What is this? A Boating School episode? Really? Oh I feel like it’s been so long since I’ve seen one. And so long since I’ve seen Mrs. Puff in anything more than a cameo or minor appearance. Thank goodness.
“Burst Your Bubble” begins with a chaotic driving lesson, which is one of my favorite tropes of a Boating School episode. I particularly love it when episodes end with these, but I’m not gonna complain about being thrown into one at the beginning either. It’s attention-grabbing, and I like that. Anyway, SpongeBob fails his boating test, like usual, and he leaves dispirited, feeling like he’ll never get his license, and jealous of everyone he comes across with a boat. This segment also provides us with one of the most famous moments in post-sequel history,
thicc Mr. Krabs. I want to know who thought of this, and who laughed while drawing it. I have nothing more to say about that, so I move on. This episode also features the back of SpongeBob’s house, which is notable to me because we rarely see it. Also, I just think this
shot is neat.
Also neat is this episode’s focus on bubbles. I really like how this episode merged two important things in this show: SpongeBob’s inability to drive, and SpongeBob’s skill with bubbles. I feel like these are also two aspects of the show that, despite being introduced extremely early on, aren’t touched on that much. So it’s nice to see them brought together like this. SpongeBob makes a bubble boat for himself, so that he can drive using his talent with bubbles. And everyone loves it. I mean…it wouldn’t cause any pollution, so that’s a win in my book (even though what would really be helpful is investment in public transportation, eliminated car-centricity, increased density, and—oh, I’m on my soapbox again. Let me get back to the show). SpongeBob getting all excited and telling Gary about his day is cute, y’all know I love moments like these. And SpongeBob is so me-core.
It doesn’t take long for the people of Bikini Bottom to start demanding bubble boats from SpongeBob, proving yet again that they are the most entitled people in this show. lol. I’m not actually annoyed by them in this episode, but a fact’s a fact. Personally I’d at least ask everyone to put in a deposit of one thing of bubbles at the very least, but SpongeBob is far too kind for his own good. It’s what we love about the little guy, I suppose.
Soon, everyone in Bikini Bottom is driving a bubble boat, and SpongeBob is the foremost expert on the things, so when Mrs. Puff is forced to learn how, he becomes her teacher. Hey, it’s almost like this episode saw the missed opportunity in “Summer Job” to actually
show SpongeBob being Mrs. Puff’s teacher, and decided to fix it! And this role reversal is really fun, especially as Mrs. Puff is not good at driving a bubble at all. A true role reversal through and through. And just when it looks like Mrs. Puff is getting the hang of it…she gets a true test of her skill on the freeway. I’m not sure if I’ve said this before, but I think it’s funny how in plots about teaching someone to drive, the freeway is seen as the final boss, the hardest thing to drive. Honestly, driving on freeways/highways is easier than driving in a city (downtown in a city for sure) by a country mile. Anyway, driving on the freeway leads to about as much chaos as you’d expect, including everyone in a bubble boat floating to the surface and then having their boats pop, causing them to plummet. And of course, the status quo must be re-established, so bubble boats are subsequently deemed illegal, and SpongeBob must get his license once again.
Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score: 8.6/10
