"Wet Painters" is simply a classic. That's all there really is to it. Well, this is me, so there's going to be more said, but that's the essence of how I feel about this episode.
This episode begins with an accurate depiction of what it's like to work when it's slow. Yes, that even includes destroying stuff out of boredom. How much I'm joking remains up to interpretation. Anyway, this first part of the episode is a good setup for the rest, even if it isn't particularly funny. It's more fun to watch, than anything. But moving on, I love how adorably excited SpongeBob and Patrick are for their "super secret assignment". I will never get tired of the juxtaposition of childish behavior with being an adult that we see all the time in SpongeBob SquarePants (though perhaps you all will get tired of me saying that over and over, oops). The faces in this part are great as well. And I love how all the anticipation builds and builds only to reveal that Mr. Krabs is making them paint his house. Perhaps a chore to many, at least SpongeBob and Patrick find joy in it, and their joy is infectious. I also love the dramatics here, with Mr. Krabs threatening them not to get paint on anything.
"Wet Painters" is one of those episodes where the focus is almost completely on gags rather than advancing a plot, and that is in no way an insult. Some episodes work better like that, and other episodes have more interesting stories to tell. It's all about balance. And because "Wet Painters" is such a gag filled episode, the bulk of the episode takes place during SpongeBob and Patrick's attempts to paint Mr. Krabs' house without getting paint on anything. And I'm trying to get better about not talking about every single gag in the episode, so I'll attempt to be concise with my highlights (hard to pick highlights when every gag is so good though!)
Probably my favorite joke is the 4th wall timecard break, because once again I love when SpongeBob SquarePants has 4th wall breaks and deconstructs some aspect of its own comedy. I love the dynamic between SpongeBob and Patrick here, with Patrick being more of an action guy than SpongeBob, one who is not at all careful at that. And the looming threat of Mr. Krabs gives SpongeBob's and Patrick's plight stakes, as well as causes some great dramatic moments, which I always love to see.
And of course, one cannot talk about "Wet Painters" without talking about possibly the most iconic part of the episode: "Flappin' Flotsam! What's that?!" The voice acting, the visuals, the music, all of it is *chefs kiss*, just magnificent. It truly feels like the moment this entire episode was building up to, because of the anticipation and fear of Mr. Krabs' threat, and the stress felt by SpongeBob and Patrick.
Admittedly, the next barrage of jokes are weaker than the ones before this key moment. The we have technology bit was pretty funny, but the rest of that specific montage didn't really get much in the way of laughs out of me. And then of course we have the part of the episode that reaches "Rock Bottom" levels of frustration, with Patrick putting the dollar in the vending machine. That could've definitely been left out, because even if it was shorter it would've been way too frustrating for me, and I hate feeling frustrated at characters and situations. But it does lead into another part of the episode that I like, with the whole stack of paintings on the wall (and another 4th wall break!). I like how we get another bit of lame pun humor fresh off of "Krab Borg" with that "hangin' around" bit. Though this time I have to agree with Patrick, that was pretty bad SpongeBob. Mostly because of delivery haha.
And then of course, we've got the ending bit of the episode, with Mr. Krabs finding out about his dollar. Once again, we get a lot of anticipation and build up (with the addition of dread this time), only for the rug to be swept out from under us with Mr. Krabs revealing the paint comes off with saliva. My wording makes it seem like I don't like this moment, but I do. I like when expectations are subverted (sometimes) haha. I also like that this episode showcases the troll side of Mr. Krabs, as he did all of that just to mess with SpongeBob and Patrick, who are rightfully fed up. But of course we do get some universal justice at the end, with Mr. Krabs' laughing taking all the paint off of his walls. And that's a shame, because I really liked how Mr. Krabs' house looked with the white paint.
"Wet Painters" is a really funny episode, and it makes sense as to why, as it focuses almost entirely on gags. The episode starts a little bit better than it ends, or really it has kind of a middling 3rd quarter (if I were to divide the episode that way). And, unfortunately, the sheer frustration I feel with the vending machine scene is enough to bump this episode down to "Great" rather than "Amazing". Seriously, if that was replaced with another joke, this episode would probably be in my top tier, but I cannot stand feeling frustrated.
Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score: 8.9/10