Now
this…this is nostalgia. I mean, I can’t believe it’s literally been 8 years since this episode premiered…no one talk to me. I remember this episode premiering so very clearly…and man, “Lost In Bikini Bottom” did not come to play when it comes to differentiating itself from season 9A. Stephen Hillenburg a lot more involved, Kaz back, brighter colors, beginning of the new “look” of the show, script-driven content…just all of this and more make this episode different from others that came before. And I’m excited that we’re finally here in the true “modern SpongeBob” era, which is what I call season 9B+, though I guess I’ll need to tweak this at some point. Once I come up with my actual era names, I’ll tweak it lol.
Gorgeous background alert! Oh how I love when we get to start with these. This beginning scene of the episode is great and enjoyable, I feel like there’s a reference to “Missing Identity” in here somewhere…but maybe that’s just me. Anyway, I love the track playing while Squidward and SpongeBob are walking to work,
Spongey Bubbles. This track has only been used 4 times!! A crime, honestly.
This episode is a great showing for SpongeBob, who’s the workaholic little guy we all know and love. It’s so very SpongeBob for him to think that he can find a shortcut on a route that is a literal straight line, and to be freaking out about “only” being 14 minutes early to work. Things go awry for the little dude very quickly, as he takes a way out of the way “shortcut”. This takes up most of the episode, and it keeps being entertaining throughout because it’s visually interesting (I love all the different backgrounds and environmental designs) and there’s also a variety of gags to keep things varied and not stale. I like SpongeBob meeting other Bikini Bottomites, it makes the world feel more fleshed out to me.
This episode isn’t super funny, but it does have its moments. Like the fake Krusty Krab signs, those were great. And the joke with the payphone, that was excellent. It’s even funnier when you again consider that this show tries to stay away from technology that could make it dated, but it decides to go all in just for this joke. I love it. I think this episode has a lot of jokes that work for both kids and adults, which is how the formula should always be. I don’t think the show has ever strayed from this formula, but something about this episode really makes it abundantly clear, just like it used to be.
“Lost in Bikini Bottom” is a good, fun episode. It’s not perfect, but there’s nothing wrong with it either. And I think it’s a great entry into season 9B. I’m so excited for this era of the show, as I’ve been needing to do a rewatch/first watch so badly.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9/10