294b. Buff for Puff

I liked the episode, but didn't LOVE it. I'd say it's maybe a high decent. The beginning was kinda slow and it dragged on for longer than desirable (I wonder if this is going to be a problem for all of s14 considering both 294 segments had it). Overall the story was okay. There were some funny moments but not a lot. Idk how to feel about the ending though. On one hand Krabs deserved it which makes it justified and good in the sense of story telling but like I wonder if this becomes canon, I hope not and it was just a one time pay off.

Edit: After checking in a file, it only takes about 3 mins to start the plot so it's not too bad. Still doesn't change my "high decent" rating tho
 
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This episode is currently my least favorite episode of Season 14 and I have a reason why. It takes like 5 minutes to finally start the plot and it is also boring. Also don't get me started about the ending.

3/10 Bad
 
I liked this one. 14 seasons in and we get some unique pairings at a location we don't see that often. It's not often we see Krabs or Puff at Goo Lagoon or see them interact with Larry. I liked that we saw Larry as a lifeguard again, complete with "white stuff." I don't think the ending will result in Puff and Krabs' relationship being permanently done. The thought of Larry and Mrs. Puff dating is icky when you consider that she's known him since he was at least 10 at camp. 7.5/10
 
Just looking at the title, “Buff For Puff” sounds like it’s going to be a Mrs. Puff episode, and y’all should already know I’m in just based on that alone! Of course, as I write this review, I’ve now seen the episode, but I want to say that when I only knew the title of the episode, I thought that maybe we’d be seeing an episode about Mrs. Puff bodybuilding or something. Just in general, an episode about Mrs. Puff being a bada**, like the way she was in “Salty Sponge”. I don’t mind her slowly morphing into Granny Puckett from Hoodwinked haha. Obviously, I now know that I was misguided in this prediction, but I just wanted you all to know what I was hoping for going into this episode. So why don’t I talk about what actually happened now.

First things first, I love the OST playing in the back of this title card, Muscle Beach! Love when surf rock is used in this show. And then I love that the establishing shot that greets us as the episode opens is of Goo Lagoon, because I like when this location is featured, we don’t see it terribly often. And then what I love even more is that we see Mrs. Puff and Mr. Krabs on a date together! They’re so cute, and it makes me happy to see the show continuing to invest in their little relationship, I think this is a nice re-establishment that the show has done here. At first, while watching this fancy fondue chef prepare them a beachside lunch, I started to think that maybe Mrs. Puff was dreaming, because no way was Mr. Krabs doing all this. But then I first off remembered the entire episode that established the Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff relationship, “Krusty Love”, as well as, second off, saw that Mr. Krabs gave the chef only a five cent tip. I then knew that this indeed had to be real. Another neat thing about this scene—the return of that one OST from “Married to Money”! It is apparently called Teeny Bopper Bolero, how fun! I really thought we’d never hear it again, so imagine my surprise hearing it start up here!

After eating their fondue, Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff head into the water. No comment on their, ah, looks here. I can already hear the i******** k*** from here. Decode that if you want. Unfortunately for their date, Mr. Krabs is carried away by the undertow, and is saved by none other than Larry the Lobster, or should I say Larry the Lifeguard! Ah, “SpongeGuard on Duty” reference. Or I’m choosing to see it that way. This section of the episode is very expressive and lively with its animation. While I’m not entirely a fan of the visual gags utilized here, I can appreciate the vividness of this animation and how it keeps the scene fresh and interesting.

What’s not fresh and interesting is the plot of this episode, which becomes clear to me the moment Mrs. Puff runs to Larry after he rescues Mr. Krabs. When I tell you that my eyes began rolling in the back of my head as soon as Mr. Krabs’ jealousy began to reveal itself. Because really? We’re really doing this? In the big year of 2023 (when this episode premiered, of course)? This love “triangle”, misunderstandings, jealousy, man fighting over woman BS? Really? Not in my SpongeBob SquarePants, no thank you! So as you can see I’m not a fan of this plot. It’s not interesting to me. It’s misogynistic. And the execution is fatphobic. Yawn. (y’all didn’t think I’d stop with the soapboxing, did you?)

After that admittedly funny sequence of Mr. Krabs looking like a freaking cat, we cut to Mr. Krabs confiding in SpongeBob about his worries and jealousy. I’m choosing to take this as my Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob father-son crumbs, even though it’s probably more of a male friendship thing. It can be both! Also, Mr. Krabs using the words “boy toy”…that got some startled laughter out of me because I cannot believe a kid’s show just said those words, this is great. I actually really like this scene between Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob. Again, I love the way everyone looks here and is animated, and I love Mr. Krabs’ dramatics. I just love dramatics, even if the context sucks.

Mr. Krabs wants to get in shape before his next date, so that Larry won’t be competition for him anymore. I’ve already said I don’t like this plot, let me not get on that again. So while I don’t like the general plot, what I do like is that Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob go to Larry’s Gym. I really love how this has become one of the show’s recurring locations. One thing I love about these last I suppose five seasons is how they really expand the world of Bikini Bottom and make it feel more fleshed out by including more tertiary and side characters, as well as more recurring locations. This is one of the reasons why I have no problem with Bubble Bass being used a lot, but again that’s something I’ll get into more when I review an episode focused on him. So Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob go to Larry’s Gym, and I love how silly and cute SpongeBob looks here in his gym clothes. Mr. Krabs also looks silly, but not in a cute way haha. I also love how even though Mr. Krabs is in disguise, when he starts misusing every machine in the gym, Larry just casually knows it’s Mr. Krabs and doesn’t really even care that he’s in disguise. Or that he’s in the gym at all. This shows that Mr. Krabs’ worries are all in his head. Well, except for the ending of this episode, but I’ll get there.

Eventually, Mr. Krabs accepts Larry’s help in training him. Kinda funny that this episode and its sister have training montages. Just an interesting coincidence. Also I’m choosing to see SpongeBob struggling to lift that qtip as a reference to “Ripped Pants” because I can. There’s also a funny joke in this part about Mr. Krabs trying to steal the free weights, and I liked the part with SpongeBob motivating Mr. Krabs with money. I also really liked the line “You should see how I get him to take his pills”, I thought that was really funny. And it’s also one of those lines that just implies events that happen off-screen, which I can always enjoy.

Unfortunately for Mr. Krabs, despite having a super epic training montage, it’s too early to see any results from working out, and Larry tells him so. And don’t think I didn’t notice Aloha playing here, oh yes love that track! The episode takes a turn as Larry takes off his shell and “Buff For Puff” starts ripping pages out of the book of “Someone’s in the Kitchen With Sandy”. This is definitely not where I expected this episode to go at all, so points for unpredictability! However, by this point in the episode I am really, really wishing this episode was about what I initially thought it was. Or at least about Mrs. Puff at all. Sigh.

Mr. Krabs returns to Goo Lagoon wearing Larry’s shell, and we see that he immediately gets carried away with having people on the beach fawn all over him, and now Mrs. Puff ain’t happy. I feel like this is a bit of an abrupt change, but I guess when you think about it it’s not entirely since Mr. Krabs was being vain in the first place trying to get buff. So I suppose I can accept it. It just feels like icing on this unpleasant cake that is the plot. Like seriously, the other qualities of this episode are fine, it’s really just the plot I take issue with. Which is rather unfortunate given how integral a plot is to an episode haha. Thankfully, we’re saved from seeing too many of these shenanigans as Larry bursts onto the scene wearing Mr. Krabs’ shell. But then Larry gets caught in the undertow and Mr. Krabs has to save him from drowning. I really like this sequence of Mr. Krabs saving him using the fondue poker, I thought it was entertaining. Oh and don’t think I didn’t see that Craig Mammalton cameo! My eyes see all. Him having a drastically different voice is amusing, though.

The episode ends with Mrs. Puff being decidedly not impressed with Mr. Krabs’ attitude or actions. And during this last chance to salvage the plot, “Buff For Puff” instead decides to take things a step further by having Mrs. Puff declare she’s not interested in guys like Mr. Krabs, and instead is interested in guys like Larry, who she’s taking on a beach date. For my own sanity, I’m going to believe that Mrs. Puff is just acting here to get Mr. Krabs to get his head out of his butt, and if the episode had ended with that I would’ve been happy, but it doesn’t. And…I don’t really like this ending? It’s not really all that satisfying, and I’m of two minds about it. I mean I understand the thought process here. This is Mr. Krabs losing because he made his own problem here by being insecure. It just…doesn’t work for me. Probably because the entire foundation of this plot is misogynistic and also just boring otherwise. I already don’t care about romantic drama in SpongeBob SquarePants, even if I do like Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff being a couple. I don’t want that to be the focus. It only ever works in Plankton and Karen episodes, and even then there have been many flubs. But anyway, I feel like I would’ve preferred if Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff just had, like, a conversation. You know, have Mr. Krabs actually learn his lesson and promise to do better, all that jazz. And in a way the episode ending with Mrs. Puff saying she’s going to take Larry on a date is good in that Mr. Krabs isn’t rewarded for his behavior, which is better than how this trope often plays out. But…Mrs. Puff being given so few lines or focus in this episode just kinda ruins all of that and leaves it with that misogynistic flair I thought that this show was moving away from.

And so that is why, in the end, it’s hard for me to decide how I feel about this episode. Because on the technical level, it’s good, or at least fine. Like the humor is not the best but there are some good jokes throughout, and there’s an air of enjoyability here if you ignore the plot. However…I can’t ignore the plot. And the plot is bad and the more I think about it the more it even annoys me. And this leaves me in a tough spot when it comes to placing this episode in a tier and giving it a score. I don’t think it quite fits the definition of a “Mediocre”-tier episode, meaning I have no choice but to put it in “Okay”, and I think that’s fitting.

Episode Tier: Okay
Episode Score: 6.8/10
 
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