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Driven to Tears vs. Rule of Dumb


Steel Sponge

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9 members have voted

  1. 1. I don't have to repeat myself

    • Driven to Tears
      6
    • Rule of Dumb
      3


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For a short time, I've been analyzing the issues of both episodes, and while I've already made up my mind on which one of the two is worse, I made this thread since I feel that these two aren't so different from each other, when it comes to its narrative approach.

In both episodes, Patrick comes off as a jerk, but which one was the least tolerable for me? Driven to Tears.

And some people might say, "but Patrick's jerk-ish behavior was justifiable in Driven to Tears compared to that OTHER episode." You can all say whatever you want to say about the episode that gets on your bad side, but I stand by my opinion towards Driven to Tears. I honestly don't see how Patrick "shoving his license in SpongeBob's face" could be seen as "justifiable." Sure, it did have a good ending whereas SpongeBob admits ripping up Patrick's license before he and Patrick make up for the way they acted and all, but I would've tolerated it better if the episode could make the point across that Patrick's fancy boat was what was jeopardizing SB and Patrick's friendship. And because of the whole gimmick where Patrick constantly brags about his new boat in front of SpongeBob, the jokes also fall pretty flat for me. It was also hard to feel sympathetic towards SB, given his envious behavior in lines like how he should've gotten a license and the boat. It makes sense they would act as such, but it was hard for me to watch. Then there's this one bit of the episode where Patrick apparently doesn't seem to know the basics of driving, whereas he doesn't stop at a red light, and when he's almost a mile above the speed limit, when earlier he got a perfect score in Mrs. Puff's driving test. It's basically one of those episodes that I just don't see why it gets so much appreciation.

Now don't get the wrong idea, I wouldn't say Rule of Dumb is any good either. My opinion on the latter is different from the former because I feel Patrick's jerk-ish behavior is the main point of the episode's narrative, like in Driven to Tears, and at the very least, Patrick comes to a realization that he's become a jerk, near the end of the episode. Heck, the plot stems from SpongeBob proclaiming that Patrick can have anything he wanted as king, and not so later into the episode, he points out how Patrick's taking the matter the wrong way. The episode acknowledges very well that Patrick is acting like a jerk, given that notion and in the climax when SpongeBob tries to reassure to Patrick that he's not acting very pleasant. So, my feelings on Patrick's character in the episode is in-between unjustifiable and sensible. The main issue, IMO, are the jokes that go along with the episode, and they aren't funny when they try to be. I can see why Rule of Dumb gets so much hate, but I have yet a similar and more complicated relationship with Driven to Tears.

So anyways, which one of these two episodes was worse in handling Patrick's character? No pressure.

Edited by Steel Sponge
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I really hate Driven To Tears, Patrick was just an insufferable asshole throughout the entire thing and showing that Spongebob was in the wrong even though Spongebob was understandingly pissed off at Patrick for rubbing his license in his face. I'll go with the lesser of the two evils and pick Rule of Dumb, even though they're both bad imo. 

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Driven to Tears at least had that kidney stone joke and the thought of Patrick getting a license in the first place was slightly funny.  Rule of Dumb has absolutely nothing redeemable about it.

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I always mix up Driven and A Day Without so that's literally how much I remember it despite the two being completely different.

 

 

Both are just bland and inoffensive to me, where both are Patrick going a little powerhungry, but it at least makes more sense in Rule of Dumb, so I'd prefer that one.

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Ok I also forgot to mention that Patrick swerving the car and driving off road to go say hi to MOMMY AND DADDY is one of my guilty pleasure moments in an otherwise not amazing episode.

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