262b. The Hankering

Cykamp

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Joined
Jul 22, 2019
Messages
32
Likes
25
i like the idea of mr.krabs eating chum
 

CheeseCrocker

Bomb-Selling Pirate
Joined
Jun 22, 2019
Messages
193
Likes
55
Pretty great episode which actually has a pretty interesting premise. Lots of cool twists and good humor too.

Great Episode (8/10)
 

coft

happy hopping moron
Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
215
Likes
109
Location
Kelp Forest
(comes out from grave)

Good concept, ehh execution. My favourite joke is probably Squidward running from the krusty krab but they already did that joke so... 6/10
 

AbsorbentSponge6432

Interpretive dancer
Joined
May 14, 2019
Messages
36
Likes
41
Location
124 conch street
I like the premise of mr.krabs liking chum after all this time, and I thought it was clever that mr.krabs had to beg plankton for chum.

Over all 8/10 pretty good episode for new age spongebob
 

Pstar

A helicopter (formerly an idiot)
Joined
Feb 7, 2022
Messages
60
Likes
30
Location
Rock
About 8.5/10 still don't know why Plankton didn't give chum to Mr Krabs so he can get the formula
 

Pugs4Thugs

#1 SpongeBob Reviewer
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
2,081
Likes
1,471
Finally, we’re at the episode I was thinking of when I was first reviewing “Plankton’s Old Chum”. And that’s just because this episode is so dang memorable to me. Probably because it’s one of my most rewatched episodes of this season. I don’t know if I’d call it my favorite or not, I guess we’ll have to wait until the end of October for that. But it’s always managed to capture my attention in a certain way.

This episode begins with Mr. Krabs clearly having a…moment. He kicks everyone out of the Krusty Krab, which is very unlike him, and he rushes off. So does Squidward, taking this opportunity to leave work early (which was a funny joke, by the way. Up there with the disappearing Squidward from “Greasy Buffoons”). Mr. Krabs ends up leaving a nickel, so SpongeBob takes it upon himself to follow him. And Mr. Krabs is clearly taking measures to not be followed. This was a short, but entertaining, little action sequence. And it takes SpongeBob to a place way outside Bikini Bottom with a lovely atmosphere. Also, I just realized that the name of the restaurant, the Slop Pail, is quite similar to another place that serves the kind of food that Mr. Krabs is craving.

All of Mr. Krabs’ plausible deniability goes out the window when the owner brings out a nice heaping helping of chum, calling Mr. Krabs by first name and making it clear he comes there often. Because yep, as it turns out, Mr. Krabs actually likes chum. Enough to have a crazy craving for it, as we saw at the beginning of this episode. SpongeBob’s dramatics about this perceived betrayal are entertaining to me, and well-animated. I really like the character designs in this episode. I mean, I’ve been liking all of them so far, but I just felt like pointing it out this time.

Mr. Krabs tells the story of how he started to like chum. I love how the episode doesn’t spend any time talking about how he’s fully lying, it just shows us that he is. Mr. Krabs swears SpongeBob to secrecy, especially making sure that Plankton does not know about this. This isn’t quite a quasi-father-son moment, but it’s close enough to make me happy. After SpongeBob leaves, Mr. Krabs tries to get more chum, but that’s when he learns that the owner is quitting the business and chasing his dream to become an actor…good for him. And the way this guy talks is just funny to me. The whole “30 feet wide” thing also made me laugh.

With the owner of the Slop Pail gone, Mr. Krabs has to find a new source of chum. So he tries to get SpongeBob to make some. And we learn that chum is made from a whole lot of gross stuff (I really liked the visual gag with SpongeBob losing all of his color here, by the way), though we basically already knew that. SpongeBob tries his best to make some alternative “chum-free” chum, but none of them work because they’re too good, too dry, and too sweet. So Mr. Krabs is simply distraught. I really liked the shot of him leaving here. There’s a lot of good shots in this episode, like this one from earlier. In his desperation, Mr. Krabs decides to try and steal from the trash of the Chum Bucket. This part is hilarious, both the way Plankton and Karen come out the door, and the way Mr. Krabs acts like an alley cat.

And so Mr. Krabs is forced to reveal that he’s hooked on chum, much to Plankton’s utter surprise. Well now I’m realizing that this episode has some addiction undertones. Plankton, of course, decides to use this situation to his advantage—give Krabs chum, in exchange for the secret formula. And Mr. Krabs, not in his right mind, agrees. I love how SpongeBob is a little bit of a weirdo in this episode, just like he should be. Like what do you mean you sometimes come to the Krusty Krab to sleep in the formula???? You weird little yellow square you. And of course, SpongeBob is having none of Mr. Krabs’ plan to give Plankton the formula, but he’s not quite able to get the formula from him, so he’s dragged along to the Chum Bucket. And, of course, Plankton double crosses Mr. Krabs, because he’s evil like that. But Mr. Krabs won’t go down without a fight.

The formula ends up falling into the giant barrel of chum. While Plankton dives in, Mr. Krabs gives up…until SpongeBob reminds him that he can just eat his way to the formula. And so eat he does, every single nasty morsel of that chum. Ew. At least it cures him of his craving. And because Mr. Krabs ended up eating Plankton, they have to wait for, uh, nature to take its course. So why not end with a movie? A movie starring the old owner of the Slop Pail. Good for him!

“The Hankering” was a really fun episode. I think it makes sense that Mr. Krabs might have a craving for chum, and it creates a very interesting conflict. I also like that the episode didn’t waste a lot of time having Mr. Krabs trying to hide his craving, because that would’ve just annoyed me, being one of the kind of plots I don’t normally like.

Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score:
9.3/10
 
Back
Top