Oh joy, notorious episode time! Unsurprisingly (or not, idk how y’all roll), I’ve never had very strong personal opinions on “Demolition Doofus”. I’ve been persuaded over the years, absolutely, but I’ve never had an actual opinion of my own that was very positive or very negative. Just kinda neutral. So, obviously, the rewatch was sorely needed.
Obviously, this is a boating school episode, and “Demolition Doofus” wastes no time in getting us straight to SpongeBob’s boating test, where he predictably crashes multiple times. This beginning is pretty engaging, though nothing is funny. But nothing is trying to be funny, so I’m fine with this. Anyway, SpongeBob crashes enough times to get Mrs. Puff to inflate enough to where she ends up making the boat float. And then, because of SpongeBob, they end up crashing into the lighthouse at the boating school, resulting in Mrs. Puff being unable to puff herself up. So…pretty bad. I don’t exactly feel any type of way about this. I know some people see this as Mrs. Puff abuse, and I can see where that idea comes from, but that’s not how I feel. I mean…this is simply par for the course in a boating school episode. It has always been this way, with SpongeBob harming Mrs. Puff in some capacity, since day one. Now, I might have an issue or two with this writing decision (more in that Mrs. Puff only exists to be hurt because she is SpongeBob’s teacher, and not given much of a character outside of that), but in the context of this episode, I have no problems.
Anyway, after SpongeBob makes a pretty bad joke (which I think is out of character, he wouldn’t make light of something of this magnitude, imo), Mrs. Puff goes ballistic, which is well within her rights. It’s kinda funny seeing murderous rage depicted in this cartoon show. Also funny is the joke with the doctor tranquilizing both Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob. I’ve always liked that doctor character.
You know, I really like Mrs. Puff in this episode. Like I said earlier, it’s funny seeing her have actual homicidal rage towards SpongeBob, because it feels both out of place and perfect in this show, idk. And that’s coming from me, someone who prefers when SpongeBob gets along with everyone. But maybe I’m just ecstatic that we get to see more of Mrs. Puff for once, having her do something else other than simply teaching SpongeBob. Though I guess here she’s trying to get him killed/kill him herself. But hey, a woman needs hobbies, amirite? I also think that Mary Jo Catlett did a really great job, like better than usual, with Mrs. Puff in this episode.
The demolition aspect of this episode comes into play soon enough, as the casualties of the latest demolition derby come into the hospital, where they continue to demolish each other even though they’re in a med bay lol. This part is pretty entertaining, just like the doctor says. And Mrs. Puff gets an idea, which is actually a pretty good one, and that is to enter SpongeBob into this demolition derby. I say it’s a good idea because I can already see this will be funny. The whole set-up reminds me of “Krusty Krushers”. While that wasn’t the best episode, I still did like it well enough. And just like Captain Lutefisk says, SpongeBob’s actually a natural at this demolition derby stuff, considering what he’s like behind the wheel. So I love this idea.
We then get to the demolition derby, and it’s just as entertaining as I expected. Definitely better than “Krusty Krushers”, that’s for sure. Mrs. Puff’s cackling throughout the entire thing is great. And the action sequence of this whole scene is great and full of so many entertaining visuals. And of course, I love to see SpongeBob win in the most unlikely of circumstances. Once the chaos really gets started, as marked by Greenhorn Rag, things continue to be really amusing. I just love what I’m seeing! Mrs. Puff eventually has enough, and decides to take care of SpongeBob herself. And I love this part too, because Mrs. Puff is such a boss here. Where did she even get that insane vehicle? Speaking of insane, clearly Mrs. Puff has gone a little mental here, but I think she’s a little justified haha. And it’s fun to watch anyway, so who cares? And that’s a big thing about the reactions I see to this episode…like who actually cares LMAO. Just enjoy it. Or don’t. I guess I can’t be too mad at people making think pieces considering my “Stuck in the Wringer” review, huh? Anyway, Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob crash, and she’s able to regain her puff again, though her school crumbles in the process. Status quo is king.
“Demolition Doofus” was so much better than I expected. See what happens when I dislodge the 2013-2016 criticism stick from my butt? It’s so easy to enjoy things when people aren’t telling you that something is bad. And that’s the story of so much of these reviews, by the way. This episode was really funny, and crazy amusing. And I wonder if that’s because I like the Fast & Furious movies lol.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.2/10
