spongebranch
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You know, when you get to the latest episode aired/released, are you then gonna release reviews of an episode when it comes out?
Re-Evaluating my opinions on SpongeBob Season 1-8
- Thread starter EmployeeAMillion
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EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
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License to Milkshake (Season 9, Episode 3a)
Original Airdate: September 7 2012
Episode 345 in standard order, Episode 339 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob’s milkshake license expires, so he has to go to the Milkshake Academy and renew it
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]181A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Bikini Bottom Bound
Back when I was a young lad and had discovered the critical differences between old and new SpongeBob, I decided to give the latest season a watch. After all, most of the hate was directed to Season 4-8, so maybe 9 wasn’t so bad. I decided to give this and its sister episode a whirl, because they had the plots that seemed the most interesting to me. I liked this one, but hated the next. Then I just stepped back from SpongeBob hate for a while and assumed that the show would continue on as a mixed bag, with some episodes being good and others bad, coexisting like a yin-yang. Obviously this episode has a place in my memory of Season 9, being one of the few episodes I watched from it before Sponge Out of Water came out, and was important in showing me that tired shows could still put out good episodes. I’m not even going to cap this intro off with a question, because you already know I like it.
One day while manning the Krusty Krab’s grill, SpongeBob gets an unusual order, a milkshake. I think this could potentially be making fun of how few people go to fast food joints for milkshakes, as SpongeBob even says hee hasn’t made one in years, but I may be looking a bit deep there. He makes the milkshake for the customer, but he pans it for being flat and thick. Only in Bikini Bottom will you get such scathing criticism for a conveniently cheap thickshake. As it turns out, SpongeBob’s milkshake license (last seen in Yours, Mine and Mine) had expired 7 years ago, and just one look at his photo on the license will clearly show you it was recieved before 2005. Mr Krabs has to apologise to the customer, telling him to come back tomorrow, and forces SpongeBob to go back to Milkshake Academy. This is a rather decent opening. If it weren’t for the customer overeacting to his drink, which seems to be a trigger for SpongeBob now, it’d be entertaining through and through, but as is, it shows you what a milkshake license means to SpongeBob and why he needs to renew it.
Mr Krabs tells SpongeBob that times have changed since he was last at the academy, and that milkshake technology has advanced. That warning seems a bit silly, but once you see that the Milkshake Academy functions like a military, you know what you’re getting into with the episode. It’s an exaggeration of milkshake-making, treating the procedure like something an army guy would have to learn. SpongeBob’s teacher is soon introduced, falling from the sky and breaking his fall with whipped cream- Captain Frostymug. I started to get Inmates of Summer vibes, due to the intense setting and the dynamic for the episode being established (soft, naïve SpongeBob VS strong, serious authority figure), but this episode manages to be its own thing.
When it comes time for SpongeBob and his cadets to learn how to make a milkshake, he fails spectacularly, messing with the machine and unable to use it properly. One of the cadets tells him how to use it properly, but he still succeeds in making a thick, unsatisfying shake. You can see that, although he’s trying, it’s hard for him to make a milkshake, especially with all this new-fangled equipment. It’s not like The Inmates of Summer where he was blissfully unaware of the reasons he was so annoying. Frostymug even tries to teach him a lesson by putting him in a shake simulator, and it’s implied very few of his students have survived it. Needless to say, SpongeBob survives it, but comes out thick. Something’s very wrong with him and how he shakes.
After a cool montage, which I guess is in the style of Top Gun, of SpongeBob doing “cool” things in the name of milkshakes, such as driving to a sunset on a motorcycle and playing volleyball, the rest of the students graduate. He doesn’t get a milkshake license because he didn’t even put ice cream in his shakes, which is an epic fail on his part. This is where a strange backstory’s thrown into the mix. When Captain Frostymug tries to show SpongeBob how it’s done, he flashes back to 20 years prior where he had a disaster with a milkshake machine. He was so messy at the helm that some of the shake splattered onto the wire and gave him a fear of mixers. It’s wierd, but I like how this no-nonsense guy’s given such a backstory, it makes him fit more into SpongeBob’s world.
SpongeBob helps him out and prevents him from being completely sucked into the machine. That’s a rather large step to take, going from just having a bad experience to getting sucked into a milkshake machine, but it’s supposed to be funny. After all that’s said and done, Frostymug lectures him on how you don’t need to make milkshakes with a machine, as they come from within. You know what that means, SpongeBob starts making his milkshakes internally (as in he puts the ingredients inside his body and shakes them) and gets a renewal for his milkshake license. I’m not that grossed out by it, despite the peeing imagery used, because he’s already made food internally, dating back to Plankton!. As a whole, this story loves it some exaggeration, and that makes it stick out to me compared to the rest of Season 9a, where it seems as though the core elements of the show have been getting more stale.
There were plenty of jokes in this episode, and a surprising amount of visual gags. As for wordplay and other kinds of comedic nonsense, stuff such as SpongeBob calling an ice cream scoop an “ice cream spatula” drives home how little he understands about milkshake-making. It even foreshadows how he forgets to put ice cream in his milkshakes. I also found myself laughing a lot at the montage, seeing just what milkshakes can be used for, and how SpongeBob can further screw things up, even though montages like this are usually designed to show progress. That’s the thing with comedy, you can bend the rules to subvert expectations, and it works here. I also like the brief joke of SpongeBob making a Krabby Patty in the milkshake mixer, and how it could’ve been a callback to Le Big Switch.
The animation for this episode succeeds in being its own thing. The milkshake academy has its own military charm, with the humour coming from how it’s focused on milkshakes. High tech milkshake machines and helicopters with whipped cream and cherries on top are the norm here. I also like the mild time-related references. The “Twenty Years Earlier” timecard doesn’t have a narrator, possibly because the first one for I Was a Teenage Gary, an episode that aired in the 90s, didn’t have one either. Furthermore, SpongeBob’s pre-2005 milkshake license has his classic design, while in his new one, he has bubbly cheeks and bigger pupils. I guess someone on the staff knew how much time had passed since the old days by this point. It’s got a great feel, and there are a few possible shout-outs to the olds days, what more could I ask for?
The two main characters here are handled rather well here. SpongeBob seems nice here, even cool during the montage. He’s got difficulties in the academy, but is eventually able to make a gold milkshake through his physical attributes, which is a good arc to see him go through. It helps that, personality-wise, he’s not annoying as much as he is curious. Captain Frostymug, his instructor, is also cool. He’s not that funny, especially when he tries to be, but he has a presence that makes him seem like an all-around legendary teacher, in the field of milkshakes no less. His anger towards SpongeBob’s competence is understandable, and I like how there’s an attempt towards the end to make him more sympathetic. The rest of the characters are pretty mixed. The fish (who I think is called Harold) being so rude about SpongeBob’s order wasn’t called for, and there didn’t need to be much time given to the felloww cadets, given they don’t even have much individual dialogue. You’ll forget Mr Krabs was in this episode, but he’s not bad in the scenes he appears, acting as SpongeBob’s second dad once more.
I had a pretty good time watching this episode. It had some awesome visuals and a pretty good spin on the whole academy shtick. I can’t stress how making something as simple as a milkshake the source of an academy works well for SpongeBob, and makes his struggle to fit in a lot funnier. It has a couple problems, namely it getting too wierd towards the end again, and some of the characters could’ve had their attributes toned down or been deleted from the episode, but what you get here’s worthy of Season 9b. Of course things are going to come crashing down for the next little while, but I’m happy with License to Milkshake.
Final Verdict: Good 7/10 (solid but not top notch)
The Curse of Bikini Bottom < License to Milkshake < Walking the Plankton
Question of the Day: Do you like milkshakes?
I don’t think you’d want to ram headfirst into the next review. Until then, this song played in this episode’s promo for some reason, look it up and the “moral outrage” it caused. I just wish I could find the 80s montage music.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: September 7 2012
Episode 345 in standard order, Episode 339 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob’s milkshake license expires, so he has to go to the Milkshake Academy and renew it
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]181A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Bikini Bottom Bound
Back when I was a young lad and had discovered the critical differences between old and new SpongeBob, I decided to give the latest season a watch. After all, most of the hate was directed to Season 4-8, so maybe 9 wasn’t so bad. I decided to give this and its sister episode a whirl, because they had the plots that seemed the most interesting to me. I liked this one, but hated the next. Then I just stepped back from SpongeBob hate for a while and assumed that the show would continue on as a mixed bag, with some episodes being good and others bad, coexisting like a yin-yang. Obviously this episode has a place in my memory of Season 9, being one of the few episodes I watched from it before Sponge Out of Water came out, and was important in showing me that tired shows could still put out good episodes. I’m not even going to cap this intro off with a question, because you already know I like it.
One day while manning the Krusty Krab’s grill, SpongeBob gets an unusual order, a milkshake. I think this could potentially be making fun of how few people go to fast food joints for milkshakes, as SpongeBob even says hee hasn’t made one in years, but I may be looking a bit deep there. He makes the milkshake for the customer, but he pans it for being flat and thick. Only in Bikini Bottom will you get such scathing criticism for a conveniently cheap thickshake. As it turns out, SpongeBob’s milkshake license (last seen in Yours, Mine and Mine) had expired 7 years ago, and just one look at his photo on the license will clearly show you it was recieved before 2005. Mr Krabs has to apologise to the customer, telling him to come back tomorrow, and forces SpongeBob to go back to Milkshake Academy. This is a rather decent opening. If it weren’t for the customer overeacting to his drink, which seems to be a trigger for SpongeBob now, it’d be entertaining through and through, but as is, it shows you what a milkshake license means to SpongeBob and why he needs to renew it.
Mr Krabs tells SpongeBob that times have changed since he was last at the academy, and that milkshake technology has advanced. That warning seems a bit silly, but once you see that the Milkshake Academy functions like a military, you know what you’re getting into with the episode. It’s an exaggeration of milkshake-making, treating the procedure like something an army guy would have to learn. SpongeBob’s teacher is soon introduced, falling from the sky and breaking his fall with whipped cream- Captain Frostymug. I started to get Inmates of Summer vibes, due to the intense setting and the dynamic for the episode being established (soft, naïve SpongeBob VS strong, serious authority figure), but this episode manages to be its own thing.
When it comes time for SpongeBob and his cadets to learn how to make a milkshake, he fails spectacularly, messing with the machine and unable to use it properly. One of the cadets tells him how to use it properly, but he still succeeds in making a thick, unsatisfying shake. You can see that, although he’s trying, it’s hard for him to make a milkshake, especially with all this new-fangled equipment. It’s not like The Inmates of Summer where he was blissfully unaware of the reasons he was so annoying. Frostymug even tries to teach him a lesson by putting him in a shake simulator, and it’s implied very few of his students have survived it. Needless to say, SpongeBob survives it, but comes out thick. Something’s very wrong with him and how he shakes.
After a cool montage, which I guess is in the style of Top Gun, of SpongeBob doing “cool” things in the name of milkshakes, such as driving to a sunset on a motorcycle and playing volleyball, the rest of the students graduate. He doesn’t get a milkshake license because he didn’t even put ice cream in his shakes, which is an epic fail on his part. This is where a strange backstory’s thrown into the mix. When Captain Frostymug tries to show SpongeBob how it’s done, he flashes back to 20 years prior where he had a disaster with a milkshake machine. He was so messy at the helm that some of the shake splattered onto the wire and gave him a fear of mixers. It’s wierd, but I like how this no-nonsense guy’s given such a backstory, it makes him fit more into SpongeBob’s world.
SpongeBob helps him out and prevents him from being completely sucked into the machine. That’s a rather large step to take, going from just having a bad experience to getting sucked into a milkshake machine, but it’s supposed to be funny. After all that’s said and done, Frostymug lectures him on how you don’t need to make milkshakes with a machine, as they come from within. You know what that means, SpongeBob starts making his milkshakes internally (as in he puts the ingredients inside his body and shakes them) and gets a renewal for his milkshake license. I’m not that grossed out by it, despite the peeing imagery used, because he’s already made food internally, dating back to Plankton!. As a whole, this story loves it some exaggeration, and that makes it stick out to me compared to the rest of Season 9a, where it seems as though the core elements of the show have been getting more stale.
There were plenty of jokes in this episode, and a surprising amount of visual gags. As for wordplay and other kinds of comedic nonsense, stuff such as SpongeBob calling an ice cream scoop an “ice cream spatula” drives home how little he understands about milkshake-making. It even foreshadows how he forgets to put ice cream in his milkshakes. I also found myself laughing a lot at the montage, seeing just what milkshakes can be used for, and how SpongeBob can further screw things up, even though montages like this are usually designed to show progress. That’s the thing with comedy, you can bend the rules to subvert expectations, and it works here. I also like the brief joke of SpongeBob making a Krabby Patty in the milkshake mixer, and how it could’ve been a callback to Le Big Switch.
The animation for this episode succeeds in being its own thing. The milkshake academy has its own military charm, with the humour coming from how it’s focused on milkshakes. High tech milkshake machines and helicopters with whipped cream and cherries on top are the norm here. I also like the mild time-related references. The “Twenty Years Earlier” timecard doesn’t have a narrator, possibly because the first one for I Was a Teenage Gary, an episode that aired in the 90s, didn’t have one either. Furthermore, SpongeBob’s pre-2005 milkshake license has his classic design, while in his new one, he has bubbly cheeks and bigger pupils. I guess someone on the staff knew how much time had passed since the old days by this point. It’s got a great feel, and there are a few possible shout-outs to the olds days, what more could I ask for?
The two main characters here are handled rather well here. SpongeBob seems nice here, even cool during the montage. He’s got difficulties in the academy, but is eventually able to make a gold milkshake through his physical attributes, which is a good arc to see him go through. It helps that, personality-wise, he’s not annoying as much as he is curious. Captain Frostymug, his instructor, is also cool. He’s not that funny, especially when he tries to be, but he has a presence that makes him seem like an all-around legendary teacher, in the field of milkshakes no less. His anger towards SpongeBob’s competence is understandable, and I like how there’s an attempt towards the end to make him more sympathetic. The rest of the characters are pretty mixed. The fish (who I think is called Harold) being so rude about SpongeBob’s order wasn’t called for, and there didn’t need to be much time given to the felloww cadets, given they don’t even have much individual dialogue. You’ll forget Mr Krabs was in this episode, but he’s not bad in the scenes he appears, acting as SpongeBob’s second dad once more.
I had a pretty good time watching this episode. It had some awesome visuals and a pretty good spin on the whole academy shtick. I can’t stress how making something as simple as a milkshake the source of an academy works well for SpongeBob, and makes his struggle to fit in a lot funnier. It has a couple problems, namely it getting too wierd towards the end again, and some of the characters could’ve had their attributes toned down or been deleted from the episode, but what you get here’s worthy of Season 9b. Of course things are going to come crashing down for the next little while, but I’m happy with License to Milkshake.
Final Verdict: Good 7/10 (solid but not top notch)
The Curse of Bikini Bottom < License to Milkshake < Walking the Plankton
Question of the Day: Do you like milkshakes?
I don’t think you’d want to ram headfirst into the next review. Until then, this song played in this episode’s promo for some reason, look it up and the “moral outrage” it caused. I just wish I could find the 80s montage music.
:sbthumbs:
Depressed Luigi
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Can't wait to see your Squid Baby review. Don't forget to make it the worst episode! 
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
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That’s a good question I’ve been asking myself as I’ve gotten closer and closer to Season 11. The best answer I can give is that I review the series when I feel like it, but I’ve been catching up with each new episode for over 2 years now. What’ll stop me from doing so by the end of the year?
SpongeBronyPH
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License to Milkshake is a good episode to me.
I prefer chocolate milkshakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0QHw7iy1RgEmployeeAMillion said:
I prefer chocolate milkshakes.
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
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Squid Baby (Season 9, Episode 3b)
Original Airdate: September 3 2012
Episode 346 in standard order, Episode 338 in airing order
Plot: Squid gets brain damage and thinks he’s a baby, so SpongeBob and Patrick have to take care of him
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]181B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Coconut Cream Pie
Today marks my first venture into the infamous side of Season 9. To be fair, this was all-around an improvement over previous seasons, but some terrible episodes still came and went. The big 3 everyone mentions are this, Little Yellow Book and SpongeBob You’re Fired!, though there are more bad episodes which aren’t quite as notorious. It’s a shame this was one of my first tastes of Season 9 then, as it showed me SpongeBob couldn’t be good again long-term. I haven’t made many returns to it for many good reasons, and you’ll piece them together soon, that is if you haven’t already watched the episode and know how awful it is.
Things kick off with Squidward meditating in the bath, listening to a cassette and picturing himself in a grotto. When I was 11, this scene blew my mind animation-wise, as I’d never seen anything look so good on SpongeBob. That all had to change though when Squidward got interrupted by SpongeBob and Patrick playing outside. This time, they’ve found a box of SpongeBob’s baby toys and are now playing with them like babies. Sure some young kids could relate to this, as it’s one of the first times you feel nostalgia, but given the ambiguous ages of the characters, this makes the scene awkward and drawn-out at best. You go from a soothing grotto to Patrick teething at plastic rings rather quickly, and the remaining appeal is only going to head further downhill.
Squidward goes outside and tells them to act their age, but he ironically slips on a toy, bangs his head into SpongeBob’s mailbox and now thinks he’s a baby. This is my main problem with the story, that the regression isn’t the result of an age ray or typical blow-to-the-head amnesia, it’s this wierd hybrid that makes Squidward look like a fully-grown baby, and not even as cute as he was in Goo Goo Gas. At the hospital, the doctor tells SpongeBob and Patrick that if he were to suffer any more brain damage, this condition would be permanent, so a running joke is that this baby-minded character is constantly having his head smashed in. Having Squidward go through cartoony violence is one thing, but having a defenseless baby go through it is downright twisted.
Another serious issue that prevents the story from going to any funny or interesting places is how SpongeBob and Patrick cope with taking care of Squidward. As the episode goes on, they grow more tired and jaded from Squid’s antics. Instead of depicting the stress in a comedic way like Rock-a-Bye Bivalve did, it ends up focusing too much on why the episode isn’t fun for the characters. Not helping is that very little happens for the next big while. Patrick saves Squidward from being run over, sure, but there’s no weight to the scene, as Squidward wandered onto the road for babyish reasons. The less the episode focuses on giving you a story, jokes and character growth, the more you’re wierded out by the situation, which is bad news for a baby episode.
After 3 days of baby caring, SpongeBob brings Squidward to work at the Krusty Krab, which is where the episode really starts to get unsettling. This is a location that Squidward has had some of his most mature moments, and seeing him strapped to the register and not wanting to do his job and continue playing baby games is far too wierd for the show. Then he poops his diaper, and that’s where there’s no longer any chance of the episode improving. They make a ton of jokes about how awkward it is for SpongeBob to have to change it in a restaurant, and after some more slapstick, Squidward’s head’s covered in ice from a machine, somehow turning him back to normal. Feeling just as dumbfounded as ever, he realises he’s wearing just a filled diaper, has no idea why, and leaves. It feels like the writers just wanted to go in the worst possible direction this sort of story can go, and succeeded in doing so.
Most of the jokes here are horrible. As I said, the running gag of Squidward continuing to get his head hurt despite the doctor’s worries isn’t that funny, and makes no sense when he reverts back to normal at the end. I’m starting think “Head-Go-Boom-Boomitis” isn’t a legitimate medical term. Needless to say, the gross-out humour here is as bad as it gets. The show has made occasional fart jokes and shown gross things like in The Splinter, but this is outright scatological. Sure feces isn’t shown onsceen (I doubt it could be without controversy even if it was an adult show), but Squidward’s loaded diaper leaves nothing to the imagination. Some of the Krustomers’ jokes are good, like them literally begging to give Mr Krabs money and the reference to the good old “My leg!” gag (“My face! My face! Also my leg, but mostly my face!”), but that’s it with stuff I liked.
As for the animation, it’s another 1 in 10 opportunity of liking what I’m seeing, which only makes that lesser 90% harder to swallow. The grotto Squidward pictures himself in is beautiful, truly taking advantage of the high definition art and extra screen space. The rest of this episode is unappealing, like it wants you to feel bad and nothing else. Baby Squid with an enlarged head just looks awkward coupled with his grown-up body, and need I go on about the diaper scenes? There’s a stink line that goes around the screen in most of its shots. Again, it’s really taking advantage of that crisp HD, but I wish it didn’t.
Here’s the thing, when SpongeBob and Patrick aren’t enjoying a situation, nor doing things to improve it like in Have You Seen This Snail?, then I have no chance of being invested. Their first scenes are just them acting like babies, and the following ones are them slowly getting tired and hating parenting. Squidward seems fine at the start, reacting to SpongeBob and Patrick’s antics in a justified way, but when he “becomes” a baby, it feels like you lose a character to the plot. Again, you’ll forget Mr Krabs was in this episode, and chances are you’d want to. Besides being Cyma Zarghami a greedy jerk, why would he force Squidward to continue working in his current mental state, then kick him and SpongeBob (both of his only employees) when things go wrong? The school of fish that come into the Krusty Krab can be funny occasionally, but that’s all I can say positively about the characters.
I heard from Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli on the Nick Animation Podcast a while back that they have very little room to scrap episode ideas, maybe 4 or 5 times a season tops, and this could be one of those cases where there wasn’t much passion in the project, yet they had to power through and make it anyway. Less than annoying, the story’s boring, and whatever sense it has is as messy as a used diaper. It’s not outside boundaries for an episode with this plot to come around, after all this is one of the strangest concepts for an entire series you can come up with, but it feels like they went the easy way out by making it as annoying and gross as a real baby. All the dirt this episode gets is justified, just don’t watch it.
Final Verdict: Bad 3/10 (barely anything has merit to it)
Stuck in the Wringer < Squid Baby < The Card
Question of the Day: What’s your opinion on poop jokes?
Tomorrow’s review is another one you won’t want to chicken out on reading. Until then, just think about a simpler time.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: September 3 2012
Episode 346 in standard order, Episode 338 in airing order
Plot: Squid gets brain damage and thinks he’s a baby, so SpongeBob and Patrick have to take care of him
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]181B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Coconut Cream Pie
Today marks my first venture into the infamous side of Season 9. To be fair, this was all-around an improvement over previous seasons, but some terrible episodes still came and went. The big 3 everyone mentions are this, Little Yellow Book and SpongeBob You’re Fired!, though there are more bad episodes which aren’t quite as notorious. It’s a shame this was one of my first tastes of Season 9 then, as it showed me SpongeBob couldn’t be good again long-term. I haven’t made many returns to it for many good reasons, and you’ll piece them together soon, that is if you haven’t already watched the episode and know how awful it is.
Things kick off with Squidward meditating in the bath, listening to a cassette and picturing himself in a grotto. When I was 11, this scene blew my mind animation-wise, as I’d never seen anything look so good on SpongeBob. That all had to change though when Squidward got interrupted by SpongeBob and Patrick playing outside. This time, they’ve found a box of SpongeBob’s baby toys and are now playing with them like babies. Sure some young kids could relate to this, as it’s one of the first times you feel nostalgia, but given the ambiguous ages of the characters, this makes the scene awkward and drawn-out at best. You go from a soothing grotto to Patrick teething at plastic rings rather quickly, and the remaining appeal is only going to head further downhill.
Squidward goes outside and tells them to act their age, but he ironically slips on a toy, bangs his head into SpongeBob’s mailbox and now thinks he’s a baby. This is my main problem with the story, that the regression isn’t the result of an age ray or typical blow-to-the-head amnesia, it’s this wierd hybrid that makes Squidward look like a fully-grown baby, and not even as cute as he was in Goo Goo Gas. At the hospital, the doctor tells SpongeBob and Patrick that if he were to suffer any more brain damage, this condition would be permanent, so a running joke is that this baby-minded character is constantly having his head smashed in. Having Squidward go through cartoony violence is one thing, but having a defenseless baby go through it is downright twisted.
Another serious issue that prevents the story from going to any funny or interesting places is how SpongeBob and Patrick cope with taking care of Squidward. As the episode goes on, they grow more tired and jaded from Squid’s antics. Instead of depicting the stress in a comedic way like Rock-a-Bye Bivalve did, it ends up focusing too much on why the episode isn’t fun for the characters. Not helping is that very little happens for the next big while. Patrick saves Squidward from being run over, sure, but there’s no weight to the scene, as Squidward wandered onto the road for babyish reasons. The less the episode focuses on giving you a story, jokes and character growth, the more you’re wierded out by the situation, which is bad news for a baby episode.
After 3 days of baby caring, SpongeBob brings Squidward to work at the Krusty Krab, which is where the episode really starts to get unsettling. This is a location that Squidward has had some of his most mature moments, and seeing him strapped to the register and not wanting to do his job and continue playing baby games is far too wierd for the show. Then he poops his diaper, and that’s where there’s no longer any chance of the episode improving. They make a ton of jokes about how awkward it is for SpongeBob to have to change it in a restaurant, and after some more slapstick, Squidward’s head’s covered in ice from a machine, somehow turning him back to normal. Feeling just as dumbfounded as ever, he realises he’s wearing just a filled diaper, has no idea why, and leaves. It feels like the writers just wanted to go in the worst possible direction this sort of story can go, and succeeded in doing so.
Most of the jokes here are horrible. As I said, the running gag of Squidward continuing to get his head hurt despite the doctor’s worries isn’t that funny, and makes no sense when he reverts back to normal at the end. I’m starting think “Head-Go-Boom-Boomitis” isn’t a legitimate medical term. Needless to say, the gross-out humour here is as bad as it gets. The show has made occasional fart jokes and shown gross things like in The Splinter, but this is outright scatological. Sure feces isn’t shown onsceen (I doubt it could be without controversy even if it was an adult show), but Squidward’s loaded diaper leaves nothing to the imagination. Some of the Krustomers’ jokes are good, like them literally begging to give Mr Krabs money and the reference to the good old “My leg!” gag (“My face! My face! Also my leg, but mostly my face!”), but that’s it with stuff I liked.
As for the animation, it’s another 1 in 10 opportunity of liking what I’m seeing, which only makes that lesser 90% harder to swallow. The grotto Squidward pictures himself in is beautiful, truly taking advantage of the high definition art and extra screen space. The rest of this episode is unappealing, like it wants you to feel bad and nothing else. Baby Squid with an enlarged head just looks awkward coupled with his grown-up body, and need I go on about the diaper scenes? There’s a stink line that goes around the screen in most of its shots. Again, it’s really taking advantage of that crisp HD, but I wish it didn’t.
Here’s the thing, when SpongeBob and Patrick aren’t enjoying a situation, nor doing things to improve it like in Have You Seen This Snail?, then I have no chance of being invested. Their first scenes are just them acting like babies, and the following ones are them slowly getting tired and hating parenting. Squidward seems fine at the start, reacting to SpongeBob and Patrick’s antics in a justified way, but when he “becomes” a baby, it feels like you lose a character to the plot. Again, you’ll forget Mr Krabs was in this episode, and chances are you’d want to. Besides being Cyma Zarghami a greedy jerk, why would he force Squidward to continue working in his current mental state, then kick him and SpongeBob (both of his only employees) when things go wrong? The school of fish that come into the Krusty Krab can be funny occasionally, but that’s all I can say positively about the characters.
I heard from Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli on the Nick Animation Podcast a while back that they have very little room to scrap episode ideas, maybe 4 or 5 times a season tops, and this could be one of those cases where there wasn’t much passion in the project, yet they had to power through and make it anyway. Less than annoying, the story’s boring, and whatever sense it has is as messy as a used diaper. It’s not outside boundaries for an episode with this plot to come around, after all this is one of the strangest concepts for an entire series you can come up with, but it feels like they went the easy way out by making it as annoying and gross as a real baby. All the dirt this episode gets is justified, just don’t watch it.
Final Verdict: Bad 3/10 (barely anything has merit to it)
Stuck in the Wringer < Squid Baby < The Card
Question of the Day: What’s your opinion on poop jokes?
Tomorrow’s review is another one you won’t want to chicken out on reading. Until then, just think about a simpler time.
:sbthumbs:
SpongeBronyPH
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Squid Baby is absolutely disgusting, vile, cruel and mean-spirited as hell! 
: :patboo:
Disgusting as hell. Why the hell does Nickelodeon have to use those ::dolphin noise::ty gags?!
: :patboo:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF6Vn2L6f7AEmployeeAMillion said:
Disgusting as hell. Why the hell does Nickelodeon have to use those ::dolphin noise::ty gags?!
Pugs4Thugs
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Disgusting and not funny. Nick needs to stop using them immediately.EmployeeAMillion said:
EmployeeAMillion
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Little Yellow Book (Season 9, Episode 4a)
Original Airdate: March 2 2013*
Episode 347 in standard order, Episode 351 in airing order
*copyrighted 2012
Plot: Squidward embarrasses SpongeBob by reading his diary publicly
Written by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli and Derek Iversen
[titlecard]182A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Coconut Cream Pie
I’m getting a widely hated episode twice in a row. Oh joy, this feels like Season 7 again. Seriously though, episodes highlight that Squidward isn’t the one character that remained likeable throughout the Post-Movie seasons. Despite being an angsty shut-in, his main trait was that he had a mature side, perhaps being the most level-headed character in the series. This takes that aspect away from, and somehow it’s the only major case pushed against him. I’ve always wondered why, as there have been episodes like Good Neighbours and Sponge-Cano! where, in my opinion, he was the main reason the episodes were brought down, but today’s episode is the one that’s singled out. Is there any reason, or was it just the most recent and obvious case when first unearthed?
It’s another slow day at the Krusty Krab, so Squidward decides to take a nap on the job, getting out a beach poster to complete that rest vibe. It’s immediately interrupted by a large line of customers, so he gets back to work. This scene didn’t need to be in the episode. It’s not that funny and pads out the episode before it even starts. It could’ve just opened with Squidward noticing SpongeBob’s scribbling stuff down in a little blue book. It wouldn’t take a genius to come to the conclusion it’s his diary, given how he’s writing down in it and he’s trying to keep it away from Squidward, but Squidward still needs a while to put two and two together.
After discovering it’s a diary, Squidward’s curiosity piques and he tries to keep SpongeBob distracted so he can peak at it. The only thing getting in his way is the lock on it, which he’s able to bypass with a hairpin from Mr Krabs, in an amusing visual gag that’s too good for the rest of the episode. Squidward first reads about a day in which he scolds SpongeBob because Gary chewed a lot of his stuff, though he’s blissfully naïve about how angry Squidward is. Since they both saw the event differently, Squidward laughs away at SpongeBob’s perspective. Of course him reading the diary’s already pretty scummy, but he should’ve known that SpongeBob would write like SpongeBob. This is notably the only event he reads about, the rest is just a random assortment of facts, which makes the diary function more as an encyclopedia of how to embarrass SpongeBob than an actual log of his life.
Squidward’s new entertainment’s quickly found out by a big, tough customer, who joins in on reading about the wacky life of SpongeBob, which okay, would be fine if it were just a secretive fascination they shared. Unfortunately, the rest of the customers get in on the jokes and start pranking SpongeBob, seeing if he really acts like a chicken when he sees plaid, or dances to the Bikini Bottom Anthem in his tighty whities. Even Patrick starts to tease SpongeBob, which really crosses the line and confirms the general dynamic of the episode- SpongeBob being humiliated. It’s not even done in a satisfying way like in Fools in April or Grandma’s Kisses (which aren’t squeaky clean episodes themselves, but they’re classics compared to this), it’s just depicted through this crowd of people laughing at SpongeBob’s wierdest secrets.
SpongeBob eventually finds out that Squidward’s been reading his diary and runs out of the Krusty Krab crying, and the whole town turns on Squidward. He doesn’t mind for a while though, feeling no remorse for ruining his sensitive neighbour’s day. He seems outright happy with what he’s done until his house is repurposed and he’s chained to a pillory by the police (which has been illegal for nearly 200 years now), at which point SpongeBob comes up to him and thanks him for revealing it, as he’s turned it into a best-selling book. He brings up how he’s glad that Squidward didn’t peak at his “super-secret” diary, but he does anyway while he has his back turned, making SpongeBob cry again and getting tomatoes thrown at him, but feeling victorious in his actions, calling them “worth it” just to see SpongeBob cry. It feels like Squidward doesn’t want to learn a lesson again, and would rather get meaner to his friends than live a happy life. It’s one of the show’s worst stories because of that.
Despite that, there are a couple good jokes. I like some of the stuff at the beginning, like Mr Krabs being revealed to have a hairpin tying down a big, grey jewfro, and his random liking of kilts. In fact, Mr Krabs has to be the best character here due to how little bad he does, which is something I never thought I’d say again. The rest of the jokes ar just wierd and don’t compliment the story well. Sure SpongeBob clucking like a chicken was a meme last year, but it’s a weak excuse for random access humour. Then there are jokes you just shouldn’t think too hard about, like a female cop saying, “I had a diary once! My brother read it! I had a brother once!”, which stinks because I know there was thought placed into them.
This is the second episode in a row to feature a full diaper, when Patrick fishes it out of the dumpster. Continuity I guess? There’s not much else to critique about the animation. Despite being too wierd for my tastes, SpongeBob’s psychological tics come with some decent visual gags. That’s a positive, and the only major negative is that the eponymous “little yellow book” isn’t even yellow. It doesn’t need to look spongy of anything, but the best they could do is link it more with SpongeBob. One thing’s for certain, SpongeBob could be a brony here, judging by the purple unicorn sticker on his “super-secret” diary.
Many people will say that every character here acts despicable, and although I don’t agree with them, they have a point. SpongeBob’s not very bright for not keeping an eye on his diaries, but he doesn’t do anything wrong otherwise. He’s just mercilessly bullied by Squidward, who’s horrible here because there’s no attempt to make him sympathetic. Has his hatred for SpongeBob reached such a low point that he’ll do anything to make him cry? If you look at him as a character who exists just within this episode, it’s rather selfish of him, but if you consider this the same character from stuff likee Boating Buddies and Choir Boys, it shines a whole new light on the STP format- he puts up with it just in case SpongeBob turns out miserable.
The Bikini Bottomites are also ripe targets, but that comes down to the major problems with them from day one, the reuse of models and their hivemind. Sure they didn’t read the diary per se, but they were hypocrites for their primitive treatment of Squidward when he finally gets called out. I suppose this problem could’ve been solved if everyone who enjoyed the diary were big, tough guys like the first one, and the rest who hated on Squidward were just regular background fish. Then you get to Patrick, who exaggerates the problems of the Bottomites by both being harsher and a main character. He seems like a downright jackalleck, and not just naïve and forgetful, with how he teases SpongeBob, being the first to break some of the ice, and then has the audacity to throw tomatoes at Squidward for it. Sure he didn’t read, the diary, but he had a part in humiliating SpongeBob. The only truly likeable character here is Mr Krabs, but even then he’s only around for a few gags.
The diary episode is already a tired trope that SpongeBob shouldn’t reach into the bag of tricks for, but not only does this neglect sensical writing (even private writing) for cheap laughs, but the lesson’s flipped upside down due to Squidward’s refusal to learn anything. Sure him not caring about punishment is subversive, but it ruins whatever meaning Little Yellow Book was meant to have. There are a few creative ideas, like comparing SpongeBob’s life from his and Squidward’s perspective, but they’re never explored far enough. Of course this isn’t even getting into the absolute worst ingredient this episode, or any other episode, could possibly do. The secret ingredient is-
Final Verdict: Bad 3/10 (barely anything has merit to it)
Slide Whistle Stooges < Little Yellow Book < Gramma’s Secret Recipe
Question of the Day: Have you ever owned a diary?
Focus on the next review. There is nothing but the next review. Until then, I was going to show you a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan animation, but they’re all terrible. Sorry, it’s for your own good.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: March 2 2013*
Episode 347 in standard order, Episode 351 in airing order
*copyrighted 2012
Plot: Squidward embarrasses SpongeBob by reading his diary publicly
Written by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli and Derek Iversen
[titlecard]182A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Coconut Cream Pie
I’m getting a widely hated episode twice in a row. Oh joy, this feels like Season 7 again. Seriously though, episodes highlight that Squidward isn’t the one character that remained likeable throughout the Post-Movie seasons. Despite being an angsty shut-in, his main trait was that he had a mature side, perhaps being the most level-headed character in the series. This takes that aspect away from, and somehow it’s the only major case pushed against him. I’ve always wondered why, as there have been episodes like Good Neighbours and Sponge-Cano! where, in my opinion, he was the main reason the episodes were brought down, but today’s episode is the one that’s singled out. Is there any reason, or was it just the most recent and obvious case when first unearthed?
It’s another slow day at the Krusty Krab, so Squidward decides to take a nap on the job, getting out a beach poster to complete that rest vibe. It’s immediately interrupted by a large line of customers, so he gets back to work. This scene didn’t need to be in the episode. It’s not that funny and pads out the episode before it even starts. It could’ve just opened with Squidward noticing SpongeBob’s scribbling stuff down in a little blue book. It wouldn’t take a genius to come to the conclusion it’s his diary, given how he’s writing down in it and he’s trying to keep it away from Squidward, but Squidward still needs a while to put two and two together.
After discovering it’s a diary, Squidward’s curiosity piques and he tries to keep SpongeBob distracted so he can peak at it. The only thing getting in his way is the lock on it, which he’s able to bypass with a hairpin from Mr Krabs, in an amusing visual gag that’s too good for the rest of the episode. Squidward first reads about a day in which he scolds SpongeBob because Gary chewed a lot of his stuff, though he’s blissfully naïve about how angry Squidward is. Since they both saw the event differently, Squidward laughs away at SpongeBob’s perspective. Of course him reading the diary’s already pretty scummy, but he should’ve known that SpongeBob would write like SpongeBob. This is notably the only event he reads about, the rest is just a random assortment of facts, which makes the diary function more as an encyclopedia of how to embarrass SpongeBob than an actual log of his life.
Squidward’s new entertainment’s quickly found out by a big, tough customer, who joins in on reading about the wacky life of SpongeBob, which okay, would be fine if it were just a secretive fascination they shared. Unfortunately, the rest of the customers get in on the jokes and start pranking SpongeBob, seeing if he really acts like a chicken when he sees plaid, or dances to the Bikini Bottom Anthem in his tighty whities. Even Patrick starts to tease SpongeBob, which really crosses the line and confirms the general dynamic of the episode- SpongeBob being humiliated. It’s not even done in a satisfying way like in Fools in April or Grandma’s Kisses (which aren’t squeaky clean episodes themselves, but they’re classics compared to this), it’s just depicted through this crowd of people laughing at SpongeBob’s wierdest secrets.
SpongeBob eventually finds out that Squidward’s been reading his diary and runs out of the Krusty Krab crying, and the whole town turns on Squidward. He doesn’t mind for a while though, feeling no remorse for ruining his sensitive neighbour’s day. He seems outright happy with what he’s done until his house is repurposed and he’s chained to a pillory by the police (which has been illegal for nearly 200 years now), at which point SpongeBob comes up to him and thanks him for revealing it, as he’s turned it into a best-selling book. He brings up how he’s glad that Squidward didn’t peak at his “super-secret” diary, but he does anyway while he has his back turned, making SpongeBob cry again and getting tomatoes thrown at him, but feeling victorious in his actions, calling them “worth it” just to see SpongeBob cry. It feels like Squidward doesn’t want to learn a lesson again, and would rather get meaner to his friends than live a happy life. It’s one of the show’s worst stories because of that.
Despite that, there are a couple good jokes. I like some of the stuff at the beginning, like Mr Krabs being revealed to have a hairpin tying down a big, grey jewfro, and his random liking of kilts. In fact, Mr Krabs has to be the best character here due to how little bad he does, which is something I never thought I’d say again. The rest of the jokes ar just wierd and don’t compliment the story well. Sure SpongeBob clucking like a chicken was a meme last year, but it’s a weak excuse for random access humour. Then there are jokes you just shouldn’t think too hard about, like a female cop saying, “I had a diary once! My brother read it! I had a brother once!”, which stinks because I know there was thought placed into them.
This is the second episode in a row to feature a full diaper, when Patrick fishes it out of the dumpster. Continuity I guess? There’s not much else to critique about the animation. Despite being too wierd for my tastes, SpongeBob’s psychological tics come with some decent visual gags. That’s a positive, and the only major negative is that the eponymous “little yellow book” isn’t even yellow. It doesn’t need to look spongy of anything, but the best they could do is link it more with SpongeBob. One thing’s for certain, SpongeBob could be a brony here, judging by the purple unicorn sticker on his “super-secret” diary.
Many people will say that every character here acts despicable, and although I don’t agree with them, they have a point. SpongeBob’s not very bright for not keeping an eye on his diaries, but he doesn’t do anything wrong otherwise. He’s just mercilessly bullied by Squidward, who’s horrible here because there’s no attempt to make him sympathetic. Has his hatred for SpongeBob reached such a low point that he’ll do anything to make him cry? If you look at him as a character who exists just within this episode, it’s rather selfish of him, but if you consider this the same character from stuff likee Boating Buddies and Choir Boys, it shines a whole new light on the STP format- he puts up with it just in case SpongeBob turns out miserable.
The Bikini Bottomites are also ripe targets, but that comes down to the major problems with them from day one, the reuse of models and their hivemind. Sure they didn’t read the diary per se, but they were hypocrites for their primitive treatment of Squidward when he finally gets called out. I suppose this problem could’ve been solved if everyone who enjoyed the diary were big, tough guys like the first one, and the rest who hated on Squidward were just regular background fish. Then you get to Patrick, who exaggerates the problems of the Bottomites by both being harsher and a main character. He seems like a downright jackalleck, and not just naïve and forgetful, with how he teases SpongeBob, being the first to break some of the ice, and then has the audacity to throw tomatoes at Squidward for it. Sure he didn’t read, the diary, but he had a part in humiliating SpongeBob. The only truly likeable character here is Mr Krabs, but even then he’s only around for a few gags.
The diary episode is already a tired trope that SpongeBob shouldn’t reach into the bag of tricks for, but not only does this neglect sensical writing (even private writing) for cheap laughs, but the lesson’s flipped upside down due to Squidward’s refusal to learn anything. Sure him not caring about punishment is subversive, but it ruins whatever meaning Little Yellow Book was meant to have. There are a few creative ideas, like comparing SpongeBob’s life from his and Squidward’s perspective, but they’re never explored far enough. Of course this isn’t even getting into the absolute worst ingredient this episode, or any other episode, could possibly do. The secret ingredient is-
Final Verdict: Bad 3/10 (barely anything has merit to it)
Slide Whistle Stooges < Little Yellow Book < Gramma’s Secret Recipe
Question of the Day: Have you ever owned a diary?
Focus on the next review. There is nothing but the next review. Until then, I was going to show you a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan animation, but they’re all terrible. Sorry, it’s for your own good.
:sbthumbs:
SpongeBronyPH
Giant Clam
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Little Yellow Book is absolutely the worst episode of S9a, especially Squidward's attitude in that.
Nope. I never wanted to have my own diary. I prefer to keep my secrets inside my mind. But I do love Diary of a Wimpy Kid.EmployeeAMillion said:
Depressed Luigi
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Little Yellow Book is 10 times better than Squid Baby
QOTD: Nope.
Also, Squid Baby QOTD: 99% of the time, they are completetly awful and many times even disgusting.
QOTD: Nope.
Also, Squid Baby QOTD: 99% of the time, they are completetly awful and many times even disgusting.
TheGreatServer
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QOTD: No.
Pugs4Thugs
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I've tried keeping a diary at least 5 times, it never stays.EmployeeAMillion said:
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
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Bumper to Bumper (Season 9, Episode 4b)
Original Airdate: November 17 2012
Episode 348 in standard order, Episode 347 in airing order
Plot: Mrs Puff takes emotional precautions to SpongeBob’s boating exam
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]182B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Horlepiep
At this point, continuing the Boating School episode format is so unrealistic, I wonder why they even try. It was fine for the first couple seasons as you explored Mrs Puff’s feelings towards SpongeBob, then it adopted more of a general elementary school feel. Nine seasons in, seeing SpongeBob continue to hit this brick wall in his life, and Mrs Puff get angrier at him each step of the way, has made it my least favourite story in the show. You just can’t go 20 years without a basic achievement being met, no matter how loose continuity is. This is the episode that gets the closest to making SpongeBob a good driver though, but let’s see how horrible the status quo snap-back is.
The story opens at Boating School, where a lucky student has just passed the exam, boosting Mrs Puff’s confidence. That is of course until SpongeBob gets behind the wheel and destroys the entire school and some two guys’ home. They’re watching this Monkey Cop movie and react to it like Beavis and Butthead, just giving off mindless chortles. They don’t matter though, as the point of the scene is for Mrs Puff to scold SpongeBob again for being unteachable, and to get out of her sight. It’s such a cynical, mean way to start the episode, but this sort of “never gonna happen” speech can work if this is finally the day SpongeBob passes and he doesn’t need to put up with that trauma for very long. Needless to say, it doesn’t, because then why would Tutor Sauce and Burst Your Bubble exist?
When Mrs Puff gets home, she pieces together that SpongeBob fails because of fear and distractions, and decides to take him to a more remote course to do his boating test. That’s the one thing I appreciate this episode doing, giving us more depth into SpongeBob’s wreckless driving. Over the course of the series, his original fear of being behind the wheel has given way to being an overly zany driver for laughs, and I like how this takes a step back. It may not be as fun watch as other episodes, but this is the reason it exists. Mrs Puff goes to SpongeBob’s house and tries to start on a new leaf with him, but he’s still scared, as if he’s an abused pet. She’s quickly able to win back his trust though, but making him feel good about driving takes a lot longer.
Mrs Puff drives SpongeBob to a gloomy desert with a mildly creepy vibe, thinking he wont’ have any trouble driving without distractions, except for the creepy vibe. She tells him a mantra, “focus on the road, there is nothing but the road”, and he takes it to heart when he starts driving. It burns into his head rather quickly and he goes into a state. Judging by the dream sequence that follows, my guess is that he’s hallucinating an overly surreal road and isn’t actually payong attention to his surroundings. If that’s what the episode was going for, his narrowing mind being both his rise and downfall on the road, that’d be interesting, but it’s neglected for more cartoony madness.
SpongeBob drives so far down the road (away from Bikini Bottom I’d presume) that it ends. He freaks out and ends up back in Bikini Bottom, and on a busy superhighway. From then on, I can’t do the rest of the scene justice, it’s just the boat getting the attention of the police and it doing wacky things. Eventually, despite putting traffic in danger, Mrs Puff passes SpongeBob. We’ve had instances where he was one point off or even got his license, but he’s never put the effort into getting it. However, the test is null and void, because Mrs Puff was outside of her city parole in the spooky desert. This is the reason SpongeBob doesn’t pass his test, but mentally shutting off isn’t. It’s not as poorly written of an ending as Nautical Novice’s, as at least Mrs Puff’s parole was foreshadowed earlier in the episode, but it’s still frustrating seeing all the odds stacked against SpongeBob getting his boating license, all for the sake of a running gag that’s gone on 10 years too long at this point.
The comedy’s another mixed bag. There are good jokes, bad jokes, and ones that just make no sense. The good jokes include some callbacks to earlier episodes, like the photo of Mrs Puff on her sofa predicting her being on her sofa, just like a similar joke in No Free Rides. Also, SpongeBob driving a boat out of control across a field of rocks like in Pizza Delivery. I don’t know if these are overt references, or them trying to recapture of the magic of the old jokes, but it seems like they’re going back to the bag of tricks when they do it twice. There are also some bad or “2 wierd 4 me” jokes, like the slackers who laugh at Mrs Puff yelling at SpongeBob. I don’t know if they’re shout-outs to Beavis and Butthead, as that’s never been a show on my “to-watch list”, but it doesn’t stand well as a joke in its own right. Then when you see the whole episode as a joke, one that just laughs in the face of whatever development SpongeBob and Mrs Puff achieve, then it doesn’t work when you watch every episode in chronological order.
The big thing the animators was going for was erasing SpongeBob’s fears of boating. The desert he and Mrs Puff travel to has a spooky atmosphere, with dimmer colours and seemingly melting floral patterns in the sky. As for SpongeBob’s boating dream, I don’t know specifically what it’s going for. Is it supposed to be creepy? Happy? The hypnotic spiral in SpongeBob’s eyes seems to imply it’s no good, but this is the closest he’s ever gotten to succeeding in his boating abilities. His close-minded mantra couldn’t help him in the longrun, so it seems to just be wierd visuals for the sake of it. They aren’t bad visuals, they’re creative in just how many shapes a road can be bent into, but the meaning behind them isn’t clear enough.
Characterization here varies, and it isn’t that pretty. SpongeBob, for the first time in years, has relatable troubles behind the wheel. He’s got ambitions and fears here, many of which come from Mrs Puff, and they set him up to learn something. Unfortunately, his major development occurs in a hypnotised trance, so it’s hard to believe he’ll learn anything from these events long-term. Mrs Puff feels bipolar here, ranging from completely enraged with SpongeBob and his antics, most upsettingly at the beginning and end of the episode, and being a happy, supportive teacher. It makes me feel a bit uneasy watching her, but I like when she has a gleam of hope in her eye and wants SpongeBob to succeed again, now in a better frame of mind. I have mixed feelings about the characters here, but at least when they’re written well, their dynamic’s better than it’s been in a long time.
Despite its good moments and more layered characters, the core plot’s everything I’ve gotten tired of in Boating School episodes. It’s the same rise and fall as in the original Boating School, though with a cheaper ending and less jokes. There are some episodes that also followed this formula, but Bumper to Bumper becomes so by-the-numbers that it’s hard to call it good. Sure these complaints generally come from me being a longtime fan who wants the show to try new things, but I also look at these episodes from a newbie’s perspective. This still feels like an event that’s gone on for years due to how angry Mrs Puff gets at the start, so even someone who has no idea about these sorts of stories will be upset with the formula. Heck, they’ll be even more upset than fans because they haven’t seen good examples of it.
Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Inspongeiac < Bumper to Bumper < Bubble Buddy Returns
Question of the Day: Are there any mantras that get you through an activity?
Tomorrow’s episode could’ve been a lot cooler. Before that though, it’s time to rumble.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: November 17 2012
Episode 348 in standard order, Episode 347 in airing order
Plot: Mrs Puff takes emotional precautions to SpongeBob’s boating exam
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]182B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Horlepiep
At this point, continuing the Boating School episode format is so unrealistic, I wonder why they even try. It was fine for the first couple seasons as you explored Mrs Puff’s feelings towards SpongeBob, then it adopted more of a general elementary school feel. Nine seasons in, seeing SpongeBob continue to hit this brick wall in his life, and Mrs Puff get angrier at him each step of the way, has made it my least favourite story in the show. You just can’t go 20 years without a basic achievement being met, no matter how loose continuity is. This is the episode that gets the closest to making SpongeBob a good driver though, but let’s see how horrible the status quo snap-back is.
The story opens at Boating School, where a lucky student has just passed the exam, boosting Mrs Puff’s confidence. That is of course until SpongeBob gets behind the wheel and destroys the entire school and some two guys’ home. They’re watching this Monkey Cop movie and react to it like Beavis and Butthead, just giving off mindless chortles. They don’t matter though, as the point of the scene is for Mrs Puff to scold SpongeBob again for being unteachable, and to get out of her sight. It’s such a cynical, mean way to start the episode, but this sort of “never gonna happen” speech can work if this is finally the day SpongeBob passes and he doesn’t need to put up with that trauma for very long. Needless to say, it doesn’t, because then why would Tutor Sauce and Burst Your Bubble exist?
When Mrs Puff gets home, she pieces together that SpongeBob fails because of fear and distractions, and decides to take him to a more remote course to do his boating test. That’s the one thing I appreciate this episode doing, giving us more depth into SpongeBob’s wreckless driving. Over the course of the series, his original fear of being behind the wheel has given way to being an overly zany driver for laughs, and I like how this takes a step back. It may not be as fun watch as other episodes, but this is the reason it exists. Mrs Puff goes to SpongeBob’s house and tries to start on a new leaf with him, but he’s still scared, as if he’s an abused pet. She’s quickly able to win back his trust though, but making him feel good about driving takes a lot longer.
Mrs Puff drives SpongeBob to a gloomy desert with a mildly creepy vibe, thinking he wont’ have any trouble driving without distractions, except for the creepy vibe. She tells him a mantra, “focus on the road, there is nothing but the road”, and he takes it to heart when he starts driving. It burns into his head rather quickly and he goes into a state. Judging by the dream sequence that follows, my guess is that he’s hallucinating an overly surreal road and isn’t actually payong attention to his surroundings. If that’s what the episode was going for, his narrowing mind being both his rise and downfall on the road, that’d be interesting, but it’s neglected for more cartoony madness.
SpongeBob drives so far down the road (away from Bikini Bottom I’d presume) that it ends. He freaks out and ends up back in Bikini Bottom, and on a busy superhighway. From then on, I can’t do the rest of the scene justice, it’s just the boat getting the attention of the police and it doing wacky things. Eventually, despite putting traffic in danger, Mrs Puff passes SpongeBob. We’ve had instances where he was one point off or even got his license, but he’s never put the effort into getting it. However, the test is null and void, because Mrs Puff was outside of her city parole in the spooky desert. This is the reason SpongeBob doesn’t pass his test, but mentally shutting off isn’t. It’s not as poorly written of an ending as Nautical Novice’s, as at least Mrs Puff’s parole was foreshadowed earlier in the episode, but it’s still frustrating seeing all the odds stacked against SpongeBob getting his boating license, all for the sake of a running gag that’s gone on 10 years too long at this point.
The comedy’s another mixed bag. There are good jokes, bad jokes, and ones that just make no sense. The good jokes include some callbacks to earlier episodes, like the photo of Mrs Puff on her sofa predicting her being on her sofa, just like a similar joke in No Free Rides. Also, SpongeBob driving a boat out of control across a field of rocks like in Pizza Delivery. I don’t know if these are overt references, or them trying to recapture of the magic of the old jokes, but it seems like they’re going back to the bag of tricks when they do it twice. There are also some bad or “2 wierd 4 me” jokes, like the slackers who laugh at Mrs Puff yelling at SpongeBob. I don’t know if they’re shout-outs to Beavis and Butthead, as that’s never been a show on my “to-watch list”, but it doesn’t stand well as a joke in its own right. Then when you see the whole episode as a joke, one that just laughs in the face of whatever development SpongeBob and Mrs Puff achieve, then it doesn’t work when you watch every episode in chronological order.
The big thing the animators was going for was erasing SpongeBob’s fears of boating. The desert he and Mrs Puff travel to has a spooky atmosphere, with dimmer colours and seemingly melting floral patterns in the sky. As for SpongeBob’s boating dream, I don’t know specifically what it’s going for. Is it supposed to be creepy? Happy? The hypnotic spiral in SpongeBob’s eyes seems to imply it’s no good, but this is the closest he’s ever gotten to succeeding in his boating abilities. His close-minded mantra couldn’t help him in the longrun, so it seems to just be wierd visuals for the sake of it. They aren’t bad visuals, they’re creative in just how many shapes a road can be bent into, but the meaning behind them isn’t clear enough.
Characterization here varies, and it isn’t that pretty. SpongeBob, for the first time in years, has relatable troubles behind the wheel. He’s got ambitions and fears here, many of which come from Mrs Puff, and they set him up to learn something. Unfortunately, his major development occurs in a hypnotised trance, so it’s hard to believe he’ll learn anything from these events long-term. Mrs Puff feels bipolar here, ranging from completely enraged with SpongeBob and his antics, most upsettingly at the beginning and end of the episode, and being a happy, supportive teacher. It makes me feel a bit uneasy watching her, but I like when she has a gleam of hope in her eye and wants SpongeBob to succeed again, now in a better frame of mind. I have mixed feelings about the characters here, but at least when they’re written well, their dynamic’s better than it’s been in a long time.
Despite its good moments and more layered characters, the core plot’s everything I’ve gotten tired of in Boating School episodes. It’s the same rise and fall as in the original Boating School, though with a cheaper ending and less jokes. There are some episodes that also followed this formula, but Bumper to Bumper becomes so by-the-numbers that it’s hard to call it good. Sure these complaints generally come from me being a longtime fan who wants the show to try new things, but I also look at these episodes from a newbie’s perspective. This still feels like an event that’s gone on for years due to how angry Mrs Puff gets at the start, so even someone who has no idea about these sorts of stories will be upset with the formula. Heck, they’ll be even more upset than fans because they haven’t seen good examples of it.
Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Inspongeiac < Bumper to Bumper < Bubble Buddy Returns
Question of the Day: Are there any mantras that get you through an activity?
Tomorrow’s episode could’ve been a lot cooler. Before that though, it’s time to rumble.
:sbthumbs:
SpongeBronyPH
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Bumper to Bumper is pretty good.
Nope.EmployeeAMillion said:
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
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Eek, An Urchin! (Season 9, Episode 5a)
Original Airdate: October 27 2012
Episode 349 in standard order, Episode 346 in airing order
Plot: An urchin (colony) invades the Krusty Krab, and everyone wants it out of their hair
Written by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]183A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: ? (Very creative title)
Whenever my mind floats towards Season 9a, this is the sort of episode I think about, low-effort nonsense which, while not the worst the show has to offer, gives you an idea of the leaking creativity that didn’t show any sign of stopping until Sponge Out of Water entered production. I’m not surprised they made an episode devoted to sea urchins (they has appeared before in Nature Pants and No Hat for Pat), but its method of doing so leads to some harsh parallels with A Flea in Her Dome. Granted this isn’t quite as bad as that one, but it’s still got some bugs it needs to brush off.
It’s another not-so-quick-moving work day at the Krab of Krust, and SpongeBob’s been replaced by a robot again, who puts too much ketchup on a burger and loses a can of detergent while cleaning up the mess. It rolls under the deep frier, and he reaches his hand under to get it, but pulls out a scary sea urchin instead. This is a very bland setup writing-wise, and the poor translation from storyboard to animation doesn’t improve matters. SpongeBob gets the rest of the Krusty Krew worked up about it, and they’re all absolutely terrified by the urchin, even navy boy Mr Krabs. Given that this depiction of an urchin is rather different than its real-life counterpart, which are much slower and are only a danger to inanimate creatures (like sponges, oof), this episode treats it like a spider for the most part. That being said, it’s rather pathetic that Mr Krabs is scared of it.
Without proper disposal, the urchin starts running amok through the dining area, where the customers are too ignorant to spot it. One lady even bites one of its spikes off, mistaking it for a chip. Given the nature of fast food joints and how the Krustomers will complain about the service any chance they get, it’s baffling that they don’t spot the urchin, or know of its existence until SpongeBob whispers about it in private with the rest of the staff. I get that it’s a joke about how slow-witted they are, but it comes across as pointless. The rest of the restaurant feels deserted before and after their part to play anyway, so I think this minute or so could’ve been used on more story, or reason as to why urchins are so bad in this universe.
As if the Krusty Krab couldn’t be put in any more jeoprady, Plankton tries to steal the formula again, but is stopped by a freaked out crowd of customers rushing out, then is informed by the Krusty Krew why. For some baffling reason, he decides to help out with their urchin problem and calls a truce. Why? He’s an evil genius who has a ton of gizmoes at his disposal. Surely he can mind control the urchin and use it in an attempt to steal the formula. It feels like a waste of his character, and you might as well have replaced him with Sandy. Then again, it must be easier to write for Plankton, so they took the easy way out. The malfunctioning urchin-smasher Plankton uses for Plan A of eradicating the pest seems like something Sandy would build. Remember, Plankton’s terrible at building new robots.
[titlecard]118B[/titlecard]
Their next plan involves a potted plant Squidward keeps at his post for some reason. It’s introduced far too quickly for it to be foreshadowing, like Mrs Puff’s parole from yesterday. SpongeBob and Mr Krabs get the idea to dress Plankton up in it as a female urchin to lure him out, which is rather creepy. Not just because it’s wierd seeing the urchin’s lusty side come out after minutes of building him up as a threat, but also because Plankton unintentionally lures out the rest of the urchins in the restaurant, revealing that there’s loads, all wanting to smooch him. It’s another thing that’s a bit too wierd for me. At least it isn’t as disturbing as the fleas, but these are clearly, more vicious, autonomous creatures.
Eventually Squidward touches he thermostat to slow the urchins down. It’s a neat little fun fact about them that I’m happy is in the episode, but my problem comes from why Squidward waits this long to deal with the problem. Wasn’t he just as horrified of the urchin as everyone else? Once they’re all unfrozen and fall directly into a trash can SpongeBob’s placed, he’s told by Mr Krabs to take them far away, pushing him to go further and further. It’s a very useless ending, as it all builds up to the joke of him going so far that they go into the Krusty Krab again, which gets more painful upon a rewatch. Making things even worse is that this joke’s recycled from Truth or Square, and made once of the few positives from that special seem worthless. It’s the sort of episode you only need to watch once, as there’s little value to keep you interested in it long after.
The comedy for this episode mostly relies on routines, which fall flat due to simple writing. A good example of this is when the urchin’s messing around in the dining area, and none of the patrons know it’s there, even the ones that directly interact with it. Them eventually finding out through the quietest possible hint that it’s there is to be expected, and when a joke’s predictable, it can be agrivating to revisit. Granted there are times where the jokes work here, like Plankton’s lack of enthusiasm with Plan B, but most of it feels like how you’d introduce someone to comedy, not the makings of a 13 year old comedy series.
One thing regarding the animation that’s a missed opportunity to me is how to treat the urchins. They’re given mouths later on in the episode to show when they’re happy, which I don’t like seeing. I’d much rather see them as spiky balls from beginning to end, preferably with visual gags taking advantage of their appearance. I like the freezing effects during the climax, but that’s not a major reason to come back to the episode.
There’s something off about the characters here, and I think it has to do with the poor execution of the story. It’s downright situational that SpongeBob, Squidward and Mr Krabs would all have a shared fear of urchins, given it’s not doing much harm other than messing around. Once again, Plankton’s practically no threat. I’d expect the show’s main villain to have some form of strategy with how to deal with working alongside his enemy, but there’s little reason for his truce with Mr Krabs. As for the urchin, I like the little gremlin noises it makes, as it gives it some personality. Then again, the urchin, which is treated like a pest for virtually no reason, is the most fun thing to watch. The actual characters feel bland and just go along with the plot, instead of working to change it with decisions and motives.
To sum up, I think this is another bad episode. That isn’t to say it has overwhelmingly bad elements, but there was little good coming from it. The best parts of it are some of the facts you get about urchins, but even then, they’re impaired by a generic story that forces its characters to go from point A to point B. If it were a bit stronger, I’d consider giving it an Average rating, but most episodes that fall into that middle ground do so because they leave a polarising impression. This episode just seems underwhelming in every way, and that’s why I give it a Bad rating.
Final Verdict: Bad 4/10 (not worth your time)
Grooming Gary < Eek, An Urchin! < Plankton’s Regular
Question of the Day: If you saw an urchin in real life, what would be your reaction?
Let’s just see if I’ll come to the defense of the next episode. Until then, I hardly know anything about this show, it just has a neat name.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: October 27 2012
Episode 349 in standard order, Episode 346 in airing order
Plot: An urchin (colony) invades the Krusty Krab, and everyone wants it out of their hair
Written by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]183A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: ? (Very creative title)
Whenever my mind floats towards Season 9a, this is the sort of episode I think about, low-effort nonsense which, while not the worst the show has to offer, gives you an idea of the leaking creativity that didn’t show any sign of stopping until Sponge Out of Water entered production. I’m not surprised they made an episode devoted to sea urchins (they has appeared before in Nature Pants and No Hat for Pat), but its method of doing so leads to some harsh parallels with A Flea in Her Dome. Granted this isn’t quite as bad as that one, but it’s still got some bugs it needs to brush off.
It’s another not-so-quick-moving work day at the Krab of Krust, and SpongeBob’s been replaced by a robot again, who puts too much ketchup on a burger and loses a can of detergent while cleaning up the mess. It rolls under the deep frier, and he reaches his hand under to get it, but pulls out a scary sea urchin instead. This is a very bland setup writing-wise, and the poor translation from storyboard to animation doesn’t improve matters. SpongeBob gets the rest of the Krusty Krew worked up about it, and they’re all absolutely terrified by the urchin, even navy boy Mr Krabs. Given that this depiction of an urchin is rather different than its real-life counterpart, which are much slower and are only a danger to inanimate creatures (like sponges, oof), this episode treats it like a spider for the most part. That being said, it’s rather pathetic that Mr Krabs is scared of it.
Without proper disposal, the urchin starts running amok through the dining area, where the customers are too ignorant to spot it. One lady even bites one of its spikes off, mistaking it for a chip. Given the nature of fast food joints and how the Krustomers will complain about the service any chance they get, it’s baffling that they don’t spot the urchin, or know of its existence until SpongeBob whispers about it in private with the rest of the staff. I get that it’s a joke about how slow-witted they are, but it comes across as pointless. The rest of the restaurant feels deserted before and after their part to play anyway, so I think this minute or so could’ve been used on more story, or reason as to why urchins are so bad in this universe.
As if the Krusty Krab couldn’t be put in any more jeoprady, Plankton tries to steal the formula again, but is stopped by a freaked out crowd of customers rushing out, then is informed by the Krusty Krew why. For some baffling reason, he decides to help out with their urchin problem and calls a truce. Why? He’s an evil genius who has a ton of gizmoes at his disposal. Surely he can mind control the urchin and use it in an attempt to steal the formula. It feels like a waste of his character, and you might as well have replaced him with Sandy. Then again, it must be easier to write for Plankton, so they took the easy way out. The malfunctioning urchin-smasher Plankton uses for Plan A of eradicating the pest seems like something Sandy would build. Remember, Plankton’s terrible at building new robots.
[titlecard]118B[/titlecard]
Their next plan involves a potted plant Squidward keeps at his post for some reason. It’s introduced far too quickly for it to be foreshadowing, like Mrs Puff’s parole from yesterday. SpongeBob and Mr Krabs get the idea to dress Plankton up in it as a female urchin to lure him out, which is rather creepy. Not just because it’s wierd seeing the urchin’s lusty side come out after minutes of building him up as a threat, but also because Plankton unintentionally lures out the rest of the urchins in the restaurant, revealing that there’s loads, all wanting to smooch him. It’s another thing that’s a bit too wierd for me. At least it isn’t as disturbing as the fleas, but these are clearly, more vicious, autonomous creatures.
Eventually Squidward touches he thermostat to slow the urchins down. It’s a neat little fun fact about them that I’m happy is in the episode, but my problem comes from why Squidward waits this long to deal with the problem. Wasn’t he just as horrified of the urchin as everyone else? Once they’re all unfrozen and fall directly into a trash can SpongeBob’s placed, he’s told by Mr Krabs to take them far away, pushing him to go further and further. It’s a very useless ending, as it all builds up to the joke of him going so far that they go into the Krusty Krab again, which gets more painful upon a rewatch. Making things even worse is that this joke’s recycled from Truth or Square, and made once of the few positives from that special seem worthless. It’s the sort of episode you only need to watch once, as there’s little value to keep you interested in it long after.
The comedy for this episode mostly relies on routines, which fall flat due to simple writing. A good example of this is when the urchin’s messing around in the dining area, and none of the patrons know it’s there, even the ones that directly interact with it. Them eventually finding out through the quietest possible hint that it’s there is to be expected, and when a joke’s predictable, it can be agrivating to revisit. Granted there are times where the jokes work here, like Plankton’s lack of enthusiasm with Plan B, but most of it feels like how you’d introduce someone to comedy, not the makings of a 13 year old comedy series.
One thing regarding the animation that’s a missed opportunity to me is how to treat the urchins. They’re given mouths later on in the episode to show when they’re happy, which I don’t like seeing. I’d much rather see them as spiky balls from beginning to end, preferably with visual gags taking advantage of their appearance. I like the freezing effects during the climax, but that’s not a major reason to come back to the episode.
There’s something off about the characters here, and I think it has to do with the poor execution of the story. It’s downright situational that SpongeBob, Squidward and Mr Krabs would all have a shared fear of urchins, given it’s not doing much harm other than messing around. Once again, Plankton’s practically no threat. I’d expect the show’s main villain to have some form of strategy with how to deal with working alongside his enemy, but there’s little reason for his truce with Mr Krabs. As for the urchin, I like the little gremlin noises it makes, as it gives it some personality. Then again, the urchin, which is treated like a pest for virtually no reason, is the most fun thing to watch. The actual characters feel bland and just go along with the plot, instead of working to change it with decisions and motives.
To sum up, I think this is another bad episode. That isn’t to say it has overwhelmingly bad elements, but there was little good coming from it. The best parts of it are some of the facts you get about urchins, but even then, they’re impaired by a generic story that forces its characters to go from point A to point B. If it were a bit stronger, I’d consider giving it an Average rating, but most episodes that fall into that middle ground do so because they leave a polarising impression. This episode just seems underwhelming in every way, and that’s why I give it a Bad rating.
Final Verdict: Bad 4/10 (not worth your time)
Grooming Gary < Eek, An Urchin! < Plankton’s Regular
Question of the Day: If you saw an urchin in real life, what would be your reaction?
Let’s just see if I’ll come to the defense of the next episode. Until then, I hardly know anything about this show, it just has a neat name.
:sbthumbs: