Fresh off the worst episode of this season, we have one of the better episodes of this season, "Sailor Mouth"!
"Cursing" episodes of children's TV shows can either be very good or very bad, I've noticed, and it all depends on how it is done. And I think this episode does it very well. First off, I like that they use dolphin sounds to censor the bad words in this episode (and later crashes and horns), which is much better than a simple beep or an annoying car horn or something. Perfect for the environment. I also like that how SpongeBob discovered the bad word is on the side of a dumpster, because honestly yeah, I can easily see that being where the little yellow sponge first discovers cursing. I also really like the visuals in this scene. They reused the beautiful "Pizza Delivery" background which I love, and the outside at night looks good as always. Seriously, the background art in this show is some of the best I've seen, and they always do a great job with characters' color palettes as well.
I like Patrick in this episode (a huge improvement from the previous episode, that's for sure. gives me whiplash), and his misunderstanding of curse words as sentence enhancers is so funny considering how true it is. Cursing doesn't make you fancy, but it certainly enhances those sentences! Cut to the next scene, where SpongeBob and Patrick are just loudly cursing everywhere, and I think everyone's reactions are pretty funny, and provide some great visuals. I like how Squidward has to pat down his comically large ear too, just a great touch. Mr. Krabs' panicked run out of the bathroom is great as well. Mr. Krabs is really at top form this episode as a father figure to SpongeBob and to a lesser extent Patrick. The lecture he gives them is great, and I love that his friendship with Squidward is shown as he jokes with the squid about the 13 bad words.
Next we cut to SpongeBob and Patrick playing Eels & Escalators, which is probably the weakest part of the episode. I start to feel as frustrated as SpongeBob when he loses every roll, but at least Patrick isn't fanning the flames of that annoyance, so it keeps the scene enjoyable. It just isn't a super funny scene, so that makes the episode lose a couple points with me. I like how SpongeBob has already caught on to using curse words in frustration, such a masterful swearer if I do say so myself. Patrick's reaction is hilarious, and I love the ensuing race the two get into to try and tell Mr. Krabs. The ice cream truck part is too funny. I also love how the two's tattling to Mr. Krabs gets turned into babbling.
Quickly talking about the rest of the episode, I love that Mr. Krabs ends up cursing with all the curse words (complete with a great painting of SpongeBob), and so SpongeBob and Patrick turn their tattling towards him. I also love that we end up getting a fake-out curse from Mrs. Krabs, using the same logic we've been hearing all episode about the curse words being covered up with some loud sound. It makes me think that maybe the dolphin sound (and the crashing and horn sounds) are the curse words itself. I mean, people say "barnacles" and "tartar sauce" all the time in this show, and they aren't treated as curse words...
"Sailor Mouth" is a really good episode that only has one dull moment. The beginning of the episode is an excellent set up to the hilarity we'll be seeing for the rest of the runtime. All of this together means that this episode is in my "Amazing" tier, but perhaps not scored as high as some either season 2 episodes.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9/10