Let’s go, a Pearl episode! And so soon after “Mr. Krabs Takes a Vacation”…I feel like I’m being spoiled. What’s funny is that I don’t even like Pearl that much as a character, but I’m a strong advocate for using all 10 of the main characters (especially when you think of the very unfortunate trend of the women characters not being used as much).
This show’s depiction of high school is about as stereotypical as you’d expect, and it makes me very glad that this show is not set in high school. Immensely glad, actually. Anyway, this little bit at the beginning sets up pretty much the whole plot, where Pearl is planning to go to a dance, but a barnacle grows on her face before that. It’s a very relatable experience, not even just for teenagers considering that plenty of adults get acne too.
The little bit we see of SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs before Pearl barges in is great because it yet again shows just how much we’ve grown since season 6 in terms of awkward humor. I really enjoyed this little interaction, and it also shows SpongeBob, to a tiny degree, being his little weirdo self, so I like that too. Once Pearl barges in, this scene is very reminiscent of “The Chaperone” to me, right down to the characters involved. I also think that this scene does a good job at balancing Mr. Krabs being an actually good father with him being a cheap soul.
This episode also gives us some wonderful Pearl and SpongeBob interactions. It really does feel like SpongeBob is assuming a big brother role here, and I love that. It’s a lot like “The Chaperone”, which means that this show is consistent with the character dynamic here, which I appreciate. I also think the interactions between SpongeBob and Pearl are just hilarious, there’s so many great jokes here. And the hypnotist joke…first off I really loved it, and second off this had the comedic timing of a sitcom, I was almost expecting a laugh track lol. Though I guess
Lap Steel is basically one of this show’s versions of a laugh track.
We then get a few minutes of shenanigans trying to get the barnacle off, with SpongeBob using literal hardware trying to get it off. And when this doesn’t work, after Pearl scrubs her face, even more barnacles appear. This is, by the way, some excellent foreshadowing at work. Especially when SpongeBob starts getting a little weird with the soap lol. I don’t even know if I can call this foreshadowing, considering how much we’re beaten over the head with it, but I’m calling it that anyway. We then get some more shenanigans as SpongeBob covers Pearl up in concealer, and Mr. Krabs walks in and jumps in his Chekov’s jewels.
Finally, after some pretty entertaining build-up in the basement, we get the well-foreshadowed reveal that the soap that Pearl has been using is actually made from old Krabby Patties, which is disgusting, and clearly the reason why Pearl has been growing these barnacles. I’m surprised she didn’t have skin problems sooner. Fortunately, SpongeBob comes up with a solution to Pearl’s problem that lets her have the last laugh. Good on you, SpongeBob, and I’m glad Pearl got a win here, considering this is all Mr. Krabs’ fault.
“Barnacle Face” is, ironically, a hidden gem in my opinion. This episode has all kinds of great stuff in it, from Pearl and SpongeBob’s dynamic, to the humor, to even Mr. Krabs. There’s just a lot to like. The beginning high school stuff was the typical kind of meh that I normally feel when watching things of that nature, so I don’t necessarily hold it against the episode for being particularly bad, but I do hold it against the episode for making me watch that anyway. But it really wasn’t that bad, definitely nowhere near as bad as it could’ve been.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.2/10
