Show News An unorganized, unchronological review thread

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

Usually when someone creates a review thread the person promises to start from the beginning and cover every episode. And in most cases, the thread is never finished. Heck, in some it doesn't even come close.

I will just review whichever episode I happen to watch, maybe cover an old one if I decide to rewatch a classic. As for where I'm at right now I can't promise to review every single one, but will at least write some quick thoughts in case I don't have enough to say for a full review but at least something.

I'll start off by posting the first review I ever wrote, for one of the best episodes of season 2.

Wormy/Patty Hype

Wormy:

After Sandy goes away on a vacation, SpongeBob and Patrick take the responsibility to watch after her pet, who they name Wormy. At first they are having fun with their new friend, but after it hatches into a butterfly, they grow terrified of it.

Where do I start? I just love how ridiculously panicked everyone gets over a harmless butterfly, and that the close-ups resemble something like The Fly. The best joke of all is when the whole town is set on fire, with everyone running around screaming... and SpongeBob and Patrick are grateful they warned everyone or something really bad would've happened. A delightfully quirky and very well-executed story.

Patty Hype:

After Mr. Krabs fails to get customers, he is desperately looking for a way to lure them back to The Krusty Krab. After his hilarious failed stunt of burying himself alive, he looks to SpongeBob for ideas. He's not convinced, but to his dismay his otherwise loyal employee starts a business himself...

This was my favorite of the two, and would *easily* make my top 10 list. It just had me in absolute hysterics. There are the gullible customers, like the guy whose favorite color is purple, and the fish who goes to watch a talking dog without knowing what a dog is. Krabs is well-characterized throughout, doing everything he can to make his customers give him "me money", but failing all the time. And the laughs never slow down, it's amazing right to the very ending, which is one of the funniest episode endings of all time. Just thinking about it makes me laugh already.

This is an excellent entry into an already excellent season. 10/10

 

[Bigsmoker]

So you will review every episode you watch? That's a good idea!
I like your review, you summarized the plot to the point and then gave your opinion. I look forward the next review!

I have not watched the both episodes for a long time but I like them. Wormy is very nostalgic for me and the song is one of my favorite songs in the series.

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

Nice reviews!

IRYO on Wormy, I think it could be rated lower and it is meh
Agree on Patty Hype, it would make my top 25 list

 

[Pugs4Thugs]

I like this style of reviews a lot! I just feel like watching every episode in order can be such a big task, for both writers and readers alike. I like the reviews so far too! Both of these episodes are pretty enjoyable for me. Not at the top of my list, but they're some of the stand-outs in the series in my opinion. I like rewatching Patty Hype all the time for some reason, I'm not entirely sure why.

(also as a side note, when I first read this thread it made me think of when we used to have blogs on this site. reminds me of the old "Ted Talks" I used to do haha.)

 

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

Until I am done with the new, here's another old one. I watched and reviewed this episode after Hillenburg had recently passed away.

Procastination/I'm With Stupid

Procastination:

Mrs. Puff gives her student an assignment: things not to do at a stoplight. SpongeBob thinks it will be a piece of cake, but keeps putting off the essay and struggles to think of anything.

This show is great at coming up with simple, yet very much relatable themes, in this case procastination. I can relate to SpongeBob 100% here, as I have struggled the same way through high school where it feels like I will never get anything done. Him failing to admit to himself how badly he's avoiding the essay results in many laughs, such as when he purposefully fills Gary's bowl with too much food, but he eats it up right away. The short cameo by Patrick is also funny. But the best part is when SpongeBob has a nightmare, where several items are chastizing him for not writing on his essay. Eventually he does come up with something, inspired by all the crazy events of the previous day... only for the assignment to be completely cancelled. SpongeBob's reaction to his effort being all in vain is priceless.

I'm With Stupid:

Patrick uncharacteristically starts cleaning up his whole place, in fear of his parents visiting to make fun of him. SpongeBob gets the idea of acting even dumber than his friend, so Patrick can feel smart. And it certainly works, but it does so *way* too well...

Just like Procastination this segment is funny throughout. Patrick's parents were meanspirited, but very funny characters. I love how they treat Patrick completely like a child, like how he doesn't know how to perform the most basic tasks. It gets even funnier when SpongeBob starts acting stupid, and Patrick joins in as well. He gets so into it he forgets SpongeBob in reality is much brighter. His insults cracked me up, especially when SpongeBob shows a picture of his brain, only for Patrick to insist it's "actual size". Of course, the cream on the top is when Patrick's parents realize they're not even his parents and don't have a son at all. It shows how Patrick didn't have to pretend that he's dumb when they are on the same level themselves.

In memory of Stephen Hillenburg: You were an absolute genius. 9.5/10

(Procastination: 10/10
I'm With Stupid: 9/10)

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

Nice

Agree on Procrastination
Agree on I'm With Stupid (it is very underrated)

 

[Bigsmoker]

Your review was great! I was really fun to read it, I like the way you write it.
Regard to the episodes- I like both of them. Procrastination is amazing and I agree with you. 9/10
I'm With Stupid is very good and underrated. 8/10
I look forward the next review!

 

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

All right, this is the first of the "new" reviews.

Not Normal/Gone

Not Normal:

Squidward gets sick of SpongeBob's typical toomfoolery and begs him to be normal. SpongeBob takes it to heart, and wants to learn what it means to be normal. Once he does however, he takes it a step too far...

This is a classic story of losing your own identity in order to fit into the norm. Feeling like you don't belong just because you act "different" is definitely something I can relate to, and that's demonstrated here perfectly.

After watching an amusing PSA on how to become normal, SpongeBob knows exactly what he has to do. I like not having Squidward onboard right away. He's gotten so used to his annoying behavior he's majorly creeped out at first. Why is this spongey menace suddenly sitting on a private office typing on a computer talking with a monotone voice?
I really love Tom Kenny's voice acting in this segment. He manages to strike a good balance of making his character sound uncanny, yet also strangely pleasant at the same time. You can almost understand the appeal of listening to this calm and balanced guy instead of the shrieky fire alarm you're used to.

However, things soon start to turn bad with SpongeBob's new personality. Since all the Krabby Patties are printed instead of made with care all the customers complain about them tasting like paper. Which is a funny reveal from seeing them come out of the computer looking like normal patties.
Then he decides to go to Squidward's house for some comfort after getting forced out by Mr. Krabs, but it gets even worse there. He starts pointing out everything that sticks out after Squid's appearance as well, most of all the large hanging nose. He angrily kicks SpongeBob out of his house. When you've become so normal you annoy SQUIDWARD of all people, things have definitely gone too far.

Determined to turn back to his old self, he goes to Patrick so he can learn how to have fun again. This sequence is similar in some ways to Patrick SmartPants, but the creativity of the activites they come up with is fresh and fun enough to work. When he's almost back to norm... ABnormal, you feel bad for him when he suddenly changes to his bland shape again. It's gotten so ingrained into his DNA he will never be the good ol' SpongeBob again.
Until he sees Squidward's new "normal" face, which scares him so much he's cured! I love the final punchline, where he coldly says "Nice weather we're having, isn't it?", and SpongeBob's too grateful being himself again to care about the creepy transformation.

If there's only one nitpick I have, it's that "Hi, how are ya?" does get a little bit old after a few times, but other than that this is a fantastic gem.

Gone:

Expecting a day full of work and fun, SpongeBob slowly discovers that everyone have vanished into thin air.

The biggest strength in this segment is the atmosphere. The idea of everyone leaving you behind is a scary idea, and Bikini Bottom looks different when it's totally empty. I've always liked the look of night time scenes in this show, and you get quite a few of them here.

There's also a great deal of comedy. SpongeBob's impressions of everybody are hilarious. The one that especially made me laugh for some reason is Mrs. Puff. He sounds so much like her it's scary.
It leads to him getting a boating license all by himself and driving recklessly through town. Even though he's still a shoddy driver and didn't earn the license for real, it's oddly satisfying. And at least he can't hurt anyone if there's no one there.

It gets weird later on though. Eventually the loneliness drives SpongeBob insane and he practically starts dating his boat. And when he tries to break it off it starts stalking him. How the boat follows around him like in a horror movie made me die of laughter. Over-the-top stuff like that just works for me.

When he's at his most desperate, everyone finally returns in a bus. Turns out they were away on a No SpongeBob Day. All right, I understand why people hate this ending. And yes, it's odd that even Gary and Patrick would want to get away from him. However, I still had to chuckle at everyone burning a giant wicker sponge and literally stomping on the ashes afterwards. It's dark, but so silly I can't take it seriously. Plus Patrick gets karma when everyone goes on a No Patrick Day and leaves him behind instead. Of course he gets naively excited first too, not understanding an event like that obviously leaves him out.

Overall, a very ambitious and cleverly written episode of SpongeBob. If only it didn't have to be followed by a certain wood-related accident. 9.5/10

(Not Normal: 9.7/10
Gone: 9.3/10)

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

Not Normal is a good episode but could be rated lower, I rate it a (15/20)
I agree on Gone, it is very underrated as well and I rate it a (17/20)

 

[Bigsmoker]

Wow, your reviews got better and they are amazing! Good for you for for explaining detailing!

The two episodes are very good episodes. Gone is a bit creepy(the boat) but it is ok and the episode is still very good for me. I give them 7.5/10

 

[CannedBread]

I agree with Not Normal review, It's a fantastic eisode. But for the Gone episode, Although the premise is cool, and I think there are a few funny moments, I think the execution, and the way everything played out was super one-note and predictable, with the exception being when spongebob falls in love with his boat and then thinks the boast is out to get him or something? Idk I just think that an episode like this could have been cool if it was executed way better.

 

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

Make the pain stop.

The Splinter/Slide Whistle Stooges

(I chose this picture because it describes my feelings towards this abomination perfectly)

The Splinter:

After retrieving a spatula from the ceiling, SpongeBob accidentally slips and gets a splinter into his thumb.

Right from the start, something feels very off about this one. We've seen SpongeBob excited over work many times, and usually I really enjoy seeing him get ready for another productive day. I don't know what it is about this one though, but he acts a lot more annoying than usual. He's so hyperactive that you wonder if he had any crack with his coffee this time.

After that we are treated to a pointless scene where his spatula gets stuck in the ceiling and he has to retrieve it. Sure it leads into the main story, but I don't think it would've been impossible to get to it more effectively.

Once we get to the infamous splinter part is when things go even more downhill. Did you enjoy seeing SpongeBob scratch himself constantly in Fungus Among Us? Well, you are gonna love seeing him writhe in agony over his splinter throughout. I actually consider this instance even worse since the pacing is so agonizingly sloooooow throughout. Scenes just feel like they go on and on with no real punchline to them.

Patrick being an idiot doctor in Suds was perfect since while he absolutely made the problem worse, he genuinely cared about solving his friend's problem, and at least seemed to know what he wanted help with. This time he spent what must be a half minute having SpongeBob's foot in his mouth for no apparent reason. Then he drives a stake into the splinter (What did you think you were dealing with, a freaking vampire?) which unsurprisingly worsens the problem. But instead of realizing his mistake he just dismissively tells him the appointment is over and to call him later if he still can. Not only does none of this strike to me as remotely funny, but he comes off like an uncaring jerk.

After that we get Squidward manipulating SpongeBob into thinking Mr. Krabs is gonna get mad and fire him if he sees he has a splinter. This might have been funny had it been accompanied by any clever jokes, but instead it's boring and kinda unpleasant. Squidward is written too sadistic for any of it to feel natural, so it just ends up being frustrating.

Mr. Krabs confronts SpongeBob, so hes forced to reveal the giant throbbing splinter. Carefully, Krabs removes it and is met by confetti, then a sudden spray of disgusting green pus gushes out. If this alone was supposed to make me laugh, the irony is lost on me.

The final joke with Squidward injuring himself to get a workers compensation was pretty funny, and I liked SpongeBob's reaction to Squidward's note telling him hes annoying, but other than there is not much in the source of humor.

And another thing, the animation was really bad as well. For the first four episodes of season 6 it looked fine, but here the facial expressions were weird in a bad way several times, not to mention the unfunny gross visuals.

In short, The Splinter doesn't seem to have much reason to exist other than making you cringe.

Slide Whistle Stooges:

Discovering the fun of slide whistles, SpongeBob and Patrick start playing them everywhere, driving their neighbor Squidward totally insane.

Okay, hear me out. The Splinter is really awful, and definitely one of the dullest that the show has to offer. And yet I still consider Slide Whistle Stooges even worse. Why? Well...

The biggest problem are the actual slide whistles. Not only do they play damn near constant in every single scene, but every joke is exactly the same. Someone does something or walks and sudden slide whistle noises follow. Hey, normal mundane activities are not supposed to sound like slide whistles! Funny, right? No. Not even close.

Secondly, SpongeBob and Patrick are unlikable beyond belief. No matter how many times they get told to stop playing their stupid whistles, they won't listen. In fact, they are trying to FORCE him to play along. He does so eventually, but what the writers behind this story don't seem to understand is that what made Squidward joining the fun so compelling in past episodes is that despite how much he pretended to find their activities lame, he actually got a bit curious and couldn't help but go play their games anyway. This time however, he only starts playing the slide whistle after constantly being harrassed and pretty much baited into doing it.

Thirdly, when he starts playing the slide whistle himself the jokes still play out the exact same. He pulls the same stupid pranks as his idiot neighbors, and we even get a repeated gag with another character flipping through a book and being met by slide whistle sound effects.

As Squidward continues these shenanigans, all the Bikini Bottom citizens get pissed and try to get him to knock it off. While this isn't funny by any means, it's understandable they are annoyed. However, cheering when he possibly crashes to his *death*? I don't have anything against dark humor, but this is just so dumb that it's not even funny. Even for Bikini Bottom that's an unusually cruel reaction.

Finally, we cut to the hospital, where Squidward somehow got saved by the slide whistle stuck in throat (which makes no ::dolphin noise:: sense whatsoever), that the doctor can't remove because he's terrible at his job, I guess.

Then, as if I wasn't already sick of Sponge and Pat's moronic antics, they decide to "cheer him up" by playing slide whistles again! CAN'T YOU IDIOTS SEE THAT SLIDE WHISTLES HAVE DONE NOTHING GOOD FOR HIM? I can't even believe what I'm watching at this point.

They also go around harrassing everyone else at the hospital, which for some inexplicable reason is met by uproarious laughter. How come that all of them are okay with those two playing slide whistles, but not Squidward? What a bunch of hideous hypocrites.

Easily one of the worst episodes ever, especially due to Slide Whistle Stooges. 1.5/10

(The Splinter: 2/10
Slide Whistle Stooges: 1/10)

 

[Bigsmoker]

A great review as usual!
The Splinter is pretty a bad episode but I don't hate it that much. Patrick is idiot and Squidward is evil but the episode is not in the worst list for me. It's around 4/10(bad)
Slie Whistle Stooges- tbh I pretty like it. I don't know why, but I think it nice. It's around 6/10(quite nice)

 

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

Thanks for the compliment!
I don't see anything redeeming about Slide Whistle Stooges though, while The Splinter made me bored to tears this one really left me angry afterwards. SpongeBob and Patrick don't just annoy Squidward, they harrass him to the point where he goes insane. It also bothers me how they never even realize what they did wrong, instead it's only Squidward himself who's "gone too far". This segment just makes my skin crawl.

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

Another great review!
I agree on The Splinter. The gross-out does not bother me too much, but the episode itself is boring and lacks humor, with Patrick being his idiotic Season 7 self and Squidward being annoying.
IRYO on Slide Whistle Stooges, I think it's a good episode. Sure, SpongeBob and Patrick annoyed Squidward in the first half of the episode, but the second half, especially the scene with Squidward in the gasoline truck, is much funnier and the ending is decent.

 

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

Yeah, The Splinter's biggest crime is that it's painfully boring. The grossout jokes are definitely a problem as well, but even if you toned those down there wouldn't be much to go on anyway.

I guess I can see how someone would like Slide Whistle Stooges due to its wacky nature, but to me the second half was just as unbearable due to the continued tired slide whistle jokes. Plus SpongeBob and Patrick still torture Squidward at the hospital in the end :/

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

The first time I watched Slide Whistle Stooges was a few years ago and I remember hating it, it wasn't until maybe a year ago that I actually began to like the episode

 

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

I do like two other controversial Squidward episodes despite my hatred for this one; Good Neighbors and Breath Of Fresh Squidward. Although you do feel bad for him in those, I feel like the writing and variety of jokes was much stronger. Plus SpongeBob and Patrick are not really that mean in Good Neighbors, they're just trying to be friendly in their own misguided ways.

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

Both are bad episodes in my opinion. Good Neighbors was nothing but Squidward Torture, from the beginning to the end. Even though SpongeBob and Patrick aren't intentionally torturing Squidward, they still are torturing him and ruining his day. Breath of Fresh Squidward is better than Good Neighbors but is still pretty bad. The first few parts had Squidward Torture, and the second half is SpongeBob torture with Squidward's happiness bothering him. The ending wasn't bad, but didn't help much.

 

[Fear Of A Nerdy Patty]

I understand. I think those episodes are helped by the self-awareness from the characters (SpongeBob and Patrick realize at one point in GN they are not good neighbors, and SpongeBob apologizes at the end of BOFS). Not to mention I found Squidward acting like SpongeBob hilarious. The only part I take objection to a little is the party scene, which definitely could've been handled better (SpongeBob getting kicked out for being a killjoy instead of Squidward).