Pinned thread Season 11 Discussion

Sealand

Imitation Krab
Joined
Jun 13, 2019
Messages
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12
Cave dwelling sponge: Good
The clam whisperer: Good
Spot returns: Excellent
The check up: Decent
There's a sponge in my soup: Decent
Man ray returns: Excellent
Larry the floor manager: Decent
The legend of boo-kini bottom: Good
No pictures please: Good
Stuck on the roof: Okay
Krabby patty creature feature: Good
Teacher's pests: Decent
Sanitation sanity: Good
Cuddle E hugs: Okay [Weirdest episode in SpongeBob SquarePants ever]
Pat the horse: Decent
Chatterbox Gary: Good
Don't feed the clowns: Good
Drive happy: Okay
Old man Patrick: Decent
Fun sized friends: Okay
Grandmum's the word: N/A
Doodle dimension: Excellent
Moving bubble bass: Good
High sea diving: Decent
Bottle burglars: Good
My leg!: Amazing
Ink Lemonade: (**NOT**WATCHABLE**)

Mustard O' mine: Good
Shopping list: Decent
Whale watching: Good
Krusty kleaners: Okay
Patnocchio: Okay
ChefBob: Masterpiece
Plankton paranoia: Excellent
Library cards: Okay
Call the cops: Good
Surf N' turf: Decent
Goons on the moon: N/A
Appointment TV: N/A
Karen's virus: Excellent
The grill is gone: Okay
The night patty: N/A
Bubbletown: Good
Girl's night out: Good
Squirrel jelly: (WTF) Mediocre
The string: Good

Terrible episodes: 1
Awful episodes: 0
Bad episodes: 0
Mediocre episodes: 1
Okay episodes: 7
Decent episodes: 8
Good episodes: 16
Great episodes: 0
Excellent episodes: 5
Amazing episodes: 1
Masterpiece episodes: 1

Rating: 48.8/100 Good season
 
Last edited:

CheeseCrocker

Bomb-Selling Pirate
Joined
Jun 22, 2019
Messages
193
Likes
55
Cave Dwelling Sponge: Good
The Clam Whisperer: Good
Spot Returns: Good
The Check-Up: Great
Spin the Bottle: Good
There's a Sponge in my Soup: Good
Man Ray Returns: Amazing
Larry the Floor Manager: Great
The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom: Great
No Pictures Please: Amazing
Stuck on the Roof: Good
Krabby Patty Creature Feature: Great
Teacher's Pests: Good
Sanitation Insanity: Good
Bunny Hunt: Good
Squid Noir: Amazing
Scavenger Pants: Great
Cuddle E. Hugs: Eh
Pat the Horse: Good
Chatterbox Gary: Good
Don't Feed the Clowns: Eh
Drive Happy: Mediocre
Old Man Patrick: Great
Fun-Sized Friends: Bad
Grandmum's the Word: Eh
Doodle Dimension: Eh
Moving Bubble Bass: Good
High Sea Diving: Good
Bottle Burglars: Good
My Leg!: Great
Ink Lemonade: Good
Mustard O' Mine: Great
Shopping List: Good
Whale Watching: Eh
Krusty Kleaners: Amazing
Patnocchio: Great
ChefBob: Good
Plankton Paranoia: Great
Library Cards: Eh
Call the Cops: Good
Surf N' Turf: Good
Goons on the Moon: Good
Appointment TV: Mediocre
Karen's Virus: Good
The Grill is Gone: Good
The Night Patty: Bad
Bubbletown: Mediocre
Girls' Night Out: Eh
Squirrel Jelly: Eh
The String: Great

Overall, I like this season. It contains my third favorite of the series (Man Ray Returns) and there are a lot of really great episodes. This season can be a bit boring at times, hence the amount of eh and lower episodes, but most of the episodes are enjoyable. The humor here is a little weaker than the previous seasons, since there is less dialogue humor, but it's made up for by the entertaining plots these episodes bring, since a lot of plots in this season are quite unique, even if some are rip offs. The animation is amazing, I just love the wackiness of every episode. So overall, this is a good season.
 

Pugs4Thugs

#1 SpongeBob Reviewer
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
2,081
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1,471
Cave Dwelling Sponge: 7/10
The Clam Whisperer: 7.3/10

Spot Returns: 8.5/10
The Check-Up: 8.3/10

Spin the Bottle: 7/10
There’s a Sponge in My Soup: 6.3/10
Man Ray Returns: 9.2/10
Larry the Floor Manager: 9/10
The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom: 9.5/10

No Pictures Please: 8.5/10
Stuck on the Roof: 6.8/10
Krabby Patty Creature Feature: 9.6/10
Teacher’s Pests: 7/10
Sanitation Insanity: 7/10

Bunny Hunt: 5.2/10
Squid Noir: 9.6/10
Scavenger Pants: 8/10
Cuddle E. Hugs: 5.8/10
Pat the Horse: 5.6/10

Chatterbox Gary: 8/10
Don’t Feed the Clowns: 6/10
Drive Happy: 6.5/10

Old Man Patrick: 7/10
Fun-Sized Friends: 6/10
Grandmum’s the Word: 8.6/10
Doodle Dimension: 8/10
Moving Bubble Bass: 8.2/10

High Sea Diving: 7/10
Bottle Burglars: 9/10
My Leg!: 9.2/10

Ink Lemonade: 3.9/10
Mustard O’ Mine: 9/10
Shopping List: 7.5/10
Whale Watching: 9.2/10
Krusty Kleaners: 7.4/10
Patnocchio: 8.2/10
ChefBob: 9/10
Plankton Paranoia: 9.3/10

Library Cards: 7.6/10
Call the Cops: 7.8/10

Surf N’ Turf: 9/10
Goons on the Moon: 8/10
Appointment TV: 8.4/10

Karen’s Virus: 9/10
The Grill is Gone: 8/10
The Night Patty: 8.5/10

Bubbletown: 7.5/10
Squirrel Jelly: 6/10
The String: 8/10

Bottom 5:
5. Squirrel Jelly
4. Cuddle E. Hugs
3. Pat the Horse
2. Bunny Hunt
1. Ink Lemonade

Top 5:
5. My Leg!
4. Plankton Paranoia
3. The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom
2. Krabby Patty Creature Feature
1. Squid Noir

Total Scoring:
Amazing: 13
Great: 14
Good: 12
Okay: 6
Mediocre: 3
Bad: 0
Atrocity: 1
Abysmal: 0

Additional Comments:
I really like how the writers came up with all these new and different ideas in this season. I also appreciate that they're exploring different character groupings, like Squidward and Pearl in Whale Watching. Many of my favorite episodes of this season did something different, like Squid Noir. SpongeBob needs more of this! Even with episodes I didn’t like, like Cuddle E. Hugs, I respected the fact that they tried something new and weird. Also, all the callbacks and easter eggs are great. Though I was sad that they made it so they never met DoodleBob before in Doodle Dimension.

This was a great/amazing season. It's been a while since picking my top 5 was really difficult, and picking my bottom 5 wasn't so difficult.

Clearly, Ink Lemonade is my bottom episode of the season. I hate to get on a bandwagon but Ink Lemonade is just not entertaining or good. Not just because of the Squidward torture, but it just isn’t funny or anything to me. The facial expressions in this episode were good though. I would’ve put it in the Bad category but the constant assault on my ears that was Squidward’s screaming pushed it over the edge into atrocity.

Lastly, as someone who’s username is literally from my two favorite SpongeBob background characters (Tom & Fred, also why I call myself Ted), I appreciate that they made an episode about Fred and are focusing more on the background characters. Tom episode incoming when?
 

JoeyBoi

Moby Dollar
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
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Location
Weenie Hut Jr's.
Awful:
50. Ink Lemonade
49. Cuddle E. Hugs

Bad:
48. Squirrel Jelly
47. Library Cards
46. Don't Feed the Clowns
45. Bunny Hunt
44. Man Ray Returns
43. Pat the Horse
42. High Sea Diving

Meh:
41. The Clam Whisperer
40. Fun-Sized Friends
39. Cave Dwelling Sponge
38. Spin the Bottle
37. Old Man Patrick
36. Whale Watching
35. Call the Cops
34. No Pictures Please
33. Surf N' Turf
32. The Check-Up
31. Stuck on the Roof
30. There's a Sponge in My Soup
29. The String
28. Moving Bubble Bass
27. Drive Happy

Good:
26. Doodle Dimension
25. Chatterbox Gary
24. Sanitation Insanity
23. Bottle Burglars
22. Teacher's Pests
21. Mustard O' Mine
20. The Grill is Gone
19. Grandmum's the Word
18. Krusty Kleaners
17. Plankton Paranoia
16. Bubbletown
15. Larry the Floor Manager
14. Girls' Night Out
13. Scavenger Pants
12. Shopping List
11. Goons on the Moon

Great:
10. Krabby Patty Creature Feature
9. The Night Patty
8. Appointment TV
7. Spot Returns
6. Pattnocchio
5. Squid Noir
4. My Leg!
3. Chef Bob
2. The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom
1. Karen's Virus

FINAL RATING: 7.4/10

This season is pretty good. I think the new style the show has works for a lot of episodes, but sometimes you get an episode that's just really forgettable or just downright bad, which is basically the bottom 35 in a nutshell. This season almost has the same rating as season 4 but I can't really compare the two just because they're so different.
 

Bigsmoker

Frozen Cephalopod
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Messages
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567
Location
Israel
Cave Dwelling Sponge -3/10
The Clam Whisperer - 2/10
Spot Returns - 4/10
The Check-Up - 6/10
Spin the Bottle - 4/10
There's a Sponge in My Soup - 0/10. Very boring for me.
Man Ray Returns - 5/10
Larry the Floor Manager - 5/10
The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom - 3/10. I did not finish the episode lmao
No Pictures Please - 4/10
Stuck on the Roof - 2/10
Krabby Patty Creature Feature - 3/10
Teacher's Pests - The best episode it this season. 7/10
Sanitation Insanity - 3/10
Bunny Hunt - 1/10
Squid Noir - 2/10
Scavenger Pants - 6/10
Cuddle E. Hugs - 0/10
Pat the Horse - 2/10
Chatterbox Gary - 2/10
Don't Feed the Clowns - 0/10
Drive Happy - 0/10
Old Man Patrick - 3/10
Fun-Sized Friends - 2/10
Grandmum's the Word - 3/10
Doodle Dimension - 6/10
Moving Bubble Bass - 2/10
High Sea Diving - 1/10
Bottle Burgers - 3/10
My Leg! - 6/10
Ink Lemonade - 0/10(even -1/10). The worst episode ever.
Mustard O' Mine - 5/10
Shopping List - 1/10
Whale Watching - 2/10
Krusty Kleaners - The best after Teacher's Pests. 7/10
Patnocchio - 3/10
ChefBob - 6/10
Plankton Paranoia - 0/10
Library Cards - 0/10
Call the Cops - 3/10
Surf N' Turf - 2/10
Goons on the Moon - 6/10
Appointment TV - 1/10
Karen's Virus - 1/10
The Grill is Gone - 1/10
The Night Patty -6/10
Bubbletown - 5/10
Girls' Night Out - 2/10
Squirrel Jelly - 0/10
The String - 0/10

Overall:
2.48/10
Best episodes: Teacher's Pests and Krusty Klaeners.
Worst episodes: Ink Lemonade, Don't Feed the Clown, There is a Sponge in my Soup.
 

Snails

Floating Shopping List
Joined
Jun 28, 2021
Messages
121
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113
Location
New York City
Good
Debatable
Atrocity

Cave Dwelling Sponge
The Clam Whisperer

Spot Returns
The Check-Up

Spin The Bottle
There's A Sponge In My Soup
Man Ray Returns
Larry The Floor Manager
The Legend Of Boo-Kini Bottom

No Pictures Please
Stuck On The Roof
Krabby Patty Creature Feature
Teacher's Pests
Sanitation Insanity
Bunny Hunt
Squid Noir
Scavenger Pants

Cuddle E Hugs
Pat The Horse
Chatterbox Gary
Don't Feed The Clowns
Drive Happy
Old Man Patrick

Fun-Sized Friends
GrandMum's The Word
Doodle Demension
Moving Bubble Bass

High Sea Diving
Bottle Buglars
My Leg!

Ink Lemonade
Mustard O' Mine

Shopping List
Whale Watching
Krusty Kleaners
Patnochio
ChefBob

Plankton Paranoia
Library Cards

Call The Cops
Surf N' Turf
Goons On The Moon

Appointment TV
Karen's Virus
The Grill Is Gone
The Night Patty

Bubbletown
Girls Night Out
Squirrel Jelly
The String

Bottom 5
5. High Sea Diving
4. Library Cards

3. Plankton Paranoia
2. Squirrel Jelly
1. Ink Lemonade

Top 5
5. Call The Cops
4. Goons On The Moon
3. Surf N, Turf
2. Karen's Virus
1. Mustard O' Mine

Season 11: Amazing Season
 
Last edited:

MattTheSpongeFanatic

Goodbye Krabby Patty's #1 Fan
Staff
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Somewhere in Surface Land
Season 11, the weirdest season of SB so far.

1631229126653.png

Amazing: 16
Great: 10
Good: 11
Meh: 3
Bad: 7
Awful: 1
Squid Ink (ScumBob): 2

Holy [dolphin noise] I never realized how good this season is until now. While Season 9B is still better, I guess this season and Season 10 ties for the 2nd best season.
 

SlipperytheTotodile

The Pokemon Enthusiast
Joined
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Messages
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Location
SpongeBuddy Mania
download - 2022-02-19T175505.579.png
  • My Leg! is probably the best one of this season i remember it was funny and was a great way to not say MY LEG! at
  • Both Doodle Dimension and Krusty Kleaners were pretty action-packed!
  • Squid Noir was a very suspenseful indeed and it actually did give me Sherlock Holmes vibes
  • Cuddle E. Hugs ?! Whoops forgot ive seen part of that episode :(
  • Your thinking now WEIRDSPONGE! HOWS INK LEMONADE GOOD?!???!?!?!??!? Well i just think its rather interesting in concept. Yes! I did notice the Squidward torture in it and i hated those scenes but the concept was clever
  • We have 4 meh episodes the reason of them being meh are below...
  • Karen's Virus: It sounded like it would be an interesting one to watch it was but the execution wasnt that good
  • Whale Watching: This one lacks humor the only funny scene i can think of was the ending
  • Dont Feed the Clowns: Rehashs SpongeBob Youre Fired which i actually like but the gags were weak
  • Plankton Paranoia: Decent concept but kind of boring
  • Scavenger Pants has a good ending but the episode just didnt seem to faze me
  • CAVE DWELLING FREAKING SPONGE SO FAR IS OUR WORST EPISODE! This one is boring and an idiotic way to start a season this one is also consisted of our legendary sponge going to jail...
Top 3:
1: My Leg!
2: ChefBob
3: Squid Noir
Honorable Mentions: Doodle Dimension and Krusty Kleaners

Bottom 3:
1: Cave Dwelling Sponge
2: Scavenger Pants
3: Whale Watching (Meh)
Dishonorable Mentions: Dont Feed the Clowns and Plankton Paranoia (both are meh)

Best: My Leg!
Worst: Cave Dwelling Sponge
 

coft

happy hopping moron
Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
215
Likes
109
Location
Kelp Forest
Bad (1/5)
50. Squirrel Jelly
49. Bunny Hunt
48. Ink Lemonade
47. Library Cards
46. Pat the Horse


Average (2/5)
45. Don’t Feed the Clowns
44. Patnocchio
43. Man Ray Returns
42. The Clam Whisperer
41. Sanitation Insanity
40. Goons on the Moon
39. Call the Cops
38. High Sea Diving
37. Fun-Sized Friends
36. Doodle Dimension
35. Old Man Patrick
34. The Grill is Gone


Good (3/5)
33. Cuddle E. Hugs
32. Cave Dwelling Sponge
31. Moving Bubble Bass
30. Scavenger Pants
29. Drive Happy
28. Appointment TV
27. Plankton Paranoia
26. Spin the Bottle
25. Krusty Kleaners
24. Bubbletown
23. The Night Patty
22. Grandmum’s the Word


Great (4/5)
21. Krabby Patty Creature Feature
20. The String
19. There’s a Sponge in My Soup
18. Stuck on the Roof
17. Whale Watching
16. Mustard O’ Mine
15. The Check-Up
14. No Pictures, Please
13. Chatterbox Gary
12. ChefBob
11. Squid Noir


Amazing (5/5)
10. Shopping List
9. Spot Returns
8. Larry the Floor Manager
7. My Leg!
6. Teacher’s Pests
5. Surf N’ Turf
4. Bottle Burglars
3. The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom
2. Karen’s Virus
1. Girls’ Night Out


Season 11 Score: 3.18 (Good)

Thoughts:
Wow. They finally did it. A good season. I used to dislike Season 11 because it wasn’t akin to the pre-movie seasons or even season 9b and 10, it also doesn’t help that this was the first season I didn’t watch as it came out, after I believe Pat the Horse, I dropped off the SpongeBob wagon for a bit. But, now? I think it’s pretty good, like I said for 10, if the show kept playing it safe, with a bunch of rehashes, with only 1 or 2 episodes that really break the mould, I don’t think the show would’ve been able to keep its quality, so I’m glad they mixed things up for season 11, I’m glad that the rehashes are few and far between, that said, they could tone down the faces a bit, it’s not too bad for the most part, but there are moments where I feel like I’m watching a HD ‘Face Freeze!’.
 

coft

happy hopping moron
Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Messages
215
Likes
109
Location
Kelp Forest
Post-Sequel Era Ranking from worst to best:

Season 10
Season 9b
Season 11
 

Season 4-11

7 Years of Hospitality
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
Messages
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870
Location
Utah
At the very least, this was an interesting season. As a whole, I liked this season a lot when it aired and for a little while after, but in recent years I've liked it less... And less.... And less.... And there's quite a few reasons for that.

For the most part, the writing is a downgrade from Season 10, which was already a downgrade from the second half of 9. Most of the time it feels like wacky for the sake of being wacky. Season 10 also did this, but I think the way they do it from this point onwards is a lot more annoying. It's not funny most of the time, and feels like a cheap way to get a laugh out of people, especially with how much they overdo the "hahahaha! wacky face! funny!" schtick.

They also doubled down on the references. Seasons 9 & 10 did this too, but in those seasons they were (almost) always used as background gags, or Easter eggs. But at this point it's just too much. Did we really need a whole episode about the My Leg gag? Or a second DoodleBob episode? Or all the Nosferatu scenes in The Night Patty (which unfortunately, only gets worse....)? I know some people like seeing these references, but to me it's just too much. The more they do it, the less it feels like fan service and the more it feels like it's only done for attention.

Also, the humor is non-existent. The average episode this season has a couple gags, then the rest of the 'comedy' is just wacky faces. They're not funny most of the time and are usually more annoying than funny. It's like the episode comes to a grinding halt just to show some stupid face. It's less like SpongeBob and more like Ren and Stimpy. Now, let me make this clear: the problem isn't just that they overuse wacky faces, it's that they don't fit. Prior to Season 10, wacky faces were never SpongeBob's main source of humor. There would be one or two per episode, at most. Starting with this season (and especially in the seasons after), we're lucky to get one or two jokes that aren't wacky faces.

That being said, it's not a bad season. I think a lot of these episodes have good storytelling, and even though I dislike the humor as a whole, there's still quite a few episodes this season that really are funny from start to finish (like Scavenger Pants and The Check-Up). So overall, certainly not a bad season, but not a great one, either.

1660613556874.png
Meh Season

Best: Mustard O' Mine & Scavenger Pants
Worst: Drive Happy & Bunny Hunt

Great/Good: 20
Meh: 19
Bad/Awful: 11

Again, nowhere near a bad season but there's quite a few things keeping me from calling it "Good" or "Great".
 

SlipperytheTotodile

The Pokemon Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 14, 2021
Messages
2,652
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Location
SpongeBuddy Mania
View attachment 15355
  • My Leg! is probably the best one of this season i remember it was funny and was a great way to not say MY LEG! at
  • Both Doodle Dimension and Krusty Kleaners were pretty action-packed!
  • Squid Noir was a very suspenseful indeed and it actually did give me Sherlock Holmes vibes
  • Cuddle E. Hugs ?! Whoops forgot ive seen part of that episode :(
  • Your thinking now WEIRDSPONGE! HOWS INK LEMONADE GOOD?!???!?!?!??!? Well i just think its rather interesting in concept. Yes! I did notice the Squidward torture in it and i hated those scenes but the concept was clever
  • We have 4 meh episodes the reason of them being meh are below...
  • Karen's Virus: It sounded like it would be an interesting one to watch it was but the execution wasnt that good
  • Whale Watching: This one lacks humor the only funny scene i can think of was the ending
  • Dont Feed the Clowns: Rehashs SpongeBob Youre Fired which i actually like but the gags were weak
  • Plankton Paranoia: Decent concept but kind of boring
  • Scavenger Pants has a good ending but the episode just didnt seem to faze me
  • CAVE DWELLING FREAKING SPONGE SO FAR IS OUR WORST EPISODE! This one is boring and an idiotic way to start a season this one is also consisted of our legendary sponge going to jail...
Top 3:
1: My Leg!
2: ChefBob
3: Squid Noir
Honorable Mentions: Doodle Dimension and Krusty Kleaners

Bottom 3:
1: Cave Dwelling Sponge
2: Scavenger Pants
3: Whale Watching (Meh)
Dishonorable Mentions: Dont Feed the Clowns and Plankton Paranoia (both are meh)

Best: My Leg!
Worst: Cave Dwelling Sponge
I just realized how outdated my opinions on here are...

Especially my opinion on Ink Lemonade why did I used to like it? :patgross
 

Pugs4Thugs

#1 SpongeBob Reviewer
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
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Likes
1,471
Another month, another season review!

Cave Dwelling Sponge: 8.5/10
The Clam Whisperer: 8.9/10
Spot Returns: 9.3/10
The Check-Up: 9.2/10
Spin the Bottle: 8.6/10
There’s a Sponge in My Soup: 6.2/10
Man Ray Returns: 9.5/10
Larry the Floor Manager: 8.9/10
The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom: 9.3/10
No Pictures Please: 9.6/10
Stuck on the Roof: 9.2/10
Krabby Patty Creature Feature: 9.4/10
Teacher’s Pests: 9.4/10
Sanitation Insanity: 8/10
Bunny Hunt: 5/10
Squid Noir: 9.7/10
Scavenger Pants: 8.5/10
Cuddle E. Hugs: 7.9/10
Pat the Horse: 8.6/10
Chatterbox Gary: 9.5/10
Don’t Feed the Clowns: 5.2/10
Drive Happy: 7.5/10
Old Man Patrick: 7/10
Fun-Sized Friends: 6.3/10
Grandmum’s the Word: 6.5/10
Doodle Dimension: 4.8/10
Moving Bubble Bass: 9/10
High Sea Diving: 7.4/10
Bottle Burglars: 9/10
My Leg!: 9.4/10
Ink Lemonade: 6.7/10
Mustard O’ Mine: 9.6/10
Shopping List: 9.2/10
Whale Watching: 9.2/10
Krusty Kleaners: 7.6/10
Patnocchio: 5.3/10
ChefBob: 9.3/10
Library Cards: 6.8/10
Plankton Paranoia: 9.4/10
Call the Cops: 9.4/10
Surf N’ Turf: 9.3/10
Goons on the Moon: 5.5/10
Appointment TV: 8.6/10
Karen’s Virus: 9/10
The Grill is Gone: 8.4/10
The Night Patty: 9.2/10
Bubbletown: 8.5/10
Squirrel Jelly: 7.3/10
The String: 9.3/10

Bottom 5:
5. Goons on the Moon
4. Patnocchio
3. Don’t Feed the Clowns
2. Bunny Hunt
1. Doodle Dimension

Top 5:
5. Man Ray Returns
4. Chatterbox Gary
3. No Pictures Please
2. Mustard O’ Mine
1. Squid Noir

Scoring:
Amazing: 23
Great: 10
Good: 6
Okay: 5
Mediocre: 4
Tolerable: 1
Bad: 0
Abysmal: 0

Additional Comments:
For season 11, let’s skip the pretense and prelude, because I’ve got none. Nah, I want to get to the real meat of this discussion—season 11 is absolutely the most experimental, refreshing season of SpongeBob SquarePants that I have reviewed so far. I don’t think this comes as a surprise to many that I think this way. And I think in some ways it was kind of inevitable that we’d get to this point. This show has been having an experimental trend since season 9B, and I think season 11 is what season 10 might’ve been had it not been so drastically shortened. This also has finally given me a reason to think that season era marks the end of one era, and the beginning of another. I think that seasons 9B, 10, and 11 should be grouped together. They just belong that way. I’ll wait until season 12 to fully decide if season 11 is the end, or if season 12 is.

Let’s break down what I’m saying real quick. So, when I say “refreshing”, I don’t necessarily mean that this is my favorite season. I mean, I did quite enjoy this season, and I will get to that in a moment, but I also mean that this season really…revamped the show in a way? Again, very similar to season 10, except I’m not talking about the fandom response this time. I just think that this season went to some of the show fundamentals, and really shook them up. That’s where the “experimental” comes in. Let’s consider some examples.
  • Firstly, the biggest site of experimentation has got to be in characters and character dynamics, which is a pretty typical area of experimentation for this show (as I mention this basically every season overview haha). But this season was on another level, seriously. Like, let’s look at the material! We’ve got episodes with characters who rarely, or in some cases, have never interacted: “Whale Watching”, “Surf N’ Turf”, “Girls’ Night Out”, etc. We even have episodes with familiar dynamics slightly altered or varied: “Ink Lemonade”, “Plankton Paranoia”, “Sanitation Insanity”. And, most of all, we have episodes about characters we’ve never focused on before, like “Moving Bubble Bass”, “My Leg!”, or “Man Ray Returns”.
  • Secondly, this season has some weird episodes. Some of these episodes are more weird in that their plots are unique, like “Squid Noir” or “Patnocchio”. And then there are some episodes that are just weird, like “Cuddle E. Hugs”, “No Pictures Please”, or “The Night Patty”. The latter two are especially interesting because of their connecting plot thread, something this show does not ever do, until now.
  • There are also some smaller areas of experimentation here, particularly in the visuals. In some episodes, we have very neat and different perspective shots, such as “Stuck on the Roof”. In others, we have entire aesthetics, like “Squid Noir” or “The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom”. In general, the animation and visuals of this season were fantastic. The animation in this one was so smooth and so expressive, and really adds life to these episodes, again bringing in that feeling of refreshment and rejuvenation. This is something that has been steadily improving since season 8, so it’s nice that this has been continued. Additionally, the art style of this season has been excellent, some of my favorite looks of the show. There were a few episodes where I wasn’t particularly vibing with the art direction (like “Ink Lemonade”), but for the most part, I’ve really liked the look of this season, definitely an improvement over season 10.
Another important thing to note about this season is that it really…showed the show’s age. And I don’t mean that in the bad way it sounds like. I mean that like this season kind of honored the show’s history and celebrated it too. We’ve got easter eggs galore, which is something that’s been happening throughout the entire time this show has been on the air, but has really picked up following season 9B. Additionally, this season showed the return of fan-favorite characters of Bubble Buddy and DoodleBob (even if one of their returns was handled poorly). And, most importantly, this season contained an episode dedicated to the show’s most well-known gag (”My Leg!”). I’ve said before, I believe during my reviews of “Truth or Square” and the second movie, that the show buying into its own hype was justified. And I continue to stand by that opinion. Yeah, the show is self-referential, yeah it does “fanservice”, but like…who cares? To me, when the show does this, it doesn’t feel shallow, which is what I think a lot of people interpret this as. To me, this feels like the crew behind the show celebrating their work. The show has been going on for so long that of the people working on these later seasons, a good chunk of them literally grew up on SpongeBob. And then for the others, many of them have been here since the show’s beginning, or soon after that. In other words, the crew cares about this show. And most of the crew has some kind of history with the show. And I think that kind of love for the show is what I feel from these later seasons, and it’s particularly coming through in this season, which is why I think this season might be so refreshing to me.

Now, remember how last month, I said that season 10 was kind of like a rest for the crew, a necessary healing and recharge period? Yeah, I think season 11 is the direct result of that, and I feel more justified in what I said in that review. Like, just compare the two seasons. This season carried a lot of threads from season 10, but it was also more…bombastic, more eye-catching, more…everything! So, it should come as no surprise that I’m calling season 11 the Refreshing Season. Lowkey a similar name to season 7’s, but I mean this in a very different way. There’s just something about season 11 that feels really novel. I just can’t put my finger on what that is. But something sets this season apart from season 10 and 9B for me. And whatever it is, it makes me love what I’m watching (more than I already love this show). The average episode rating for this season was an insane 8.4/10. That’s as high as seasons 1 and 3. And that’s because this season had some of my favorite episodes in this show period (and yeah, also because my re. So yeah, so far, season 11 is my favorite of the post-second movie seasons, beating out season 9B for the spot. This season had more duds than seasons 10 or 9B, but as a lot of them were products of experimentation (like, even more so than usual), I don’t mind as much. And only one of them personally insulted me (the bungled return of DoodleBob), so it’s easy to forgive a lot of the missteps in this season. Especially when the great and amazing episodes in this one were of such high caliber.

With how refreshing this season was, I’m very excited to see what season 12 brings. And to bring back my question from 2020, I’m still asking: When will I get my Tom episode?
 
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