As for episode, some last episodes Pineapple Fever included are overlapped with season 7 for me, probably because of my country's screwed up schedule. (seriously, breaks between airing seasons and some episode were really long)
I keep hearing that episode guides used to call Season 6 and 7 20 episodes long, because Nick hadn’t fully announced they’d be 26 episodes or something. I could see how Sand Castles in the Sand-The Clash of Triton used to be mistaken for Season 7 episodes.
The Clash of Triton (Season 6, Episode 26)
Original Airdate: July 5 2010*
Episode 243 in standard order, Episode 265 in airing order
*produced in 2009
Plot: SpongeBob frees Prince Triton from his exile as a 5,000th birthday present for King Neptune
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas, Aaron Springer, Steven Banks and Paul Tibbitt
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Title Card Music: Tagliatelle
Here we finally are, the last episode of Season 6. It’s been quite a ride, but all crazy rides eventually have to end. This is notable for being the first season to end on a special, not counting Best Day Ever in Season 4’s 20th episode, a finale that’s only been done once since with Season 8’s Hello Bikini Bottom!. It’s just a shame that this episode has everything about the season down to a tee- gross-out, long pauses in comedy, and overzealous advertising. At least it has some King Neptune lore, which is welcome since this is his first major appearance in the show in nearly a decade. Even then, is it enough to lift this episode out of the gutter?
The episode starts in Atlantis, where Neptune is sitting in bed, depressed and watching daytime drama on an HDTV (which the show had no right to rub in for another 2 years). His wife Amphitrite comes in to cheer him up and get him prepared for his 5,000th birthday, but he’s still saddened by the fact that his son, Triton, is not allowed to attend. This scene, despite being rather mediocre on the comedy side, at least does a good job explaining that Neptune misses Triton, setting this part of his character up for a while until he explains why.
On that same morning at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob decides to spend the day not using his hands due to a holiday he probably read about on Twitter. As such, he delivers patties using his nose and answers the phone with his foot just for the occasion. However, this plot point is cut short before it can be useful when Mr Krabs orders him to make Krabby Patties for King Neptune. He gets into a bit of an argument with Amphitrite on the phone, who he isn’t convinced by until she comes down to zap him. Let it be known this is the first part of the episode to feature SpongeBob and he doesn’t do much outside of briefly celebrate this random holiday.
The Krusty Krew gets to work setting up Neptune’s birthday party, which is at a burger joint because why not, when a mother and son come across, with the mother in particular eager to see Neptune eat. I’ve always found the pink fish model to be rather cute, and it’s nice seeing her get her own scene talking to Mr Krabs about what the Krusty Krab can do, which is later revealed to be paying customers admission to sit outside and see King Neptune eat. We’re then shown the festivities, which is just Neptune, Amphitrite and some unnamed Hammer Horror rejects about to indulge in 5,000 Krabby Patties. However, celebrations are cut short when SpongeBob foolishly asks where Triton is over and over again, making Neptune upset again.
In order to explain why Triton isn’t showing up to the party, Neptune shows a 16mm film strip, which he took care to name the width of the strip used, which only manages to paint him in a horrible, tyranical light, which is the episode’s first major blunder. Essentially, the reason hee banished Triton is because he started to take an interest in fish culture instead of wanting to destroy it like his father, and even make a cure for all diseases as a teenager. This was the final straw for Neptune, who then took him to a prison island to be trapped in a shrinking cage for 10,000 years. Although Triton is made out to be a totally bogus hippie, this just makes Neptune look like a terrible ruler who loves to cause misery to his subjects. That’s not a king’s job! A mayor’s maybe, but not a king!
Seeing how much Triton’s absence upsets Neptune, and because the documentary I recently watched says he sees the best in everyone, SpongeBob heads over to the prison island to meet up with Triton and free him behind Neptune’s back. He’s able to get there by a flying bus, which is a blatantly contrived way to get there considering this could hold some of the most dangerous creatures imaginable, and upon finding Triton, he just spends a good while talking to him. It’s not interesting, impactful, or something that takes the story in a direction, with the only thing being explained is how Triton hates his father, which was established in the flashback.
After some exposition is spewed, SpongeBob tries to unlock Triton’s cage, but as it turns out, the lock is a sliding puzzle (you know, the one where there are 8 or 9 pieces and you have arrange them to look like the right picture), but gets stumped. He enlists the help of Patrick, who also manages to get to the island with no trouble and manages to meet up with SpongeBob and Triton as if the episode were poorly written or something. Fortunately, Patrick’s able to complete the puzzle by tearing off the stickers and placing them in the correct order, but I think it would’ve been more interesting if he were a savant with these types of puzzles, instead of doing a Patrick-ish thing.
Upon release, Triton zaps himself a car and drives the new trio back to Bikini Bottom, though he kicks SpongeBob and Patrick out to do his own thing. That thing is to lock everyone at the Krusty Krab in a cage as punishment for punishing him, followed very soon by him flying into the sky and taking his aggression out on Bikini Bottom, signing his name across the town with lasers and causing chaos in doing so. Knowing they’ve unleashed an evil force, SpongeBob and Patrick head into the Krusty Krab and free everyone from the cage, which also has a sliding puzzle on it for Patrick to cheat his way out of. I guess it’s just a joke that all Atlantian locks are sliding puzzles.
Once freed, Neptune chases Triton until they’re both in the sky, where he can see the destruction caused below in Bikini Bottom. Upon noticing how keeping Triton locked up has made him bitter and resentful towards fish just like himself, he congratulates him and calls the destroyed city the best birthday present he could ask for. The episode ends with some major hypocrisy on Bikini Bottom’s heart, as although they’re alright with Neptune and Triton bonding over their pain and sufferring, they chase down SpongeBob and Patrick for instigating this whole mess. It’s overall a story that can be a little fun at times, but is far too messy and contrived to be worthy of the royal tailfin.
As for the comedy in this episode, it can be described in much the same way, it’s funny only if you turn your brain off. There are some pretty funny things like a random comment about there being two prison islands- an actual prison and a golf course, and Patrick trying not to make a sound when he and SpongeBob sneak into the Krusty Krab, only for the loudest, longest possible sound to play when he lifts the grill up. Heck, we even get references to the Movie with the two planning have triple goober berry sundaes after the ordeal is over. There are things that don’t work however, like how long it takes for Neptune’s flashback to begin, which really stalls the first time we see Triton, and how evil they make him in said flashback and the episode’s end just because. Given this is written by the biggest wiritng team for an episode at this point, with five each contributing to the script, I feel like some jokes that could’ve been funny or memorable were added and rejected sporadically during the writing process.
As for the animation, it’s once again hit-or-miss leaning more towards the miss. For the hits, we have a return to the show’s initial depiction of Atlantis, which a classic regal air to it that allows for a nice new place to open the episode. I also think the design of Triton isn’t that bad. Sure he’s an annoying character, but for a hippie mermaid, they did the best they could. Onto the misses, that goes to a gross-out moment of SpongeBob putting his face really close to Triton and breathing horribly at him (rather good role model for kids, being a sponge who hasn’t drunken water in days), and the odd designs of Neptune’s party guests, who I’d previously described as Hammer Horror rejects.
The characterization in this episode lacks heart or substance, which takes away from some aspects of the story that are meant to be impactful. SpongeBob seems to care somewhat about Neptune’s happiness, and has a couple heroic stances where he could seem like a good guy, but that moment never comes. His major point in the story is freeing Triton, which comes as a result of his naïveté. Neptune could’ve been sympathetic if they didn’t make him a villain halfway through. I get how Gods back in the day were supposed to be fearsome, but this was 2009, and they could’ve updated the depiction of Neptune to be somewhat more likeable. His wife Amphitrite doesn’t fare much better either, given how the only character she seems to care about is her husband.
Now for the newcoming character who might never appear in the series again, Prince Triton. He’s really the worst part of the episode from a writing standpoint. The whole idea behind him is to turn a Roman god into an angsty modern teen, at least 1960s modern, which I’m sure mythologists aren’t going to like. There’s also how he takes revenge upon his father by destroying stuff, despite knowing that’d make him feel better and more godlike. The little annoyances that I have with his arc, motivations and personality drag the episode down, because I’ll be reminded he takes up a quarter of the title.
This is the first time I really didn’t like a season finale, and that can be chalked up to it being yet another disappointing special that tells the viewer what’s happening instead of showing them. I think even people who don’t know or understand why the Post-Movie seasons are hated would have a hard time watching this episode, because it just seems like a fitting conclusion for Season 6. Between some flat, awkward animation, a very hypocritical story that takes 11 minutes to get started and much of the comedy being absent, The Clash of Triton is a clash of story elements that don’t combine well.
Question of the Day: What is your least favourite episode of Season 6?
Join me tomorrow as I finally conclude Season 6. Will it be the first
BAD season, or does it escape with an
AVERAGE? Think about that while admiring
this misleading commercial.
:sbthumbs: