Season 11 (News & Discussion)

[WhoBibbles]

I have been meaning to write a review for this season because this is definitely the most interesting season we've had in quite a while and not the mention, compared to other seasons before, this season didn't suffer from so many hiatuses (only one that I could think of is the summer 2018 hiatus until August) and none of its episodes were left out to air with season 12 episodes that will air later. This is by no means a great season The new era continues to suffer from same problems I've had with season 10 and to a certain extend, season 9B with too much hyperactive nature, awkward pace and dumbed down slapstick but I think they finally adapted the shortened scripts this time after how it felt awkward in season 10. There are much better simplistic episodes and most of its episodes feel highly fresh and even unique at best. I find myself enjoying the season more than I expected its early days. Episodes like ChefBob, Karen's Virus, The Night Patty, Plankton's Paranoia, Squid Noir, Bottle Burglars, Grandmum's the Word, Shopping List, Surf N Turf, Teacher's Pests, The String and Legend of Boo-kini Bottom show enough that the show's still capable of creativity and hilarity left after 19 years. Even it's worst episodes are mediocre or dull with one true offender imo and yeah, we prefer to keep that episode quiet. I don't think it was as good as season 9B but it's step up over season 10, albeit yeah season 10 was very short and they were still getting used to shortened scripts. It just needs to stop trying so hard to be funny with slapsticks and stupid faces they keep doing it since the new era started and yeah, some can be funny but it can get very tiresome at times. Still it calmed down on fast pace and its weird and bizarre structure works well with the stories they tell now.

Characters finally feel like they adapted the new nature, while keeping their characterizations. Squidward had a middling start but any episode he was in after Bunny Hunt, finally toned him down and brought back same old Squidward we know and love, albeit he's not the most memorable character of the season. SpongeBob was still very likeable, optimistic and good natured and my only negative with him was just his laugh can be overdone. Plankton has always been good and he rocked this season. Sandy didn't appear too much this season and she was hit or miss but her hits were good enough to make me like her this season. Karen was very funny. Not too much to say on Pearl and Larry but their own episodes this season were pretty good. Mrs. Puff was fine. Really the only character I've had major issues was Patrick and I'll get into that later. The character I wanna speak before him is Mr. Krabs, who had a major improvement over last couple of seasons, hell he was even fine in season 9B and 10 but he was just amazing here. He finally became a character more than just money  and his money obsession still led to some good use of his antagonism. His relationship with Plankton was the highlight. Teacher's Pest showed us that no matter what, those two restaurant owners will always hate each other and it doesn't have to revolve around restaurant competition or the secret formula and Plankton's Paranoia was a great episode to focus on his obsessive behavior with Plankton. His appearences in The Checkup, Surf N Turf, The Grill's Gone and countless more episodes made me fully realize that he's finally back to his old amusing self in pre-movie. Ironic how my least favorite character in post-movie got to be the best aspect of this season, maybe even the new era. Unfortunately only character that has never changed for better is Patrick. Sandy at least had Shopping List and Surf N Turf and her other episodes sans Squirrel Jelly had the decent Sandy. Patrick only worked in this season when he had minimal screentime and even that at times was annoying in episodes like Drive Happy and Call the Cops. His own episodes, well, they are the weakest episodes of the season bar none. To the point, the only episode I actually liked that focused on him was Patnocchio and even that was because Plankton carried the whole thing and that episode didn't have much fans as well. I feel like the writers have no idea how Patrick works, even Kaz who probably wrote the most quotable Patrick ever in his pre-movie work. He's just a braindead and annoying character that talks so slow and it irritated me. It doesn't have to be this way, we've seen in Library Card that Patrick can speak just fine, oh wait that was smart Patrick. Still Patrick can actually talk normal If his voice actor can, so I really want this whole slow, dumbed down Patrick to end and I want the writers to make Patrick as an insecure character that talks smart but sounds dumb or judgy and sassy Patrick that isn't an asshole. I hate his exaggrated nonfunctioning personality that talks so dumb and sounds dumb at the same time. Pretty much why I don't want any more episodes with him, other characters have much more interesting personalities to me that seeing Patrick as a dumb comic relief only hurts me. He's basically the most negative thing about the season imo.

Animation, music and character designs were still top-notch and humor at its best is entirely a new comedy that works on the show, stories are most of the time action-packed and creative. If the show keeps improving itself, I'm sure the new era will definitely get rid of some people's gripes with it. After seeing how I enjoyed myself watching this season and loved talking about its episodes (for better or worse), I hope season 12 will be even better because this sure as hell a good season imo.

Grade: B

Favorite Episode(s): ChefBob/Karen's Virus/Surf N Turf. Too hard to decide because these made me laugh and entertained the most and they all deserve the spotlight, ChefBob gave us a great character study with good humor, Karen's Virus gave us epic action scenes and impressive 3D animation and Surf N Turf gave us such a unique and fun rivalry.

Least Favorite Episode: the one with combines all problems of post-movie/post-second movie. not even worth mentioning its name.

 

[Honest Slug]

Cave-Dwelling Sponge: 3/10
The Clam Whisperer: 2/10
Spot Returns: 6/10
The Check-Up: 7/10
Spin the Bottle: 6/10
There's a Sponge in My Soup: 8/10
Man Ray Returns: 5/10
Larry the Floor Manager: 6/10
The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom: 7/10
No Pictures, Please: 3/10
Stuck on the Roof: 2/10
Krabby Patty Creature Feature: 7/10
Teacher's Pests: 8/10
Sanitation Insanity: 4/10
Bunny Hunt: 999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999/10
Squid Noir: 8/10
Scavenger Pants: 7/10
Cuddle E. Hugs: 4/10
Pat the Horse: Cute as Pinkie Pie/10
Chatterbox Gary: 6/10
Don't Feed the Clowns: 4/10
Drive Happy: 5/10
Old Man Patrick: 13/13
Fun-Sized Friends: 2/10
Grandmum's the Word: 5/10
Doodle Dimension: 1/10
Moving Bubble Bass: 3/10
High Sea Diving: 5/10
Bottle Burglars: 7/10
My Leg: 6/10
Ink lemonade: 0/10
Mustard O' Mine: 5/10
Shopping List: 5/10
Whale Watching: 7/10
Krusty Kleaners: 3/10
Patnocchio: 1/10
ChefBob: 6/10
Plankton Paranoia: 8/10
Library Cards: 1/10
Call the Cops: 3/10
Surf n Turf: 7/10
Goons on the Moon: 4/10
Appointment TV: 6/10
Karen's Virus: 8/10
The Grill is Gone: 6/10
The Night Patty: 4/10 (Would be higher without cursed fart scene)
Bubbletown: 5/10
Girls' Night Out: 4/10
Squirrel Jelly: 2/10
The String: 7/10

Top 5
1. Teacher's Pests
2. Plankton Paranoia
3. Karen's Virus
4. There's a Sponge in My Soup
5. Squid Noir

Bottom 5
1. Ink Lemonade
2. Doodle Dimension
3. Patnocchio
4. Library Cards
5. Squirrel Jelly

[Coffee_lover]

Cave Dwelling Sponge:4/10(Boring and really lacking humor and sense,though not as bad as I used to thinking about)

The Clam Whisperer:2/10(Simply obnoxious.Not to mention that episode ripped apart so many elements from previous episodes and at the same time doesn’t made anything new besides poop jokes)

Spot Returns:8/10(A really cute sequel that really get fun with a new creative premise that fit in this wacky underwater atmosphere so well)

The Check-Up:8/10(Just 11 minutes of hilarious slapstick)

Spin the Bottle:8/10(Proof that Imitation Krabs formula still can be done well after some many times.Funny and entertaining all around)

There a Sponge in my Soup:9/10(Absolutely bizzare,but at the same time incredibly creative and funny trip.Still shocked that a lot of people here overlooked this gem)

Man Ray Returns:8/10(Evil never takes a vocation!)

Larry the Floor Manager:8/10(A really fun episode that bring back Larry’s great characterization)

The Legend of Bookini Bottom:8/10(Scary=Scary)

No Pictures Please:9/10(Thank Neptune this season at least once made Patrick a lovable protagonist along with brand new and hilarious premise that superbly executed.And ending is the greatest thing that post-sequel era ever done)

Stuck on the Roof:9/10(Sad that it’s one of the most unpopular episodes of the season.I always forums incredibly relatable and funny.Did I ever say that animation is just 114% gorgeous?)

Krabby Patty Creature Feature:7/10(Not really used full potential as it can,but still an entertaining B-movie parody)

Teacher’s Pests:9/10(The fact that it’s episode about Mr Krabs and Plankton without any hint for Secret Formula shit alone made it one of the most standout and unique episodes in a while)

Sanitation Insanity:8/10(Imagine Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful that is not complete garbage.And you get this)

Bunny Hunt:5/10(still hilarious meme though)

Squid Noir:10/10(Without a doubt my favorite of the season.Charecters,sense of parody,humor,visuals,atmosphere,music choices.Everything here is Toptier.Masterpiece)

Scavenger Pants:8/10(A really good example of how creative this season was.All of new locations and or just simply fun story points are legit joy)

Cuddle E. Hugs:8/10(Despite lacking humor in some parts.I absolutely loved the whole thing at how bizarre yet charming it is)

Pat the Horse:???/10(I rewatched this episode several times recently,and I still can’t say my solid opinion for it.It’s absolutely idiotic episode,but I seriously can’t hate it.Not to mention that even besides dumb premise there noticeable amount of jokes that made me laugh.So I still stay at opinion that episode doesn’t deserve have any rating)

Chatterbox Gary:8/10(Gary’s stuff always been nice.This episode is no a execution,a lot of fun dialogues and cuteness whatever you can wish for)

Don’t Feed The Clowns:5/10(The most neutral thing that Season 11 had,fairly weak,but not bad 11 minutes of clowns begin clowns.Passible)

Drive Happy:6/10(Man did this episode really should’ve added Patrick in so bad and annoying way?Sad,really drops down overall a solid episode)

Old Man Patrick:3/10(As much as I love memed it.In really it’s really boring and gross thing.Although it has a 2 or 3 unironically good jokes)

Fun-Sized Friends:4/10(Lol how you can take so potential premise in so creative season,and make...this...It’s feel so much like a S8/9a trash,which is not a very good) 

Grandmum the Word:6/10(The fact that new crew seriously decided to make a episode that  about a character from one of the most forgettable by time episode is so surprising and epic.Because of that I can upped a score actual episode,without this fact is just mediocre at best)

Doodle Dimension:0/10(This abomination made Bubble Buddy Returns looks like a solid entertainment of an episode,and that’s saying a lot)

Moving Bubble Bass:5/10(Every moment with Bubble Bass is gold.The rest...)

Hihg Sea Diving:10/10(The story in characters in this one are feel so sweet and fantastic.And thankfully for it’s premise the visual humor here works in double time better.Wish that people talk about this episode more)

Bottle Burglars:9/10(Pure genius of irony and parody of old formula clinches that we seen mostly on a middle post-movie)

My Leg!:9/10(H I S   L E G !,Y O U R ‘ S   L E G!,F R E D ‘S   L E G!)

Ink Lemonade:0/10(ha ha,ha....)

Mustard O’Mine:8/10(The best Spongebob+Patrick+Squidward episode since forever)

Shopping List:7/10(Simple,but amusing)

Whale Watching:8/10(Post-sequel doesn’t  wanna stop with a new characters’ dynamics,isn’t it?)

Krusty Kleaners:5/10(A lot of good aspects been trashed by an atrocious conflict building)

Patnocchio:3/10(This one really feels like it’s came from Modern Fairy OddParents with those cheap attempts to parody,add for this annoying Patrick’s characterization and random crafted jokes for having and messy experience.Really big waste of potential honestly)

ChefBob:8/10(Another episode that feel like take a lot of old premises,but at the same time made so many new hilarity and fun that you can forgive it)

Plankto Paranoia:10/10(No comments)

Library Cards:2/10(Pointless,boring,cheap)

Call the Cops:4/10(Even with such a cute Mr Krabs’ characterization and some decent gags episode have a noticeable lack of goals or any understanding of knowledge what is going on)

Surf and Turf:9/10(Another episode with cool characters dynamics along with hilarious cameos and entertaining story)

Goons on the Moon:5/10(Aimless,forgettable,and has no plot,but hey at least Squidward was funny)

Appointment TV:7/10(Take of old formula and made just a solid,charming episode)

Karen’s Virus:9/10(I think without me everyone know that this episode rules so just gonna leave it)

The Grill is Gone:8/10(I love everything with Mr Krabs in the latest part of the season,this one is blessed up with him really high)

Night Patty:6/10(Shame that episode has no real conflict.But ever without that it’s still a decently atmospheric ride)

BubbleTown:8/10(Now that’s how you made a good old character episode.New colorful location along with some dark humor is so good adding to this season and show in general)

Girls’ Night Out:7/10(Not really complicated,but really interesting and enjoyable)

Squirrel Jelly:2/10(Yeah that was definitely a 16-minutes special worthy...)

The String:8/10(If you hasn’t seen new episodes in a long time and doesn’t know about it’s new style and presentation of visual humor,please what this short.It’s a really good introduction of new episodes despite begin finale of the season)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall it’s a SCUMBOB season 

 

Top 5:

5)Bottle Burglars 

4)Stuck on the Roof 

3)High Sea Diving

2)Plankton Paranoia 

1)Squid Noir

 

 

Bottom 5:

5)The Clam Whisperer 

4)Libtard Cards

3)Squirrel Jelly

2)Ink Lemonade 

1)Doodle Dimension 

[hippythehippo]

Cave Dwelling Sponge 6/10

The Clam Whisperer 3/10

Spot Returns 8/10

The Check-Up 8/10

Spin the Bottle 7/10  

There's a Sponge in My Soup 9/10 

Man Ray Returns 6/10

Larry the Floor Manager 7/10

The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom 8/10

No Pictures Please 4/10

Stuck on the Roof 3/10  

Krabby Patty Creature Feature 7/10

Teacher's Pests 9/10

Sanitation Insanity 7/10 

Bunny Hunt 4/10

Squid Noir 9/10

Scavenger Pants 7/10

Cuddle E. Hugs 5/10

Pat the Horse 4/10

Chatterbox Gary 7/10

Don't Feed the Clowns 5/10

Drive Happy 7/10

Old Man Patrick 4/10

Fun-Sized Friends 3/10

Grandmum's The Word 8/10

Doodle Dimension 4/10

Moving Bubble Bass 5/10

High Sea Diving 7/10

Bottle Burglars 9/10

My Leg! 6/10

Ink Lemonade depressedluigi/10

Mustard O' Mine 6/10

Shopping List 7/10

Whale Watching 7/10

Krusty Kleaners 7/10

Patnocchio 7/10

ChefBob 7/10

Plankton Paranoia 10/10

Library Cards 4/10

Call the Cops 6/10

Surf N' Turf 8/10

Goons on the Moon 7/10

Appointment TV 7/10

Karen's Virus 9/10

The Grill is Gone 7/10

The Night Patty 6/10

Bubbletown 6/10

Girls' Night Out 6/10

Squirrel Jelly 2/10

The String 7/10

 

Top 5

5. Karen's Virus

4. There's a Sponge in My Soup

3. Squid Noir

2. Bottle Burglars

1. Plankton Paranoia 

 

Bottom 5

5. The Clam Whisperer

4. Stuck on the Roof

3. Fun Sized Friends

2. Squirrel Jelly

1. Ink Lemonade (lol)

 

Because I have bad opinions, I like this season. I think it is easily the best season since season 4. It obviously has flaws, but for a 50 episode season 400 episodes in, it does a decent job in doing its own thing. Most of the best episodes are the best in years, and Plankton Paranoia is the best episode since season 5. Obviously Patrick is bad mostly, but other characters, such as Krabs,  were mostly spot on. Humor was decent for me too, and the stories are original. Way better than 5-10, tho worse than 4 by a considerable bit.

Edited March 4, 2019 by hippythehippo

[Coffee_lover]

15 hours ago, hippythehippo said:

Botttom 5

5. Stuck on the Roof

4. The Clam Whisperer

3. Fun Sized Friends

2. Squirrel Jelly

1. Ink Lemonade

Honarable mentions: No Pictures Please, Library Cards

Did you seriously drop down Bunny Hunt and Pat the Horse that easily lmao 

 

Also -400 respect for Stuck on the Roof on this list.

[hippythehippo]

4 hours ago, Coffee_lover said:

Did you seriously drop down Bunny Hunt and Pat the Horse that easily lmao 

 

Also -400 respect for Stuck on the Roof on this list.

Both are commie quality, unlike capitalist roof

[D'oh!]

I love season 11.

 

 

 

April Fools, this is the worst season in the show.

[RD Rockruff]

Season 11. One of the most polarizing seasons of the entire show; you either like it for its experimentation with plots and visuals, or you hate it for those exact same reasons. Personally, I really enjoy this season and what it brought to the table. Strap in, it's a really crazy ride:

Cave-Dwelling Sponge: 6/10 / C+ (Bit light on humor but it does what it does well)
The Clam Whisperer: 6/10 / C+ (Has some lame attempts at humor and bad Patrick writing but overall I don't mind it)
Spot Returns: 8/10 / A- (Takes Plankton's Pet's concept and makes it many times better)
The Check-Up: 7/10 / B (Not as funny as it could've been but it has a good Spongebob and Squidward dynamic)
Spin the Bottle: 7/10 / B (Pretty funny episode, not outstanding though)
There's a Sponge in my Soup: 7/10 / B- (Pretty funny as well, kind of underrated)
Man Ray Returns: 8/10 / A- (Kind of like a successor of Mermaid Pants, except even better)
Larry the Floor Manager: 7/10 / B+ (Has some issues but I enjoy it overall)
The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom: 7/10 / B (A good Halloween special, not perfect but what it does right it does right)
No Pictures Please: 7/10 / B (Not a strong episode but it delivers)
Stuck on the Roof: 7/10 / B (Flawed but good)
Krabby Patty Creature Feature: 7/10 / B (Utterly insane episode, I like it for that but I wish it has better humor... still a pretty good horror parody)
Teacher's Pests: 8/10 / A- (A high-energy Krabs and Plankton rivalry episode, the episode can be described as Boating Buddies but better
Sanitation Insanity: 8/10 / A- (Really high-energy but also really fun)
Bunny Hunt: 7/10 / B- (Really crazy and off-the-walls but I can't not enjoy it for whatever reason)
Squid Noir: 7/10 / B (Another episode with a good Squidward and Spongebob dynamic, using a film noir theme to set a solid tone)
Scavengerpants: 8/10 / A- (Takes an interesting concept that I'm surprised hasn't really been explored before and runs with it)
Cuddle E. Hugs: 7/10 / B (A really... strange episode but it's entertaining for how odd it is)
Pat the Horse: 7/10 / B (Guilty pleasure)
Chatterbox Gary: 7/10 / B (Cute concept with good execution)
Don't Feed the Clowns: 4/10 / C- (Gratingly annoying at worst but boring most of the time)
Drive Happy: 7/10 / B (Really good Spongebob characterization, only thing holding this one back is a bad scene involving Patrick and even then that's just one scene)
Old Man Patrick: 6/10 / C+ (Past the memes, this episode just exists; I feel neither love nor hate towards it)
Fun-Sized Friends: 5/10 / C (Cute concept, lacking execution)
Grandmum's the Word: 7/10 / B (Who knew they could make an episode revolving around a one-off throwaway S7 character and make it work)
Doodle Dimension: 6/10 / B- (Not the best "returns" episode out there but it's not awful)
Move Your Bubble Bass: 6/10 / C+ (Perhaps a bit too over the top, it's not godawful though)
High-Sea Diving: 7/10 / B (Solid, if not entirely interesting)
Bottle Burglars: 9/10 / A (Spongebob and Squidward dynamic at its best in the season)
My Leg!: 8/10 / A- (Memes aside this episode has a good story even if it goes a bit too over the top a good amount of times; doesn't keep me from enjoying it though)
Ink Lemonade: 3/10 / D+ (A clusterfuck but there's something about this that... interests me? idk)
Mustard O'Mine: 8/10 / A- (Rather fun episode, wish they could've relied a bit less on grossout here and there though)
Shopping List: 7/10 / B (A bit dry at points but still rather creative)
Whale Watching: 8/10 / A- (An underrated episode that makes an unlikely pair work)
Krusty Kleaners: 6/10 / C+ (Aimless but harmless)
Patnocchio: 7/10 / B (Took a bit for me to warm up to it but it's entertaining)
ChefBob: 8/10 / A- (Really funny)
Plankton Paranoia: 10/10 / A+ (Everything works out, this is honestly my favorite episode from outside the first 3 seasons)
Library Cards: 4/10 / C- (Bad plot and annoying execution)
Call the Cops!: 6/10 / C+ (Good Spongebob and Krabs dynamic but Patrick keeps this episode from excelling)
Surf N Turf: 7/10 / B+ (A good Sandy and Krabs rivalry episode)
Goons on the Moon: 7/10 / B (A special that's actually interesting? I thought I'd never see the day!)
Appointment TV: 8/10 / A- (Basically Best Day Ever but better)
Karen's Virus: 9/10 / A (Just excellent all around, only thing lacking about it is the rushed ending)
The Grill is Gone: 7/10 / B (Good conflict and action even if the resolution is sort of predictable)
The Night Patty: 7/10 / B (Light on humor but the great atmosphere makes up for that)
Girls Night Out: 6/10 / C+ (It's kind of hard to make three characters that have little in common have a good dynamic)
Bubbletown: 8/10 / A- (Has some of the best dark humor outside of S3)
Squirrel Jelly: 4/10 / C- (A better title for this episode: Pointless Meandering: The Episode)
The String: 7/10 / B (Works really well as a season closer)

Final Score: 6.9/10 -> 7/10 / B (GOOD season)

Other Notes:
* As I noted near the top, this season experiments a lot with settings, plots and character interactions. Whether this was a good choice or not is up to a matter of opinion, and this season stands as one of the most polarizing of the show as a result.
* This season has a reputation for having "wacky" animation, but I feel they toned it down a shade by the second half (as in post-Ink Lemonade) for the most part. I don't even mind the "wackiness" personally, I'm just looking for good episodes.
* If there's anything I'd say this season doesn't do well, it's Patrick's characterization. Episodes or entire scenes revolving around him are usually the weakest of the season, due to Patrick's idiocy being played up often. One episode (I'm sure we all know which one) is rather infamous for its bad Patrick characterization.
* No matter if you like the style or despise it, you can't deny that this season's visuals are gorgeous. With a majority of the episodes having really smooth animation and fantastic backgrounds, this season had the best animation quality of the show... until it was upstaged by Season 12.

[Less_SpongeBob]

Cave Dwelling Sponge: 6/10 

The Clam Whisper: 5/10

Spot Returns: 9/10 

The Check-Up: 8/10

Spin The Bottle: 5/10

There's A Sponge In My Soup: 9/10

Man Ray Returns: 8/10 

Larry The Floor Manager: 8/10 

The Legend Of The Boo-Kini Bottom: 10/10 

Stuck On The Roof: 4/10 

No Pictures, Please: 6/10

Krabby Patty Creature Feature: 2/10 

Teacher's Pests: 9/10

Sanitation Insanity: 7/10 

Bunny Hunt: 4/10

Squid Noir: 9/10 

ScavengerPants: 7/10

Cuddle E. Hugs: 5/10 

Pat the Horse: 3/10 

Chatterbox Gary: 7/10 

Don’t Feed the Clowns: 5/10 

Drive Happy: 7/10

Old Man Patrick: 4/10

Fun-Sized Friends: 4/10

Grandmum’s the Word: 8/10 

Doodle Dimension: 4/10 

Moving Bubble Bass: 5/10 

High Sea Diving: 9/10 

Bottle Burglars: 8/10

My Leg!: 0/10 too wacky (Joking it’s a 9/10) 

Ink Lemonade: 1/10 

Mustard O’ Mine: 8/10

Shopping List: 8/10 

Whale Watching: 8/10 

Krusty Kleaners: 7/10

Patnocchio: 7/10 

ChefBob: 9/10 

Library Cards: 4/10 

Plankton Paranoia: 10/10 

Surf N’ Turf: 8/10

Call The Cops!: 8/10 

Goons On The Moon: 7/10 

Appointment TV: 7/10 

Karen’s Virus: 10/10 

The Night Patty: 6/10 (This is one of the weirdest episodes to date, grade subject to change)

The Grill Is Gone!: 7/10

Bubbletown: 9/10 

Girls Night Out: 6/10 

Squirrel Jelly: 3/10 

The String: 8/10 

 

29 Good Episodes (7/10 or higher)

13 Average Episodes

9 Bad Episodes (4/10 or lower)

 

Overall Grade:

7/10 (GOOD Season)

 

 

Overall, I’d say that this a solid season. It fully embraced the new experimental, trippy direction that Season 10 began to set up. However, it did get mixed towards the middle and you can’t ignore that some of these episodes are just downright weird and out-there (Soup, Cuddle, Night Patty etc.). If I were to recommend the season to a friend, skip all the Patrick episodes: even discounting Ink they really dumbed him down and any episode he appeared in more than a second of dragged it down overall. The rest of the characters are written really well, especially Mr. Krabs, the SpongeBob and Squidward team-ups, and nearly all of the Returning One-Timers. The best episodes rank among my favorites of the entire series. However, the small handful of bad episodes and continuing problems from Season 10 may signal another steep decline in the show’s quality if not improved in Season 12.

 

BOTTOM FIVE: 

1. Ink Lemonade (lol why I am even ranking this one)
2. Krabby Patty Creature Feature (Besides perhaps #1 I cannot think of a single episode this fundamentally broken and against the show’s values, that goes this out of its way to be disturbing and frightening to the viewers.) 
3. Squirrel Jelly (This did not need to be 16 minutes at all, and is Sandy’s worst appearance to date.)
4. Pat The Horse (This would be the stupidest episode to date if not for Nitwitting making me somehow appreciate it.) 
5. Fun-Sized Friends (Just another unpleasant, run-of-the-mill Patrick episode)

 

TOP FIVE:

1. Karen’s Virus (Definitely the most ambitious and creative story they had to tell this season, if not in the show period. It felt like a huge adventure with so much beautifully stylized locations, a threatening villain, great setup and jokes. And it was balanced extremely well with the comic relief outside the digital realm. Best episode ever is a stretch, but it does what it wants so perfectly that it ranks among my Top 25 favorites of the series.)
2. Plankton Paranoia (This is a fantastic character study. It successfully shows how Mr. Krabs is impacted by Plankton even when he’s not around, with him really going off the deep end into insanity for a problem he’s grown accustomed to. It’s as if he couldn’t live without the daily fun of foiling Plankton’s plans—it makes perfect sense for his character. I loved the jokes of Mr. Krabs banning customers just to stay focused. The climax or Krabs arc before the twist is one of the most beautifully atmospheric moments in the show—and I did not see that twist coming. If you haven’t seen this, I won’t spoil it. )
3. The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom (The stop-motion and mix of different art styles is gorgeous, the story is charming, all the characters from SpongeBob to the Flying Dutchman are top-notch, and the stakes are quite high. This is the full package and an instant classic)
4. There’s a Sponge in my Soup (This is an out-there, unusual, and experimental episode but it works extremely well. A story about hippies works great with the show’s new direction. The visuals and quotes are beautiful and hilarious, really embracing the 60’s. There are definitely a lot of students at my college who are hipster/high all the time and this episode would definitely be the one I’d recommend.
5. High Sea Diving (I love the integration with real-life environmental issues in the SpongeBob world and how the characters use the trash for their entertainment and for the battle with Old Man Jenkins. There’s so much going on with SpongeBob aspiring to reach a new goal, being held back midway for some fun shenanigans before succeeding.)

Overall, there’s more good here than bad for sure. I could make a Top 10 and still not be done with great episodes, which I couldn’t say since Season 5. 

[CakeCup]

Cave Dwelling Sponge: 7/10

The Clam Whisperer: 3/10

Spot Returns: 9/10

The Check-Up: 7/10 

Spin the Bottle: 6/10

There's a Sponge in my Soup: 8/10

Man Ray Returns: 6/10

Larry the Floor Manager: 8/10

The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom: 9/10

Stuck on the Roof: 6/10

No Pictures, Please: 7/10

Krabby Patty Creature Feature: 8/10

Teacher's Pests: 9/10

Sanitation Insanity: 7/10

Bunny Hunt: 10/10 because it has I'M A BUNNY NOW!  Unironically, it would be a 6/10

Squid Noir: none from michigan was seen so 0/10  Nah, it's 9/10 worthy

Scavenger Pants: 9/10 

Cuddle E. Hugs: 5/10

Pat the Horse: 3/10

Chatterbox Gary: 8/10

Don't Feed the Clowns: 5/10 

Drive Happy: 6/10

Old Man Patrick: 4/10

Fun-Sized Friends: 8/10

Grandmum's the Word: 6/10

Doodle Dimension: 8/10

Moving Bubble Bass: 6/10

High Sea Diving: 8/10

Bottle Burglars: 9/10

My Leg!: 9/10

Ink Lemonade: 1/10 

Mustard O'Mine: 7/10

Shopping List: 8/10

Whale Watching: 9/10

Krusty Kleaners: 6/10

Patnocchio: 6/10

ChefBob: 9/10

Library Cards: 3/10

Plankton Paranoia: 9/10

Surf N' Turf: 8/10

Call the Cops!: 6/10

Goons on the Moon: 7/10

Appointment TV: 8/10

Karen's Virus: 10/10

The Night Patty: 7/10

The Grill is Gone!: 9/10

Bubbletown: 9/10

Girls Night Out: 8/10

Squirrel Jelly: 4/10

The String: 8/10

Top 5:

5. My Leg!

4. Bubbletown

3. The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom

2. Squid Noir

1. Karen's Virus

Honorable mentions: Spot Returns, Plankton Paranoia, The Grill is Gone!

Bottom 5: 

5. Squirrel Jelly

4. The Clam Whisperer

3. Library Cards

2. Pat the Horse

1. Ink Lemonade 

Dishonorable mentions: Old Man Patrick, Don't Feed the Clowns

General impressions: From what I've seen, s11 has been hit-or-miss, but most of the episodes are worth a rewatch. Gotta admit, the animation in most of the episodes that I have viewed was incredibly polished, and there was an abundance of creative/hilarious visual gags (especially in episodes like Scavenger Pants, The String, and Doodle Dimension). I think that the experimentation of s11 was quite interesting. Some episodes went for different styles (Creature Feature went for a horror movie style, Squid Noir went for a film noir style, Boo-kini Bottom had a cute, stop-motion style of animation), while other episodes were a little more outlandish (either in a good way, like in Sponge in my Soup and My Leg, or in a not-so good way, like in Pat the Horse). One thing that I would like to note here is that most of the Patrick-based episodes were really weak; I get that he's supposed to be the ditz, since that's one of his character traits that we've had since the show aired, but the Patrick-centric episodes here really cranked up his ineptitude up to eleven. Sometimes, episodes with overly idiotic Patrick can be amusing, but they are predominantly irksome. Sparing the Patrick-centric episodes, this season is a step up from s10, thanks to some more unorthodox storylines, improved animation, and some compelling character dynamics. Of course, this season is also one of the most polarizing, but that is to be expected since some of the more "off the wall" episodes may not be everyone's cup of tea.