207a. Mimic Madness

Honest Slug

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Greek Chorus said:
Growlie always looks into SpongeBob logic too deeply. I don't think it's something worth having tons of comments trying to explain what SpongeBob is.
 

CherrySponge

There can only be one 'Jellyfishing King!'
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Just realized I've seen this one before but never reviewed it. I like it, it's hilarious when SpongeBob impersonates everyone and they laugh because he did them just right. Also, I do like how Patrick 'protects' SpongeBob when Plankton and Squidward talk about a 'suggestion' for him. (forgot what it was :sweat:) Overall, it's a good watch and has a great song with great vocals.
 

D00d13B0bF1atpants

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This episode is MY Favorite of Season 10, alongside Feral Friends; Especially that scene where Spongebob Mimics The French Narrator; I loved that Scene SOOO Much I Added it as My Signature;

(Spongebob as the French Narrator): 80,000 Impressions later
French Narrator: Would you please stop imitating me? It is starting to get VERY annoying.
 

CJO5050

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Everyone involved did a great job on the episode. BTW, Brian Morante, the storyboarder, actually recently friended me on Facebook, which I'm super honored about. He seems to be a pretty cool guy.
 

Pugs4Thugs

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This episode reminds me a lot of a demented and lighthearted mix of face-freeze and gone, in a way. But don't listen to that, because I think this is an amazing episode! It's not overly funny, but I think the plot is clever, and this episode is very story driven, which is a little rare in SpongeBob. This episode does it well however, and it keeps me interested throughout the entire thing.
 
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A great episode, no doubt, but I'd hesitate to call this one of the post-sequel's best. It is a very enjoyable episode, but I think the song isn't too spectacular. I've heard better from the show.

Ranking so far:
1. Unreal Estate (A+)
2. Mimic Madness (A)
3. Mermaid Pants (A)
4. Code Yellow (B)
5. Whirlybrains (C)
 

DannyWapbang

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Can the writers apologize for coming up with "I'm gonna flatter your socks off" that joke unsettles me I don't know I just think there's innuendo in there. Maybe I just analyze things too much but if romance is involved in the joke I'm gonna go watch some Teen Titans clips and Pamtri videos and try to get my mind off it. Too discomforting. And I'm a 16 year old girl!
 

D00d13B0bF1atpants

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My Favorite part of the episode is:

Spongebob(Dressed as Jacques Cousteau and with a French Accent): 80,000 Impressions later
French Narrator: Would you PLEASE stop imitating me, It is starting to get VERY annoying

I Love it So Much; I even made it my signature on this forum. . .
 

MimicMadness

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Best episode yet.
The song "Who Am I?" is great.
Great animation, helping is that I don't care about animation errors (this episode has a bunch of them).
Great ending.
Sets up the plot quick and easy.
It has one bad quality-its sister episode.
 

MimicMadness

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MY FAVORITE EPISODE IF IMDB DIDN'T PAIR EPISODES IT WOULD DESERVE A 9.9 ON IMDB EVERYONE WOULD YOU LIKE TO AGREE WITH ME
 

SlipperytheTotodile

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This one is memorable but its not as good as people make it sound its funny and memorable and has a lot A LOT! of really really REALLY funny jokes!

Rating: Superb

Rankings:
Code Yellow (Perfect)
Mermaid Pants (Amazing!)
Mimic Madness (Superb)
Whirly Brains (Good)
Unreal Estate (Bad)
 

Pugs4Thugs

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Oh h*ll yeah. I’ve been waiting for this one. “Mimic Madness” is one of the most well-received episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants since the first three seasons. This is the episode that got many of even the harshest “modern SpongeBob” critics back on board, at least for a little while. And while I could care less about those critics, I have to admit that any episode that can pull that off already impresses me. So now, for the first time in months, I get to ask the question: is this episode overrated? As always, I’ll be giving a long and convoluted answer to just that question. I'm also going to talk about why I think this episode was so beloved, but most of that analysis will be under a spoiler after the main review, because this bad boy is one of the longest ones I've written in quite a while.

Two things immediately stand out to me with this episode, before I even get into its content. The first thing are the characters involved in this one. Just like another beloved episode from this season (can you guess which one? I won’t say this time), this episode uses a lot of the characters we’ve grown to love. In other words, we’re actually seeing the ensemble cast be utilized. And these later seasons have been much better about doing this anyway. This episode in particular feels special because, well, it’s not a special, and yet we see the main 5 + Plankton make significant appearances anyway, not to mention Pearl and Gary get some cameos as well (kinda). So this is a full house of an episode, only missing Mrs. Puff and Karen (though the latter was apparently a part of a deleted scene, so that’s fun) to round out the main cast. The other thing that stands out about this episode is, of course, the animation. This episode especially really flexes those smooth animation muscles, as SpongeBob morphs into different forms for much of these 11 minutes. So “Mimic Madness” is visually striking, and immediately appealing to me because of the characters involved. And I haven’t even started the rewatch yet.

Getting into the episode proper, we jump right into a scene with the Krusty Krab Trio. I’m pointing this out because 1) I like seeing these three together, and 2) I think that the characters and character dynamics in this episode are important to understanding why this episode is liked so much. So just keep that in mind. Anyway, the episode wastes no time in showing SpongeBob be the Krusty Krab’s biggest fan in a fun and cute way (not to mention with a reference to “Bubblestand”…this is also something I’ll be bringing up later), and in showing Squidward having absolutely no care for the goings on at this restaurant. This kicks the plot into high gear, as Squidward mimics Mr. Krabs (pretty funnily and effectively, might I add), which inspires SpongeBob to do the same when Squidward lies about it being done out of flattery. This scene is just so very…in character. I don’t know how to describe it. Nothing here feels forced. Not that that is a typical feeling I get from this show, but I admit that I am somewhat influenced by the fame of this episode, so I’ll probably be saying more things like that as the review goes on.

We then get the typical plot structure of “character (SpongeBob) does something new that at first is a good thing, but then becomes too much”. It’s a very tried-and-true plot structure, and one that was used very recently in “Two Thumbs Down” (this episode’s most recent analogue, imo). And there’s nothing wrong with that. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And besides, it works very well in this episode, because where the plot might be basic, the visuals and humor carry the entertainment value. Oh, and of course, I can’t forget how this episode is basically an excuse for Tom Kenny to go crazy in the studio. That’s a whole heaping helping of enjoyment right there. A few other things I wanted to note in this build-up section of the episode: Plankton and Sandy playing chess. That’s it. That’s the note. No but seriously, we need another episode with these two interacting ASAP. “Perfect Chemistry” is not enough. Another thing I wanted to note: SpongeBob imitating Gary and the French Narrator is innately funny for obvious reasons. And Tom Kenny somehow managing to make SpongeBob imitating the French Narrator sound like SpongeBob effectively but not perfectly imitating the French Narrator is like…crazy. That’s skill.

SpongeBob’s imitations start to become a problem for the people of Bikini Bottom, and for him too, because he loses his sense of identity. I adore that Sandy, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, and even Plankton decide to stage an intervention for SpongeBob. It’s that character grouping I was talking about earlier, and I love how Plankton’s just kinda become one of the gang in a way. And Patrick being super protective…oh I love it. And I’m adding that to the list of things I’ll be talking about later lol. Anyway, this intervention scene is pretty funny, and it ends up with SpongeBob running off. This leads into perhaps the most famous part of this episode…

Yep, we got a song. And it’s a good one too. And it’s actually emotionally touching?? Not in the same way that a song like “Gary Come Home” is, but it’s still pretty emotional. It just hasn’t reached that level of iconicism, sadly. Because this was a very well-made song, that’s all I can say. And I do adore a good song that tells a story, you know. Not to mention, it’s super dramatic, and y’all know I love the drama. I feel like the inclusion of the song makes this episode feel like a proper 3-act drama lol. And speaking of acts, we reach the last one when everyone finds SpongeBob in the cave, and try to get him to return to his normal self. Eventually, they decide to pull a “Big Pink Loser” and mimic SpongeBob to SpongeBob. Of course, this works, though it ends up giving them Manic Mimic Madness, which is a very SpongeBob SquarePants way to end things.

So. Why is “Mimic Madness” the episode that had/has captured the fandom’s imagination so? This is a question I’ve been asking myself for a long time, even though I’ve always liked the episode myself. And I don’t think there is any one answer that makes sense, I think there’s a few different reasons, when put together, explain why this episode was received the way it was. I’m going to put my long explanation under a spoiler because this review is already so long, so feel free to look at that if you want more. But the short answer is that I think this episode had the perfect combination of timing, character writing, humor, and similarity to certain infamous episodes to be placed on the pillar that it was.

Now, what do I think about this episode? I think it’s pretty great. I mean, I really do like the writing and visuals in this one, the humor is pretty good, and there are other things here and there I enjoy about it. It’s the epitome of an Amazing-tier episode. However, “Mimic Madness” is most certainly overrated. In a sense. It’s overrated by the “modern SpongeBob hate” crowd that praise it. The rest of the fandom treats the episode with less exceptionality, and thus I do not think that is overrated by the rest of us. Oh, and it’s nowhere near my favorite post-movie episode. Not even post-sequel. It’s good. But not that good.

Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score:
9.4/10

So you’ve decided to see my long explanation, huh? Well, I’m flattered, honestly. And yeah, the name of the spoiler says it all. This episode really became the face of the show’s post-sequel popularity…just look at the number of people calling this episode their favorite post-sequel or post-movie episode. Enough said. Alright, let’s get into the reasons.

In many ways, the most important reason why “Mimic Madness” got this kind of reception is due to the timing of it all. This episode premiered when the show was starting to get positive reception even within the critical aspects of the fandom again, AKA during the post-sequel renaissance. That meant that more eyes were on this episode than they would’ve been had this episode premiered in season 8 or even 9. Honestly, had this episode premiered today, it would for sure not see the same popularity. But this isn’t the only reason why this episode got this reception, because as I said earlier, this episode also helped to usher in the post-sequel renaissance. It became the key example that some people pointed to so they could say “hey! SpongeBob is good again!” or “hey! SpongeBob is still good!”. So it’s not just that.

The next few reasons are all related in that they all have to do with how this episode was particularly appealing to those who criticized the show starting from season 4. We all know what the most common critiques of these types were: “Flanderization”, “the show isn’t funny”, “stilted animation”, yadda yadda yadda. Well, along comes this episode which is indeed funny, indeed interesting to watch, indeed has interesting animation, and indeed appears to strip certain characters of their “Flanderization”, particularly Patrick, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs. [Just for the record, I do not, nor will I ever, endorse this idea that the characters in this show have become "Flanderized" at any point. Mostly because I think that term is stupid and frequently used incorrectly. And I think for this show, at least, the people who say that are people who haven’t actually taken the time to sit down and watch the show past season 4. They only hear about the most egregious characterizations of the characters, and assume that every single episode is like that. This has been the underlying thesis statement in pretty much every review I’ve done past season 3.]

The next reason I think this episode was so well-received again has to do with its appeal to people who had already been writing off the show for years—there’s something nostalgic in this one. I think it might have to do with the characters involved and the music choices, and the fact that this episode had a song that, let’s be real, is reminiscent of “Gary’s Song” and “This Grill is Not A Home”. So I think the nostalgia in this episode really helps to bring in a lot of the people who were already giving it a chance due to the things I said earlier. And related to that, this episode had a couple of old episode references. Not just that, but “tasteful” old episode references, as we all know that a new critique of the show is that it references old episodes too much (which I think is BS).

Lastly, I think this episode had the advantage of not only being a good episode that caught the attention of the show’s critics, but also of being an episode that was similar to not one, not two, but three infamous or unpopular episodes: “Whatever Happened to SpongeBob?”, “Gone”, and “Face Freeze!”. The latter two are less important, in my eyes, but this episode for sure shares some similarities with them. I mean, people have called this episode a successor to “Face Freeze!”, so “Mimic Madness” being placed in juxtaposition to an episode that was poorly received makes it look even better by comparison, and makes it look like the show is on the upswing, like it’s learned from its mistakes. I think most people make the association with “Face Freeze!”, which is fair, but in my opinion the most important comparison that this episode has is with “Whatever Happened to SpongeBob?”, as it improves upon that episode in almost every single way. And you should know, I did not like that episode so…having it be improved like this is much more personal to me.

So, in sum, I think “Mimic Madness”, through a little bit of luck and lotta bit of skill, captured the attention of large parts of the SpongeBob fandom, and then proceeded to change the minds of even the harshest of critics during this era. And that’s why “Mimic Madness” became the face of the post-sequel renaissance. No more, no less.
 
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