225b. Pat the Horse

Tyler730

Part Computer or Something
Joined
Dec 20, 2017
Messages
63
Likes
20
Yes, Ink Lemonade far more interesting to talk about, but it doesn't make that episode better. It's like to say that... I don't know, "Bucket, Sweet Bucket" is worse than "Fungus among Us", because BSB is much more boring and uninteresting episode in comparison.

And yet I wouldn't call this episode dull (Pat the Horse). It's full of energy, after all. It's just SO stupid and childish, that it hurts.
I like Bucket Sweet Bucket :(
 

DannyWapbang

Sponge of Mystery
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
509
Likes
202
Location
New Jersey
You Can Be Anything had me dying. I thought this was funny! 10/10! (And a few scenes reminded me of the Rocko episode "The Good, The Bad, and The Wallaby.")
 

CheeseCrocker

Bomb-Selling Pirate
Joined
Jun 22, 2019
Messages
193
Likes
55
I probably would've given this an eh because the plot itself isn't that interesting and while there were some jokes, it wasn't that funny but the race at the end is so hilarious I have to give it a good.

Good Episode (7/10)
 

Pugs4Thugs

#1 SpongeBob Reviewer
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
2,081
Likes
1,471
Well speaking of bizarre episodes, we’ve got “Pat the Horse”. Now this episode is not the same kind of bizarre as its sister episode, “Cuddle E. Hugs”. Where that episode was unsettling, this one is more of a ‘well okay then’ type of bizarre. Where that episode felt like the writers were on drugs, this episode just felt like the kind of random thing you’d come up with while half-asleep. Or in a competent writers’ room. Idk.

“Pat the Horse” is the epitome of a simple plot: Patrick decides he wants to be a horse now. And that’s the whole episode. And I can get behind that. Simplicity has never bothered me, and you know what, this seems like the exact kind of thing Patrick would do. I don’t know, I just get a lot of “Big Pink Loser” vibes from this episode. This episode really emphasizes the child-like aspects of Patrick, but in a charming way. Like yes, SpongeBob’s reading a bedtime story to him, but I don’t dislike it. Maybe because it emphasizes SpongeBob’s adultness (his voice at the beginning of this episode is also just in the valley of uncanny. It’s of course Tom Kenny doing SpongeBob’s voice, but the quality of it is different. I can dig it.)

I really love how the episode takes itself 100% serious. Well, Patrick being a horse is funny, but it’s not exactly played for laughs? I don’t know how to describe it. Patrick’s not made fun of for wanting to be a horse (by any character’s opinion that matters, anyway), and it’s just accepted as something he’s doing (again, by all the character’s whose opinion matters). And for any haters that Patrick comes across (i.e. Squidward), he simply gives them a good back kick. And they really go all out in making Patrick actually act like a horse. He’s not just a kid on all fours saying neigh, he’s legitimately acting like a horse. It’s a step beyond some playground playtimes.

Because the plot of this episode is so simple, I’m not going to talk about it chronologically, at least not exactly (I’ll give the last part of the episode its own paragraph, which is something I usually do I feel). So now I wanna talk about the humor. This episode dips its toes into all kinds of humor, but I’d say that its mainstays are slapstick and visual gags, and they’re both quite well done. My favorite part has gotta be when Squidward knocks into Mr. Krabs after being kicked (in a visual gag), and Mr. Krabs just stuffs him into SpongeBob for violating his personal space. Absolutely hilarious. And Squidward getting his just desserts for making fun of Patrick all episode by Mr. Krabs forcing him to play horse himself is hilarious.

This episode is lowkey a better “My Pretty Seahorse”. I mean, the episodes are very different, let me make that clear, but there are some shared elements, like the whole horse thing, and the episode taking place at the Krusty Krab for a good chunk of it. Mr. Krabs’ attitudes towards the animals in question are completely different though. And so is Squidward’s. And that’s simply because the animal in question in this episode is Patrick, while in “My Pretty Seahorse” it was a wild seahorse.

As for the end of the episode, we’ve got a good ol’ fashioned horse race between SpongeBob & Patrick, and Mr. Krabs & Squidward. It’s like “The Great Snail Race”, now that I’m thinking about it. Except better because it doesn’t involve Gary literally exploding. And we get a Sandy minor appearance in this part, so that’s fun. Honestly, Sandy shoulda been involved in this episode more given all the Old West type influence, not to mention music from “Rodeo Daze”. Missed opportunity. Anyway, this race is full of fun visual gags and entertaining content. I liked how even though this was a horse race, the police still somehow get involved in this chase haha. And at the end of the race, Patrick decides that he doesn’t wanna be a horse anymore. So there goes the end of that pipe dream. And the birth of another, because somehow Patrick steals Mr. Krabs’ arms, and decides to be a crab haha. And we even end with a gorgeous background alert, how nice.

“Pat the Horse” was a silly yet serious episode. I just love how the episode took this completely random concept and just ran with it to its logical conclusion. Like yeah, if you’re gonna do something weird, just go for it! And this episode did so with no reservations and no apologies. I like that. So the plot was very enjoyable for me. The humor was slightly less enjoyable compared to the plot, but it was still there, which is better than the previous episode. This is simply solid television. It may not have the wow factor, but it’s solid. And that’s all I can ask for.

Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score:
8.6/10
 
Back
Top