EmployeeAMillion
Season 12 Time!
Patnocchio (Season 11, Episode 19a)
Original Airdate: August 8 2018
Episode 447 in standard order, Episode 446 in airing order
Plot: Plankton pretends to be Patrick’s conscience to take advantage of him
Written by Mr Lawrence
Walt Disney’s Pinocchio is my favourite movie of all time. The animation is pure eye candy, the characters all feel alive all the time, the songs are classics, and it has a simple yet darn effective message of how choosing the right path in life is self-rewarding. I couldn’t believe it when the episode title “Patnocchio” was confirmed, because of the joy that my favourite movie and show were getting married, and also the dread that it’d pale in comparison to the 1940 classic. (Yeah, 80 years and it still hasn’t been beaten.) You could say it’s parodying the original Pinocchio serial from Italy, but I don’t see any leg-burning or hanging in this episode, thank God. Besides, it turns the story into a fairy tale, so it’s very clearly going for the Disney version, and that’s alright as long as it’s a funny SpongeBob episode in its own right.
We start off with a traditional fairy tale book opening, then are introduced to Karen the Computer Fairy, who will serve to narrate the tale of Patnocchio, and destroy a clam by singing Fiona-style. Anything to make it even more of a fantastical story is alright by me. Karen tells the story of Patrick, who decides to wear overalls and a feathered hat one day and gorge on Krabby Patties, within the line of sight of the Chum Bucket. As expected, Plankton tries to nab some from his plate, but ends up getting burned, and even sat on by Patrick. I’m not that angry with how stupid Patrick is here, since his foil is Plankton, a guy who almost always deserves what’s coming to him.
Plankton yells at Patrick, but since Patrick can’t see him, he thinks he’s being scolded at by a random voice. SpongeBob comes around to cool him down and explain that it’s likely his conscience, the little voice in his head that dictates what’s right and wrong. It’s a tidy enough explanation of what a conscience is, and it gives Plankton the idea to disguise himself as Patrick’s conscience and trick him into getting more Krabby Patties. The plan works for the most part, but Patrick wants to do anything but get more patties. I’m glad he has a shred of common sense, I mean he just ate, and is now going to walk it off going to different places, annoying Plankton in the process.
The first thing on Patrick’s to-do list is high-fiving everyone in Bikini Bottom, with Plankton on his palm getting endlessly smashed. It’s a good slapstick scene, with enough little jokes slipped in like SpongeBob coming up with a novelty sports glove. The second thing is getting some ice cream from Goofy Goober’s Ice Cream Party Boat, and I’m happy I remembered the name because it’s a blast coming back. They get through a lot of great moments in there, such as Plankton’s first lies that make his nose grow, and him tricking Patrick by saying it’s because he’s telling the non-truth. They then have a swordfight with their new noses, but end up destroying the place and getting kicked out by the bartender, who has one of the creepiest yet funniest moments I’ve seen on the show in a long time.
The to-do list isn’t getting Plankton any closer to a Krabby Patty, so he edits it in his favour, and gets Patrick to deliver one to the Chum Bucket. He misses the mail chute however, and it ends up in a boat, that Pearl and her friends are taking to the beach. This is the story of Pinocchio, they might as well throw in a whale, even though we have to go endoscopic. She doesn’t even eat the patty around the time Patrick and Plankton comes around, she just unconciously inhales it while snoring, her mouth is just that powerful. How am I going to take Patrick and Plankton climbing inside her to retrieve it while she’s sleeping? About as likely as Plankton himself, who expresses fear with getting eaten by whales again. Sure they had to go an reference one of the show’s most infamous episodes, but it got me thinking about something else while they were going in.
Ending up in the belly, they find they’re not alone in there. No, Pearl didn’t get Plankton’s family, but there’s a crazy old man called Geppetto she somehow got down here. Just go with it, and the little wooden puppet he carries around. Geppetto’s clearly gone insane in there, he actually thinks Pinocchio’s a real boy! They all duke it out over the Krabby Patty, giving Pearl a stomach ache, which is eased by Karen carrying some Pepto-Bismol. Everyone’s pushed out the blowhole, but Geppetto and Pinocchio end up getting eaten by a clam at sea, having about as much luck as Jonah. Before Plankton can carry out the rest of his evil scheme, Patrick’s actual conscience comes around, seemingly meeting him for the first time, and tells him to squash Plankton like a bug. The whole “Patrick already had a conscience” thing’s a bit contrived, but at this point, do you really care about the details? Anything’s possible in a fairy tale world, and this episode proved it could go to strange, crazy places.
With a story as funny as this, there are a lot of good jokes that I’ve already gone over, like the scene in Goofy Goober’s where Plankton and Patrick’s noses grow and they have a swordfight with them. Don’t ask me how this happens to Geppetto aswell, science hasn’t come back on it. I also really like how, whenever Patrick reads one of the things on his list he has to do, he absolutely rocks out. Nothing like combining a 19th century morality tale with rock-‘n-roll. There are a few jokes that I don’t enjoy, with the only one I didn’t understand the humour in being the random Flush & Gush (this episode’s stand-in for Pepto-Bismol) commercial Karen and Pearl do. I know this is a fairy tale version of Bikini Bottom, but that doesn’t mean they should outright Shrek-ify it, it’s dangerous enough crossing two beams.
As for the animation, they nail a fairy tale look with the silly costumes Patrick, Plankton and Karen wear, but the rest of Bikini Bottom doesn’t look too different. It’d be like if Pest of the West just had SpongeBuck and Dead Eye Plankton roaming around in modern Bikini Bottom, but given how boring that episode was, I’d count my blessings. That doesn’t mean the locations are all normal however, Goofy Goober’s is a delight to see return, even though they had to shrink it down for a TV episode. Then you have far more unfamiliar territory with Pearl’s stomach, which thankfully isn’t as gross and veiny as the last time we saw it, in a dream of otherwise. The animators didn’t try to do anything too outlandish or risky, except give Patrick and Plankton noses for comical effect, but I love one particularly freaky shot. It’s the close-up of the bartender’s serious face, with melting ice creams in his eyes. That was the part of the episode that made me laugh the hardest, because it comes out of nowhere, and is a creative substitute for “get out!”.
Most of the characters here got a kick out of me. Making Patrick the wooden head himself worked better than I was expecting, as he parodies the Disney Pinocchio’s carefree naïveté, turning it into outright stupidity. You also get a pretty good portrayal of Plankton here, forming an elaborate plan that backfires endlessly, with a fair amount of slapstick thrown in. Patrick eventually gets his own conscience, acting and sounding more like Jiminy Cricket, but he’s hardly a spotlight character. Maybe in a sequel episode, I don’t know. Karen the Computer Fairy was a great narrator, and throwing in an actual Geppetto and his own Pinocchio work on many comedic levels. Unfortunately, Pearl didn’t do much for me, she’s more of a setpiece than a character. Still, 4 out of 5 (not counting Jiminy Patrick), and Patrick’s still fun to watch if you haven’t seen the Disney movie.
So yeah, even ignoring the parallels to the movie, I’d say this is a great parody of the Pinocchio story that makes you want to double check how sane you are. It may be more on the “too crazy to like” side of things if you don’t care for it however, as certain references like getting eaten by a whale would feel downright abstract out of context. The fairy tale angle given by the framing device could be able to disguise some of that confusion though. I’d still recommend a viewing if you’re a fan of Season 11, or you’re into the nuttier episodes like MM/BB IV or I Had An Accident. As for me, the only wish I made was for a good episode of SpongeBob, and I’m grateful my dream came true.
Final Verdict: Good 8/10 (an enjoyable if not mildly flawed episode)
The Whole Tooth < Patnocchio < The Check-Up
Question of the Day: What’s your favourite movie, and how would you feel about a SpongeBob parody of it?
If what I’ve heard in retrospect is true, tomorrow’s episode shouldn’t cook up much of a stink. Until then, okay girls and boys.
:sbthumbs:
Original Airdate: August 8 2018
Episode 447 in standard order, Episode 446 in airing order
Plot: Plankton pretends to be Patrick’s conscience to take advantage of him
Written by Mr Lawrence
Walt Disney’s Pinocchio is my favourite movie of all time. The animation is pure eye candy, the characters all feel alive all the time, the songs are classics, and it has a simple yet darn effective message of how choosing the right path in life is self-rewarding. I couldn’t believe it when the episode title “Patnocchio” was confirmed, because of the joy that my favourite movie and show were getting married, and also the dread that it’d pale in comparison to the 1940 classic. (Yeah, 80 years and it still hasn’t been beaten.) You could say it’s parodying the original Pinocchio serial from Italy, but I don’t see any leg-burning or hanging in this episode, thank God. Besides, it turns the story into a fairy tale, so it’s very clearly going for the Disney version, and that’s alright as long as it’s a funny SpongeBob episode in its own right.
We start off with a traditional fairy tale book opening, then are introduced to Karen the Computer Fairy, who will serve to narrate the tale of Patnocchio, and destroy a clam by singing Fiona-style. Anything to make it even more of a fantastical story is alright by me. Karen tells the story of Patrick, who decides to wear overalls and a feathered hat one day and gorge on Krabby Patties, within the line of sight of the Chum Bucket. As expected, Plankton tries to nab some from his plate, but ends up getting burned, and even sat on by Patrick. I’m not that angry with how stupid Patrick is here, since his foil is Plankton, a guy who almost always deserves what’s coming to him.
Plankton yells at Patrick, but since Patrick can’t see him, he thinks he’s being scolded at by a random voice. SpongeBob comes around to cool him down and explain that it’s likely his conscience, the little voice in his head that dictates what’s right and wrong. It’s a tidy enough explanation of what a conscience is, and it gives Plankton the idea to disguise himself as Patrick’s conscience and trick him into getting more Krabby Patties. The plan works for the most part, but Patrick wants to do anything but get more patties. I’m glad he has a shred of common sense, I mean he just ate, and is now going to walk it off going to different places, annoying Plankton in the process.
The first thing on Patrick’s to-do list is high-fiving everyone in Bikini Bottom, with Plankton on his palm getting endlessly smashed. It’s a good slapstick scene, with enough little jokes slipped in like SpongeBob coming up with a novelty sports glove. The second thing is getting some ice cream from Goofy Goober’s Ice Cream Party Boat, and I’m happy I remembered the name because it’s a blast coming back. They get through a lot of great moments in there, such as Plankton’s first lies that make his nose grow, and him tricking Patrick by saying it’s because he’s telling the non-truth. They then have a swordfight with their new noses, but end up destroying the place and getting kicked out by the bartender, who has one of the creepiest yet funniest moments I’ve seen on the show in a long time.
The to-do list isn’t getting Plankton any closer to a Krabby Patty, so he edits it in his favour, and gets Patrick to deliver one to the Chum Bucket. He misses the mail chute however, and it ends up in a boat, that Pearl and her friends are taking to the beach. This is the story of Pinocchio, they might as well throw in a whale, even though we have to go endoscopic. She doesn’t even eat the patty around the time Patrick and Plankton comes around, she just unconciously inhales it while snoring, her mouth is just that powerful. How am I going to take Patrick and Plankton climbing inside her to retrieve it while she’s sleeping? About as likely as Plankton himself, who expresses fear with getting eaten by whales again. Sure they had to go an reference one of the show’s most infamous episodes, but it got me thinking about something else while they were going in.
Ending up in the belly, they find they’re not alone in there. No, Pearl didn’t get Plankton’s family, but there’s a crazy old man called Geppetto she somehow got down here. Just go with it, and the little wooden puppet he carries around. Geppetto’s clearly gone insane in there, he actually thinks Pinocchio’s a real boy! They all duke it out over the Krabby Patty, giving Pearl a stomach ache, which is eased by Karen carrying some Pepto-Bismol. Everyone’s pushed out the blowhole, but Geppetto and Pinocchio end up getting eaten by a clam at sea, having about as much luck as Jonah. Before Plankton can carry out the rest of his evil scheme, Patrick’s actual conscience comes around, seemingly meeting him for the first time, and tells him to squash Plankton like a bug. The whole “Patrick already had a conscience” thing’s a bit contrived, but at this point, do you really care about the details? Anything’s possible in a fairy tale world, and this episode proved it could go to strange, crazy places.
With a story as funny as this, there are a lot of good jokes that I’ve already gone over, like the scene in Goofy Goober’s where Plankton and Patrick’s noses grow and they have a swordfight with them. Don’t ask me how this happens to Geppetto aswell, science hasn’t come back on it. I also really like how, whenever Patrick reads one of the things on his list he has to do, he absolutely rocks out. Nothing like combining a 19th century morality tale with rock-‘n-roll. There are a few jokes that I don’t enjoy, with the only one I didn’t understand the humour in being the random Flush & Gush (this episode’s stand-in for Pepto-Bismol) commercial Karen and Pearl do. I know this is a fairy tale version of Bikini Bottom, but that doesn’t mean they should outright Shrek-ify it, it’s dangerous enough crossing two beams.
As for the animation, they nail a fairy tale look with the silly costumes Patrick, Plankton and Karen wear, but the rest of Bikini Bottom doesn’t look too different. It’d be like if Pest of the West just had SpongeBuck and Dead Eye Plankton roaming around in modern Bikini Bottom, but given how boring that episode was, I’d count my blessings. That doesn’t mean the locations are all normal however, Goofy Goober’s is a delight to see return, even though they had to shrink it down for a TV episode. Then you have far more unfamiliar territory with Pearl’s stomach, which thankfully isn’t as gross and veiny as the last time we saw it, in a dream of otherwise. The animators didn’t try to do anything too outlandish or risky, except give Patrick and Plankton noses for comical effect, but I love one particularly freaky shot. It’s the close-up of the bartender’s serious face, with melting ice creams in his eyes. That was the part of the episode that made me laugh the hardest, because it comes out of nowhere, and is a creative substitute for “get out!”.
Most of the characters here got a kick out of me. Making Patrick the wooden head himself worked better than I was expecting, as he parodies the Disney Pinocchio’s carefree naïveté, turning it into outright stupidity. You also get a pretty good portrayal of Plankton here, forming an elaborate plan that backfires endlessly, with a fair amount of slapstick thrown in. Patrick eventually gets his own conscience, acting and sounding more like Jiminy Cricket, but he’s hardly a spotlight character. Maybe in a sequel episode, I don’t know. Karen the Computer Fairy was a great narrator, and throwing in an actual Geppetto and his own Pinocchio work on many comedic levels. Unfortunately, Pearl didn’t do much for me, she’s more of a setpiece than a character. Still, 4 out of 5 (not counting Jiminy Patrick), and Patrick’s still fun to watch if you haven’t seen the Disney movie.
So yeah, even ignoring the parallels to the movie, I’d say this is a great parody of the Pinocchio story that makes you want to double check how sane you are. It may be more on the “too crazy to like” side of things if you don’t care for it however, as certain references like getting eaten by a whale would feel downright abstract out of context. The fairy tale angle given by the framing device could be able to disguise some of that confusion though. I’d still recommend a viewing if you’re a fan of Season 11, or you’re into the nuttier episodes like MM/BB IV or I Had An Accident. As for me, the only wish I made was for a good episode of SpongeBob, and I’m grateful my dream came true.
Final Verdict: Good 8/10 (an enjoyable if not mildly flawed episode)
The Whole Tooth < Patnocchio < The Check-Up
Question of the Day: What’s your favourite movie, and how would you feel about a SpongeBob parody of it?
If what I’ve heard in retrospect is true, tomorrow’s episode shouldn’t cook up much of a stink. Until then, okay girls and boys.
:sbthumbs: