SpongeBob Reviews: Season 8 Overview

Well, people were right. Season 8 was definitely an improvement over previous post-move seasons. The average score it got was 6.5, which is actually less than I was expecting (I was expecting at least a 7), but I did like this Season more than I liked the other seasons I reviewed. In fact, I like it about as much as I like Season 1. Mind you that’s still a lot less than I like Seasons 2 and 3, but it’s something.

Season 8 was an improvement in just about every aspect. Most of the characters have improved, the humor has improved, the writing has improved, and it’s more consistent than other post-movie seasons. One of the main things pre-movie has over post-movie, in my opinion, is consistency. It’s not that post-movie can’t be as good as pre-movie, it’s that it so often just… isn’t. And it’s really frustrating to see great episodes like Krusty Towers or Single Cell Anniversary surrounded by mediocre to just plain shitty episodes. It’s perfectly normal for even the best shows to have weaker episodes. It happens. I get it. Not every episode can be amazing no matter how talented the writers are. Of course they’re going to drop the ball every now and then. What’s important is for the show to have consistency with good episodes, for the weaker episodes to be the exception. That’s not how it is with post-movie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show as inconsistent as post-movie SpongeBob is. It’s kind of incredible how quickly it can go from great to mediocre to awful. It’s such a mixed bag that I can never decide if I feel positively about it or negatively. Even looking at post-movie as a whole and not episode by episode, there are so many aspects of it that I like and so many that I dislike. I love that they developed the relationship between Mr. Krabs and Plankton so much more, I adore what they’ve done with Karen, and I like that they’re generally more experimental and weird, even if it doesn’t always work in their favor. However, they clearly don’t have a good grasp on some of the characters, the writing tends to be lazy, the humor can be really mean-spirited, and the animation tends to be stiff.

But like I said, Season 8 is an improvement, mainly because it has more consistency. It does still stumble a lot, but for the most part it’s solid. There are a lot of funny, interesting, and well-written episodes. It’s a relief to see after the incredibly forgettable Season 5, the roller coaster that is Season 6 (which I still think it the most exemplary post-movie season, it’s pretty much the definition of “inconsistent”), and the very “meh” Season 7. And then there’s Season 4.

Okay, I need to say something about Season 4, and I’ll do it here because where else can I do it? I don’t think I was very fair to Season 4. Reading my old Season 4 reviews honestly makes me cringe because they’re so unnecessarily harsh (also, I think I’ve much improved as a reviewer since then, so there’s that too). A lot of the episodes that I was really critical of I’ve now come to appreciate a lot more, and while I still stand by some of what I said and I don’t think Season 4 comes to close to greatness overall, it is better than I gave it credit for. My post-movie bias is clear in those old reviews, but the thing is, I don’t think Season 4 ever really had a chance with me. It was at a disadvantage from the beginning, more so than any other post-movie season, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it’s the first post-movie season, so it’s before I got used to post-movies style and certain aspects of it. I got more lenient with later seasons, and some things stopped bothering me altogether (remember when I used to despise Scientist Sandy? Now I don’t mind it at all). Another thing is that Season 4 is the season that made me quit watching this show. I watched most of it as a kid and hated it so much that it turned me off what was my favorite show at the time. Now I’m not even sure why I had such an aversion to Season 4, let alone one strong enough to get me to quit on the show, but that doesn’t matter now. When I think about Season 4, all I can think about is how much it disappointed me and how it kept me away from this show for so long. It makes it hard for me to like Season 4 at all even though, objectively, it is a decent season and didn’t deserve as much vitrol as I gave it.

However, as embarrassing as those old reviews can be to read, I don’t regret them either. My reviews were never meant to be taken as recommendations or as representations of post-movie, I was doing them more for me than for anyone else (though I am glad that people are apparently enjoying them). This project was about my journey through post-movie, about rediscovering something I’d given up on and figuring out for myself what I liked and disliked about it. I wouldn’t change what I’ve written because it would feel dishonest, and I always try to be as honest as possible in my reviews. I kind of like that my Season 4 reviews are indicative of how much my opinions have grown and changed.

So, with that off my chest, back to Season 8. This season was kind of validating for me, because the majority of my complaints about post-movie were centered on the characters, and Season 8 fixed a lot of the problems I had with them. Well, okay, maybe it didn’t fix them completely, there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but it is a good start. I actually found most of the characters consistently enjoyable, which is a good feeling after so many seasons where I liked one or two and had varying opinions of the others depending on the episode.

It’s pretty funny to me to think that back when I first started reviewing post-movie I thought Squidward and Mr. Krabs were mostly fine and I had a hard time liking SpongeBob in most episodes. Now it’s the other way around. I like SpongeBob again. He occasionally lapses back into being too oblivious or stupid, but it’s a lot more rare, and even when it does happen it’s not as annoying as it used to be (thought I’m not sure if that’s a sign of improvement or of me growing accustomed to it and therefore becoming more lenient). Anyway, I’m glad I can actually enjoy SpongeBob as a character again. I’m glad that he’s a lot closer to his sweet, funny, lovable self. I really disliked disliking him, if that makes sense.

Squidward actually didn’t appear in Season 8 as often as he usually does in a season, at least not in major roles. I’m actually okay with that, though, because Squidward has lost nearly all of his charm for me. I don’t like him much in recent seasons. It honestly pains me to type that, because even though I’ve mentioned before that Squidward is my favorite I don’t think I’ve ever really expanded much on my incredibly dorky admiration for this character which would probably be infinitely more embarrassing than my crush on Plankton. I still think of him as my favorite, because I choose to rank characters based on what they’re like when they’re at their best, but if I was to rank them based on what they’re like at this point in the show, Squidward would be waaaaay down on my list. And I hate that. I hate disliking Squidward even more than I hated disliking SpongeBob. I still want to like Squidward in post-movie, but it’s so hard to do when he’s become so unpleasant. That’s really the only word to describe him now. He’s just fucking unpleasant. The only emotions he ever shows anymore are anger, depression, and bitterness, and I know that these have always been part of Squidward’s character, but he was capable of having other emotions too. He had other qualities to balance him out. There’s no balance anymore, he’s just… uuuuugh. I’m probably exaggerating a little, he’s not always that bad, and how much I dislike the changes made to him probably has a lot to do with how much I liked him originally (something similar probably happened with SpongeBob as well). He does still have some good lines occasionally, and some episodes at the end of Season 8 did seem like they were at least trying to improve his character a little bit. I liked him in Squiditis, Hello Bikini Bottom, Chum Fricassee, and It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!, but those episodes have become exceptions. That’s not good. It should not be an exception for me to be able to enjoy or even tolerate my favorite character. It sucks, because I still want to like Squidward. I still want him to be able to make me laugh without fail. I still want him to be the one that I identify with to a point that’s actually kind of uncomfortable. I still want him to be the one who always seems to say what I’m thinking. I still want him to be the one who captures my interest more than anyone else on the show. I still want him to be the one my eyes are immediately drawn to because the simple fact that he’s present makes the episode that much better.

I should really stop talking about Squidward now because I just realized how utterly insane I sound. But I think I’ve made my point. While most characters have been improving lately, Squidward is deteriorating. Those few episodes I mentioned earlier portray him fairly well, but it’s not enough.

Patrick had his ups and downs for this season. In general I think I’d say he’s gotten a little better? I don’t know, Patrick didn’t actually leave much of an impression on me this season. It seemed like whenever he appeared in an episode it was to be a plot-device, or he was just kind of there and didn’t really contribute anything. I do have this vague feeling that I enjoyed Patrick a bit more than I did in other seasons, but maybe that’s because he had less opportunities to be annoying since he was mostly sidelined this season. Yeah, I don’t know, there’s never that much to say about Patrick, is there? I hate how every time I talk about Patrick it somehow ends up sounding like I want him to die in a ditch or something but I swear I don’t.

Mr. Krabs, thankfully, was much improved in Season 8 after two seasons of him being pretty terrible. It’s nice, because I love Mr. Krabs and wasn’t at all happy with the decline of his character in Seasons 6 and 7. Can I just take this opportunity to say that I think Mr. Krabs deserves much more credit then he gets? Seriously, he’s hilarious when he’s at his best, I don’t know why this goes unnoticed so often. Anyway, back to his representation in Season 8. I liked that Krabs seemed to be getting a lot of his humor back, and he also showed hints of his paternal side again.

Oh hey, Sandy actually had a good number of appearances this season! I’ve been asking for more Sandy since, what, Season 5? I’m glad it finally happened, and I liked most of her appearances in this season. I think this is Sandy’s best season since Season 2. That’s partly because this is the most appearances she’s had since Season 2, but also because, well, it just was a good season for her. She rarely felt like she was only a plot-device, she was allowed to be a character. She was allowed to show off her brainy side, her heroic side, her Texan side, and her athletic side. She was allowed to be funny, helpful, interesting, quirky, bad ass. She was allowed to be Sandy. I think Sandy had a lot to do with my enjoyment of Season 8. I’d missed her so much, I’m so happy she was given a decent amount of appereances. Not all of them were great, but a lot of them were, and at least she was given a chance to shine. Besides, this show is such a sausage fest, it would be nice if the few female characters it does have were given more development and bigger roles.

Is it me or did Plankton not get as many appearances this season as he did in other post-movie seasons? I mean, he still got more than he did in any pre-movie season, but it felt like less than other seasons. It’s probably for the best, since in Season 7 Plankton episodes started getting stale and derivative. The fact that they slowed down a little with Plankton episodes meant that the ones we did get had a bit more creativity and energy put into them, and it also meant that other characters (namely Sandy) got more attention. Anyway, for what we did get of Plankton, I really liked him, mostly because he felt like a villain again. I’ve always been satisfied with Plankton’s post-movie portrayal, especially compared to other characters, but there was something a little bit off about him. He had been starting to get too sympathetic. I mean, Plankton has always been pretty pathetic, it’s partly what makes him so funny, and I’m not against the writers trying to make us feel sorry for him, I’m all for sympathetic villains. The problem is I’m not sure if they were trying to make us feel sorry for him or not. I felt weird about pitying him and siding with him because I don’t think it’s what they were going for. It connects to how their portrayal of Mr. Krabs was getting too monstrous as well. Plankton was starting to seem like the lesser of two evils, which he’s not supposed to. Krabs isn’t exactly a saint, he is supposed to have a skewed sense of morality and he can make mistakes, again this is partly what made Krabs such a good character. But despite his flaws, he is ultimately a good person, or at the very least a better person than Plankton. Similarly, Plankton is allowed to have a few redeeming qualities, but he is ultimately supposed to be a villain. You know, the kind that delights in the pain and misery of others, enjoys manipulating others for his/her own ends, is exceptionally cruel and bitter, and has unrealistic goals of world domination. That’s who Plankton is, and I love him for it, but he’s not the sort of character I want to condone or side with. I didn’t like how Krabs and Plankton’s roles were kind of flipped around in post-movie. It didn’t feel right. Now it seems like Plankton is starting to become more like himself again, more diabolical and sadistic and villainous while still being funny and faceplam-worthy. Oh Plankton, never change.

In Season 7 I noticed that the writers seemed to be trying to develop Gary’s character a bit more and give him a bigger role on the show. I was expecting this to continue in Season 8, but it kind of didn’t. Episodes where Gary had a big role were few, and most of them were pretty standard Gary episodes. I don’t mind because though I like Gary there really isn’t that much you can do with him, but I was a little surprised since they seemed to put so much effort into getting Gary more involved in the show in Season 7. Well, anyway, Gary was… Gary. As usual there isn’t anything to complain about where he’s concerned because seriously how the fuck can you screw up Gary’s character? But at the same time, there aren’t that many compliments that can be given to him. He’s cute and I like having him around, and that’s kind of all I can say.

Now for minor characters. Karen got to star in her own episode, and it was a pretty good one, so that’s cool. I’m really glad Karen has gotten so much more development in post-movie, not just because she ended up being an amazing character, but because, well, remember what I said about this show being a sausage fest? Yeah. At least one female character has received more attention and development, and even though in a lot of ways Karen is really stereotypical, I think she’s a great character. She’s hilarious, she’s interesting, she’s entertaining, and she’s pretty faceted for a minor character. I could go on and on about Karen but I won’t because this post is already really long, but let it be known that Karen is probably my favorite character in post-movie. I actually like her much better in post-movie than I do in pre-movie, which I guess isn’t saying much because she didn’t have much presence in pre-movie, but still. She’s the only character who has actually improved, and that’s pretty cool. My love for her might have something to do with the fact that her humor and attitude are reminiscent of what Squidward used to be, but I don’t think that’s entirely the reason. They share similarities, but I don’t think of Karen as “the new Squidward”. She feels like a unique character on her own.

Oh yeah, I said I was going to stop talking about Karen, didn’t I? My bad. On to other minor characters. I really liked Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy’s appearances, and Pearl was more enjoyable than she usually is. You know, I actually don’t hate Pearl as much as I make it seem like I do. I don’t like her, but I don’t think she’s completely horrible and I think she has a few redeeming qualities. She can be sensible and willful, which are qualities I like, and she can be kind of funny. I think she has the potential to be a decent character if only they’d have her show these qualities more often instead of having her be just a walking teen stereotype. Anyway, Mrs. Puff was all right in her appearances, I liked how they really pushed her to her limits in Demolition Doofus, but I’m still not totally happy with her post-movie portrayal. Man Ray’s one appearance was disappointing, and did the Flying Dutchman appear at all? Oh, that’s right, he appeared in Ghoul Fools. Which was also disappointing. Hm. I don’t think Larry appeared did he? I guess this season was okay for minor characters, at least a couple of them were good. I’m sad that there was no Squilliam, though.

This is definitely way too long now and I’m starting to run out of steam anyway, so let’s wrap this up. I like Season 8. It’s not perfect, far from it, but it definitely feels like an improvement. Most of the characters are seeming more like themselves again and the writing in general has gotten better. I hope this continues in Season 9.

Season Rating: 6.5/10

Best Episode: Frozen Face-Off and It’s a SpongeBob Christmas!

Worst Episode: Squidward’s School For Grown-Ups and House Sittin’ For Sandy (I barely remember these episodes…)

Keep an eye out for my next post, which will be either tomorrow or the day after. It’ll be an important one.

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 8 (Super Evil Aquatic Villain Team Up is Go!/Chum Fricassee)

Jesus, that title is a mouthful. I feel like I’m never going to remember it and I’m just going to arrange the words in a different order every time I say it. Like one day it will be “Go Evil Super Aquatic Villain Team Up” and another day it will be “Super Villain Evil Team Up is Aquatic” and then another day it will be “No Seriously Fuck Whoever Came Up With This Title”.

Anyway.

Plankton decides that he could use some help with his schemes, so he contacts Man Ray to help him steal the Krabby Patty formula. Man Ray is confused about how this will help with world domination, leading Plankton to explain to him that domination in the fast food industry ensures control over the world. To prove it, he has Man Ray try a Krabby Patty himself. Big mistake, as Man Ray becomes addicted to them and keeps demanding more and more, not letting Plankton have a single one. Meanwhile, SpongeBob is trying to get Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy to help and eventually they do decide to do so. They show up at the Krusty Krab, arrest Man Ray (who has gotten fat from eating so many Patties), and Plankton is left to pay the bill.

Well, this episode started strong. The first half of it is pretty funny and I like the idea of Plankton and Man Ray teaming up, it’s something I’ve been wanting to see for a while, but I felt more and more “meh” about the episode as it went on.

I was a little put off by how uninterested Man Ray seemed to be in the scheme. Even before being introduced to Krabby Patties, he didn’t really seem to care about what was going on. I suppose it could have made for a funny contrast between him and Plankton, who’s obviously enjoying everything they’re doing way too much, but it ended up just looking awkward to me, like Man Ray didn’t really need to be there at all. He didn’t have much presence in this episode, which is unfortunate because I really like Man Ray, and considering how little we see him you’d think that when we do see him it would leave an impression. But somehow he was really easy to look over in this episode.

The sub-plot with SpongeBob trying to get the attention of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy was a little amusing, but I also thought it made the episode feel a bit cluttered. I guess I didn’t like how it seemed to take over the episode, it feels like the episode’s sub-plot was its main plot and vice versa.

I don’t dislike the episode, but I wish it had kept up the momentum it had going during the first half. I guess it’s worth watching just for the first half, though.

Rating: 6.5/10

Squidward is complaining about what a dump the Krusty Krab is, saying that if he had his own restaurant it would be far more successful and classier. Mr. Krabs only laughs at him, which Squidward doesn’t exactly appreciate. Plankton, who had been spying on them, overhears Squidward saying angrily that he could make even the Chum Bucket a success and decides to take him up on his offer. Squidward accepts as a way of getting back at Mr. Krabs, and he and Plankton return to the Chum Bucket. Squidward immediately begins redecorating, and he teaches Plankton his grandma’s recipe for chum, which takes twenty-four hours to cook and tastes delicious. Soon after the restaurant becomes a huge success, even appearing on a show called “Flavors of the Bottom”, and I must still have the mentality of a twelve-year old because I giggled incessantly at that name. Anyway, as more and more customers come to the Chum Bucket, Squidward grows impatient with how slowly they’re being served, so he tells Plankton that he doesn’t care if the recipe is cooked for twenty-four hours or not and that they should just serve it to the customers anyway. Somehow Squidward’s grandmother hears about this and is angered about her recipe being used wrong. She enters the Chum Bucket and gives Squidward hell for not cooking it properly, the other customer overhear and are enraged that they ate undercooked food unknowingly. So, they do they only logical thing: burn down the restaurant, forcing Squidward to go back to work at the Krusty Krab.

Well, another episode centering on Squidward and Plankton. I liked this one more than I liked Sweet and Sour Squid, it’s closer to what I always imagined a Squidward-Plankton episode would be like. I like how Squidward and Plankton sort of bond over their mutual hatred of the Krusty Krab, and I especially liked Karen’s line when meeting Squidward: “Great, two megalomaniacs!” Yes! Exactly, Karen! That’s why I always thought Squidward and Plankton could potentially be such an entertaining duo. They’re both so egocentric and snarky and have very little self-awareness and foresight, the idea of them trying to work together and of such brilliant yet facepalm-worthy egos clashing fills me with glee.

I also like that this isn’t just an episode where Plankton tries to manipulate someone into joining him and ultimately fails. Squidward consciously decides to join Plankton out of a desire for revenge. Though Squidward isn’t a villain, he’s not a saint either, and I like that he’s acting out of his own interests in this episode. He isn’t just a pawn, there’s no realization at the end that he’s being used, he knows exactly what he’s doing. That’s another thing that I always thought could potentially be interesting about Squidward and Plankton’s relationship. Squidward doesn’t necessarily hate Mr. Krabs or the Krusty Krab (no matter what he might say to the contrary), but his viewpoint on them is certainly different from SpongeBob’s. He’s not blindly devoted to them and can easily realize their flaws, which would probably make it easy for him to empathize with Plankton in certain scenarios. His alignment regarding the Krabs-Plankton rivalry is much more ambiguous and flexible, and I like the idea that he could switch sides at any moment if he feels he’d be better off there. It’s interesting, and I’d like to have more episodes that explore this.

I was a little disappointed that Squidward and Plankton interactions were cut down in favor of scenes where Krabs laments over the Chum Bucket being more successful than his restaurant. We get some Squidward and Plankton interactions, and I liked what we did get, but I was hoping for more focus on that and less focus on how their success was affecting Krabs. It’s understandable that an episode like this would have a sub-plot like that, most of them do and it makes sense, but I guess I’m a little tired of it always being executed in the same way. At least the sub-plot doesn’t take over the episode too much, unlike its partner, but it still grated on me that I didn’t get to see more of Squidward and Plankton.

I really liked Squidward’s grandmother, though. You can definitely see where Squidward got his sass from.

Overall I quite liked this one. I thought it was really funny and the Squidward-Plankton interactions we got were fun. I definitely think it’s an improvement over Sweet and Sour Squid, anyway.

Rating: 8.5/10

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 8 (Ghoul Fools/Mermaid Man Begins/Plankton’s Good Eye)

Well, the Runaway Roadtrip miniseries is over, and now we have a Halloween special with a cool-looking title card.

It begins with SpongeBob and Patrick finding an old ghostly ship. Thinking it’s one of those fake haunted house attractions made for kids on Halloween, they decide to go explore it. Of course it’s not fake, it’s real, and the owner of the ship, a ghostly pirate named Lord Poltergeist, isn’t happy to find trespassers on his ship. He tells SpongeBob and Patrick that the reason his ship has landed in Bikini Bottom is because of a broken gasket. He offers them a doubloon if they find him a replacement gasket, and to give them incentive to return, he takes their souls. That’s pretty fucking metal. Anyway, SpongeBob and Patrick run to the Krusty Krab where Mr. Krabs, Squidward and Sandy are and tell them what happened. Mr. Krabs is interested in getting the doubloon, so he steals a gasket from some random fish’s car to give to Lord Poltergeist, saying that once they get there they can overpower the ghosts and steal their gold. Sandy offers to help with her device that detects and catches monsters, and Squidward tags along too because of reasons. They head back to the ship and Krabs finds a chest full of gold doubloons. He starts putting them in bags, when Lord Poltergeist appears from out of the chest. SpongeBob gives him the replacement gasket and LP explains that he never actually had their souls, when he spots Krabs, Squidward and Patrick trying to make off with his gold. He stops them and takes them into “The Void”, which shows each of them visions of torment. That’s when Sandy goes all Ghostbusters on LP and sucks Krabs, Squidward and Patrick out of The Void with her device. Once out of The Void, they discover that the gold actually belongs to the Flying Dutchman. Apparently LP used to be part of his crew and stole the Dutchman’s gold years ago. SpongeBob reports the theft to the Dutchman and the Dutchman attacks LP’s ship. And I guess he kills everyone because the episode ends with all of them in The Void, working at the Krusty Krab. So, I guess the Krusty Krab = Hell? I don’t know.

I can’t decide if I think this episode has too much going on or not enough.

This episode doesn’t seem to have a focus. The Great Patty Caper and Frozen Face-Off had a lot happening in them too, in fact I think there was more going on in those episodes than in Ghoul Fools, but they still had a focus and never lost sight of that focus. Everything fit together and felt like it was part of a larger story. The events in Ghoul Fools felt oddly disconnected from each other. It didn’t feel like one story, it felt like a bunch of smaller stories that vaguely related to each other. Each of the stories felt like they could have been an episode on their own. SpongeBob and Patrick trying to get their souls back could have been its own episode. The Void could have been an episode on its own (which I probably would have loved). The ending with the Flying Dutchman attacking his old crew members could have been an episode on its own. If they’d separated the stories and gave this episode more of a Treehouse of Horror-like structure, it could have worked, but they presented it as one story, and it just doesn’t feel like one story, at least not to me. Yet even with all this stuff happening, this episode felt really slow, especially the first half of it. It picks up during the second half, but it still felt a bit slow. Even the chase scene at the end didn’t excite me. Everything about this episode felt lethargic to me.

I would be happy about this being a group episode, but really Sandy and Squidward had no reason to be in the episode at all. Okay, I guess Sandy’s purpose was to save everyone from The Void, so basically she’s a plot-device. Squidward had no purpose whatsoever. He could have been cut from the episode entirely and it wouldn’t have made a difference. Eh, at least he had one or two funny lines.

Actually, the entire episode is pretty funny. At least that’s something good I can say about it. Also, the animation is particularly nice to look at in this episode, it’s smooth and the colors really pop. My only problem with this episode is the story, but unfortunately it’s a big problem. It’s too slow and plot-points feel too disconnected. I just can’t get into it.

Rating: 5.5/10

SpongeBob and Patrick are getting ready to watch a special episode of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy which is supposed to tell the story of their origin. Unfortunately a storm hits and none of the TV’s in Bikini Bottom are working, so they go to see Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, hoping to hear the origin story from them. Mermaid Man Barnacle Boy argue about the origin for a bit when the power comes back on and we see their origin story according to their show, and it’s… well, take a look:

Yeah.

This is easily my favorite Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode to come out of post-movie (so far). An episode focusing on their origin is a great idea, and most importantly it’s hilarious. So much of this episode had me laughing, and the origin story shown on TV at the end is especially funny. I love how they go through basically every super hero origin cliche ever only to have burnt popcorn be the thing that gives them powers. It’s completely ridiculous in all of the right ways. (As a side note, I also like that the title of the episode references Batman Begins.)

Seeing the human world above water in animation felt really surreal. Before now anything from above water was live-action, and I’ve always liked that, it made it feel like underwater and the surface were separate worlds. It makes sense for them to animate it for this episode, since an origin story that ridiculous would have been difficult to pull off in live-action, but it still felt really odd to me.

I thought having Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy’s original names be the same as their voice actors (Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway respectively) was a nice idea, but it also reveals an inconsistency since Mermaid Man called Barnacle Boy “Kyle” in a past episode. Oh well, I’m pretty sure only hardcore fans would pick up on it, and I kind of prefer the name Tim for him anyway, I like the idea of them being named after their voice actors.

Speaking of their voice actors, this was the last Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episode to air before Ernest Bornine’s death in 2012. There are still a couple more episodes with his voice work in them that were made before his death but aired after it, but Mermaid Man Begins is technically his “last episode”. Knowing that makes this episode feel really sad somehow, and this picture doesn’t help:

If that picture doesn’t break you heart then you probably aren’t human. But you might be dancer.

At least Ernest Borgnine’s last episode was a good one. Rest in peace, good sir.

Rating: 9.5/10

Karen tells Plankton that his lack of depth perception due to having only one eye is holding him back, so Plankton begins working on an experiment that will give him a second eye. After a few failed attempts, he and Karen figure out that to grow a second eye, he needs DNA from someone who already has two eyes. So, Plankton collects some DNA from SpongeBob and uses that to make himself a second eye successfully. Now with perfect depth perception, Plankton is ready to make another attempt at stealing the formula. However, this new eye seems to have a strange effect Plankton. It makes him nicer. Suddenly, being evil is a much more difficult task. Plankton tries to fight the effects of the new eye and eventually resorts to trying to get rid of it, but the eye can’t be gotten rid of. He returns home to find that SpongeBob has planned a surprise party for him to celebrate his new kinder attitude. At the party, everyone gives Plankton a group hug, and they squeeze him so hard that his second eye pops out. Ew. With nothing to keep him from his evil ways anymore, Plankton chases everyone out of the Chum Bucket with lasers.

The beginning of this episode where Plankton is hiding in a pickle jar on Mr. Krabs’ desk made my heart flutter because my mom once said that Plankton looks like a dill pickle and I thought that was an adorable description and since then I may have referred to him as “my little dill pickle” in my head. An obsessed fangirl, me? Don’t be silly.

Anyway, this is the best Plankton episode in a while, mainly because it at least has some creativity.  Though the formula is technically Plankton’s motivation in this episode, it’s not given that much focus. The focus is on a kind of reverse Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde scenario, where instead of an evil personality taking over someone good and ruining their life, a good personality takes over someone evil and ruins their life. Weird idea, but in a good way. And it’s not just another episode where Plankton pretends to be nice, he actually is nice. And he hates it. It makes for some really funny moments when he tries so hard to be mean but keeps accidentally being nice.

This episode also marks the return of Bubble Bass, who we haven’t seen since Season 1. I only bring this up because it’s apparently a big deal for a lot of people, but I honestly don’t care that much. I guess it’s cool to see him again, but it’s not like I was particularly attached to him. I’d rather see other one-time antagonists like Flatts or Kevin the sea cucumber make a return. Besides, calling this Bubble Bass’ “return” seems a bit generous. He only has a very minor role, and I doubt we’ll be seeing him again after this anyway.

Back on topic, I really liked this episode. I’m glad to see that the writers still have some creativity when it comes to Plankton episodes.

Rating: 8/10

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 6 (Shuffleboarding/Professor Squidward)

SpongeBob and Patrick get Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy hospitalized, don’t ask how. MM and BB are supposed to participate in a shuffleboarding tournament but are now unable to go, so they send SpongeBob and Patrick to the tournament instead, disguised as MM and BB. They win the tournament and are about to return the costumes, but first they decide to arrest some “criminals”. They arrest most of the people in Bikini Bottom for stupid reasons, until the jail literally bursts. SpongeBob and Patrick return the costumes to MM and BB, who are then chased by an angry mob who thinks that they’re the ones who arrested everyone.

The title of this episode is misleading. I thought it was going to be about a shuffleboarding tournament, but we don’t even see the tournament and it’s only mentioned once or twice.

Anyway, I did chuckle at a few of the random arrests that SpongeBob and Patrick were doing, like when they arrested one guy for chewing too loudly and another for having an untied shoe, but mostly those two got on my nerves.

Also, this episode does something that I always hate: it punishes innocent characters (Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy) while the characters who are actually at fault (SpongeBob and Patrick) get off scot-free.

I kind of wish this episode had just been about shuffleboarding.

Rating: 3/10

Squidward for some reason attends a concert performed by his boyfriend rival, Squilliam. He storms out of the concert and is mistaken for Squilliam and is offered a chance to teach a music class at a prestigious college. Squidward poses as Squilliam so that he can teach the class. Somehow SpongeBob and Patrick end up in the class too. Most of the episode is just those two disrupting Squidward’s class and being annoying. At the end of the episode, the headmistress of the college realizes that Squidward isn’t really Squilliam because he doesn’t have a unibrow. Uh, how did she not notice this before? Anyway, Squidward is arrested for impersonating Squilliam and that’s the end of that.

This episode doesn’t seem to be very popular. In fact, most people despise it. To be honest, I liked it. Why do I feel like I should be apologizing the way Todd in the Shadows did when he put California Gurls on his Best of 2010 list?

I liked the plot of this episode, though I do think they could have done more with it, and I found myself giggling a lot. SpongeBob and Patrick were being incredibly annoying, though. For SpongeBob in particular, it seemed out of character. He never acts that way in boating school. Even when he took Squidward’s art class in Artist Unknown, he wasn’t this annoying. Oh well, it wasn’t enough to ruin the episode for me.

I would have liked for Squilliam to be in the episode more, since we only see him very briefly at the beginning of the episode and again at the end. It’s unfortunate that Squilliam appears so rarely, he’s one of the better minor character on the show and I feel like there’s so much the writers could do with him, yet they don’t take advantage of it. Come on, writers, I don’t ask for much, make some more Squilliam episodes.

What? This has nothing to do with Squidiam. Okay maybe it does a little bit.

Rating: 7.5/10

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 5 (Blackened Sponge/Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob)

The episode starts with SpongeBob having a dream about fighting a villain named Jack M. Crazyfish. He wakes up and goes to brush his teeth, but he gives himself a black eye while trying to open up the toothpaste. SpongeBob is embarrassed that he gave himself a black eye in such a stupid way, so he tells everyone that he got the black eye while fighting Jack M. Crazyfish. He becomes increasingly arrogant as the episode goes on, but then Jack M. Crazyfish turns out to be real and comes to the Krusty Krab looking for SpongeBob. SpongeBob is terrified and tells everyone the real story of how he got the black eye (he reenacts it as he tells it and gives himself another black eye). He begs Jack M. Crazyfish for mercy, but Crazyfish is only there because he had heard that SpongeBob makes great Krabby Patties.

This episode is pretty much your standard something-goes-to-SpongeBob’s-head-and-he-becomes-an-arrogant-jerk plot, much like As Seen on TV and MuscleBob BuffPants. There really isn’t much to set this episode apart from those two, but for what it is it’s okay.

I’d also like to point out that when you see the sign in front of the Krusty Krab in this episode, it actually says Krysty Krab instead. I’m not sure if that was done on purpose or not, and if it was… why? Either way I’m not complaining because that typo was the funniest thing in the episode.

Rating: 5/10

Mr. Krabs is giving away Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy themed toys to kids, which gives Plankton the idea to brainwash Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and make them draw people away from the Krusty Krab. He uses mind control shampoo to hypnotize them and the two retired heroes are turned into vicious zombies. They destroy the retirement home, beat up SpongeBob, and tell everyone that they hate Krabby Patties and that their favorite restaurant is the Chum Bucket. Everyone decides to start eating at the Chum Bucket instead because apparently they can’t think for themselves. SpongeBob gives Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Krabby Patties to eat, thinking that it will save them from being brainwashed. But it doesn’t. Wait, seriously? SpongeBob’s Krabby Patties aren’t going to save the day this time? How refreshing! Oh, wait, never mind. The problem is that Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy aren’t digesting the Patties fast enough so SpongeBb gives them some fiber and they return to their normal selves and everyone leaves the Chum Bucket. Sigh.

Well, another Plankton episode. Too bad this one sucked. Okay, that’s kind of harsh. It’s not a terrible episode, I’ve definitely seen worse, but it’s still not very good. Like, at all. There’s nothing that funny in it and it’s pretty boring. I’m disappointed because I’ve always wanted an episode where Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy interact with Plankton (I don’t count MM and BB VI because I can’t remember them talking to each other or even being on screen together), but this one is rather lackluster.

I did enjoy Man Ray’s brief cameo, since I’ve always thought he was one of the funnier minor characters, and for some reason I thought seeing MM and BB all vicious and crazy-looking while brainwashed was pretty bad ass. I just wish we’d gotten to see them cause more mayhem… is that weird? It’s probably weird.

One more thing, how come this episode isn’t called Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy VII? Are we not doing that anymore? Why does that thought make me really sad?

Rating: 3/10

SpongeBob Reviews: Season 4 (Dunces and Dragons/Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture/Enemy-In-Law)

I’m reviewing three episodes again, since one of them was a special.

Another 22-minute special. In this one, SpongeBob and Patrick visit a renaissance fair and after a jousting accident are sent back in time to the middle ages (just go with it). They’re mistaken for witches and locked in a dungeon where they meet Squidly (I’ll get to his awesomeness later), the king’s former fool and ancestor of Squidward. SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidly are taken to see the king, aka Mr. Krabs’ ancestor, and they discover that Bikini Bottom Shire is being attacked by a dragon-jellyfish sent by Lord Planktonomor (an evil wizard and ancestor of Plankton). Princess Pearl (ancestor of… well, you get it) tells her father of a prophecy that depicts two knights from a far-off land saving the village from Planktonomor’s wrath. Guess who those knights are? So, SpongeBob and Patrick are sent on a journey to Planktonomor’s tower. They take Squidly with them (yay!). They meet the “Dark Knight” on the way and no, it isn’t Batman. It’s Sandy. Or, um, Sandy’s ancestor. Is it just, like, a tradition in Sandy’s family to live underwater? And why does she not have a helmet? How is she breathing? Anyway, they need to defeat the Dark Knight to get to the tower, which they do, and the Dark Knight joins them on the quest. They finally reach Planktonomor’s tower and SpongeBob catches the dragon-jellyfish in a net. It immediately escapes, but then SpongeBob feeds it some Krabby Patties and the dragon-jellyfish loves them. Now the dragon-jellyfish is peaceful as long as it is fed. The village is saved and SpongeBob and Patrick get sent back to their own time. Hooray.

I thought this episode was okay when I was a kid, and I basically still feel that way about it. It’s okay, but not great. I think they could’ve gotten more jokes out of this story, as the episode was kind of lacking in humor. The jokes it did have were mostly pretty obvious ones, like adding “eth” at the end of modern words. Or how about when Planktonomor is laughing maniacally and he goes into a coughing fit? Pretty sure that joke has been done in every thing ever. It was kind of funny seeing the character’s in midieval roles, though.

Okay, now let’s talk about the character everyone loves: SQUIDLY.

BEST ONE-TIME CHARACTER EVER. He’s as sarcastic and hilarious as Squidward, but HE’S A JESTER AND HE SINGS AND IS ADORABLE. It’s no wonder Squidward is my favorite character. You can’t help being awesome when you’re related to SQUIDLY!

All right, that’s all I have to say about this episode.

Rating: 6/10 (for the record, Squidly deserves like 10 billion points just on his own)

In this episode, SpongeBob and Patrick discover that a Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy movie being made, but instead of their heroes starring in the movie, it has… actors! Gasp! SpongeBob and Patrick decide to make their own movie with blackjack and hookers the real Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, and it’s pretty much as bad as you would expect it to be.

This episode is decent, but it doesn’t particularly stand out. I enjoyed Squidward as the make-up artist and Sandy as the stunt woman. Plankton’s audition for ManRay was funny and weirdly adorable, as was his handling of the boom mike. The scene where SpongeBob and Patrick write the script for the movie was great, too. The gross-out humor in this episode was a bit excessive though. Really, I could have done without SpongeBob sucking worms out of the ground.

Overall, it was a pretty good episode, but probably not one I’d go out of my way to watch again.

Rating: 6.5/10

Like most of the episodes I’ve reviewed so far, this one has a good idea behind it but doesn’t quite deliver.

Plankton falls in love with Mr. Krabs’ mother, so he shuts off Karen (who he’d just been arguing with) and sets out to woo her. They start dating, much to Mr. Krabs’ dismay. He suspects that Plankton is trying to get the Krabby Patty formula out of his mother, and warns him to stay away from her. Until then, Plankton hadn’t even known that Krabs’ mother knew the formula, but of course now he wants it. He proposes to her but she says no. Turns out she’d been two-timing him with a giant robot he’d built… what. Plankton goes back to the Chum Bucket, turns Karen back on and the happy couple is reunited.

This episode doesn’t have much that I found particularly funny, but I guess there weren’t any jokes that were particularly bad, either.  Plankton was amusing throughout the episode, but while the idea of him dating Mr. Krabs’ mother sounds funny on paper I can’t say I was a huge fan of it because I may or may not be a hardcore Plankton/Karen shipper. DON’T JUDGE ME.

By the way, let’s talk about Mr. Krabs’ mother for a second. How is this woman still alive? Mr. Krabs is apparently ridiculously old, so how old must his mother be? And for that matter, how old is Plankton? Is he the same age as Mr. Krabs? Older? Younger?

Thinking about how old the characters are kind of makes my head spin, so let’s wrap this up.

This episode isn’t that bad, I suppose, but I didn’t like it all that much.

Rating: 4/10