157a. Squidward's School for Grown Ups

[Nevadabell]

Weird episode, the name of the episode had absolutely nothing to do with what happens in the episode. But I thought SpongeBob singing opera was kinda epic myself.

 

5/10

[Cha]

I feel like the milk and cookies SpongeBob gets at that restaurant represents the reversed roles that him and Patrick have in this. What do I mean by reversed roles? Well in Grandma's Kisses SpongeBob wants to be the adult with his sideburns while Patrick eventually wants to be the baby/kid. While SSFG (this episode) Patrick wants to be the adult with his beard and SB wants to stay childish. I feel like SpongeBob was teaching Patrick the lesson SpongeBob learned from his grandma It's funny, SpongeBob's childish personality is challenged specifically in the movie as well. I guess it's hard for some people to realize that you can still be responsible and be a child at heart.

[Less_SpongeBob]

I don't know about you, but I thought this episode was terrible. My main problem is the way it deals with maturity and growing up--It divides it into a complete and utter black-and-white scenario with one end being obnoxiously loud and hyper and the other end being overly uptight and superficial. In real life, maturity comes from past experiences and learning from mistakes, it doesn't just "happen" to come with puberty to bring you from one one-sided personality to another. Also, rather than explaining that people are have different ways of experiencing life, and that a balance of silliness and seriousness is key, it pretty much implies that all maturity is bad that you should never grow up if anyone wants to stay your friends, which is a really horrible message. Although that isn't the only thing wrong, no, it also expects me to feel sympathy for SpongeBob losing his "friend" after being irritating and highly immature throughout the whole episode, and to treat Sqquidward as the evil force taking him away for being just as bad as him, and expects me to believe that a lowsy friendship opera is all it takes to "forgive". (The song on it's own was enjoyable in a weird way, though). It expects me to believe that SpongeBob actually deserves to succeed. And the humor failed too. What wasn't black-and-white stereotypes (the moment at the restaurant or the idea that the immature'll ruind art) or mind-numbing filler (Yelling at the cars for a full 2 minutes), made the story really confused and free from any logic (looking at you, sea urchin). All-and-all, I give this a 3/10