Next up, we have a certified classic, "Just One Bite"! I'm just going to come right out and say it; I quite like this episode. Is it anywhere near the best of the season? Oh absolutely not, but it is a very good episode, so let's talk about it!
This episode begins with Squidward being an eternal restaurant/retail worker mood, I would know. Listen man, judging people is how we can make the job even remotely interesting! Anyway, I love how SpongeBob initially takes Squidward's proclamation of hating Krabby Patties to be a joke, and then I love how legitimately concerned the little sponge gets when he realizes Squidward's being serious. With how heavenly these patties seem to be, I'd be concerned too! I love Squidward's dramatics throughout the scene where he first tries a Krabby Patty, with the burial and then the excavation.
Squidward is really good in this episode, and I like how the entire plot is because of his fatal flaw of pride. I mean think about it, he wanted to be right so badly, and it turns out SpongeBob was right all along, so he decided to crush SpongeBob's dreams even though he was acting. And in the end, SpongeBob wouldn't have been so smug if Squidward just said he liked Krabby Patties in the first place. This is what happens when we get character-driven writing!
My least favorite part of the episode is probably the Triple Krabby Supreme part. I think it lasts a bit too long, but I understand why it was done that way, to show Squidward's anticipation and desperation. The scene ends well anyway, with Squidward digging everything from the trash but the Krabby Patty, and then SpongeBob cremating the poor thing. The fact that Squidward ends up being reduced to tears over it is hilarious. If only Doordash existed back then, eh Squidward?
I love how bizzare Squidward's dream is in this episode, and how that motivates him to get his hands on a Krabby Patty (literally, the entry on the SpongeBob wiki for this episode says "After having a dream of a giant Krabby Patty as his wife", like that just makes me laugh for no reason haha). This is a good a place as any to mention it, but I think the deleted scenes in this episode are hilarious. I wish they could be added back in now, but I guess it's too late? It's never too late, imo. Anyway, this whole last section of the episode is hilarious. Squidward's desperation plus SpongeBob's smugness is just too funny, and then when Squidward finally goes wild, it feels satisfying. Of course, this wouldn't be SpongeBob SquarePants without an extremely detailed painting, or a random explosion. And I love how the paramedic responds to Squidward, closing out the episode.
"Just One Bite" is an excellent episode that I have no real problems with. Yeah, there's a slow moment or two, but it isn't grating, so I'm only taking a couple points off for that, rather than a tier. This episode belongs in my "Amazing" tier, and so there it shall be.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9/10