Iāve gotta love an episode title that gets right to the point. āDirty Bubble Returnsā is a pretty apt description of this episode, as itās true, the Dirty Bubble does return! And Iām reminded that I enjoy him as a character, just like Man Ray. Itās nice to see a familiar face return to the show.
Speaking of the Dirty Bubble, they decide to give him some new gimmicks in this episode. Firstly, weāve got the whole rhyming thing heās doing, which is fun. And heās also got more abilities, or more shown abilities. We also then see him clean, going by DB. I like the idea that the Dirty Bubble is only evil because of the dirt on him, it provides an interesting plot for the episode. Which, speaking of the plot, itās pretty simple: DB tries hard to stay clean, but itās hard, and so SpongeBob eventually helps him.
Itās always fun when the Krusty Krab gets a new employee for an episode. DB is no exception. Of course Mr. Krabs makes him the dishwasher. At this point, is it specieism? Idk how Iād spell that word. lol anyway, DB and SpongeBob easily befriend each other, but it doesnāt take long for SpongeBob to realize exactly who heās talking to. I love this scene, first with SpongeBob just casually addressing the Dirty Bubble, and then with SpongeBob very nonchalantly realizing that DB and the Dirty Bubble are one in the same. SpongeBob proclaims that heāll help DB stay cleanā¦wonder how this is going to get messed up.
Okay, Mr. Krabs is really wickedā¦making DB clean the toilet??? With just his body??? Thatās nasty work. Anyway, I really liked the use of comic book art as the montage of SpongeBob trying to help DB stay clean. I thought that was a really nice, stylistic touch. But eventually, SpongeBob canāt stop the Dirty Bubble from getting dirty yet again, and so he goes on a rampageā¦making everyone else clean. Maybe heās not so much of a villain after all? Just kidding, heās also got a penchant for destroying things.
We then get a minor action scene between SpongeBob and the Dirty Bubble, which ends up with SpongeBob trapped in the bubble. I love how when SpongeBob starts writing his will, it goes to Garyā¦that was done for me specifically. Anyway, SpongeBob uses his absorbancy for good, defeating the Dirty Bubble quite handily. I like the return of that same cop from āCall the Copsā too. And I love the brief SpongeBob-Dirty Bubble hybrid we get for a second.
āDirty Bubble Returnsā was perfectly serviceable. Itās possible that I was distracted while watching the episode, but I did not feel very invested at all. It was still enjoyable though.
Episode Tier: Good
Episode Score: 7.5/10