Yay another episode premiere that I remember! I remember loving this episode back in the day, so clearly that’s gotta translate to now, right? Yes, yes it does.
Remember when I was talking about how these episodes have been starting to really focus on other characters more? Well this episode is another example of that. Of course, SpongeBob is present, but “Squid Plus One” is pretty much all Squidward. And that’s a good thing, because Squidward is written very well here, being the clear cause of his own misfortune. And it’s fun to see him interact with other Bikini Bottom citizens, something he rarely does.
Squidward can be so me-core with his little self-care routine with himself. This first scene with him and SpongeBob is pretty entertaining, and full of great expressions too. And then I love how he ends up yelling at the mailman, too funny. And this first instance of him being rude to a Bikini Bottomite is a great look at what’s to come, as Squidward will proceed to be rude and insufferable towards every person he comes across in this episode. But it’s all done in such an entertaining and enjoyable way, so I’m not upset by any means.
Anyway, Squidward receives an invitiation to a gallery opening…an invitation for him and a plus one. And here’s where our plot comes into play. This episode takes its time with setting up the plot, and I’m fine with that. Some episodes don’t need to jump straight into things, as long as they’ve got their pacing down, and this one does. Okay back to the episode. Squidward starts getting insecure about having no friends, so he goes to literally anyone he can think of, who isn’t SpongeBob, to see if they’d join him to the gallery showing. And this is where I think the episode misses an opportunity to actually use the established camraderie between Mr. Krabs and Squidward…but oh well. Anyway, Squidward finds pretty much no success in befriending the masses of Bikini Bottom, both because he’s insufferable, and also because some of them are insufferable to him (like the mailman and his clarinet rant…though I relate to him because I too am highly opinionated). Eventually, Squidward is forced to accept SpongeBob’s friendship, though he only makes SpongeBob carry his plus one…a mirror of himself. Pretty good ending, I’d say.
I’m trying to decide how I feel about the underlying themes of this episode. Is it about how it’s okay to go to events by yourself, who cares what other people think? Or is it a warning not to be a miserable, judgemental grump or else no one will want to be your friend? Is it both? Is it neither? I’m not sure. All I know is that the expectation that people need to go to all events with someone (including dinner) is ludicrous, and people should be comfortable doing things on their own. It is for this reason that I’m choosing to see this episode as an undercover co-opter of this statement lol. So basically, the mailman is the real loser, Squidward would’ve been a winner if he didn’t listen to him, and that’s that on that.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.1/10
