*NOTE* I'm now gonna review like this. Describing if the episode has good/bad writing, characterization, etc.
This is gonna be an interesting episode to talk about. I am gonna be honest with you, I used to like this episode when I saw it back in November 2013 (on youtube, since I missed the premiere). But upon seeing this again, I can understand why people hate this episode so much. I don't hate it with a burning passion, but it's really poor. The first criticsm of this episode is that there's too much fillers. I realized that there are a lot of them and it really hurts the episode. It feels too lazy even for a half hour special. But the writers didn't put effort to this. Most of the stuffs happen in this episode is such a pain.Mr. Krabs seems more greedy than usual and him firing SpongeBob over a nickel was wrong. At least some parts like the couple times SpongeBob convert the sausage and pizza into a Krabby Patty (cause it's my three favorite foods combined). But that joke dragged on with the tacos and the noodles and feels too much like Le Big Switch. Sandy doesn't seem to act like her self. Patrick is still the same old dumb character I know. The best part of the episode was the return of SpongeBob's I'm Ready catchphrase and Squidward saving SpongeBob. Other than those pros, this episode kinda sucked and it's a disappointment, really...
Writing: Written by Marc Ceccarelli, Luke Brookshier, and Mr. Lawrence; geez, an episode from this trio seems good, but usually, it's weaker than average. They're the same guys that made Planet of the Jellyfish and the stop-motion Christmas special (with Derek Iversen). But then again, some of the problems they suffer in this episode are almost the same as their Bubble Buddy Returns episode, but worse. As I explain, there are fillers. They kinda put me a bored mood since I feel like it was Family Guy boring. The whole plot is really stupid and most of it is so predictable. One of the worst writing from these guys but not the worst. Luke and Marc's worst writing will always be LYB and Mr. Lawrence's worst writing is Face Freeze. 2/10
Humor: It's miss more than it hit. But when it's there, it's usually with Patrick. 3/10
Characters: Where to begin? Krabs is so greedy that it's seem so unfair of him to fire SpongeBob. Squidward is uneven here. SpongeBob is sympathetic but kinda annoying with his mopey attitude here. Patrick has his usual dumb self. Sandy is out of character somewhat. Characters aren't well written here. 3/10
Art: Ugh, seeing SpongeBob with that beard is just hard to look at especially that close up with his boogers coming out. Sorry Luke and Marc, but you also fail in the art department as well. Probably Marc's worst looking episode as Little Yellow Book didn't has Face Freeze level faces.
Animation: Effortless. Seem too stiff when SpongeBob cry (even if he was showing strong emotions, which is suppose to be fluid, but fails due to the prolongation). Other than that terrible scene, the animation is kinda subpar. Best animated scene is probably Squidward saving SpongeBob. 4/10