123-124. Truth or Square

Spongey34

Dafano
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It's crazy how more than another 10 years have gone. SpongeBob at the time was really peaking in its popularity looking at all the celebrity guests this episode had.

I think the Patchy parts age really well, actually. The episode itself wasn't anything too special but all the meta exploitations around it are enjoyable and make it a good special overall.
 

Sara SquarePants

Lover of Spongie
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What happened to the specials?

I think it's kinda sad seeing how this show's special episodes have fallen by the wayside and it feels like Nickelodeon is giving The Loud House more attention with its specials

Like, "Schooled!" was a REAL hour-long special episode compared to the SpongeBob Halloween Countdown Special which is just a clip-show

Also, another way to tell that SpongeBob SquarePants has lost relevance is the fact that the show doesn't cameo in movies anymore

Movies such as "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (live-action/CG film) and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life" both featured characters watching SBSP on the TV

Now that pretty much is non-existent
 

MimicMadness

Born On January 14
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A marked improvement over the special preecedor, Atlantis Squarepantis. Yeah, Paul Tibitt is a talented writer. Him, Aaron Springer, Mr. Lawrence and a few older writers should make new SpongeBob episode. That would rock!
DID YOU JUST CALL IT AN IMPROVMENT! ATLANTIS SQUAREPANTIS IS SO UNDERRATED!
 

MimicMadness

Born On January 14
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What happened to the specials?

I think it's kinda sad seeing how this show's special episodes have fallen by the wayside and it feels like Nickelodeon is giving The Loud House more attention with its specials

Like, "Schooled!" was a REAL hour-long special episode compared to the SpongeBob Halloween Countdown Special which is just a clip-show

Also, another way to tell that SpongeBob SquarePants has lost relevance is the fact that the show doesn't cameo in movies anymore

Movies such as "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (live-action/CG film) and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life" both featured characters watching SBSP on the TV

Now that pretty much is non-existent
I thought being irrelevant required have ended. The Simpsons is over 30 years old and its still relevant,
 

MimicMadness

Born On January 14
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1. "A Day Like This" is low quality,
2. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAS MORE THAN ATLANTIS SQUAREOANTIS THATS IT IS THERE A SEASON 5 HURT AND HEAL
 

Squidwardiard

Frozen Cephalopod
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Overall, I like Truth or Square quite a bit. The celeb segments, I thought were pretty funny. Like Patchy not knowing who Tom Kenny is. But I do think that Big Birthday Blowout does a better job celebrating a Spongebob anniversary. Truth or Square does celebrate the anniversary in a pretty strange way, through the Spongebob gang being trapped in the vents of the Krusty Krab and a fake clip show and cutaways. I think the jokes are still funny. I think a lot of the cutaways/clips are pretty interesting and creative in their style/premise. I like the premise of the characters being trapped in the ventilation system too. I think this special's structure is somewhat messy and doesn't have the clearest focus, but I still find it entertaining and somewhat creative. This special is hated by many, but I like it even with its flaws.
 

GlitchyGoomba

Bomb-Selling Pirate
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This episode really is quite the ride. From the pointless celebrity cameos, to the really sloppily put together Patchy segments, to the irritating and at some points nonsensical Spongebob segments, to its shoddy and desperate marketing, this special truly feels like the epitome of Nickelodeon milking its cash cow franchise for all the money it's worth. I am genuinely baffled by how many people actually enjoy this special, and I personally consider it to be the worst in the series' history, even worse than "Spongebob You're Fired"
 

SlipperytheTotodile

The Pokemon Enthusiast
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Im going to be honest here that i actually kinda like this episode. Its funny and fun to watch and plus it had many good songs like A Day Like This so i give this eppy a good rank.

Rating: Good Episode

Rankings:
Grandpappy the Pirate (Perfect)
Chum Bucket Supreme (Perfect)
Suction Cup Symphony (Perfect)
Single Cell Anniversary (Amazing)
No Hat for Pat (Amazing)
Krabby Road (Amazing)
Boating Buddies (Great)
A Life in a Day (Great)
Grooming Gary (Great)
Nautical Novice (Great)
Overbooked (Great)
Truth or Square (Good)
To SquarePants or Not To SquarePants (Good)
No Nose Knows (Good)
Slide Whistle Stooges (Good)
Not Normal (Good)
Porous Pockets (Good)
Gone (Good)
Spongicus (Good)
Shell Shocked (Good)
Giant Squidward (Okay)
Professor Squidward (Alright)
SBSP Vs. The Big One (Alright)
Penny Foolish (Meh)
Sand Castles in the Sand (Meh)
Dear Vikings (Meh)
Squid's Visit (Mediocre)
Plankton's Regular (Mediocre)
Toy Store of Doom (Bad)
Komputer Overload (Bad)
Cephalopod Lodge (Bad)
Patty Caper (Bad)
Krusty Krushers (Bad)
The Slumber Party (Bad)
House Fancy (Bad)
Sun Bleached (Bad)
Gullible Pants (Bad)
Shuffleboarding (Inferior)
The Card (Inferior)
Pet or Pests (Facepalm)
Choir Boys (Terrible)
The Krabby Kronicle (Terrible)
The Splinter (THE ULTRA MEGA SCUM OF THE EARTH!)
 

Pugs4Thugs

#1 SpongeBob Reviewer
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
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Well, well, well…if it isn’t “Truth or Square”. Hoo boy, this episode right here was a modern SpongeBob hater’s wet dream back in the day. They were using this episode to show everything wrong with the show because it was this cartoon’s 10th anniversary special. God, the hatred towards this episode was surpassed by few others. Personally, I’ve always thought the hate was way overblown, even when I was very influenced by these opinions. Before rewatching the special, I hadn’t seen this episode in years, easily, and y’all know by now that I love to revisit these old hated things. As the years have gone by, I think this episode has kinda faded a little bit. No one talks about it anymore, probably because it is so old now, and also because cartoon reviewers have faded into obscurity LMAO. No but seriously, I think opinions on “Truth or Square” have mellowed over the years. So while this episode is still notorious, the hate towards it is nowhere near what it was. That means I can get through this review without pitchforks being pointed my way, right?

Okay so first off, I’ve always loved the theme song for this episode, like the CeeLo version. It’s just very groovy and neat, and I love the little puppet from the beginning, even if it does look like it just crawled out of the depths of hell haha. I just love the stop motion in this bit, and I like to think of it as a precursor to the stop-motion specials we’d later see. Also, random fun fact, but this is the first episode to use the widescreen (16:9) format! I didn’t even know that until I started watching it and I noticed that the dimensions looked different lol. Though we’ve gotta wait til season 9 til regular episodes start doing this consistently. I’m also happy that this special came out during the era of making games based on episodes, because it led to one of my favorite games, SpongeBob’s Truth or Square, being made. I still have this game now, the DS version, and it’s still excellent, I really don’t know what to tell you. Lastly, this episode goes crazy with the celebrity appearances. I kinda love that the show bought into its own hype with this special, because it deserves to do that! I mean come on, SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most popular shows of all-time, it deserves to show that it knows that every now and then.

Alright, let’s get into this episode properly. Like usual I’ll separate out the Patchy and SpongeBob segments, starting with Patchy. Obviously, these segments are how we get all of our celebrity cameos, and how the episode really leans into its hype. The narration segment at the beginning is great, and I thought it had its funny moments. Patchy being so obsessive is honestly hilarious, and I loved the scene with the guard (played by Rodger Bumpass, of course). And then we start getting our celebrity cameos, which I think were done nicely with the whole calling framework. God, I remember when certain…reviewers…got so mad about the fact that the rolodex shot was a retake. Like they were legit mad, going on for way too long about this. Like…y’all do know that Patchy segments are meant to look low budget right? Even if this wasn’t on purpose, it fits that perfectly. And also, it matters so little it’s not even worth mentioning lol. I only mention it because that overblown anger makes this part funny to me now.

Anyway, back to the celebrity cameos. Even if some of these celebrities are clearly phoning it in (which is funny given the method of getting these cameos), I really could not care less. The fact is they’re in this episode, and that’s enough for me. And I think that they help provide some humor for the adults watching too, especially with the older celebrities. And then of course, the joke about Tom Kenny was absolutely brilliant, like that was one joke I remember quite clearly. The part where Patchy starts laughing like a maniac gets me dying every time. And then the entire part with Robin Williams is easily the best of the celebrity cameos, like that was actually so funny. And Patchy getting eaten by a whale is so random and I love it. Patchy “meeting” SpongeBob was great, and I just love how clearly insane he is. The ending of his segment, with the return of the narration, is excellent.

Now, let’s talk about SpongeBob! The SpongeBob part of the plot parallels Patchy’s part (and just the real-world events) nicely, with the eleventy-seventh anniversary of the Krusty Krab being celebrated. Because this special is so long, I’m going to refrain from going through things strictly chronologically, and instead just kinda group together different elements of the episode. First, I’ll talk about the songs in this segment, because there are some and they range in terms in how much I like them and how much they add to the episode. The first one, “A Day Like This”, is pretty good. It definitely gives late 2000s. And there’s some neat visuals as SpongeBob gets ready for the day, so I like it. The song accompanying the flashback of an old Krusty Krab commercial was nice too. The song from the old-timey version of SpongeBob was cute too.

I’ll go ahead and use this paragraph to talk about all the flashbacks in this episode, since they are such a significant part of it. It’s funny to me that this episode really could not win. If it had used previous clips from the show, it would’ve been criticized for being a clip show. Since it made new clips, it was criticized for that. I honestly don’t mind either way. The only thing I don’t like is that some of the flashbacks make timeline things confusing, like this first one. But I also don’t care because I pick and choose my “canon”. I also like how sometimes the flashbacks are played around with. Like with the second flashback of Squidward sleeping, I love how Mr. Krabs is like “don’t make me have a flashback” before calling BS on Squidward. With the flashback of Plankton getting launched, I noticed how much I really like all the varying presentations of these flashbacks. The decoration flashback was great, and I do have a soft spot for gags like that (like in “Krusty Towers” with Squidward’s room). And then I loved how Mr. Krabs ends up teleporting through SpongeBob’s flashback about the formula. SpongeBob and Squidward’s flashbacks are similarly great. And then…sigh, we have the flashback about Sandy and SpongeBob getting “married”. This was only put in for the ratings bait, and it’s annoying. It’s not even done in a cute way. It’s just weird. Like why was this even a play in the first place? And y’all already know how I feel about putting SpongeBob in romantic situations.

Now, let’s talk about the plot. The plot is perfectly fine. It’s not insanely interesting but it fits the episode. The eleventy-seventh anniversary of the Krusty Krab is a good event to center the episode around, since that is such a central location in this show. And yeah, I don’t necessarily care for Plankton’s little stealing the formula plot in this episode, but I mean if this episode was gonna focus on the Krusty Krab, it makes sense to include this. And the whole being stuck in the freezer thing, that’s fine too, it’s a decent main conflict. I suppose it could be underwhelming for a 10th anniversary special, but honestly I think it speaks to this show’s ability to use simple plots effectively. I think the biggest issue out of everything is the lack of some very important characters, most notably Sandy. She’s just in that one notorious bit of the episode, and that’s it. Also missing are Pearl and Mrs. Puff (though at least they were in that bad flashback too). Do you guys see a pattern here, because I do. Anyway, back to the plot. Eventually, SpongeBob and co. bust out of the vents, just to find that everyone left. And then we get a…very interesting song that I personally don’t care for. But the ending of the episode is very classically SpongeBob, which is perfect for this special.

Lastly, I want to talk about probably the most important thing other than the plot, which is the humor. How funny is this episode? Personally, I think it’s very funny. I loved the bit at the beginning where it turns out SpongeBob’s line of alarm clocks goes into Squidward’s house, like that was such a SpongeBob thing to do. Or a bit later in the episode, when it turns out Mr. Krabs hired Patrick as security, and when he pins Squidward to the wall, that was great as well. There’s just good banter in general between our main 4 characters as well, all throughout this episode. It’s very enjoyable to watch. I really liked Patrick’s “high school diploma” comment. The surveillance room bit was brilliant, I love how random and unexplained it is. I liked the bit with the rejected theme songs too. I’d say the latter half of the episode is less funny than the first half, but I think it remains pretty amusing throughout. And the ending joke of the episode is hilarious.

Before I do my round-up, I wanna talk about one last thing: comparing the 10th anniversary special, and the 20th. If I had to choose between “Truth or Square” and “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout”, I’d probably choose the second. And I’m not talking about enjoyment right now, although it is true I enjoy that episode more. But what I’m saying here is that the 20th anniversary special had a lot more…heart and soul put into it than the 10th. Perhaps it’s because that special did also have the double duty of honoring Stephen Hillenburg, but that special felt a lot more like a celebration of the show and its history, while this special is more of a celebration of the show’s impact and popularity. And I see nothing wrong with that, I think there’s room for both kinds of celebration. I’m only saying that I still prefer the approach of the 20th anniversary special.

Now, let’s wrap this really long review up. “Truth or Square” definitely does not deserve the hate it got, and I think the older the episode gets, the funnier it becomes, especially with the celebrity cameos. I also think that the humor of this episode is truly underrated, perhaps because so much of it is wrapped up in the Patchy segments, and therefore is for adults. But I mean the SpongeBob segments were plenty funny too, so I don’t quite get the criticism that this episode isn’t funny. I thought in general, this was a good celebration of the show’s 10th anniversary, although a number of characters that should’ve been there in a substantive capacity weren’t, and I’m not happy about that. But that’s probably the main thing I’m unhappy about. So this episode is a perfect fit for my “Great” tier.

Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score:
8.7/10
 

SlipperytheTotodile

The Pokemon Enthusiast
Joined
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Messages
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SpongeBuddy Mania
Well, well, well…if it isn’t “Truth or Square”. Hoo boy, this episode right here was a modern SpongeBob hater’s wet dream back in the day. They were using this episode to show everything wrong with the show because it was this cartoon’s 10th anniversary special. God, the hatred towards this episode was surpassed by few others. Personally, I’ve always thought the hate was way overblown, even when I was very influenced by these opinions. Before rewatching the special, I hadn’t seen this episode in years, easily, and y’all know by now that I love to revisit these old hated things. As the years have gone by, I think this episode has kinda faded a little bit. No one talks about it anymore, probably because it is so old now, and also because cartoon reviewers have faded into obscurity LMAO. No but seriously, I think opinions on “Truth or Square” have mellowed over the years. So while this episode is still notorious, the hate towards it is nowhere near what it was. That means I can get through this review without pitchforks being pointed my way, right?

Okay so first off, I’ve always loved the theme song for this episode, like the CeeLo version. It’s just very groovy and neat, and I love the little puppet from the beginning, even if it does look like it just crawled out of the depths of hell haha. I just love the stop motion in this bit, and I like to think of it as a precursor to the stop-motion specials we’d later see. Also, random fun fact, but this is the first episode to use the widescreen (16:9) format! I didn’t even know that until I started watching it and I noticed that the dimensions looked different lol. Though we’ve gotta wait til season 9 til regular episodes start doing this consistently. I’m also happy that this special came out during the era of making games based on episodes, because it led to one of my favorite games, SpongeBob’s Truth or Square, being made. I still have this game now, the DS version, and it’s still excellent, I really don’t know what to tell you. Lastly, this episode goes crazy with the celebrity appearances. I kinda love that the show bought into its own hype with this special, because it deserves to do that! I mean come on, SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most popular shows of all-time, it deserves to show that it knows that every now and then.

Alright, let’s get into this episode properly. Like usual I’ll separate out the Patchy and SpongeBob segments, starting with Patchy. Obviously, these segments are how we get all of our celebrity cameos, and how the episode really leans into its hype. The narration segment at the beginning is great, and I thought it had its funny moments. Patchy being so obsessive is honestly hilarious, and I loved the scene with the guard (played by Rodger Bumpass, of course). And then we start getting our celebrity cameos, which I think were done nicely with the whole calling framework. God, I remember when certain…reviewers…got so mad about the fact that the rolodex shot was a retake. Like they were legit mad, going on for way too long about this. Like…y’all do know that Patchy segments are meant to look low budget right? Even if this wasn’t on purpose, it fits that perfectly. And also, it matters so little it’s not even worth mentioning lol. I only mention it because that overblown anger makes this part funny to me now.

Anyway, back to the celebrity cameos. Even if some of these celebrities are clearly phoning it in (which is funny given the method of getting these cameos), I really could not care less. The fact is they’re in this episode, and that’s enough for me. And I think that they help provide some humor for the adults watching too, especially with the older celebrities. And then of course, the joke about Tom Kenny was absolutely brilliant, like that was one joke I remember quite clearly. The part where Patchy starts laughing like a maniac gets me dying every time. And then the entire part with Robin Williams is easily the best of the celebrity cameos, like that was actually so funny. And Patchy getting eaten by a whale is so random and I love it. Patchy “meeting” SpongeBob was great, and I just love how clearly insane he is. The ending of his segment, with the return of the narration, is excellent.

Now, let’s talk about SpongeBob! The SpongeBob part of the plot parallels Patchy’s part (and just the real-world events) nicely, with the eleventy-seventh anniversary of the Krusty Krab being celebrated. Because this special is so long, I’m going to refrain from going through things strictly chronologically, and instead just kinda group together different elements of the episode. First, I’ll talk about the songs in this segment, because there are some and they range in terms in how much I like them and how much they add to the episode. The first one, “A Day Like This”, is pretty good. It definitely gives late 2000s. And there’s some neat visuals as SpongeBob gets ready for the day, so I like it. The song accompanying the flashback of an old Krusty Krab commercial was nice too. The song from the old-timey version of SpongeBob was cute too.

I’ll go ahead and use this paragraph to talk about all the flashbacks in this episode, since they are such a significant part of it. It’s funny to me that this episode really could not win. If it had used previous clips from the show, it would’ve been criticized for being a clip show. Since it made new clips, it was criticized for that. I honestly don’t mind either way. The only thing I don’t like is that some of the flashbacks make timeline things confusing, like this first one. But I also don’t care because I pick and choose my “canon”. I also like how sometimes the flashbacks are played around with. Like with the second flashback of Squidward sleeping, I love how Mr. Krabs is like “don’t make me have a flashback” before calling BS on Squidward. With the flashback of Plankton getting launched, I noticed how much I really like all the varying presentations of these flashbacks. The decoration flashback was great, and I do have a soft spot for gags like that (like in “Krusty Towers” with Squidward’s room). And then I loved how Mr. Krabs ends up teleporting through SpongeBob’s flashback about the formula. SpongeBob and Squidward’s flashbacks are similarly great. And then…sigh, we have the flashback about Sandy and SpongeBob getting “married”. This was only put in for the ratings bait, and it’s annoying. It’s not even done in a cute way. It’s just weird. Like why was this even a play in the first place? And y’all already know how I feel about putting SpongeBob in romantic situations.

Now, let’s talk about the plot. The plot is perfectly fine. It’s not insanely interesting but it fits the episode. The eleventy-seventh anniversary of the Krusty Krab is a good event to center the episode around, since that is such a central location in this show. And yeah, I don’t necessarily care for Plankton’s little stealing the formula plot in this episode, but I mean if this episode was gonna focus on the Krusty Krab, it makes sense to include this. And the whole being stuck in the freezer thing, that’s fine too, it’s a decent main conflict. I suppose it could be underwhelming for a 10th anniversary special, but honestly I think it speaks to this show’s ability to use simple plots effectively. I think the biggest issue out of everything is the lack of some very important characters, most notably Sandy. She’s just in that one notorious bit of the episode, and that’s it. Also missing are Pearl and Mrs. Puff (though at least they were in that bad flashback too). Do you guys see a pattern here, because I do. Anyway, back to the plot. Eventually, SpongeBob and co. bust out of the vents, just to find that everyone left. And then we get a…very interesting song that I personally don’t care for. But the ending of the episode is very classically SpongeBob, which is perfect for this special.

Lastly, I want to talk about probably the most important thing other than the plot, which is the humor. How funny is this episode? Personally, I think it’s very funny. I loved the bit at the beginning where it turns out SpongeBob’s line of alarm clocks goes into Squidward’s house, like that was such a SpongeBob thing to do. Or a bit later in the episode, when it turns out Mr. Krabs hired Patrick as security, and when he pins Squidward to the wall, that was great as well. There’s just good banter in general between our main 4 characters as well, all throughout this episode. It’s very enjoyable to watch. I really liked Patrick’s “high school diploma” comment. The surveillance room bit was brilliant, I love how random and unexplained it is. I liked the bit with the rejected theme songs too. I’d say the latter half of the episode is less funny than the first half, but I think it remains pretty amusing throughout. And the ending joke of the episode is hilarious.

Before I do my round-up, I wanna talk about one last thing: comparing the 10th anniversary special, and the 20th. If I had to choose between “Truth or Square” and “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout”, I’d probably choose the second. And I’m not talking about enjoyment right now, although it is true I enjoy that episode more. But what I’m saying here is that the 20th anniversary special had a lot more…heart and soul put into it than the 10th. Perhaps it’s because that special did also have the double duty of honoring Stephen Hillenburg, but that special felt a lot more like a celebration of the show and its history, while this special is more of a celebration of the show’s impact and popularity. And I see nothing wrong with that, I think there’s room for both kinds of celebration. I’m only saying that I still prefer the approach of the 20th anniversary special.

Now, let’s wrap this really long review up. “Truth or Square” definitely does not deserve the hate it got, and I think the older the episode gets, the funnier it becomes, especially with the celebrity cameos. I also think that the humor of this episode is truly underrated, perhaps because so much of it is wrapped up in the Patchy segments, and therefore is for adults. But I mean the SpongeBob segments were plenty funny too, so I don’t quite get the criticism that this episode isn’t funny. I thought in general, this was a good celebration of the show’s 10th anniversary, although a number of characters that should’ve been there in a substantive capacity weren’t, and I’m not happy about that. But that’s probably the main thing I’m unhappy about. So this episode is a perfect fit for my “Great” tier.

Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score: 8.7/10
I thought your tier for this one would be negative but I have to agree with you on this Truth or Square doesn't deserve hate
 

Heyo_Heyo

Moby Dollar
Joined
May 20, 2021
Messages
451
Likes
316
Well, well, well…if it isn’t “Truth or Square”. Hoo boy, this episode right here was a modern SpongeBob hater’s wet dream back in the day. They were using this episode to show everything wrong with the show because it was this cartoon’s 10th anniversary special. God, the hatred towards this episode was surpassed by few others. Personally, I’ve always thought the hate was way overblown, even when I was very influenced by these opinions. Before rewatching the special, I hadn’t seen this episode in years, easily, and y’all know by now that I love to revisit these old hated things. As the years have gone by, I think this episode has kinda faded a little bit. No one talks about it anymore, probably because it is so old now, and also because cartoon reviewers have faded into obscurity LMAO. No but seriously, I think opinions on “Truth or Square” have mellowed over the years. So while this episode is still notorious, the hate towards it is nowhere near what it was. That means I can get through this review without pitchforks being pointed my way, right?

Okay so first off, I’ve always loved the theme song for this episode, like the CeeLo version. It’s just very groovy and neat, and I love the little puppet from the beginning, even if it does look like it just crawled out of the depths of hell haha. I just love the stop motion in this bit, and I like to think of it as a precursor to the stop-motion specials we’d later see. Also, random fun fact, but this is the first episode to use the widescreen (16:9) format! I didn’t even know that until I started watching it and I noticed that the dimensions looked different lol. Though we’ve gotta wait til season 9 til regular episodes start doing this consistently. I’m also happy that this special came out during the era of making games based on episodes, because it led to one of my favorite games, SpongeBob’s Truth or Square, being made. I still have this game now, the DS version, and it’s still excellent, I really don’t know what to tell you. Lastly, this episode goes crazy with the celebrity appearances. I kinda love that the show bought into its own hype with this special, because it deserves to do that! I mean come on, SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most popular shows of all-time, it deserves to show that it knows that every now and then.

Alright, let’s get into this episode properly. Like usual I’ll separate out the Patchy and SpongeBob segments, starting with Patchy. Obviously, these segments are how we get all of our celebrity cameos, and how the episode really leans into its hype. The narration segment at the beginning is great, and I thought it had its funny moments. Patchy being so obsessive is honestly hilarious, and I loved the scene with the guard (played by Rodger Bumpass, of course). And then we start getting our celebrity cameos, which I think were done nicely with the whole calling framework. God, I remember when certain…reviewers…got so mad about the fact that the rolodex shot was a retake. Like they were legit mad, going on for way too long about this. Like…y’all do know that Patchy segments are meant to look low budget right? Even if this wasn’t on purpose, it fits that perfectly. And also, it matters so little it’s not even worth mentioning lol. I only mention it because that overblown anger makes this part funny to me now.

Anyway, back to the celebrity cameos. Even if some of these celebrities are clearly phoning it in (which is funny given the method of getting these cameos), I really could not care less. The fact is they’re in this episode, and that’s enough for me. And I think that they help provide some humor for the adults watching too, especially with the older celebrities. And then of course, the joke about Tom Kenny was absolutely brilliant, like that was one joke I remember quite clearly. The part where Patchy starts laughing like a maniac gets me dying every time. And then the entire part with Robin Williams is easily the best of the celebrity cameos, like that was actually so funny. And Patchy getting eaten by a whale is so random and I love it. Patchy “meeting” SpongeBob was great, and I just love how clearly insane he is. The ending of his segment, with the return of the narration, is excellent.

Now, let’s talk about SpongeBob! The SpongeBob part of the plot parallels Patchy’s part (and just the real-world events) nicely, with the eleventy-seventh anniversary of the Krusty Krab being celebrated. Because this special is so long, I’m going to refrain from going through things strictly chronologically, and instead just kinda group together different elements of the episode. First, I’ll talk about the songs in this segment, because there are some and they range in terms in how much I like them and how much they add to the episode. The first one, “A Day Like This”, is pretty good. It definitely gives late 2000s. And there’s some neat visuals as SpongeBob gets ready for the day, so I like it. The song accompanying the flashback of an old Krusty Krab commercial was nice too. The song from the old-timey version of SpongeBob was cute too.

I’ll go ahead and use this paragraph to talk about all the flashbacks in this episode, since they are such a significant part of it. It’s funny to me that this episode really could not win. If it had used previous clips from the show, it would’ve been criticized for being a clip show. Since it made new clips, it was criticized for that. I honestly don’t mind either way. The only thing I don’t like is that some of the flashbacks make timeline things confusing, like this first one. But I also don’t care because I pick and choose my “canon”. I also like how sometimes the flashbacks are played around with. Like with the second flashback of Squidward sleeping, I love how Mr. Krabs is like “don’t make me have a flashback” before calling BS on Squidward. With the flashback of Plankton getting launched, I noticed how much I really like all the varying presentations of these flashbacks. The decoration flashback was great, and I do have a soft spot for gags like that (like in “Krusty Towers” with Squidward’s room). And then I loved how Mr. Krabs ends up teleporting through SpongeBob’s flashback about the formula. SpongeBob and Squidward’s flashbacks are similarly great. And then…sigh, we have the flashback about Sandy and SpongeBob getting “married”. This was only put in for the ratings bait, and it’s annoying. It’s not even done in a cute way. It’s just weird. Like why was this even a play in the first place? And y’all already know how I feel about putting SpongeBob in romantic situations.

Now, let’s talk about the plot. The plot is perfectly fine. It’s not insanely interesting but it fits the episode. The eleventy-seventh anniversary of the Krusty Krab is a good event to center the episode around, since that is such a central location in this show. And yeah, I don’t necessarily care for Plankton’s little stealing the formula plot in this episode, but I mean if this episode was gonna focus on the Krusty Krab, it makes sense to include this. And the whole being stuck in the freezer thing, that’s fine too, it’s a decent main conflict. I suppose it could be underwhelming for a 10th anniversary special, but honestly I think it speaks to this show’s ability to use simple plots effectively. I think the biggest issue out of everything is the lack of some very important characters, most notably Sandy. She’s just in that one notorious bit of the episode, and that’s it. Also missing are Pearl and Mrs. Puff (though at least they were in that bad flashback too). Do you guys see a pattern here, because I do. Anyway, back to the plot. Eventually, SpongeBob and co. bust out of the vents, just to find that everyone left. And then we get a…very interesting song that I personally don’t care for. But the ending of the episode is very classically SpongeBob, which is perfect for this special.

Lastly, I want to talk about probably the most important thing other than the plot, which is the humor. How funny is this episode? Personally, I think it’s very funny. I loved the bit at the beginning where it turns out SpongeBob’s line of alarm clocks goes into Squidward’s house, like that was such a SpongeBob thing to do. Or a bit later in the episode, when it turns out Mr. Krabs hired Patrick as security, and when he pins Squidward to the wall, that was great as well. There’s just good banter in general between our main 4 characters as well, all throughout this episode. It’s very enjoyable to watch. I really liked Patrick’s “high school diploma” comment. The surveillance room bit was brilliant, I love how random and unexplained it is. I liked the bit with the rejected theme songs too. I’d say the latter half of the episode is less funny than the first half, but I think it remains pretty amusing throughout. And the ending joke of the episode is hilarious.

Before I do my round-up, I wanna talk about one last thing: comparing the 10th anniversary special, and the 20th. If I had to choose between “Truth or Square” and “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout”, I’d probably choose the second. And I’m not talking about enjoyment right now, although it is true I enjoy that episode more. But what I’m saying here is that the 20th anniversary special had a lot more…heart and soul put into it than the 10th. Perhaps it’s because that special did also have the double duty of honoring Stephen Hillenburg, but that special felt a lot more like a celebration of the show and its history, while this special is more of a celebration of the show’s impact and popularity. And I see nothing wrong with that, I think there’s room for both kinds of celebration. I’m only saying that I still prefer the approach of the 20th anniversary special.

Now, let’s wrap this really long review up. “Truth or Square” definitely does not deserve the hate it got, and I think the older the episode gets, the funnier it becomes, especially with the celebrity cameos. I also think that the humor of this episode is truly underrated, perhaps because so much of it is wrapped up in the Patchy segments, and therefore is for adults. But I mean the SpongeBob segments were plenty funny too, so I don’t quite get the criticism that this episode isn’t funny. I thought in general, this was a good celebration of the show’s 10th anniversary, although a number of characters that should’ve been there in a substantive capacity weren’t, and I’m not happy about that. But that’s probably the main thing I’m unhappy about. So this episode is a perfect fit for my “Great” tier.

Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score: 8.7/10
nice review I am excited for your review on the other infamous special from this season (Clash Of Triton)
 

Pugs4Thugs

#1 SpongeBob Reviewer
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
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1,471
nice review I am excited for your review on the other infamous special from this season (Clash Of Triton)
Thank you! I can tell you right now that my opinions on that special are very different lol.
 

JoeyBoi

Moby Dollar
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
404
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105
Location
Weenie Hut Jr's.
Ah, Truth or Square, a name that has lived in infamy in the Spongebob community for years. Being regarded as one of the worst episodes of all time, I'll admit I was a bit apprehensive to get into this. I have good memories associated with this episode from when I was a kid, but was it all a lie? Have I been consuming garbage all these years? Well, uh, not really, but I guess maybe??? It fails as an anniversary special because it doesn't even really cover a fraction of what the series has to offer and is obviously trying to milk Spongebob for all its worth, but if you view it as a regular episode it isn't really that bad I guess. What saves this episode from being a flop in my opinion is all the fun skits and cool bits of animation, as well as some of the songs. It at least makes the episode interesting to watch, even if it's length makes some parts feel pretty tedious. It's still pretty unfocused and nonsensical, and the bizarre patchy segments have me scratching my head, but hey, at least we have LeBron James.

Average episode (5/10)

1. No Hat for Pat (9)
2. Not Normal (8)
3. Overbooked (7)
4. Ditchin' (7)
5. The Slumber Party (7)
6. Chum Bucket Supreme (7)
7. Single Cell Anniversary (7)
8. Sand Castles in the Sand (7)
9. Komputer Overload (7)
10. Krabby Road (7)
11. Grandpappy the Pirate (6)
12. Porous Pockets (6)
13. House Fancy (6)
14. Patty Caper (6)
15. A Life in a Day (6)
16. Sun Bleached (5)
17. Spongicus (5)
18. Spongebob Squarepants vs. The Big One (5)
19. Nautical Novice (5)
20. Krusty Krushers (5)
21. Toy Store of Doom (5)
22. Plankton's Regular (5)
23. Truth or Square (5)
24. No Nose Knows (5)
25. Suction Cup Symphony (5)
26. Grooming Gary (4)
27. Shuffeboarding (4)
28. Gullible Pants (4)
29. Cephalopod Lodge (4)
30. Dear Vikings (4)
31. The Krabby Kronicle (4)
32. Shell Shocked (4)
33. Penny Foolish (4)
34. Gone (4)
35. To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants (4)
36. Slide Whistle Stooges (3)
37. Giant Squidward (3)
38. Professor Squidward (3)
39. The Splinter (3)
40. The Card (3)
41. Boating Buddies (3)
42. Choir Boys (2)
43. Pet or Pests (2)
44. Squid's Visit (2)
 

SlipperytheTotodile

The Pokemon Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
2,652
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1,593
Location
SpongeBuddy Mania
Ah, Truth or Square, a name that has lived in infamy in the Spongebob community for years. Being regarded as one of the worst episodes of all time, I'll admit I was a bit apprehensive to get into this. I have good memories associated with this episode from when I was a kid, but was it all a lie? Have I been consuming garbage all these years? Well, uh, not really, but I guess maybe??? It fails as an anniversary special because it doesn't even really cover a fraction of what the series has to offer and is obviously trying to milk Spongebob for all its worth, but if you view it as a regular episode it isn't really that bad I guess. What saves this episode from being a flop in my opinion is all the fun skits and cool bits of animation, as well as some of the songs. It at least makes the episode interesting to watch, even if it's length makes some parts feel pretty tedious. It's still pretty unfocused and nonsensical, and the bizarre patchy segments have me scratching my head, but hey, at least we have LeBron James.

Average episode (5/10)

1. No Hat for Pat (9)
2. Not Normal (8)
3. Overbooked (7)
4. Ditchin' (7)
5. The Slumber Party (7)
6. Chum Bucket Supreme (7)
7. Single Cell Anniversary (7)
8. Sand Castles in the Sand (7)
9. Komputer Overload (7)
10. Krabby Road (7)
11. Grandpappy the Pirate (6)
12. Porous Pockets (6)
13. House Fancy (6)
14. Patty Caper (6)
15. A Life in a Day (6)
16. Sun Bleached (5)
17. Spongicus (5)
18. Spongebob Squarepants vs. The Big One (5)
19. Nautical Novice (5)
20. Krusty Krushers (5)
21. Toy Store of Doom (5)
22. Plankton's Regular (5)
23. Truth or Square (5)
24. No Nose Knows (5)
25. Suction Cup Symphony (5)
26. Grooming Gary (4)
27. Shuffeboarding (4)
28. Gullible Pants (4)
29. Cephalopod Lodge (4)
30. Dear Vikings (4)
31. The Krabby Kronicle (4)
32. Shell Shocked (4)
33. Penny Foolish (4)
34. Gone (4)
35. To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants (4)
36. Slide Whistle Stooges (3)
37. Giant Squidward (3)
38. Professor Squidward (3)
39. The Splinter (3)
40. The Card (3)
41. Boating Buddies (3)
42. Choir Boys (2)
43. Pet or Pests (2)
44. Squid's Visit (2)
I haven't seen you review in a while I love yours and Pugs' reviews :D
 
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