“Sanctuary!” is an episode I’ve always liked, because it does one of those simple things I love: makes SpongeBob a little weirdo. I love when he’s just a funky little guy. And this episode makes him a crazy snail man, what more could I ask for? This one always feels like a season 10 episode to me, for some reason. But at this point I get all the seasons mixed up, so who even knows anymore?
This episode reminds me a lot of “Sentimental Sponge”, but with some key improvements. Namely, the pacing and the humor of this episode are a lot better. Let’s talk pacing for a second. The pacing in this episode is done well because it effectively builds tension and shows how SpongeBob’s fostering is becoming a problem. “Sentimental Sponge” went into the “problem” part of things way too quickly for my liking, but this episode took things slower, and I liked that. Maybe not that much slower than that episode, but the important thing is that it feels slower and a more appropriate pace, so that's what really matters. We get plenty of time with SpongeBob being deranged anyway.
As for the humor, this is again an improvement, because this episode is pretty funny. Seeing SpongeBob get slowly more deranged is simply funny, as is Patrick’s jealousy (which pays off excellently when he pretends to be a snail and is subjected to horrors). The stuff at the Krusty Krab is also great too, poor Squidward haha. Or the bit with Mr. Krabs trying to romance SpongeBob, that was excellent.
I just love SpongeBob in this episode, Tom Kenny’s voice acting really shines here as SpongeBob gets more and more loony. And I love how he’s got an element of creepiness to him too, I just love all of this. It’s like “Squid’s Visit” all over again. And the way he has to be talked to by basically a hostage negotiator is pretty funny.
There’s other things I like about this episode too. I mean, this should be obvious, given my title as CEO of Gary the Snail, but I love SpongeBob and Gary’s relationship in this episode. I just love Gary being the focus of things, what can I say. Another thing I like is that this episode is making me realize something…I don’t dread Patrick appearances anymore! Well, dread is a strong word, but y’all saw how I was feeling in season 7 and 8, I was over it! But we again see that the magic of Patrick must be back, because I liked him here, and had no problem with him showing up at all. So that’s definitely a win right there. Maybe not for the episode, but for the season as a whole.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10
