minutes with SpongeBob and Patrick being bored. The episode should’ve just started with them walking bored and seeing the billboards. Yeah that would remove the fun joke at Squidward’s house, but it would leave more time for shenanigans at the toy store.
It’s hard to say how I rate “Toy Store of Doom”, because it feels higher than “Okay”, yet lower than “Good”. So the question is, which tier is it closest to? Well, the main difference between Okay and Good is that I will seek out Good-tier episodes in rewatches, while Okay-tier episodes I do not. With this episode, I don’t think I’d seek it out, particularly because of that dull beginning, it’s just such a drag. I suppose this ends our 4-episode run of really good episodes, huh? I just hope this doesn't mean we're about to go back down to mediocrity.
Episode Tier: Okay
Episode Score: 6.9/10
