231a. My Leg!

CheeseCrocker

Bomb-Selling Pirate
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Kind of like Krusty Katering, this episode is so ridiculous that I can't help but enjoy it. The "MY LEG!" gags were funny at first, though eventually they just became amusing, though not annoying. The song was also pretty funny.

Great Episode (8.5/10)
 

SlipperytheTotodile

The Pokemon Enthusiast
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M Y L E G !

Haha this episode is the high definition of a classic! Its sooooo funny i just loved this episode!

Joke Final Rating: 0/10 MY LEG!

Actual Final Rating: 8/10 Superb
 

Bmv277

SoBob RetroPants
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giving this one a strong 7, i quite like it
it definitely has a sour tinge of "pandering nostalgia" but it isnt as bad as some other episodes i suppose
fred is an enjoyable character and i like the little bits of background we get from him, as well as why exactly his leg gets hurt so much
plus it feels a little oddly enjoyable to me to have a main character for the "my leg" gag instead of it being known for fred but being used in like
other random scenes that dont look like they even have fred in them
ps, love nurse bazooka
 

Pugs4Thugs

#1 SpongeBob Reviewer
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So remember how I said that “Moving Bubble Bass” is one of the key episodes that shows that SpongeBob SquarePants has moved in the direction of exploring other characters outside of the main ones? Yeah. If that episode is a key one, this one is the episode. Yep, we’re talking about “My Leg!”, probably one of the most popular episodes of this season. I remember when I first heard about this episode, I was so very excited. And I know that some people argue that this episode is the show buying into its own hype, or giving too much substance to a running gag. Well, I’m here to tell you, I don’t care.

Mr. Lawrence being the one to write this episode is so…full-circle. Because if you didn’t know, I think I’ve mentioned this before, either in these reviews or the ones I do on YouTube, Mr. Lawrence was the one to originally come up with the my leg gag, being the voice of Fred and all. The cast were making noises for background characters being in pain, Mr. Lawrence said my leg, the people liked it, and the rest is history. So this is a full-circle moment.

Being an episode that’s about this one gag, you might expect it to be overplayed, stale, and repetitive. Well, it’s not. Not in my opinion. Maybe part of that is because, with a title like “My Leg!”, I know exactly what I’m getting into, so I’m prepared. Or, more likely, it’s because the gag is actually varied enough within the episode that it keeps things interesting. And this variation happens in, well, a variety of ways haha. We’ve got the most basic type, which is Mr. Lawrence using different inflections and such when saying the famous line. We’ve also got different visuals, and different punchlines (like the Marilyn Monroe reference). And different contexts. And other people yelling about Fred’s leg. Really, the episode takes great care to ensure this same gag doesn’t get stale. And I appreciate that.

The my leg gags aren’t the only humor in this episode either, which also helps with the repetitiveness and makes the episode just even funnier. I liked the ambulance gag, which yes it was connected to the my leg gag but let me be. I also really liked the joke with SpongeBob coming out of the flashback. Or SpongeBob literally causing an explosion at the factory, that was hilarious. The part where SpongeBob and Patrick act like secret agents was also really funny.

The episode begins with a montage of Fred hurting his leg in a variety of ways, which turns out to be a video put together by his doctor with the point of telling Fred that he shouldn’t hurt his leg again, or there will need to be drastic measures. Considering how the doctor implies that Fred is somehow paying for this treatment (since it got his daughter through college), I’ve gotta wonder about the benefits of that wood cutting job that Fred’s working, cuz either he’s rich or he’s got the best insurance of all time.

Fred leaves the hospital, with SpongeBob there to greet him. I love when SpongeBob gets to interact with other Bikini Bottomites, because he’s the kinda guy who tries to be friends with everybody. Even when they don’t exactly…like…him. Like Fred, who tells SpongeBob to stay away from him because SpongeBob is a danger to his leg. SpongeBob decides that he’s going to do everything he can to protect Fred’s leg. Forget SpongeBob being danger-prone, Fred is worse than Shiny in “Bubble Buddy Returns” and more oblivious than Patrick in “The Card” (though I guess Patrick wasn’t oblivious, more just being a troll, like Shiny was). Speaking of Patrick, he suddenly appears after SpongeBob blows up the factory, ready to help SpongeBob protect Fred’s leg. Things don’t turn out too well for Patrick though, who gets his leg chewed up by a little girl.

SpongeBob learns that Fred actually likes going to the hospital, ‘cause he’s got a crush on one of the nurses. And there go the dreams of pre-teen me haha (actually, I can believe in polyamory, so the dreams live!). I won’t elaborate. Just look at my old username. SpongeBob decides to help Fred in his quest for love, trying to hurt his leg. SpongeBob’s just as bad at trying to hurt Fred’s leg as he is trying to protect it, so he attempts this to humorous effects. Eventually, Fred does get his leg hurt, and we finally meet the nurse he’s so enamored with—Nurse Bazooka. And Fred sings a pretty cute little song. Funny that we’ve gotten 2 songs from this character now. And of course, the episode ends on a seminal my leg gag. Could it end any other way?

I really love that this show has an episode paying homage to what is easily its most famous running gag. It just makes me really happy. And it helps that the episode is simply excellent as well. Like it’s hilarious and simply perfect. And I also really like how after this episode, the show started really being tongue-in-cheek every time it did a my leg gag. Just look at the gags in this list. There’s a clear difference.

Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score:
9.4/10
 
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