SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever 2016 Edition!

[The Guy With the Computer]

44. This is my favorite season 1 episode. I'd put it at least 30 spots higher.

43. Not in my top 50 but I still enjoy it.

[Less_SpongeBob]

#42. "For a second or two, I thought she was a goner!"

"Clams"

(w/ 60 points on 4 lists) Highest Ranking: #8 @Homie☆★

"A Clam eats Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar"

More: Unlike JCM below me, I have yet to see Jaws (for... some reason) and would be ill-informed about how good a parody this is, but given that I thought this was hilarious without that knowledge is further proof that this show knows how to be funny to just about anyone. Mr. Krab's obsession over his millionth dollar seems like such a weird thing to most, but his delving into insanity from losing it is completely crazy, somehow it makes complete sense that he'd tie his employees up as bait even out-of-context to show his peak of craziness. It's also great that both Squidward and SpongeBob could catch onto it and try to fake the dollar or simply run for their lives in such a sudden situation. The suspenseful music that's literally orchestrated on-screen mocking the fact that bad things only happen then is genius. Overall, I'm glad to see this here.

JCM: Clams was a brilliant parody of a brilliant film. Watching Mr. Krabs' slow descent into madness after losing his millionth dollar to a giant clam is nothing short of great television. The episode's mocking of how the beast only appears when suspenseful music plays is a breath of fresh air after over 30 years of Jaws rip-offs. What better time to review this episode than right after Shark Week, which reinforced the rule that "scary creatures underwater = lots and lots of eyeballs"? This entire show takes place underwater, but the creative way that the writers managed to re-interpret Jaws in a world where sharks are mostly nonthreatening (see: SpongeGuard on Duty) deserves attention in and of itself.

#41. "Right. And I can handle your little bull worm, too. 'Cause I am the best there is. There ain't nothin' too big or too ornery for me ta catch."

"Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm"

(w/ 60 points on 4 lists) Highest Ranking: #4 @E.V.I.L

"A giant worm threatens Bikini Bottom"

More: While my days of shipping SpongeBob and Sandy are far less extreme than they were some 2 years ago, I still can't help but love this for the really strong bond between the two in this excellent character study. For an episode with a plot that would indicate complete comedic chaos and fast-paced action, it's pleasant that it was used for a more quiet, personal look in their relationship. Sandy's performance is really good by showing that her strengths of intelligence and fitness also come with her underestimating situations due to her ego, leading them to the problem of threatening the worm. SpongeBob plays her off well by feeling more desperate and heartbroken because of the likelihood that one of his best friends will literally die. I also really like that most of the humor kept with the controlled style by being utilized later, such as the paperclip and string that SpongeBob fails to convince is a tail is what's used to save themselves from the ALASKAN! BULL! WORM! I'm still glad that this can still get time in the spotlight and remind me of how cute a couple Spongey and Sandy are--dangit.

E.V.I.L: OMG SPANDY SPANDY SPANDY SPANDY WOOT! I like how creative this episode got in terms of instilling fear into the characters... without being outright abusive like in Gone. I also appreciate the character interaction between SpongeBob and Sandy in order to keep Bikini Bottom saved and I am a sadist so I like that they all died anyways. <3

[BoJack Horseman]

Krabs vs Plankton - It's not one of my favorites from season 4 but it's still an episode that has really great gags and a nice plot

Help Wanted - It's definitely a charming episode for first episode. Tbh, I don't see why people don't think this is that great. Not all first episodes are weak tbh. It may not be one of my favorites but I still appericiate it.

Rock a Bye Bivalve - I think More nailed it why this episode is so good, so no need to say more.

Can You Spare A Dime - Tbh I'm still just bothered by Mr. Krabs is still blaming Squidward at the end of the episode but I agree that this doesn't deserve hatrid. SpongeBob is the one that spoiled Squidward, so I can let the cruelity towards him slide, plus it's very funny.

Wİshing You Well - Oh yeah, this is a classic. I put it on the list cuz iit has so many funny jokes and it's very very charming as a whole. Plus that song is bae.

Clams - Same with More, never seen Jaws yet but dammit, it's still funny af. It wasn't on my list but def one of the funniest of season 3.

Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm - Another season 2 classic, I didn't put it on the list but it's still damn awesome.

[So Sejima]

Clams, finally that got on here, it's been missing out a lot.

 

Worm...well, like WYW I find it undeserving except I can sorta see why for WYW, but at least it's a step down.

[E.V.I.L.]

I'm not a Spandy shipper like I used to be when I wrote that but I still love the SB/Sandy dynamic nontheless.

 

[BoJack Horseman]

8 minutes ago, E.V.I.L said:

I'm not a Spandy shipper like I used to be when I wrote that but I still love the SB/Sandy dynamic nontheless.

 

SpongeBob/Sandy friendship dynamic is lit

[Less_SpongeBob]

21 minutes ago, E.V.I.L said:

I'm not a Spandy shipper like I used to be when I wrote that but I still love the SB/Sandy dynamic nontheless.

Well if you're not a Spandy shipper, then why the heck would you send me you commentary from last year's list?

[Minty Car]

4 minutes ago, More said:

Well if you're not a Spandy shipper, then why the heck would you send me you commentary from last year's list?

Well I mean other then the first sentence, the majority of his commentary still stands. It's not like he wrote a giant love letter to the ship or something.

As for the rest of the list, looking solid so far although I personally feel WYW is a bit high.

[Dragonball Z]

"Sandy, Spongebob, and the Worm" definitely deserves to be on this list!  Ten down, forty more to go!

[The Guy With the Computer]

42. I love this episode. (I've seen Jaws, but I saw it after I saw Clams. Huh.)

41. I love this episode, too. So many fantastic jokes.

[Less_SpongeBob]

#40. "Alright, Spongebob, you win. Stay inside forever. Yours is truly the iron will. Now, Pat!"

"I Had an Accident"

(w/ 60 points on 4 lists) Highest Ranking: #2 @Steel Sponge

"SpongeBob breaks his butt while sand-sledding"

More: I'll be blunt and say that I'm kinda surprised this got enough attention to be such a favorite here, simply because I find it rare that many throw around this episode's jokes. I'm not the biggest fan of this, although I still respect it because it showed a strangely logical look into social isolation from trauma. While it is really fun to have Sandy and Patrick throw around some really good jokes about ice cream cones and washing an old person in order to convince SpongeBob to get out, to SpongeBob and as an audience member, we understand how painful his injury was, and we understand why he'd try to avoid more accidents. Which is why SpongeBob finally facing his fear and attempting to save his friends from a guy in a gorilla suit is such a surprisingly praise-worthy action. I admit, the actual ending is stupid and could throw some off, and it doesn't seem to provide actual solutions for more realistic situations, but this is still decent regardless.

Crushing: This episode is an interesting one since it starts with Spongebob sand-boarding, as he does all sorts of crazy moves including a move named after Squidward. But after a while, Spongebob suddenly loses control and breaks his butt. He later ends up with his butt repaired and gets scared that he'll get the iron butt. For me it was a strange part of the show since we all know an iron butt doesn't exist. The part where he ends up hiding from the world with his own group of little friends is something that can happen to us all after we've suffered some trauma in the past. Spongebob understood that and began hiding. After that he goes to save Patrick and Sandy who wanted to take him out of isolation. For me I loved was the part where Spongebob got a sense of bravery and wanted to save his friends. I will admit, the part of the gorilla was hilarious, it was a great ending to the episode. For those reasons, the episode gets a thumbs up from me.

#39. "Oh, but where am I going to find a psychiatrist? Ow! Hey, look at this! 'Dr. Peter Lankton, specializing in Krabby Patty phobias.'"

"Fear of a Krabby Patty"

(w/ 60 points on 4 lists) Highest Ranking: #1 @Steel Sponge

"The Krusty Krab opens up for 24 hours as part of Plankton's plan to get the Krabby Patty secret formula from an exhausted SpongeBob"

More: Let's get this straight. If you, in 2016, are still giving a bad name to this episode for being the cause of SpongeBob immediately becoming toxic (which is impossible and moronic), you need to get a life. Luckily that doesn't seem to be the case, as just about everyone I've seen has warmed up to it. This is a really fun episode. The animation is superb, almost on par with the original movie. I really adore the crazy amounts of expression the characters bring with their very unique and smooth faces and character models. There are also tons of really fun and extreme jokes thrown in all over the place, from SpongeBob throwing pianos on his "shrink" Plankton, to Mr. Krabs yelling about every day open in a montage. So many of the jokes really showed how much the characters were pushed with Plankton's surprisingly effective plan, and it really keeps it a fast-paced and interesting story. Heck, it even gives solutions for problems by having SpongeBob merely sleep on it to cure his fear of a krabby patty, pun intended. I'd love to rewatch this if given the opportunity.

BabySmitty: To no one's surprise, this is my favorite episode of season 4. It's got Carl Greenblatt's fingerprints all over it. I think this was the last episode he worked on before moving onto Billy & Mandy, and wow, he went out with a bang. It's probably one of the only episodes I love for the drawings alone.

[So Sejima]

I'm sorta shocked to see Accident on here. It's probably the least expected one so far, I don't personally care for it but it could definitely be a bit lower.

 

Ah, Fear of a Krabby Patty. Definitely shouldn't have shown up this quickly.

[Less_SpongeBob]

Just because I'll be inactive next week, I think I'll get out whatever episodes I have commentary for and just release 'em now.

#38. "The temperature stays at 62 degrees..."

"Krabs à la Mode"

(w/ 61 points on 6 lists) Highest Ranking: #1 @Homie☆★

"Mr. Krabs turns the Krusty Krab into an ice rink after Plankton turns down the heat"

More: Ah, season 5. I'll talk about you later with some more episodes coming up (HINT HINT), but right now let's just admire this incredibly creative episode for offering so much great fun. Without any joking, I was certain this was from Season 3 as a kid, and even then I could clearly identify most episodes. It took a lot of convincing before I could get out of that. It's zany, it's wacky, it's fun, and it's action-packed and energetic from start to finish, and it's got stellar animation to top it off, and even has a name based on pie. What else can I ask for in an episode? With no doubt, this deserves to be on the list.

Homie: This, to me, works as an episode due to it's simplicity. The characters aren't overdone, the plot doesn't go overboard, etc. It's a simple, funny episode that's easy to watch and enjoy, with some of the best jokes & moments of the series, especially during Season Five when the quality of episodes was noticeably going down. Plus, I'm a sucker for Krabs vs. Plankton style episodes, especially when they get more creative than a run-of-the-mill 'steal the formula' plot. 

#37. "F is for fire that burns down the whole town... U is for uranium... BOMBS!'"

"F.U.N."

(w/ 61 points on 7 lists) Highest Ranking: #7 @Steel Sponge

"SpongeBob befriends Plankton because he thinks he is lonely"

More: Sing with me! F is for friends who do stuff together, U is for you and me--try it! N is for anywhere, anytime at all, down here in the deep blue sea! Such a bubbly and fun episode. It's really calming and innocent and I really like how much Plankton wanted to develop a relationship with the well-meaned sponge if not for his cute plan to dominate the world. Really shows he has a good heart somewhere and helps make their chemistry work so well. That's all I have to say, this is classic.

4EverGreen: The main reason I like this episode segment isn't just for the song (although that's certainly a huge boost for why I do like it). This episode was the first to give us the glimpse that Plankton may not be 100% evil, and one of the reasons why is that he doesn't have any friends (besides Karen). If Plankton's desire to steal the Krabby Patty wasn't so strong, he might have been able to develop a real friendship relationship with Spongebob. But instead, Plankton got his just desserts, having another plan go down the drain and now having to run for his life away from Bubble Bass!

[kylie]

woot best ep ever 

[So Sejima]

I don't really think too much of Krabs a La Mode, really want to like it a lot though, maybe I just need to re-watch it 10 times in a row to get it clicking or something.

F.U.N. is overlooked, there is no way I could consider it a top 50 episode. Is it likable? Yes, it is and I'm not denying that, but many other episodes scream it more than that to me. Plus the song isn't that good

[Less_SpongeBob]

#36. "Take it, SpongeBob. Take it, please. And promise me, no matter how much I may beg, and plead, and cry, don’t give that paper back to me...ever!"

"The Paper"

(w/ 65 points on 5 lists) Highest Ranking: #5 @E.V.I.L

"SpongeBob plays with a bubble gum wrapper, and Squidward wants it"

More: Season 1 has a lot of charm. It's characters are innocent, the story's simple, and the environment's relaxing. It was unique and felt hand-crafted with plenty of effort and time, with the quality being really consistent. Few episodes were actually that great though. This is one of them. I love that they can take such a mundane premise like playing with paper and make it so creative and surprisingly elaborate. We get to see Squidward go through an enormous thought process, from thinking the paper's stupid, to slowly seeing how fun the paper it, to overreacting after the promise he made couldn't be broken due to his building insanity, to literally giving away everything until he gets a clue and realizes the paper is worthless with no imagination making this whole thing a waste. Yet SpongeBob treats it all as good fun in contrast, complete with well-animated music scenes and oralgami, which gives Squidward's extreme behavior something to bounce off of. Overall, this is one of season one's finest.

CakeCup: The Paper is one of those episodes that really brings in humor. This episode has a very simple, mundane plot (Spongebob playing with a piece of paper), but there's a charm to this episode that makes it so good. The visual gags were creative here, and there's a lot to love about SpongeBob having fun with a piece of paper. I also like when Squidward becomes so jealous of SpongeBob having the paper that he was able to sacrifice everything that he had, even his own shirt. Even though it only airs on Nick once a year (with Valentine's Day), I can thoroughly enjoy every bit of this. Nearly every joke is spot-on, Squidward was hilarious, and the way that a basic plot can be made to seem great is mind blowing to me. Definitely an episode that is worth watching more than once a year.

#35. "Gosh, Patrick, thanks. 'The 1st Place Snail Racing Cup Presented to Squidward... Tortellini!?!?' Will I ever win?"

"The Great Snail Race"

(w/ 67 points on 4 lists) Highest Ranking: #5 @SpongeOddFan

"Bikini Bottom holds a snail race"

More: Pre-Movie is not perfect by any means. Like any amazing show it has it's faults. However, most pre-movie episodes only seem to gain actual hatred from whiny minorities with little influence. This episode, however, seems to get quite a lot of backlash. Let me ask, why? Is it SpongeBob acting overly competitive, loud and violent to his pet, to the point where Gary explodes? Well, apparently yes, but that's stupidly ignorant. SpongeBob being cruel is the POINT. It's used as a natural and progressive result of SpongeBob being pushed to his limits from being pushed down by his friends in the hope to give deserved glory to Gary, which Gary later earns by falling in love with Snellie in the end (Sweet ?). It's there so that when Gary was visibly pushed to explosion, SpongeBob immediately empathized with him and realized what he was doing was stupid and mean, it tests and grows his character while teaching a worthwhile lesson that pushing others too much, despite good intent, is never good. I mean, he goes through a similar arc in The Fry Cook Games and Employee of the Month, and I can't find much reason this is different. It's not even like Gary's torment is graphic. His internals are like an old car. It's cartoony enough to get the effect without being in-your-face painful. As an effect of SpongeBob's competitiveness, it helps to put emphasis on the jokes, making them more extreme and laugh-out-loud, whether it's put in contrast to the others in the race, or done as a crazy training montage. It even has hilarious side gags from the whole Squidward Tortellini thing, to Patrick treating a rock as a pet, to Sandy giving SpongeBob comeuppance for a sexist comment. With a strong story, strong moral, and strong jokes, this is one of the best episodes of the show, period.

SOF: This is one of my personal favorite SpongeBob episodes, as there's some good jokes in it. I get that some users didn't like it due to SpongeBob abusing Gary during the race. I can understand some hate, but to me, personally, I liked it, it's just one of those episode that is decent. Otherwise I can't think anything else to say why I like it, so yeah, it's a great episode IMO.

[Dragonball Z]

"Fear of a Krabby Patty; Krabs Ala Mode, The Paper, F.U.N.," and "The Great Snail Race" definitely all deserve to be on this list!

[So Sejima]

I can't get behind The Paper as much as others do, I don't see it anywhere near this high.

 

Great Snail Race on the other hand, is completely believable.

[The Guy With the Computer]

40. One of my favorite episodes. It deserves its placement.

39. I enjoy this episode, too. It has the feel of a pre-2005 episode.

38. My favorite episode of season 5 and one of my favorites after season 3.

37. One of my favorite season 1 episodes. It's a very fun episode (pun intended.)

36. It's simple, but it's highly enjoyable. This placement is perfect.

35. This would be nowhere near my top 50, but I enjoy it enough to like it.

[Less_SpongeBob]

Get excited. I've got the amazing Clappy and Nuggets for these next episodes.

#34. "This be the legendary prophecy? Oh, that be-eth a wretch. T'would almost insult me would it not be so funny."

"Dunces and Dragons"

(w/ 71 points on 6 lists) Highest Ranking: #3 @SpongeOddFan

"After a jousting accident, SpongeBob and Patrick accidentally travel back to the Middle Ages"

More: T'fact that this episode'st explod'eth with almost nine million viewers watch'eth it on premiere is really quite impressivéth. (Okay, I'll stop with the bad Shakespearean language, thou episode speakest much better) With an episode as funny, lore-filled and epic as this, there are few thou deserved more excitement and enjoyment than this. This episode is phenomenally well-balanced between offering both constant laughs and a story that, while storybook-like and predictable, makes good use of the distinct yet familiar medieval setting, which works especially well when the characters are practically themselves behaving in this environment. We've got bad songs from Squidly, a really tough Dark Knight, and a SpongeBob and Patrick that just think it's all a good parody. It does well to both tribute it with its designs, and poke fun at it's tropes (that joke about the super-tall tower staircase was great). It's got enough action and suspense to keep it thrilling, yet keep it comedic and allow for the heroes to easily win. It's probably more comparable to Monty Python and the Holy Grail than an actual serious story with lore, but that's what makes this so much fun. Easily one of the best episodes of the series.

Nuggets: Dunces and Dragons, as the centerpiece of what I refer as the Time Trilogy (the other parts of it consisting of Ugh and Pest of the West), is undoubtedly the best one of the three. Ugh is one of SpongeBob's weaker specials, mostly because it's plot amounts to "yeah cavemen yeah stupid yeah fire yeah chase scene" and there aren't a lot of jokes that aren't "hey look how dumb these guys are" that you can cram into that. What Ugh excels at is creating a Bikini Bottom environment and characters that feel distinct from the normal show, so even though Ugh isn't fantastic or anything, it feels far enough removed from the show to have it make sense. On the other hand, Pest of the West is a great episode, but the framing device in particular makes it feel very connected to the regular show, and even though the plot is a stellar one, Bikini Gulch feels very much like a reskinned Bikini Bottom.

Dunces and Dragons takes what makes both of those episodes work - Pest's great plot loaded with jokes that work and take advantage of the time period, and Ugh's very distinct version of Bikini Bottom - and rolls them into one episode that excels on every level. There's not much to be said about it that hasn't been already. It's funny and sorta edgy. I mean, we got a suicide gag that wasn't offensive within the first 30 seconds. The characters are written very well here, particularly Squidly, who's perhaps one of the highlights of the entire fourth season, if not the show itself. His songs bring a wit and joy to the episode, and seeing how everyone gets re-imagined (especially Sandy) is great fun. The plot is ambitious, and an ode to great medieval stuff like Beowulf and King Arthur. Every joke fundamentally works, the animation is bright, vibrant, and in a twist for SpongeBob's usual fare, well choreographed; the action scenes here are very well done. And the distinct feel that Bikini Bottomshire has in comparison to the show's standard setting is really mindblowing. I liked that Krabs' castle was shaped like the Krusty Krab.

You all know this episode, so there's not really much else to say. It's just great. Glad it's on here.

#33. "And at fifty dollars an hour, too. When I started working here, I had to pay Mr. Krabs a hundred dollars an hour."

"Big Pink Loser"

(w/ 72 points on 5 lists) Highest Ranking: #2 @Clappy

"Envious of SpongeBob's numerous awards, Patrick works at the Krusty Krab in an attempt to get his own award"

More: Okay, I'm just really tired right now and don't have much to say, so I'll do a me-style review. Start with an opening line regarding the fandom's behavior to draw people in. This episode was [insert quality here]. Put in some positive adjectives to enforce that point. It's got loads of memorable lines, all fast and expressive. Some of my favorite jokes include [insert quote here], [insert quote here] and [insert quote here]. At this point, I'll discuss the themes and how it expands on the characters/applies to real life/makes it fun. In this sentence I'll talk about how the plot and characters progress in a silly manner. I'll talk about a criticism of similar stories and how this makes it work. The episode is both a thing, yet is the opposite of that thing. The animation [helps/could be better] in this episode. Overall, I [agree/disagree] with its placement. Add any additional remarks here.

Oops... I forgot to fill in the details. I'll just let Clappy talk about this.

Clappy: Second year in a row I've been asked to comment on this episode.  Big Pink Loser to me, will always hold a special place in my heart.  It was the first episode of SpongeBob that I could quote from beginning to end.  There are just a lot of low-key memorable moments from this episode.  From the well known "Is this the Krusty Krab?" bit to Patrick vs. the jar. Hell, even Patrick referencing defeating the giant monkeyman and saving the ninth dimension.  But I feel this was the episode that defined my SpongeBob fandom for me.  Sure there were a lot of good to great Season 1 episodes that made me like the show, but this was the episode that made me hold this series so dear to me.  Also, Patrick is at his all time best here. I don't know what episodes everyone defines as consisting the most memorable Patrick moments, but to me, I would be hard pressed to find an episode with as many as this one.  So yeah...Big Pink Loser.  One of the best episodes of the entire series.  I don't think it will ever reach top tier levels of greatness among a universal fanbase, but it deserves to be to me.