Now, to finish off the season 2 episode reviews, and my speedrunning reviews for the last 3 days, we have "Squid on Strike"! And man, isn't this episode just a socialist, unionizing, anti-capitalist anthem! I'm halfway joking on that, by the way, put the pitchforks down. But seriously, I can't believe this show got away with this lmao, and I can't believe it did such a good job introducing the concept of striking and labor negotiations to children. Truly this episode shows the appeal of
SpongeBob SquarePants to both children and adults, which is why it's one of my favorites of season 2. But let's get to talking about the content of the episode, shall we?
Firstly, can I just say that there's lots of production touches I like in this episode? There's lots of great set pieces and background shots, and the paintings in this episode are fantastic, such as the flattened Squidward. And then of course there's
Hey, Mean Mr. Bossman which is just a good song on its own, and even better for this episode. This song is such a mood for one thing.
This episode starts off with Mr. Krabs being his endearingly cheap self, though he is probably at his most egregious that we've seen so far, at the end of season 2. Billing his employees is both funny and horrific, cementing Mr. Krabs' place as one of the best parodies of real life bosses ever. This proves to be Squidward's final straw, as he convinces SpongeBob to go on strike with him. Of course, SpongeBob, and probably most of the children watching this episode, have no idea what strikes are, and the way Mr. Krabs describes it makes it almost sound fun! The abrupt cut from SpongeBob's excitement to his crying (with some great visuals) is just amazing, and then we get some more great visual humor with Squidward trying to pry SpongeBob from the door.
Squidward teaching SpongeBob how to strike is entertaining, and even though the comedy is slow every joke hits here, so I can't complain too much. Of course, SpongeBob just ain't that good of a striker, and he keeps making everybody go to the Krusty Krab instead of boycotting it, but how can you blame the adorable little sponge? I like how this show even throws in the young, disposable workers taking the place of SpongeBob and Squidward, this episode must have been written with some experience in mind haha.
Honestly, Squidward's speech is rousing, even if it turns out that no one really listens to him, other than, of course, SpongeBob. Like I'd be down to support Squidward for real. The show again surprises with the real commentary when Squidward says "Nobody gives a care about the fate of labor as long as they can get their instant gratification." Like wow, are we sure this is a kids' show again? This scene also has some really good dialogue, I just love the transition from SpongeBob's comment to Mr. Krabs'. I love that SpongeBob stands up for Squidward using his own language, and I love that this ends up being a turning point for Squidward. The "forever" montage is great, coupled with Squidward's shell-shocked face.
I find myself to be very satisfied once the tables turn in Squidward's favor, because yes go Squidward, fighting for your labor rights! Honestly, labor negotiations are never fun, and I wish I could come into mine from a good position like Squidward does here. But I digress again. This part of the episode not only turns the tables for Squidward and Mr. Krabs, but Squidward and SpongeBob too, in a wonderful example of show don't tell. Of course, SpongeBob still doesn't quite understand what striking is, or what Squidward's speech meant, but he's got the spirit? Doesn't make it any better when he completely destroys all of Squidward's bargaining power lmao. So the ending is a bit of a downer in that way, but man isn't it entertaining. The way Mr. Krabs just blankly walks into his decimated office before completely falling apart, priceless. I love how SpongeBob ends up being happy with forever no matter what, and Squidward just lost in his imagination and reality. The ending shot of this episode is great, and funny without even needing dialogue. Just a perfect way to end this episode.
I really, really enjoy "Squid on Strike". It would absolutely be my favorite season 2 episode if it wasn't for "Graveyard Shift", which is just atmospheric perfection. But this episode is clever, and has the perfect mix of kid and adult enjoyment, especially with what this episode is about. Seriously, how did Nickelodeon approve this? Maybe because Mr. Krabs won in the end, and it isn't overtly portrayed as a bad thing because of SpongeBob's happiness. Who knows. Anyway, this episode is absolutely in my "Amazing" tier, it's just so good. I find that it isn't often listed as one of the best episodes of this show, which is a shame. I feel it is rather forgotten about, sometimes.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.5/10
Well, that's it for season 2! I'll post my overrall season 2 opinions tomorrow, and then perhaps I'll take a small break (of like two days lmao), because I just wrote 18 reviews in 3 days, and 24 in 7. I'm very tired, but I did commit to a season a month, so I wanted to stick to that. This will not happen again.