Finally, we get to meet Spot! Spot is one of my favorite additions to the SpongeBob cast, because he’s so dang adorable, and this episode introduces us to the little guy, so I’m pretty excited to be reviewing it. This episode also begins that “Patrick is a pet” bit too, so I like that as well.
This episode again is one of those examples of the show straying away from making every single episode SpongeBob-focused. And yeah, this is something the show has had a history of doing (”Squid’s Day Off” is an example), but I think in these later seasons it becomes a lot more apparent. And this episode is all about Plankton, so it’s a clear example. I also really like that this episode is about Plankton, but not about his villainy. It justifies his existence as a main character, and let’s us see more of him than just “trying to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula”. And yes, I am aware that the beginning of the episode is a (hilarious) Plankton scheme, but that’s not what the entire episode is about. In fact, the whole reason Plankton ends up getting a pet in the first place is so that he doesn’t think about the formula and his failure to steal it. So Karen is almost like the audience here, telling Plankton to do something other than steal the formula for once.
This episode also shows us some SpongeBob and Plankton interacting, which I love, so that’s another bonus. I really like when they act friendly like this. I’m sure SpongeBob considers Plankton a friend at times like this, though Plankton would never admit he feels similarly haha. SpongeBob even names Spot, that’s so cute! This episode really is just so adorable, so let that be the last time I say that lest I get repetitive.
“Plankton’s Pet” is also pretty funny. I loved the bit where Plankton’s like “I hope nobody saw that emotional outburst”, and then a bunch of jobless people were watching him, and he was like “shoo!”. That was pretty funny. And yes I did just write the joke out, what about it? I also just think it’s funny that Plankton is almost the epitome of the “dad that didn’t want a pet”. I mean he wanted Spot so it didn’t quite work, but other than that…let’s just say he reminds me a lot of the dad in my life lol. Anyway, the bit with SpongeBob and Plankton in the animal shelter, when they’re looking for Spot, was also really funny.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10