Woah, another episode featuring Gary so soon? This must be my birthday or something, because they did this for me. And let me go ahead and nip this one in the bud now: I don’t think this is a “Gary torture” episode. It’s nowhere near the levels of “A Pal For Gary” or “Pet Sitter Pat”. I also don’t think SpongeBob is anywhere near as bad of a pet owner as he was in “A Pal For Gary”. I’ll discuss each of these things as I progress through the review, but I wanted to make those things crystal clear from the get-go.
The episode begins with my favorite—SpongeBob and Gary moments! You know, this season has had quite a few of those, and I’m glad for it, even if one of the episodes to include it is my second most hated episode of all time. This part also has a decent visual gag or two. And then I love how Mr. Krabs is just sitting around downtown just so he could sit in the free parking lol. Bikini Bottom is such a walkable city I always forget Mr. Krabs can and does drive.
The plot of this episode is very interesting, like Gary being a walking coin magnet akin to Temple Run? Sure, why not. And Mr. Krabs and Gary interacting? AKA two characters who very rarely interact and so this is a new dynamic to explore? Yes please! And yeah, it’s true that the whole thing hinges on Gary being uncomfortable, but I still don’t really think this is Gary torture. See, when this episode says discomfort, I get a nausea vibe, not a pain vibe. It’s still bad, but not
Bad, you feel? And honestly, I love seeing Mr. Krabs being completely low-down and horrible. Idk, it’s just the fascination you get from watching people be morally reprehensible (but not in a visceral way). And I just like the visuals in this episode, from Gary’s wiggle thing to the coins flying. SpongeBob’s design here is also pretty good, and a breath of fresh air from some of the not so great models I’ve been seeing. I also like how even though this is rarely ever directly addressed, this episode indirectly shows how Mr. Krabs’ money-mindedness can make him an awful businessman at times. Like you’re really going to throw away your reputation and your customers just to steal loose change? Now, when he goes to the arcade, that’s a different story, but in this first scene at the Krusty Krab, you can see how Mr. Krabs’ greed only serves him in the short-term. I like it.
As the episode goes on, I feel bad for my favorite little snail. But I hold out hope that universal justice will be bestowed onto Mr. Krabs. And also, the struggle Gary faces this episode is like “The Great Snail Race” or even “Grooming Gary”, so that’s why I don’t really count this as torture, since it’s more of an exhaustion thing for him. Anyway, I liked all the little work chores that Mr. Krabs sends SpongeBob on because of how increasingly ridiculous they get. I love when SpongeBob ends up painting the Krusty Krab, that interior and exterior actually looks really fun! And when SpongeBob sees Mr. Krabs and Gary, and doesn’t see anything wrong, I don’t actually get frustrated. Maybe because the situation is a little less clear to SpongeBob, maybe because it makes sense for him to believe Mr. Krabs as opposed to, say, making up stories about Gary that aren’t based in reality. Either way, I’m not annoyed here. The way SpongeBob just slides out of frame is hilarious to me as well.
Once we reach the arcade bar, a flashback hit me at this point in the episode. Y’all remember the
Guinness O’ Ripley’s Extreme Arcade of World Records game on the Nick website from years ago? Ah, good nostalgic times right there. I miss those games, and all the games on the Nick Website. The working archive has only a fraction of those games. And I know my favorite, Oh Snap Road Trip, will probably never be restored.
Anyway, one thing I’m glad to see in this episode is that once SpongeBob catches wind of what’s really going on, he’s ready to retrieve his snail immediately. Now that’s what we like to see! I love when SpongeBob has a backbone, and I love when he loves Gary even more. And I love the way he goes straight into confronting Mr. Krabs, like go SpongeBob go! This is very cathartic for me, and makes me enjoy the episode a whole bunch. And also, it’s just fun seeing SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs bicker like Mr. Krabs and Squidward in “Can You Spare A Dime?”.
And then we reach the end of the episode, where Mr. Krabs definitely gets his just desserts, as he ends up being hospitalized from all the money he (well, Gary) gathered. And then I like that we get an answer to how Gary had this ability in the first place, and the answer references SpongeBob’s love for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. That’s a win-win for me, I love when we see multiple of SpongeBob’s hobbies in one episode, it makes him seem more well-rounded. And also, all the change Mr. Krabs got was only $2000? I mean, I say only just because of the point I made earlier about his restaurant practices. If the Krusty Krab is truly a busy place, then Mr. Krabs is likely clearing $2000 daily. So he really made some bad business decisions here LMAO.
I really enjoyed “The Cent of Money”. It was a funny, entertaining episode, that featured my favorite little snail, Gary! And I loved, loved, loved seeing SpongeBob stand up for Gary, that healed the rest of my wounds from “A Pal For Gary”, I think. I also like that this episode had a smaller cast, with just Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob, and Gary, because it made for some fun dynamics and interactions between all 3 of them. I think that the reason some people dislike this episode so much is for the same reason as "One Coarse Meal"—Mr. Krabs. Because I am not as...attached to Mr. Krabs being a good person, him doing reprehensible things is not something I really care about. So that's why I still like this episode even with his horrible actions.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10