Next up, we've got an insanely iconic episode in "Nasty Patty"! I really like this episode, just to spoil y'all on that. But I don't think that's very surprising. Let's talk about it.
This episode has a lot of atmosphere, which for once is done purposefully given that this episode strays toward noir at times. The footage of the rain is well done, I wonder how they ended up doing that.
Anyway, this episode starts off pretty well. I love how very non-juvenile this show is. Like what kid even knows the ins and outs of health inspections? I love that the episode made that the topic of the day, that's just yet another example of the charm of
SpongeBob SquarePants. Man, if being a health inspector meant getting one of everything on the menu, I'd apply with the quickness.
We move on from the episode's good beginning to the turning point, which is the TV news report. Mr. Krabs' reaction is hilarious (and a sample in one of the best
YTPs of all time), as is SpongeBob's. The two plan a most devious plot with that Nasty Patty, which we are given such glorious visuals of in both the making and the finished product. And then of course things get even funnier once we find out that was the real Health Inspector all along, and once the Health Inspector chokes and Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob think they killed him with their foul creation. I love the screaming, followed by the double check, followed by more screaming.
The episode gets real atmospheric once Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob go to bury the body, with the muted colors and the gray misty backgrounds. We get more slapstick with the poor inspector as well (seriously, that guy goes
through it in this episode). It's funny watching Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob try to keep this whole thing under wraps, especially once the pressure really starts to get to them with the police showing up. Even I was tricked for a second when the police first showed up, I thought the two were caught haha. But of course, what we do get is even funnier. The nervous laughing in the police car, the painfully obvious body in the hat, and especially once we reach the climax of the episode, with Mr. Krabs proclaiming that "ice is just a myth". The expressions in this episode, especially in this last section, are just amazing.
I love how the police are completely unbothered in this epsiode too, a great juxtaposition to Mr. Krabs' and SpongeBob's utter freakout. The police are also not that great at their jobs, given that while at the Krusty Krab they receive a report about two people burying a body at the place that presumably they just picked SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs up at lmao. Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob are also not very smart but in a funny way. If they left the health inspector at the road, even after he floated down to the cop car, the cops probably wouldn't have noticed lmao. But that would've caused more problems later, I suppose. Anyway none of this is critical, I think the lack of brains in this episode makes everything 10x funnier. SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs at least have the excuse of being panicked out of their minds haha.
The officers are pretty funny side characters anyway, especially once the health inspector is thought to be a zombie and they just beat him up. The poor guy at least lives through all of this to give the Krusty Krab a pass, ending the episode on a very happy note. The poor guy doesn't escape one more slapstick joke though, closing the episode with the door hitting him. And then the narrator says what we're all thinking, calling everyone idiots.
"Nasty Patty" is a really great and well-crafted episode that belongs in my "Amazing" tier, and possibly even in my top 5 episodes of the season. I have no problems with it whatsoever. It's hilarious, engaging, and never dull. And it is one of the best examples of
SpongeBob SquarePants at its best. I love how macabre the whole thing is.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.5/10
