Oh boy. Here we are with "The Sponge Who Could Fly", an episode that for years has divided the masses. Some think it's good, others think it's bad. It also was one of the biggest premieres of this show ever, with over 7 million viewers. I point out that fact because I think it's funny with such a huge reception, this episode is rather...forgotten about. And I'm no different in that regard. It has been a very long time since I've seen this episode. I did watch parts of it to prepare for this review, but I didn't really have the time or energy to get myself to watch the whole thing. But that's okay, because I have the SpongeBob Wiki open as always, so this review will still be nice and accurate.
For years, the rumor has been that this episode was supposed to be the end of
SpongeBob SquarePants the show, with the movie closing out everything. As far as I can tell, this rumor isn't true. I mean, it definitely would make sense, with this being a special, and the fact that there was a marathon before its premiere, as well as the whole "remembering SpongeBob" segment as well as the entire "lost episode" aspect. However, this rumor is very easily disproven. First off, "The Sponge Who Could Fly" isn't even the last episode in the season 3 production order...we've got 2 more after this. Additionally, this episode was not the last to premiere before the movie, there were like 8 other ones that came after it ("Ugh" + "Born Again Krabs" and everything after it in production order). With all this in mind, it's clear that this is one of those rumors that emerged way after the fact, because I'm sure any SpongeBob fan old enough to remember 2003 and 2004 clearly could just tell you that this episode aired before a lot of other ones, so it can't be the finale. This has nothing to do with my actual review, but I thought it would be nice to address this old rumor.
Getting to the actual episode, I really like the whole gimmick of this episode being the "lost episode" of
SpongeBob SquarePants. I think that's a good concept for a special and the execution in this first segment is done well to me. Speaking of the beginning, I know the popular opinion is that clip shows suck, but I don't mind a clip show episode. And that's not even what this special is anyway, so the short time we spend with this montage of "Remembering SpongeBob" is perfectly fine with me. It's kind of nice that this first part of the episode actually gives the Patchy segment a plot, instead of just making it a bunch of gags. The search for the lost episode is fun, and of course I can't discuss that without discussing the Stephen Hillenburg cameo. May he rest in peace. And yes I know he's technically been with us the whole time through these reviews, as the voice of Potty, but let me have this lol.
Moving on, we have my favorite part of this opening act, which is Patchy watching the "lost episode". The walk cycle is a great bit of fluid animation with some cool music in the background. But of course, the real scene-stealer is Patchy's reaction. His anger and utter betrayal at the cheap episode is hilarious to watch, and what follows is beautifully dramatic. Also, did you know that with the scene of Patchy throwing out all his SpongeBob memorabilia, all the stuff is knock-off (you can tell because all the merchandise shows SpongeBob in a bowtie) because children's shows weren't allowed to advertise products? I just
read that the other day. Pretty neat! Anyway, I love how Patchy's meltdown is quickly reversed when the real Lost Episode begins to play.
And now to talk about the actual SpongeBob part of the episode. I may or may not have been stalling because it is here where things get...weaker. This episode is very similar to "Nature Pants", now that I think about it. Perhaps that explains why I end up finding this episode to be a bit weaker compared to other ones in its season. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's actually go through the episode first (maybe a bit quicker than normal, given how much time I've already spent on this review lol).
SpongeBob's desire to fly like jellyfish is very endearing, although this first part of the animated portion doesn't really have all that many jokes. I did like the bit with SpongeBob's grandpa calling out Patrick. SpongeBob's failed attempts to fly aren't particularly entertaining or funny. I'm not sure if I want to call them boring, but let's just say they are very dangerously approaching that line. As the episode goes on, I start drawing parallels to "Patty Hype", with SpongeBob's dreams being insulted by others, and SpongeBob's determination to prove them wrong anyway. Yeah that's probably issue number one with this episode, the townspeople are not very pleasant at all. Because first they're insulting and making fun of SpongeBob, then they literally form an angry mob against him because they're all miserable people, and then they're gonna start overworking him like crazy. SpongeBob can't seem to win with these people and it's annoying.
Another problem with this episode is that it kind of has pacing issues. I'm not one to throw that phrase around lightly (I don't think I've used it in a review up until this point?), but here it's a bit undeniable. I mean, at this point we're about halfway through the episode, about to enter act 2, and SpongeBob hasn't flown. Now, the issues here aren't horrible because at least SpongeBob has been trying to fly throughout the episode, but it's still slightly a let down. But anyway, it doesn't take too long for SpongeBob to start flying in act 2, so this issue really isn't so bad. And I think it's very SpongeBob that he's able to start flying because of inflating his pants (another parallel to "Patty Hype" lol). Also, just wanted to shout out my boy Gary because unlike everyone else, he actually supported SpongeBob's dreams. Just wanted to say that lol.
The sequence of SpongeBob flying around Bikini Bottom is nice enough. The song doesn't really do anything for me, but it at least sounds nice. SpongeBob becoming a kind of super hero is kind of an unexpected direction though, but not necessarily a bad one. The only issue is, once again, there's nothing particularly funny about this sequence. There's a real lack of jokes in this episode. Like it's not even that they aren't landing, it's that they aren't being written in the first place. It's very weird. Anyway, from here this is where things start moving to becoming truly annoying as the townspeople keep taking advantage of SpongeBob. And some of these scenes just feel stilted as well, such as the one between SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs. But seriously, the audacity of these townspeople is off the charts, their entitlement is insane. I have no idea why they are so unlikable in this episode (not that the townspeople are ever portrayed as super nice people but this is another level, one that is only reached a few other times in the show).
And then there's the worst part of it all, the townspeople literally shooting SpongeBob out of the sky just so he won't be able to fly with the jellyfish like he wanted to. Just one question...why??? And this addressed to both the townspeople, and the writers themselves. Why are we watching a completely unsatisfying episode? I don't like seeing SpongeBob put in situations like this, and I don't like seeing his dreams crushed. The bit of subverted expectations with the pants isn't even all that funny, mostly because by that point I'm extremely annoyed. The ending of this episode is...fine. SpongeBob giving up on his dreams is a bit of a bummer, but it's not a horrible ending. It's like "Nature Pants". And Patrick being able to fly in the end is the kind of unexplained absurdity I expect out of this show, so no real problems there. I mean, there's a slight issue for me given that Patrick is one of the people who takes advantage of SpongeBob, but at this point I don't want to find any more issues with this episode lmao.
The whole plot of this episode is...just not right for
SpongeBob SquarePants. I think that's the best way I can put it. The plot, message, and "tragic ending" all feel at home in a much different show. And I'm sure that this plot could have worked if there was a much greater attempt at humor here, given that's what this show is, a comedy. And, at best, the message of this episode is confusing. Given that SpongeBob doesn't end up achieving what he wanted to, I would have thought that there was a lesson to be shown through SpongeBob's struggle, and a moral that he ends up learning. However the execution here is weak. SpongeBob is mistreated throughout the entire episode and so it feels like there is no need for him to learn a lesson, and really the townspeople should be the ones learning something, but they do not. So it's just frustrating.
I will say though, that the very end of the episode is at least a high point. The tribute by the French Narrator to SpongeBob is sweet, not to mention fuels the rumor I already addressed lol. But it does put a smile on my face, which I'm happy about.
So..."The Sponge Who Could Fly". This review took longer for me to write than expected, so let me just say my feelings and get this done and over with. This is not a good episode lol. See, when the Patchy segments are the highlight, you know you've messed up. Not that Patchy segments are bad, but they are supposed to be mere supplements to the episode, not the high points. But the actual SpongeBob portion of the episode is just so boring and intensely frustrating that I just have to say the Patchy parts are better. Trying to figure out a tier for this episode is hard for me. I think it fits in my "Mediocre" tier best. Without the Patchy segments, though, it would easily be in (barely) "Tolerable", possibly even "Bad", because there really are no great jokes here, at all, and that's just really sad.
Episode Tier: Mediocre
Episode Score: 5/10