SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever 2018!

[OWM]

The Strangler is an awesome villain. It’s so entertaining to see how the toughest of the tough cower in fear at his picture, only to see him get beat up and humiliated once we actually see him. I adore his ongoing frustration to kill SpongeBob while random stuff thwarts his plans (the two consecutive parties are my favorite), and how it grows into fear by the end. My favorite joke involving him has to be the spiky cleats. It’s a combination of his screams of pain, the fact that SpongeBob didn’t even need them to begin with, and how it all goes on for six hours. It’s one of the most awesomely sadistic jokes ever created here. There’s a theory that SpongeBob knew the “bodyguard” was the Strangler all along. I believe it’s true, considering it makes this episode ten times more funny once you see all the things he “accidentally” does as deliberate.

50. ???

49. ???

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45. ???

44. ???

43. Missing Identity (#32)

42. ???

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38. ???

37. ???

36. SpongeBob Meets the Strangler (#29)

35. ???

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32. ???

31. Clams (#41)

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 28. ???

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26. ???

25. ???

24. Big Pink Loser (#38)

23. ???

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 20. Something Smells (#39)

19. ???

18. ???

17. Squid's Day Off (#43)

16. ???

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 14. Valentine's Day (#50)

13. ???

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  11. ???

10. ???

9. ???

 8. Life of Crime (#30)

7. ???

6. ???

5. ???

4. My Pretty Seahorse (#46)

3. ???

2. ???

 1. ???

Not on List:

Rock Bottom (#49)

F.U.N. (#48)

Squidville (#47)

The Great Snail Race (#45)

The Fry Cook Games (#44)

Club SpongeBob (#42)

No Weenies Allowed (#37)

 Mid-Life Crustacean (#36)

 Survival of the Idiots (#35)

  Pranks a Lot (#34)

Plankton’s Army (#33)

 Mimic Madness (#31)

[4EverGreen]

"Spongebob Meets the Strangler" BARELY made my list at #25 (although seeing as how none of my post-movie picks have made the list yet, I'm seriously starting to reconsider making that pick HIGHER in retrospect!)  Anyways, there are so many jokes in this episode that not only work, they work exceptionally well!  (Spongebob: "I tattled on him, and now he wants to strangle me with his diabolic hands! I hope they're not dirty!"  / The gag with the paper towels, the square pants that Spongebob isn't SURE that are his, the perfume. The disguised Strangler FORGETTING what he's supposed to be saying! The Strangler: "That way, no one can hear you being STRANGLED...I mean, protected! Open the door, so I can STRANGLE you...I mean, CHOKE you...I mean, CRUSH your wind-pipe...I mean--!" Spongebob: "Protect me? Don't mention it STRANGLER...I mean, body-guard!" The Strangler: "Get your feet out of my eye-sockets!" Spongebob: "I'm trying, but my cleats are stuck in your corneas!" The two successive parties, and The Strangler actually running AWAY to get away from Spongebob!) This is a great episode that deserves to be on this list, and I can't wait to see what else winds up on this list!  Enough said!

[SpongeNicko]

SpongeBob Meets the Strangler made my list at #24, and there are several reasons why. For one, the comedy is GOLDEN! I love all the jokes they tell in the episode, and all of SpongeBob's antics with the Strangler are so hilarious and amusing to watch. Secondly, the Strangler character himself is awesome! Just the fact that he pretends to be SpongeBob's bodyguard to the point where he's even willing to sit through several of SpongeBob's parties, makes him such a likeable villain! And third, it's the fact that this episode is SO unique! There's nothing quite else like it, neither in pre-movie or post-movie. The Strangler may be a one-time character here, but he's a great one and it truly makes the episode feel so fresh and original. In general, there's no QUESTION that it deserves to be here!

[Wumbo]

28. "Who's the barnacle head who invented that game anyway?"

SB-129, 94 points

(7 of 32 lists. Highest Ranking: #2, WhoBob)

BeachBob: As my #11, I will describe this episode with four things it has I like in general:

1.       Timetravel

I have a very weak spot for everything timetravel-related. My love for history and science fiction comes together perfectly in episodes where someone travels to the dawn of menkind or to the future. I just keeps my interest everytime I watch it. The prehistoric scenes have some beautiful backgrounds and the way Squidward ends up in the future so sudden is just so hilarious to me.

2.       Absurdity

At the last section of this episode there’s the part where Squidward ends up in a void. This is so damn trippy, creepy, absurt and funny to me and I love it when shows go there. It makes the episode really stand out and it’s the part that made me remember this episode the most.

3.       A clever plottwist/joke at the very end

So the very last line gives us a great reveal which I thought was clever as hell. The way they don’t explain the joke but leave the audience with the same look on their faces as Squidward is a clever way to end the episode with a bang. It’s not one of those endings that make the whole episode worthless, like The Main Drain, or any episode that has a big reveal at the end, stating that everything accomplished was for no reason. This joke is great every time, it’s only the last three seconds and doesn’t ruin rewatches.

4.       SpongeGar meme

I always thought the way SpongeGar looks was hilarious and I praise the world for turning it into a meme 15 years later.

Wumbo: The first season of any show is always an interesting one to look back upon after the fact. You get to see where the show started, and what directions it could have been taken in. I really appreciate the low-key, calmer feel that Season 1 seems to have in a lot of its episodes. They don't focus on telling jokes as much as they do creating wonderful, engaging atmospheres and telling stories. And SB-129 might just be one of the most creative and engaging that Season 1 has to offer.

SB-129 is not a very streamlined, logical story like many Season 1 episodes. It's honestly really out there; they take a plot of Squidward trying to get away from SpongeBob and Patrick, and send him to the future, the distant past, and, by his own admission, "nowhere" in the process. This is the first episode to deal with time travel, and the designs of the future and past worlds, as well as the conceit of the "nowhere" world, are very well done and evocative. I love the different forms of SpongeBob and Patrick we get, proving that Squidward can never truly escape them without escaping sanity, as he does in the abstract segment. And the wraparound joke at the end, tying the whole conceit of the plot together, is absolutely brilliant. Top notch capper joke, probably one of the funniest endings in the series. And because it's from Season 1, despite its wacky plot, it still has that chill-out vibe of Squidward just meandering from place to place, interacting with what he sees. I really appreciate Season 1's restraint in its joke-telling for the purposes of developing a mood and atmosphere. It creates an episode on a whole that really sticks with you, rather than a few funny moments. Top tier episode, so glad to see it once again make the list.

[OWM]

SB-129 is beautifully designed. The different worlds we see are just breathtakingly unique and interesting, from the odd robotic future Krusty Krab, the dark mysterious atmosphere of prehistory, the surreal coldness of Nowhere and even the serene early morning scene in the very beginning. It sounds beautiful too. I adore the backwards, disjointed sounds the time machine makes when traveling, the grunts and yelps the prehistoric SpongeBob and Patrick make, and especially these echoey, spacey sounds of the voices and polygons in Nowhere. I also get a kick out of that futuristic version of Cierre Bob Esponja. Squidward is also an amazing character the whole time. I like that simple idea for his story in that he just wants a quiet place to play his clarinet, and how something as silly as getting locked in a freezer is the cause of his weird adventure. It becomes so tense in the prehistoric and Nowhere settings once Squidward starts to panic. By the end, you feel just as relieved as he does for him to be back home alive with his friends.

 

50. ???

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45. SB-129 (#28)

44. ???

43. Missing Identity (#32)

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38. ???

37. ???

36. SpongeBob Meets the Strangler (#29)

35. ???

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33. ???

32. ???

31. Clams (#41)

30. ???

29. ???

 28. ???

 27. ???

26. ???

25. ???

24. Big Pink Loser (#38)

23. ???

22. ???

21. ???

 20. Something Smells (#39)

19. ???

18. ???

17. Squid's Day Off (#43)

16. ???

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 14. Valentine's Day (#50)

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  11. ???

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9. ???

 8. Life of Crime (#30)

7. ???

6. ???

5. ???

4. My Pretty Seahorse (#46)

3. ???

2. ???

 1. ???

Not on List:

Rock Bottom (#49)

F.U.N. (#48)

Squidville (#47)

The Great Snail Race (#45)

The Fry Cook Games (#44)

Club SpongeBob (#42)

No Weenies Allowed (#37)

 Mid-Life Crustacean (#36)

 Survival of the Idiots (#35)

  Pranks a Lot (#34)

Plankton’s Army (#33)

 Mimic Madness (#31)

[So Sejima]

SB-129 is a great Squidward episode that does deserve top 50 consideration, but I really can't see it being this high on here. Would've put it somewhere in the 40s at most myself as quite frankly there are still other Squidward episodes I enjoy a lot more than this one. 

[Sweat]

Here's my updated top 25 with all the revealed episodes being shown.

Spoiler

25. hmmm
24. hmmm
23. hmmm
22. hmmm
21. hmmm
20. Plankton's Army [#33]
19. No Weenies Allowed [#37]
18. hmmm
17. Pranks a Lot [#34]
16. SpongeBob Meets the Strangler [#29]
15. hmmm
14. hmmm
13. hmmm
12. hmmm
11. hmmm
10. hmmm
09. hmmm
08. Squid's Day Off [#43]
07. Missing Identity [#32]
06. hmmm
05. Mid-Life Crustacean [#36]
04. hmmm
03. hmmm
02. hmmm
01. hmmm

 

[SpongeNicko]

I don't have much to say, Wumbo pretty much perfectly described this episode. It's a really amazing one from the first season with the time travel story, the absurdity of everything, and really fantastic jokes of those that they do tell. 28 is a great spot for it.

[WhoBibbles]

If Plankton's Army never existed SB-129 would be my pick for the best episode. I'm a big sucker for sci-fi and especially time travel if it's not too convoluted. This episode reminds me of Futurama/Doctor Who when I think about it now. Squidward being frozen in time only to end up in the future (Futurama) and then traveling back to the past with an elevator like time machine (Doctor Who). It's all crazy stuff. Season 1 has been mostly just a quiet and simplistic episode but this episode changed everything with making it fast paced, comedy hitting you in every second (clever jokes though) and some ambitious idea. I love it to death. Squidward's characterization is well done. I love how he went from wanting peace and quiet to legit missing his loud neighbours for seeing too much crazy shit. It's all good stuff. Animation and the music is superb and the humor is top noth. It's my #2 for these reasons.

[4EverGreen]

"SB-129" didn't make my list, but I still think it's a pretty good episode, DESPITE the unimaginative name for it! This episode probably has one of the best brick jokes in "Spongebob Squarepants" history, when Squidward ended up inventing the sport of jelly-fishing, in an attempt to get primitive Spongebob and Patrick to leave him alone! Can't wait to see what else winds up on this list! Enough said!

[Wumbo]

27. "Day 15! Give it up for Day 15!"

Fear of a Krabby Patty, 97 points

(6 of 32 lists. 1 #1 vote - Steel)

http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Fear_of_a_Krabby_Patty

SOF: This is the start of post-movie era episode that it made me like since the movie came out, and you know what? I really like the new animation that it brought to the fans that had been waiting for new SpongeBob. the jokes were great like SB flipping out the piano, Plankton trying to "cure" him with these stuff were kinda funny. Most of all, the episode itself was a great way to kick off s4.

Overall, Loved this episode that works so much in this way.

Honest Slug: Despite being the first post-movie episode, Fear of a Krabby Patty feels much more like one of the last classic episodes to me, and always has. This episode has cemented itself as a classic for a a long time for me and it has a unique place that no other episode fills. For one thing this episode possibly has the best animation of the series sans maybe the stop-motion specials. C.H. Greenblatt's visuals are at their peak and they give all the jokes the extra energy they need to be really hilarious. And unlike all the season 10 and 11 episodes the humor isn't just in the crazy faces, this is one of the most varied episodes when it comes to jokes. It has all kinds of humor and each of them hit bulls-eyes. It's tons of hilarious got laid-back comedic dialogue like when Mr. Krabs says he needs a professional and SpongeBob says "wrestler" afterwards, among much more, it has slapstick with the piano joke, it has format gags such as the montage and some amazing Plankton moments, I especially like how no one suspects anything of a guy called Dr. Peter Lankton specializing in Krabby Patty phobias. This episode brings in everything and it's one of the last superb episodes of the show.

[WhoBibbles]

Fear of a Krabby Patty missed my list but I loved the episode as a kid and I still love it to this day. Such a strong start to an otherwise solid season. When I first saw I felt like this was ripping off Graveyeard Shift though but it became a much more different concept than that and I appreciated the effort writers put in. Jokes were strong, the animation was bae and characterizations felt right. It's an episode that is worth being on the list.

[So Sejima]

When making my list the biggest surprise was exactly how much I loved Fear, because before this year I didn't have it the absolute highest, but this year it managed to climb up to my third favorite after some serious consideration. There's this charming artstyle that doesn't really match up with the rest of the series and even though it's not the best, it's still very great for capturing the characters slowly overworking themselves. Plankton actually using his college educated brain to make Krabs petty with "open 23 hours and 59 minilutes" and trying to change SpongeBob's psyche instead of forcing it like in Plankton or The Inside Job is something fun that's only been fully explored here, gags like the piano were hilarious, and the ending with sleep being the answer after a great dream sequence with the krabby patty is the perfect way that a show like SpongeBob could. Plus I still get a kick out of Peter Lankton calling SpongeBob very sick, maybe that sickness was why he never noticed he walked to the Chum Bucket instead of some silly sleep deprivation. 

Also everyone who ever said SB started declining with the beginning of season 4 can participate in Go Jump off a Cliff Day.

[OWM]

Fear of a Krabby Patty seriously feels like the beginning of a new era. The plot is simple yet extremely creative and refreshing, the colors are more vibrant and defined than ever, and the humor is still amazing. SpongeBob in particular is a comedic powerhouse. The crazy and expressive faces he does here are all so varied and creative. You can tell Carl and Zeus were having the times of their lives drawing this episode. His positive eagerness is really infectious too. I like seeing it get challenged once he starts cooking the 10,000 patties, and by the end he’s just a lifeless husk. His fear of the patties is gold too. I like how it’s something as random as giant patties, and it spawns a lot of memorable quotes. “Now let me offer this as a rebuttal. AAAAAAHHHHHH!” “Don’t eat me! I’m too chewy!” “I told you that shirt was hideous!” As for other jokes, that montage of the characters floating around to show time passing is great. I like the growing weariness in Krabs’ voice and the quote “Wait, what’s going on? Whoa! Whoa!” The therapy sequences are classic as well. I like how Plankton’s attempts to squeeze out info either backfire on him badly or accomplish nothing. That piano gag is unbeatable. The dream SpongeBob has is pretty weird, but also strangely in-character, so it works perfectly. “In my heart?” “Actually, in your arteries.”

50. ???

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45. SB-129 (#28)

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43. Missing Identity (#32)

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37. ???

36. SpongeBob Meets the Strangler (#29)

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32. ???

31. Clams (#41)

30. ???

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25. ???

24. Big Pink Loser (#38)

23. ???

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21. ???

 20. Something Smells (#39)

19. ???

18. ???

17. Squid's Day Off (#43)

16. Fear of a Krabby Patty (#27)

15. ???

 14. Valentine's Day (#50)

13. ???

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  11. ???

10. ???

9. ???

 8. Life of Crime (#30)

7. ???

6. ???

5. ???

4. My Pretty Seahorse (#46)

3. ???

2. ???

 1. ???

Not on List:

Rock Bottom (#49)

F.U.N. (#48)

Squidville (#47)

The Great Snail Race (#45)

The Fry Cook Games (#44)

Club SpongeBob (#42)

No Weenies Allowed (#37)

 Mid-Life Crustacean (#36)

 Survival of the Idiots (#35)

  Pranks a Lot (#34)

Plankton’s Army (#33)

 Mimic Madness (#31)

 

[Steel Sponge]

I honestly wasn't expecting "Fear of a Krabby Patty" to make the list, but I'm glad that it did, since this is my #1. Looks like now I need to get to writing up my commentary for every other episode on the list that I haven't talked about if I'm going to talk about this relic from the post-movie era.

[SpongeNicko]

Fear of a Krabby Patty is very great! It is excellent in the humor department, is a very cool plot, has amazing animation, and in general was just a fantatsic way to start the post-movie era! Also, I don't really mind that it's similar to Graveyard Shift, because FOAKP goes in a completely different direction with the 24-hour thing than Graveyard Shift did. But yeah, not much more to say. Once I make my own Top 50 list, I'm sure this episode will find its way in there!

[kylie]

thanks fear of a krabby patty for the unrealistic post-movie expectations, at least we got a great pre-movieish episode out of it tho. hopefully stuff like this helps everyone see that season 4 is actually fine (and quite good at times) (and is now 'old spongebob')

[4EverGreen]

Somehow, I remembered to put BOTH "Graveyard Shift", and the partner episodes to "Fear of a Krabby Patty"; "Shell of a Man" on my list, ironically RIGHT next to each other on my list; but I completely forgot to put in THIS stellar episode on my list as well! I'm really glad this episode got on the list, though. I'm not sure whether or not C.H. Greenblatt knew in advance that "Fear of a Krabby Patty" would end up being the last episode (as of July 11, 2018), of "Spongebob Squarepants" that he would ever work on! But in any case, he sure made his last episode be jam-packed with incredible animation (especially for the time), and amazing jokes!  (Spongebob: "Couldn't we get to work EARLIER than 6 A.M.? Like 5:30 A.M.? Or 5 A.M.? Or 4 A.M.? Or--." Squidward: "Zip it!" Squidward LITERALLY zips Spongebob's window shut! Spongebob: "I've got to pinch myself because I MUST be dreaming!" Mr. Krabs KEEPS ringing the bell and announces how many days the Krusty Krab has been open non-stop! Squidward: "Mr. Krabs, he is NOT normal!" Spongebob: "I see...GIANT Krabby Patties!" Plankton: "Good! And what are they made of?!" Spongebob: "Hatred!" Plankton: "WAIT!!!! Where'd you get that piano?!" SMASH!!!!) This was a stellar way to begin Spongebob's post-movie period of his show; and in a weird way, I think the popularity of THIS episode, has subsequently made it a LOT harder for many of the other post-movie and post-sequel episodes to measure up to THIS one, because they had to measure up to the popularity and the hilarity of this episode, which is NOT an easy thing to do!  Still, I can't wait to see what other episodes wind up on this list!  Enough said!

[WinterArcanine]

SB-129: Amazing episode and definitely my favorite Season 1 episode. Great episode with great settings and atmosphere, and a great plot and good jokes. It also has very good animation. This episode is nearly in my top 10

Fear of a Krabby Patty: Another great episode, but not on my top 25. However, it IS in my top 50, great jokes, great characters, great atmosphere, and a very good plot. Also, amazing animation.

Pranks a Lot (#34)

Missing Identity (#32)

Valentine's Day (#50) 

Squid's Day Off (#43)

Plankton's Army (#33)

Employee of the Month (#40)

Mid-Life Crustacean (#36)

Survival of the Idiots (#35)

Something Smells (#39)

The Great Snail Race (#45) (Might be higher but whatever)

Rock Bottom (#49) 

Clams (#41)

The Fry Cook Games (#44)

Life of Crime (#30)

50: ???

49: Club Spongebob (#42)

48: ???

47: ???

46: My Pretty Seahorse (#46)

 45: ??? 

44: Fear of a Krabby Patty (#27)

43: ???

42: Big Pink Loser (#38)

 41: ???

40: ???

39: ???

38: ???

 37: Squidville (#47)

36: ???

35: ???

34: ???

33: ???

32: ???

31: ???

30: ???

29: ???

28: ???

27: F.U.N (#48)

26: ???

25: ???

24: ???

23: No Weenies Allowed (#37)

22: SpongeBob Meets the Strangler (#29)

21: ???

 20: ???

 19: ???

18: ???

17: ???

16: ???

15: ???

14: ???

13: ???

12: ???

11: SB-129 (#28)

10: Mimic Madness (#31)

9: ???

8: ???

7: ???

6: ???

5: ???

4: ???

3: ???

2: ???

1: ???

 10/50, 4/25

[Wumbo]

26. "Gary loves balsa wood!"

Have You Seen This Snail?, 103 points

(8 of 32 lists. Highest Ranking: #5, TJ)

http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Have_You_Seen_This_Snail%3F

jjs: Have You Seen This Snail? has always been not just my absolute favorite episode from Season 4, but one of the best specials period. It manages to blend a great mix of emotion and comedy. While it's not on my personal top 10, it managed to crack my list this year at #13, which I think is the best spot I could give it (although maybe that can change someday). Regardless, there's so many things this episode does right. The comedy is great, especially with everything Patrick does ("OFFICE PRODUCTS FALLING FROM THE SKY!"), and I also really enjoyed Gary's antics with Granny. The emotional aspects are handled very well, and much like My Pretty Seahorse, I can relate to SpongeBob here given I know how it feels to lose a pet. That being said however, I can understand why some might not feel this one if you feel nothing out of the emotional aspects to it, especially if you're not attached to SpongeBob's plight that much and you don't find much in the episode funny. Sometimes though, I think the lack of comedy can be fine if the story they give makes up for it. And I still personally believe that Have You Seen This Snail? manages to make a compelling story, while still managing to squeeze in great bits of humor. Without a doubt, Have You Seen This Snail? will always stand as one of my all-time favorite specials, and my favorite post-movie Aaron Springer work. 

More: This episode could have been a huge risk. At the show's core, it's a lighthearted comedy about an optimist, and even when he's pushed to his limits or acts annoying, SpongeBob always  found a bright side and regained his happiness. This episode has that absent, which was a huge risk that could be a bore to sit through and a shallow poke at drama the show's proven incapable of. However, this episode avoids contrived narratives by keeping it simplistic, having the story merely be Gary leaving for food and SpongeBob regretting his neglect,, even improving upon the lackluster "Dumped."

Maybe it's shallow, but it allows enough room to explore SpongeBob's sadness and empathy for Gary purely unobstructed, allowing for one to project to SpongeBob's feelings of loss and sadness easily, whether you've lost your pet or not. Despite the fact that it convinces me into thinking Gary's better off as Ms. Tufsy, his desperate yet innocent montage of trying to get Gary back helps cement the love they share, even topping it off with a song with soulful vocals and twinkling piano. While it's valid to say this is a problem due to lack of humor, I don't find that the case, as we see constantly good gags from Patrick along with visual humor to counteract the depressing tone, from bizarrely intruding Squidward's bathroom, to Patrick simply wanting scented pinecones or balsa wood as he can't connect, despite SpongeBob's feelings being simple empathy for Gary. Nothing complex or dramatic, yet it balanced the comedy and tragedy excellently to give a very sweet episode.