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McSponge
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Originally written: November 9th, 2017
"Cuddle E. Hugs"
This was...some kind of acid trip...
At least that's the vague message I'm getting from how the plot is presented. Cuddle E. Hugs is one of the stranger episodes from recent time. Is it as strange as Feral Friends? Not sure, but it definitely give Feral Friends a run for it's money. Cuddle E. Hugs is one of the strangest episodes in this series. They've had a lot of wacked out episodes, but a lot of them tend to be some sort of fantasy or dream (Like Squidward in Clarinetland, Sleepy Time, inSPONGEiac, etc.). This episode is pretty much just a hallucination manipulating our main characters. However, the ending of the episode is super confusing when it comes to determining how real Cuddle really is.
So let's jump right into the plot. It's a fairly original plot, the whole "Moldy Krabby Patty" object has been used back in Born Again Krabs, yet odd side effects from eating the Patty is an entirely new element, as the Moldy Krabby Patty simply poisoned Krabs in that episode. I'll give it credit, it is a fairly new idea. Now, how exactly was the plot executed? Well...it was executed in a pretty odd manner. The vibe in this episode feels slightly off compared to regular SpongeBob episodes. That does further establish the surreal nature of the hallucination quite well, yet I'm not sure if it's the most entertaining route...
A lot of the scenes with Cuddle feel pretty off, there's something about the music selection used for this scene that gives me this odd vibe that makes the episode come across as a surreal experience. Heck, it's hard to believe an episode with a plot this absurd was even conceived!
I'm not sure if this episode was going in the direction of representing drug use or not, but I must say they really played off the idea of it being like a drugged up experience (On a level appropriate for kids cartoons). This episode seems to balance out the good nature side of Cuddle, and the sadistic, twisted side of Cuddle. His scenes in which he's all happy and whatnot feel very reminiscent of some show for little kids. However, the scene where he's insane feels like something from Regular Show. It's really hard to describe my overall feelings for this plot. I do think the writers did a good job representing a surreal experience involving a character that definitely wouldn't fit in with the show, but at the same time, I feel as if they go a little too far with making Cuddle cute and friendly. I mean, the montage scene is quite uncomfortable, yet fish reacting in a similar fashion to me at the sight of the event kind of made up for it. I guess it's kind of a good thing Cuddle was made super cute, because it makes the scene where he goes insane all the more surprising. There are plenty of things to critique in this episode, but I feel as though bits and pieces of small details covered up a majority of this episode's plot holes. So...is it executed well? Yeah...in a sense I think Ben tackled this premise quite well, and did a good job presenting this odd and somewhat complex storyline. However, I don't feel as though it's quite entertaining. While yes, analyzing it, I can see that the story was presented without any major flaws, yet I didn't really find the plot to be all that enjoyable. Cuddle is such an uncomfortable character to watch for me, I don't like him that much. His voice actor does a fantastic job delivering the lines, and I did kind of find him funny when his cute act was dropped. Unfortunately, I think Cuddle is just too much of a sweet character to handle, there are ways of making a character that seems super nice and friendly funny. Poke fun at the fact that he's so joyous, make some self-aware jokes. A lot of his scenes just come across as either boring or uncomfortable to me, he's not a funny character. In fact, visual gags centering around his fur are funnier than him, and there are very few of these I like out of the loads of fur jokes.
Though I didn't really like a lot of the serious moments (Especially since I could see the twist miles away), I think this episode was pretty funny. There were a lot of jokes in this episode I liked, probably the funniest one being Squidward walking in on the chaotic Krusty Krab. Though there were some dry parts, there were definitely quite a handful of moments that I found pretty funny. Lots of amusing visuals, too, especially when Cuddle eats everyone at the Krusty Krab. Overall, a lot of the jokes did fairly well in this episode.
As for the characters, I think they were a little bit on edge. Granted, there are times where it can be acceptable that they're angry, particularly once their hallucination of Cuddle ends, however, I think Patrick's tantrum was pushed a little too far. Luckily, the episode bounced back with it's sense of humor, and Patrick's boxing scene was hilarious. I think it's almost as funny as the fighting scene from No Weenies Allowed. Is it as good as it? No, it won't remain as iconic and memorable as that scene, but I think this joke was super funny, especially since it's revealed he's steps away from Cuddle. That being said, aside from some slightly crabby fish, I think a lot the characters (Aside from Cuddle) were well written. Not really any character breaks, they all seemed to be written in character.
Overall, I give this episode a 7.3/10. It's a Good Episode. The story, as I said, was executed quite well, yet it wasn't the most entertaining story I've watched. The jokes were mostly funny, and I liked a majority of the characters. Probably the weakest part aside from the montage has to be that ending, it wasn't really that funny, more or less a lame attempt at shock humor.
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Originally written: November 11th, 2017
ScavengerPants was a pretty interesting episode. The plot of it wasn't too original, but somehow the execution of it was surprisingly delightful. The premise of this episode is a pretty standard and basic plot. Probably one of the more basic ones out there. The concept of some character sending a buffoon (Or two) on a wild goose chase to get him/her out of their hair, only to have it backfire has been done tons of times in various cartoons. But I like about this version of that generic storyline is the direction this episode takes. The episode feels much grander than a typical variation of this conflict, focusing on a more adventurous, world-wild atmosphere. Luke (Who I was surprised to see when I saw the opening credits) did a good job giving the plot a little more substance by incorporating much larger and complex sequences in this episode (From the Loch Ness monster scene to the "Long-Lost-Brother" scene). One thing I really like is how this episode managed to stray away from being entirely predictable. A majority of this episode pretty predictable, yet that ending came across as a pretty clever surprise. Unfortunately, Nick did a terrible job by spoiling the ending, making it the thumbnail for the video on their website. Bravo.
When it comes to it, I think the execution of the plot was fairly decent. I was kind of annoyed by SpongeBob & Patrick though. They are represented like little kids in this episode, which I guess is slightly better than the constant brain dead morons they were in these trio episodes around Seasons 5-8. Still, I do find them to be quite annoying at times, especially when they were jumping on Squidward's couch. That was...well...eh...
The set-up to the conflict of this episode was really the worst part of this episode. Before things started picking up with the duo headed out to collect things, a majority of the set-up relied on SpongeBob & Patrick breaking things in Squidward's house. A trope that's been done plenty of times, and just feels annoying an unnecessary. Sure, Sponge & Pat don't mean it, as their actions are merely accidental, but by golly, it's annoying.
The way the two annoyed Squidward at the start of the episode came across as kind of annoying, and really just a lame way to set up the conflict. It didn't feel at all that original, it just felt like a rehash of scenes from A Friendly Game. Anyway, I feel as though these scenes dragged on a little long, as I feel as if the episode should've spent more time focusing on SpongeBob & Patrick's adventures, because really, that was the highlight of the episode.
I wish they spent less time on Squidward, and more time on the actually searching, because those scenes take the characters in a completely new environment, something that's really fun to watch go down. Now once Squid does send SpongeBob and Patrick on their way, I feel as though the episode really starts to improve.
The scenery is gorgeous in the desert scene, I really liked the animation. The flower scene was kind of predictable, but was a decent callback to the first movie, and the Loch Ness Monster scene was fantastic, I absolutely adored the creativity of how SpongeBob & Patrick got to the location where they found the monster.
Squidward's scenes after the set-up are fairly decent, too. I really enjoyed seeing the various different ways he danced around, they were really entertaining.
As far as the whole "Long-Lost-Brother" scene goes, I kind of liked it. It was a neat little twist, and really smart on Squidward's behalf. I like how Luke didn't pull some stupid gimmick that Squidward really did have a long lost brother, but rather shows the cold reality once Squidward's mom appears on camera. Sheesh, she was brutal, but hey, Squidward's cynicism had to come somewhere, right?
The ending, as I mentioned before was a pretty clever resolution, one I wouldn't have seen coming if it weren't for Nick's idiotic decision to spoil it.
Now let's talk about the comedy, this is a fairly funny episode. There are a lot of really pleasant visuals in this episode I really adore (I swear, I don't think I'm going to get over the creativity of that Loch Ness Monster scene), and that allows there to be a lot of funny visuals. SpongeBob super dried up in the desert was kind of funny, and I think the gags with Squidward's heads (Both shattering and exploding) were hilarious. I must say, the writers seem to really like using Live Action, as I noticed they tend to appear much more frequently in episodes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's good to see them experiment, but I am kind of afraid the charm and surprise of Live Action humor will fade away if they end up being overused. Also, I must say the sweater picture at the end of the episode was hilarious. By far the highlight.
Overall, this is a pretty decent episode. It has enough moments that makes it stand out, and while there are some moments that kind of annoy me, they don't seem to be overdone. The good kind of outweighs the bad in this episode, it's a Good Episode. I liked the small little twists added to this episode, they seemed to be the highlight for me, especially that ending. I give it a 7.1/10.
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Originally written: November 11th, 2017
Ah, we've been all waiting for this one. And I must say, this was definitely a good one.
Squid Noir is your average mystery episode, paying homage to classic detective movies of the 1930s-1950s. It's a pretty simply plot line, but let me tell you, it's very entertaining. The concept of this episode is as simple as one you could get. Squidward's clarinet has been stolen, and it's up to Squidward to find out who stole it. However, it's mood of the episode that really gets you going. Roger Bumpass did a fantastic job doing the Squidward narrations. I never thought it was possibly, hearing Squidward be much more serious than he already is, but this episode managed to avoid all of his infamous "freak-out" traits. I also must say, I absolutely adored the black and white. It definitely gave the episode an entirely different vibe to it, and the explanation as to why it's black and white is very reasonable. Squidward's clarinet gives him happiness, and without it, the whole world just appears as a dull, soulless world. The visuals in this episode are fantastic, they do so much more to define the mood of this episode aside from just animating the characters colorless. The rain, the shading, the lighting, they really did a great job paying homage to classic detective movies.
As for the characters in this episode, they are written very well. Krabs was kind of a little too cranky, but his appearance in the ending was really funny. Bubble Bass was perfectly in character, one of the best characters in this episode. SpongeBob made for a good sidekick bouncing off of Squidward during the interrogations, while still managing to remain serious during a lot of his scenes, making him not an annoying nuisance that would completely kill the unique vibe presented in this episode. Squidward was a perfect protagonist, for those who're against "Crazy Squidward", oh boy, this is definitely a treat for you! Patrick was probably the worst part of the episode. He seemed a little too crazy for my taste, but he did keep the plot moving, and wasn't really that much of a filler character. Plus, he ends up joining SpongeBob and Squidward once they've interviewed him, that was a nice little touch, that also cleaned up his performance.
Now comes the humor, I really like the humor in this episode. While I don't find the set-up with everyone freaking out over Squidward's playing that funny, I do think there managed to be some funny gags within this scene. I also really liked how Bubble Bass was now put in a "Comic Book Guy-esque" role. It was great to see his character grow, with his personality splitting away from his standard obese, food-loving character. Probably the funniest part of the episode was the reveal that the action figure scene was really just Spongebob & Bubble Bass playing with their action figures. Squidward's line with this twist was hilarious, one of the funniest jokes I've seen in a long time. There were lots of other neat little details and gags sparkled throughout the episode, but it keeps a relatively calm mood.
One of the better parts of the episode has to be the ending. Squidward manages to successfully get his clarinet back. From whom? The Jellyfish! That was a neat little plot twist. I kind of wished it was Squilliam who stole it, but the Jellyfish plot twist was kind of unique and was something I hadn't thought about. The ending also makes Squdiward's actions worth it! He plays at a Jellyfish club, and all the Jellyfish adore his music. He's finally found an audience that adores his music after being constantly ridiculed by his town. This journey ultimately ended with him winning, and I must say, that's a very satisfying ending.
Overall, it's a Great Episode. One of my new favorites in the Season. I give it a 9.5/10.
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Originally written: April 18th, 2018
So recently an epidemic has been sweeping around SpongeBuddy Mania, turning almost every user it comes into contact with into bunnies. Of course, such an epidemic never would have existed had it not been for the cheap ending portrayed in the recent episode, Bunny Hunt. Of course, I was concerned about this episode's overall quality upon reading it's synopsis for the very first time back in January, given how...oh how should I put it...unstructured the plotline sounded. It sounded like it had no general clear direction, especially given the abstract excuse of SpongeBob's liking for the bunny (He thinks it's cute. Sounds like a synopsis you'd come across on the SpongeBob Fandom Wikia). Regardless, this episode generally produced an ending so controversial, it's ironic disease has swooped the forums, claiming all sorts of victims. Doctors are struggling to fight the epidemic in crowded hospitals and gardens.
Oh no! It's too late! My writing has already stooped down to Season 10-level of comedy!
Anyway, after my internet had to shut off at the most inconvenient of times on Monday, it's time I review this episode again (And hopefully it'll reach into public eye).
Essentially, there is no clear plot structure. The episode is centered around the excuse of nothing more than visual gags surrounding the sea bunny. Which brings us, of course, to the most damaging plothole to the episode's conflict. It's very obvious the bunny is an homage to bugs, c'mon, his torment on Squidward's garden is akin to that of your most watered down Bugs Bunny gags. However, what Lawrence got wrong severely with developing this new character was cutting out any proper lack of motivation. Bugs could act like the biggest stinker anyone's ever met, but it was always warranted, due to being kicked around previously during the conflict's setup. Essentially, Bugs was usually abused to an extent before unleashing his antics on his opposing foes. That way, all of the nonsense Bugs inflicts on folks like Elmer, and Yosemite Sam is justified, as Bugs is only reacting towards such villains. Bugs himself won't cause any problems, he'll just go on his merry way, doing whatever pleases him, in a nice peaceful manner. But when say his house is threatened, or when he's threatened, of course you know that means war.
The biggest failure in regards to the bunny is that he has no reason to be an annoyance. We don't get any proper setup, or introduction to his character. We literally jump right into the antics the moment he pops up on screen. He's not pushed around in any particular way by Squidward. Heck, the most basic of setups you could've done by having Squidward build over the bunny's habitat is an option that's entirely ignored! As a result, the bunny isn't funny, not in the slightest. He's just an obnoxious pest, causing pure destruction all around. And it's not like he's a clear antagonist, I feel as though this episode tries to make him a character you root for, given Squidward's "comeuppance" at the end for trying to attack the bunny earlier. All of the gags with this Bunny feel heavily Bugs Bunny influenced, but that key missing factor of making the Bunny's actions justified, therefore making him an actual protagonist, rather than just a nuisance completely botches his execution as a character! He's not funny, he's just annoying, spewing out the most generic visual gags you could possibly think of (Especially given that he's a Bugs Bunny homage).
Of course, if the episode actually tried to center around a storyline, rather than just pure chaos for 11 minutes, we might've actually gotten a proper introduction to this character. Of course, the episode doesn't have a clear direction, SpongeBob just brings in the bunny under his wing and all hell breaks loose. Even though I really hated Fun-Sized Friends, I will give it credit that it delivered a properly structured storyline. This episode is as loose as an anarchy-influenced civilization.
So while the storyline is super dull, and quite a good majority of the gags in this episode feel unnecessary in part of being associated with an obnoxious character, I will give the episode credit where it's due. There are quite a bundle of funny gags throughout the episode. Heck, the opening scene where Squidward acts like a French chef is hilarious! And while I find most of the visual gags centering around the bunny to be cheap gags, I do find the concept of traveling through SpongeBob's walls to be pretty funny. There are quite a good amount of small little gags throughout the episode, from Patrick being in the animal control guy's truck, to Squidward's use of his carrot costume, this episode was surprisingly funnier than I expected it to be. Now what about that infamous ending which has inflicted a plague unlike any other?
Well, yes the gag with Squidward becoming a bunny is an incredibly lazy way to cut off an episode (Notice how I don't refer to it as an ending, because it hardly is one), but at least the "transformation" itself wasn't a result of Squidward driving himself mad (Like in say, Whirly-Brains or whenever he saw an urchin in The Incredible Shrinking Sponge), so I honestly didn't find the ending to be as awful as I thought it would've been. Yes, it's still a bad ending, but Squidward's done a lot more worse freakouts in the Post-Prequel era, so I honestly don't consider this ending too bad.
Overall, I'd say Bunny Hunt is a light Bad Episode. I was originally going to give it an "Okay", but the sloppy story structure is so terrible, I have to give it a bad. I give this episode a 4.9/10
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Originally written: May 10th, 2018
Well...it was...alright, I guess. It certainly wasn't a terrible episode by any means, but it was far from good. Sanitation Insanity is kind of like Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful done...well, I wouldn't say right, I'd say at least a proper version of the basic synopsis. Sanitation Insanity's main storyline is relatively simplistic. Krabs makes a giant mess out of trash out of his cheapness, he ropes Squidward and SpongeBob into doing his dirty work (Heh-heh, better dialogue humor than what this episode has to offer), wacky trash related hijinks ensue. It's your standardized SpongeBob episode, the main problem is that Ben didn't build on it at all, it's kind of just your typical cartoon setup and story. No interesting twists are really thrown in, aside from maybe the dump truck robot transformation, but aside from that, it's the most predictable execution of such a generic layout.
The episode of course isn't necessarily story driven. It's primarily driven through an excessive spew of jokes, and when the humor is as bland as Raisin Bran, minus the Raisins and milk, the humor does not do this episode any favors. The gags in this episode are so basic, so generic. Trash is being slung all over the place, hah-hah. It'd have a better comedic effect had it been done in live-action media (This type of episode would've made a great Stooges episode), but gross-out humor doesn't necessarily translate as well in cartoons as it does in live-action. In live-action, you can easily rely on something gross because, well...it's real. In cartoons, however, there needs to be a clever spin on the gag, it needs to be more layered than just something gross. Heck, detailed close-ups are easily the best type of gross-out humor, because there's so much possibility with what you can do with those gags. There are so many options with how to execute a nasty close-up, so many different details. This episode just relies on throwing trash. The trash isn't gross, we know trash is gross, but there's nothing more to these basic gags! I can't really, nor do I have any desire to go into extreme detail of what makes this episode as humorless as a sack of flour. All the gags are visual gags, not creative, interesting visual gags, no, pathetic slapstick that relies too much on characters getting wacked or something along those lines.
The story is really harmless. It's not a good plot, oh not at all, it has no real convention, the characters are...well, give me a moment, I will get there, Ben did absolutely nothing to add onto this generic story structure. The gags in this episode are so pitifully cheap, there's no ounce of creativity in them in the slightest. When practically every other bad episode from the Post-Prequel era feature loads of these gags, they don't even feel original anymore, it feels like the same ol' boring routine! I've seen practically the same gags portrayed in this episode over the course of several Season 10 & 11 episodes, they're such a bore to sit through.
I honestly didn't expect this episode's humor to be so lacking, even Bunny Hunt had some legitimately good jokes (Really early on into the episode). But with no interesting story for the gags to flow through, this episode is severely lacking.
And the characters, ugh...the characters...
Krabs is used as nothing more than a plot device. His "greedy" trope is the only reason he has a role in this episode, to kickstart the plot. Sure, he gets his comeuppance, which if there's any satisfaction from this episode, it's that, but he's really just not than fun of a character to watch. There are ways to make Krabs a more enjoyable and entertaining character, while still retaining his greed. Give him proper motivation to skip out on assisting the cleanup, don't just make his excuse derived from laziness, actually build a more interesting subplot to Krabs' situation in this episode (It's not like there's really anything essential going on in the main plot anyway, just constant slapstick, that's all). Maybe turn Krabs' motivation into attending, oh I don't know, something to do with Pearl, maybe. Have it be closing time at the Krusty Krab, he needs to rush out to drive Pearl to a concert or something, because he doesn't want her racking up his gas. The trash needs to be taken out, but there's only one bag left, so Krabs in a hurry, gets SpongeBob and Squidward to stuff it all in one bag. At the end of the episode, Krabs learns his lesson about being too cheap, and that it's okay to spend some money, and allows Pearl to drive his car around. That would be a proper and complete story! Not the usual greed trope we see pop up anytime a writer decides to think inside the box.
Squidward was a fairly decent character in this episode. He was pretty much entirely in character, didn't have that many problems with him. SpongeBob wasn't really much of an intentionally unlikable character. He was pretty annoying at times, but that's many in part of the awful jokes he was a part of. Patrick was pretty annoying in this episode. I was kind of worried since Season 11 doesn't have the best track record of handling Patrick's character, especially given how low this episode will stoop to throwing in a gag no matter how unfunny it is. But surprisingly he wasn't as bad as I thought he would be the moment his house popped up. I knew that he would obstruct SpongeBob and Squidward from reaching their goal (C'mon, you thought this episode would try something different?), but I liked how he acted as a foe to SpongeBob and Patrick through the trash fight. I thought that was a pretty neat concept, given how they're battling Transformer-esque robots, but of course like anything else in this episode, the execution was so anticlimactic, it was the same ol' goofy slapstick, this time with excessive trash thrown around. The trash inspectors were probably the highlight of the episode, I thought they were pretty good characters, I really find their car's design amusing and pretty creative.
Sanitation Insanity seems like your regular ol' bad episode from Season 11. The problem is, it's got worse humor than usual, virtually no story, unlikable characters, and was just overall, terribly executed. Sanitation Insantiy is an Awful Episode. I give it a 3.4/10
EDIT: Before I'm accused of hypocrisy, the beginning of this review was literally seconds after I finished watching the episode. I had to let it sink in over time for my "It was alright" status to evolve into my "It was awful" status
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Originally written: October 29th, 2017
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............
There's no excuse, Krabs and Plankton are terribly written in this episode.
So the a lot of this episode is a relatively simple one. Krabs and Plankton are constantly battling each other when they're both forced to attend Boating School. It's like...Boating Buddies if...it had good pacing...but even weaker dialogue...
The premise of this episode isn't exactly a bad one. An episode in which two enemies attempt to be better than one another at a goal can be done right. Just look at the Fry Cook Games, that's one of my favorite episodes in the series. But what this episode fails at is picking the right characters to place in this scenario. I'd give it a pass if the main conflict revolved around Plankton and Krabs trying to outwit each other in different attempts to prove whose the better driver (Since they both consider each other lousy drivers at the start of the episode), but no! Their actions have no proper motivations! Plankton just acts completely out of character, like an immature kid in elementary school. If there was a reason for Plankton to act this way I'd understand, but there's no explanation as to why he's so out of character! Salsa Imbecillicus had an excuse for the duo to act like kids, since their knowledge was stripped away from them. It was interesting to see how they responded to one another as if they're totally different people (A similar comparison being Rick and Morty's interactions in Morty's Mind Blowers, and even in Rest and Ricklaxation. They acted like completely different people, yes, but there was a reason why they're acted different. They were stripped away of their personality, whereas in this case Plankton and Krabs' personality just completely alter for no given explanation. Maybe Plankton's want for domination in the class motivates Krabs to go beserk and challenge him, and even then there's no excuse for Plankton to do half the things he does in this episode, especially in that chair sequence, ooh, that drives me nuts).
These two were written more like ignorant TTG characters, especially after they both crash into each other for the final time. Krabs' simple agreement with Plankton sounds completely like Cyborg from TTG, completely differing from how Mr. Krabs should react. Again, there is no explanation for why these two act the way they do. Plankton wants to be a pain in the butt, but it's not even the type of pain Plankton usually is! Plankton acts like Patrick at his worst in this episode, not at all like the calm and sophisticated evil genius he is. There's really no excuse for how lazy these two were written. The way I see it, they should've picked two other characters. How about Bubble Bass and Squidward? This would a perfect character team-up to make this episode work! Bubble Bass could fill in Plankton's spot, and drive Squidward over the edge into Krabs' spot, and have to two constantly try to one-up one another out of pure hatred. Yeah, this idea could severely screw up, but it'd make more sense than this team-up!
The only actual good character in this episode is Mrs. Puff. She is perfectly in character in this episode, and even gets out a few laughs (Especially the Mega-Dose prescription line, that was a hilariously dark and twisted line). SpongeBob is likable enough in this episode, though he's definitely not as entertaining as Puff is.
There are definitely a lot of jokes in this episode that are decent to say the least, like the gag with Krabs shaving while driving, but there are a few really funny gags like the one with the prisoners in the car. A lot of the jokes rely on Plankton and Krabs angry at each other, which I've already expressed my frustration about. The main climax of the episode, involving the two racing each other in the cars did have some decent visual gags, especially the one with Krabs' car jumping off it's wheels, but for the most part, it felt lack-luster. The ending had serious SquidBob TentaclePants vibes. It wasn't really needed in this episode, but since it is paired with a Halloween episode, I can give it more of an excuse compared to SquidBob.
Overall, it's a Bad Episode.
I give it a 4.2/10
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Originally written: October 29th, 2017
This was a very surprising episode. I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this episode as much as I did, I think is a pretty good episode. First off, let's talk about the plot. This is a fantastic parody of a classic zombie apocalypse. The whole concept of these new Krabby Patties that turns you into Krabby Patty Monsters was really interesting, and is definitely different from a standard SpongeBob plot. I really like how the staff produced a handful of Halloween-based episodes, rather than just one single special, because the whole Halloween theme allows them to produce stranger, more outlandish plots that you wouldn't find in a typical SpongeBob episode. And this episode perfectly took advantage of being a Halloween episode by incorporating a zombie survival-esque style. We've seen these survival episodes before, but I don't think we've ever seen one presented in such a way this episode's conflict is presented. This apocalypse goes fast, and soon enough, SpongeBob is the only survivor. He's on his own, he has no help, and limited resources, not to mention the change that occurs to Bikini Bottom seems rather permanent (Goodness, the plague could spread all over the sea, and not just affect Bikini Bottom). This time the enemy isn't something physical like the whelks or the giant Krabby Patty, but rather a plague that seems unstopable. The stakes are much higher when you think about in this episode. So this conflict comes across as the series' own twist on an apocalypse like scenario, only this time, with no fake-out (Like Gone which is kind of like an apocalypse aftermath).
So is the conflict executed properly? I'd say, yes and no. It's entertaining enough, the animation in this episode is fantastic, and really livens things up. I must this is probably one of the best episodes, visually, out of the Post-Prequel era. It's half the fun in this episode, it's not like the characters are constantly bouncing around, or flailing their arms in the air. There's a lot of exaggerated faces in this episode, some which could give Face Freeze a run for it's money. The designs of the mutant Krabby Monsters are awesome too, they all seem to have some sort of unique feature making each stand out from the rest, which makes the scenes even more exciting to look at. I really loved the Old Man Jenkins monster, that was pretty cute. And don't think the episode is fast-paced all the way through, oh no, there are definitely breathers in this episode. Particularly with the scenes involving (What I can only assume is a spoof on millenials? They're too old looking to be teens, they look like they're characters in their early 20's, especially the fish with the small beard) and Krabs.
The animation and creative spoof on zombie apocalypses are definitely the highlight of the episode, but what about the bad parts of the episode?
Well, the set-up to the conflict has been done in various episodes before. Krusty Dogs, Chum Bucket Supreme, you name it. The whole "Bored with Krabby Patties, and wanting something new" has been overdone at this point in the series. I'm really glad the conflict shifted away from the standard climax of these types of plotlines, in which SpongeBob is the only one who believes the Krusty Krab should stick with the traditional Krabby Patty, and it shouldn't be tampered with. Goodness, the ending of this episode where SpongeBob sums this up felt like the resolution of a majority of these "tampering with the formula" episodes. Thank goodness the episode focused on a more chaotic, sci-fi like problem, rather than resorting to being a Krusty Dogs ripoff, because that would be disastrous. There definitely should've been at the very least some kind of ending that didn't rehash the typical lesson of these episodes (Like Free Samples, Le Big Switch, Selling Out, and even Bossy Boots to an extent).
Aside from these issues, I didn't necessarily find this episode to be that funny. There might've been a few jokes that made me chuckle here and there, but the animation is where I found most the amusement in this episode. The plot twist that Chum could cure the disease was super predictable though, I must say they should've went for a more unique, alternate solution to causing the problem. Oh well, at least they didn't pull the absorbency of SpongeBob resolution for the fourth time.
Overall, despite it's flaws, Krabby Patty Creature Feature is a delightful episode, one I definitely recommend checking out. The plot is fun to watch (It's like the events of Fear of a Krabby Patty actually taking place), the animation is fantastic, all of the characters are perfectly written in character, and it's just an overall silly twist on the stereotypical zombie apocalypse (How many times have I said that in this review?).
It's a Good Episode.
I give it an 8/10.
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Originally written: November 7th, 2017
No Pictures, Please is a pretty odd episode. I have a feeling that this could possibly be another Halloween episode, considering the fact that it parodies The Twilight Zone. However, it could just very well be the writers wanting to go for more surreal concepts that you can only really get away with in cartoons. And for that, I must applaud the writers. They definitely try to have fun with experimenting in these newer episodes, pushing the boundaries and limits in according to what they can write. Often focusing on a character other than SpongeBob or Plankton (Who tend to be the main focus of a good amount of this series' episodes), or changing things up a bit with different scenery. This episode kind of mixes these two elements, along with the inclusion of a new character. But, does the plot really stand out as something original? Actually, it really does. The concept of this episode, Patrick giving a tour of Bikini Bottom is a pretty genius idea, one that's never been done in the series at all. It's kind of cool knowing the staff can still produce an episode filled to the brim with originality, especially since Season 11 plots tend to have at least some element showcased in a previous episode recycled. I think there are only a few episodes in recent time which have mastered showing off an entirely new storyline. Even my favorite episodes in this Season seem to struggle with this. Krabby Patty Creature Feature has a very similar setup and execution to Krusty Dogs (Even a climax which can parallel the climax to Mermaidman vs. SpongeBob). Spot Returns, a very similar layout to Bubble Buddy Returns, Man Ray Returns, quite similar to Shuffleboarding. This episode manages to have a concept that stands out as something unique. However, is the execution all that grand? Well...this is where the episode faces some problems...
You see, I love the overall basic synopsis of this episode. Patrick giving a tour of Bikini Bottom is an opportunity to present some golden material. Unfortunately, somehow this episode just bombs the concept. I don't really care for this new character. His constant "Ooohing and Ahhhing" is a really annoying running gag that is run into the ground faster than you can say Doofenschmirtz Evil Incorporated (One of my favorite cartoon running gags). He has no personality, he's just as soulless as the executives who pulled Welcome to the Wayne off of Nick. The only time we actually see some personality differing from his constant amazement at the sites around him is when he accidentally pulls of RibEye's arm! Sure he's decent during this sequence, as well as during the plot twist, but I really don't like this guy for a majority of the episode. He's just so unpleasant to witness, I get he's a stereotype of a common tourist, but c'mon! Every single joke is just Patrick showing off something stupid, or doing something stupid, followed by this guy's obnoxious "Oooh's". If anything, I'd rather the episode take time to poke fun at annoying tourists, rather than just flat out making the guy a shallow one-dimensional object. I think Spat had more emotion in All That Glitters than this guy had in the first 9 or so minutes of this episode! There are plenty of sequences that could've been cut in order to deliver some time to further establish this guy's character. Get rid of the sequence at Sandy's, the "Not wearing a helmet" gag was old by Season 8. Remove the toilet sequence at the Krusty Krab, it's too similar to The Sewers of Bikini Bottom".
That being said, with this guy being an extra layer to some of the most tame and uninspired jokes in the series, you can tell this episode's sense of humor is extremely messed up. I don't mean that in a cruel sense, I meant that the humor is just botched in this episode. The extra effort into producing a great joke seems lost in a majority of these jokes, they all just feel like the simplest jokes you could possibly make in an animated cartoon. And I know the writers and storyboard artists are capable of producing clever and creative jokes, because they do so a few times in this episode! The sequence in which Squidward kicks Patrick and the tourist out of his house is hilarious! The added layers of creativity onto the simple joke of Squidward slamming the door of his house (Being the parts in which he opens/slams the entire front of his house, and a flower cloud of all things) were super creative and was probably the highlight of the episode. And even better, the hilarious optical allusion twist with SpongeBob appearing as if he's running on the tourist and Patrick was an insanely clever gag that proves to be more entertaining than any of the lines the characters have in this episode. The intelligence in these gags shine, adding a unique twist on a standard joke can take it to a whole other level. If the writers bothered trying to incorporate that special creative edge found in these jokes on just about every major gag in the episode, this could've been one of the funniest episodes in the Season. Alas, it isn't, as the episode mostly relies on cheap lines, some of which don't even make sense, and feel random just for the sake of being random (Like Patrick wanting balloons at the start of the episode. A short little bit that's paced well enough to set up a plot point which establishes the rising action? Yes. A funny joke? Not even close. Why does he want balloons? Because he's stupid? He's not really portrayed as being stupid in this scene aside from that joke...). The worst joke in the episode is probably Patrick sucking SpongeBob's thumb. It's just so pathetically executed, it just screams the bottom barrel of jokes. How could've this scene (Which shouldn't even belong in this episode, seeing that it doesn't have any effect on the overall climax in which the citizens are furious at Patrick) be saved with a special twist? Maybe have Patrick be embarrassed about sucking SpongeBob's thumb, thinking he made a fool of himself, only to turn to see the tourist is sucking his thumb. That would at least bring some sort of comedic twist to the joke that could've made it a simple, chuckle-worthy gag.
So our main character is annoying, great jokes are hard to find, lots of moments tend to have a concept that sounds like a good idea, yet they end up being written in such a generic way that feels as though this is some little kid's show, what good is there in this episode? Well, as I mentioned, there are a few really great gags (One of which is the visual gag with Patrick's bellybutton eating the ice cream cone), and I really admire this episode having an original concept, but probably the most fascinating part of the episode is the last 2 or so minutes. The cemetery sequence was fairly entertaining, I really liked RibEye's design, and I thought he was an interesting character. The chase sequence was animated very well, great cartoony animation, especially Patrick's legs, those felt very reminiscent of some older cartoon, though I can't exactly tell what it is. Oh yeah, one thing I want to mention is that in the beginning of the episode, Patrick really reminds me of Stimpy. His super wacky animation, and the intelligent dialogue he's given is really reminiscent of Stimpy, in fact, he reminds me of Stimpy right up until the point where he shows off the first site in Bikini Bottom.
Anyway, the plot twist was SUPER unexpected. In fact, I completely forgot about the Twilight Zone intro by this point, so having this new character be some sort of supernatural being really caught me off guard, and I have to praise this episode for delivering this plot twist. The episode doesn't make this character seem out-of-the-ordinary at all in this episode, so having this unique plot twist made for a very solid and memorable ending.
The only problem I have with this ending is that it's not really explained why this guy disappears, but I guess the introduction to the episode does kind of give some kind of background as to why strange things such as this event occurs. In fact, now that I think about it, I really applaud the writer of this episode for how he introduced the main character, in a way that seems normal on the surface, yet when you analyze this being a little bit more, you start to see a deeper, underlying message conveyed through his introduction in the episode. Everyone runs off the bus, however, this guy shows up out of nowhere about half a minute or so after everyone's in line to head to the bathrooms. The fact that he's alone and came off the bus long after everyone else really does make you think that this could be a subliminal way of foreshadowing this mysterious man not being who you think he is. If this was done intentionally, then whoa...maybe the crew who worked on this episode DID implement more thought into some of these sequences.
Is the deepest I've ever gone in a SpongeBob review? Oh well, I give it a 5/10. Kind of a middle-in-the-road episode. Great animation, some good gags, and a clever plot twist, along with an interesting premise. Generic, awful jokes, annoying dialogue, unnecessary or recycled humor.
It's an Okay Episode.
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Originally written: October 14th, 2017
Well, The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom has become one of my favorite specials released within the past several years. Of course, that isn't hard to do when the only special from this decade I like is Hello Bikini Bottom!
The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom is a nice surprise. Did we ever need a stop-motion Halloween special? Not at all. But the crew that worked on this episode put in a lot, and I mean A LOT of effort into this special. First off, the animation in this special is incredible. I'm personally not a fan of It's a SpongeBob Christmas! I find it to be a mediocre special with very ugly set pieces, and forgettable jokes that fall flat on their face.Thankfully, this special seems to fix all of the problems that It's a SpongeBob Christmas! had.
First off, let's talk about the plot (Yeah, yeah, I never gave my full two cents on the animation). The plot of this special is fairly simple, and I do give it credit for being quite original. Sure, we've already explored SpongeBob being scared around Halloween, but this special seems to turn the scenario around, focusing much more SpongeBob's overall Halloween experience, highlighting different ways his friends celebrate Halloween. The episode takes an interesting direction this way, and we get a lot of cool and interesting visuals, as well as some funny gags. Plus, a lot of moments in this episode actually serve a purpose in the plot. Yeah, Sandy's puppet she uses returns during the climax of the episode, which was something I honestly wasn't expecting. The cheap decorations on the Krusty Krab and Chum Bucket motivate The Flying Dutchman to show SpongeBob what true fear is like. I feel as though the pacing in this special comes off really smoothly, some scenes aren't faster than others, some aren't slower than others, they all seem to last an appropriate amount of time. Also, the conflict between the Flying Dutchman and SpongeBob is played out very interestingly. I really like the interaction between the two. Sure, we've seen them both interact before, but never really like this. Dutchy IS the antagonist of this episode. Sure, he's been the antagonist before, but he never really was the main antagonist. Sure, he was a pretty big foe in Ghoul Fools, but that was for just the last few minutes. He's an antihero in Ghost Host, a plot device in Money Talks, and only appears during the climax of Scaredy Pants. He finally gets his big break in this episode, and I feel as though him trying to one-up SpongeBob is a pretty interesting premise, tied in with the overall theme of SpongeBob looking at scary things in a whole different light.
As for the jokes, this is definitely one of the funnier episodes of recent time. There's plenty of good gags in this episode, especially Plankton and Krabs decorating their restaurants as the opposing restaurant across the street. I felt that was VERY creative, and quite original. Not to mention, SpongeBob's dream sequence had some chuckles, and there were some good visual gags (Especially the bowling pins one). I think the funniest part of the episode is probably the "WE ONLY HAVE ONIONS!" line. The absurdity of this joke, and sheer randomness of it is absolutely priceless. Seeing those giant onions roll out of Squid's house was definitely a highlight! Overall, I think this episode had it's humor down.
Now let's talk about the characters, I think they were really well written in this episode. I already discussed how much I enjoyed The Flying Dutchman's grand return in this episode, and how he plays off of SpongeBob. Now let's talk about the rest of the gang. Pretty much, they're all in character. No real flaws with their personality, or how they act, they're portrayed perfectly in this special. Not to mention, they're not useless. All of the main characters have some sort of impact on the episode's climax. Having The Flying Dutchman scare SpongeBob by trapping his friends in ghost form was genius! I felt that was a very clever push for SpongeBob to have a change in character. Overall, the characters are definitely one of this episode's strengths.
Now let's talk about the best part of the episode, the animation. I wasn't fond of It's a SpongeBob Christmas!'s animation. I felt as though it was a little too choppy at times, not to mention the setting was unusually drab. Thankfully, the animation is really improved in this episode, it is incredible at times! The sequence where SpongeBob and Patrick first go into the Dutchman's ship was very incredible to see in stop-motion (Of course there were obviously effects to make the ramp disappear, but I felt as though it was an impressive shot). The character designs feel a little more improved over the Christmas special, despite being pretty much the same. I don't know, maybe it's just the fact that this is in HD. Of course, there still remains the fault with SpongeBob and Patrick not having helmets in Sandy's dome, but I can forgive that for all the other massive amounts of effort poured into this episode. The Flying Dutchman is incredible in this episode, I think I like this design more than his 2D design! The episode seems a lot more colorful than the Christmas episode, and the atmosphere is appropriately lightened at various parts of the episode. I especially like the ghost counterparts of SpongeBob's friends. Those designs were pretty impressive.
I think the most baffling part of the episode was SpongeBob's brain sequence. First off, Plankton pretty much confirms this episode takes place after Sponge Out of Water, saying he's been in SpongeBob's brain before, and it's a frightening site. Meaning Sponge Out of Water is definitely a prequel. I think we all knew that at this point, but I just thought it was cool that the series was referencing one of their movies (Aside from the Goofy Goober references in past episodes). But the most interesting part about this surprising turn of events is that a completely different animation style is used in this scene! It's like if SpongeBob Comics was adapted onto TV, it's incredible! This odder, more modern-like style of animation (Which feels like a mix of Steven Universe and Clarence) is a perfect representation of SpongeBob's imagination, with bright colorful creatures of happiness, and all sorts of imaginative creatures of love. This was definitely a shocking turn of events which was a very creative way to finish the conflict.
While I do think the ending was kind of lazy, primarily Sandy and Krabs' dialogue, I think this is a very solid special. It seems to get just about everything right, great animation, funny jokes, a fairly original plot, it's definitely a Great Episode. I tell you, Season 11 keeps getting better and better. If we have more of these types of episodes with the amount of effort pushed to the max, and less episodes like Cave Dwelling Sponge, I think we're in for a really good Season. I give it a 9.4/10.
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Thanks everyone!
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Originally written: September 30th, 2017
These Larry themed episodes seem to get more and more interesting. I like Larry, I think he's a pretty likable character. And this episode perfectly transforms him into an entertaining antihero. I wasn't sure what to expect with this episode. The title sounded premising, but I wasn't too sure what we'd get out of the plot. I really liked seeing Larry take the role of Krabs at the end of The Checkup, I thought that was a pretty clever plot twist, so seeing Larry take the role as Krusty Krab manager for real, is pretty intriguing.
First off, I need to get something out of my way. This episode is half original/half ripoff in a sort of way. When I use the term "ripoff", I use it very lightly, because I know it's never the writers' intentions to rip off a previously established episode. I generally use this to describe episodes that have the same general theme as an older episode. On one hand, seeing Larry act as temporary manager is pretty original, and interesting. But on the other hand, this episode feels like a mix of Krusty Dogs and Bossy Boots. Goodness, this episode even replaces Krabby Patties with salads! However, the execution of this episode differs from that of Bossy Boots, and instead goes the route of Krusty Dogs, in which Squidward and SpongeBob try to revert the Krusty Krab back to it's former glory. And honestly...I kind of like it. Krusty Dogs, although a good episode, had kind of an awkward vibe to it. The pacing of it was very slow, and most of the episode's humor was executed in a very surreal, and somewhat mean spirited way. This episode, however, has tons of goofy, funny gags. Turning the Krusty Krab into an over-the-top gym was pretty funny to witness. And in this case, it makes sense why the restaurant is turned into the gym, seeing that Larry owns one now. Oh yeah, Larry's Gym is still part of the continuity. His gym is referenced a few times in this episode, so the changes he makes to the Krusty Krab are kind of expected from a super healthy, and fit guy. A lot of the humor in this episode is really funny, especially the extreme, over-the-top flexing from Larry and the buff fish. I like how the episode doesn't really focus that much on how the food at the Krusty Krab is affected, but rather the experience at the Krusty Krab is changed. This is what separates this episode from the likes of Bossy Boots and Krusty Dogs. The premise seems eerily similar to Bossy Boots, and a lot of plot devices (Particularly Squidward and SpongeBob's plans) are very similar to that of Krusty Dogs, but the episode's humor, and characters come off as very original.
This is probably one of the funniest episodes out there, that centers on visual humor. There's a lot of creativity with the visual gags in this episode, that actually makes them quite enjoyable to watch. It doesn't feel lazy (Like the gags in Sportz?), nor does it come off as "Lol Random" humor (Like in The Clam Whisperer).
As I said, I really like Larry's character in this episode. His intentions in this episode perfectly fits his character. Especially, since he runs a Gym, his view of the Krusty Krab when running it is bound to conflict with the standards of the Krusty Krab. Plus, there are plenty of jokes surrounding his character in this episode, that I found pretty funny. From his whimpering pecs, to his extreme flexing, Larry was a pretty enjoyable character in this episode. The rest of the characters in this episode are pretty good, SpongeBob was perfectly in character, Squidward did have some flaws (Primarily when he went crazy at the beginning of the episode), and some unfunny moments, but he was alright, I guess. Krabs was a pretty decent character, and I found Bubble Bass to be pretty funny in this episode. The highlight of this episode by far is seeing Fred finally yelling "My LEG!" (With Mr. Lawrence voicing him!).
FINALLY! After many attempts, they got it right!
Overall, this is a very solid episode. Full of funny, creative gags, an interesting plot, a solid conclusion, it's a Great Episode. All in all, it gets a 9/10.
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Originally written: September 30th, 2017
After last week's awful pairing, I didn't expect much for this week. But, when I did hear about this episode far back in August, I was actually pretty excited to watch it. And when I checked to see which episodes were airing today, I got a pleasant surprise, and guess what? It reached my level of expectations. Well, actually, I think it surpassed my level of expectations.
First off, let's talk about the plot. This is a genius way to keep the Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy characters alive. I know, I know, that's pretty much what everyone said when MermaidPants came out. But honestly, I think this is much better than MermaidPants. I always found MermaidPants overrated. Sure, it was a good episode, but it's nowhere near Top 5 material in Season 10. This episode, on the other hand, has a much more interesting plot. Rather than have SpongeBob and Patrick simply pretend to be Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy, we get conflict that's much more interesting. This time, they're fighting a real enemy, Man Ray.
First off, let me just say, I absolutely love Man Ray in this episode. It's so cool seeing him as a main character (With his latest appearance before this being Super Aquatic Team Up is a Go!), and honestly, I think he's one of the best parts of this episode. There's just a charm to his character, I'm not sure how to put it. To be honest, Man Ray hasn't really been "Evil" since his debut in MM&BB III. He's since been seen doing pretty mundane things, and honestly, the only time we really see him evil, is in Back to the Past (Where the events taking place occurred before MM&BB III). I guess the ending of this episode is the first time we really see him act evil on his own terms. Sure, he's kind of forced into it, but not in a brutal way (Like in Shuffleboarding). In fact, this episode feels very similar TO Shuffleboarding. Man Ray isn't doing anything wrong. SpongeBob and Patrick assume he's up to no good, they dress up as MM&BB, and they have a showdown. Only this version actually is kind of funny, and much more wild and entertaining.
Anyway, back to the plot of the episode, I really like this episode's premise. Putting a real villain, Man Ray, in the mix of SpongeBob and Patrick's serious attitude about fighting evil makes for a really entertaining episode. I think it's a cool idea to have Man Ray (An arch rival of SpongeBob and Patrick's heroes) rent out Squidward's house while he's on vacation. Plus, this episode's layout doesn't come off as forced. It actually comes off pretty naturally, if you ask me. The way this episode progresses, Squidward leaves on vacation, SpongeBob/Patrick try to meet up with the person renting his home, they discover he's Man Ray, they go to MM&BB for help, etc. is laid out really well. This is probably one of the best paced episodes in a while, some moments are fast paced, while others are a little more relaxed, and laid back. I really love how Kaz laid out the episode, I feel as if he did a great job transitioning from one plot point to the other. It's something I can't really describe. The most I can say is "See for yourself.".
The humor in this episode is pretty good. In fact, there are a lot of really funny jokes in this episode. From the adult humor regarding the "Unmentionables" (I can't believe SpongeBob has made a bra joke for the first time in over a decade), to the silly visual humor involving SpongeBob & Patrick putting Squidward's house back together. A lot of the jokes, as expected, are based off the animation. And I must say, I really love the animation in this episode. The more wacky, and crazy animation we're now familiar with, perfectly fits within this episode, seeing it's a much more action packed episode. There are some moments when it's unnecessary (Particularly when Patrick yells in Squidward's face at the beginning of the episode, or when the old lady steals Patrick's wallet), but I think this episode gets more wrapped up in it's plot than it's humor. Honestly, I'm perfectly fine with that. The plot is really interesting, and I got really invested into it. Sure, it's kind of a ripoff of Shuffleboarding. But, this is so much better than Shuffleboarding, in which this episode is actually exciting! SpongeBob & Patrick don't come off as ignorant jerks in this episode, they come across as two guys wanting to make society better, abolishing crime. They have good intentions, but they're not aware of Man Ray's side of the story, and that's what separates this from Shuffleboarding. There are multiple times SpongeBob & Patrick abuse their power, just because they think it'd be cool to be Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy. However, the only reason they take their places in this episode, is because they're taking their [Insert word they used in this episode that's slipping my mind] naps. It's a perfect way of featuring MM&BB in this episode (Not only for cameo appearances, but to also be a pretty big plot point).
So, to sum this episode up, I think the beginning of the episode properly set up the conflict, with Squidward leaving for vacation, and telling the two to leave the person who is renting his house to alone (Not to mention, establishing the fact that SpogneBob and Patrick are trying to keep the neighborhood crime-less). Then, we see the big surprise, Man Ray is renting the house. Curious, the two try to figure out who is renting Squidward's house (With some funny gags included, particularly the gag with Patrick knocking on the window). They go inside the house, and interact with Man Ray (Unaware who this person is), until the reveal that he is Man Ray, forcing SpongeBob and Patrick to assume the worst, and flee to Shady Shoals for help. Their heroes, however, being unable to help them out, SpongeBob & Patrick ensue the role of their heroes (In probably one of the best scenes in the episode), and then head to Squidward's, ensuing in the highlight of the episode, the climax.
I absolutely love the battle between Man Ray and SP&P. This scene looks great, it has fantastic animation, and a lot of pretty funny gags (My favorite being the "Evil never takes a vacation" line). Man Ray realizes that he just can't escape from being evil, and giving into the battle, resulting in some pretty epic sequences. A storm ensues, and Squidward decides to return home early, since the weather isn't good. Rather than go the predictable route, Man Ray actually abandons SpongeBob & Patrick, leaving the two to do the greater good, by cleaning up Squidward's house. These last few minutes of the episode are awesome. Yes, the three wrecked Squidward's house, but SpongeBob and Patrick acted like true heroes, by being kind enough to restore Squidward's house to it's former glory, in probably the funniest scene in the episode.
While not my favorite at first, I think this episode has really grown on me. It's probably my favorite episode of Season 11. It has a lot of funny jokes, great characters, beautiful animation, incredible directing, it's an Amazing Episode. All in all, I give it a 10/10.
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Originally written: November 8th, 2017
Wow...how do I even begin to describe this episode? Seasons 10 and 11 have had a lot of really strange plots, and this is one of the strangest plots I've ever seen! The concept of this episode is entirely original, it is super unique. It's great to have an episode that delivers such a strong and memorable story, but to have a premise that's entirely unique, it's just fantastic! The concept of this episode is so odd, and so weird that it sounds like it would fail on many levels as a pathetic episode. Well guess what? It does completely the opposite! I don't, I don't know how the team managed to make this work, but the plot was executed fantastically. I didn't spy any real pacing problems, the episode jumped right into the plot. I feel as if this episode spent a lot of time focusing on a silly/surreal atmosphere, along with plenty of weird and outlandish jokes. And with the humor portrayed in this episode, that's a step in the right direction.
This is one of the funniest episodes in the Season, no, it probably IS the funniest episode in the Season. The hippies just make this episode, they're hilarious characters. Are they in everyone's way and cause a nuisance? Yes. But, they're hippies! They don't care, all they care about is the freedom to enjoy life in their own peaceful way (Whether that involves soup or not), so I don't really have a problem with their motivation being pretty lame. Besides, they're so much fun to see in action, just their voices alone are sure to make the stupidest lines seem really funny (Like the gravity line). I really applaud whoever did the voices of the Hippies, they did a great job making these characters come to life, and even somehow sound slightly different from a stereotypical cartoon hippie. This episode is filled to the brim with hilarious jokes. Whether I love them ironically, or unironically, I find this to be a really funny episode. The gag with Krabs using long hair to fish the Hippies out, Krabs destroying his claws, Krabs popping his head randomly out of Squdiward's shirt, there are so many jokes that land on point in this episode that I'd probably spend at least a half hour listing them all. There's all kinds of jokes, some subtle humor like Krabs dumping the Soup back in the pot, or some over-the-top jokes that are funny to see like Squidward's house being personified at the end of the episode. The humor in this episode is really golden, and I find it to be the very best SpongeBob has had to offer in the laugh's department all Season.
Aside from the entirely original plot, as well as the hilarious jokes, I really love the dynamic between Krabs and SpongeBob. This episode feels as though it's stripped straight from Chowder, the surreal plot, the way the jokes were presented, and SpongeBob/Krabs' interactions really made this episode feel as though it was written specifically for Chowder. That's not really a bad thing, I'd love to see future episodes take this writing direction (Without copying this entirely, seeing that it's truly a one-of-a-kind episode). Krabs' motivation may be for saving as much money as possible, and while that trope has been dead since around Season 6, I feel as though it's presented in a pretty funny way. His cheapness doesn't really affect anyone else negatively, in fact, they're usually presented as funny gags that shows off how far Krabs is willing to go to save a buck. And they aren't entirely shoved down your throat, I feel as though a lot of these "Krabs is cheap" jokes really come off naturally. The episode focuses more on Krabs' frustration with the hippies, something that's hilarious to watch.
Overall, this episode is a big win. After many greats, finally, I've found an episode in this Season that's an Amazing Episode. I give it a 10/10
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Originally written: September 12th, 2017
I'm going to be honest with you, I didn't think this episode was going to be as good as it was. Surprisingly, it was actually a really funny episode. I really like some of the gags involving Plankton being injured in the bottle (Particularly the fence gag, that was hilarious), and I think the team that worked on this episode did a great job laying out the scenes where Plankton grants SpongeBob's friends' wishes, especially Squidward's part, that was both funny, and reminiscent on Squidward during Christmas Who?
So, what do I really have to say about this episode?
The plot of the episode isn't too original in my opinion. It's pretty much a mix of past "Plankton disguises..." episodes (Which, at this point has been done about 7 times I believe) and the climax of Christmas Who? Is the plot that good? No. The plot isn't that good, nor is it a good concept (At least in my opinion). Thankfully, the plot falls back on the jokes, and by golly, there's a lot of jokes in this episode.
The humor in this episode was very well handled. This is one of the funniest new episodes I've seen in a while, probably since The Checkup, or even before that, House Worming. As usual, this episode relies mostly on visual humor, but there's actually some pretty funny moments in this episode aside from visual gags (For some odd reason, I found Squidward opening his door to yell at SpongeBob to be hilarious. The pacing of that scene was brilliant, and the way Squidward's line was delivered executed a joke that wouldn't be funny otherwise). Don't get me wrong, there are some jokes in this episode that fall flat (Primarily the jokes revolving around Noggin. That wasn't too funny, and felt pretty forced). Still, I think there was a lot of small little funny moments and gags in this episode that really makes for a funny episode. Kaz developed different ways Plankton could be injured/tormented within the bottle, which allowed for the running gag to not grow stale overtime.
As for the characters, well, they feel pretty forced for the most part. Patrick & Krabs especially are very predictable characters in this episode, very rarely do they actually manage to surprise me at any point in this episode. Plankton is a great main character in this episode, he brings a lot of scenes to life (Especially his interaction with Karen, the delivery of her lines, and even just the lines themselves felt really forced), and is a perfect strait man to all the chaos occurring around him. SpongeBob at first was obviously dumb downed to allow the running gag of Plankton smacking around the bottle to occur. I felt this was very out of character for him, but thankfully he was brought back to his usual intelligence by the time he learned the bottle was a genie bottle. From this point on, SpongeBob is a kind, caring individual who wants to bring joy to his friends. Perfectly in character.
While Squidward, Patrick, and Krabs do go a little overboard at the end of the episode, they definitely get their comeuppance, which I believe is a good pay off for their awfully greedy attitudes during the climax.
The story overall isn't anything special, but with two likable lead characters, and a lot of funny gags, the episode can pass as a pretty solid episode. It's an Okay Episode. Nowhere near as good as Season 11's other two episodes, but still better than a lot of Okay Episodes from Season 10.
I give this episode a 6.9/10.
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Originally written: June 27th, 2017
If you're not aware, I really despise the episode, Out of the Picture, and personally, I believe this episode is Out of the Picture done right. That's right friends, I really adore this episode.
The main plot of the episode is a type of plot I believe we've seen before. Various attempts to succeed a goal are done by the main characters, Squidward and SpongeBob. And I really like the dynamic between Squidward in SpongeBob in this episode. They don't feel forced, nor do they feel like certain traits of their's are exaggerated for the sake of some jokes. They come off as perfectly natural, yet they do manage to be funny (I don't know why, I really found Squidward's angry "Don't touch me" mumble to be hilarious).
Back to the plot, I feel as if this is a type of plot we've seen before.
Oh wait...
But, this episode brings something new to the table. While the episode's layout may be similar to that of Out of the Picture, Tutor Sauce, Best Frenemies, and even to an extent, Plankton Retires, the plot itself is actually quite original. Krabs being afraid of having the nurse inspect him for his physical is an interesting plot. Though it is kind of out of character, considering Krabs is supposedly the "Toughest of the Tough", I guess I can let it slide, because it does allow for an interesting conflict. Did you notice how in all of those episodes I mentioned earlier, Krabs is one of the characters who is attempting to reach a specific goal? Well, for once that's not the case. Instead, he is the subject of the episode.
As I mentioned before, I really love the SpongeBob & Squidward dynamic in this episode. These 2 have teamed up before, and usually things don't usually work out. But, in this episode, there's a vibe from their teamwork that differs from past episodes. For once both of the characters are actually serious about what they're doing, and I think it allows for great chemistry between the two. For once, Squidward actually cares about his job, because if the restaurant is shut down, he'd have to...get a real job.
There's nothing worse than that, I tell you.
So, the two spend the episode trying to get Krabs to perform his physical, without him actually knowing he is doing so. I think the execution of this episode was brilliant.
It's not the funniest episode out there, but there are a lot of really great visuals I find appealing in this episode. Harm is done to Krabs, but unlike Out of the Picture, where the character's intentions are to harm the other character, in this episode, Squidward and SpongeBob want to genuinely help Krabs out, and they end up doign unintentional harm to Krabs. I really enjoyed watching this episode. It wasn't predictable, where I could tell that SpongeBob & Squidward were going to fail Krabs ahead of time, but rather I kept questioning whether or not each attempt would work, which kept me interested in the story. I do really like the ending as well. I thought it was a clever idea for Larry to pose as Krabs to help Krabs pass the physical. Their similar appearances are finally put to good use! I really enjoyed this episode, surprisingly, and I find it to be a Great Episode. After both this, and Spot Returns, I am really excited for future Season 11 episodes. Season 10 wasn't the greatest, but it still had good parts about it, whereas Season 11 tones down some of the zaniness, and takes the good parts of Season 10 episodes, and incorporates them into these current episodes. A truly enjoyable episode, with a solid plot, not too many jokes, though entertaining visuals do make up for it, and great characters. I give it a 9.3/10
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Originally written: June 25th, 2017
Oh man, this is the best episode I've seen since The Whole Tooth! Spot Returns is a delightful treat. I was honestly surprised at how great this episode was. I expected it to be a hit or miss episode, like a lot of Season 10 episodes, but this episode pleasantly surprised me! The plot itself is creative, as I believe it does a great job at bringing back Spot, and actually making him useful. They don't taint his character either, he's the same old, sweet amoeba we all know and love from Plankton's Pet. The episode primarily focuses on Spot's puppies. That's right, Spot has kids! That was a surprising turn of events that I did NOT expect to see when I watched this episode. Excellent job on the writer's behalf. It was a refreshing way to use Spot. And it's not like he is "there to be there". No, he actually has an important role in this episode's plot.
Now, I feel like I must address this before I go forward. The episode shadows Bubble Buddy Returns, and I mean, it REALLY shadows it. The title itself is even pretty much the same thing (By severe coincidence). The plot focuses more on the returning character's offspring, rather than the original character itself. But, here's where the two episodes differ. I believe that this episode is less predictable, and more enjoyable than Bubble Buddy Returns.
How so? Well, for starters, Spot is actually essential to the plot. He gives birth to all these Amoeba puppies, which Plankton now has to figure out what he's going to do with them. Whereas, Bubble Buddy only appeared for nostalgia reasons. I feel like, if Bubble Buddy never appeared in Bubble Buddy Returns, the episode would practically the same, whereas this episode would've been much different in quality.
Anyway, I really like how the writers approached this episode. They managed to take the cute factor from Plankton's Pet, and mash it with comedy. Plankton's Pet had a nice, cute little story, but it wasn't funny. This episode manages to mix both of those together in a really marvelous way.
First of all, when Spot appears, we already get some funny jokes about how much bigger Spot has gotten since we last saw him. This sequence is entertaining, and is a great visual joke. It then sets up the plot when Karen informs Plankton that Spot is pregnant, and explains how (In a way that even taught ME something new). Plankton starts to panic, but too late, Spot already gave birth (Never thought I'd say that
). Eventually, Karen shuts down due to a cute overload (Which was interesting to see her break down when seeing the small little amoebas). Oh yeah, we get to see Spot one last time before he's gone for the rest of the episode, this time, appearing as his normal, lovable self. The puppies start causing chaos, and Plankton is confused as to why they aren't behaving like Spot. This scene is interesting to watch, I don't know, visually, it's just entertaining.
Soon enough, Plankton mashes the amoeba babies together to create large amoeba puppies. I feel like this was done in a very creative way, and I really like how this scene played out. Plankton then tries to get rid of the puppies, and to my surprise it works! Well, it does for the time being. The puppies cause chaos at their new owners' homes, by destroying their houses, and stealing something, followed by them returning to the Chum Bucket. This was a nice plot point, as I honestly didn't expect them to straight up cause as much chaos as they did. Another twist I did not see coming!
They arrive at the Chum Bucket, and Plankton realizes how great they are at stealing things. I really like this transition from Plankton trying to figure out what to do with these puppies, and him making a plan to steal the formula. I think this was done in a nice, natural way, rather than coming off as forced. This plot point was actually pretty interesting. While generally, I'd be irritate by the writers turning the episode into a "Plankton steals the formula episode", I saw great potential with him using the puppies to steal the formula, and I think it was a good call on the writers to make use of these characters to produce a great, new "Plankton steals the formula episode". We haven't had an original variation of this type of episode since CopyBob DittoPants, so I was looking forward to this (After the mediocre "Plankton steals the formula" episodes in Season 10, as well as some hit or miss ones in Season 9, except for Married to Money, but that concept wasn't original).
Plankton can't train them, so whose he gonna call?
This photo is way bigger than I expected
So Plankton calls SpongeBob (Of course), and SpongeBob helps him train the puppies. This scene was awesome, I'm not going to lie, I really love this scene. I thought it was very entertaining, didn't go too fast, but didn't drag on either. I thought this part was a great climax sequence, I really loved watching it. The writer and storyboard artist obviously had a lot of fun writing this part, and if they didn't, boy, they are talented! Surprisingly enough, Plankton himself reveals his plan to SpongeBob, rather than SpongeBob getting some sort of hint that this is an attempt to steal the formula. This was interesting, considering the fact that this has never been done before in an episode, so I was actually pleasantly surprised how this scene turned out.
Also, I really loved watching the puppies steal the formula. It was very entertaining, and well animated. Even though i could kind of tell they were stealing the formula, while Plankton was describing how they'd do so, I was a little skeptical thinking it was just Plankton's imagination, but no. The writer just moved things along, and got Plankton the formula. The way SpongeBob managed to escape was very creative, and the episode ended on a very satisfying note.
So, as you're aware, I obviously love this episode. This episode is by far the best episode I've witnessed so far this year. It'll be hard to top this one. I really love this episode, I really do. I think this episode was funny, it was creative, it gave Spot an actual role in the episode (Though he could've appeared more), and there were a lot of twists and turns I didn't expect.
You heard me, it's an Amazing Episode. After watching this, I was really excited about Season 11, because I have a really good feeling about it.
I give it a 10/10.
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Originally written: September 23rd, 2017
I gotta review this episode...
So The Clam Whisperer is an episode I've actually been looking forward to. Honestly, there only 3 episodes I'm actually excited for (Feral Friends, Squid Noir, The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom, or however it's spelled...). But when I saw the title, "The Clam Whisperer", I thought this was actually going to be a pretty cool episode.
Boy, was I wrong.
Let me just get this off my chest, I can't stand Patrick in this episode. Episodes from the later half of Season 9 really established Patrick as much more gentle, and kinder character, who definitely wasn't the brightest out there, but could still be a pretty likable character. There's no better way to describe him in this episode. He is absolutely annoying, with hardly any redeeming qualities at all. It's not the way he's usually annoying, where his stupidity is at a maximum, or when he's acting like a complete jerk. Oh no, in this episode, he's constantly flailing his arms around, and screaming (As if he's a Bunsen is a Beast! character). The only thing Ben seems to do with Patrick's character in this episode is have him constantly over-react to everything, a trait we've been seeing with Squidward lately, though never really as aggravating as Patrick in this episode. Squidward is generally a lazy character, so seeing him have his crazy moments can actually be funny at times. But Patrick is intended as a much more silly character, but having him constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY go nuts over every little thing, it gets to the point where it's not funny, it's just unnecessary.
Thank goodness he's not in this episode that much, otherwise this would become worthy of one of the worst episodes of the series.
The plot's unoriginal, being pretty much a rip-off of both Jellyfish Jam and SpongeHenge. SpongeBob offering his care and kindness towards the animals, in which he fed them parts of a Krabby Patty, is very similar to the setup of the conflict in Jellyfish Jam, in which SpongeBob offers his care and kindness towards a Jellyfish by adopting him as a pet. Not only do both species end up causing havoc after SpongeBob takes care of them, but the "stalking SpongeBob" element was the main conflict of SpongeHenge! In fact, the scene where SpongeBob goes to work feels like a watered-down, less exciting variation of SpongeHenge. Say what you want about SpongeHenge (One of my least favorite episodes of Season 5), but at least that episode managed to refrain from being an absolute bore. When this episode isn't annoying you with reactions pumped up to the max, you get plenty of boring scenes where the Clams are attacking people. I guess this is a metaphor for feeding Seagulls, and how they won't stop following you once you've given them food, but the execution of this metaphor is done in such a way that comes across as unfunny. It also is done in a similar manner to the two episodes I listed above.
If the entire episode focused on SpongeBob leading the Clams through nature, this probably could've become one of the better episodes of recent time. But no, the nature sequences only occur within the last minute of the episode. A majority of it is just these clams being a nuisance in Bikini Bottom, so much so that people team up to force SpongeBob to drive them out. Sounds familiar?
It's just so baffling to me how many elements of this episode are ripped from past episodes. Hardly anything in this episode feels original at all. Aside from the issues in the plot, the episode fails in...guess what? Comedy!
The only jokes I actually found funny were the ones centered on Squidward's house being covered in Clam poop (A situation I am all too familiar with
). The Nature scenes weren't really that funny, they were entertaining, but I didn't laugh at the gags that much, though I did find SpongeBob's clam design kind of funny. For the most part, a lot of the humor in this episode centers around the Clams attacking different people in town, and it's just not funny. Not even exciting really, it's similar to that of any chaos we've seen in this show, there's no creative edge that makes it stand out, like the opening scene in Pineapple Invasion. That was funny, because it had tons of clever and creative spins that made it a much more exciting, and funny sequence. This, is just boring. It's not memorable, nor is it funny. The only other common form of humor in this episode are the crazy reactions, which I have already expressed my personal hatred of.
Essentially, this is one of the worst episodes I've seen in years. Yeah, I somehow manage to hate this a little bit more than Sportz?, that's how much I loathe this episode. Who knows, maybe some parts will grow on me in the future, but what I do know is that right now, I consider this to be a 2.6/10. It's an Awful Episode.
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Originally written: Sept. 23rd, 2017
*Sigh* What can I really say about this episode? I wasn't looking forward to it that much in the first place, and when I saw the episode, it somehow managed to be even more disappointing than I thought it could be. This episode...I really don't know how to describe. It's plot is pretty generic to begin with, nothing new is really added to the episode that makes it special, or stand out. It's one of those "What if...?" scenarios that tend to rely on character reaction from the events taking place, or at least humor for it to fall back on. And this episode is sucked dry from all of those aspects. First off, the whole "reaction" element is no good, seeing that the episode relies on SpongeBob's oblivion to Spongey-Spongey's existence. So, that means the episode needs plenty of comedy to make the plot enjoyable (Because it is a pretty predictable/generic plot to begin with). Unfortunately, this episode goes down a similar route to that of Stanley S. SquarePants (An episode, mind you, that I find to be pretty decent). Spongey causes havoc, everyone thinks it's SpongeBob, blah, blah, blah...
See this image? I find it funnier than the entirety of this episode. Is there any point in including this? No. I just so happened to come across this image, and I actually got a legitimate feeling of laughter, rather than the fake laughter I forced out whenever I spotted a chuckle worthy joke within the episode. Goodness, I'm sure the absurd nature of this joke I implemented into this review is funnier than just about anything you can find in this episode. Spongey-Spongey isn't funny. He's not funny in the slightest, not at all funny. He just comes across as a bland stereotype of a caveman.
Honestly, I think this episode would've done much better if the scenario was switched around. Have SpongeBob travel back in time via a time machine made by Sandy. Or better yet, have him accidentally sent there with Plankton, during an attempt to steal the formula, thus forcing the two to survive in the rough, prehistoric environment. Have Spongey-Spongey appear and help them survive, you can even keep Spongey's love for SpongeBob's squeaky shoes. Meanwhile, have Karen and Sandy team up (Considering that was the highlight of Salsa Imbecillicus) to fix the time machine to save SpongeBob and Plankton. That'd be an exciting episode! That would have interesting chemistry between our main characters, and would even make Spongey more vital to the plot, and not such an unlikable plot device. You could have pretty much the same episode if it was a SpongeBob Robot, or even a dimwitted clone of SpongeBob, I can't see any changes.
The whole "Caveman" theme is hardly explored in the episode. Instead, we're given an "evil doppelganger" episode, which I feel has been done to death in cartoons at this point. Aside from the "He doesn't know better" trait, any distinct trait you'd find in a Caveman character is hardly explored in this episode. The only remotely entertaining part of the episode is when Spongey was cooking Krabby Patties in a prehistoric way. That was entertaining. I would much rather see how Spongey would fit into SpongeBob's lifestyle, with his own Caveman traits incorporated. That would make for some pretty entertaining (And funny scenes). But no, instead we get an unnecessary doppelganger plot that shouldn't belong in this episode!
Now, I will admit, the episode doesn't completely lack humor (Unlike a certain episode paired up with this one...), but there is a significant amount of jokes and gags that aren't funny. There were some jokes I found to be really funny. Squidward's "It was." line was hilarious, I guess since we haven't heard Squidward say that in a while, and the fish locking his car joke was hilarious. That brief 3 seconds was the utter highlight of the episode. If there more subtle moments like these, rather than "IN YOUR FACE, CRAZY ACTION-PACKED VISUALS!" then this episode could've had a chance at being a pretty good episode.
The characters in this episode aren't anything to praise, nor critique. They're all pretty much in character, I don't see any flaws regarding their personalities in this episode.
Let me tell you about my personal least favorite moment in the episode. The climax. While the first few minutes of the episode were pretty boring, and were ultimately a failure in trying to make me laugh, the middle of the episode had some decent moments here and there, the ending is awful! I can't stand the ending of this episode. First of all, the climax (I'm referring to the scene where Spongey and SpongeBob interact at the Prison and City Hall) starts off on a semi-decent note. Not a funny one, but one I can tolerate. Unfortunately, it takes a turn for the worst when they interact at the top of City Hall (If I'm wrong about the location, I'm not surprised, considering how unmemorable and boring the ending is). I'll give it credit for tying in Spongey's obsession with SpongeBob's shoes, despite the dance being anything but enjoyable, it does wrap up a plot point in the episode rather nicely. Unfortunately, the rest of the climax utterly fails at concluding the episode. Spongey destroys city hall, as he's mad at not being able to fit in SpongeBob's shoes. What exactly happens? The police let him off the hook because he saved them millions by tearing down a building that was already going to be torn down.
What kind of an excuse is that!? A terrible joke that not only fails at being a silly excuse, but also a joke that wraps up an episode horrendously! I get it, it's SpongeBob. This type of silliness is expected within the series, I don't mind that. What I do mind, however, is that this is how the episode ends. No joke, this is how the episode ends. It's a horrible ending, that doesn't even determine the fate of Spongey! If Mr. Lawrence wanted to the episode to go in the direction of a doppelganger episode, I feel as though he should've made time for an ending that manages to set up Spongey's future. For all we know, he's roaming around Bikini Bottom for the rest of the series' run. Perch Perkins did break the fourth wall that the city has returned to a normal state (At least for this episode) at the end of the episode, but that doesn't give us enough of a grand picture as to what happens to Spongey. (Note: I have nothing against Mr. Lawrence. The only reason I said him by name is because I can't say "the writers of this episode", since there's only one writer, and I'm getting tired of having to say "the writer of this episode"). SpongeBob, Sandy, & The Worm had a similar ending, but the difference between this ending, and that ending, is that things actually concluded in that ending! Not only do we get a clear picture of Bikini Bottom's fate, as well as seeing a proper conclusion between SpongeBob & Sandy's conflict between each other, but it also manages to wrap things up in an exciting, and hilarious way. This episode, nothing gets done! Spongey hasn't developed as a character, in fact, he's the same reckless self as he was at the start of the episode. This Caveman being introduced to the new world is the most basic way to sum up this episode, yet, the episode doesn't make an effort to either place Spongey in an environment that'd fit him (Like the forrest), or have Spongey adapt and become civilized, or at the very least somehow fit in with society! We don't get any of that! Now that SpongeBob and the citizens of Bikini Bottom know that Spongey exists, we don't get to see what they do about him! It's one of laziest endings I've seen in the series (Not as lazy as Sportz?, oh no, not even close).
Overall, I give this episode a 3.5/10. It's an Awful Episode.
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11 hours ago, SpongeNicko said:
You listed Hocus Pocus twice. I assume you meant to put Jellyfishing at either #3 or 4?
My bad, I meant to put Jellyfishing at 3.
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5. The Thing
4. Hocus Pocus
3. Hocus Pocus
2. Nautical Novice
1. Best Frenemies
Rank: Club SpongeBob, The Curse of Hex, Sandy's Rocket, To SquarePants or Not To SquarePants, and Plankton!
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1 minute ago, glitter cartoon said:
hello welcome to sbc
Thanks!
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If you don't know me, I'm McSponge. if you do, I'm sorry.
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225b. Pat the Horse
in Season 11
Posted
Originally written: December 2nd, 2017
Wow, this was...something. Pat the Horse is just a flat out bad episode. But you what? Despite being a poor excuse for an episode, I still really find a lot of enjoyment out of this one. It's a so bad it's good episode, watching this ironically really seems to make this episode a lot better. As if Cuddle E. Hugs didn't have an insanely absurd plot, this one somehow manages to be just as weird as Cuddle E. Hugs, only not as boring, and more interesting.
The plot of this episode is ridiculous. I don't understand how a staff writer could come up with such an episode premise, look at it and say..."Yeah, that'll work."
Seriously, this episode was a pretty risk if you think about it. It's such a dumb premise, one of the most idiotic ones in the series. Yet, I find myself really enjoying this episode. It's a huge gamble, such a risk that can really put our main characters out of character, particularly Patrick. Yet, this episode turns out to be quite a treat.
You know why this episode ends up being a treat? It's funny. There might not be that many really funny jokes out there, but there are tons of small little chuckle worthy jokes, that really makes this one of the funnier episode of the Season. A lot of them are definitely subtle little forms of humor, from the "You Can Be Anything" book cover, to SpongeBob's hands hopping out of Patrick's mouth. I honestly thought the direction of this episode was going to be anything but good judging from the opening scene, but I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up enjoying the episode in it's entirety. It didn't end up like a My Pretty Seahorse ripoff. Quite the opposite, in fact. The plot, like I said, is an extremely dumb scenario, especially Patrick's random motivations to become a horse. Yet, I think Patrick's a pretty enjoyable character in this episode. He's annoying in the first scene, yelling like a child (Obviously with the analogy of SpongeBob as his parent being portrayed in the opening scene), but after that, he ends up being quite an enjoyable character, you even kind of pity him when he's tormented by Krabs. The plot is really simple, allowing it to fall back on the goofy shenanigans of the characters. And it really works out in this episode's favor, it's the type of plot that would only really work in this type of show. Just about any other show, I could see this plot failing, yet somehow Kaz managed to pull it off.
Like I said, a lot of the humor in this episode is really subtle. It won't really stick with you, but when you end up watching it, it's definitely funny for the time being.
I think the episode really improved in the second half. The first half was fairly predictable, and it seemed more annoying than funny. Squidward especially is quite annoying in this episode. His constantly gloating and bragging, thought typical of him, doesn't make the episode any more pleasant to watch. Still, he does get his comeuppance, which definitely pays off for his obnoxious arrogance that seems rather unnecessary. Krabs is his usual, typical self, stooping down as low as possible to earn a quick buck. SpongeBob, a caring individual makes for the standard enjoyable protagonist (That's something I gotta mention. While I notice there have been times throughout the Post-Prequel Era in which a character is written out of character, particularly Squidward and Patrick, I feel as though the crew really mastered SpongeBob, I've hardly seen any flaws in his character out of all of these episodes from Seasons 9B, 10, and 11. Great job guys and gals working on this series
).
Luckily, the second half of the episode goes in an insanely unpredictable route. SpongeBob's scene with Patrick in the desert was great (I really like how they brought back the desert, seeing it's so gorgeous in this show), it made for a lovely reconnection between SpongeBob and Patrick (Not to mention it even gave them a little bit of character development. Something I'd never expect from an episode in which Patrick tries to be a horse). Even better, the climatic race between SpongeBob and Krabs was pretty surprising, and was definitely the highlight of the episode. Goodness, I'd even call it the funniest part of the episode, so many gags were crammed into this scene, it was definitely very entertaining.
Though the ending felt kind of rushed, coming out nowhere, so did the start of this episode.
Overall, it's a Good Episode. Yeah, I'm still kind of surprised how good this episode turned out to be. Looking at it from a critical standpoint, the plot is embarrassingly bad, but seeing how this is a show that can get away with goofy plots such as this one, I feel as though this was a fairly entertaining episode. Not a masterpiece, but if you want to just see something silly, with some cleverness sprinkled in throughout, I recommend this episode. Or if you just want to make fun of how stupid this episode is, I still recommend it. Either way, you'd get lots of laughs out of both scenarios. I give this episode a 7.5/10