"Jellyfish Hunter" is an episode that I feel is not talked about very much, which is a shame. I really enjoy this episode, and I consider it to be an underdog in this season.
The beginning of this episode is great, because it feels like it's been a while since we've seen SpongeBob jellyfishing, even though that's one of his premiere hobbies alongside bubble blowing. Honestly, this scene shows that SpongeBob is an impressive jellyfisher, if he's caught all of them except for the blue one. I like that jellyfish in this show literally produce jelly, which adds cows to the list of animals they're inspired by (alongside bees and butterflies). This is also a great set up for the rest of the episode, both the jelly and the blue jellyfish.
In the next scene, we see a good throwaway example of Mr. Krabs being the cheap boss that he is, giving SpongeBob a 5-minute lunch break, and of course SpongeBob just takes it happily. The song that Fred sings after eating some of the jelly is great, and I love that this seems to be a thing that happens regularly if Mr. Krabs' line is anything to go by. Makes the world of Bikini Bottom seem a lot more fun, if customers just bust out into song on the regular.
Mr. Krabs is delightfully cheap in this episode, and one reason I love this episode is that when you break it down, it's about the perils of capitalism and corporate greed on the environment. There's a reason I love "Squid on Strike" so much too...but anyway, Mr. Krabs is indeed very fun in this episode, and I love his little biking fit he has on at the end of the episode. The montage of him telling SpongeBob to get more jellyfish is great and filled with some fun visuals, such as moar Krabs or his pose that puts "paint me like one of your French girls" to shame.
At the end of that montage, the episode gets very atmospheric which you already know I love. The empty jellyfish fields, along with the nighttime scenery as SpongeBob walks home, and the tense and eerie feeling of his house, it's all very well done. I love the joke with the salesmen too haha. But old No Name is a great addition to this episode. He doesn't even say a word (other than a buzzed "bring it on" I suppose), but he's given so much personality. I wish we could see him again.
I really like how plot driven this episode is. Not that there's any real mystery, because viewers can guess what's going on pretty quick, but I like that there's some mystery in this episode for SpongeBob as he is taken to the factory. I like how SpongeBob immediately wants the factory shut down. This episode reminds me a lot of Nope, the movie by Jordan Peele that came out earlier this year. I won't say why, to avoid any semblance of a spoiler, but if you've seen the movie perhaps you know why. Anyway, I love the respect SpongeBob has for jellyfish, it shows that he only partakes in jellyfishing for fun, as he always lets the fish go and doesn't try to extract too much jelly from them, like Mr. Krabs does. The episode ends on a great bit of comeuppance for Mr. Krabs, and then we get the adorable and wholesome moment between SpongeBob and No Name, or should I say "Friend". It feels a bit like "Jellyfish Jam", but better.
I have nothing else to say about "Jellyfish Hunter" other than its a really good episode that I've got no issues with. A perfect fit for my "Amazing" tier, and perhaps in the top 5 episodes of the season, once I decide on my rankings.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10
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