josemiguex
Imitation Krab
True, Eek an urchin was hilarious but Squid Defense is boring, and I watch Spongebob for boringness not for laughs so Squid Defense is betterWintermelon43 said:
Re-Evaluating my opinions on SpongeBob Season 1-8
- Thread starter EmployeeAMillion
- Start date
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
I was originally going to save the rest of Season 9a for late July, leading up to Sponge Out of Water as the 2nd Anniversary review, but that’d be way too long to wait. Besides, I’ve already written my reviews for nearly every episode from it (except SpongeBob You’re Fired!, it’s gonna be long), so I’ll post them periodically again, starting today.
It Came from Goo Lagoon (Season 9, Episode 7)
Original Airdate: February 17 2014*
Episode 353 in standard order, Episode 358 in airing order
*copyrighted 2013
Plot: A mysterious purple substance emerges from Goo Lagoon, and Plankton uses it for evil
Written by Marc Ceccarelli, Luke Brookshier, Derek Iversen and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]185[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Out of the Crypt
We enter the first of only two episodes to air in 2014. Nickelodeon really liked stretching Season 9a out to make up for the second hiatus, and instead of admitting the series was on hold, they pretended nothing was wrong and Nickelodeon fans got very anxious. At least there was a special for the network to blast all their money into for all of 30 minutes, and it’s one of the wierdest specials. I have nothing against a wierd show having wierd specials, as it’s much better than just goofing around doing nothing like Party Pooper Pants, or trying and failing to be serious like SpongeBob’s Last Stand. This almost seems like an unsung hero in a way, though it won’t seem as such when you flip it on.
The episode starts with two title cards, one for the actual episode, then another which the French Narrator shows off for horror. I would’ve been fine without two, honestly. I think the reason there are two though was due to difficulties with not using the traditional opening credits. Enough about that though, as the story kicks off with SpongeBob and Patrick being idiots. They giggle, they tip-toe into the Goo Lagoon’s ocean, it’s unnatural and would quickly turn me away from the episode, but this is one which rewards you for continuing to watch it. I know the opening minutes of an episode would be a good indicator of the quality, but this feels like it was done by a different writing staff entirely, possibly Fanboy and Chumchum’s.
Once they get doused by a wave, they discover they’re able to float using spheres of purple flurp. The next couple minutes are just them and the rest of the beach-goers having a wild time with them, and the quality of the jokes slowly improves. It goes from SpongeBob and Patrick just being idiots and ruining other people’s time there, to legitimately creative use of the goo, like forming them into toupes and umbrellas. It’s not a dramatic increase, as you still get mindless idocy thrown in like Patrick eating the goo, but at least there’s an underlying theme introduced. Sandy tries to get everyone away from the goo bubbles forming from Goo Lagoon, claiming that it’s evil and toxic. She seems to be a superstitious party pooper with no proof around here, so the others just continue utilizing the goo.
As if his main purpose on the show is to be evil, Plankton overhears Sandy blabbering about the dangers of the bubbles and heads under the sea in a submarine to see what damage he can do. While in the submarine, he talks to a tiny Karen screen that’s just a bit smaller than himself. I was thinking about a “why not shrink Karen” situation the other day, so I guess that was deja vu coming from this episode. Plankton gets to the sea floor and pushes the crack the goo’s leaking out of wide open, bringing with him a giant bubble of goo that could endanger Bikini Bottom.
This news is being broadcast and explained by Perch Perkins, with the help of Sandy, and whenever it cuts to a TV to show you it’s a broadcast within the SpongeBob universe, it’s just that, a TV. They don’t show anyone in particular watching it, or a good view of the house it’s in, which I found to be unnecessary. Anyway, Sandy, SpongeBob and Patrick head up to the giant bubble with a boat and analyse it. They find the substance to be dangerous, but SpongeBob cleans up some of the mess made with bubbles. This is a plotpoint that I really like, and it’s where the storytelling improves immensely for me. When have you ever seen purple bubbles of goo before in your life? You can’t exactly prove the goo they’re made of can’t be cleaned away with bubbles, a notable part of SpongeBob’s arsenal.
The plot thickens when Plankton lifts the giant bubble across town, getting some of the citizens below messy. The next couple minutes follow the power trio chasing the bubble, with some suspenseful moments thrown in. The first is when Patrick goes into an outhouse and gets stuck to the bubble, which is good for a couple chuckles. The next is when the trip lands on the bubble, but Plankton electrocutes it with a power cord, shocking them, and then tossing them off. These scenes are well-paced and add something to the episode, whether they be comedic or dramatic. Plus I really love the idea of Sandy and her bottom-feeding sidekicks chasing Plankton in a submarine, with Plankton almost succeeding. My only problem is how the bubble can conduct electricity. Sure water does, but the goo isn’t exactly water, and don’t tell them that, they’ll probably all die.
Plankton eventually floats the bubble over to the Krusty Krab, and tries to blackmail Mr Krabs into handing the Krabby Patty secret formula over. Depending on how toxic you think the goo is, this could very well be one of his most dangerous plans yet. SpongeBob tries to stop the bubble using Checkhov’s bubble bottle, and creates a giant macho bubble man to fly it to the Moon (unsuccessfully). It’s a very weird ending, and could even seem underwhelming since the bubble pops and Plankton fails anyway, but it’s ridiculous enough for me to get into, without questioning my sanity. It’s also another episode where Mr Krabs is able to profit off the catastrophe in the end, with SpongeBob blowing a new macho bubble to clean everyone up by going inside it (it’s easier to understand than it sounds), but I can’t fault the guy here. His business was threatened and almost destroyed after all. The plot starts off slow, but soon becomes one of the season’s most engaging.
The comedy’s rather inconsistent, but it leans more towards the green. When it’s good, it’s some of the best the show’s done in recent memory, but when it’s bad, it’s just forgettable. The character-based humour, like Perch Perkins reporting his poor conditions, Patrick making a SpongeBlob when he’s stuck to the goo, and Squidward making a toupe out of the goo, are all fantastic. However, there are some points where it falls flat, like SpongeBob and Patrick being in mindless idiot mode with the waves at the start. As for the more general comedy, it’s handled well. I like the joke about the bubble rising from the ocean into the ocean. For a show that’s slowly forgotten it’s underwater, especially with a “what’s under the sea?” type of story, I like those references to the lack of immersion. I also like the marriage joke. The writers really like ruining the love lives of background characters for some reason, and I’m morbidly happy that they’re continuing this trend.
As for the animation, is there really much I can say about purple stuff? Actually, there’s quite a bit. The goo and bubbles aren’t so pretty that the danger isn’t apparent, but they’re aren’t gross enough to make them unwatchable. They have this balanced inbetween where the most detail you get are a couple drips along the side, to give you an idea that they’re liquid coated by more liquid. Of course the animation highlights the episode was trying to go for were when they’re being used for all sorts of creative purposes, and while that looks neat, I can’t get enough of the scenes where the bubbles just float across the background. It looks simultaneously pretty and threatening, and since they don’t have as much detail as the big, close ones, it’s somewhat soothing. All I need to say is, for the episode’s major gimmick, the bubbles are animated well. One last note, this is the last episode to feature the old live-action Bikini Bottom island, before the classic shot was redone on computers in 2016. I’ll miss the old girl.
The characters feel on-point here for the most part. SpongeBob and Patrick are too goofball-ish for my tastes at the start, but they soon understand the seriousness of the situation and get more mature, with SpongeBob even having a part in saving the day. Sandy also seems off at the start, seeming to be a conspiracy nut, but as the episode unfolds, her fears are justified and confirmed. She’s one of the main reasons I’d come back to this episode, as she and Plankton are the only ones who knows what the goo’s capable of. Speaking of Plankton, he’s pretty darn evil here. He’s always one step ahead of the heroes, which I love. It shows that he’s thought his evil plan out and enjoys usinng it. As for Karen, Squidward, Mr Krabs and Perch Perkins, they’re basic joke characters, but they’re still funny in spite of their simple purposes.
This was another Season 9a episode that I never thought much of, generally being pushed to the back of my mind as “the other special”. However, there’s more to it than that. It held my interest enough for me to really enjoy it, at least the second half. The first turned me off for how dumbed down the writing was, but the act’s put together once the plot gets serious. Again, I’ll say it rewards you for watching it, getting better, funnier and more action-packed as it goes on. It has a couple minor problems, but this is another good example of what a SpongeBob special should be.
Final Verdict: Good 7/10 (solid but not top notch)
Ditchin! < It Came from Goo Lagoon < Enchanted Tiki Dreams
Question of the Day: Have you ever purchased Nickelodeon gak? I haven’t unfortunately, only knock-offs.
I’m banking on the next episode having some laughs, as I remember it being pretty good. Until then, prepare for the gak attak!
:sbthumbs:
Tacomaster
Moby Dollar
Question of the Day: No, but I have purchased Floam.
Tacomaster
Moby Dollar
It's Gak, but gritty and not fun.ataeaf said:
SpongeBronyPH
Giant Clam
It Came from Goo Laggon is a great special to me.
Nope.EmployeeAMillion said:
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
Safe Deposit Krabs (Season 9, Episode 8a)
Original Airdate: May 25 2013 (Episode 354)
Plot: Mr Krabs gets stuck in a money vault, and slowly goes insane from the lack of oxygen
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas, Blake Lemons and Derek Iversen
[titlecard]186A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Unknown Track 2
I understand why this is one of the more well-received Season 9a episodes (something I’m surprised I’m thinking more often). A character being locked away and having to keep themselves occupied is one of those timeless character studies that can be fit for any show. Just one character. Zero outside interaction. A million thoughts. However, much like Patrick-Man!, its popularity has faded over the years, and you could be forgiven if you overlook it. I’m kinda stuck in Season 9a at the moment, so I eagerly saw what new generations of SpongeBob fans could be missing out on. It’s not much, but I bet that was intentional.
As if the show grew a liking for TV reports, the episode opens with one on the opening of the Bank of Bikini Bottom Bank, a horribly redundant title that the Mayor is glad to cut the ribbon on. I think him cutting the ribbon is a sign of a place’s failure (see- unfinished road). Mr Krabs watches the report and gushes over the idea of free interest for the first 100 customers, and races over to be one of them. Unfortunately, his awkward behaviour gets him escorted very quickly, so he tries on different disguises, eventually getting in through cross-dressing. It’s an opening that competently establishes Mr Krabs’ goal (getting more money), flaws (lack of common sense) and leaves the door open for many different directions for the story to take.
As a woman, he tries depositing one penny, but ends up making a fuss about it joining a random assortment of filthy pennies, so he gets it safe deposited. He spends some alone time saying goodbye to it, but ends up getting stuck in the safe, then pushed by a security guard into the money vault, when he tries to lock the safe. Now that Mr Krabs is lost in the one place he can never get tired, a vault full of millions of dollars, there are many possibilities for his feelings to be explored. Some of the better options are picked, but more on that as we go along.
The only person he seems to be worrying with his absence is SpongeBob, who thinks Krabs has gone missing. He eventually asks Pearl, who just says to call him, and after learning of Krabs’ predicament, and that he’s running out of oxygen, gets Patrick to help break him out of the bank. It’s pretty fun seeing them do something that’s both risky and requires a lot out of them, and I like Patrick first being ashamed of SpongeBob’s plea to break into a bank, but then saying it sounds exciting. I just wish it was better executed, as there are only two scenes worth of the plot. The first is SpongeBob telling Patrick what he plans to do, then a very brief break-in scene that’s cut off when the bank opens. I’m happy they didn’t do anything illegal, but it could’ve been more fleshed out.
The other plot the episode tries to have, and gets further into all around, is Mr Krabs running out of oxygen and talking to the money, and it’s got some good moments. I like him dating Mrs Greenback and imagining himself on a deserted island, then battling a dragon which is actually a vacuum cleaner, which is in a money vault for some reason, but it hasn’t got a strong backbone. I’d like this episode more if it really delved into Mr Krabs’ isolated mind, and was like Squidward in ClarinetLand with money, and I think the SpongeBob story gets in the way, but I’m happy with what I’ve got. He’s eventually found and kicked out, but gets an extra penny for his early investment, meaning he’s doubled his profits. It’s a neat little story that I wish could’ve been more. There’s definitely ambition here, but neither of the two plots it has going are fleashed out enough to truly get exciting.
Much like the story, the jokes feel slightly unfinished, but still presentable. I like the joke of the security button behind the bank desk, but it comes at the expense of Mr Krabs being a creep. If he were less creepy, I would’ve liked it more, and found it comedic justice. Aside from that, the character-driven comedy from Mr Krabs has more weight to it, especially when he’s dating money and fighting for it in his imagination. As for the jokes in he B plot, they’re lukewarm. I like Patrick’s parts to play, like his excitement and spontaneously getting a grappling hook, but the air vent joke’s confusing, and again, the plot doesn’t have enough room to breathe. It’s a funny episode, but I feel like there were a few missed opportunities.
I like some of the art direction this episode takes. The colours for the bank’s interior are nice, ranging from light blue to purple to a heaping load of green. There’s a ton of money here that needed to be animated, and although it doesn’t leap off the screen, I appreciate the effort. The reason why I think the episode could’ve been weirder is because things were just starting to get interesting with the island catching on fire and the dragon, which make for a good joke about Krabs’ mental state diminishing. As he’s more of an art asset than a character, I’m surprised to see the mayor back again. I swear, he’s one of the most corrupt fictional politicians.
I really hate to say it given the ideas behind the story, but the thing that drags the episode down for me are the characters. Mr Krabs has the same problem as in Money Talks and Takes a Vacation, in that his money obsession is too played up. It’s funnier and more justified here, since he’s deprived of oxygen, but the point still stands that he’s horribly immature. SpongeBob and Patrick simply don’t have enough time to have their story told, and that holds them back from being of any interest. It’s a shame too, because I think this episode would’ve benefitted from being a 22 minute special, where the first 11 minutes are SpongeBob and Patrick breaking into the bank and finding all sorts of obstacles, and the second are Mr Krabs’ hallucinations.
I guess having too much on the plate’s better than having virtually nothing to do though. I like Safe Deposit Krabs for putting its own spin on the “one character trapped” trope, and integrating it well into the characters’ interests. However, I don’t like it for fully exploring the possibilities it could’ve, and for messing around with SpongeBob. I can see why it’s well-recieved, as it’s one of the funnier Season 9a episodes, even if not all the jokes land for me. Sorry if it sounds like I’ve been getting more negative as the review’s gone on, but the more I looked into this episode, the more I wanted from it. What was released 5 years ago was fine though.
Final Verdict: Average 6/10 (flawed but not bad)
Earworm < Safe Deposit Krabs < The Good Krabby Name
Question of the Day: Have you ever gotten stuck somewhere?
I hope tomorrow’s review doesn’t put me in a tough spot.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: May 25 2013 (Episode 354)
Plot: Mr Krabs gets stuck in a money vault, and slowly goes insane from the lack of oxygen
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas, Blake Lemons and Derek Iversen
[titlecard]186A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Unknown Track 2
I understand why this is one of the more well-received Season 9a episodes (something I’m surprised I’m thinking more often). A character being locked away and having to keep themselves occupied is one of those timeless character studies that can be fit for any show. Just one character. Zero outside interaction. A million thoughts. However, much like Patrick-Man!, its popularity has faded over the years, and you could be forgiven if you overlook it. I’m kinda stuck in Season 9a at the moment, so I eagerly saw what new generations of SpongeBob fans could be missing out on. It’s not much, but I bet that was intentional.
As if the show grew a liking for TV reports, the episode opens with one on the opening of the Bank of Bikini Bottom Bank, a horribly redundant title that the Mayor is glad to cut the ribbon on. I think him cutting the ribbon is a sign of a place’s failure (see- unfinished road). Mr Krabs watches the report and gushes over the idea of free interest for the first 100 customers, and races over to be one of them. Unfortunately, his awkward behaviour gets him escorted very quickly, so he tries on different disguises, eventually getting in through cross-dressing. It’s an opening that competently establishes Mr Krabs’ goal (getting more money), flaws (lack of common sense) and leaves the door open for many different directions for the story to take.
As a woman, he tries depositing one penny, but ends up making a fuss about it joining a random assortment of filthy pennies, so he gets it safe deposited. He spends some alone time saying goodbye to it, but ends up getting stuck in the safe, then pushed by a security guard into the money vault, when he tries to lock the safe. Now that Mr Krabs is lost in the one place he can never get tired, a vault full of millions of dollars, there are many possibilities for his feelings to be explored. Some of the better options are picked, but more on that as we go along.
The only person he seems to be worrying with his absence is SpongeBob, who thinks Krabs has gone missing. He eventually asks Pearl, who just says to call him, and after learning of Krabs’ predicament, and that he’s running out of oxygen, gets Patrick to help break him out of the bank. It’s pretty fun seeing them do something that’s both risky and requires a lot out of them, and I like Patrick first being ashamed of SpongeBob’s plea to break into a bank, but then saying it sounds exciting. I just wish it was better executed, as there are only two scenes worth of the plot. The first is SpongeBob telling Patrick what he plans to do, then a very brief break-in scene that’s cut off when the bank opens. I’m happy they didn’t do anything illegal, but it could’ve been more fleshed out.
The other plot the episode tries to have, and gets further into all around, is Mr Krabs running out of oxygen and talking to the money, and it’s got some good moments. I like him dating Mrs Greenback and imagining himself on a deserted island, then battling a dragon which is actually a vacuum cleaner, which is in a money vault for some reason, but it hasn’t got a strong backbone. I’d like this episode more if it really delved into Mr Krabs’ isolated mind, and was like Squidward in ClarinetLand with money, and I think the SpongeBob story gets in the way, but I’m happy with what I’ve got. He’s eventually found and kicked out, but gets an extra penny for his early investment, meaning he’s doubled his profits. It’s a neat little story that I wish could’ve been more. There’s definitely ambition here, but neither of the two plots it has going are fleashed out enough to truly get exciting.
Much like the story, the jokes feel slightly unfinished, but still presentable. I like the joke of the security button behind the bank desk, but it comes at the expense of Mr Krabs being a creep. If he were less creepy, I would’ve liked it more, and found it comedic justice. Aside from that, the character-driven comedy from Mr Krabs has more weight to it, especially when he’s dating money and fighting for it in his imagination. As for the jokes in he B plot, they’re lukewarm. I like Patrick’s parts to play, like his excitement and spontaneously getting a grappling hook, but the air vent joke’s confusing, and again, the plot doesn’t have enough room to breathe. It’s a funny episode, but I feel like there were a few missed opportunities.
I like some of the art direction this episode takes. The colours for the bank’s interior are nice, ranging from light blue to purple to a heaping load of green. There’s a ton of money here that needed to be animated, and although it doesn’t leap off the screen, I appreciate the effort. The reason why I think the episode could’ve been weirder is because things were just starting to get interesting with the island catching on fire and the dragon, which make for a good joke about Krabs’ mental state diminishing. As he’s more of an art asset than a character, I’m surprised to see the mayor back again. I swear, he’s one of the most corrupt fictional politicians.
I really hate to say it given the ideas behind the story, but the thing that drags the episode down for me are the characters. Mr Krabs has the same problem as in Money Talks and Takes a Vacation, in that his money obsession is too played up. It’s funnier and more justified here, since he’s deprived of oxygen, but the point still stands that he’s horribly immature. SpongeBob and Patrick simply don’t have enough time to have their story told, and that holds them back from being of any interest. It’s a shame too, because I think this episode would’ve benefitted from being a 22 minute special, where the first 11 minutes are SpongeBob and Patrick breaking into the bank and finding all sorts of obstacles, and the second are Mr Krabs’ hallucinations.
I guess having too much on the plate’s better than having virtually nothing to do though. I like Safe Deposit Krabs for putting its own spin on the “one character trapped” trope, and integrating it well into the characters’ interests. However, I don’t like it for fully exploring the possibilities it could’ve, and for messing around with SpongeBob. I can see why it’s well-recieved, as it’s one of the funnier Season 9a episodes, even if not all the jokes land for me. Sorry if it sounds like I’ve been getting more negative as the review’s gone on, but the more I looked into this episode, the more I wanted from it. What was released 5 years ago was fine though.
Final Verdict: Average 6/10 (flawed but not bad)
Earworm < Safe Deposit Krabs < The Good Krabby Name
Question of the Day: Have you ever gotten stuck somewhere?
I hope tomorrow’s review doesn’t put me in a tough spot.
:sbthumbs:
SpongeBronyPH
Giant Clam
Safe Deposit Krabs is so boring for me to watch.
I think in the bus station when the bus is delayed.EmployeeAMillion said:
ataeaf
Outdated meme I know
QOTD: Have you ever gotten stuck somewhere?
I got my head stuck in one of those things on stairways once. It also sure felt like I was stuck when I was in school and rode the bus home one bus that was always late for school. There was even an episode of Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide about getting stuck with the “late bus.”
Will you be doing a review of Nice Try?
I got my head stuck in one of those things on stairways once. It also sure felt like I was stuck when I was in school and rode the bus home one bus that was always late for school. There was even an episode of Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide about getting stuck with the “late bus.”
Will you be doing a review of Nice Try?
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
Plankton’s Pet (Season 9, Episode 8b)
Original Airdate: January 19 2013
Episode 355 in standard order, Episode 350 in airing order
Plot: Plankton adopts a doglike amoeba to take his mind off his countless failed secret missions
Written by Marc Ceccarelli, Luke Brookshier and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]186B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Bikini Bottom Bound
We’re at what could quite possibly be the last good Post-Movie episode (dividing the show into 3 film-centric eras). Throughout this re-evaluation of this particular era, I’ve seen many episodes that have strong premises and well-written characters, but not enough to make it a worthwhile era of the show, nor were they good enough to support the show for an extra decade. It’s been a rough patch, so I’m very glad that when these episodes shone through, they were a great break of pace that made the show genuinely fun to look at again. This is another episode where I wasn’t thinking of the problems while I was watching it, I was just enjoying watching SpongeBob again. It’s time to review it though, so here’s what I have to say about it.
It’s just another day in the life of Plankton, with him trying another disguise to get a Krabby Patty and failing. In this case, he builds a robot baby to be cute enough to steal a patty, but Mr Krabs spots him through high security and starts beating the costume. This is my least favourite part of the episode, because despite nothing super awful happening, it does bank of shock humour, specifically that coming from the customers’ reactions to it. It doesn’t help that the baby itself is rather ugly. Sure a lot of fans like it because there’s no harm done, except to Plankton who’s clearly doing something wrong, but it’s still a pretty horrible joke about child violence.
After another humiliating defeat, Plankton and Karen decide to get something that’ll take Plankton’s mind off his troubles, and they come to the decision to get a pet. SpongeBob intervenes, saying he knows where pets can be bought, the animal shelter. It’s at this point where I have to question what counts as a pet underwater. Surely there are certain animals that haven’t evolved as quickly as others, which could be the same idea as in real life. Really, when you break down the “sponge can adopt a snail” thing realistically, it makes sense why algae would be locked in a cage in this universe. Plankton almost gets eaten by the algae, but is saved by a little amoeba shaped like an alien dog, that he calls Spot. Here starts the times of the best SpongeBob character created in this decade.
When Spot’s adopted and taken home, you’re given a good idea of what he can and can’t do, and how Plankton reacts to that. Spot can go for long walks that tire Plankton out, but he can’t he’s a softie who can’t defend himself against intruders, or in this case, Plankton dressed in a teddy bear suit. He’s then put to the test of retrieving a Krabby Patty from the Krusty Krab, which he does with flying colours, but then disobeys Plankton by eating it. These scenes all serve to give us an idea of what kind of pet Spot is, a general house pet who loves his owners, but doesn’t have much in the way of intelligence. Making this supposed lower life form act in such a way is downright cute.
As punishment for eating the Krabby Patty Plankton wanted, Spot’s tied up outside, but seems to vanish after Plankton turns his back for a couple seconds. Plankton’s distraught that his new pet’s suddenly missing, so he and SpongeBob go to the animal shelter to see if he’s run off there. There, a reveal that I think was completely pointless turns up- Spot attatched himself to Plankton’s eye the whole time. Sure it’s less generic than him being found at the shelter, but it’s a weird twist. At least it’s followed by an even weirder one where Spot grows to an enormous size to protect Plankton from the rest of the animals in the shelter, proving his worth, which he’d already done with the formula-stealing. Despite an offputting start and a few strange decisions towards the end, I found this to be a fun exploration into Plankton’s life and how he handles an animal sidekick.
I don’t remember the episode being that funny, which is odd considering I agreed it was one of the best of its kind, but I was proven wrong by just how many jokes were in this episode. I like stuff such as Plankton being embarrassed when people start awe-ing at him on the street, SpongeBob referencing how Gary lost him once for 8 minutes (this might be a reference to a previous episode, but it’s hard to judge which), but the real cream of the crop come from Spot himself. There’s something so infectious about how cute he is that it’s impossible not to smile. Of course this is a comedy show, but with Spot, the episode works more to be entertaining. There are a couple jokes I don’t like, namely the guy picking gum off his shoe, but they’re not common enough to remember. It’s unsurprising how one of the all-time cutest episodes can leave such a positive impact.
Now to talk animation, and the thing with Spot is that, since he’s an amoeba, there’s so many possibilties with him. He can change shape and size, and withstand serious blows, which is cool and lends to some rather memorable scenes. On top of that, his design is just gorgeous. After all the ugly interpretations of dogs the show’s given, it’s satisfying seeing a sea puppy who’s cute, but also a little odd-looking. He looks like a mix between a dog, a millipede and Plankton himself. There are a few ugly things in the episode, like the baby disguise and the algae tongue that almost eats Plankton, but again, they’re not enough to take away from what the episode does well.
I’m extremely happy with how the characters were handled here. Plankton legitimately has a happy ending, and that I’d say is a brilliant move on the writers’ part. There are so many moments in the show now where he’s left on the floor crying, so seeing him end off with happiness, no matter how evil he still is, is gratifying. It goes to show the bond between a man and his pet, especially when Spot himself is interesting. He misbehaves a bit, but he really loves his owner and will do anything to protect or be with him. They managed to exaggerate the positive traits of having a dog well. Even SpongeBob, although a little cooky, has some heart here and is doing the right thing in making Plankton a tad happier. The one thing I love however is Mr Krabs’ lack of presence. I don’t even think he knows Plankton gets a pet, which is good, because if he did, he’d do everything in his power to make Plankton miserable. I’m glad they didn’t go down the Plankton’s Regular route just this once.
If you couldn’t tell already, I love this episode just as much as my own dog, that’s to say it has problems, but what the heck, you can live with them. What Plankton’s Pet does is do something unique that doesn’t take a risk- be a happy SpongeBob episode for once. It’s got an uplifting story about the love of animals, great characterization and use of characters, and although a majority of the usual verbal humour is absent, it’s made up for by the smile on your face when you watch it. It just seems Season 9a just keeps getting better than I remember it to be, though I better keep my mouth shut, because I remember it had an incredibly rocky ending.
Final Verdict: Spongy 9/10 (not perfect, but still among the best)
No Hat for Pat < Plankton’s Pet < Mooncation
Question of the Day: Would you adopt a cartoon amoeba?
Tomorrow’s episode was one I was scared off by initially, but let’s see how the passage of time has transformed it.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: January 19 2013
Episode 355 in standard order, Episode 350 in airing order
Plot: Plankton adopts a doglike amoeba to take his mind off his countless failed secret missions
Written by Marc Ceccarelli, Luke Brookshier and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]186B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Bikini Bottom Bound
We’re at what could quite possibly be the last good Post-Movie episode (dividing the show into 3 film-centric eras). Throughout this re-evaluation of this particular era, I’ve seen many episodes that have strong premises and well-written characters, but not enough to make it a worthwhile era of the show, nor were they good enough to support the show for an extra decade. It’s been a rough patch, so I’m very glad that when these episodes shone through, they were a great break of pace that made the show genuinely fun to look at again. This is another episode where I wasn’t thinking of the problems while I was watching it, I was just enjoying watching SpongeBob again. It’s time to review it though, so here’s what I have to say about it.
It’s just another day in the life of Plankton, with him trying another disguise to get a Krabby Patty and failing. In this case, he builds a robot baby to be cute enough to steal a patty, but Mr Krabs spots him through high security and starts beating the costume. This is my least favourite part of the episode, because despite nothing super awful happening, it does bank of shock humour, specifically that coming from the customers’ reactions to it. It doesn’t help that the baby itself is rather ugly. Sure a lot of fans like it because there’s no harm done, except to Plankton who’s clearly doing something wrong, but it’s still a pretty horrible joke about child violence.
After another humiliating defeat, Plankton and Karen decide to get something that’ll take Plankton’s mind off his troubles, and they come to the decision to get a pet. SpongeBob intervenes, saying he knows where pets can be bought, the animal shelter. It’s at this point where I have to question what counts as a pet underwater. Surely there are certain animals that haven’t evolved as quickly as others, which could be the same idea as in real life. Really, when you break down the “sponge can adopt a snail” thing realistically, it makes sense why algae would be locked in a cage in this universe. Plankton almost gets eaten by the algae, but is saved by a little amoeba shaped like an alien dog, that he calls Spot. Here starts the times of the best SpongeBob character created in this decade.
When Spot’s adopted and taken home, you’re given a good idea of what he can and can’t do, and how Plankton reacts to that. Spot can go for long walks that tire Plankton out, but he can’t he’s a softie who can’t defend himself against intruders, or in this case, Plankton dressed in a teddy bear suit. He’s then put to the test of retrieving a Krabby Patty from the Krusty Krab, which he does with flying colours, but then disobeys Plankton by eating it. These scenes all serve to give us an idea of what kind of pet Spot is, a general house pet who loves his owners, but doesn’t have much in the way of intelligence. Making this supposed lower life form act in such a way is downright cute.
As punishment for eating the Krabby Patty Plankton wanted, Spot’s tied up outside, but seems to vanish after Plankton turns his back for a couple seconds. Plankton’s distraught that his new pet’s suddenly missing, so he and SpongeBob go to the animal shelter to see if he’s run off there. There, a reveal that I think was completely pointless turns up- Spot attatched himself to Plankton’s eye the whole time. Sure it’s less generic than him being found at the shelter, but it’s a weird twist. At least it’s followed by an even weirder one where Spot grows to an enormous size to protect Plankton from the rest of the animals in the shelter, proving his worth, which he’d already done with the formula-stealing. Despite an offputting start and a few strange decisions towards the end, I found this to be a fun exploration into Plankton’s life and how he handles an animal sidekick.
I don’t remember the episode being that funny, which is odd considering I agreed it was one of the best of its kind, but I was proven wrong by just how many jokes were in this episode. I like stuff such as Plankton being embarrassed when people start awe-ing at him on the street, SpongeBob referencing how Gary lost him once for 8 minutes (this might be a reference to a previous episode, but it’s hard to judge which), but the real cream of the crop come from Spot himself. There’s something so infectious about how cute he is that it’s impossible not to smile. Of course this is a comedy show, but with Spot, the episode works more to be entertaining. There are a couple jokes I don’t like, namely the guy picking gum off his shoe, but they’re not common enough to remember. It’s unsurprising how one of the all-time cutest episodes can leave such a positive impact.
Now to talk animation, and the thing with Spot is that, since he’s an amoeba, there’s so many possibilties with him. He can change shape and size, and withstand serious blows, which is cool and lends to some rather memorable scenes. On top of that, his design is just gorgeous. After all the ugly interpretations of dogs the show’s given, it’s satisfying seeing a sea puppy who’s cute, but also a little odd-looking. He looks like a mix between a dog, a millipede and Plankton himself. There are a few ugly things in the episode, like the baby disguise and the algae tongue that almost eats Plankton, but again, they’re not enough to take away from what the episode does well.
I’m extremely happy with how the characters were handled here. Plankton legitimately has a happy ending, and that I’d say is a brilliant move on the writers’ part. There are so many moments in the show now where he’s left on the floor crying, so seeing him end off with happiness, no matter how evil he still is, is gratifying. It goes to show the bond between a man and his pet, especially when Spot himself is interesting. He misbehaves a bit, but he really loves his owner and will do anything to protect or be with him. They managed to exaggerate the positive traits of having a dog well. Even SpongeBob, although a little cooky, has some heart here and is doing the right thing in making Plankton a tad happier. The one thing I love however is Mr Krabs’ lack of presence. I don’t even think he knows Plankton gets a pet, which is good, because if he did, he’d do everything in his power to make Plankton miserable. I’m glad they didn’t go down the Plankton’s Regular route just this once.
If you couldn’t tell already, I love this episode just as much as my own dog, that’s to say it has problems, but what the heck, you can live with them. What Plankton’s Pet does is do something unique that doesn’t take a risk- be a happy SpongeBob episode for once. It’s got an uplifting story about the love of animals, great characterization and use of characters, and although a majority of the usual verbal humour is absent, it’s made up for by the smile on your face when you watch it. It just seems Season 9a just keeps getting better than I remember it to be, though I better keep my mouth shut, because I remember it had an incredibly rocky ending.
Final Verdict: Spongy 9/10 (not perfect, but still among the best)
No Hat for Pat < Plankton’s Pet < Mooncation
Question of the Day: Would you adopt a cartoon amoeba?
Tomorrow’s episode was one I was scared off by initially, but let’s see how the passage of time has transformed it.
:sbthumbs:
SpongeBronyPH
Giant Clam
Plankton's Pet is pretty good to me.
I don't think I can handle a microscopically tiny specimen for me as a pet. I don't need to have a pet anyway.EmployeeAMillion said:
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
Don’t Look Now (Season 9, Episode 9a)
Original Airdate: October 14 2013
Episode 356 in standard order, Episode 355 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob and Patrick get scared out of their wits by a horror movie
Written by Marc Ceccarelli, Luke Brookshier and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]187A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Straight from Heck 10
When I first went through Season 9a, this was one of the few episodes that I hated. At least with the other major offenders of the season, I was introduced to positive attributes because people focused so much on their problems, but this one was well and truly terrible for me to get a first-hand experience of. It’s not particularly hated or noted as a bad episode, so maybe I just got shock from its more negative aspects. I’ve come back to it though, and despite it having some genuinely dramatic moments, the glaring annoyances it has are too much for me to handle. If you really like the episode, I would say “Don’t look now, lol!”, but I implore you to read this review, just to know a different, possibly scarier point of view towards the episode.
It’s a cold night at the rarely-visited Bikini Bottom cinema, The Reef, and SpongeBob and Patrick are going to see Fisherman 4, possibly the fifth in a series of horror movies about fishermen. It seems like a cool concept for a movie, but this particular installment seems to be rather weak, with massive tone swings and a lack of threat throughout most of it. Maybe I just have a bitter view of it because SpongeBob and Patrick ruined two simultaneous screenings with their fear. They scream any time they look at the screen, and make a loud ruckus that gets people riled up. Why on Earth would security let them stay if they’re being so loud and obnoxious? Why does Squidward appear at the beginning just to say it’s not the right movie for them? It doesn’t get the episode off to a welcome start when it just seems to be the first third of Scaredy Pants on cocaine.
After the second screening, the anglerfish usher tells the disturbed duo it was the last and that they need to go home, at midnight, the time the Fisherman strikes in the movies. Of course they become greatly scared by the dark, and a routine forms where SpongeBob walks Patrick to his house due to it, only to need to be walked back to his own house by Patrick. It’s a pretty dumb routine that can be solved with a light, but instead, Squidward’s roped into it. He walks them both to each others’ homes, then for some reason, hatches a plan to dress up as the Fisherman to scare them. If they’re going to yell, scream and ruin Squidward’s sleep, at midnight no less, why provoke that? I like it when Squidward plays against his neighbours, but not when it’s going to come at his expense anyway.
Squidward manages to find the right costume and even gets a fishing line and boat to be more elaborate. I know Squid’s got a wide taste in fashion, but having the exact clothes the Fisherman would wear, including a fake beard, is a bit of a stretch for me, sorry. He first goes after Patrick, and after picking his nose with the hook for an uncomfortably long time, Patrick wakes up, gets scared, and goes to SpongeBob’s house to alert him. So now he can cross the block to the pineapple on his own, now that it’s less taxing on the audience’s patience.
After they scream for a while and Squidward’s had his time and is ready to reveal himself, SpongeBob and Patrick think the Fisherman has swallowed Squidward and beat him up to get him out. While it’s nice that they have the courage to stand up for their neighbour, this is absolute stupidity on their part. I don’t see how being between hat and neck is evidence that someone’s being swallowed, nor do I understand why ending the story as an STP was neccessary. Sure he pranked his neighbours, but they were horribly deserving of getting something through their heads. There are a couple things I like about this ending, like “Fight! Fight! Fight!” (the Now That We’re Men song) playing again after so many years, and the last laugh with Gary, but it caps the episode off on a loud, senseless note.
It seems like the jokes in this episode were slowly picked away by the Fisherman. There’s a lot of SpongeBob and/or Patrick screaming, which gets grating rather fast. At least Fear of a Krabby Patty had the excuse that he was mentally drained. One big problem with whatever jokes there are, is that they drag on for far longer than they need to. Aside from the aforementioned nose-picking scene, you get stuff like Squidward slurping a soda for 10 seconds, and SpongeBob and Patrick trading underwear (they DO care). There’s one that gets me, which is SpongeBob and Patrick not being shocked by a scary fish riding a bike, but aside from that, it feels like an endurance test of annoyance.
As for the animation, I like seing The Reef again. There are only a few episodes where it’s visited (like Something Smells and Wigstruck), and never for long. Themed cinemas are always a treat to see in media, and the Hawaiian motif’s always welcome back. The look for the Fisherman is a bit uninspired, but it’s got threat and girth, so I’m fine with it. What I’m not fine with is Fisherman 4 barely looking or sounding like a horror movie. If I were the editor, I would’ve given the picture a dark green tint and made the characters’ clothes look more serious. There’s also some gross-out added to the equation, with some of the faces SpongeBob and Patrick make when they’re screaming, especially towards the end. With the exception of those faces, the criticisms I have with the animation come from an incomplete feeling.
While the characters aren’t handled as poorly as the story and writing, they still don’t seem right. SpongeBob and Patrick having to learn to conquer their fear of the Fisherman could be a good arc in a parallel universe where they didn’t scream all the time, but the ending with Gary negates that, with them still being spooked out of their wits. I have no idea what Squidward was trying to accomplish by trying to scare them even more. Again, doesn’t he know that they’re already annoying him by screaming and wanting him to sage them? The last character worth mentioning is the anglerfish working as an usher at The Reef. It’s a cool idea for him to be used for the cinema, being the light that dims before the movie starts, but he’s underutilised in my opinion.
I don’t get why this episode doesn’t get more flak. Sure SpongeBob’s a loud show, but this takes it up to eleven with just how the runtime is used. When you get over that, it’s got a plot fuelled by decisions that make no sense or are too loose to understand. I like the few good ideas that are presented, but they definitely don’t make Don’t Look Now worth a second viewing. One last thing, I wish the Fisherman franchise could come back. It seems like a good horror movie for fish, and it’s a shame the movie shown was a bust with no atmosphere.
Final Verdict: Bad 4/10 (not worth your time)
Chum Fricassee < Don’t Look Now < Nautical Novice
Question of the Day: Have you ever been to a horror movie in threatres?
Soon it’ll be high time to see if Season 9 truly resurrected the franchise.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: October 14 2013
Episode 356 in standard order, Episode 355 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob and Patrick get scared out of their wits by a horror movie
Written by Marc Ceccarelli, Luke Brookshier and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]187A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Straight from Heck 10
When I first went through Season 9a, this was one of the few episodes that I hated. At least with the other major offenders of the season, I was introduced to positive attributes because people focused so much on their problems, but this one was well and truly terrible for me to get a first-hand experience of. It’s not particularly hated or noted as a bad episode, so maybe I just got shock from its more negative aspects. I’ve come back to it though, and despite it having some genuinely dramatic moments, the glaring annoyances it has are too much for me to handle. If you really like the episode, I would say “Don’t look now, lol!”, but I implore you to read this review, just to know a different, possibly scarier point of view towards the episode.
It’s a cold night at the rarely-visited Bikini Bottom cinema, The Reef, and SpongeBob and Patrick are going to see Fisherman 4, possibly the fifth in a series of horror movies about fishermen. It seems like a cool concept for a movie, but this particular installment seems to be rather weak, with massive tone swings and a lack of threat throughout most of it. Maybe I just have a bitter view of it because SpongeBob and Patrick ruined two simultaneous screenings with their fear. They scream any time they look at the screen, and make a loud ruckus that gets people riled up. Why on Earth would security let them stay if they’re being so loud and obnoxious? Why does Squidward appear at the beginning just to say it’s not the right movie for them? It doesn’t get the episode off to a welcome start when it just seems to be the first third of Scaredy Pants on cocaine.
After the second screening, the anglerfish usher tells the disturbed duo it was the last and that they need to go home, at midnight, the time the Fisherman strikes in the movies. Of course they become greatly scared by the dark, and a routine forms where SpongeBob walks Patrick to his house due to it, only to need to be walked back to his own house by Patrick. It’s a pretty dumb routine that can be solved with a light, but instead, Squidward’s roped into it. He walks them both to each others’ homes, then for some reason, hatches a plan to dress up as the Fisherman to scare them. If they’re going to yell, scream and ruin Squidward’s sleep, at midnight no less, why provoke that? I like it when Squidward plays against his neighbours, but not when it’s going to come at his expense anyway.
Squidward manages to find the right costume and even gets a fishing line and boat to be more elaborate. I know Squid’s got a wide taste in fashion, but having the exact clothes the Fisherman would wear, including a fake beard, is a bit of a stretch for me, sorry. He first goes after Patrick, and after picking his nose with the hook for an uncomfortably long time, Patrick wakes up, gets scared, and goes to SpongeBob’s house to alert him. So now he can cross the block to the pineapple on his own, now that it’s less taxing on the audience’s patience.
After they scream for a while and Squidward’s had his time and is ready to reveal himself, SpongeBob and Patrick think the Fisherman has swallowed Squidward and beat him up to get him out. While it’s nice that they have the courage to stand up for their neighbour, this is absolute stupidity on their part. I don’t see how being between hat and neck is evidence that someone’s being swallowed, nor do I understand why ending the story as an STP was neccessary. Sure he pranked his neighbours, but they were horribly deserving of getting something through their heads. There are a couple things I like about this ending, like “Fight! Fight! Fight!” (the Now That We’re Men song) playing again after so many years, and the last laugh with Gary, but it caps the episode off on a loud, senseless note.
It seems like the jokes in this episode were slowly picked away by the Fisherman. There’s a lot of SpongeBob and/or Patrick screaming, which gets grating rather fast. At least Fear of a Krabby Patty had the excuse that he was mentally drained. One big problem with whatever jokes there are, is that they drag on for far longer than they need to. Aside from the aforementioned nose-picking scene, you get stuff like Squidward slurping a soda for 10 seconds, and SpongeBob and Patrick trading underwear (they DO care). There’s one that gets me, which is SpongeBob and Patrick not being shocked by a scary fish riding a bike, but aside from that, it feels like an endurance test of annoyance.
As for the animation, I like seing The Reef again. There are only a few episodes where it’s visited (like Something Smells and Wigstruck), and never for long. Themed cinemas are always a treat to see in media, and the Hawaiian motif’s always welcome back. The look for the Fisherman is a bit uninspired, but it’s got threat and girth, so I’m fine with it. What I’m not fine with is Fisherman 4 barely looking or sounding like a horror movie. If I were the editor, I would’ve given the picture a dark green tint and made the characters’ clothes look more serious. There’s also some gross-out added to the equation, with some of the faces SpongeBob and Patrick make when they’re screaming, especially towards the end. With the exception of those faces, the criticisms I have with the animation come from an incomplete feeling.
While the characters aren’t handled as poorly as the story and writing, they still don’t seem right. SpongeBob and Patrick having to learn to conquer their fear of the Fisherman could be a good arc in a parallel universe where they didn’t scream all the time, but the ending with Gary negates that, with them still being spooked out of their wits. I have no idea what Squidward was trying to accomplish by trying to scare them even more. Again, doesn’t he know that they’re already annoying him by screaming and wanting him to sage them? The last character worth mentioning is the anglerfish working as an usher at The Reef. It’s a cool idea for him to be used for the cinema, being the light that dims before the movie starts, but he’s underutilised in my opinion.
I don’t get why this episode doesn’t get more flak. Sure SpongeBob’s a loud show, but this takes it up to eleven with just how the runtime is used. When you get over that, it’s got a plot fuelled by decisions that make no sense or are too loose to understand. I like the few good ideas that are presented, but they definitely don’t make Don’t Look Now worth a second viewing. One last thing, I wish the Fisherman franchise could come back. It seems like a good horror movie for fish, and it’s a shame the movie shown was a bust with no atmosphere.
Final Verdict: Bad 4/10 (not worth your time)
Chum Fricassee < Don’t Look Now < Nautical Novice
Question of the Day: Have you ever been to a horror movie in threatres?
Soon it’ll be high time to see if Season 9 truly resurrected the franchise.
:sbthumbs:
SpongeBronyPH
Giant Clam
Don't Look Now gives me a mixed feeling.
Nope.EmployeeAMillion said:
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
Seance Shmeance (Season 9, Episode 9b)
Original Airdate: October 14 2013
Episode 357 in standard order, Episode 356 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob has to make contact with the dead to get a sandwich recipe
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]187B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Happy Haunting Hosts
We’re not done with spooky scary episodes just yet. Much like the classic(?) Scaredy Pants/I Was a Teenage Gary combo, someone thought it’d be a good idea to put 2 horror-themed episodes together, and they were right. Putting two segments with a very similar feel together is a surefire way to increase the episode’s rerun value, as people will know what they’re getting with both. With that said, we’re once again going back to ghosts, though a different, more wooden flavour of the undead. Wheras nearly all ghosts in the series so far have been of pirates, this one focuses on a chef, and some more casual interpretations of them. Can it manage to cook up something decent?
The episode starts with a TV show about seances, which seems to be a comedy. Even in SpongeBob’s world, I can’t see ghosts and fish arguing about who should get the new toilet paper a topic that can be taken seriously. It’s revealed to be on the TV at the Krusty Krab, with SpongeBob and Squidward watching. SpongeBob in particular is frightened by the mere thought of a seance, which falsely indicates that this’ll be another episode in which he lacks a pair. The plot kicks off with an old man (possible first name Jenkins) ordering a “Rusty on Rye”, and being disappointed when it isn’t on the menu. Here’s the main conflict with the episode, SpongeBob seeing an unsatisfied customer, and walking out the front door. That’s good enough reason to want to see him succeed, no matter what the cost is.
SpongeBob goes to ask Mr Krabs what a Rusty on Rye is, and Krabs reveals it was an item from an older restaurant the Krusty Krab was built over, called “the Rusty Rib”. He also says the old man comes in pretty often, which indicates that SpongeBob’s rather new to his job in this story. What I don’t understand is, if SpongeBob’s recently hired, why does he have such an extensive catalogue of sandwich recipes in his mind, and how come he makes such a big deal over this being his first unsatisfied customer? The only answer I can piece together from this scene is that the Rusty Rib must’ve eventually become the iconic retirement home, the Rusty Krab. Another important question is raised when SpongeBob plans to make contact with the restaurant’s long-gone chef, Rusty Rickets. Wasn’t he absolutely horrified of seances a couple minutes prior to this decision?
Despite the odds being stacked against him, he stays in the Krusty Krab after closing alongside Patrick, and they perform the seance together. Good old Nickelodeon showing their mascot doing sacreligious for an episode. I’m joking of course, the show’s clearly within the realms of fantasy, and it’d hardly inspire kids to perform their own. Patrick gets scared and starts running around the Krusty Krab when the Rusty Rib shack materialises with Rusty Rickets, leaving SpongeBob to learn how to make a Rusty on Rye on his own. Despite Rusty only speaking in gibberish, which I’m dumb for not identifying until SpongeBob points it out, he’s able to learn quickly. All he has to do is chop up two pieces of wood into the shape of rye bread, and adding certain sauces. Quite an eccentric item if you ask me, and I don’t know how old Jenkins must be if he remembers that being delicious.
As it turns out, the Rusty on Rye remains popular with ghosts, as they swarm the Krusty Krab from whence they came (that Davy Jones’ Locker isn’t referenced, but you can piece two and two together), creating havoc. SpongeBob almost gives up, running out in terror, until Mr Krabs comes in and solves the ghost problem by beating them into the contact bubble (a clever way to represent a crystal ball) and popping it. At the end of the day, SpongeBob remembers how to make the wood sandwich and Old Man Jenkins. Other than that, what was the point of this story? Was it to say that summoning ghosts is a bad idea? Hardly, since SpongeBob gained something out of them and Krabs fought them off when they got rambunctious. Seance Shmeance may have an interesting story, but it sure as heck doesn’t mean much.
Given this is one of those “anything goes” stories, you’d expect the comedy to be top-notch. Really though, there aren’t enough jokes. It’s miraculous that the best jokes come from Patrick, like his disappointment in not being able to eat the Krusty Krab’s furniture, and him breaking the fourth wall when he says him running around screaming is part of the story. However, there are some jokes that the episode overuses and really banks on, like what exactly a Rusty on Rye is. You know you’re watching a post-Golden Age episode of a show when the most used joke is eating wood. It’s an odd break of pace to see Patrick give some good jokes, but they can’t balance that out with making the other 90% of the episode funny.
As I said in the introduction, this is one of the first episodes to feature ghosts that aren’t pirates. It’s not a major milestone, but it’s something I wanted to point out, due to the character designs of the new ghosts. While they’re all creative, ranging from ones that look like some of the mean ones from Casper to a pile of sludge with sad mask holes, I’d assume they were from the same time period as Rusty Rickets, who hasn’t deteriorated. This may sound like a nitpick, but I like to think that ghosts slowly decay across their afterlife, so making the ghosts so varied ironically works against the episode’s favour. They could’ve at least made Ribley look more decrepit and ghoulish. Also, this was a problem in Don’t Look Now, but the cuts lightning are brighter and worse here.
Not helping matters is that there’s nothing to Rusty’s character. Due to his shtick of speaking gibberish, it makes it hard for SpongeBob to interact with him, and his only role is to make the Rusty on Rye that causes all of Davy Jones’ Locker to break loose. This isn’t because he’s an interesting character, it’s because he’s a tool to move the story forward. I would’ve liked to see more of the other ghosts as well, but all we know is that they’re cooky and insane, and that their only real method of rebellion is to fly in circles. Ironically, the main characters aren’t as lame as the ghosts. SpongeBob’s got a good sense of curiosity, but there isn’t a direction to take it once the Rusty on Rye’s prepared. Mr Krabs has his moments, and a possible history with ghost (hint, his mixed chemistry with the Flying Dutchman), and like I said Patrick spouts enough jokes to make him tolerable.
The only things that can be brought back from this episode’s grave are the main characters. They’ve all got a fun part to play and all spout some okay moments, but it’s everything else new this episode tries that goes right through me. It’s hard to make ghosts uninteresting, but this episode managed. It doesn’t help that when the jokes don’t come from the main characters, they fail and make the story look more wrecked. I feel like this episode could be better with some of the standard ghosts making an appearance, like the Flying Dutchman for randomly picked instance, but I’ve got a while before he’s shown again. These next two seasons and four years feel a smidgen more haunting.
Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Oral Report < Seance Shmeance < House Fancy
Question of the Day: If you could make contact with the dead, who would you want to talk to the most? Yes, family members count. :(
Cat’s gonna come out of the bag tomorrow, for how I feel about Kenny’s episode. Until then, the night shall last forever!
:sbthumbs:
Oh, and guess what I found in my back pocket.
Original Airdate: October 14 2013
Episode 357 in standard order, Episode 356 in airing order
Plot: SpongeBob has to make contact with the dead to get a sandwich recipe
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]187B[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Happy Haunting Hosts
We’re not done with spooky scary episodes just yet. Much like the classic(?) Scaredy Pants/I Was a Teenage Gary combo, someone thought it’d be a good idea to put 2 horror-themed episodes together, and they were right. Putting two segments with a very similar feel together is a surefire way to increase the episode’s rerun value, as people will know what they’re getting with both. With that said, we’re once again going back to ghosts, though a different, more wooden flavour of the undead. Wheras nearly all ghosts in the series so far have been of pirates, this one focuses on a chef, and some more casual interpretations of them. Can it manage to cook up something decent?
The episode starts with a TV show about seances, which seems to be a comedy. Even in SpongeBob’s world, I can’t see ghosts and fish arguing about who should get the new toilet paper a topic that can be taken seriously. It’s revealed to be on the TV at the Krusty Krab, with SpongeBob and Squidward watching. SpongeBob in particular is frightened by the mere thought of a seance, which falsely indicates that this’ll be another episode in which he lacks a pair. The plot kicks off with an old man (possible first name Jenkins) ordering a “Rusty on Rye”, and being disappointed when it isn’t on the menu. Here’s the main conflict with the episode, SpongeBob seeing an unsatisfied customer, and walking out the front door. That’s good enough reason to want to see him succeed, no matter what the cost is.
SpongeBob goes to ask Mr Krabs what a Rusty on Rye is, and Krabs reveals it was an item from an older restaurant the Krusty Krab was built over, called “the Rusty Rib”. He also says the old man comes in pretty often, which indicates that SpongeBob’s rather new to his job in this story. What I don’t understand is, if SpongeBob’s recently hired, why does he have such an extensive catalogue of sandwich recipes in his mind, and how come he makes such a big deal over this being his first unsatisfied customer? The only answer I can piece together from this scene is that the Rusty Rib must’ve eventually become the iconic retirement home, the Rusty Krab. Another important question is raised when SpongeBob plans to make contact with the restaurant’s long-gone chef, Rusty Rickets. Wasn’t he absolutely horrified of seances a couple minutes prior to this decision?
Despite the odds being stacked against him, he stays in the Krusty Krab after closing alongside Patrick, and they perform the seance together. Good old Nickelodeon showing their mascot doing sacreligious for an episode. I’m joking of course, the show’s clearly within the realms of fantasy, and it’d hardly inspire kids to perform their own. Patrick gets scared and starts running around the Krusty Krab when the Rusty Rib shack materialises with Rusty Rickets, leaving SpongeBob to learn how to make a Rusty on Rye on his own. Despite Rusty only speaking in gibberish, which I’m dumb for not identifying until SpongeBob points it out, he’s able to learn quickly. All he has to do is chop up two pieces of wood into the shape of rye bread, and adding certain sauces. Quite an eccentric item if you ask me, and I don’t know how old Jenkins must be if he remembers that being delicious.
As it turns out, the Rusty on Rye remains popular with ghosts, as they swarm the Krusty Krab from whence they came (that Davy Jones’ Locker isn’t referenced, but you can piece two and two together), creating havoc. SpongeBob almost gives up, running out in terror, until Mr Krabs comes in and solves the ghost problem by beating them into the contact bubble (a clever way to represent a crystal ball) and popping it. At the end of the day, SpongeBob remembers how to make the wood sandwich and Old Man Jenkins. Other than that, what was the point of this story? Was it to say that summoning ghosts is a bad idea? Hardly, since SpongeBob gained something out of them and Krabs fought them off when they got rambunctious. Seance Shmeance may have an interesting story, but it sure as heck doesn’t mean much.
Given this is one of those “anything goes” stories, you’d expect the comedy to be top-notch. Really though, there aren’t enough jokes. It’s miraculous that the best jokes come from Patrick, like his disappointment in not being able to eat the Krusty Krab’s furniture, and him breaking the fourth wall when he says him running around screaming is part of the story. However, there are some jokes that the episode overuses and really banks on, like what exactly a Rusty on Rye is. You know you’re watching a post-Golden Age episode of a show when the most used joke is eating wood. It’s an odd break of pace to see Patrick give some good jokes, but they can’t balance that out with making the other 90% of the episode funny.
As I said in the introduction, this is one of the first episodes to feature ghosts that aren’t pirates. It’s not a major milestone, but it’s something I wanted to point out, due to the character designs of the new ghosts. While they’re all creative, ranging from ones that look like some of the mean ones from Casper to a pile of sludge with sad mask holes, I’d assume they were from the same time period as Rusty Rickets, who hasn’t deteriorated. This may sound like a nitpick, but I like to think that ghosts slowly decay across their afterlife, so making the ghosts so varied ironically works against the episode’s favour. They could’ve at least made Ribley look more decrepit and ghoulish. Also, this was a problem in Don’t Look Now, but the cuts lightning are brighter and worse here.
Not helping matters is that there’s nothing to Rusty’s character. Due to his shtick of speaking gibberish, it makes it hard for SpongeBob to interact with him, and his only role is to make the Rusty on Rye that causes all of Davy Jones’ Locker to break loose. This isn’t because he’s an interesting character, it’s because he’s a tool to move the story forward. I would’ve liked to see more of the other ghosts as well, but all we know is that they’re cooky and insane, and that their only real method of rebellion is to fly in circles. Ironically, the main characters aren’t as lame as the ghosts. SpongeBob’s got a good sense of curiosity, but there isn’t a direction to take it once the Rusty on Rye’s prepared. Mr Krabs has his moments, and a possible history with ghost (hint, his mixed chemistry with the Flying Dutchman), and like I said Patrick spouts enough jokes to make him tolerable.
The only things that can be brought back from this episode’s grave are the main characters. They’ve all got a fun part to play and all spout some okay moments, but it’s everything else new this episode tries that goes right through me. It’s hard to make ghosts uninteresting, but this episode managed. It doesn’t help that when the jokes don’t come from the main characters, they fail and make the story look more wrecked. I feel like this episode could be better with some of the standard ghosts making an appearance, like the Flying Dutchman for randomly picked instance, but I’ve got a while before he’s shown again. These next two seasons and four years feel a smidgen more haunting.
Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Oral Report < Seance Shmeance < House Fancy
Question of the Day: If you could make contact with the dead, who would you want to talk to the most? Yes, family members count. :(
Cat’s gonna come out of the bag tomorrow, for how I feel about Kenny’s episode. Until then, the night shall last forever!
:sbthumbs:
Oh, and guess what I found in my back pocket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVe_fTJAzYs
EmployeeAMillion
Season 13 Time!
Kenny the Cat (Season 9, Episode 10a)
Original Airdate: March 29 2014*
Episode 358 in standard order, Episode 359 in airing order
*copyrighted 2013
Plot: SpongeBob becomes obsessed with a cat who’s famous for holding his breath underwater
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas, Blake Lemons and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]188A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Twelfth Street Rag
Is there a stupider test on planet Earth than holding your breath? Maybe, but this one stands out as being pretty deadly. It’s such a dark idea to me that I’m surprised it can end up in kids shows. Sure gross-out and meanness are things that adults will complain about, but with breath-holding, the show has to be darn sure it’s portrayed in a negative light, or else it could be imitatable. SpongeBob has had a couple jokes about it over the years, particularly in Opposite Day, but this is a special case where the whole episode’s centred around it. Now that you know my feelings ln the subject matter, it’s time to see how Kenny the Cat depicted it.
It’s yet another slow day at the Krusty Krab, with SpongeBob trying to hold his breath for at least 3-5 seconds, being inspired by his new media obsession, Kenny the Cat. Kenny holds his breath underwater, and that’s what makes him so famous. I’d be able to believe in Kenny’s success if SpongeBob’s one of the few people to fall for the media hype surrounding him, but he has posters, stadiums, and is even on the $50 bill. It’s even revealed that he has a huge fanbase in Bikini Bottom, and is walking their way soon. I know this is parodying just how extreme the media’s attention on one celebrity can be, and despite the subject matter, I’d say it’s a good parody. It’d be unthinkable in real life for someone holding their breath to deserve their own stadium.
The next major chunk of the episode focuses on SpongeBob introducing his obsession with Kenny to his friends and getting varying reactions. He’s able to convince Mr Krabs to get autographs signed at the Krusty Krab, so they’re on good terms, but Sandy and Patrick are less impressed. Sandy hates cats in general because they’re mischeavious, and disapproves of SpongeBob’s attempts at copying Kenny. Then things get creepy when SpongeBob and Patrick camp out for Kenny’s visit, and SpongeBob freaks Patrick out with the things he does for Kenny, like getting Kenny makeup and tattoos. It’s insanely difficult to make Patrick question someone’s common sense, but SpongeBob managed to do it. Personally, I think they made SpongeBob far too much of a weirdo in this scene. I know it’s making fun of obsessive fans, but it comes across as SpongeBob having a crush on Kenny or something.
The next morning, Kenny walks into Bikini Bottom, and there’s a school of fans ready to get his autograph. There’s just one itty-bitty problem, once he and SpongeBob go to the Krusty Krab, Kenny goes to the bathroom to fill up on an oxygen tank he carries in his back. SpongeBob walks in on this, and his heart literally breaks. Kenny, now able to talk, says they should keep this secret between each other, and since SpongeBob hasn’t got the guts to tell anyone about his former idol being a fraud, he decides to do so. How do I feel about this reveal, and SpongeBob’s reaction? It makes sense, and I’m happy that it actually gives a personality to Kenny now that he can talk. While nothing about it’s funny, I can praise how seeing the dents in your hero’s facade is depicted, with it honestly being on par with I’m Your Biggest Fanatic.
It seems SpongeBob doesn’t have to keep his secret for very long, as Sandy meets Kenny and asks some questions regarding how he’s able to hold his breath. He eventually breaks down and reveals his secret to the public as she starts listing all the side effects from lacking oxygen. It’s a very disturbing scene, and it really sets the episode back again, but I like how it attempts to discourage the audience from breath-holding. Making the process sound so unsettling is a surefire way to get the message through.
Although Kenny loses the rest of the fans that he’s built up over 20 years, SpongeBob assures him that he can at least be known as “the cat that likes water”. It’s way too late for Kenny to change his title like that, but he’s learned a lesson in honesty and decides to go back to the surface. In the end, this is another story that tries to juggle too much. It starts as a look into SpongeBob’s obsessiveness as a fan, but ends with Kenny having to learn to spill the beans. Heck, I don’t even know which sticks out to me more upon rewatch, due to the episode having an indecisive feel.
Despite the flimsy story and dark subject matter, this episode’s comedy has moments to shine. Some of the stand-outs include Mr Krabs reviving SpongeBob with the scent of the secret formula, SpongeBob squinting at the stars to make out a Kenny constellation, and the sheer scope and absurdity of Kenny’s popularity. Then there are the bad jokes, like SpongeBob drying up in Sandy’s treedome, which seems to happen disturbingly often now, and his obsession with Kenny freaking Patrick out. The episode gets less funny and more dramatic as it goes on, so learn to savour those laughs.
While not gross, there’s something off-putting about the animation in this episode. I didn’t like Kenny’s design at first, both because I felt the Looney Toons-like design doesn’t fit well in the setting of Bikini Bottom, and because of his inflated cheeks when he holds his breath. I find it a bit more tolerable whenever he exhales and those cheeks disappear, but I’m still not a fan of the design. Also, as an episode dealing with the dangers of holding your breath, it enjoys making the test unbearable. I wouldn’t expect any less, and it serves to warn you how painful it is, but there could’ve been a friendlier, less scary way of depicting it.
I feel like this episode would’ve been a lot better if the characters were more fleshed out. SpongeBob flip-flops between being himself and an overly obsessive version of himself so often, it feels like he’s got something wrong with him. I would’ve liked Kenny here if he spoke more frequently. I get that he can’t speak while holding his breath, but there should still be more to him than a cat that walks around making an “A-OK” gesture. It feels like a great misuse of guest star Black Guy. The best character, no doubt is Sandy, because of her instinctive hatred of cats and how she tries to break Kenny down. It’s nothing brilliant, but I’d say she’s the most well-written character here. That’s all I have to say about them though. There are others I didn’t touch upon, but either I’ve already summed up the extent of what they did in the episode, or they didn’t leave an impact on me.
Well, at least this episode had the right message. The rest of it’s rather forgettable. What Kenny the Cat fails to do is give its characters reasons for the things they do, and as such, it raises questions within a short amount of time. Why exactly did Kenny decide to become famous by being underwater? Isn’t there also the issue of water pressure? These would be excuseable if they were answered, or if Kenny could talk from start to finish. This is one of those Average episodes that’s on the cusp of being bad, since although it’s got a couple good jokes and a message that’ll sink in, that’s about it. Then again, that’s the bare minimum for what I expect from this show, so it slides past.
Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Move It or Lose It < Kenny the Cat < The Bad Guy Club for Villains
Question of the Day: Do you have any celebrity stories, positive or negative, that you’d like to share?
Gee, we’re already in the Post-Sequel era? Maybe, maybe not. Until then, member when Kenny died all the time?
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: March 29 2014*
Episode 358 in standard order, Episode 359 in airing order
*copyrighted 2013
Plot: SpongeBob becomes obsessed with a cat who’s famous for holding his breath underwater
Written by Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas, Blake Lemons and Mr Lawrence
[titlecard]188A[/titlecard]
Title Card Music: Twelfth Street Rag
Is there a stupider test on planet Earth than holding your breath? Maybe, but this one stands out as being pretty deadly. It’s such a dark idea to me that I’m surprised it can end up in kids shows. Sure gross-out and meanness are things that adults will complain about, but with breath-holding, the show has to be darn sure it’s portrayed in a negative light, or else it could be imitatable. SpongeBob has had a couple jokes about it over the years, particularly in Opposite Day, but this is a special case where the whole episode’s centred around it. Now that you know my feelings ln the subject matter, it’s time to see how Kenny the Cat depicted it.
It’s yet another slow day at the Krusty Krab, with SpongeBob trying to hold his breath for at least 3-5 seconds, being inspired by his new media obsession, Kenny the Cat. Kenny holds his breath underwater, and that’s what makes him so famous. I’d be able to believe in Kenny’s success if SpongeBob’s one of the few people to fall for the media hype surrounding him, but he has posters, stadiums, and is even on the $50 bill. It’s even revealed that he has a huge fanbase in Bikini Bottom, and is walking their way soon. I know this is parodying just how extreme the media’s attention on one celebrity can be, and despite the subject matter, I’d say it’s a good parody. It’d be unthinkable in real life for someone holding their breath to deserve their own stadium.
The next major chunk of the episode focuses on SpongeBob introducing his obsession with Kenny to his friends and getting varying reactions. He’s able to convince Mr Krabs to get autographs signed at the Krusty Krab, so they’re on good terms, but Sandy and Patrick are less impressed. Sandy hates cats in general because they’re mischeavious, and disapproves of SpongeBob’s attempts at copying Kenny. Then things get creepy when SpongeBob and Patrick camp out for Kenny’s visit, and SpongeBob freaks Patrick out with the things he does for Kenny, like getting Kenny makeup and tattoos. It’s insanely difficult to make Patrick question someone’s common sense, but SpongeBob managed to do it. Personally, I think they made SpongeBob far too much of a weirdo in this scene. I know it’s making fun of obsessive fans, but it comes across as SpongeBob having a crush on Kenny or something.
The next morning, Kenny walks into Bikini Bottom, and there’s a school of fans ready to get his autograph. There’s just one itty-bitty problem, once he and SpongeBob go to the Krusty Krab, Kenny goes to the bathroom to fill up on an oxygen tank he carries in his back. SpongeBob walks in on this, and his heart literally breaks. Kenny, now able to talk, says they should keep this secret between each other, and since SpongeBob hasn’t got the guts to tell anyone about his former idol being a fraud, he decides to do so. How do I feel about this reveal, and SpongeBob’s reaction? It makes sense, and I’m happy that it actually gives a personality to Kenny now that he can talk. While nothing about it’s funny, I can praise how seeing the dents in your hero’s facade is depicted, with it honestly being on par with I’m Your Biggest Fanatic.
It seems SpongeBob doesn’t have to keep his secret for very long, as Sandy meets Kenny and asks some questions regarding how he’s able to hold his breath. He eventually breaks down and reveals his secret to the public as she starts listing all the side effects from lacking oxygen. It’s a very disturbing scene, and it really sets the episode back again, but I like how it attempts to discourage the audience from breath-holding. Making the process sound so unsettling is a surefire way to get the message through.
Although Kenny loses the rest of the fans that he’s built up over 20 years, SpongeBob assures him that he can at least be known as “the cat that likes water”. It’s way too late for Kenny to change his title like that, but he’s learned a lesson in honesty and decides to go back to the surface. In the end, this is another story that tries to juggle too much. It starts as a look into SpongeBob’s obsessiveness as a fan, but ends with Kenny having to learn to spill the beans. Heck, I don’t even know which sticks out to me more upon rewatch, due to the episode having an indecisive feel.
Despite the flimsy story and dark subject matter, this episode’s comedy has moments to shine. Some of the stand-outs include Mr Krabs reviving SpongeBob with the scent of the secret formula, SpongeBob squinting at the stars to make out a Kenny constellation, and the sheer scope and absurdity of Kenny’s popularity. Then there are the bad jokes, like SpongeBob drying up in Sandy’s treedome, which seems to happen disturbingly often now, and his obsession with Kenny freaking Patrick out. The episode gets less funny and more dramatic as it goes on, so learn to savour those laughs.
While not gross, there’s something off-putting about the animation in this episode. I didn’t like Kenny’s design at first, both because I felt the Looney Toons-like design doesn’t fit well in the setting of Bikini Bottom, and because of his inflated cheeks when he holds his breath. I find it a bit more tolerable whenever he exhales and those cheeks disappear, but I’m still not a fan of the design. Also, as an episode dealing with the dangers of holding your breath, it enjoys making the test unbearable. I wouldn’t expect any less, and it serves to warn you how painful it is, but there could’ve been a friendlier, less scary way of depicting it.
I feel like this episode would’ve been a lot better if the characters were more fleshed out. SpongeBob flip-flops between being himself and an overly obsessive version of himself so often, it feels like he’s got something wrong with him. I would’ve liked Kenny here if he spoke more frequently. I get that he can’t speak while holding his breath, but there should still be more to him than a cat that walks around making an “A-OK” gesture. It feels like a great misuse of guest star Black Guy. The best character, no doubt is Sandy, because of her instinctive hatred of cats and how she tries to break Kenny down. It’s nothing brilliant, but I’d say she’s the most well-written character here. That’s all I have to say about them though. There are others I didn’t touch upon, but either I’ve already summed up the extent of what they did in the episode, or they didn’t leave an impact on me.
Well, at least this episode had the right message. The rest of it’s rather forgettable. What Kenny the Cat fails to do is give its characters reasons for the things they do, and as such, it raises questions within a short amount of time. Why exactly did Kenny decide to become famous by being underwater? Isn’t there also the issue of water pressure? These would be excuseable if they were answered, or if Kenny could talk from start to finish. This is one of those Average episodes that’s on the cusp of being bad, since although it’s got a couple good jokes and a message that’ll sink in, that’s about it. Then again, that’s the bare minimum for what I expect from this show, so it slides past.
Final Verdict: Average 5/10 (a mixed bag)
Move It or Lose It < Kenny the Cat < The Bad Guy Club for Villains
Question of the Day: Do you have any celebrity stories, positive or negative, that you’d like to share?
Gee, we’re already in the Post-Sequel era? Maybe, maybe not. Until then, member when Kenny died all the time?
:sbthumbs:
spongebranch
Banished
As we get closer and closer to the post sequel era, I bet your review for SpongeBob You're Fired is gonna be a really long rant.
SpongeBronyPH
Giant Clam
Yeah me too. Kenny the Cat is a mixed bag. Same silent reaction.
Only the positives. I did saw celebrities in real life like Matteo Guitticelli (last December 2015), Eugene Domingo (last December 2016) and Yohan Santos (last Saturday, June 30 2018).EmployeeAMillion said: