I don’t think I really have anything I can say about “Eek, An Urchin!”, at least nothing that I normally put in this first paragraph. No fun intro tidbits like usual. This was always an episode I felt kinda neutral on, no strong feelings, and clearly that’s coming across in my pre-rewatch introduction (which is, by the way, how I almost always write these…first paragraph is before the rewatch, then the rest are as I go along).
I like how SpongeBob completely abandons the patty he was making to clean the ketchup lol, I wonder how that customer felt. Anyway, to actually seriously start this review, I like how the set up for the episode is about doing something that we’ve only done once (I think), which is literally go under the grill. It’s such a small thing, but I love it.
One thing this episode has going for it is that is has so many great gags. Like the bit near the beginning of the episode when Squidward’s like “nothing ever happens here”, and immediately SpongeBob’s screaming about the urchin, I loved that. Or the bit when SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs all realize that the grill they’re standing on is still on, that was hilarious. And there’s just so many excellent visual gags here too. Or like characters’ reactions to things, those are animated really well and are, for the most part, really funny. I especially loved the scene with Plankton running from all the urchins. I was sitting in a library trying not to laugh out loud at this part. And kinda failing.
The characters in this episode are great too, again all being enhanced by the fact that this episode is just super funny. Squidward is, as always, a stand-out here, with his lackadaisical attitude leading to some really great moments, such as when he’s the “last line of defense”. Mr. Krabs is also great, though there isn’t much I can say about him. The scene with the death robot was great for him. SpongeBob is also just really funny throughout this whole thing, probably because he’s so…invigorated. And then we also get the appearance of Plankton later in the episode, and he’s excellent too. I loved the little bit with him on the phone with Karen, so cute! I just love when their relationship is referenced in a positive way.
As for the story of the episode, well for one thing it’s on the simple side, and it helps set up the comedy quite nicely. SpongeBob and co. trying to get rid of an urchin (which is basically like a spider), what could go wrong? Well, many things, actually, but nothing bad for the episode, that’s for sure. I just love episodes where it’s clear that every character is an idiot LMAO. It means we get 11 straight minutes of fun and chaos, and I can never hate that. This also means that I really don’t have much to say about the episode.
“Eek, An Urchin!” is simply a hilarious and super-entertaining episode, one which I have absolutely no problems with. Every character here is just so freaking stupid and I adore it. And it’s just silly, stupid fun. My kinda episode, for sure.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.4/10