CakeCup

Stuck in the Wringer: Ah, it's the episode that made me want to turn the Bikini Bottomites into sashimi. Patrick himself was completely incompetent, as he did absolutely nothing to help SpongeBob; in fact, he was an active liability. If I had a friend that treated me like Patrick treated SpongeBob in this episode, I would never speak to them again. To add insult to injury, SpongeBob was the one that was lambasted by the Bikini Bottomites. The entertainment value wasn't there, the story felt aimless, and the ending was a spork stab in the heart. SpongeBob, You're Fired: Wait, I used to find this episode meh back in 2016? Ok...well, the problems in this episode became more noteworthy after viewing this episode a few times. First of all, the episode mainly consists of lots of padding to fill up 22 minutes. I mean, it could have been an 11-minute episode if it wasn't for all of those random scenes that didn't really contribute to the episode's plot. Also, it misappropriated elements from previous episodes, like Bummer Vacation, Model Sponge, and Le Big Switch. How original. Krabs firing SpongeBob over a nickel? Ridonculous. One thing that stood out to me was how SpongeBob was able to make delicious snail food for Gary, yet he was kicked out of 4 restaurants after he made various Krabby Patty-esque dishes. Truly, it rendered the restaurant scenes useless. While this "special" had some redeeming qualities, including the very beginning, SpongeBob saying "I'm ready!", the scenes with Patrick's mutated head, and the Killer Krabby Patty saving SpongeBob, it's a really uninspired episode that had virtually no reason to exist.

Truth or Square: It's meh for me. Most of the segments felt like a bunch of DVD extras cobbled together without any coherence, but I actually liked some of them, like the alternate theme songs (even though Unreal Estate did a better job), the vintage Krusty Krab commercial, and the wedding scene. The Patchy scenes were just a cheap tactic to force as many celebrity cameos as possible without having a good reason to do so. A Day like This was definitely the best part of the episode, if I have to be honest. I can see why it's such a polarizing episode; some people found it to be disappointing for a 10th anniversary episode. Ink Lemonade: Proof that not every post-sequel episode is a winner. In fact, this episode was the first post-sequel episode I found to be absolutely terrible. Again, it's filled to the brim with redundant padding, Patrick was a total butthead, and the bandage scene as well as the ending made me seriously uncomfortable. It really shared a lot of elements with bad season 6 episodes (grossout, unlikeable Patrick, excess Squidward torture, and inconsistent pacing). Squid Baby: The "jokes" in this episode came across as really problematic. Head trauma is a real issue and this episode treated it horribly. People that experience severe head trauma can sometimes only communicate by crying and screaming. I felt really offended by this episode. On top of that, almost everyone in this episode was extremely grating. SpongeBob and Patrick acted really dumb, the doctor was pretty much useless, and Mr. Krabs still made Squidward work despite the fact that Squidward regressed back to the functionality of an infant. Also, there were some really revolting visuals thrown in. Did we really have to see a close up of Squidward's diaper? Eww...

I'll post some more of my thoughts. 24-10: Dishonorable mentions: 10-6

Even though I didn't add my list this year, I might as well explain some of my opinions

I love all dog breeds, but I'm partial to pomeranians. ngl, I'm actually more of a cat person myself, hehehe.

I decided to get this cool application called Rainmeter, since it allows me to customize my desktop.

Decided to retake the political compass test, and these are my results: Looks like I made quite the voyage ever since 2019.

I prefer hot bean water to hot leaf water.

Ah, this episode. An episode so controversial, that some people consider it both the worst special AND the worst episode of all time, while others consider it middling or good. Back in 2016, I claimed that this episode was overhated, but as I started to look at my old review, I realized that this episode had quite a few noteworthy problems that I have failed to address back then. One thing that really stood out like an ugly wart was the reference to unemployment. Truth be told, I never took that into account back then, but it really annoyed me when Patrick thought that being unemployed is awesome. No, sir, it's not. This episode really did disparage those who rely on social service programs to, well, survive. I'm middle class, but I can definitely say that the vast majority of people that rely on safety net programs aren't lazy. It's just a terrible stereotype. Political messages in SpongeBob can work, but here, it was just botched. At least SpongeBob did say "unemployment may be fun for you, but I need to get a job" in a relatable way, which meant that SpongeBob was indeed motivated to get back to work. All in all, the rather unfortunate portrayal of unemployment wasn't the worst part of this special, but it's still worthy of attention. From the get go, the conceptualization of SpongeBob being fired from his job was pretty derivative. SpongeBob's been fired from his job twice: once in Karate Choppers, and once in Squid on Strike. Here, the reason that Krabs fired SpongeBob was just....preposterous to say at the least. He fired the little sponge over a nickel. It's the equivalent of a manager firing someone just because the manager didn't like the color of that person's hair. Pretty illogical, right? Well, that really took Krabs' greed up to eleven. Krabs' greed in Penny Foolish was also pretty bad, but Penny Foolish was at least somewhat interesting and creative. SpongeBob, You're Fired, on the other hand, is the opposite of innovative. It appropriated so many ideas from seasons past, like Le Big Switch, Bummer Vacation, and Krusty Dogs. I get that coming up with unorthodox storylines for a show that's been on TV for well over a decade is not the easiest feat, but I don't really think that's a valid excuse. Many s11 episodes are proof that the writers can still come up with experimental ideas, and the funny thing is that the entirety of s11 came out after this episode. SpongeBob spent a great deal of this episode completely dejected. While being fired from a job can be absolutely devastating for a lot of people, SpongeBob's job is not his only personality trait. If it was, it would make him a flat character. Plus, Bummer Vacation portrayed SpongeBob's workaholic side in a much better way. Well, I will say that SpongeBob did show his caring side towards Gary, which was quite nice considering the trainwreck that was A Pal for Gary. Also, SpongeBob's depression was portrayed in a genuine way. After SpongeBob and Patrick visit Sandy, SpongeBob is motivated to find another job. SpongeBob tried finding employment at 4 different restaurants, but to no avail. Ok, while I definitely think that SpongeBob saying his classic catchphrase was the best part of the episode since it brought back all of those good pre-movie and early post-movie (s4 and s5) vibes, it was ruined by a parade of filler. Filler isn't inherently bad, but if I can cut out large parts of the episode and lose nothing of substance, it can be a problem. Pointless would be the best word to describe the scenes where SpongeBob worked at 4 different restaurants. Again, it really felt like a poor man's version of Le Big Switch, due to SpongeBob turning everything into Krabby Patties. In Le Big Switch, SpongeBob tried to use all sorts of ingredients, but they all turned into Krabby Patties. It was ridiculous, but hilarious nonetheless thanks to the overall absurdity. In this episode, on the other hand, there's no absurdity or hilarity in the restaurant scenes. Just derivative, unfunny, and tired dreck. Inoffensive, but uninspired. Another thing that really irked me was that SpongeBob was able to successfully prepare delicious food for Gary and Patrick, and he did it without having to put their food between two hamburger buns. Consequently, this rendered the restaurant scenes completely useless. We then get the weenie guy, the pizza man, the taco dude, and the noodle mate all fighting over SpongeBob, until a giant Krabby Patty comes and rescues the sponge. I'll be frank: I actually really enjoyed the fight scene. Quite a bit, as a matter of fact, because it's the most captivating part of the whole episode. It was all the better to realize that the giant Krabby Patty was indeed Squidward, which was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, Squidward's reason for saving SpongeBob was not out of the kindness of his heart, but rather due to his disdain for the smell of burnt Krabby Patties. I will give benefit to the doubt that Krabs at least regretted his decision to fire SpongeBob, but it was not enough to redeem his character here. In fact, Krabs installing a pay toilet contradicted his decision in a really mindless way. Ok, in spite of my utter disdain for Krabs, the uninspired plot, and the loads of booooring padding, I actually don't find this episode an abomination. Don't get me wrong; I still don't like this episode at all, but it definitely had a few redeeming qualities that saved it from being a complete and total pain to watch. I liked the very beginning with SpongeBob preparing Krabby Patties as per usual; it was indeed adorable and very SpongeBob-esque. The scenes with Patrick's mutated head were all pretty comical as well. Definitely bizarre, but I would rather have something hilariously ridiculous than painfully boring. SpongeBob caring for Gary was genuinely heartwarming; it was a breath of fresh air to see SpongeBob look after his snail after seeing the sponge severely mistreat him in A Pal for Gary. Heck, SpongeBob himself wasn't half bad in this special. Sure, he did cry for a whole minute, and he did show off his workaholic tendencies, but it was delightful to see SpongeBob return to his good-natured self. It was proof that SpongeBob really does mean well, and he is a genuine nice guy most of the time. Also, it was cool to see Squidward save SpongeBob, despite the fact that Squidward stated that he hated the smell of burnt patties. With all of that being said, this special is still quite boring, unoriginal, and redundant. The plot had very little merit, and the positives are greatly overshadowed by the negatives. I wouldn't recommend this episode to anyone unless they are a dedicated fan of the show. At least it wasn't as bad as The Clash of Triton, but still. In my opinion, this episode is worthy of a 3/10. in hindsight, it's pretty fun to evaluate one of the most controversial SpongeBob episodes.

Cave Dwelling Sponge: 7/10 The Clam Whisperer: 3/10 Spot Returns: 9/10 The Check-Up: 7/10 Spin the Bottle: 6/10 There's a Sponge in my Soup: 8/10 Man Ray Returns: 6/10 Larry the Floor Manager: 8/10 The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom: 9/10 Stuck on the Roof: 6/10 No Pictures, Please: 7/10 Krabby Patty Creature Feature: 8/10 Teacher's Pests: 9/10 Sanitation Insanity: 7/10 Bunny Hunt: 10/10 because it has I'M A BUNNY NOW! Unironically, it would be a 6/10 Squid Noir: none from michigan was seen so 0/10 Nah, it's 9/10 worthy Scavenger Pants: 9/10 Cuddle E. Hugs: 5/10 Pat the Horse: 3/10 Chatterbox Gary: 8/10 Don't Feed the Clowns: 5/10 Drive Happy: 6/10 Old Man Patrick: 4/10 Fun-Sized Friends: 8/10 Grandmum's the Word: 6/10 Doodle Dimension: 8/10 Moving Bubble Bass: 5/10 High Sea Diving: 8/10 Bottle Burglars: 9/10 My Leg!: 9/10 Ink Lemonade: 2/10 Mustard O'Mine: 7/10 Shopping List: tba Whale Watching: tba Krusty Kleaners: tba Patnocchio: tba ChefBob: 9/10 Library Cards: 3/10 Plankton Paranoia: 9/10 Surf N' Turf: tba Call the Cops!: tba Goons on the Moon: tba Appointment TV: tba Karen's Virus: tba The Night Patty: tba The Grill is Gone!: tba Bubbletown: tba Girls Night Out: tba Squirrel Jelly: 4/10 The String: 8/10 Top 5 and bottom 5 episodes are coming soon. Stay tuned! General impressions: From what I've seen, s11 has been hit-or-miss, but most of the episodes are worth a rewatch. Gotta admit, the animation in most of the episodes that I have viewed was incredibly polished, and there was an abundance of creative/hilarious visual gags (especially in episodes like Scavenger Pants, The String, and Doodle Dimension). I think that the experimentation of s11 was quite interesting. Some episodes went for different styles (Creature Feature went for a horror movie style, Squid Noir went for a film noir style, Boo-kini Bottom had cute, stop-motion style of animation), while other episodes were a little more outlandish (either in a good way, like in Sponge in my Soup and My Leg, or in a not-so good way, like in Pat the Horse). One thing that I would like to note here is that most of the Patrick-based episodes were really weak; I get that he's supposed to be the ditz, since that's one of his character traits that we've had since the show aired, but the Patrick-centric episodes here really cranked up his ineptitude up to eleven. Sometimes, episodes with overly idiotic Patrick can be amusing, but they are predominantly irksome. Sparing the Patrick-centric episodes, this season is a step up from s10, thanks to some more unorthodox storylines, improved animation, and some compelling character dynamics. Of course, this season is also one of the most polarizing, but that is to be expected since some of the more "off the wall" episodes may not be everyone's cup of tea. also, it looks like I gotta watch some of the later s11 episodes; some of them show great potential.

I don't really love or hate TikTok. Sure, there's some cringeworthy videos on the app, but there's also some really funny, creative, and enjoyable ones on there as well.

Have You Seen This Snail is easily top-3 material in my opinion. Hello Bikini Bottom is also absolutely amazing as well, but it would probably get a lower spot in my top 10 list (out of the whole show, not just post-movie).

omg....that art piece is AMAAAAAZZZING! The linework, coloring, and shading are all on point.

I am, indeed, older than the universe itself. Gotta admit, watching the Big Bang was quite the spectacle.