Re-Evaluating my opinions on SpongeBob Season 1-8

[SpongeBronyPH]

Unreal Estate is pretty good.

Question of the Day: Do you have any allergies?

Yes, unfortunately.

And Code Yellow is also good to me.

Question of the Day: Have you ever been a candy striper/hospital volunteer?

Nope.

Oh and by the way, Happy Birthday, Ben!

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Mimic Madness (Season 10, Episode 3a)
Original Airdate: February 25 2017*
Episode 394 in standard order, Episode 392 in airing order
*copyrighted 2016
Plot: SpongeBob starts mimicing everyone he sees, but eventually goes insane
Written by Mr Lawrence

[titlecard]207A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Marlin March

Here we have the season-defining episode this time around. Whenever Season 10’s brought up in a positive light, this is usually the episode being used as an example, there’s just no competition. This doesn’t necessarily make it my favourite (though that could be the case by the end of this), but it’s a very popular episode by modern standards, with some jokes even becoming memes (say, what ever happened to my meme list? I have to update that). It’s great that this is what people may flock back to SpongeBob for, because this is a clever, creative and immersive episode that’s got heart and love poured into it, moreso than its contemporaries. Let me try my best to explain, as the original EmployeeAMillion reviewing with lard, why this is another modern SpongeBob classic.

The episode starts right before the Krusty Krab opens, as Mr Krabs is lecturing his employees to work hard at their jobs. It’s a strange way to start the episode, but I get what it’s doing, showing off Mr Krabs’ personality before Squidward imitates him as a joke. Krabs is strict, mean and aggressive, but he’s all those things for the right reason, to strengthen his bond with his employees. It gets a personality on the screen without problem, and then the concept of imitation. Knowing who Mr Krabs is, he gets ticked off at Squidward’s imitation, until Squidward excuses himself by saying it was an homage to him, and that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This gets Krabs off his back in another pretty good demonstration of the Squidward/Mr Krabs dynamic. Throughout this however, SpongeBob just watches on, first in support of Krabs, then horror as things get tense, then wonder as he learns who to flatter through imitation. It’s a really good opening scene that gets the plot rolling quickly and efficiently.

Inspired by a quick little joke Squidward made, SpongeBob starts to mimic everyone he meets as a way of charming them. These people range from Tom, who’s still an angry parent with issues, and his best friends. In fact you get a near-complete picture of SpongeBob’s circle of friends here, with the only ones missing being Mrs Puff and Larry. He seems to imitate Mr Krabs and Squidward on a regular basis, meets up with Patrick and confuses him with how good his impression is, and even stops by a chess game between Sandy and Plankton. I’m rather happy they can bond over science and intelligence, and provide their own yin-yang dynamic to be added to the show. Of note is that through all this, SpongeBob isn’t just changing his voice to those he’s imitating, he’s morphing his face into them aswell, so it’s almost like he saves mini identities of everyone around him that can come in and out at will.

Knowing SpongeBob, something is eventually going to go wrong, and that thing is him getting repetitive. He tells us while copying the French Narrator that he’s done this over 80,000 times, and it not only takes a toll on his friends and the Krustomers, but also his psychological wellbeing. Mr Krabs perfectly predicts that he’ll contract the “Mockin’ Mimicry Madness”, but Sandy tries to stage an intervention before it’s too late. She rounds up Patrick, Squidward, Mr Krabs and even Plankton, and there are some draws to having so many characters in the same scene, notably giving it a richer flavour. I particularly enjoy when Patrick threatens Plankton and Squidward not to joke about killing SpongeBob, as it’s a funny little moment, and offers us a look at who these characters are and what they think of SpongeBob.

They all head into the pineapple, and SpongeBob decides to imitate all 5 of them at once, which proves to be a bad idea. Not only are his friends more creeped out than ever, but SpongeBob loses control of his face and voice, as they hopelessly contort and morph, clouding whatever identity SpongeBob originally had. If this feels like a rather large leap in drama, that’s because it is, but it’s the sort of crazy leap that makes the story more engaging and fun. Who is SpongeBob now? That’s the question he poses in the song, Who Am I?, which is one of the show’s bravest and boldest moments. Here’s a rather strange, off-the-wall episode, now let’s add some emotion. The lyrics are silly, but with the sombre tone of it all, you understand that it’s just SpongeBob calling out in there somewhere, while all these other voices overtake him.

After that brilliant song ends, SpongeBob’s friends find him and try to make him remember himself. Sandy figures the best way to do this is for everyone else to do impressions of SpongeBob, thus re-igniting the spongy flame inside him. What I love about this scene is that everyone truly gets SpongeBob, they all love him and want to see him return to normal, and it culminates in them all repeating his catchphrase, “I’m ready! I’m ready! I’m ready!”, which brings a lot of emotion to this fanatic old-timer. SpongeBob’s madness ends and he thanks his friends, but then a truly baffling thing happens, his friends get the Mockin’ Mimicry Madness. It’s just a silly ending for the sake of having a silly ending, and it obviously makes no sense because they’ve done far less than 80,000 impressions. Besides those last 10 seconds, this is a fantastic story that takes the show’s new direction and runs with it, but also remembers to give actions justification and purpose.

Although the animation’s clearly the episode’s selling point, it’s got a lot of great jokes aswell. Some of them reference older episodes, like the bring it around town gag from Bubblestand and Tom being an angry father like in Hocus Pocus, but they’re presented in a new, original way. The bringing it isn’t part of an elaborate technique, it’s SpongeBob cheering for Mr Krabs. As for the original jokes, they take advantage of the episode’s theme of imitation and are fuelled by character. Patrick finding SpongeBob’s imitation of him so good he thinks he’s another Patrick, SpongeBob saying he’s a freak as Plankton making the real Plankton upset, and all his friends coming together to make fun of his annoying traits are just some of the awesome jokes here.

As for the animation, bless my soul Mimic Madness is breathtaking on the artistic side of things. SpongeBob’s face morphing and all the possibilities it brings about make this episode a highlight of modern TV animation. Think about it, the actual animation in most shows has been getting more sterile and samey, so it’s impressive they could get away with this while staying in-budget. The multiple different things SpongeBob transforms into and his face when it’s just a typical lump of sludge aren’t just boundary-pushing, they can push the storytelling in new directions. One minute it’s comedy, the next it’s horror, and then it’s sadness. Also, because this is the episode’s major focus, it doesn’t go too far in other directions, as it’s perfectly comfortable with a major throughline that it can play with like putty.

As I’ve said, the episode’s filled to the brim with characters, and they’re all good. It helps this is a story about how SpongeBob sees his friends and imitates them, so the writer Mr Lawrence proved with this that he had a solid grasp on who they are and how they act. SpongeBob’s just doing a thing he knows others will enjoy, but takes it too far. Squidward’s vain but sensible, Patrick’s dumb but well-meaning, Sandy’s the most rational of the group, Plankton’s an affable villain and Mr Krabs has to remember there’s more than one reason SpongeBob’s important to him. Together, their commitment to making SpongeBob himself again is what drives the second half of this episode to be so great. They seem like real good pals, and that’s the sort of group that needs to band together in episodes like this and Band Geeks.

In conclusion, I love it when they make episodes this good. They feel like a reward after all the crud I had to wade through in the dark years of the show, but it’s even better knowing that episodes as good as this are super recent. As of the time I write this, Mimic Madness is hardly 2 years old, and only a couple dozen episodes have aired since. I’d say that if they keep this up for the next few years, making a rather consistent run of episodes with frequent “best ever” material popping through, SpongeBob could end on a high note. I know that’s not going to happen, Nickelodeon’s going to run it into the ground again, but the fact this episode exists is absolutely hopeful. The animation’s taken to new extremes in the best way possible, the song’s dramatic but not out-of-place, and all the characters are consistent with how fans remember them. If the current writers, and possible future writing teams are forgetting how to make SpongeBob good, this is the kind of episode they should turn to.

Final Verdict: 9/10 Spongy
Squid Plus One < Mimic Madness < Two Thumbs Down

Question of the Day: What’s your favourite Season 10 episode besides Mimic Madness?

Tomorrow’s episode has a song again, though this one will make you wriggle all night. Until then, who.
:sbthumbs:

 

[darkrage6]

Personally I don't think there are any truly godawful episodes of Spongebob(maybe I find the post-movie episodes easier to enjoy then most due to my autism). I liked Mimic Madness, but I wouldn't call it one of my favorites.

P.S. Oliver and Company is one of my favorite Disney movies.

Prehibernation Week (Season 2, Episode 7a)
Original Airdate: May 5 2001*
Episode 54 in standard order, Episode 64 in airing order
*copyrighted 2000
Plot: SpongeBob gets burnt out doing extreme sports with Sandy and hides from her
Written by Aaron Springer, C.H. Greenblatt and Merriwether Williams

[titlecard]27A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Prehibernation

Oh baby, it's another one of those episodes that would absolutely suck suds if it came out Post-Movie. I mean, it has everything that goes towards a success at this point in the show's history, and a recipe for disaster had it come out any time later on. Heck, I think it would've been screwed up even if it were made near the end of Season 3, because that had stuff like Born Again Krabs and The Camping Episode which really pushed the limits of what fans found to be funny about the show, and a premise like this would not fly over well. Why is that? Well, read on, dear SpongeBuddy, and you'll know the secrets behind Prehibernation Week.

It opens at what appears to be near the end of Autumn with Sandy's treedome having traditional Autumn aesthetics such as the tree running out of leaves, which are becoming warmer shades of colour, specifically of orange, brown and red. Sandy's seen raking all of them up into a leaf model of Texas (something she also had a talent of doing with sand back in Texas (the episode)), but SpongeBob is stuck with a tiny rake, and can't rake up any of the leaves without them moving, or just breaking into pieces. If we're to believe that Sandy gave SpongeBob the rake, then this already sets the notion that Sandy, while she cares about SpongeBob, isn't too fair on him and constantly gives him the short end of the stick.

Sandy explains that she's in a hurry to clean up her treedome because she's close to needing to hibernate (an activity in which mammals sleep for the entire winter), which is going to happen in one week from this point. SpongeBob then decides to randomly calculate how many hours that is, and comes to the total of 168 (7X24). See, I told you he inadvertedly taught 2000s kids how to count how many hours there are in a week. Anyway, Sandy seems much more distressed than normal, nearly on the verge of tears, because she feels like she's unable to do everything she needs to do in such a short amount of time. SpongeBob graciously (and by that I mean out of fear) tells Sandy that he's free for an entire week of fun (aside from his duties at the Krusty Krab), Sandy jumps at the chance to introduce him to his sweatband.

Sometime later, they're seen skiing on the mountaintops. Sandy is using a shell for a board, and even catches on flames because she's going so fast, while SpongeBob just uses his tongue, because it's a cooky thing to do (hey, why else would he do it?). I really like how there are children making a sandman as if it were a snowman, emphasising the previously stated fact that Winter is around the corner, at least on land, but hey. Furthermore, it gives us an incredible joke when they sing a song to see if it will come to life, but then SpongeBob bursts through it and spouts a radical phrase, prompting one of the children to think that they didn't sing the song right, which is hilarious, because imagine the reaction you'd have to a snowman if it just skated away on it's tongue with a daredevil-like personality. It would be freakin' crazy, now wouldn't it?

Unfortunately, SpongeBob falls off a cliff and injures himself, as his lower torso gets crushed beneath his upper torso revealling two bones sticking out on top of him. Yeah, it's kinda hard to explain, but it looks funny, despite appearing very, very painful. Also, I notice that SpongeBob says, "yeah…" after this the same way he does in Wet Painters when he blows out the drop of paint with a hairdryer. Seriously, it sounds like the exact same sound byte! I'm interested to know if there's any other cases of this happening in SpongeBob as a whole.

Later at sunset, Sandy thanks SpongeBob for playing with her, while SpongeBob shows off his broken arm, which just looks like a scribble from a yellow pencil with a bandage on it (I guess he sustained more off-screen injuries than his lower torso being mutilated), and heads on home and into bed. However, in the middle of the night, Sandy uses a device to launch SpongeBob out of bed and into a nearby river for a good morning dip into to get some excercise for even more extreme activities. It's clear that SpongeBob is unhappy with this, seeing as how he's frozen in an ice cube (so is Sandy, but at least she's supposedly protected from the cold by her suit), but continues on playing with her anyway, because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings, I guess.

This brings me to a new point that I'd like to make, and that is the music that's played throughout this episode, graciously provided by Pantera called, "Prehibernation", which is a heavy metal track that accompanies all the extreme sports that Sandy and SpongeBob do. If you're not into any sort of rock above a level 4 or 5, you're probably not going to like this (even less-so than The Grinder, which appears in Jellyfishing and Mooncation), and I guess that was intentional, as it shows the different contrasts in how SpongeBob and Sandy view fun. Sandy finds all of these activities engaging and intense, while SpongeBob finds them to be over-the-top and scary. Heck, SpongeBob even breaks the fourth wall non-verbally by noticing the music playing before he and Sandy go to the park.

SpongeBob and Sandy partake in three extra activies- jousting with batons on top of a tall building called the "Sea Needle" (which is basically like the Empire State Building), which SpongeBob loses at and falls off, getting part of his back stuck in Squidward, I mean a fire hydrant, and then Sandy takes SpongeBob on a bike to the park, but it turns out to be an obstacle course in the Bikini Bottom Industrial Park (which might be one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen in the show in it's own gruesome way; like I said in Imitation Krabs, the show can really do industrial architecture/designs well, especially with Season 2's style), which reduces SpongeBob to a puddle. Hey, not the last time this is going to happen to him.
[titlecard]52A[/titlecard]

After Sandy suggests fly-fishing, which sounds genocidal the longer I think about it, especially as they're going in a plane to supposedly fish down on innocent Bikini Bottomites, SpongeBob feels like he's had enough and tries to talk himself out of continuing to play with her, but as he's still a puddle, his mouth keeps slipping off of his liquid face. Here's the thing that's decent about this episode, and that's that it's a misunderstanding episode, but Sandy is constantly misunderstanding everything because earlier, SpongeBob didn't have as strong of a backbone about not doing these activities, but because this is her last week around, and she's been told by SpongeBob that he'll make it up to her. It's sort of like the first half of Valentine's Day, where Patrick is acting very hyperactive and over-the-top. Come to think of it, this is sort of like Valentine's Day done right, due to the fact that Sandy, as a character, would be much more prone to this sort of behaviour than the slow-witted and laid-back Patrick, and even then, she doesn't go as far as him out of rage, but rather out of concern for SpongeBob, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

After a game of "Find the Hay in the Needlestack", which appears to be a violent rendition of "Find the Needle in the Haystack", mostly because, while Sandy is still fully protected, SpongeBob is constantly at risk, even of death. Once he's out of Sandy's sight however, he makes a run for it and tries to find a place to hide, so he goes under Patrick's rock, calling it "so original", but gets his pants stuck on a bush. When Sandy sees the pants, she takes it the wrong way and assumes that SpongeBob has gotten lost.

I can easily split this episode into two parts, the first being the extreme sports part, and the second being the search for SpongeBob part. Both of them have the "I can explain" man on a bicycle holding a lolipop, and that's one of the few similarities I can find between them, the other being Sandy's personality. Since she's still rushed with energy, she pushes a good chunk of the Bikini Bottomites to their limits (there's nothing saying that it's the whole town, rather than the small chunk of people that were in the Krusty Krab), which makes sense considering she has to continue exherting her energy somehow, despite the episode showing a bad case of it that she needs to overcome.

One of my favourite things about this part of the episode is Squidward, who's actually somewhat happy with the fact that SpongeBob's missing, judging by the look on his face when Sandy announces it to the Krusty Krab. Also in the scene where some fish are telling Sandy that SpongeBob's not in certain locations, Squidward comes to her and says, "He's not in my thoughts". There can only be so far that you can push Squidward's resentment towards SpongeBob/hapiness when he's gone or in some bad state (What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?/WhoBob WhatPants really takes it over the edge, but I'll get to that eventually), and this episode does a good job of making it so that Squidward doesn't like SpongeBob, but he doesn't celebrate his lack of presence for very long (okay they did that in Nature Pants, but it's a 3-second cutaway).

Later, when Sandy takes things unbelievably too far, guess what the Bikini Bottomites do? They hide from her, specifically under the rock that SpongeBob is hiding under. This is a great thing, because they also have backbones (ironically, since they're fish) and have the ability to get away from Sandy. Although they don't succeed in talking her out of it, they do outsmart her by keeping her busy looking up at the sky, pointing that SpongeBob's there, and I just have to say that I love the face that Sandy makes while she's looking up at the sky. Of all the memetic faces the show spawned, especially in Season 2-5, this has to be one of the more underrated ones.

Then Sandy just goes completely insane, and I mean Valentine's Day-style crazy, as she's gotten to the point where she's flipping over and destroying buildings screaming SpongeBob's name. The reason this works a bit better than Valentine's Day is because, although she's stronger than Patrick and can do more damage, there isn't really as petty of a reason for her doing it. In Valentine's Day, Patrick was upset over his underwhelming Valentine's Day gift from SpongeBob, while here, there's still the belief in Sandy's head that SpongeBob is lost, and even potentially dead, so that's part of the reason that I would say it works miles better (remember, just my opinion).

Meanwhile, under the rock, SpongeBob accidentally reveals his identity to the other fish, and there's an amusing little gag of the shot starting out on the right side of the rock with some eyes poking out and facing SpongeBob, and as it pans further to the left, all of them get angry eyebrows, like the previous one is knocking the next one over like a stack of dominoes. It's another great little visual gag from SpongeBob at it's height. They then all throw him out, which is a good thing, because not only does it stop Sandy from wrekcing thr city, but it also gives SpongeBob a chance to talk to Sandy.

Eventually, SpongeBob is able to calm Sandy down (which is impressive, considering how explosive and genki Sandy had gotten at this point), and tell himself that he's a man before breaking down in front of Sandy (by pulling out a razor, which is on par with the free-form jazz in Grandma's Kisses due to it's "funny-because-it's-true" lampoon on maturity), saying that he's had enough of the games, but thankfully, Sandy's fallen asleep. This has one positive and one negative to it. The positive being that SpongeBob can finally rest after an implied week of all the chaos Sandy had put him through. The negative being that we have no idea where Sandy fell asleep, but if she fell asleep near the start of it, then she would have no idea about what she needed to learn for about an entire season, and have no way to apologise to SpongeBob, or anybody else she went beserk towards, until after her hibernation ends. At least the episode ends with a joke with Patrick coming up to his rock, shocked by the amount of people hiding inside of it, which somehow closes off that little tidbit with the episode, and gives us the chance to get one more thing out of the Bikini Bottomites, even if it was non-verbal.

Is it any wonder I said that this would be hated if it were a Post-Movie episode? That's because, although it's ending was a bit mixed, as well as it's intent of giving a moral to Sandy, it's beginning is still very action-packed and exciting, which Post-Movie often fails to strike a balance with without seeming obnoxious or like it's trying too hard. I'd compare it favourably to Employee of the Month, in that it has a great start but an average end, whilst Employee of the Month had a solid start, an amazing middle and a mediocre ending. Either way, this episode is still worth a watch for it's beginning, and that's all I'll say on the matter.

SpongeBob Scale: Good (represents what SpongeBob stands for)
Numeric Scale: 7/10 (solid but not top notch)
Lower than: Hall Monitor (Season 2- Your Shoe's Untied)
Higher than: Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy II (Season 2- Something Smells)
Current Position: #35 out of 54 (Season 2- #9 out of 13)

Question of the Day (for Squidville): What's your favourite Squidward-centric episode (this includes stuff like Pizza Delivery, as he's technically one of the protagonists)

Question of the Day (for Prehibernation Week): What kind of small quirks do you like about SpongeBob's art style?

You better have plants for hire by the time we're talking about our next episode. Until then, your mind may not be able to take this level fo heavy metal if you'd be in SpongeBob's situation at any given time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWZC4aGrUG0
Hey, I didn't say which season-era SpongeBob. ;)
:sbthumbs:

Quite a good episode, but some slight corrections-the Pantera music(BTW this episode was my introduction to them, honestly I prefer their pre-Vulgar Display of Power stuff, as I never found Phil's shouting voice all that pleasant to listen to, I miss the more melodic singing he did in Power Metal and Cowboys)is actually an instrumental version of their song "Death Rattle Shake" from their final album "Reinventing the Steel".

Also the Sea Needle is actually based on the Space Needle in Seattle.

I did feel like the ending with Sandy falling asleep before Spongebob gave his speech was a bit of a cop-out, as Sandy never ends up facing any consequences for putting Spongebob through all that insane stuff. I would've really liked to have seen Sandy react to the speech, other then that really solid stuff.

Anyways my favorite season 10 episode would have to be Plankton Retires.

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

House Worming (Season 10, Episode 3b)
Original Airdate: February 25 2017*
Episode 395 in standard order, Episode 393 in airing order
*copyrighted 2016
Plot: SpongeBob lets worms live in his body, but they cause trouble for him
Written by Richard Pursel

[titlecard]207B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Cream Pie

Time for the seasonal “SpongeBob welcomes/adopts a new pet” episode. I swear it’s planned they make this sort of episode every season, what with Jellyfish Jam, Dumped, Rock-a-Bye Bivlave, The Thing, SpongeHenge, Pet or Pests, A Pal for Gary, Planet of the Jellyfish and Sanctuary! already proving a trend. This one harkens all the way back to Jellyfish Jam for notes to take however, as both of them have the animals being literal party animals and have that be their major malfunction. I don’t know if I should call this episode a rip-off though, as this one is otherwise clearly trying to be its own thing. Because of that, I’ll only be comparing one thing between them, and to many it’ll be the thing that drives them absolutely nuts about this episode. So let’s all welcome back Richard Pursel to the show, and make sure he hasn’t overstayed it.

The story begins one night, as a worm sneaks into SpongeBob’s bedroom and nestles itself inside his head. This may mot be the first time (remember Earworm?), but in this case, the worm’s got more personality. He’s got a distinctly big nose and can seemingly communicate with SpongeBob when he’s woken up. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the same luck with Gary, who attacks him like prey. This opening scene establishes a few things, namely that Prickles (the name of the worm) is running from something and needs a place to crash, SpongeBob’s fine with letting him stay in his head, and that Gary doesn’t like this one bit. For all that, I’d say this is a neat start to the episode.

Unbeknownst to SpongeBob however, Prickles calls for other worms to come around, which makes less sense when you watch the episode through to the end, but I digress. They all throw a wild party inside SpongeBob, with a bunch of strobe lights eminating from SpongeBob as if he were a disco ball, and loud dubstep music playing. This is the thing I’ll compare this episode to Jellyfish Jam about, but only because I’m a bit of a pop music dork and like how club anthems have gotten louder and dirtier since the 90s. I’d still say Stadium Rave (Jellyfish Jam’s music) is better than Speed Freak (House Worming’s), because it’s easier on the ears and potentially much better to time animation to, but it does impress me that SpongeBob’s seen pop music change this much.

Although SpongeBob likes the constant party in his face where everyone’s invited, it causes problems with his routines and relationships. Gary kicks SpongeBob out of the house because he’s above his owner for some reason (don’t know why Pursel’s continued this trend), and SpongeBob can’t work at the Krusty Krab because the worms violate several health codes. While the clear lesson of the story is “don’t let creatures crawl inside you and ruin your life”, it’s such a fantastical lesson that I don’t think it can resonate with kids. Of course they aren’t going to like works crawling around inside them. So what if there isn’t any moral value to this episode, it can still be entertaining, but the key word there is “can”.

As even basic interactions become harder for SpongeBob to accomplish, the infestation pretty much owns him. They kick Plankton out when he tries to gas them to get on SpongeBob’s good side, in what is a violent but entertaining scene, and they steer him away from Patrick and Squidward by turning into a scary face. It’s a dark moment that I sorta like, but only because the scary face looks so weird and silly. At this point, it feels like the story’s ready to climax, but the way it does so is underwhelming to say the least. When SpongeBob finally turns into a miniature apartment complex for the worms, he goes nuts, laughs, and the laughter’s so annoying it causes the worms to leave. It felt like they just needed a way to resolve the episode, so they just reached into the bag of character flaws and pulled something random out. It’s a major blow, because at its best, I feel like the episode’s interesting, but at worst it doesn’t care enough to execute its ideas.

After this is a supplementary short about Prickles called Clam Up!, essentially showing who he is and how he ended up homeless. It’s not the most entertaining thing in the world, but it’s a harmless morsel of entertainment. Basically, Prickles lived in a can, but a clam started annoying him, so he used the can as part of a trick to get the clam off his back, which failed. There’s not much to it aside from making Prickles more distinct from his worm brethren (who don’t appear in this segment), and the dark twist that the clam was strong enough to attack the mailman. I think Prickles is cute enough in it, the clam’s a jerk but obviously the antagonist, it feels like a neat little Chuck Jones-style short for most of it, and it’s a welcome use of the last 2 minutes.

The jokes are just the same as the story, often good but sometimes a bit too wierdly handled. I like the simpler jokes this episode throws out, like SpongeBob wup-pooing and the idea that the worms living inside him have their own personalities, like rap-loving teenager and grumpy neighbour. Not to mention I love the simple visual gag of SpongeBob just opening himself up to show off how he’s become an apartment complex, it’s well-timed in the context of the episode and lightens the mood after he’ shunned by society. As for that society-shunning, none of it’s that good. The scene at the Krusty Krab where Mr Krabs shoos him out of the restaurant is way too similar to stuff like Suds, and while I like the visuals, the scenes where Patrick and Squidward flee from SpongeBob’s worm face isn’t that funny. There’s something to be said about my favourite part of the episode’s second half being Plankton of all people trying to help SpongeBob, because at least it’s help.

I’ve already gone over why I like the worm face, but the worms as a whole are well-animated. They’re tiny and wriggly, but don’t often come off as disturbing because you know at least one of them is intelligent. Making all of them slightly different colours also guarantees that the party scenes are more stimulating. Oh yeah, speaking of the party scenes, they’re great from an animation perspective. The strobe lights are bright and colourful, using SpongeBob as a disco ball is just a creative idea (even if it’s been done before, but shhhh), and it’s something that the episode sticks to showing off as an artistic strength. Given this episode would’ve been unbearably gross had it been made 10 years ago, I’ll take what I can get as long as it’s fun.

The characters aren’t anything to write home about either. Even at their worst, there’s a reason for their bad behaviour, like Gary and his hatred for worms. Sure him kicking SpongeBob out of the house is unnecessary, but pets prey on pests, and Gary’s just following his animal instincts. SpongeBob’s pretty passive when he lets Prickles and his friends live inside him for at least a day. You’d think learning not to trust wild animals almost a dozen times by now would change that, but every episode’s set on an isolated plane for better or worse. As for newcomer Prickles, I feel like halfway through production, they wanted to make him a more likeable character, so they gave him this tragic backstory and the blame’s pinned more on his friends, but it still doesn’t make him that memorable. He’s cute, but that’s about it.

This felt like a little episode, about as little as a sea worm (as in a worm sea worm, not a dog worm). While derivative of a past episode, it’s able to craft its own story and have its own hook, with the colourful worms and their modern party sensibilities. This doesn’t excuse it from feeling unoriginal however. I know it’s a bigger problem for longtime fans such as myself, but if a new, young SpongeBob fan needed to watch an episode about animals throwing parties and ruining SpongeBob’s life in the process, I’d still put on Jellyfish Jam. It’s not that House Worming doesn’t have a reason to exist, it’s still got neat jokes and animation, it’s just a comfortable time-waster while Jellyfish Jam was a great feast for the eyes and ears. I’m sure they were going for a “just fine” episode with House Worming, and that’s okay.

Final Verdict: Average 6/10 (flawed but not bad)
Snail Mail < House Worming < The Executive Treatment

Question of the Day: Do you prefer Stadium Rave or Speed Freak?

There’s no more time to snooze considering the story of tomorrow’s episode. Until then, play me out DJ!
:sbthumbs:

 

[darkrage6]

Jellyfish Hunter (Season 2, Episode 19a)
Original Airdate: September 28 2001
Episode 77 in standard order, Episode 70 in airing order
Plot: Mr Krabs starts getting SpongeBob to capture jellyfish in order to make Jelly Krabby Patties
Written by Walt Dohrn, Paul Tibbitt and Mark O'Hare

[titlecard]39A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Dancing the Hula

I feel as though this is the origin of the type of story in which Mr Krabs overworks SpongeBob, or just does something evil, in order to gain a greater profit than normal, which I'm going to nickname a Kriminal Krabs Kase…maybe just Kriminal Krabs for the meantime. This sort of story is rarely utilised in the Classic episodes, and heck, I can't name too many Post-Movie examples right off the bat (The Krabby Kronicle, Greasy Buffoons and The Cent of Money are the only real stand-out cases), probably because it takes Mr Krabs' money obsession way too far, even by SpongeBob's character standards. Is this going to be like Jellyfishing where I can't really take it as seriously with so many more episodes in the KK genre, or is this a hidden gem that's just been pushed to the sideline when talking extensively about Classic SpongeBob?

It opens with the French Narrator talking about how beautiful Jellyfish Fields is, what with all the jellyfish inhabiting it, which sets up that jellyfish are delicate creatures that deserve to roam free. I like when the French Narrator name drops the episode, which doesn't happen as often as you'd think in SpongeBob (unless it's something like Pickles), when he refers to SpongeBob as a jellyfish hunter. This is really good because, upon rewatching the episode, you really get that feeling that a hunter captures animals for their resources, but at the moment, SpongeBob just plays with the jellyfish for fun, even going so far as to give them individual names when he catches them.

That's a great thing about SpongeBob in this episode, he views the jellyfish as friends, and knows how to treat them well. Compare him tickling "Twelvey" to milk the jellyfish jelly out of him/her compared to the numerous ways the jellyfish are tortured later in the episode. It shows that SpongeBob has been a jellyfisher long enough to no longer view the jellyfish as collector's items, but as friends, at least without it overshadowing his job in his mind like in Nature Pants, and looking at the story of the episode, boy does he not.

However, his playtime gets more serious when he encounters a rare specimen, a blue jellyfish, which he calls "No Name", because he has to catch a jellyfish before he can name it, and No Name likes a bit of a challenge. What's funny is that not only is No Name one of the few jellyfish that can talk, or at least communicate with SpongeBob, but SpongeBob's dialogue seems to imply that he's tried to face off against him time and time again, failing each and every day. This leads into the intense chase scene where SpongeBob tries his hardest to catch No Name, but to no avail. The chase scene has a purpose to the plot, as it shows how hard SpongeBob can try to catch jellyfish if he really wants to.

Something that I really like about this plot is that, even though it's simple, it's superior over the comedy in the episode, and I really dig an episode that takes a break from the insane hi-jinks of SpongeBob and tells a great story, especially when it has a message to it, but only every once in a while. Not only that, but already two elements of the story so far have a purpose. SpongeBob milking the jellyfish jelly shows that he uses it like jam (we in NZ call jelly jam and gelatine jelly in case you're wondering) to put on his Krabby Patties, and No Name being impossible to catch allows there to be one more jellyfish that SpongeBob couldn't possibly catch before.

The next day at the Krusty Krab, Mr Krabs is introduced to the episode and it's shown that this is going to be one of his much greedier appearances, judging by how he only gives SpongeBob 4-5 minute lunch breaks, which shows quickly that he's a bit nastier than normal in this episode. Although it doesn't seem right in an early episode for him to be this inconsiderate about SpongeBob himself, it does make sense as to why he'd want as many jellyfish as possible, because his customers want them, even if he's shown to take things a bit too far.

SpongeBob's loud chewing on his jelly-filled Krabby Patty gets the attention of Fred who then asks for some, and after having a bite, breaks into the showtune called "Hey All You People". What's great about this song is that it combines two sides of Broadway, the whimsical side and the jazzy side, and it still feels catchy. Furthermore, it doesn't risk slowing down the plot, as it furthers the notion of the "Jelly Patties" making their way across the customers of the Krusty Krab, with Fred now introducing it to them. That said, this is the last song of Season 2, and the tenth song overall, so you can expect my "Top 10 SpongeBob Songs of Season 1-2" to come out soon.

Mr Krabs asks SpongeBob who's been playing Squidward's old records, which I just love because even though Squidward doesn't appear in the episode, you'd still know that he'd be into this sort of music. SpongeBob introduces the Jelly Patty to him and he actually calls him out for messing with the recipe. Let me just say that this episode would've ended rather quickly had Fred not told Mr Krans that he'll come back every week, because soon after, Mr Krabs decides to use SpongeBob to capture the jellyfish, and this is where the business side of Mr Krabs overshadows his fatherly side. You can see when SpongeBob gives him the jellyfish that he plans to use them more as fuel than the delicate creatures SpongeBob sees them as.

SpongeBob on the other hand is excited at the prospect of jellyfishing as part of his job, and we see that SpongeBob trying to capture one jellyfish may have looked cool, but him completely drying out Jellyfish Fields, while part of an entertaining montage, is a step too far. Speaking of which, throughout this montage, we see Mr Krabs embrace the new Jelly Patties by redesigning the Krusty Krab while SpongeBob's out jellyfishing, constantly requesting for more jellyfish, which then just dissolves into him yelling "More!" over and over again, before it shows a rather grotesque-looking Mr Krabs in what is meme number…

Spoiler

1. I don't need it
2. Hype stand
3. Serious lifeguard
4. Firmly grasp it
5. I went to college
6. It took SpongeBob X years to master this
7. My leg!
8. Spoons Rattling
9. Evil!
10. In the hall!
11. Wee-woo/He's just standing there menacingly
12. Jellyfish Jam
13. Mr Krabs' crazy faces (AKA Oh yeah, Mr Krabs)
14. Are there any other Squidwards I should know about?
15. Interpretive dance
16. The Fun Song
17. SpongeBob and Squidward's worn out faces (Employee of the Month)
18. Time cards
19. Future!
20. Primitive Sponge
21. Hot sauce drop
22. Patrick's dream
23. Don't touch me I'm sterile!
24. The map!
25. *raspberry*
26. This is Advanced Darkness
27. I'm Texas!
28. Steppin on the beach
29. Land Development!
30. What did you do to my drink!?
31. Squidward laughing
32. SpongeBob's wallet
33. Does this look dangerous/Patrick bait
34. SpongeBob watching suggestive content
35. The Ugly Barnacle
36. Deaugh guy
37. This is Patrick!
38. He burnt our crops, poisoned our water supply and delivered a plague onto our houses!
39. Drown in it!
40. GARY, YOU ARE GONNA FINISH YOUR DESERT AND YOU ARE GONNA LIKE IT!
41. Live-action Explosion
42. Ravioli ravioli
43. Horsefly close-ups
44. Hey Patrick, are you angry too?
45. Confused Mr Krabs
46. Free form jazz
47. Squidward and SpongeBob negotiating/Get out
48. Patrick hates this channel
49. Squidwoarde
50. I am a man
51. Who are you people!?
52. Fat Patrick
53. SpongeBob licking a chocolate bar
54. Just like a genie
55. A pony
56. Who are you calling Pinhead?
57. I'm Dirty Dan!
58. Oh Neptune
59. What I learned in Boating School is…
60. Hi Kevin
61. Not my wallet
62. Underwater breathing faces
63. I can almost taste it
64. Leedle leedle lee
65. The perfume department
66. SpongeBob Suicide Bomb
67. Sumbliminal messages
68. I don't really feel like it
69. DoodleBob
70. Where's the leak ma'am?/Finland!
71. The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma
72. Is mayonnaise an instrument?
73. People play loud when they want to sound good
74. Sweet victory
75. At night!
76. Who does X at 3 in the morning? Oh boy, 3AM!
77. We're not talking about this or this, we're talking about this!
78. The
79. Patrick licking
80. SpongeBob flailing his tongue around
81. SpongeBob biting Patrick's finger
82. [dolphin noise]
83. Now it's art
84. Belongs in the trash
85. Moar Krabs
86. Give it all you've got

…85!

After the montage is done, it cuts to night at Jellyfish Fields where the mood of the episode has significantly changed. The place is barren of life, except SpongeBob of course, the dark blue sky makes the location feel more glum, and the sign that once read "Population- 4 Million" now reads "Population- Zero". I bring this up because this is how animals become extinct in real life. In fact, this whole episode feels like is an environmental message about overconsumption and capturing too much of a species, whether it be for food or other sorts of profit.

All the while, SpongeBob remains happy that he did his job for Mr Krabs, that is until No Name, the only jellyfish he can never catch, starts following him. SpongeBob, able to hear his/her buzzing but unable to see him/her in time before he vanishes, starts getting frightened, not helping that he's walking down the street late at night. However, the best joke in the episode kicks in as SpongeBob misses the point and feels scared that people are trying to sell him things and runs away, and it cuts to two businessmen hiding behind the rock SpongeBob was next to, confirming that they would've also been following SpongeBob, which is just such a bizzare coincidence that you have no choice but to laugh.

SpongeBob runs back to his pineapple house and starts noticing signs that he's been stalked and scared by an external force, which we know is No Name, but he doesn't. First, No Name calls him, and even breathes heavily (funny, seeing how (s)he's a jellyfish), and SpongeBob tries to calm his nerves by telling himself that it may have been a wrong number, which is fine, but then No Name cuts the power to his home and SpongeBob then tries to tell himself that Gary forgot to pay the electric bill. After this, No Name slithers in, with SpongeBob mistaking him/her for Gary, before going into the kitchen and finding a Jelly Patty prepared for him, and then he freaks out noticing that the jelly is blue, which caps off this whole building of suspense and still keeps SpongeBob freaked out by what No Name has done to get his attention.

I really like how No Name takes SpongeBob to the factory by encasing him in a jar, as if (s)he's giving him a taste of his own medicine for capturing all the jellyfish, but at this point, the audience knows little about the fate of the jellyfish. That is until they're subjected to watching them get pummelled and tortured on conveyer belts for their jelly, and even getting disposed when they no longer work. The big shocker of this is that Mr Krabs is the one responsible for all the jellyfish abuse going on, which is flat-out inexcusable, even if he's doing it for money. However, what keeps this reveal from being as bad as something like One Coarse Meal is that Mr Krabs does get karma for his actions.

What also prevents this from failing is that they try and make the situation seem motivational, in that SpongeBob has to stand up against Mr Krabs to free the millions of jellyfish that he's using in terrible ways. There's also a lot of humour in this scene, from Mr Krabs using an excercise bike to power the machinery (I've already gushed about how well SpongeBob used to portray industry so it'd be redundant if I bring it up again), which is the last thing you'd expect Mr Krabs to be using. Then SpongeBob gets a wrench, proclaiming that he's going to use it for "something I should've done a long time ago", which is a rather mature line by SpongeBob standards, and then uses it to tighten a squeaky bolt on the jellyfish cage. Lastly is Mr Krabs explaining that the cage is voice-activated, and then accidentally using the password to open it, so basically SpongeBob didn't have to do much except confront Mr Krabs.

Once all the jellyfish are freed and Mr Krabs is stung to Davy Jones' Locker and back, SpongeBob quickly escales and proclaims that he will now only use his jellyfishing net for sport, even though I don't think he'd say the same thing about the Trojan Sponge he used during the montage, because that would been expensive! As he's holding out the net, No Name lands into it, meaning that SpongeBob has now caught every jellyfish in Jellyfish Fields, and that he'll have to give him a name, so he calls him "Friend", and the episode ends with him giving Friend a handshake and getting stung, much like in Nature Pants.

I wouldn't say that this is better than Graveyard Shift or Jellyfish Jam, which at times this episode can feel like a hybrid of, but for what it's worth, it's still very good SpongeBob material. I know many would be turned off by Mr Krabs' more antagonistic role in this episode, especially because this was the first real KK episode, but aside from that, it's a pretty good episode, and as Season 2 draws to a close, I really hope that the next 3 episode maintain a similar level of humour and story.

SpongeBob Scale: Good (represents what SpongeBob stands for)
Numeric Scale: 8/10 (an enjoyable if not mildly flawed episode)
Lower than: Jellyfish Jam (Season 2- Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy III)
Higher than: Arrgh! (Season 2- Imitation Krabs)
Current Position: #33 out of 77 (Season 2- #19 out of 36)

Question of the Day 1: What is your Top 10 songs of Season 1-2? Using the following songs:
Ripped Pants
The F.U.N. Song
Do the Sponge
SpongeBob ScaredyPants
Texas
Loop de Loop
That's What Friends Do
The Very First Christmas
This Grill Is Not A Home
Hey All You People

Question of the Day 2: Do you like or dislike KK episodes?

Question of the Day 3: Should I do any more abbreviations for episode genres? If so, got any suggestions?

Hey all you people, listen to this song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXePrBbgXxg
The next episode, get prepared for more macho SpongeBob, because I sure am hyped. Until then, here's More! Literally, it's more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh-wfb8PfyU
:sbthumbs:

5-minute breaks don't sound like much, but honestly it's not much less then I got at one of my jobs(America isn't that great at treating it's workers compared to NZ i'd wager) so what sounds like cruelty for Mr Krabs is par for the course in the U.S.(kind of sad really), heck it's actually an improvement for Mr Krabs when you remember in Hooky that he claimed NOBODY had taken a break at the KK since the "Chum Famine of 59"(maybe that's why Plankton started the Chum Bucket? because he thought that with a Chum shortage people would flock to a restaurant that served it?) so at least in this episode he's improved.

I also personally quite enjoyed Squid on Strike, Spongebob being literal minded made sense to me, and I could see him dismantling the KK as given how many times it's been destroyed in previous episodes, i'm sure by then SB realized it could always be rebuilt, and I could buy that he loved his job so much that he'd be willing to take extreme measures to get it back. Plus this is one of those episodes that resonates with me much more as an adult then it did as a kid now that i've gotten a feel for what minimum wage employment is like(spoiler: it ain't that great) and i've actually gone through similar experiences to Squidward(I had to leave one job because the union wasn't very effective and I overheard a lot of horror stories from older employees in the breakroom and I did not want to end up like them).

Anyways I prefer Speed Freak to answer your question.

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Snooze You Lose (Season 10, Episode 4a)
Original Airdate: March 4 2017*
Episode 396 in standard order, Episode 394 in airing order
*copyrighted 2016
Plot: Squidward oversleeps, so SpongeBob and Patrick control him for his clarinet audition
Written by Kaz

[titlecard]208A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Cream Pie

I don’t have many fond memories of this one, it just seemed like another example of how regressive Season 10 was. SpongeBob and Patrick crawling inside Squidward to control him isn’t the sort of thing the Drymon era writing team would think of, nor is it something the Tibbitt era team would make a good episode out of. Yet there is that confidence to the Waller/Ceccareli era towards outlandish plots, though sometimes they can go overboard and deliver a plot that almost belongs to a different show. This is one of those occasions where they attempt too much and present something very messy, but let’s see if there are some good things to come out of it.

The plot opens on a particularly sour note. Squidward’s an insomniac, unable to get to sleep no matter what, which is bad for him because he’s got a big chance with his clarinet tomorrow. I don’t quite remember if it was an audition for a play or a band or whatever, but alll you need to know is that Squidward needs rest. That’d be slightly easier if SpongeBob and Patrick weren’t having a burp contest next door, which isn’t a classy way to introduce them. At the very least, the two bottom-feeders are seemingly friendly towards Squidward in these opening minutes, suggesting a walk outside, trying to keep it down, then trying to help Squidward when things go wrong for him. It’s unfortunate that Squidward can’t really tell this however, because the walk tuckers him out.

What I mean is going for a walk works, but Squidward accidentally walks into SpongeBob’s abode and goes to sleep. That must’ve been one powerful walk seeing some powerful billboards, because Squidward simply can’t be woken up the next morning. It’s a bit forced having him be impossible to wake up, and it’s not eased by how SpongeBob and Patrick act. After they were pretty nice the previous night, with SpongeBob even turning into a matress for Squidward to sleep on, they yell for him to wake up and force coffee down his throat. I can understand that this is how SpongeBob and Patrick behave in these sorts of episodes (at least the more poorly recieved ones), but then the episode makes a detour into science fiction by having them genetically engineer their own Squidward, which turns into a monster and rampages Bikini Bottom! Where did this come from? Sure SpongeBob’s a wacky show, but it doesn’t switch genre for 10 seconds in the middle of a story just to be funny, which this whole thing isn’t.

After cloning Squidward fails, they decide to do the next worst thing, crawl inside him and control him like a puppet. It’s not the worst idea for a routine in the world, as there are attempts made to give the situation a goofy, light-hearted touch with Squidward flip-flopping across the streets. They’re not enough to make up for some really dark, unfunny imagery though, like SpongeBob biting into Squidward’s brain. Did the toenail scene really need to be upstaged in magnitude? Other than that, it’s just a forgettable routine that’s capped off with the most predictable ending possible.

SpongeBob’s good at playing Squidward’s brain playing the clarinet, which pleases the judge, but Squidward ruins it by playing it himself. The story’s already low-brow enough, I don’t want to feel like it was all for nothing. After this, we see the Squidward monster is still rampaging, as a sort of reminder that this happened. All this criticism about the writing may be hard to understand, but I don’t watch SpongeBob episodes for Shakespearean brilliance, I watch them to be entertained. For me, pointing out that something happened and not elaborating on it in an interesting way is just a bad joke, and this episode’s got so many problems like that that it just becomes a chore to watch.

Speaking of, the jokes are all over the place here. Some of them have a good start, but either a terrible punchline, or no punchline to speak of. A good example of the former is when SpongeBob turns into a matress for Squidward to lie on, then he drools through one of his pores. It’s super gross and didn’t need to be there. As for jokes that just happen and never finish satisfyingly, Squidward being called a freak or Frankenstein on the street seems to be setting up that he looks scary with SpongeBob and Patrick piloting him. You’d think it’s leading to something, like the judge being disgusted with him and wanting him off the stage, but you just get a few insults and it’s over. What’s the joke? Was that the joke? Make no mistake, there are a few that I laughed at, like the random “no dancing zone” rule a policeman comes up with to counteract Squidward’s dancing, but they’re not as common.

Now onto the animation, there are a lot of ugly things here. Patrick’s bubbling stomach as he’s about to make a massive burp may tickle him like bubbling fat, but it looks off-putting seeing it across his whole gut. Squidward when he’s got SpongeBob and Patrick piloting him doesn’t look very creative. They just made him much fatter and gave him a square head, and while that’s how it should look, it still doesn’t look pleasant enough when moving or dwelled upon for 5 minutes. Also, the interior design is rather basic, just being dark green with a couple veins. I may be spoiled by Squidtastic Voyage, but Squidward’s literally just got a brain in there, and that being his only asset makes the jokes with it either lame, or progressively desperate for a visceral reaction. The only other thing that happens in there is Squidward’s eyes turning inward and staring at SpongeBob, which is taken straight from Plankton!, and is an ability that makes less sense for Squidward to do than SpongeBob.

The characters are off-base here, flipping between good and badly written. SpongeBob and Patrick are sometimes the same type of idiot, yet other times SpongeBob’s a bit braver and Patrick’s a bit dumber. Sometimes they care for Squidward, while other times they’re biting into his brain. I feel like this episode was halfway through a rewrite, then they had to move onto Krusty Katering. The most you get to see of a concious Squidward is when he’s tired at the start, and that’s no fun. It takes a character that’s already a bit boring and makes them a chore to sit through. Then we get to the music judge, who’s well-designed and has a good voice actor, but his personality rubs me the wrong way. He seems like a terrible person if he bends people’s instruments and stuff them into them, so when he’s introduced, why would I want Squidward to succeed and risk hanging around with him more?

In summary, this is another episode I’m not a fan of. It’s got a bunch of things going for it that could work, but they don’t because their execution is so thin. The story takes a while to get going and still doesn’t really know what to do with itself. Are they going for the difficulties of puppeteering Squidward or the idea he’s a freak? A simple question like that could’ve gotten things more focused and, while not make it a great episode, at least a story that works. Not to mention the art direction is generally ugly and I don’t know if I should route for the characters. It’s not a snoozefest, due to all the wacky shenanigans that ensue, but it loses.

Final Verdict: Bad 4/10 (not worth your time)
Sanctuary! < Snooze You Lose < Salsa Imbecilicus

Question of the Day: Which you think is worse, the toenail scene or the brain chomp?

I’m confident that tomorrow’s episode caters more to my needs. Until then, sleep tight.
:sbthumbs:

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Krusty Katering (Season 10, Episode 4b)
Original Airdate: March 4 2017*
Episode 397 in standard order, Episode 395 in airing order
*copyrighted 2016
Plot: The Krusty Krew does some catering service for children and classy people alike
Written by Ben Gruber

[titlecard]208B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Sailor’s Sting 30

Many Season 10 episodes are crazy, and then some are like Krusty Katering, where the train doesn’t stop chugging and just throws gag after gag in your face, regardless of whether they’re good. There aren’t many episodes that come close to rivalling Whirly Brains in this regard, but Katering comes klose. They somehow manage to combine snot, spikes, jewels, a tidal wave and a barrel roll and make it loosely connect in some way. Did I like it when I first watched it last year? Not really, I still didn’t feel ready for Season 10 that March, and its new characters annoyed the heck out of me, but there are a few things about it that’ve grown on me since, and things that continue to bother me. Allow me to present to you a platter of opinions.

The episode opens up with the Krusty Krew (and Patrick) already halfway through catering a childrens birthday party. No establishing scene of them deciding to do it, no talking to the parents or anything, just some banter between Squidward and Mr Krabs. After that’s over, we get a sort of introduction to how the Krew handles their jobs as caterers. Squidward freaks out over germs as he serves a platter of patties, but why shouldn’t he when a kid literally sneezes all over them? It may just be in Squidward’s mind, but if it’s enough to make him vomit, it’s still going a step too far. I like the other jobs however, with Patrick making a balloon animal in the shape of a rock, Mr Krabs having the money whacked out of him like a pinata, and SpongeBob being a bouncy castle that’s popped by who I only assume is the son of Dennis from the Movie. My biggest problem with this opening however is that we’re thrust into this loud, noisy location very quickly, then immediately thrust out of it once it just starts to get comfortable.

The birthday party is too much for them (and the audience) to handle, so they almost decide to rush off before they run into a rich, well-endowed lady. She might be called Ms Moneybags, and she needs caterers for a more mature, refined party she’s havig at her masnion. Krabs lies and says they’re her caterers, and low and behold things go wrong even at the high class gathering. Before that however, I like how the change into more appropriate clothing, Mr Krabs squeezes ink out of Squidward and it somehow turns into tuxedos for the whole Krew to wear. Squidward thinks it’s gross for a sec, but this is downright beautiful compared to the snot of yesterminute.

I’ll give the episode points for variety since each character messes up in their own unique way, but how much I like their substories varies. Patrick’s easily the worst, hogging the food like an animal and making some Valentine’s Day faces. I know my distaste for that episode is uncommon, so I have to say at least they picked an episode that was mostly well-recieved to reference, even if it’s more out of place and character here. Squidward’s troubles are rather brief, as he tries to join a band by breaking into it. Him wondering if they’re a marching quintet because they’re stepping away from him is pretty funny, but it stops then and there. In that regard, it’s my favourite because it doesn’t waste your time or make you think too hard about the implications.

The substory that’s most guilty of the latter is SpongeBob fancying up the food by taking jewels and putting them in the meat. I’m really put off by SpongeBob stealing jewelry, not matter how clueless he is, but I can appreciate how they try to add a joke to it by making him give Mr Krabs an elaborate set of instructions for where to return it. Then you get to Mr Krabs’ issues, where he’s followed around by an obnoxious little kid who wants his birthday cake. To get my worst feelings on him out of the way, I think Tom Kenny’s a good voice director and Carolyn Lawrence is a good voice actress, but this “screaming kid” voice has to go. It’s just way too grating for me to have to put up with for a whole episode, which I’ll have to do later this season. Regardless, the kid isn’t totally annoying, he doesn’t scream all his lines, and I like the jokes they make with him considering Mr Krabs his real father because he told him off for using fireworks.

The Patrick and Mr Krabs problems are resolved to some extent, if you think total destruction is a resolution. Patrick throwing the food around gets all the stuck up guests into a foodfight, which I think is a good joke. Giving all these high class people something immature and messy to do is a neat little send-off, but then it has to be washed out by a water bed. Mr Krabs and the kid find the water bed where SpongeBob found the jewels, bounce around on it for a while, but Krabs predictably pops it. (He is a crab after all) I really don’t know if I like this tidal wave that ensues and washes everyone away. A few things are resolved, like the kid finally getting his darn birthday cake, but fixing all the problems by destroying them is an unsatisfying way to cap things off. I know this is just the kind of episode Krusty Katering wants to be, but it can be weak at points, especially when it gives characters things to accomplish and then throws them out the window, but I know when an episode’s attempting to just be funny.

And this one certainly is. It’s filled to the top with jokes, though many of them fall flat or thin because of the episode going too fast. Jokes I like include Patrick making a balloon animal of a rock, Mr Krabs being a money pinata, and making tuxedos out of Squidward’s ink among others. They’re quick morsels of humour that are designed to be less than 10 seconds long. Often when a joke fails in this episode, it’s because it’s dragged out, like the snotty patties at the start triggering Squidward’s germaphobia, or when Patrick goes feral over the patties. Character-wise, the jokes are completely overwhelming. I don’t know how you flanderise characters in their debut outings, but this manages to do that, with Ms Moneybags just being stuck up and snooty, and the kid just being a pain in Mr Krabs’ neck. This is just another case of a SpongeBob episode being far too chaotic far too often.

I don’t have many complaints with the animation. It’s expressive enough, the character designs are good, and the interior of the mansion is exquisite. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but I like the effort put into making the place large and expensive, with a neat purple/pink/gold colour scheme that almost gets the feeling of royalty across. If I had to pick on some things about the animation, it’d be with the gross-out at the start with the snotty patties. I’ve already been over why I think it’s super unappealing, so no real need to continue there. Also, I recognise some Valentine’s Day faces on Patrick when he’s rampaging, and it certainly doesn’t help the case that he has less justification to be a lunatic here.

I guess another reason the episode feels so madcap is because there are too many characters. The episode seems to focus on 6 of them, 4 of which are regulars and the other 2 being newcomers. The regulars, SpongeBob, Mr Krabs, Squidward and Patrick, are unfocused. Sure there’s more attention placed on Mr Krabs, but the other 3 end up taking screentime away from each other. I’m sure if one was removed (my vote being on Patrick, because there’s a reason he doesn’t work at the Krusty Krab), there’d be more room for the other two to breathe. In terms of the two newcomers, they’re too simple for me, their moments to shine coming too late. Ms Moneybags is just boring and snooty until she gets into the foodfight at the very end, but what seperate her from the guests who are also fighting? I’ve gone on about what I like and dislike about the little kid, but he’s just annoying at the end of the day, even when he’s funny, he’s just a botherbot built to follow Mr Krabs around.

A major problem with dark age episodes was the lack of things happening. When an 11 minute show can’t fill its runtime up, you know there’s something wrong. This episode has the polar opposite problem, of throwing way too much in your face, though I mind that a lot less. I can watch this effort and say there’s effort placed into it, even if it needs to be focused. The story has potential, but with 4 subplots can’t juggle all of them without sacrafice, and it has too many characters to balance, including new ones that end up bland. I like some of the jokes, but don’t like the others, this is an episode that adds too much to the pot. It’s what I think of when I think of an average modern episode, having the problems that hold these seasons back from being great, but I can still see the spots where it goes right.

Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Company Picnic < Krusty Katering < Food Con Castaways

Question of the Day: How excited are you for SpongeBob’s 20th anniversary?

I wonder where tomorrow’s episode places amongst the rest.
:sbthumbs:

 

[SpongeBronyPH]

Question of the Day: How excited are you for SpongeBob’s 20th anniversary?

Extremely excited as heck! I hope next year's anniversary would better than 2009.

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

SpongeBob’s Place (Season 10, Episode 5a)
Original Airdate: March 11 2017
Episode 398 in standard order, Episode 396 in airing order
Plot: Mr Krabs kicks SpongeBob out of the Krusty Krab out of jealousy
Written by Kaz

[titlecard]209A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Earl’s Revenge

There’s a time and a place to repeat episode ideas, and that’s when your show has been through another change. I know repeating ideas isn’t a good idea to some critics, especially when you’re ten seasons in and most people just want something new, but Banned in Bikini Bottom is such a Season 5 episode that it hurts. To take the concept of SpongeBob selling Krabby Patties at home and refresh it is something I admire, even if it’s never going to rival Patty Hype. It can just be a neat package in its own right, and I think SpongeBob’s Place is a fun time. It’s just a shame I’ve got other episodes to fall back on, but then again I like this one enough.

It’s a rather busy day at the Krusty Krab, and the Krustomers are all happy, though in Mr Krabs’ eyes they’re happy for the wrong reasons. They like their Krabby Patties because SpongeBob cooks them so well, to the point that they even start to worship the absorbent oddball. This makes Krabs jealous, because he’s the boss and the one with his name all over the restaurant, though people are starting to call their food the SpongeBob Patty. I think this opening’s pretty funny, because although the Krustomers are pretty simple-minded, it parodies how certain chefs are liked for their personalities more than their food, like Ainsley Harriot for example. Plus it’s just really cool seeing SpongeBob get this recognition as being what holds the Krusty Krab together.

With his eyes green with envy, Mr Krabs decides to get SpongeBob out of the Krusty Krab through any means possible. In a way, getting him out of the picture. All he has to do is trick the lad into thinking the restaurant’s haunted though, in a joke that I really love. SpongeBob’s just that gullible, but that doesn’t mean he’s dumb. When he goes home, he keeps himself preoccupied before “playing Krusty Krab” with Gary, and serving up Krabby Patties for no one in particular. The scent manages to grab the attention of people outside however, and SpongeBob starts to sell patties at his home...again. The reason I don’t find the retreading of old ground that egregious here is because the setup is different. Instead of being bullied out of the Krusty Krab or having it shut down, SpongeBob’s pushed away from his job into a better location out of his own childlike gullibility. It feels like his character’s naturally come here again, and I like that.

Who could’ve guessed that while SpongeBob’s place (called SpongeBob’s Place) becomes successful, the Krusty Krab starts to suffer? Mr Krabs can’t man the grill the same way as SpongeBob, though he tries to fool the customers by dressing up in a cardboard box with SpongeBob crudely drawn on it. Although I like the cardboard box for how thin of a disguise it is, this is my least favourite scene of the episode, as it shows just how dumb the Krustomers are, and I don’t need to see an eye in a Krabby Patty after the Appetizer. Not to mention, it’s foolish of Krabs to reveal he tricked them, because they all completely leave for SpongeBob’s Place after that.

With so many people gathered on Conch Street, it prompts Squidward to report the Health Department. It makes sense that he’d want to get rid of the smell of burgers, and the people around his house, but there’s an even more pressing issue that’s funny when addressed. Meanwhile, Mr Krabs meets up with SpongeBob and they negotiate Krabs being SpongeBob’s boss again, this time for SpongeBob’s Place. This scene gets the point across that Mr Krabs is important to SpongeBob, because he’s the tough one who can make decisions and store/spend money wisely. It makes their roles in the episode seem a bit nicer, because they’ve got a partnership going that was driven apart by Krabs’ greed, and it’s bow come back together. I’m just happy that this resolves part of the conflict instead of a talking duck on rollerskates.

The status quo is returned to normal in terms of location though, as SpongeBob’s Place is shut down. The cop’s reasoning is that it’s unsanitary to sell food in a pineapple, which really makes you think about the location and how it plays a part in the story in a funny way. Similarly, Squidward goes to the Krusty Krab for work as normal, but since it’s shut down and empty, he sings about how much he hates people in a song called “I Hate People”. It’s a really funny song, in-character for Squidward and juxtaposing his cynical worldview with the peppy Hawaiian soundtrack. The place is reopened however, but not without Mr Krabs making a change to the name to show how he accepts SpongeBob as an integral part of the Krusty Krab. All he does is put a tiny piece of paper with SpongeBob’s name on it up on the shell, and it doesn’t last long before floating away, but it’s nice seeing SpongeBob so happy and closer to his true home. I think it’s a good story that treads old ground in a couple new ways.

The story’s good, but how about the jokes? There are many I like, namely the ones I’ve already mentioned in the story, like SpongeBob being duped into thinking the Krusty Krab’s haunted and the lyrics to “I Hate People” (any detractors to that song can kiss by abs). There’s also some humourous banter strewn throughout the episode unlike other Season 10 episodes, like the fight between the cop and his sidekick, and Squidward’s reaction to Mr Krabs’ pathetic SpongeBob disguise. I also think the physical comedy’s pretty good, not being too over-the-top. SpongeBob morphing Gary’s face to look like Squidward’s great, and the Krustomers’ flattening Mr Krabs out to use as a bridge to get across the moat he makes is the most violent it gets, but it’s lampshaded with Krabs having to be in an aumblence.

These are all compliments to the comedic animations, but the more general ones are still good. I like Mr Krabs’ pupils turning into silhouettes of him kicking SpongeBob out of his space, and in general, Krabs’ eyes are pretty darn expressive. I get the sense Kaz was thinking in shapes for him like professional artists do, and crafting scenes and jokes out of that. I have my share of criticism with the animation aswell though, and that criticism is with gross-out. I get that Mr Krabs was the head chef on the S.S. Diarreha (I think), but the Krabby Patties he serves are pretty gross, and it just feels horrible when they’re chewed onscreen. Fortunately, I can understand the point they wanted to get across, and it isn’t as bad as the season’s previous gross moments.

Even the characters I think are relatable and enjoyable here. SpongeBob’s the weakest, but I can still admire how he just wants people to be happy. He seems disappointed when he remembers he served a patty platter for no one, then shoots up to the big time on his own and wants his business partner back to share the love with. It’s a simple arc and he doesn’t learn much, but it’s serviceable. I get that they want to focus the episode more on Mr Krabs, and how he learns not to be envious of SpongeBob’s fame. That’s also pretty good, if a little rough due to his meanness, but I’m thankful that there are only two characters going through something instead of six. Squidward serves as comic relief, but he’s good here, because a newcomer can tell he’s pessemistic yet eccentric from his jokes and song. Couple that with some brief joke characters from the health department, and I’d say this episode’s better with handling characters than Krusty Katering was.

In fact, it’s better in a lot of ways. I think the story has a clear point A and point B, and gets through it smoothly. It’s perhaps a bit too smooth and unsurprising, but I like me a simple episode that I can just settle down and laugh at without questioning what the heck’s going on. SpongeBob’s Place fits that criteria, with jokes that are more ironed out and refined, characterization that’s understandable and visual gags that don’t distract for more than a few seconds. I’d even say that this is one of the best episodes of the season yet, but we’re not that far through it. Oh wait, we’re almost at the halfway point.

Final Verdict: Good 7/10 (solid but not top notch)
SpongeBob LongPants < SpongeBob’s Place < Sandy’s Nutmare

Question of the Day: How do you think SpongeBob safely ate food in his house before this big plot twist?

If you’re going to wait 24 hours straight without moving for the next review, make sure you have an attractive screensaver. Until then, let’s all rise for the millennial nation anthem.
:sbthumbs:

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Plankton Gets the Boot (Season 10, Episode 5b)
Original Airdate: March 11 2017
Episode 399 in standard order, Episode 397 in airing order
Plot: Karen gets sick of Plankton’s negligence and kicks him out of the Chum Bucket
Written by Ben Gruber

[titlecard]209B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Chum Bucket Rhumba

Often when Plankton and Karen share a story, it typically plays out like a hokey sitcom but with the catch(?) of it having underwater computer jokes. Stuff like Plankton forgetting their anniversary and meeting a newer, sleeker woman have proven to be rather effective uses of generic stock plots, and this is another example. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been in a relationship yet, but getting kicked out of the house by one’s significant other is as mean-spirited as it gets. Even by sitcom standards, it’s tired, unfunny and is going to have an obvious ending that makes the opening feel needlessly sour. Just getting that out there, this isn’t as good as the usual Karen episode, but let’s strap on our boots and wade into it.

The story starts at the Chum Bucket, with Plankton and Karen getting into an argument. Karen’s got a new screensaver, but Plankton’s too busy to look at it, focusing his attention on another molecular analyser that he falls into. I can tell this one is less effective than Karen, because Plankton isn’t described by it as 99% hot gas. Their fight today is harsher than usual, and Karen ends up kicking Plankton out of the Chum Bucket, sick of his obsession with the Krabby Patty secret formula. If it took this long for her to be this sick of him, she must be a great wife. I’m honestly siding with her in this opening, because sure Plankton’s the stand-in villain for the show, but him being this aggressive towards his wife, who he’s shown affection for time and time again, is uncalled for.

Without a place to go (both in terms of living in and needing to take a wizz), Plankton tries to find places, but only thinks of one place, Mr Krabs’ anchor house, and gets one refusal. SpongeBob comes around and is happy to take him in though, and the episode turns into one of those Plankton stories. The kind where SpongeBob does his best to improve Plankton’s attitude on life, and it ends with Plankton only learning for a few seconds before going back to his evil ways. Again, I have to stress that it’s all in the presentation how this episode holds up on its own, not how it compares to what the show’s already done. This one has its own unique qualities however, with SpongeBob being much more intimate with his feelings towards Plankton, wanting to dress him up for some reason. It’s rather immature on his end, but there’s always a clear contrast between when SpongeBob’s silly and serious about reforming Plankton.

Something’s pretty fuzzy when the dress-up scenes and jokes are some of the best in the episode, because the other stuff we get in the second act SpongeBob teaching Plankton to be nice, using Patrick as a test monkey. It’s the same scenario as the goodness lessons in MM/BB III, though with less of a hook to them. We know Plankton’s not going to kill anyone like Man Ray would, and the setpieces are rather forgettable. First Plankton has to open a door for Patrick, which proves difficult due to their size difference, but then the next scene/test is just them sitting on the sofa waiting for Plankton to say something nice. The quality of the acts in this episode seems to go in waves, the intro’s sucky, then SpongeBob taking Plankton in is nice, then the goodness lessons are rather lame.

This weird quality yo-yo comes spiralling back up however, for most of the ending. Plankton concocts a hare-brained scheme to win Karen’s heart back by putting SpongeBob in a box with robotic limbs, and pretending he’s his new robot girlfriend on a date to the Chum Bucket. That makes two episodes in a row with boxes being used for disguises, and Karen can see right through it. I like how she tries to play dumb, because she thinks Plankton’s going to fall for it if he’s stupid enough to make such a silly plan, but then her mood swings kick in for the ending. Basically, she’s surprised that Plankton cooked the scheme up for her and loves him again, but then starts fighting with him again when he sees her fat screensaver. I think the writers were conflicted over whether the episode should have a happy ending or a jokey one, but the one they went with feels forced and unfocused. I’m happy the story’s got closure, but don’t like how the status quo’s restored within one line.

Noticing a pattern with Season 10’s comedy? Some jokes work, others don’t. The ones I like include Plankton trying and failing to compliment Patrick, even if it’s in a very lame scene, and SpongeBob being a robot. The monotone voice he puts on, as well as his vaguely feminine qualities and plan to print hundreds of babies with Plankton are great, and it slightly escalates when Karen plays along with the charade. The bad jokes are usually the ones I can see coming a mile away, like the door lesson, Patrick acting confused prior to said gag, and the ending. I’ll say this episode has more jokes that work than ones that don’t, even if they aren’t all hilarious.

The animation also has its pros and cons. To get the weak stuff out of the way, I don’t like how exaggerated Plankton’s molecular analyser is, particularly when he’s going through it. As for what I like, Karen’s facial expressions are funny when they come around, and I love all the references littered throughout SpongeBob’s house. It’s quite daring for them to make so many Post-Movie nods, even if they don’t make much sense. For example, I thought SpongeBob donated his whirly brain, and that Girly Teen Girl from The Slumber Party was an entirely seperate character to SpongeBob, so why does he own her costume? Still, I’m happy to see stuff like Eels and Escalators return, and for the Rocky Road ice cream from Factory Fresh to still mean something.

One of the major malfunctions here is that the main characters aren’t that interesting. I don’t really want Plankton succeed after seeing how he treats his wife, and knowing the ending where they continue fighting anyway. SpongeBob fares a bit better, doing things out of kindness, but he can get too carried away with his personal interpretation of F.U.N. Sure that’s a character flaw, but being Plankton’s guide in a way, he feels like he’s off in his own world filled with ice cream and live action kittens. It’s quite a shame the episode isn’t about Karen more, because she’s the one who acts the most rational and has the funniest part to play in the climax. Overall, the main characters aren’t anything special, and Mr Krabs and Patrick as side characters are a bit simpler than I’d like.

In short, I wasn’t feeling it as much with today’s episode. The plot gets off to a rocky start, then jumps up and down in quality too much for me to find it trustworthy. I still appreciate the bright spots in this episode as always, and the good jokes it delivers. I just think Karen and Plankton’s relationship could be more pleasant to watch, because opening and closing the episode with them fighting negates the good vibes that can come from seeing a nice couple. I feel like there needs to be an episode like Single Cell Anniversary again, where Plankton realises how much Karen means to him, because if their episodes are going to continue to be like this, one of them needs to get the boot.

Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Married to Money < Plankton Gets the Boot < Patrick! The Game

Question of the Day: How would you compliment Patrick?

It’s hard to believe I’ve wasted my life reviewing SpongeBob over 400 times now.
:sbthumbs:

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Life Insurance (Season 10, Episode 6a)
Original Airdate: March 18 2017
Episode 400 in standard order, Episode 398 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob and Patrick get life insurance, thinking it makes them invincible
Written by Kaz

[titlecard]210A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Coconut Cream Pie

Happy 400 episodes everybody! I’m stoked I’ve only got about 50 to go until I’m all caught up on the show, but let’s live in the moment, because that’s what this episode’s about. I’m happy with the Waller/Ceccareli era sensibilities when they go towards an out-there story with a need to tell crazy joke, and this is certainly one. I don’t think SpongeBob and co trying to hurt themselves has been done much before, but it’ll be done more often in more controversial ways, but this first episode is another moder STP (which I’m calling Squidstick from here on out, because the old name is crude and tired) that ticks all the right notes...aggressively.

One bipolar morning, SpongeBob very slowly and lazily gets out of bed, only to be flung around the house and getting hurt in several ways, such as getting stuck in the toaster. You know, typical Monday stuff. I’m happy that the very start in the bedroom is different however, because it’d be overwhelming to be thrust headfirst into SpongeBob’s violent situation. He has a big problem with getting hurt, but thankfully the TV’s there to help him with that, as Mr Fitz from Mrs Puff You’re Fired (you know I like Season 4 a bit too much when I recognise him without problem) gives him life insurance. I like the idea of SpongeBob interacting with his TV in a funny way, the cameo, and just how shady it is that he signs up for life insurance within 30 seconds, with practically no need for persuasion. It’s all good stuff, and the story’s possibilities soon unfold.

SpongeBob signs two life insurance policies, one for him and the other for Patrick, then admits he doesn’t know what they do. He tries to read the scribble on it, and comes to the conclusion that the policies protect them from injury, so they try hurting themselves to test how powerful they are. Like the usual, they end up hurting Squidward emotionally more than themselves, as they do very simple things like pillow fighting and falling over which disrupt his “me time”. Said “me time” is him trying on a toupé, which I have to admit looks nice on him, but easy come easy go. SpongeBob and Patrick mistake it for a sea spider and stomp on it every time they see it, which is a running gag I’m not very fond of, but it’s a small part of the episode, and only makes up about 2 or 3 jokes.

The innocent tests culminate in a more legitimate attempt to get hurt, summoning jellyfish, because they were on the show at one point. This follows a pattern of three, so I don’t find the payoff of Squidward getting stung by what they get to be horribly predictable. If anything, the episode flips a 180 from others of its kind. SpongeBob and Patrick prove what their life insurance papers are capable of by handing them to Squidward, and he turns invincible. This I can really dig, as he’s happy with the world now that it’s his oyster, his karma’s vanished into thin air, and he can be a bully without consequences. The scene I’m most impressed with is when he goes into the city and picks on a tough guy, then steals his ice cream without any remorse. It’s a satisfying change of pace, but it pushes Squidward into the wrong, and makes you wonder how this luck will be taken away from him.

Squidward gets so confident with his invulnerability that he tries out SpongeBob and Patrick’s obstacle course, the Sushi Maker, which is more a conveyor belt of agony than something he can dodge through, but I digress. Before he goes however, Mr Krabs comes around and tells SpongeBob and Patrick what life insurance really is, the money a person recieves from a loved one dying. I like how they put this educational bit in an otherwise pretty intense episode, but it has to be undermined by Mr Krabs cheering for Squidward to die (not the worst he gets this season, trust me) and Squidward failing the Sushi Maker.

What follows is about 30 seconds of complete and utter pain on his part, being crushed, pulled, burned and flattened in every concievable way, because he no longer has the power of life insurance. What I like about this ending however is that what exactly ruined Squidward’s luck is up for the viewer to decide. Was it SpongeBob nabbing the paper from him at the last minute, him and Patrick shaking the ladder and throwing Squidward off balance, the mere act of inserting logic into the cartoon, or all of the above? It’s layered and well thought out, and that’s why I think it’s a good story with definite rewatch value.

So the story’s great, and thankfully so is the comedy. It’s great when Squidward’s this happy, and they can make jokes out of his positive frame of mind, it proves that not all comedy is based on misery. Well of course SpongeBob and Patrick are concerned, Fiasco’s art his destroyed and Herbert has his day ruined, but otherwise Squidward’s loving his life and that’s all I need. It follows the classic Squidstick formula of getting Squidward into this pathetic thing he doesn’t like his neighbours doing, and making him push it so far that he snaps back into reality. Other jokes are also fantastic, like calling the obstacle course the “Sushi Maker” (remember, they’re underwater), the TV interaction at the start, and Squidward wanting SpongeBob and Patrick to get hurt harder, only to suffer the consequences. This is just the tip of the iceberg, this episode’s filled with awesome jokes with the right amount of pay-off.

About that animation, there’s a lot going on due to the increased focus on comedy, I don’t love all of it. As I said, I’m not big on the climax where Squidward’s over-punished, due to how morbid some parts of the Sushi Maker are, like when he’s flattened by coral. Still, I adore his toupé here, it gives him a flair and something to seperate this episode from others. The rest of the animation is on the dollar, with great reactions from actions, the gross stuff not being overwhelming (the germs on the ice cream clearly don’t pose a threat), and the gags presented being neat. I really like the pillow fight, because it’s a way to be violent while also insanely harmless.

For an episode such as this, I’m impressed that the characters are still in-check, at least the main ones. SpongeBob’s as naïve in an optimistic way as ever, and Patrick’s the same way only dumber. I’ve gone on and on about why I like Squidward here, but it’s good to know his karma’s still strong, as well as his ego and vainness. This episode also seems to be setting up a life for Mr Fitz, as he’s both on the board of boating and a life insurance salesman, maybe he’s a safety guy. The only character I have a problem with is Mr Krabs, who just pops into the episode, gives exposition then cheers for Squidward to die. At least he isn’t trying to kill Squidward himself, why that would be a horrendous choice to make in the story department.

To sum up, Life Insurance is loud, violent and fast-paced, but a good example of what makes SpongeBob such a great cartoon. The setup is just out-there enough to work, and it ends with a shred of intelligence as it explains what life insurance really is. It makes all the zany damage made in the episode feel like it’s going towards a slightly educational purpose, and with all those complaints years ago that SpongeBob impairs child development, that’s a good thing. Many of the characters’ roles to play are satisfying, the jokes work more than they don’t, the animation can be inspiring to very young children who understand it’s a cartoon, and it all means something. That’s part of what I need out of these modern episodes, the ability to mean something.

Final Verdict: Good 8/10 (an enjoyable if not mildly flawed episode)
Sharks VS Pods < Life Insurance < Pull Up a Barrel

Question of the Day: How would you plan to hurt yourself with this special kind of life insurance?

More episodes are going to float on by, so let’s get rid of that toupé and make this stuffy grown-up a tad more heroic.
:sbthumbs:

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Burst Your Bubble (Season 10, Episode 6b)
Original Airdate: March 18 2017
Episode 401 in standard order, Episode 399 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob invents a bubble car so he can finally get on the road without a license
Written by Andrew Goodman

[titlecard]210B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Horlepiep

Sometimes it feels like writers now pick two random things out of a hat and write an episode about them. Like old times, but with the added catch of the items having to be fused. That’s how we get drones crossed with brains, birthday parties crossed with jewerly, and I guess now cars crossed with bubbles. What makes this one even more intriguing to me is that it has a lot of the problems I’ve had with past Boating School episodes, yet manages to combine them into something coherent and funny. I guess not all rehashes are a downgrade, but we’ve got to test the stability of this episode first, and see if it’s held up over the last 18 months.

It’s time for SpongeBob to fail his boating test once again, though this time he’s in a lot more trouble for it. He’s on the highway now for whatever reason, perhaps he and Mrs Puff sped onto it through some mishap. He eventually causes a massive accident by blowing bubbles, where several people have their cars destroyed but they miraculously survive. Then my least favourite part of the episode happens and gets out of the way for the rest of it, and that’s Mrs Puff yelling at SpongeBob about how he’ll never get a boating license. Longtime fans have seen it before, even the most wide-eyed newbies can tell SpongeBob’s too wreckless to earn it, and it’s just an easy way to make Mrs Puff antagonistic so she can be puffed up for the rest of the episode. This scene’s bad, but it’s out of sight and out of mind before you can even say “unteachable”.

What follows is a couple scenes of SpongeBob seeing his friends enjoy their vehicles, Larry picking up chicks with his hot rod, Patrick playing frisbee with a broken car, and Mr Krabs washing his while dancing in Pearl’s clothes. No wonder SpongeBob cried upon seeing it, it’s quite the display. I personally find it funny for how subversive it is to see Krabs washing the car in a manner that doesn’t suit his personality, but I can see why people are grosse out by it. Anyway, SpongeBob heads to the front of his garage and blows some bubbles to calm himself down again, and comes up with the idea of a bubble car. I really like this scene, as it goes to show how atmosphere (lonely yet hopeful), location (we rarely see SpongeBob’s garage) and a character’s desires (to ride on the road) can come together and move the story forward in an interesting way.

The bubble car grabs the attention of everyone, including the traffic cop who stops him for a license. SpongeBob rebutts that he doesn’t need a license to drive a bubble (sounds familiar), and he’s not wrong. The design of the car and how you use it is too unique and different to put a restriction on. Quite a win-win too, as people start coming to SpongeBob’s door for some bubble cars of their own, and he obliges. After the depressing scene of SpongeBob seeing everyone else’s boats and feeling lonely, it’s gratifying seeing him blow some bubble cars out of the kindness of his heart. These new cars are also pretty fun to look at, examples including Plankton’s tiny monster car and Larry’s muscle car. With the episode at peak performance around here, how can the bubble burst?

They’re threatened with being popped when Mrs Puff drives on the road in her regular boat, not knowing that regular boats are now illegal as they can pop. Maybe also something about them not being as energy efficient as something that just needs air to move, but it’s never outright stated. Mrs Puff now has to go to Bubble Boating School, and be taught by SpongeBob, which is a much better way at doing the role reversal than in Summer Job, because at least SpongeBob’s skilled here. It’s a shame Mrs Puff is now the unteachable one, as not only can she not drive her bubble car so good, but she pops it, and accidentally proves how fragile bubble cars are when they gravitate towards her puffed up form and float to the surface. SpongeBob’s able to save the day by blowwing bubble pillows to save everyone, but bubble cars are still made illegal. It was a fun dream while it lasted, and SpongeBob made a very relatable error in wanting something for himself, yet not knowing the consequences of how others could break it. This is another solid story (mind the choice of words) that’s better than I expect it to be.

While not the funniest episode around, there are a couple jokes I get a kick out of. I like Mrs Puff anticipating her bubble boating teacher being SpongeBob, as if it could be anyone else. It also helps set up the table-turning and make the possibility of it more obvious, unlike a certain Summer Job. There are other jokes I like, such as how flip-floppy the cops are with what vehicles are allowed on the road, Patrick having fun with his car by throwing a frisbee at it (after rewtching Sand Castles in the Sand for an upcoming video, it’s painfully obvious that they can’t use the word “frisbee” for copyright reasons), and Plankton’s car being so small that it’s stepped on by Larry. Jokes like the latter play in the episode’s strength, which is visual design.

Speaking of which, the animation here is wonderful. The shiny quality of soap bubbles has always looked great on the show, but it’s taken to the next level in HD and with several bubble combinations to exploit. The purple and green reflection gives the bubble cars some colour that’s instantly recogniseable, and the creativity of having the cars be step/air-powered lends them a eco-futuristic vibe, if that’s a thing. I don’t know if this specific mechanic is a reference or parody to anything in particular, but getting all the fish to move in their cars makes the animation more interesting than if they just drove them like traditional cars/boats. Sorry of the car/boat-specific terminology is all over the place in this review, it’s just that I think cars powered like this could be a cool idea.

A recurring Season 10 trend seems to be that the characters are slightly less entertaining than the story they’re in, and it continues here. I don’t like Mrs Puff that much here, which is to be expected given how horrible and predictable her first moments are, but at least they play around with her puffing up with makes for some neat gags. SpongeBob fares much better, going through a respectable arc and spreading his joy to Bikini Bottom, only for things to take a 180. Sure he can be a poor teacher to Mrs Puff at the end, though he’s just inexperienced. The cops and their flip-flopping opinions on bubble cars can be funny, but either they’re just not great characters, or this is a scathing satire on how unhelpful the American police force is. I’ll let you roll those dice. Other characters like Mr Krabs and Larry just serve to flesh out the world and don’t impact the story that much, but their roles are adequate and so are their jokes.

In conclusion, this is another Season 10 episode I had more fun revisiting than I’d expect. The jokes are good, the story gradually gets more exciting and makes more sense, and I’m in love with the bubble car design and where the episode goes with it. Seriously, I expect it to be all over the place when we get to Bubble Town in a couple months. Even taking that out of the equation, this episode’s still worth a watch, and belongs in a place up there with the other good Boating School episodes. Unlike the bubble cars themselves, it’s for everybody and made to last.

Final Verdict: Good 7/10 (solid but not top notch)
Tutor Sauce < Burst Your Bubble < SpongeBob LongPants

Question of the Day: What’s the bet we’re going to see bubble cars in Bubble Town? After all, they’re only outlawed in Bikini Bottom.

I’m not gonna lie, the next episode’s title is a lie. Until then, gosh this music’s chill.
:sbthumbs:

 

[darkrage6]

Party Pooper Pants (Season 3, Episode 11)
Original Airdate: May 11 2002
Episode 101 in standard order, Episode 96 in airing order, Episode 98 in order of general release
Plot: SpongeBob hosts a House Party for all his friends
Written by Paul Tibbitt, Kent Osborne and Mark O'Hare

[titlecard]51[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Honolulu March

Here's often considered the point where Season 3 slows down in pumping out classics, or in general stops being as good. This is because there were 3 specials in the second half of its airtime, and it's a real debate over which ones are good, if any of them are at all. It just feels like they were forced out to cash in on SpongeBob's popularity, and that's no fun to think about. What is fun however is a house party. It's just a shame that neither of these examples are very fun to watch.

Patchy starts off okay, but it feels as though there's less and less good comedy as it goes on. I know people do like the joke about him sending a letter to SpongeBob and Patrick, only for a cutaway to show they're unable to read it because they're underwater and then toss it into an underwater fire, but I don't. It's not that it's offensive or mean or anything that's usually trigger a SpongeBuddy, but it just seems rather basic by SpongeBob standards. It just doesn't have enough of a punch to it to feel like a more traditional SpongeBob joke.

A few additional things about the opening Patchy scene are the piece of art that's shown at the beginning admittedly looks pretty good. I wasn't able to find any information about who made it. There's also the mermaid that he accidentally drains the water supply of. I'm not gonna complain, because they rarely do mermaid jokes, and I guess Patchy is the best place to do them because they're significantly more anthropomorphic creatures than in the cartoon. We also get to see King Neptune in live-action form. In the Classic era alone, there are 3 different depictions of King Neptune, and this is by far the strangest, as with his white beard, he looks more like the Little Mermaid variant. Also, if Neptune is yet again a merman, why does he get to stand up but the mermaid needs to sit in a pool?

As the animated segment begins, the location is Barg-N-Mart, a rarely-seen location in the SpongeBob Universe, especially after Season 3. SpongeBob annoys the cashier for a while, who's name is Lou, by getting him to sign a bunch of stuff in his record book. This is meant to set up that SpongeBob is more of a perfectionist in this episode, but that risks him being as fun as before. Instead of the optimistic child that we had come to know and love, he's an aggressive "sit-down-and-shut-up"-type character, and unlike in Can You Spare A Dime and Rock-a-Bye Bivalve, he's instigating most of the turmoil in the episode. Even if Post-Movie went way too far in the opposite direction, making him way too silly and poor-mannered for his own good, at least they got down the part where he isn't easily angered in 9 out of 10 situations.

This would be fine if the episode had a sense of humour, but there's not much in that department either. Much of this episode's comedy is too slow-paced or simply lacks an effective punchline. An example of this is the nametag joke. Patrick accidentally reads his nametag upside down, Mr Krabs corrects him by telling him what it really says, and Patrick then thinks Mr Krabs is called Patrick until the scene ends. I personally don't think that the joke did much for me. It sort of came and went, with little staying power.

After a while, the people at the party start to get fed up with SpongeBob's weak sense of fun. While trying to get today's paper, SpongeBob gets locked outside, and we get a few scenes of him trying to get back in without success. By this point, because the episode failed to sustain my enjoyment, I just sorta turn my mind off and couldn't find much in the way of interesting moments or jokes. The most I can say is that at least the joke with Larry saying into his reflection he's looking good enough to eat, and it shows that the mirror has a real lobster, is a joke.

Eventually, SpongeBob tries to break his way back in, but is stopped by the police, who eventually decide to arrest him, not because he's breaking and entering (after all, it's into his own house), but because they weren't invited. I know this is meant to be taken as a joke, but I think it lasts too long and it isn't really humourous at all. If it were a background event, like them straightening out a fire hydrant in Doing Time, that'd be good, but since this is a major plotpoint that shows SpongeBob is going to miss out on the rest of the party, it just leaves a bitter taste. Eventually, he gets back home, only to realise that without him, the party was a success, and Patrick tells him to replicate the event next week. I don't know if this is a "Here we go again" ending, or if SpongeBob silently learned that you don't always need to go by the rules, but it does feel good to be over with.

As for the second half of the Patchy segments, they continue with the unpolished sense of humour, and the second half is definitely less funny and memorable than the first. Potty hires a pack of parrots called The Bird Brains to sing at the party without Patchy's permission, and Patchy tries a couple times to get rid of them but fails. The only two parts I laughed at was were when Patchy got them to walk the plank, but forgot they were birds so they could easily fly away, as well as when Potty gives him a stick of dynamite disguised as a flute. The latter is the comedic highlight of the episode; Tom Kenny's superstitious-followed-by-frightened acting makes it stick out from the rest of the episode.

Finally, we get the sond Underwater Sun, which is my favourite part of the entire special. The visuals are all wonderfully animated and surprisingly fit with the song's rockin' tone, even if the Springer Cheeks crop up a bit too many times. The lyrics can get a bit cheesy at times, but at least the catchy instrumentals make up for it. Overall, this started a trend of them adding songs to the end of otherwise lackluster specials, so at least you there's some merit to the special, and to be absolutely fair, I'll give them that. They can still write some darn good music when they want to.

This is the first time since Valentine's Day where it was a real chore to sit through the episode. It's not boring, frustraing or even uncomfortable to watch, it's just such a generic, bland SpongeBob episode that the flaws stick out much more than they need to. The worst part about it is that, if you ignore the party theme, there's not much that seperates the animated segment from being just a weak episode. At least with Christmas Who?, it was a Christmas special. You could easily redo the Patchy segments with an instructional/robot/TV vibe, replace this with Krusty Krab Training Video/Krab Borg/As Seen On TV and it'd feel more unique.

SpongeBob Scale: Bad (It doesn't represent what SpongeBob stands for)
Numeric Scale: 4/10 (not worth your time)
Lower than: I'm With Stupid
Higher than: Valentine's Day
Current Position: #100 out of 101 (Season 3- #21 out of 21)

Question of the Day: What's your favourite SpongeBob song to originate from a special?

Fancy episode, here we come! Until then, play me out Bird Brains!
:sbthumbs:

Yeah this isn't that great of an episode, it really does feel like an 11 minute episode stretched out to 22 minutes without much reason, I like it more then The Paper/Valentine's Day, but that's really not saying very much. I did like the joke with Patchy's invitation being unreadable underwater(though that does lead to some continuity hiccups in Truth or Square, as in that special it was established that Spongebob didn't really exist as a character in Patchy's universe, whereas this special seems to suggest that he does in fact exist as a character in the live-action universe) and Patrick reading his name-tag backwards(also one interesting observation that was recently brought to my attention via TVTropes-there's a "Grog" isle in the store, which is a type of alcoholic drink). But man this episode feels like one giant missed opportunity

I can handle Spongebob being more silly in post-movie episodes, but in this episode he was a pretty big jerk, he acted more like Squidward then Spongebob with how anal-retentive he was about following that darn schedule(him cutting Squidward's cable felt especially OOC, he's not usually intentionally malicious to Squidward unless he's getting super competitive like in Employee of the Month) also the cops just randomly arresting him because he didn't invite them felt like really bad writing(say what you will about that one cop constantly ticketing Squidward in Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful, at least that was clearly a joke and not a contrived setup to move the plot along)

I do think we'll see bubble cars in some form in Bubble Town.

 

[darkrage6]

The Great Snail Race (Season 3, Episode 15a)
Original Airdate: January 24 2003*
Episode 107 in standard order, Episode 105 in airing order, Episode 106 in order of general release
*copyrighted 2002
Plot: SpongeBob trains Gary to win a Snail Race after Squidward adopts his own snail, Snelly
Written by Paul Tibbitt, Kent Osborne and Merriwether Williams (and maybe Joe Liss)

[titlecard]55A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Fight! Fight! Fight! (a)

Let me make one thing clear, Gary isn't bad as a character. It's the world around him that's hard on him most of the time, and that's why his episodes are usually lower-rated than other characters' in the SpongeBob community. The reason is because for there to be any sort of conflict for his character, like most characters, he has to be put in a situation that doesn't fit him, case in point SpongeBob training him to be in a Snail Race. The difference however is that he can't as easily escape these situations until it's too late, much less persuade his way out of them. Season 1's I Was a Teenage Gary had him being poorly treated by Squidward for a while, and Season 2's Dumped had various problems regarding its message and themes of pet abandonment. Let's see how this Season 3 episode uppers the ante.

The opening is actually rather well put together, at least until SpongeBob and Squidward actually interact. SpongeBob treats his pet without much grace, shown by him blowing a horn in his face to wake him up, but he still cares about him. Meanwhile, Squidward is merely using his new female snail, Snelly, for a race. It's never explained why Squidward wants to partake in the Snail Race. Will it grant him membership to some fancy club? Is it so he can get a different job? It could've been explained in a sentence or two but in its place is a running gag of people mispronouncing Squidward's last name, which like most stuff in this episode, wears out its welcome very soon.

This is the point where SpongeBob begins to see Squidward as some sort of competition, as Squidward constantly insults Gary by calling him things like a mutt or a mongrel. It prompts SpongeBob to get more serious with his attitude and he decides to train Gary into being a more athletic snail. The whole training montage is pretty boring to be honest. It drags on for longer than it needs to and the only thing you get out of it is that SpongeBob is an awful coach and is blowing any of Gary's chances of even being interested in the event.

During this time, Patrick decides to join in on the fuss as well and gets his own pet rock to race in the event. You get this classic Tortoise-and-the-Hare style conflict between SpongeBob, Squidward and Patrick, as the more competitive trainers are going to lose and the one lacking in energy but making up for it in overall spirit is going to win. This makes the rest of the episode feel a sbit generic, like you know that SpongeBob is going to lose now, as he neither has a willingness to see his snail succeed in the Snail Race, nor is it bred for the job. Speaking of competition, were they the only 3 people to sign up for the race? The numbers on their snails 6-8 imply otherwise, but what were the other 5 like?

Finally, the big day arrives and the stadium they're competing in is surprisingly huge. I do like the joke of one of the side-characters looking like he's the announcer, before revealing he's just a fan who broke into the announcer booth and is quickly ushered out to make way for the real announcer. However, what I don't like is the completelt drawn out wait for Lightning Larry, the older snail, to light the torch. If you remove the fact that the instrumental for "Now That We're Men" plays throughout some of it, the only joke you get out of it is "ha ha, snails are slow".

Soon after, we get the infamous race where SpongeBob yells at Gary continuously to go go go, only for Gary to take to the field, tired out, popping both of his eyes and breaking his shell like a rundown car. There have been more disgusting moments on the series, even at this point (see the Appetizer from Squilliam Returns), but this sticks out to viewers because it's happening to Gary, which is a sensitive trigger button for most SpongeBob fans, especially because of later episodes where he's treated even worse like Grooming Gary, A Pal For Gary and Pet Sitter Pat. While I won't defend this scene, I will at least add
The destruction is clearly over-the-top and cartoony, though I don't know why it had to look like a car crash, and
This is where SpongeBob sees the error of his ways and accepts that he pushed Gary too hard. Then again, it explicitly states the very problem with most Gary episodes shortly after.

SpongeBob: Oh, Gary, I'm sorry! Why didn't you just say I was pushing it too hard?!
Gary: Meow.
SpongeBob: You did? Oh, Gary, why didn't you tell me I wasn't listening?!
Gary: Meow.
SpongeBob: You did?

The ending has a few extra weak moments. Notably, Squidward laughing at Gary's misfortune. It's common for him to enjoy others' misfortune as much as we enjoy his, but not to the point of laughing at a pet breaking down like a car. The bit where Snelly and Gary fall in love, I could do without, and Sandy kicks SpongeBob in butt. You see, earlier in the episode, SpongeBob made a sexist comment, insulting Gary by comparing him to a girl, which Sandy overheard. I will admit that it's a bit funny, but nothing to watch the rest of the episode over.

This episode is another sign of the cynical direction Season 3 took, though unlike New Student Starfish, there's not much of a payoff. You see a lot of SpongeBob yelling at Gary to do well, then a bit of padding with Lightning Larry, followed by some jokes that don't have very good payoffs. Before I end the review though, I'd like to mention an abridged parody of this episode called "The Great Console Race", parodying the 8th generation of consoles with SpongeBob/Gary being Microsoft/the Xbox One, Squidward/Snelly being Sony/the PS4 and Patrick/Rocky Balboulder being Nintendo/the Wii U. Although ironic now considering Nintendo came dead last this generation, it's a bit more enjoyable because SpongeBob is portrayed as much more of a villain, depending on how you view Microsoft. Personally, I see Sony as the biggest and the best at making experiences, Nintendo is the best at giving the player worlds to explore and have fun in, and Microsoft is the best at beating dead horses.

SpongeBob Scale: Bad (doesn't represent what SpongeBob stands for)
Numeric Scale: 4/10 (not worth your time)
Lower than: Party Pooper Pants
Higher than: Valentine's Day
Current Position: #106 out of 107 (Season 3- #26 out of 27)

Question of the Day: Of the 3 current video game console manufacturers, which is your favourite?

I have a good feeling the next episode is going to be better. Until then, here's the aforementioned abridged video. It also conveniently gives you an idea of what I'm talking about as you can watch most of the episode for yourself.
:sbthumbs:

Gotta disagree on this one, I personally think this was a decent episode, I liked the running gag with Squidward's last name, Sandy randomly kicking Spongebob's butt, "Lightning Larry" and I thought the Gary and Snellie moment was cute, and a nice bit of karma for Squidward, which is balanced out by Patrick doing the surprisingly thoughtful gesture of engraving the trophy to Squidward(even if he did mess up his last name). As for the whole "Gary acting like a car" thing, that was intended to be a NASCAR reference as those races are often derided for being boring and only exciting when somebody crashes(hence the crowd cheering when Gary crashes and explodes). Though since NASCAR is only really popular in middle America(not so much on the coasts), I can understand why that went over your head(it certainly went over mine the first time I saw the episode) I actually didn't know who was going to win the first time I saw the episode and the ending kind of did surprise me(I thought Rocky was going to turn out to be a snail who just looked like a rock) so I personally wouldn't call the story generic, as it ended differently then most of those "Tortoise and the Hare" types of stories typically do.

I do get the dislike for this and other Gary centered episodes like Cent of Money, Pet Sitter Pat and A Pal for Gary, but I personally still find them enjoyable enough.

I definitely prefer Microsoft over Sony at the moment, especially with how Sony dragged their feet in enabling crossplay for Fortnite(resulting in a lot of Epic accounts getting screwed over as a result, plus let's not forget Sony's really weak mod-support for Bethesda games compared to Microsoft). Don't have much love for Nintendo right now with how badly they treat Youtubers who want to cover their games (at least not without signing their rights away to Nintendo's complete rip-off Youtube program that is) and how much of a complete joke their online service is compared to Xbox Live. Microsoft is in general much more consumer friendly, Sony would be more akin to Squidward with how arrogant they are right now.

A few things that I should bring up are that SpongeBob describes his bike as a "chick magnet". It's unsure whether this means anything about chickens, though that would be a great twist, it's kinda wierd hearing SpongeBob say that of all characters.
:sbthumbs:

This is what a "chick magnet" is:https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chick%20magnet

Born Again Krabs (Season 3, Episode 16a)
Original Airdate: October 4 2003*
Episode 109 in standard order and airing order, Episode 108 in order of general release
*copyrighted 2002, released on DVD January 28 2003, aired in Germany September 22 2003, set in October 2001
Plot: Mr Krabs dies, but is resurrected by the Flying Dutchman
Written by Paul Tibbitt, Kent Osborne and Merriwether Williams

[titlecard]56A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Kerry Polka

I guess one of the reasons the last episode, Mid-Life Crustacean was such a big hit for me was because money is never brought up. For a Mr Krabs episode, that's something of a neccesity, and when you take away the concept of getting richer, Mr Krabs definitely feels like more of a fleshed out and well-meaning character. So as you can imagine, I didn't have high hopes for "the episode where Mr Krabs sells SpongeBob for 62¢". But before I can tell you that plot point, I have to tell you this plot point.

The beginning, while gross, is still okay. Near the end of an ordinary day at work, SpongeBob discovers a nasty patty lost to time underneath the grill, and he, Squidward and Mr Krabs get into an weeks-long feud over whether they should throw it away of feed it to a customer. For one, a patty's a patty no matter how spoiled, but on the other hand, it's driving away customers. I won't bark about how Mr Krabs isn't scared of a rotten patty like he was in Patty Hype. After all, this is the same season that had him and SpongeBob intentionally taint a Krabby Patty to get back at a health inspector. The gross mouldy patty is definitely disgusting, but the less you think about it, the less sickened you are by it. After all, this is before whole episodes centred on gross-out, save for Something Smells.

At last, Mr Krabs eats the bad patty, and is promptly rushed to hospital where it's implied he'll die. Keep in mind that I said it's only implied. The doctor looks at the chart and screams away in terror, and later the Flying Dutchman comes and takes him to Davy Jones' Locker, which is essentially Bikini Bottom's underworld. I don't know why they flat-out say Mr Krabs would die, as they've gotten away with death talk before in episodes like Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost and Nasty Patty, which makes this episode stand out all the more.

Speaking of whichm the Flying Dutchman's back and he's still pretty funny. I've explained before that I adore his mood swings and how he's sometimes maniacal and sometimes casual, and for his appearances in this episode, he delivers on that front. There's a great bit where Mr Krabs tries to save himself by calling himself Harold Flower, and the Flying Dutchman goes to the receptionist for help on where Mr Krabs is, only to discover Mr Krabs was lying. This is one of the few jokes in the episode that I really enjoy, as the rest of the episode is more story-driven, and although it's not a terrible story, it's got some holes that need patching up.

First of all, the Flying Dutchman takes Mr Krabs to Davy Jones' Locker, and there's a gag about how it's really just his horribly-stenchy sock drawer, which is fine. Converesly, at least they explain the reason Krabs is getting such a harsh punishment, his cheapnees. Aside from one lin before they go to Davy Jones' Locker however, it's not brought up until Mr Krabs begs to be brought back to life and become more generous. I think it would've made his resurrection and willingness to be more generous more effective, instead of just having it being mentioned in passing.

Eventually, Mr Krabs begs to be brought back to life, and reunites with the Krusty Krew before reopening the Krusty Krab with a more optimistic, generous policy. The whole scene lends itself a "what could possibly go wrong?" feeling, and sure enough, things go wrong when Mr Krabs goes bankrupt. Given how rich he was in advance, it makes you wonder when exactly he ran out of money. I dunno why Mr Krabs' excuse was he thought he was dreaming of all things, after all he wanted a second chance at "life". But that's not important, the important thing is that Mr Krabs immediately begins valuing the profit again, getting rid of everything generous that made his customers happy, and before the Flying Dutchman appears again, all the customers have vanished, if not just for dramatic liberties involving just having the Flying Dutchman and the Krusty Krew talk things out.

This leads to the infmamous climax where Mr Krabs sells SpongeBob to the Flying Dutchman for 62¢ (equivalent to 85¢ in today's money). On the negative side of things, this is a key moment in Mr Krabs' character exaggeration. Sure he's saving himself from death, but this is sacrificing SpongeBob's life in the process. On the plus side, he does learn his lesson, and the absorbent oddball appears to be too much for the Flying Dutchman to handle. On the negative side of things again however, I have two criticisms.

For one, is the second time in the episode Mr Krabs cries to bail himself out of something, which makes him look like a begging loser. Secondly, I thought the Flying Dutchman lived on his ghostly ship, not in the Underworld. How would locking the little motor mouth in the closet have any effect on him, unless they forgot he lived somewhere else for this episode alone? They also flip-flop between his real home Post-Movie, with him living on his ship in Ghost Host (Season 4), and in the Underworld again in The Curse of Bikini Bottom (Season 7). It's a screw-up, but since the Flying Dutchman is a minor character, I guess there's nothing at stake here.

Not a bad episode, but certainly not a very good one. I wouldn't say Mr Krabs is painted in an unsympathetic light, but he's rather portrayed as an idiot who lacks common sense. The Flying Dutchman saves this from being a trainwreck, but with him out of the picture, this is anothr episode that focuses a bit too much on telling a story, and a rather uneven and uninspired one at that. While Mr Krabs doesn't come off as grossly out-of-character, it's pretty sad seeing him beg like a loser over doing something wrong twice in the same episode. That isn't the no-nonsense tough crab I know.

SpongeBob Scale: Average (just in the middle)
Numeric Scale: 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Lower than: Squid On Strike
Higher than: Dumped
Current Position: #102 out of 109 (Season 3- #27 out of 29)

Question of the Day: Though this isn't my example, when do you think Mr Krabs' greed went too far?

Join me next time as we look at the great indoors. Until then, you must not know who Davy Jones is.
:sbthumbs:

I don't think crying makes someone a "loser" and considering how Krabs acted in "Clams" him crying over losing Spongebob seems perfectly in character for him, just cause a character is tough does not mean they can't cry once in a while.

 

[Pugs4Thugs]

Question of the Day: What’s the bet we’re going to see bubble cars in Bubble Town? After all, they’re only outlawed in Bikini Bottom.

I think it's pretty likely, at least I hope so. I love seeing continuity nods in this show.

 

[darkrage6]

Krabby Land (Season 3, Episode 17a)
Original Airdate: April 3 2004*
Episode 111 in standard order, Episode 114 in airing order, Episode 116 in order of general release
*like the rest of the season at this point, copyrighted 2002
Plot: Mr Krabs tries to get money off children during their Summer Break
Written by Paul Tibbitt, Kent Osborne and Mark O'Hare

[titlecard]57A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Disneyland

This episode shares many of its problems with other Season 3 episodes, I wouldn't want to bore you with having to read the same words again, and I wouldn't want to bore myself by typing them again. As we're in the home stretch of Season 3, most of what I would say here would sound rather repetitive, so I'll limit discussion and analysis to the most important moments.

Firstly, SpongeBob is the best aspect of this episode. He delivers some of the episode's best lines and is the only character of the episode who's actually happy to be there for the sake of being happy. Squidward only appears a handful of times and is as bored as ever, Mr Krabs is only in it for the money, and the children are pretty feisty little tykes. Perhaps a little too feisty. Given they're what, 6-7 years old, I'm sure they'd be entertained by SpongeBob's bubble-blowing at the least, not booing him until he gets hurt.

Furthermore, the montage of SpongeBob hurting himself to keep the kids stalled, while entertaining, is a bit backwards in just how much pain SpongeBob gets himself in. On one hand, durig the montage, there's barely a scratch on him, but when he goes to see Mr Krabs, who's counting the money, he's covered in bruises and partly disfigured, before very quickly returning to normal. It's easy to tell that they wanted to make SpongeBob look more hurt at different points, but it doesn't do a very good job of it.

Finally, I'll talk about Mr Krabs in this episode. He's much greedier here than he was in earlier episodes. It's hard to even say he identifies the children as individual fish, but rather a swarm of money. There's not much of a reason for him to want so much money either. However, in all honesty, he does get what's coming for him, plus he doesn't appear in the episode as often as you'd think. I think the latter keeps this from becoming a The Cent Of Money scenario, where you hate him so much that even the most satisfying payoff possible doesn't make up for anything.

And there's my very short review of Krabby Land. The worse episodes of Season 3 just aren't that fun to talk about anymore. Even here, I brushed through all the points I needed to. It's not that this episode is boring or anger-inducing or anything like that, it's just another stale, flawed Season 3 episode that really shows the series' growing age once more.

SpongeBob Scale: Average (just in the middle)
Numeric Scale: 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Lower than: Naughty Nautical Neighbours
Higher than: Nature Pants
Current Position: #100 out of 111 (Season 3- #27 out of 31)

Question of the Day: Should this review be rewritten in the future? It was pretty short and I just don't get the feel for the episode itself at this point.

The next episode we watch will be a pretty campy one. Until then, title card music, because I'm just so stumped on what to say about this episode.
:sbthumbs:

I think you should re-write that review in the future(if you have not already).

I think it's a pretty good episode, something you might not have realized it that it's meant to be a Take That towards McDonald's(that's what Mr Krabs line about "cheap playground and talentless clowns" was referencing) Spongebob's pain montage was pure gold, and the "Money children" running gag was pretty good, plus I got a kick out of how cheap Krabby Land was.

Younger kids can be real jerks at times so you'd be surprised at how true their behavior in this episode is, some of the younger scouts I had to deal with in Boy Scouts made the kids in this episode look like angels.

 

[darkrage6]

The Sponge Who Could Fly (Season 3, Episode 19)
Original Airdate: March 21 2003*
Episode 115 in standard order, Episode 107 in airing order
*copyrighted 2002, released on DVD March 4 2003
Plot: SpongeBob tries to fly with the jellyfish, but is scolded for following his dreams
Written by Paul Tibbitt, Kent Osborne and Merriwether Williams

[titlecard]59[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Screen Heroes (a)

This right here is Nickelodeon's first SpongeBob ratings trap. Essentially, they hyped this up as a "Lost Episode" which had recently been found by Nickelodeon. Several problems with this. One, it's not the final episode of Season 3 in either standard or airing order, and I feel like they should've aired all the late Season 3 episodes in 2003, then have this air as a special event after the movie, probably in 2005. Two, it was already released on VHS and DVD 2 weeks prior, so I had no idea what they were thinking. Three, like Party Pooper Pants, if you remove the Patchy stuff, there's nothing preventing this from being your run-of-the-mill episode, only worse. Usually I don't try and think of the advertising of an episode, because this is all done in retrospect, but when the episode itself is tied to the gimmick, that's a problem.

Speaking of Patchy, his segments here are on par with Party Pooper Pants. Not neccessarily bad, but there isn't much to them aside from making Patchy even less mature than he was in the last 3. I have no idea if watching so much SpongeBob had gotten to his head, or it was stress from having lost the lost episode, but I feel like they went overboard with how silly Patchy is here, particularly at the playground (why didn't he go straight to the treasure?) and his tantrum upon being disappointed by the lost episode. There are a few fine jokes, like when the treasure chest has a man with the mining helmet inside holding the VHS for little to no reason, and Patchy's tantrum playing in reverse when he discoveres the "real" lost episode is about to start, but they're few and far between.

The two best moments in the Patchy segments are related to the show itself. Firstly the "Remembering SpongeBob" montage, which is simply a pleasure to watch. It's really great getting to see all those old scenes again, set to a beautiful score to remind you just how much SpongeBob made you smile. Then there's the infamous "cheap walk cycle". Many have said this is their least-favourite part of the special, but personally, it's a favourite of mine. Not only is the music surprisingly catchy, but the walk cycle is animated well, and they get a variety of different poses and looks out of this one piece of footage. It's astonishing that what was intended to be a complete waste of time ended up being so fun for me to watch.

As a sidenote before we get into the episode, did anyone notice that the TV Monitor read Episode 118 before playing the SpongeBob segment? I don't know whether this means Patchy's material counts as individual episodes, technically making the next two Episode 119 and 120 respectively, or if there was another Episode 115 that was shelved and this was a quick attempt to fill the 59th half hour slot. Given that the animation is somewhat different from the rest of Season 3, I'm a bit conflicted. The sky's darker, some of the textures such as SpongeBob's Pineapple House are brighter, and SpongeBob himself has bigger eyes, much like Season 4. Heck, he even looks different from his walk cycle model. I'm sure if there were a 4th Pre-Movie season produced alongside the movie, most episodes would look like this.

Now we can begin the episode, which starts off alright, albeit somewhat similar to Nature Pants from Season 1. SpongeBob is at Jellyfish Fields jellyfishing, when he feels like he should find a way to fly with the jellyfish, even singing a song about how he wishes he could fly. Note that this is a wish to fly with them as opposed to living with them. He starts off with methods that had already been done over the past centuries, a homemade airplane and a levitating pool chair among others. While not too entertaining, for the levitating pool chair the punchline was a bit obvious, they're harmless.

What isn't harmless however is how the town decides that SpongeBob is a pariah by everyone in town (except for maybe Patrick) for wanting to follow his dreams of flying. I'm not going to go over how this is too mean for SpongeBob, because there can always be worse, but it's a confusing set of events. They're laughing at him because he wants to fly, but then when he says it's a dream of his to do so, they all turn against him and chase him with pitchforks and torches. A little excessive, don't you think? What changed about the mood in a few seconds to make it so dreams can simply never be fulfilled in Bikini Bottom?

Here's another problem. SpongeBob was ridiculed for being compared to a bird, but while he's getting chased by the town, he falls into trucks of mud and feathers, making him now look like a bird. I know it's supposed to further show the metaphor, but wouldn't it have made more sense for them to be so harsh on him if he were, for instance, acting like a bird before something snapped him out of it? There's also the fact that, aside from Old Man Jenkins once, he doesn't hurt anybody but himself in his various attempts at flying.

Later, while cleaning himself in the bathroom, he puts his hairdryer in his pants pocket (btw, SpongeBob has blond hair which he combs into the top of his head, which I find pretty interesting) causing him to levitate, meaning that he can now fly. Here's what I don't get. Exactly when and how he can fly using his pants contradicts itself sometimes. It seems that he can automatically deflate them, but how can he automatically reinflate them without the need for his hairdryer? It may be a nitpick, but at least bringing up the hairdryer again would add a bit more sense.

Anyways, SpongeBob is finally free to fly with the jellyfish…except he's not because all the townspeople want him to save the day with his flying abilities. At first he's genuinely saving lives, but soon they're flat-out stalling and annoying him. Aside from saving them from mortal danger, because that's just nice, SpongeBob doesn't owe them anything, especially because half the time, he doesn't even need to fly to do half the tasks he does. I'm sure the point is to get SpongeBob frustrated enough so he'll have to run away, but when we take earlier scenes into account, it doesn't make a lick of sense why SpongeBob didn't go to Jellyfish Fields sooner.

Eventually, SpongeBob does try flying away, but is chased by the town because they still want him to do mundane tasks for them. What this signifies is they don't care about SpongeBob. They used him to their advantage and didn't care about his dreams so much as his power, and that isn't fun to see, and you can barely get humour out of it. They use Old Man Jenkins, who's now a canonball daredevil, after being a sailor, who destroys SpongeBob's pants before he can get to Jellyfish Fields. Furthermore, I don't like his random catchphrase, "I knew nothing good would come from city folk and their flying machines", because it doesn't even apply to the latter two times he uses it.

In the end, SpongeBob gets to fly with the help of the jellyfish, which at least softens some of the worse elements of this special, but it's a bit ruined by the fact that the townspeople are mourning the death of his pants. Let's think rationally here for a second, if this really did air as the last episode of the show (the Krusty Krab is not mentioned so it can be assumed that SpongeBob has become manager of its successor), then this could be a metaphor for the ending of SpongeBob SquarePants. Ouch. Anyway, there's an admittedly funny final joke where Patrick asks SpongeBob if he wants to go out, SpongeBob declines, and then Patrick flies away without any aid. It's random, but it just works.

The ending Patchy segment, which has him having trouble with the remote and accidentally destroying the tape, is actually pretty heartbreaking if we're looking at this realistically. Patchy, the only SpongeBob fan known to hold this ultra-rare VHS of a lost episode (by ultra-rare, I mean only known copy), with his pet parrot and a random mariachi band ridiculing him to tears. And lastly, I think the French Narrator telling the viewers to "get lost", while still a joke, isn't that nice. It shows just how much of the show's optimism and overall sense of joy had been drained towards the end of this season.

Overall a rather manipulative and cynical special. If you look past the advertising campaign for this episode, the only things it has going for it are the songs, which are nice but no Ripped Pants or Without You, and the shenanigans with the townspeople which aren't fun to sit through. I'm not going to pretend it's some massive let-down that ruined the series, after all Party Pooper Pants was a little bit worse, but it makes me glad that the show continued after this in some strange way, because if this were intended to be the finale for the Pre-Movie seasons, it's a bad one.

SpongeBob Scale: Bad (doesn't represent what SpongeBob stands for)
Numeric Scale: 4/10 (not worth your time)
Lower than: The Great Snail Race
Higher than: Party Pooper Pants
Current Position: #113 out of 115 (Season 3- #34 out of 35)

Question of the Day: What do you think of the Walk Cycle?

This season has been out to get SpongeBob's butt, but what about his neck? Until then, just remember the good old days.
:sbthumbs:

I thought this special was OK, yeah the townsfolk were jerks, but I loved Old Man Jenkins and the Mariachi Band Button. I couldn't really take the ending too seriously because of how over-the-top it was.

SpongeGuard on Duty (Season 3, Episode 1b)
Original Airdate: March 21 2002*
Episode 82 in standard order, Episode 91 in airing order, Episode 93 in order of general release
*copyrighted 2001
Plot: SpongeBob is mistaken for a lifeguard by Larry, but then realises he can't swim
Written by Jay Lender, Sam Henderson and Mark O'Hare

[titlecard]41B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Surfin' Summer (b)

This is one of the earlier SpongeBob episodes to get a DVD named after it, and you can really tell it has that early 2000s Summer vibe from the background music, the clothes of the beach-goes, and how it cashes in on the fact that SpongeBob is a sea character (a show about water is going to encourage kids to go and have a dip themselves). However, does it hold up as well as it did 15 years ago? This is one of those episodes that doesn't get itself into that much hot water (or goo), though I've not considered it very good over the years. Is that about to change?

It opens just the way you'd expect a beach-themed SpongeBob episode to at this point (considering how this is one of the last for a long while, that makes me feel warm in some apprehensive way), with SpongeBob and Patrick chilling at the beach, until they notice Larry being a lifeguard (never established earlier, but it's okay considering he's one of the more flexible characters, as he doesn't appear often). SpongeBob and Patrick both share their thoughts on the position of lifeguard.

SpongeBob, being SpongeBob, sees the positives in it as he gets to have a good time on the beach as well as have a high street cred (or sand cred, whichever you prefer), but Patrick sees the negatives, in that they're annoying, ugly and are essentially a living equivalent to the "NO FUN ALLOWED" meme. Of course Patrick's negativity is a vital part to this episode's rewatchability, because the first time around, you'd share SpongeBob's optimisim and see being a lifeguard as the best job in the world. Upon a second watch, you'd realise that Patrick's opinion of being "helpful" would've made SpongeBob quit had Larry guarded a life before SpongeBob got hit by the flying ice-cream truck.

On that, I should note that Season 3's sense of humour is much more surreal than the last 2. I mean you've got the flying ice-cream truck here, then you have Squidward exploding from eating Krabby Patties in Just One Bite, Wet Painters, which is an "exaggeration Heaven" of an episode, Squilliam Returns, which has those Herman's Head-like sequences inside SpongeBob's brain, and the ending of I Had An Accident. It dies back down to early Season 2 levels towards the end of the season, but this "Denser and Wackier" humour is definitely accepted by me, for the most part. It's like the writers had a better grasp on the fact that they were making a cartoon and used it to their advantage.

Anyway, SpongeBob gets vanilla ice cream on his nose, and Larry mistakes it for sunscreen, and that instantly makes SpongeBob a lifeguard. You know how I accepted the change in humour "for the most part"? Well there are times in Season 3 where it gets a little too stupid for my liking. Larry, being one of the more mature characters, should've been smarter than to think "white liquid on the nose instantly = lifeguard" (if that were the case, prostitutes would be great at beaches), as it would've saved some hassle and SpongeBob wouldn't have to go through the whole "liar revealed" story, which is rare to find in SpongeBob but still not fun to sit through, even in genuinely good instances like A Bug's Life and Rango. It just makes us feel bad that the main character's lost a reputation he's been building up, though it's little more acceptable in TV because it's not the only time you'll be seeing the characters. And believe me, They'll Never Stop The SquarePants!

Because it's a "liar revealed" story, you can basically guess where everything goes and the notes it hits. Character has a good time (the montage)- Check. A conflict opens up (SpongeBob can't swim)- Check. Conflict averted for a while (SpongeBob preventing fish from going in the water)- Check. Conflict then fights back, causing the main character to have to pay the price (Patrick accidentally going into the water)- check. I'm not saying that it's so predictable that it's unwatchable, but I can think of better ways to handle a story where SpongeBob becomes a lifeguard.

Another problem I have with the episode is when SpongeBob uses a boat to save Patrick, but then he dismantles it through sheer stupidity. Aside from Valentine's Day, this is one of the first times that Patrick's lack of karma is rather irritating. SpongeBob was just using an alternate method to save his life, and considering how much worse things have gotten since 2002 with drowning at the beach, a lifeboat, or any boat for that matter, is an infinitely more efficient way to save him than to jump into the water yourself and risk having two people drown. Furthermore, a way to make Patrick's mistake seem less annoying is if he tipped the boat over. It'd still be unfunny, but at least it'd be 5 seconds shorter.

Also, he could read in Sailor Mouth (and I'm sure other instances), but not here. I don't know about you guys, but I think Flanderization Friday is coming early this season.

If there's one thing I'd give this episode major props for doing, it's making SpongeBob likeable through and through. Of course he got himself into a situation he wasn't prepared for, and he panicked, that's an understandable thing for him to do. When you're playing with the fate of people who want to have a good time, would you let them have fun with the consequence of dying, or keep them locked but ensure their safety? Considering how frightened SpongeBob was of the activities happening in the water (including Scooter getting his head bashed several times, wait didn't he die? Maybe he's still a ghost and can't feel the pain), that's a justified action.

The reason I've been talking more about the plot than the comedy is because this isn't the funniest episode around. The wittiest it got was SpongeBob's words of denial being interspliced between Patrick's pleas for help, as well as the offended sea serpent. It's something you don't expect even upon rewatch. It's still a fine episode, but it had a few annoying things that could've been ironed out after another rewrite. There's not really much more to say pther than I wish Jellyfish Hunter or Pressure was the episode to get top billing on the Summer 2004 DVD/VHS release.

SpongeBob Scale: Average (just in the middle)
Numeric Scale: 6/10 (flawed but not that bad)
Lower than: Neptune's Spatula
Higher than: Bubble Buddy
Current Position: #69 our of 82 (Season 3- #2 out of 2)

Question of the Day: If you were to become a lifeguard, without the added problem of not being able to swim, would you decline the offer, or would you be Ready like Freddy in a Sweaty Beddy with Betty?
0-0 That got sexual quickly.

Joing me next time as we tackle the Seinfeld of SpongeBob- an episode about nothing. Until then, play me out Glory of YouTube remixes.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r-980G0SPd0
:sbthumbs:

This episode actually did lead to a kid saving someone's life if you can believe it:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spongebob-helps-boy-save-friend-from-drowning/

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Plankton Retires (Season 10, Episode 7a)
Original Airdate: March 25 2017
Episode 402 in standard order, Episode 400 in airing order
Plot: After many failed attempts at obtaining a Krabby Patty/the secret formula, Plankton finally retires
Written by Mr Lawrence

[titlecard]211A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Unknown Track 1

Sure he does. SpongeBob is a show that’s immune to in-universe change. The animation and style of comedy may evolve in different ways, but the show’s got a comfortable consistency to its world. This is why episodes that raise the stakes for change too high are so predictable. Of course we know Sandy’s not going to leave Bikini Bottom or Patrick’s not going to stay smart, but it’s the story they craft around those stakes that make the episode great. All Plankton Retires has going for it is the shock value of it being where Plankton finally gives up evil, but even that’s incorrect because New Leaf did the same thing with more weight and emotion.

This failure of a plot starts with a string of failures by Plankton to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula, as usual. He first uses a robotic seahorse to get to the Krusty Krab, but doesn’t use it to get the formula as he gets his jetpack on anyway during the actual retrieval. As it turns out, Mr Krabs place a picture of an open safe in front of the closed safe, and Plankton runs into it. This would be fine, but then we get many more attempts that lessen the effect of the opening scene, and not all of them are creative. I like Plankton using his antennae as a propellor to fly away with a Krabby Patty, but him getting stung by jellyfish and then going inside someone’s stomach where Mr Krabs is also hiding are useless and overly random scenes respectively. They all have the same punchline aswell, of Mr Krabs just saying “gotcha!” when Plankton fails. It doesn’t add anything and isn’t funny enough to close the scenes out.

Not wanting to deal with the stench of failure anymore, Plankton finally gives up and packs his things up. It results in this drab scene where he disconnects Karen then buries the Chum Bucket, which only serves to hammer in a point that’s going to be written off at the end of the episode, no matter how depressing they make the scenario. It’s even worse here, because it makes absolutely no sense in the context of the ending, but more on that in a moment. Plankton’s totally retiring guys, and he’s totally getting on a bus to Dullsville where he’ll check himself into an old folks’ home. I’ll give credit to the writers not heading to Shady Shoals for the upteenth time, but Dullsville doesn’t seem like the sort of place you’d want to spend half your episode, nor is it that different from Bikini Bottom.

Of course Mr Krabs doesn’t buy that Plankton’s given up, and follows him to the City of Dullsville. This is clearly treading the same ground as New Leaf, with Krabs being proven right all along, yet we’re supposed to see him as a bully for insisting the worst for most of the arc. It didn’t totally work in New Leaf, but it’s worse here because the story’s hardly trying to manipulate you. Even more of a pain still is that SpongeBob’s in tow just to doubt him, and that Krabs has another annoying catchphrase, “I’ll believe it when I sees it”. They try to throw in a couple retirement jokes for Plankton to sell you on him being retired, but I really don’t care, because this story’s trying too hard to play with me.

Sure enough, it ends with a Shyamalan twist, as if someone knew the story wasn’t good so they just broke it apart. As it turns out, the Plankton who’s gone to Dullsville is actually a robot that kept SpongeBob and Mr Krabs distracted while Plankton obtained the formula. Then it turns out those SpongeBob and Mr Krabses were also robots, so we just followed these robot characters for no reason while the main characters did nothing. Even then, the plot get much messier because how can Plankton be talking to Karen on his headset if Karen’s shut down? How can the robot Plankton get crushed by a tennis ball without breaking, and how can the robot SpongeBob get sick? The answer to these is “because funny”, but this wasn’t trying to be a funny story for the most part, so why throw in this random access ending?

When I say this episode’s story isn’t that funny, I mean it’s flip-flopping between comedic and serious so much that I don’t know when to watch it at face value. In general, the slapstick is overbearing here. Sure Plankton gets crushed and hurt a lot, but I don’t like it when he’s stung by jellyfish due to how stiff his reactions are, or him at the old folk’s home being crushed by a tennis ball, mostly due to the sound direction, Plankton’s agonising screams and just how boring everything else about the scene’s supposed to be. As for some of the jokes I found entertaining, I like the news team broadcasting Plankton’s first scheme live on TV, and how the robots become self-aware at the end about how dumb the story is and just decide to hang out in Dullsville. I’m sure the weaker elements of the story were leading up to that, though it’s at the very end and the robots end up exploding anyway.

When I don’t like the visual gags in a Waller/Ceccareli episode, what good can I say comes out of the animation? A couple other elements like the detail for sure, but otherwise the episode hasn’t got much of a catch asthetic-wise. Thankfully there are things I like about the episode, particularly in the City of Dullsville (I keep saying that to hint at an upcoming project). I like the interior of the old folks’ home, and how there’s a random stock background during the robotic good times montage. They’re things that the average viewer will take for granted, though an animation buff like myself will notice and appreciate. Otherwise, the most notable thing is the lack of acid in the stomach scene, which is less realistic but gives Mr Krabs and Plankton more room to act.

The fatal flaw to this episode is that characterization doesn’t mean anything. Not just because of the twist that they’re robots, but also because the story sets itself up to have no consequence. Plankton sets up this big retirement scheme, but we’re not supposed to know that until the last two minutes. It’s like a magician saying he’s going pull a rabbit out of his hat, when really he pulls out a string of hankies, it’s a lie that isn’t funny or interesting, but either route they go down is predictable. Mr Krabs also feels rather stubborn and arrogant here, but only because he’s seen Plankton pull this sort of trick 11 years ago, and he somehow falls for it. Then again, it may just be the newly built robot who needs to learn this lesson. I don’t know, this twist ruins whatever the episode was trying to do with its characters.

This is perhaps the worst episode of Season 10 yet, and it’s telling that its current nadir is when it’s attempting to tell an important story. Then it just decides to pull a 180 at the end, and sure the ending doesn’t totally damage all stories, but this one is about how useless everything is. I’ll admit that some jokes are funny and that the opening montage has highs and lows, but the positives are overshadowed by a story that just didn’t need to he told. I should point out that I enjoy the Waller/Ceccareli era’s originality as much as the next guy, so when I criticise these sorts of episodes, it’s because I want to see them improve and animate something that’ll resonate after 20 years like the old episodes. It hasn’t been 20 months, and hardly anyone remembers or cares about this “massive change, but psyche they’re robots” mess.

Final Verdict: Bad 4/10 (not worth your time)
Mutiny on the Krusty < Plankton Retires < Code Yellow

Question of the Day: What’s the brief status quo-changing episode that impressed you the most?

At least tomorrow’s episode is more aware of its stupidity before it even starts. Until then, good times in the good part of the bad episode.
:sbthumbs:

This episode actually did lead to a kid saving someone's life if you can believe it:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spongebob-helps-boy-save-friend-from-drowning/

Stuff like that’s absolutely fascinating. It shows that SpongeBob’s not just an influential show, it’s saved lives.

 

[darkrage6]

Gotta disagree on Plankton Retires, I thought it was quite a good episode. But i'll save my full thoughts on it for another time(i'm in the process of rewatching the show, and I haven't even started on season 4 yet).

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Trident Trouble (Season 10, Episode 7b)
Original Airdate: March 25 2017
Episode 403 in standard order, Episode 401 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob obtains King Neptune’s trident by mistake
Written by Ben Gruber

[titlecard]211B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Maiden’s Dance (a)

We’re going a little more Greek for this adventure. This is another episode that features the king of the sea himself, Neptune, in one of his best outings yet. That’s showering him with faint praise after The Clash of Triton, but it’s nice seeing him again, and rather interesting that the stakes are once again raised pretty high for Bikini Bottom. The storytelling here is rather traditional, having a lot of classical tropes that are hard for a modern audience to understand, so this is a difficult episode to review. It has an atmosphere distinct from the rest of the series, and with that comes some consequences, some of them making the episode a unique experience, others making me wish it was more straightforward.

The differences start right on the title card, where the Greek Chrorus introduces itself. Throughout the episode, they provide context and commentary on what’s going on, like what Greek chrouses would do in classical plays. While they certainly add something to the episode, they’re not always necessary, often just coming in to tell you how idiotic SpongeBob is. Anyways, the story kicks off with King Neptune battling a Kraken, showing off his powerful trident, before SpongeBob distractedly bumps into him with his spatula and the two objects fall to the ground. They both accidentally pick up the wrong thing, and it’s pretty dumb that they make a mistake like that and don’t realise it until the climax, and the Greek Chorus telling us this is stupid certainly doesn’t help. I just like how casual it is however, that SpongeBob bumps into Neptune and they make nothing of it.

With the trident now in SpongeBob’s hand, things get quite surreal. The Krusty Krab is absolutely ravenous with Krustomers eating anything they can, which results in an immature scene which I’m not too keen on. SpongeBob wishes several things like for Krabby Patties to serve themselves, and it works. This makes the trident look like a magic wand and, in a way it is (and is most like an ancient predecessor to them), though I’ll accept it due to its effects being grand and epic anyway. The Krabby Patties don’t just float around serving themselves, they grow arms and legs, make noises and dance about while music akin to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice plays. The classic music/Fantasia segment is a rather odd thing to spontaneously reference in a SpongeBob episode, only loosely connecting to the situation at hand which is inexperienced magic.

The dancing patties entertain the Krustomers, and Mr Krabs asks SpongeBob to make more. Unfortunately, SpongeBob forcing the magic turns the trident against him, and it starts granting the wishes with a price. The patties still come alive, though they’re now carnivorous. Mr Krabs stops thinking about money in this time of crisis, but it turns him into a loony throwing his money away on the street, and so on and so forth. This change in the story’s tone certainly makes it go places, though at this point it’s hard to understand why SpongeBob still thinks the trident’s his spatula. Given how surreal the situations presented here are for a CISB, it makes the misunderstanding stick out more like a sore thumb, however most viewers will have forgotten this by now.

Eventually, SpongeBob meets up with Patrick who wishes for ice cream, and this climax that unfolds is arguably where the episode peaks. Firstly, I like how SpongeBob summons an ice cream truck from the sky, then rewinds the damage, and the truck driver doesn’t make much of it. After this, SpongeBob creates an ice cream geysey that almost destroys Bikini Bottom, and I love the scope of this scene and the vanilla/chocolate apocalypse it creates. Around this time, King Neptune faces off against Krakens again, but finally realises he’s got the wrong device and tries to trade spatulas/tridents back with SpongeBob. There’s something about the trident being with its wrong owner for too long and becoming unstable, but it’s easily bypassed. Overall, this story can get way too silly for me at points, yet I admire the risks it takes and the more creative elements of it.

It does sometimes feel like a string of bad luck jokes though, like when the wishes start going wrong. I feel like there’s variety in the jokes it tells, like a pacifier attacking its baby and blades of grass attacking its mower, though they both come back to the same theme and punchline. Some other jokes are just too loud for me, like how hungry the Krustomers are at the beginning, and the Krakens and their shrieks. They’re not the worst thing I’ve ever heard, but I get that they’re threatening. I like the jokes the Greek Chorus provides however, and I’ve already noted how fun the ending is. In short, while I dislike more jokes than I like, there’s a big enough variety of them to keep you howling for days if you like them all.

There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on in Trident Trouble, so many more objects and characters have to be designed and given animation quirks, and while the quantity may have been overwhelming, they did a good job keeping the episode alive. I like the anthropomorphic Krabby Patties, the evil blades of grass and the ice cream geyser of doom just to name a few things. Also, this is the second ever episode to have a talking title card. We’re totally living in the future now. Perhaps the largest problem with all this stuff going on however is that the episode can get pretty loud and overwhelming. With a bunch of animation comes a lot of sound to get the point across, and by the time I get to the tenth roar or scream from this episode, I feel a bit tired and cranky. More focus can go a long way.

The main characters (as in the ones at the head of the story) are written pretty well her, but the further you go down the pecking order, the lss consistent they are. SpongeBob’s a bit dumb for not knowing his spatula’s actually a trident, though he’s always making the best of the situation until he can’t take it anymore. King Neptune is only in the beginning and end, but at least he’s always saving the day now, and it’s nice seeing his wife Amphitrite get a cameo. Patrick’s pretty silly but that’s about it, Mr Krabs is all wished up halfway through the episode, so I can’t quite judge his character, and Squidward’s a slapstick punching bag as usual in his smaller roles. I do like the Greek Chorus though. It isn’t distinct personality-wise, but I love how they each have a different mask. It reminds me of that traditional drama icon, and I’ve even given each of them a name- Shy Guy, Grump, Happy and Ono.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but this is a weird episode even by today’s standards. You can tell how conflicted I am on what to think by how many subordinating conjunctions (like however and although) litter the review. “I like this thing, but there’s a teensy thing about it I dislike” and vice versa. That’s just the cost of making an episode with a different type of story structure. It doesn’t feel quite like a full SpongeBob episode, though I can’t be mad with an ice cream geyser and amusing takes on classical theatre tropes. I’m certain this was another fun little experiment that should stay its own thing.

Final Verdict: Average 6/10 (flawed but not bad)
Patrick! The Game < Trident Trouble < Snail Mail

Question of the Day: Would you mind seeing the Greek Chorus again?

When tomorrow’s episode finally aired, we well and truly knew Season 10 was a bit on the short side.
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