SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (The Play’s the Thing/Rodeo Daze)

Why does this title card look weirdly dark?

Squidward writes a play about his life and they perform it at the Krusty Krab. Hm, you know what this reminds me of? Culture Shock, that episode from Season 1 where they have a talent show at the Krusty Krab. People show up at the Krusty Krab that night but are uninterested in the play and are only there for food. That sounds kind of like Culture Shock, too. While Squidward is trying to go on with his play, SpongeBob is preparing Krabby Patties for the audience… and also trying to act in Squidward’s play. Due to his mind being more on the play than the Patties, SpongeBob accidentally lets the Patties burn. Squidward tries to serve them to the audience anyway just to shut them up, but the audience isn’t happy. So they start throwing their food at Squidward and SpongeBob. And Krabs starts charging the audience money to throw food at them. And then he tells SpongeBob and Squidward that they’ll be doing this again the next night since they made so much money. Um… this ending is exactly like the ending of Culture Shock, except this time Squidward shares the honor of being treated meanly with SpongeBob.

This… this episode is Culture Shock. It’s practically identical to Culture Shock! Someone’s in the Kitchen With Sandy, The Inside Job and Grooming Gary all had similar stories to pre-movie episodes (particularly the first two), but this is a whole new level. They were barely trying to differentiate The Play’s the Thing and Culture Shock! Writers, I don’t think it’s a good idea to rip-off your own show. Come on, I know you’re capable of creativity and wit, there’s no need to resort to this.

It’s impossible to watch The Play’s the Thing and not compare it to Culture Shock. So that’s what I’ll do for this review, I’ll compare it to Culture Shock.  I usually try not to compare episodes to other episodes too much, as I think that’s unfair and I prefer to judge each episode on its own merits, but come on. I can’t not compare The Play’s the Thing and Culture Shock! I just can’t!

I’ll admit it, I don’t like Culture Shock. Yeah, I know it’s one of the more popular Season 1 episodes (and pre-movie episodes in general) and it’s supposed to be this wonderful “classic” or whatever, but I just don’t like that episode. I don’t hate it, in fact I want to like it because I love the idea of it, but I disliked the execution. The first seven minutes or so are okay. There’s nothing that makes me laugh but it’s amusing enough. The last couple of minutes are where it falls apart for me, though. I guess Squidward did deserve some karma after how he’d been acting (and trust me, I’m all for Squidward getting karma when he deserves it), but it went a little too far and instead of feeling like karma it felt like mean-spiritedness, so it makes me really uncomfortable to watch it. Maybe it just hits too close to home for me, as I had a somewhat similar experience once. Also, I don’t get the whole everyone-cheering-as-SpongeBob-mops thing. Apparently that gets a big laugh out of everyone but me. I… I just don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s stupid. You know what would have been a better ending? If SpongeBob had done something actually impressive, like one of the ideas that he originally wanted to do for the talent show that Squidward discarded, and then everyone loved that. It would have been funnier as well as better karma for Squidward.

So yeah. I dislike Culture Shock. It’s not horrible, I probably wouldn’t even call it bad, and I can see why people love it so much, but… no. I just can’t. I dislike it and I basically try to avoid it if I can. Come at me, pre-movie purists!

The Play’s the Thing has an almost identical plot to Culture Shock and almost identical execution. But I like The Play’s the Thing better. Oh yes, you read that right. I actually like one of the more hated Season 7 episodes better than I like one of the most beloved Season 1 episodes. Not that I think The Play’s the Thing is a good episode, it’s average at best, but compared to Culture Shock I enjoyed it a lot more. It didn’t make me laugh more than Culture Shock did, in fact some of the jokes are cringe-worthy, but the decent jokes came closer to making me laugh than the ones in Culture Shock did, if that makes any sense. The ending bothers me less too, partly because it doesn’t last as long. Culture Shock’s ending drags on for so long, The Play’s the Thing keeps its ending short and not-so-sweet. Plus, it felt a tad more deserved than it was in Culture Shock, at least from Squidward’s end, since he had been really rude to the audience and had at actually thrown drinks and condiments at them a couple of times. I suppose you could say that the audience was just as rude to him for interrupting the play so often, but hey, they were promised food at this show and they weren’t getting it. SpongeBob didn’t deserve the treatment he got, but like I said, at least it was short. Besides, it was sort of like Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful in that it was something undeserved and negative happening to the character but it didn’t come off as mean-spirited to me. It felt no different from the typical slapstick you see in other parts of the show or in other cartoons. It wasn’t particularly good slapstick, but I sensed no real malevolence from it.

There you go, two reviews in one! Writing a comparison review was actually kind of fun, but I’ll try not to do that in the future.

Rating: 4.5/10 (in case you’re wondering, I’d probably give Culture Shock a 3)

Dat title card.

Sandy is invited to participate in the rodeo in Texas. She goes to defend her championship title, but SpongeBob is worried that the rodeo is too dangerous. He wants to go to Texas to save Sandy, but no one is willing to help him. So he kidnaps everyone in Bikini Bottom by trapping them in bubbles and takes all of them to Texas with him. Yeah. They arrive at Sandy’s rodeo and are attacked by a bullfrog, forcing Sandy to save them, and the episode ends there.

Before I watched Rodeo Daze, I was expecting it to be a fun, wacky adventure with all of the characters I love in Texas, which would have been really interesting because how often do we see the characters out of water, let alone out of Bikini Bottom? It could have led to some great jokes with Sandy introducing the characters to a place they’ve never been to, and would have given Sandy, who’s been insultingly underused in the last couple of seasons, time to shine in an episode.

Rodeo Daze was not at all what I was expecting it to be, which would be fine if it had still been a good episode, but it wasn’t. Most of the jokes are stupid, the plot is practically non-existent (making it sort of like the Dear Vikings of Season 7), Sandy is barely in it, and most scenes feel like filler which is strange to say because the episode barely has a story to begin with, so how can there be filler? It felt like this episode was building up to something and then it just never got there. It’s really odd and I’m not sure how to explain it. It just felt… unfulfilled. Incomplete. Empty.

Sandy’s rodeo song was catchy, and it’s pretty much the highlight of the episode, but even that went on a little too long.

Rating: 2.5/10

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (One Coarse Meal/Gary in Love)

Oh dear. Oh no. I must have an excuse not to review this episode. Isn’t there a RWBY episode I can review instead? No? Fine.

It begins with Plankton attacking the Krusty Krab to get the formula. Everything seems to be going in Plankton’s favor until Pearl shows up. Pearl’s appearance causes Plankton to go into a panic, and he runs back to the Chum Bucket in terror. Mr. Krabs, realizing that Plankton is afraid of whales, decides to use this knowledge to his advantage. Since he can’t get Pearl to scare Plankton some more, he dresses up as Pearl himself and keeps appearing in the Chum Bucket to terrorize Plankton. Poor Planky-poo is driven crazy, and after more than two weeks of being tormented by Krabs, he decides to commit suicide. That’s not an exaggeration, I’m serious. He says he wants to “end it all” and decides to lie in the middle of the road, waiting for something to run him over. It’s a legitimate suicide attempt. I’m seeing an actual suicide attempt in a SpongeBob episode and it’s being played for laughs. I… I don’t even… no. No. This is wrong. It’s wrong. I don’t care what Plankton has done, this is crossing a line. Anyway, SpongeBob finds Plankton lying in the middle of the road and tries to find out what’s wrong. Plankton asks SpongeBob to step on him as hard as he can (NO SERIOUSLY WTF WRITERS). SpongeBob goes to see Mr. Krabs in his office and tells him that Plankton is lying out in the middle of the road. He also tells Krabs that he thinks things have gone too far. Krabs’ response is to laugh and say what a mess Plankton is.

No, really, that is too fucking far. Krabs has literally driven Plankton to attempting suicide, and he laughs? Jesus Christ, it’s like the writers are trying to suck every last bit of likability out of Krabs! I can’t fucking believe this. Am I actually seeing this or this all some horrible dream? Ugh. So, SpongeBob goes back outside to talk to Plankton, and he lets it slip that Krabs had been dressing as a whale to scare Plankton, and that Krabs is afraid of mimes. Plankton of course wants revenge, so he goes back to the Krusty Krab with a mime to torment Krabs. This goes on for a few seconds and then SpongeBob uses a projector to make it look like a bunch of whales are outside the Krusty Krab, which sends Plankton running off again.

I… I don’t even know where to start. I think I’ve stated quite clearly already what my problems with this episode are, but I feel the need to go into more detail about certain things.

First of all, I will admit to liking a couple of things in the episode. The beginning with Plankton’s Krabby Patty theft attempt was kind of entertaining. I snorted when Plankton accidentally ran into the freezer instead of through the exit, only to come out immediately after and shout “Don’t say it!” as he then goes through the exit. The animation during Plankton’s nightmares was cool in a dark way, and I always like nightmare sequences in cartoons, though I did feel extremely bad for Plankton. Karen has what is possibly her best line ever in this episode: “So, my triumphant husband returns. How’d you fail this time?” It’s a shame that such a great line must be tainted by such an awful, sick episode.

Yes, you read that right. This episode is sick. It’s cruel, sadistic, twisted, and sick. Plankton is put through extreme psychological torture until he’s driven to wanting to kill himself, and we’re supposed to find this funny?

For the record, it is possible for a suicide joke to be funny, as weird as that sounds.

That is funny because at no point are we, the audience, worried about Hermes. His “suicide” is simply an overreaction to get himself out of a bind, we know he’s not actually going to jump (also, Bender’s “Do a flip!” line is hilariously inappropriate). It’s still not the most tasteful joke, but at least it’s not really a serious situation that they’re making light of. Plankton’s suicide in One Coarse Meal, however, is legitimate. It’s a real attempt caused by real psychological torment, terror and depression. Yet we’re still expected to laugh at it. And Krabs’ reaction isn’t inappropriate in a funny way, it’s downright sadistic. (I know you’re probably thinking of Are You Happy Now?, but we’ll get to that episode later.)

And you know what makes it even worse? Mr. Krabs is the one torturing Plankton, and he and Plankton used to be best friends.

Yeah. Krabs is torturing his former best friend, the one he still seemed to hold affection for deep down in episodes like Friend or Foe and Best Frenemies, and even a little in Chum Caverns.  He tortures him and then laughs when he tries to commit suicide. If you’re wondering why I never get mad at Plankton for the bad things he’s done (after all, he was perfectly happy to see Krabs being executed in the movie), it’s because there’s a major difference there. Plankton’s main character trait is evil. The whole point of Plankton’s character is to be as over-the-top with his evilness as he possibly can be, but he’s still likable to the audience because his incompetence and size make him harmless and non-threatening and adorable. He’s a comedic villain, and a fantastic one at that, so you can’t really get mad at him for his evil deeds. It would be like getting mad at Dr. Evil in Austin Powers, he’s just too silly to be taken seriously.

However, Mr. Krabs is supposed to be “good”. He has a warped morality, yes, and will sometimes serve as an antagonist in an episode, but he’s not supposed to be thought of as a villain the way Plankton is. He still has a conscience and a heart, and is supposed to be the one we root for in the Krabs-Plankton rivalry. That’s why when Krabs does something as evil as what he did in One Coarse Meal, it gets under my skin in a way that Plankton’s evil deeds never have and never will. Despite his many faults, he’s still supposed to have some likability and some goodness in him. But this goes beyond a business rivalry or simple greed, Krabs’ intentions in this episode were extremely cruel.

Another thing is, Krabs is the antagonist in this episode, not Plankton. I think that once you’ve driven another character to wanting to commit suicide, it’s safe to say that you’re the antagonist. And yet Krabs gets off scot free, or almost scot free. He’s scared by a mime for a few seconds after he tormented Plankton for two weeks. Not good enough, writers.

I don’t have a problem with SpongeBob scaring Plankton away at the end of the episode the way some people do. Knowing Plankton, he probably would have stayed there for hours tormenting Krabs. I think SpongeBob just wanted to let Plankton know what was going on when he talked to him on the road to stop him from killing himself, I don’t think he necessarily wanted Plankton to torment his boss (who, remember, SpongeBob idolizes). SpongeBob’s intention at the end wasn’t to torture Plankton, I think he just wanted to send Plankton on his way to save Krabs from suffering. There were no cruel intentions from SpongeBob’s end, so I have no beef with him in this episode.

Krabs, however, deserved more than what he got. I’m not saying I’d want to see Krabs attempt suicide or anything, but for God’s sake he needed some kind of punishment after everything he did. It left the episode feeling very unbalanced on top of being an incredibly sick and depressing episode to begin with. How could the writers think this was a good idea? How could they think that a suicide attempt would make good comedy? Really, I can’t fathom it.

You know when you read a book where a character dies, and then later when you reread the book knowing that character is going to die it seems to cast a dark, tragic shadow over everything that character says and does? I feel similarly about One Coarse Meal. It casts an unpleasant shadow over Friend or Foe and Best Frenemies, which is a real shame because I really like both of those episodes. Hopefully it’s something that will fade over time, but I have a feeling I won’t be able to watch either of those episodes the same way for a while.

Well, I have a new least favorite episode (though A Pal For Gary remains a close second).

By the way, where the hell was Karen while Plankton was attempting suicide? Did she not try to stop him? Ugh, whatever, I’m done with this episode.

Rating: -5/10 (this is as low as I can rate it according to my own rules, if I could I’d give it a much lower score like, say, negative infinity.)

Gary meets a snail named Mary at the park and falls in love with her. What happened to Snellie? Oh right, no continuity. Anyway, Gary is threatened by the leader of a gang of tough snails, who claims that Mary is his girlfriend. Gary is determined to be with her, though, so the next day he runs away from home to try and find Mary. SpongeBob goes out to look for him, as do the tough snails. Gary eventually finds Mary just as SpongeBob and the tough snail leader find him. Gary and Mary have a few moments together before Mary catches the eye of a different snail, falls in love with him and ditches Gary.

This is why you should have stuck with Snellie, Gare Bear.

There isn’t much to say about this episode. It’s cute and entertaining enough, but it’s not one I’d go out of my way to watch again. The tough snails were a little funny, I like that they were kind of like Italian mobsters (I’m Italian so I’m allowed to laugh at that). I actually sort of like that Gary doesn’t get the girl at the end. It’s heart-breaking, yes, but I think it was actually an interesting and unpredictable way to end an episode that could otherwise have been really cheesy. Besides, unlike most people, I don’t think heartbreak is something that kids should be shielded from (*coughDisney’sHunchbackofNotreDamecriticismscough*).

Rating: 6.5/10

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (A Day Without Tears/Summer Job)

The episode begins with SpongeBob continuously crying over mundane things, which gets on Squidward’s nerves. He bets SpongeBob that he can’t go the rest of the day (until midnight) without crying and SpongeBob accepts the bet. If Squidward wins, SpongeBob needs to be his slave for a year. If SpongeBob wins, Squidward needs to have a slumber party with SpongeBob. Squidward spends the rest of the episode trying everything he can to make SpongeBob cry, but is unsuccessful. SpongeBob wins the bet, and Squidward is forced to have a slumber party with him, which makes him cry.

A lot of people hate this episode, but I don’t mind it at all. I think it’s okay. Catch me in the right mood and I may even call it good.

Why do people hate this episode? Well, one reason is that they say its plot is too similar to Funny Pants’ plot. That’s true, they do have slightly similar plots, but I don’t mind because Funny Pants was atrocious and A Day Without Tears, in my opinion, pulled off this plot much better. And they’re not that similar, really. In Funny Pants SpongeBob is told he can’t laugh, and in A Day Without Tears, SpongeBob is bet that he can’t go a day without crying. They sounds similar on the surface, but the execution is different enough that, if people hadn’t pointed it out, I may not have made the connection.

Another reason people hate this episode is that they say it’s annoying. I can’t argue with that. I didn’t really find it annoying personally, but I can understand why other people would. I actually found some of SpongeBob’s crying over stupid things funny, particularly the one where he stubbed his toe. It reminded me of his line in No Weenies Allowed: “I’ll have you know I stubbed my toe last week while watering my spice garden, and I only cried for twenty minutes!” I adore that line, so I liked the reference to it in this episode.

Another reason people hate this episode is, sigh, Squid Abuse. Okay, why is this episode considered Squid Abuse? No, seriously, someone explain it to me, because I really don’t get it. Am I missing something, or do I just have a different definition of character abuse than everyone else? No matter how hard I try to look for one, I see absolutely no reason to accuse this episode of Squid Abuse. Squidward was basically the antagonist in this episode, and as I may have mentioned before, I don’t consider it character abuse if the character has done something within the episode to deserve it. Even having said that, nothing particularly bad happens to Squidward in this episode. So he loses the bet and has to have a slumber party with his adorable, sweet (albeit occasionally annoying) neighbor who loves him and regards him as a friend? Cry me a river (pun intended).

Anyway, I thought this episode was decent, despite what everyone else seems to think of it. It’s not great or anything, but I found a couple of things funny and it kept me entertained. Plus, there’s one scene with a gorgeously animated sunset:

Is it me or have I been praising the animation in this show a lot lately? Well, come on, just look at it! It’s beautiful!

Rating: 6.5/10

Mrs. Puff dismisses the class for summer vacation (they have summer vacation in Boating School?). SpongeBob tries to give Puff a note, but she does her best to avoid him at all costs. Oh, just read the note, Puff. It won’t kill you. In her effort to get away from SpongeBob, she crashes through the wall of the Krusty Krab. To avoid being sent to prison, Puff is forced to work at the Krusty Krab for the summer. SpongeBob teaches how to do her job through the most annoying means possible, so Puff is driven crazy and decides that she’d rather go to prison than be around SpongeBob. While in prison, she’s sent to traffic school, where SpongeBob is the teacher. Apparently the note he tried to give her at the beginning of the episode was about how he’d gotten a job as a driver’s ed. teacher. Uh, wouldn’t he need a driver’s license to do that? Whatever.

There’s something I’d like to point out in this exchange between Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff when they’re negotiating how Mrs. Puff will pay for the damage she caused to the restaurant:

• Mr. Krabs: I think we can work somthing out
• Mrs. Puff: Huh? You mean we should go out on a date?
• Mr. Krabs: Err… interesting. I had something else in mind.

This is obviously a reference to Krusty Love, the episode where Mr. Krabs gets a crush on Mrs. Puff and they go out. I’ll admit, that episode made me a Kruff shipper. I don’t like them as much as I like Plankaren, Spandy or Squidiam, but I only like the ship-teasing with Spandy and the idea of SpongeBob having a crush on her, I wouldn’t really want them to be a couple mid-show, and Squidiam I only ship jokingly (in case that wasn’t clear). However, I legitimately think that Kruff would make a cute couple. Krusty Love is actually one of very few episodes where I wish the show had more continuity so that Kruff would actually be a canon couple. Not that I’d want too many episode centering around them, but it would be nice if they at least showed some chemistry now and then? I don’t know, just give us something.

Anyway, moving on from my weird shipping habits, I didn’t like this episode very much. Mrs. Puff’s hatred for SpongeBob seemed too extreme, I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to have at least some affection for him. Granted, SpongeBob was being pretty annoying in this episode, but it still seemed wrong to me. Plus, the episode in general just isn’t that great. I guess it is kind of interesting having Mrs. Puff play a main role in an episode that has little to do with Boating School, but it wasn’t all that funny and SpongeBob and Mrs. Puff both got on my nerves, particularly Mrs. Puff. Mr. Krabs was kind of funny, but he was only in the episode for a few minutes.

Rating: 2.5/10

RWBY Reviews: Episode 11 (Jaunedice)

In this episode, we’re introduced to a new character: Cardin Winchester, who’s basically the bully of Beacon Academy. Specifically, he bullies Jaune.

The episode begins with Cardin and Jaune having a practice duel, which ends with Jaune being defeated and humiliated in front of everyone. During lunch that day, Pyrrha and Ruby try to talk to Jaune about Cardin’s bullying, but Jaune insists that it’s not a problem.

There isn’t much to say about this episode. Mostly it just exists to introduce a new character and develop Jaune a bit more, which is mainly why I like it. Jaune is usually the goofy, comic-relief character, but here we get to see more vulnerability from him. He’s shown hints of insecurity in past episodes, but this episode seems to bring it to prominence more, and I’m hoping to see it developed further as it would add some depth to Jaune’s character.

As for Cardin, he’s not a particularly interesting character so far. He’s just a bully. I don’t like bullies usually, but if done right they can be funny characters. I’m hoping that Cardin will be somewhat of a comedic bully, just so he’ll be tolerable. Although, if he isn’t, there wouldn’t necessarily be anything wrong with that. You always need a character to hate, right?

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (SpongeBob’s Last Stand/Back to the Past/The Bad Guy Club for Villains)

Ooh, I love the dark look of this title card. It gets the point across nicely, with the small, lonely patch of grass surrounded by concrete that appears to be slowly creeping onto the grass, while the sky in the background is a dull, brownish-grey with only a streak of bright blue on the horizon. Even the title itself sounds ominous.

Right, I’m not here to review the title card, though to be honest I think the title card is more interesting than the episode and kind of would like to review it. Okay, so, SpongeBob’s Last Stand is an Earth Day Special, and we all know what that means: some overly-preachy environmental message that we’ve all heard a thousand times in movies like Ferngully and Pocahontas. Yeah, Earth Day Specials are usually lame. Was this one lame? Well, um, not really but kind of-ish? Let’s start at the beginning.

SpongeBob and Patrick are jellyfishing, and they find out that a highway will be built through Jellyfish Fields. SpongeBob wants to stop this from happening because it will destroy the jellyfishes habitat and blah blah blah. You get the idea. SpongeBob tries to get more people to help, but no one but him and Patrick are willing. So, why didn’t they ask Sandy? I’ve sure she would have wanted to help. He tells Mr. Krabs about the new highway, and the two find out that the highway will go directly over the Krusty Krab and straight to the Chum Bucket. Yep, turns out Plankton is behind everything. So now we have to save the Krusty Krab, too? Whatever. SpongeBob and Krabs go to confront Plankton on this, but Plankton tells them that he doesn’t give a barnacle. Those are his exact words. Oh, you can bet I’ll be quoting that from now on. Krabs is ready to give up, but SpongeBob isn’t. He and Patrick protest the new highway to no avail. When it comes time for the highway to be built, SpongeBob tries to put himself in the way of the construction, but even that does nothing as Plankton is happy to run him over. With their home destroyed, the jellyfish overrun Bikini Bottom. Because of this, everyone in Bikini Bottom (OH, THERE YOU ARE, SANDY) helps get rid of the highway, thus saving Jellyfish Fields. And the Krusty Krab.

Okay, so, I’m not saying that the environment isn’t important or that kids shouldn’t be getting environmental messages like this, but do they have to get them this often? And do they always have to be presented in such a preachy way? Granted, SpongeBob’s Last Stand isn’t as preachy as most environmental episodes of other shows are, but it’s still pretty preachy. Or maybe I’m just tired of seeing morals like this because I’ve seen it done in tons of movies and shows already, so it’s very possible my irritation is just a bias.

The songs in this episode are awful. Actually, the first song they sing is okay, it’s not very memorable but it’s kind of fun. That “Give Jellyfish Fields a Chance” song, though? Awful. It’s obviously a parody of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”, which, as a Lennon fan, I love the idea of. But all Give Jellyfish Fields a Chance is is a string of random words with a chorus that goes “All we are saying is give Jellyfish Fields a Chance”. Literally, it’s just a bunch of random, unrelated words in the verses and then that chorus. You think I’m kidding or exaggerating? I’m not. That’s what it is. Look it up and see for yourself.

The jokes in this episodes ranged from laugh-out-loud funny to facepalm-worthy. I laughed more than I facepalmed, though, so that’s a good thing. I also liked some of the darker imagery that was used, like when the Krusty Krab is desolate and empty after the highway was built, and when Bikini Bottom is overrun by jellyfish.

Overall, I’d say this episode is slightly below average, but it’s still watchable.

Rating: 4.5/10

After helping out Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, SpongeBob and Patrick are shown their room full of memorabilia, which includes their time machine. Even though they were told not to touch it, Patrick touches it, launching the four of them back in time. There, we see a younger and fitter Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy fighting Manray who apparently doesn’t age because he always looks the same. Or maybe he’s just in really good shape. What’s his secret? Anyway, Patrick freaks out and drags SpongeBob back to the time machine, leaving Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy stuck in the past. That’s when Barnacle Boy has his best line ever: “Why haven’t we had those two classified as villains yet?” 10/10 I cried. SpongeBob and Patrick go back to the present, but it’s an alternate timeline where Manray has taken over Bikini Bottom and forced everyone to be his slaves (Squilliam makes a small appearance that literally lasts ten seconds and I still had a mini fangirl meltdown my God what is wrong with me?). SpongeBob goes to the Krusty Krab to find out if he still has a job in this alternate timeline, and there he finds Barnacle Boy working as a cashier. Well, I always did think he and Squidward were similar. They even look similar! Oh, and Mermaid Man is working as a fry cook. SpongeBob convinces MM and BB to go back in time again and defeat Manray. They do so, and in classic time-travel confusion, a bunch of different SpongeBobs and Patrick keep showing up to stop Manray. While Manray is confused, the younger Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are able to place him under arrest, saving the future.

I love time-travel and all of its weird rules and paradoxes, so when I found out what the plot of this episode was, I was really excited. It turned out pretty good, though not quite as good as I was hoping. Most of the jokes got a giggle out of me, but I would have liked to have spent more time in the alternate timeline where Manray has taken over Bikini Bottom. I think it had more potential and I would have liked to see it explored more. They probably could have stretched this one out a few more minutes and made it a special (it’s already pretty long for just a regular episode anyway), which would have allowed for more time to explore the alternate timeline.

I liked how cold and dark everything (including the inside of the Krusty Krab) looked in the alternate timeline. Did I ever mention that I love when this show uses darker animation/imagery? Because I do. When it’s done right, that is. Anyway, I liked the look of the Manray’s Bikini Bottom, and even the citizens looked appropriately downtrodden and tired. Everything in the alternate timeline had an cold, grim, unsettling feeling, it was really interesting, and it just makes me wish we’d gotten to spend more time in it.

Overall, this is a decent episode, but I don’t think it quite reached its full potential.

Rating: 6.5/10

SpongeBob and Patrick watch a tape of “the lost episode” of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. The episode is basically just what’s on the tape. A bunch of villains, which includes Manray and the Dirty Bubble (like I’m going to bother listing the rest), are meeting secretly. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy suspect that they’re up to no good, so they crash the meeting along with the Ponderer, Miss Appear, The Elastic Wasteband, and Professor Magma. Wait, what? Professor Magma? It’s Captain Magma, damn it! And where’s the Quickster? And why do their costumes look nothing like they do in Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V? Am I seriously geeking-out over super heroes in a cartoon? Yes. Yes I am. Anyway, a fight ensues ending with the villains being caught. Apparently they were only having a book club meeting, so MM and BB can’t imprison them. That’s it.

This is kind of a neat idea for an episode. It’s different, at least. I can’t say I laughed at much, but it did keep me entertained and the fight was kind of cool. I also like the old-fashioned art style that was used for the lost episode, that was a nice touch.

I liked seeing some of the Super Acquaintances from Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V (either it or part III are my favorite MM and BB episodes), that was a nice reference and I appreciated it. But, I’m sorry, I must bring this up again: why is Captain Magma called Professor Magma instead, why do they all look nothing like they did in MM and BB V and where is the Quickster? I know it’s a nitpick, but  it bugged me a lot.

Oh well, this is still a pretty fun episode, but I probably wouldn’t revisit it. Although I would like to join the villains’ book club.

Rating: 6/10

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (The Curse of Bikini Bottom/Squidward in Clarinetland)

SpongeBob and Patrick are bored one day, so they sneak into Squidward’s shed to look for something to play with. Squidward catches them, and they explain that they wanted to play with his lawn mower. Squidward lets them use the lawn mower hoping that they’ll mow his lawn and injure themselves in the process. That doesn’t happen. Instead, SpongeBob and Patrick ride the lawn mower into the cematary. The lawn mower goes over the Flying Dutchman and shaves off his beard (for God’s sake, he’s a ghost!). The Flying Dutchman is furious with them and as punishment turns them into ghosts. At first, SpongeBob and Patrick are excited. They try to haunt Squidward for fun, but Squidward just sprays them with a hose. But… but… they’re ghosts. Whatever. That night, they return home (where they discover they can go through walls) and try to sleep, but sleep proves to be impossible since they can now see through their eyelids. Okay, that’s a pretty funny idea. SpongeBob tries to go to work the next morning and is unable to make Krabby Patties because he can’t hold things as a ghost. Yet he was able to be sprayed with water from Squidward’s hose? Writers, do you even logic? Anyway, Patrick is also upset because he can’t eat food anymore, everything goes right through him. He and SpongeBob beg the Flying Dutchman to lift their curse, but the Dutchman refuses because his beard hasn’t grown back yet. SpongeBob and Patrick give him a makeover (no really) and the Dutchman lifts their curse.

This episode is supposed to be something of a Halloween special, which is kind of cool because we haven’t had one since Scaredy Pants back in Season 1. The premise is an interesting idea, but I don’t think it was utilized to its full potential, and the rules of being a ghost are really confusing and contradictory. Objects are shown to pass through them, yet the Dutchman got run over by a lawn mower and SpongeBob and Patrick got sprayed with water. What sense does that make? It was really distracting.

If you can get past the lack of logic, it’s a decent enough episode. At the very least it’s entertaining and there were a couple of things that got a laugh out of me.

Rating: 5.5/10

Squidward demands that Mr. Krabs gives him a locker where he can keep his clarinet (he has an audition after work), so Krabs gives him one for him and SpongeBob to share. SpongeBob keeps expanding the locker, making it harder and harder for Squidward to find his clarinet. Eventually, Squidward ends up in a strange place called Clarinetland, where he chases after SpongeBob, who’s holding his clarinet. It’s unclear whether this is all a dream or not, and I’m not going to try explaining all of the weird stuff that happens in Clarinetland because it’s really, really weird, trippy and rather creepy. Suddenly, Squidward appears to return to the normal world. He asks SpongeBob where his clarinet is, and SpongeBob tells him that he had been holding it for Squidward to keep it safe. Squidward snaps and throws SpongeBob in the locker, ties it up with chains so he can’t get out, and throws the locker on a bus. Dude. That’s pretty harsh. Chill out. Anyway, Squidward then goes to his audition, and when he opens his clarinet case, out comes SpongeBob, which sends Squidward running away in terror.

Apparently we’re following in the footsteps of Scaredy Pants and making the sister episode to the Halloween special even more unsettling than the actual Halloween special. I didn’t think it would ever be possible, but I think this beats I Was a Teenage Gary in weirdness. This is the strangest, creepiest episode of the show so far. And I think I liked it. I think I liked it a lot.

I Was a Teenage Gary was always something of a guilty pleasure for me. I don’t exactly think it’s good, but it’s so fascinating in its strangeness that I tend to want to watch it. I feel similarly about Squidward in Clarinetland. I don’t think I’d call it good, but it’s fascinating to watch.

This episode is supposed to be a reference to Alice in Wonderland, which I think is awesome because Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately, I don’t think the writers have actually read Alice in Wonderland. I think they just knew that Alice in Wonderland is about a lot of really weird stuff happening in a weird land, and they decided to make an episode like that. It’s a little disappointing, because I would have loved for there to be more references to Alice in Wonderland, like maybe a parody of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, or the Cheshire Cat, which are such iconic characters that you wouldn’t have to have read the book to understand the references. I suppose the way Squidward enters Clarinetland is similar to the way Alice enters Wonderland, and Squidward chasing after SpongeBob was a reference to the White Rabbit, but that’s about as far as it goes and even that feels like a bit of a stretch. It seems like a wasted opportunity to me.

It also takes a while for the episode to get to Clarinetland, and when it does it only stays there for a few minutes, which again feels like a wasted opportunity.

Still, I did really like this episode, it’s extremely enjoyable in a mindfuck kind of way. The weird and sometimes disturbing imagery were actually really cool to see, and some of the jokes were actually pretty funny, though they take a backseat to the weirdness of the episode.

Rating: 9/10 

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (Yours, Mine and Mine/Kracked Krabs)

Well, after A Torture-Fest For Gary – I mean, A Pal For Gary, things can only get better, right?

Oh yeah. Sigh.

Patrick orders a kiddie meal at the Krusty Krab that he can’t afford, so SpongeBob pays for him and says that they can share it. Except Patrick doesn’t share the meal. Patrick is upset that there is no toy with his kiddie meal, so Mr. Krabs makes a toy out of a Krabby Patty and charges extra for it. SpongeBob loves the toy, but Patrick won’t share that either. He tells SpongeBob he can have his turn with the toy the next day, but the next day comes and Patrick still refuses to let him have the toy even for a second. A fight breaks out between them, which takes them to Squidward’s house, to Sandy’s house (Sandy tries to act as a mediator for them but fails) and finally back to the Krusty Krab. Patrick declares that if he can’t have the toy, no one can, and he eats it. SpongeBob is furious, but Mr. Krabs gives them a new toy (he had a bunch of them made after seeing how popular they were) and charges them money for it. Patrick takes SpongeBob’s wallet out to pay, and when SpongeBob indignantly states that Patrick can’t use his wallet, Patrick says, “Have you learned nothing about sharing?”

Well, this episode isn’t as bad as The Episode That Shall Not Be Named, but it’s still pretty bad.

This is like the post-movie version of I’m With Stupid, an episode that I can’t stand. Patrick is incomprehensibly mean and selfish in this episode and its episodes like this that make me wonder why SpongeBob is friends with Patrick at all. Okay, to be fair, Patrick is usually a nice guy despite his low intelligence, but there are some episodes, like this one, where his stupidity makes him very unlikable. And that ending line just confirms that Patrick learned nothing from all of this.

I liked the scene where SpongeBob and Patrick were fighting in Squidward’s house and Squidward doesn’t react except to casually say, “I hate them.” That was kind of funny, I like how weird things like this don’t even faze Squidward anymore. I also liked the scene where Sandy tries to act as mediator between SpongeBob and Patrick. The kindness and rationality she showed there are why I love Sandy and think she’s a very underrated character (Sandy please be in more episodes damn it). However, Patrick is too unlikable and SpongeBob is treated too unfairly for me to like this episode at all.

Rating: 0/10

Cool title card design, bro.

Mr. Krabs is going to a crab convention where they’ll be handing out an award to the cheapest crab, and Mr. Krabs has been nominated. Well, that’s an… interesting premise. Mr. Krabs takes SpongeBob along with him and teaches him how to be cheap. When it’s time for the award ceremony, Krabs realizes how stiff his competition is, so he has SpongeBob make a testimony about how cheap he is, telling him to exaggerate the truth. SpongeBob feels uncomfortable with this and in his nervousness starts telling everyone that Krabs is a generous boss, which disqualifies Krabs from the competition. This is why you should have brought Squidward with you instead, Krabs. Anyway, Krabs is upset about not winning the award, but SpongeBob cheers him up by helping him steal things in their hotel room. The two eventually steal the whole room (literally), and when the other crabs see this the award is given to Mr. Krabs.

I’m not even sure how to talk about this episode. The closest episode I can compare it to is Walking Small, in which Plankton tries to teach SpongeBob to be more aggressive and mean. In that episode, Plankton failed because SpongeBob doesn’t have a single malicious bone in his body, he’s simply too innocent to be corruptible. This episode, however, has Krabs trying to teach SpongeBob to be a cheapskate, and he actually seems to succeed… in a way. Somehow, there’s still an aura of innocence around SpongeBob’s actions in this episode. The reason why Krabs succeeded where Plankton failed is because SpongeBob idolizes Krabs and would do anything to please him, which makes him more malleable to Krabs’ bad influence. This episode somehow manages to go against SpongeBob’s main character trait (his pure, unshakable innocence) and stay true to it at the same time. It’s really strange, but kind of interesting.

As for Krabs, this episode actually has him, much like in the days of pre-movie, acting as a father figure to SpongeBob (yay!). A father figure with a terribly skewed sense of morality, but still a father figure. But hey, I’m totally cool with that, it’s nice to see Krabs going back to his father-figure persona at all. Besides, he had a skewed sense of morality even in pre-movie. Remember when he told SpongeBob and Patrick it’s okay to steal “borrow” things without permission as long as you bring it back later? Yeah. And don’t even get me started on Nasty Patty. It’s really rather disturbing that Krabs isn’t at all fazed about having to hide a dead body. This skewed sense of morality is where Krabs’ humor comes from, while his likability comes from his fatherly manner. The reason why he seems so much more unlikable in post-movie is not because of his terrible morals, he’s always had these terrible morals even in pre-movie, it’s because the writers have taken away the fatherly manner and genuine affection for his employees that made him forgivable to the audience (plus, he did teach SpongeBob some good lessons occasionally and he usually got comeuppance for his bad deeds). Anyway, the source of his humor and the source of his likability are bound to clash at times, like in this episode and, yes, even a few pre-movie episodes. I kind of like it when this clash happens, as it can lead to some hilarious scenarios, such as the one in Life of Crime, or even the one in Nasty Patty. This episode has a kind of funny scenario too, but it’s executed in a way that’s really strange. The execution isn’t necessarily bad, just really strange and conflicting.

I feel like I’m not making any sense in this review. Well, to be honest, I can’t make sense of my feelings for this episode. I think I liked it, but it also makes me feel kind of uncomfortable for some reason. It has a terrible moral, but as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think children’s shows necessarily need to have good morals all the time, so I’m not that bothered by it. Besides, the bad moral in this episode is presented in a very tongue-in-cheek way, so I don’t think it will really influence kids. SpongeBob’s portrayal was somehow spot-on and wrong at the same time. Krabs’ portrayal I actually thought was pretty good, possibly his best post-movie portrayal so far. The jokes were mostly funny, but a few fell flat on their face. The pacing is a little disjointed, the scenes don’t seem to flow as a story and instead seem more like each is its own separate entity. I really don’t know what to do with this episode, so let’s just give it a 5.

Rating: 5/10

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful/A Pal For Gary)

Squidward wakes up in a strangely cheerful mood and goes for a walk. He steps in some gum that was left on the road and is given a ticket for littering. He is sentenced to community service, where he runs into his soulmate Squilliam Fancyson. Squilliam brags about the statue that was built in his honor for cleaning up Bikini Bottom. Squidward says that he could get his own statue easily, and begins cleaning up all of the garbage in Bikini Bottom. Unfortunately, he has nowhere to put the garbage after picking it up. And he keeps getting more and more tickets in the process. SpongeBob offers to get rid of the garbage for him, but the dump is closed, so instead SpongeBob makes a replica of Squidward’s house made out of garbage. And Squidward walks into it and doesn’t realize it’s made of garbage until much later. Just… what. Anyway, Squidward gets yet another ticket and is upset about how he’ll never get a statue now. SpongeBob feels bad, so he makes him a statue made out of the garbage. Well, it’s a nice gesture, I suppose? Anyway, Squilliam shows up and laughs at the statue, but then the stench from Squidward’s statue melts Squilliam’s statue. Squilliam is given a ticket, which pleases Squidward, but then he and SpongeBob get tickets as well.

A lot of people dislike this episode because they think it has Squid Abuse. I think people should calm down and stop shouting “character abuse” at everything. Not every negative thing that happens to a character qualifies as mean-spirited or character abuse. One of these days I’ll have to take the time to explain exactly what I think qualifies as mean-spirited/character abuse, but I won’t do that right now. Soon, though.

Anyway, I don’t think this episode is mean-spirited. Yes, the Squidward-continuously-getting-tickets gag did get kind of annoying, but it doesn’t strike me as mean-spirited, it’s just a gag that got overused. There’s always been a kind of running gag throughout the show with the Bikini Bottom police overreacting to litter, but this episode went a little overboard with it.

As usual, I’m happy to see Squilliam in an episode, and that’s mainly what gives this episode points. I like that Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful ended with a tie between the two. Something I like about Squidward-Squilliam episodes is that the winner varies. Squidward wins in Band Geeks and House Fancy while Squilliam wins in Squilliam Returns and Professor Squidward (and I Heart Dancing, if you want to count that episode as well). And now Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful has them tie. I’m sure most people would prefer it if Squidward always won, but personally I like that Squilliam wins every now and then, it makes their episodes more interesting as you never know which way it’s going to go. Their dynamic would get dull if the winner was always the same.

Overall, this episode is average. I laughed at a couple of things, SpongeBob, though very misguided, was sweet and I loved Squilliam’s appearance, but the tickets gag got old quickly and the episode is rather weak from a writing and story-telling perspective since the writers based the episode primarily on a gag rather than an actual plot. When Squidward mentioned not getting a statue near the end, I’d actually forgotten that that was what he’d been trying to do.

Rating: 5/10

Sigh. It’s time…

Oh boy. This is the episode I’ve been dreading having to watch the most, besides perhaps One Coarse Meal (which will come later this season…). I was expecting the worst from this episode, and somehow it was still more horrible than I had imagined.

Ugh. Let’s start, as we always do, with a synopsis.

SpongeBob is feeling guilty about always leaving Gary home alone while he’s at work. I actually kind of like this beginning. It’s nice to see SpongeBob so concerned for his pet, and as a pet owner, I can relate to how he’s feeling. But don’t worry, the episode falls to shit soon enough. SpongeBob buys another pet to keep Gary company during the day, an unholy demon spawn straight from the darkest pits of hell that he calls Puffy Fluffy. The saleswoman warns SpongeBob that “Puffy Fluffy” is unsafe to have around other pets, but SpongeBob doesn’t listen. I don’t even feel like using that sarcastically-surprised-Iago video I would usually use here. Gary, who was never lonely to begin with as he spends his time alone watching westerns, is weary of the new pet, and he has good reason to be. Whenever SpongeBob isn’t looking, Puffy Fluffy tries to viciously attack Gary. Somehow, SpongeBob is completely oblivious to Puffy Fluffy’s ferocious behavior and Gary’s terror of the new pet, even though it couldn’t be more obvious. I’m not exaggerating, it’s literally happening right in front of his eyes, but SpongeBob continuously blames Gary for being a bad host to their new pet. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Okay, calm down, Sophie, save this for later. That night while SpongeBob is sleeping, Puffy Fluffy grows into an even more hideous and terrifying monster. He spends the night terrorizing Gary while Gary, the poor little mollusk, does his best to defend himself and SpongeBob’s home. SpongeBob wakes up the next day and finds Gary in Puffy Fluffy’s mouth, about to be eaten. And what does he say? “Gary, you put Puffy Fluffy down this instant!”

This goes beyond obliviousness or even stupidity. This is just delusional. How can SpongeBob still be blaming Gary for everything? No way is anyone that blind. No fucking way. Well, Puffy Fluffy puts Gary down and begins trying to eat SpongeBob instead, all while SpongeBob is still scolding Gary! AAAAARRRRRRGH NO THIS DOES NOT FLY, WRITERS, THIS DOES NOT FLY! Sophie, you’re almost done, you can do this. Gary, as usual, proves to be both adorable and bad ass, as he uses what he learned from watching all of those westerns to save SpongeBob and chase Puffy Fluffy away. Not that it matters, because SpongeBob still blames Gary for everything.

There aren’t enough angry gifs in the world to describe this episode. This is just the worst, most mean-spirited, soul-crushing, rage-inducing episode that could ever exist. It’s beyond mean-spirited, it’s cruel. Cruel, sadistic, and sickening to watch. This reaction might seem a tad ironic given that I just said in my Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful review that people shouldn’t call everything character abuse, but this absolutely is character abuse, and probably the most definitive example of it. Plus, it’s the worst kind of character abuse: Gary Abuse!

Even though Squidward is my favorite character, I think Gary Abuse is much worse than Squidward Abuse because Gary is an innocent animal. I know, technically they’re all animals, but Squidward and other characters talk, think and act like people, so for all intents and purposes, they are people. Gary is basically a cat. An intelligent and rather sassy cat, but still just a cat. I can’t stand seeing an innocent animal suffer, especially as a pet owner, so Gary Abuse is really hard for me to stomach. I don’t like it when other characters get mean-spirited treatment (lulz wanna read my Good Neighbors review again?), but Gary Abuse is definitely the most upsetting for me.

This episode was just painful to watch. I felt so awful for poor wittle Gary-poo (shut up, he’s adorable, okay?), I couldn’t stand seeing him in pain and terror like that. I was actually tempted to turn this episode off about halfway through, but I forced myself to keep watching until the end, by which time I was close to crying from frustration.

SpongeBob was at his absolute worst in this episode. His obliviousness was unbelievable. It’s a shame, because I had thought that SpongeBob’s personality had been starting to seem a bit more like his pre-movie self, and that he may even reclaim his spot as my third favorite character, but this episode took a huge step backwards. Seeing him portrayed in such a horrible way actually feels like an insult to the character, and I hope I never have to see my lovable sponge like this again.

I actually like some of the darker imagery in this episode, and like I said, the beginning is kind of nice, but it in no way makes up for what a cruel episode this is to what is arguably the most innocent character on the show. This episode could have been halfway decent if at the end SpongeBob had realized his mistakes and apologized for them, but no, the writers insisted on making him completely braindead and treating Gary like utter crap. A Pal For Gary is easily my least favorite episode so far (Gone, you have been beaten). All it is is a mean-spirited torture-fest for Gary. It’s horribly unpleasant to watch and I’d be much happier if this episode could be erased from my memory. Where did I put my brain bleach?

Rating: -5/10 (I would rate this much lower, but I’ve made it a rule for myself that I can’t rate episodes below -5, nor can I rate them above 15, otherwise it would screw up the season’s average rating too much. For the record, I also would have rated Gone lower.)

Special thanks to GordoktheMad and E.V.I.L for ranting about this with me on SBM and helping me get some of my anger out of my system.

RWBY Reviews: Episode 10 (The Badge and The Burden Part 2)

The episode begins with Weiss about to fight the monster in class. The monster is released (I can’t decide if I think the design of it is over-the-top in a good way or not) and Weiss does her best to fight it. Ruby shouts some advice to her, but Weiss snaps at her to not tell her what to do. The rude retort obviously upsets Ruby. Weiss manages to defeat the monster fairly quickly, impressing the teacher, Professor Port. Class is dismissed after this and Weiss storms out of the room. Ruby chases after her, wanting to know what Weiss’ problem is. Weiss tells Ruby that she doesn’t deserve to be the leader of the team. Ruby is left feeling upset, but a talk with Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy, boosts her confidence somewhat. Meanwhile, Weiss has a chat with Professor Port. She tells him that she thinks a mistake was made when Ruby was named team leader. Professor Port tells Weiss that Ozpin knows what he’s doing, and that Weiss will have to learn to live with not always getting what she wants. Instead, she should make the best of what she has. Both Ruby and Weiss take the advice given to them to heart. When Weiss returns to their dorm, she finds Ruby has fallen asleep studying. She wakes her and apologizes for her earlier behavior, promising to be the best team mate Ruby could ask for.

This was a nice episode, but I’m not sure if I like how quickly this conflict was resolved. I’m sure this won’t be the last we hear of it. This will probably be something for Weiss to overcome throughout the whole season, but already this is a huge step forward, and I think it may be a bit too soon. Still, I can’t complain too much, because I did like the development. I like that Weiss and Ruby both seem to have someone different that they can turn to, and the chats they had with their respective professors were nice.

The fight that Weiss had with the monster at the beginning of the episode, although short, was well done. It was fun to watch and actually pretty exciting, as Weiss seemed like she was being challenged. I also like that Weiss has a more steady, analytical approach to fighting as opposed to Ruby and Yang who tend to rush into fights without thinking about it. You can see the character’s different personalities through the way they fight, which is interesting.

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 7 (Greasy Buffoons/Model Sponge)

Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob clean out the grease trap under the Krusty Krab and then dump the grease on the Chum Bucket’s property rather than disposing of it properly. Plankton discovers the grease the next morning and is disgusted, but then he tastes it and realizes that it would make his food delicious. And so, he starts using ridiculous amounts of grease in his food and attracts many customers because of it. Krabs, wanting to compete with Plankton, slathers his food with even more grease. The two keep trying to one-up each other with how much grease their food uses, until both are literally serving nothing but grease. SpongeBob is concerned that this is extremely unhealthy for the Bikini Bottomites, so he calls a health inspector (not the one from Nasty Patty, unfortunately). The health inspector shuts down both the Krusty Krab and the Chum Bucket until Krabs and Plankton “clean up their acts”, or in other words, until they clean the grease (which is all over their restaurants) off their property and use less of it in their food. SpongeBob soaks up all of the grease and says that he’ll dispose of it properly.

This episode isn’t very popular, mostly because of how disgusting it is. It is pretty disgusting, but I honestly loved this episode.

Greasy Buffoons is like Hocus Pocus or The Two Faces of Squidward in the sense that its main purpose is just be as wacky and silly as possible. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as it’s done well. I like it when an episode tries to be more clever, but sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy something silly simply because it’s silly. Sometimes, nautical nonsense is all that I wish for from this show.

That being said, it is possible to combine wackiness and cleverness, which Greasy Buffoons does. The jokes in this episode are hilarious, and some of them are actually witty. This exchange, for example:

• Mr. Krabs: This is our latest product! It’s pure grease on a paper plate!
• Squidward: I’ll give you points for honesty.

Squidward, this is why you’re my favorite.

But really, I love that exchange not only because it’s funny, but because it makes a point about fast-food. In fact, the whole episode makes a point about fast-food and how unhealthy it is. The grossness of this episode is justified in my eyes because it’s trying to show us (kids in particular) that we need to watch what we eat. It’s like a funnier, more kid-friendly version of Super Size Me.

Another thing I love about this episode is that is does something with the Plankton-Krabs dynamic that, as far as I can remember, we have never seen before. This episode is a back-and-forth competition between the two, with each one-upping the other in turn. Usually their competition is very one-sided, with one being on top (that’s what she said?) and the other struggling to catch up until the end of the episode. Or it’s the usual Plankton-tries-to-steal-the-formula-and-eventually-fails story. In Greasy Buffoons, neither Krabs nor Plankton is the victor, nor is the episode about Plankton trying to get the formula. Instead, success goes back and forth between the two, and even at the end of the episode there’s no winner. It’s interesting because we’ve never seen something like this before, and it makes for a very funny and very entertaining episode. A lot of my favorite episodes are about characters trying to compete with each other, I think there’s a lot of humor to be found in competition, so Greasy Buffoons was right up my alley.

So, as unpopular as this opinion may be, I really adore this episode. The characters were all at their best, the jokes were hilarious, the story was different as well as entertaining, and it actually has a decent moral for kids.

Rating: 10/10

SpongeBob overhears Mr. Krabs on the phone, talking to someone about how he needs to “let the little guy go”. Krabs is talking about his pet clam, but SpongeBob thinks Krabs is talking about him, and that he’s going to be fired. He leaves the Krusty Krab and tries to find a job elsewhere. Nothing seems right for him until he gets a part in a commercial that needs a sponge. He arrives on set the next day, and discovers that the commercial is for a cleaning utensil… which happens to be SpongeBob. After being rubbed over the disgusting, grimy surfaces on the set, SpongeBob quits. He begs for Mr. Krabs to give him his job back, which Krabs does, and they live happily ever after or something.

There’s too much filler and build-up in this episode before the actual plot kicks in, but besides that I can’t find much wrong with this episode. However, I can’t find much that’s particularly good about this episode either. There were a few funny parts, but there wasn’t really anything that made me laugh out loud, the most I did was smile. Well, there was one thing that made me laugh. I like the exchange where Patrick suggests that SpongeBob gets a job as a billboard, and SpongeBob replies that he doesn’t think that’s physically possible. That got a laugh out of me only because it reminds me of a scene from Red vs Blue:

Basically, this episode falls into the “decent” category.

Rating: 6.5/10