Continuing the trend of season 2 starting off with a bang, we have "Something Smells", which once again, is an extremely nostalgic episode for me. I know why this time though! It's because on the complete season 2 DVD, this episode comes with audio commentary, and so I definitely rewatched the episode often to listen to the audio commentary.
Anyway, to talk about the episode's actual content, this is a fantastic episode. This episode's beginning is great, if not as joke-focused as later parts. SpongeBob's enthusiasm about his weekly tradition is adorable. I love how the little sponge decides to be an innovator too, instead of giving up because he's lacking some ingredients. Also, the small gag about Gary having eaten the peanuts is great. Not exactly blink-and-you'll-miss-it, but certainly on the periphery.
SpongeBob is really just so cute in this episode, shown even more clearly by his Sunday to-do list which includes saying "hi" to everybody in Bikini Bottom. Like that's so wholesome and pure my heart might explode. Anyway, this leads to some funny moments, complete with some great visual gags. Really, this episode is full of great visual gags, something SpongeBob SquarePants doesn't always make use of, so it's nice to see it here.
Eventually, Patrick enters the scene, and he's pretty good in this episode as well. A little mean, but he's not malicious, which is good for me. We really do get the feeling that Patrick is trying to help out his friend, especially once the "I'm ugly and I'm proud" scene comes in. Speaking of that scene, we've got another great example of "adult" humor in Squidward's response to the yelling. What he means, well, that's up to you.
The scene at the cinema is simply one of the all-time iconics of SpongeBob, and it's easy to see why. Especially once Patrick gets angry, we get a fast barrage of jokes. And before that, we have some great audiovisual jokes with the deaugh guy and the lady who gets her whole face burnt off by SpongeBob's bad breath. Honestly, this episode's premise is just so funny in how both real and absurd it is. Because yeah, somebody who's got bad breath is not somebody I wanna be around, but the way people just vanish is hilarious. Or even better, the way the guy in the bathroom reacts to Patrick when he gets bad breath, that's just comedy gold. The ending of this episode, including Squidward's guest appearance, is great, with even more visual jokes and SpongeBob and Patrick running around in joy.
I really, really like this episode. It's been in my top 5 of season 2 for a long time, and while I won't make any promises of where it'll rank this go around, I will definitely say it'll always hold a special place in my heart. It's cute and wholesome, even if gross. "Something Smells" has definitely earned its place on my "Amazing" tier. I will be honest, although I do find moments of this episode to be hilarious, it does come across as less joke-packed than other episodes of this season, but I think the fact that the entire concept of the episode itself is absurd and hilarious helps with that immensely.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10
