JCM's Fave 50

[JCM]

That's right! Every weekday for the next five weeks, I'll be counting down the episodes that I consider the show's finest, two at a time. Don't miss it! Please, I need the ratings.

[E.V.I.L.]

AOO EMM GEE

II AM SHOOOOOOO EXCITED

and I will make sure to spam llamas as much as I can

[I'M A TRASH CAN]

I'm So Exicted!

[chocolatesoup]

I'll see what's up here, since I'm kind of a lurker here.

[JCM]

Well, I've finished the list! The first two episodes should be up later tonight.

[JCM]

#50 - Frankendoodle

"FINLAND!"

I really, really loved this episode's plot line. SpongeBob and Patrick play around with a giant pencil that "falls out of the sky", and we get to watch as everything goes horribly wrong. The humor was great and consistent, and the characters stayed true to their personalities. Overall, this is one of the better Season 2 episodes, and I hold out hope to this day that DoodleBob will rise again.

#49 - Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm

"You ain't my pa!"

This episode is a favorite of many spandy shippers, and I can see why. SpongeBob risks his own life and limb to keep Sandy out of danger, and his breakdown near the middle of the episode is nothing short of touching. All that aside, though, this was an extremely fun 11 minutes, and the little (or should I say big) twist at the end made all the build-up worth it. Each main character got at one funny line, from Sandy's belly button comment to the immortal "push it somewhere else". I had trouble with the positions of this and the episode it was partnered with (Squid on Strike), but SOS eventually won out, so it'll be a bit higher on this list.

That's it for today! Don't forget to check back tomorrow when I unveil my choices for 48 and 47.

[SG19]

Uh...should I expect a few post-classic episodes on the list?

[JCM]

Uh...should I expect a few post-classic episodes on the list?

There will be a few.

[JCM]

#48 - The Great Snail Race

"Squidward...Tortellini???"

I'm just going to get this out there before saying anything else: SpongeBob is a jerk in this episode. He's a meanie bo beanie who works his snail half to death so he can do what? Prove to Squidward that he can win a stupid contest? I've always had a problem with that aspect of the story, and that's one of the reasons this episode isn't in my top 20. However, the things this episode does right outweighs the things it does wrong, and that's why I couldn't have the heart to leave it off my list completely.

For one, this episode was chock-full of gags. Its writers knew how to keep me laughing, and keep me laughing it did. Also, the ending wrapped everything up perfectly. It not only redeemed SpongeBob and gave him a well-deserved kick to the seat of his pants (literally), but it brought Gary together with his first love interest in the series. After seeing him get tortured so badly, it was nice to see everything work out well for the old snail. All in all, I'd say that this episode, despite its faults, was a worthy member of Season 3.

#47 - F.U.N.

"F is for fire that burns down the whole town! U is for uranium...bombs! N is for no survivors, when you"

This episode, though not particularly funny, is one of the most memorable of Season 1. It contains what I consider to be the show's best song, The FUN Song, which embodies SpongeBob's personality to a T. It was the first episode to really show Plankton's soft side, and though he ends up going back to his rotten ways, it was still a big step for the series. With great music and a wonderful exploration of character relationships, this was the episode that sealed SpongeBob's fate as a show that wasn't going "anywhere, anytime at all".

[Wumbo]

Always thought that Great Snail Race was one of the weaker offerings of Season 3, mostly because of SpongeBob's behaviour.

[JCM]

#46 - Squid on Strike

"Ehh, Squidward? Ehh, Squidward? Ehh, Squidward? Ehh, Squidward?"

This was the last episode produced for Season 2, and it weaved together all of the season's best elements effortlessly. It starts with Mr. Krabs being a cheapskate again, and Squidward, fed up with it all, decides to go on strike. He takes SpongeBob along for the ride, and as you can expect, it doesn't pan out that well. SpongeBob's ignorance of labor union tactics causes him to unintentionally obstruct Squidward's airing of grievances. However, after getting SpongeBob out of the way, Squidward manages to fire up crowds with words I didn't understand when I first watched the episode and some I don't understand now. SpongeBob, moved by the speech, tells off Mr. Krabs and decides to take matters into his own hands. It seems, though, that he didn't quite get the symbolism of the speech, because he ends up dismantling the restaurant.

Overall, this was a great and funny episode. I love when the storylines are simple like that, because they give the writers tons of much-needed leeway.

#45 - Pranks a Lot

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" (Ghostbusters FTW)

This episode was just on another list that I won't mention by name, but in short, its review on that list wasn't exactly what I'd call favorable. And yeah, this episode ended on a bit of a sour note, but like The Great Snail Race's ending, it was karmic justice, so it's easy to forgive.

Anyway, I've always loved SpongeBob-Patrick episodes because of the great chemistry between the characters, and once we get higher up the list, you'll start to see a lot more of them. SpongeBob and Patrick just made this episode as they went from stringing out bad puns to scaring the living barnacles out of everyone in Bikini Bottom. And boy, do they do it with style. They send Sandy back to Texas, Mrs. Puff to an emergency room, and Squidward to god-knows-where. Then, of course, there's their antics with Mr. Krabs. The fact that they glued the doors shut, replaced the window glass with rubber, and clogged all the toilets showed that they were really determined to scare that old crustacean. They scared him all right, but their stunt with the dollar bill proved to be their own undoing, and you know where it goes from there.

All around, this episode was top-notch entertainment, and as a little side note, it was also the last of its season. I'd say that both 2 and 3 went out with a bang, and it's too bad they couldn't continue that winning streak. (I'm looking at you, Gift of Gum.)

[chocolatesoup]

I wonder how many post-movie episodes shall be oriented however and where on this list.

[JCM]

#44 - Plankton's Army

"Felicitations, malefactors! I am endeavoring to misappropriate the formulary for the preparation of affordable comestibles!"

This and The Algae's Always Greener were the only Plankton-centric episodes in Season 3, and both focused more on developing Plankton's character and less on having him go out and try to steal the formula once again. He does hatch a plot in this episode and attempt to carry it out, as the commercials promised, but a good majority of it was dedicated to Plankton reflecting on his many failures and getting to know his extended family. Speaking of that, the hillbilly jokes got many a guffaw out of this proud Southerner. They're completely inaccurate, of course, except for the stuff about root beer. I loves me some root beer.

What was I talking about? Oh, right. The episode. It was funny and well-written, and that's really all I have to say about it. Onwards!

#43 - Krusty Towers

"I don't tell you how to live your life."

This was a very ambitious episode, and I really liked that. In it, Mr. Krabs turns his restaurant into a *cough*-star hotel, hoping that it'll allow him to rip people off on an even greater scale than before. Unfortunately, the only thing that increases with this transformation is Squidward's hatred of providing good service, and Patrick's antics as Krusty Towers' first and only customer finally pushes him over the edge and causes him to quit (again). After Squidward comes back to the resort to make Mr. Krabs' life a living heck, Mr. Krabs decides that it isn't worth it anymore and scraps the project. This episode's change of setting was a breath of fresh air, and I, like many others, consider it one of Season 4's best.

I wasn't able to fit a lot of post-movie episodes onto my list, but I can assure you that there will be more, and some of their positions may surprise you. Tomorrow, I'll be posting the last episodes for this week, so stay tuned!

[E.V.I.L.]

A lot of my fave eppys have so far been revealed on this list. :3

[chocolatesoup]

You dude hit the nail on the head. But KT should be higher.

[Webizoid]

Interesting list so far, JCM! I can't wait to see what #1 is!

[Wumbo]

Glad to see Squid on Strike there. Hilarious episode.

[JCM]

#42 - Can You Spare a Dime?

"So much later that the old narrator got tired of waiting and they had to hire a new one."

One of the biggest things I love about this episode is how it explores what is arguably the show's most interesting character relationship. It reverses SpongeBob's and Squidward's roles, having the latter annoy the former to the brink of insanity. It also gives us some insight into why Squidward continues to work at the Krusty Krab for next to nothing with someone he despises. Frankly, he doesn't have a choice. His lack of talent and work ethic makes finding a different job impossible. While Mr. Krabs doesn't care about what he does at the register as long as there's money in it, any other employer would have him fired on the first day, hence the living-in-a-box and eating-his-own-paintings situation Squidward finds himself in.

Though this episode had a lot of philosophy to it, that didn't stop the jokes from coming at a rapid-fire pace. SpongeBob's "football playing king in space" comment and the above-quoted title card in particular come to mind here. Overall, this was a great episode that had everything that made Season 3 Season 3.

#41 - No Free Rides

"Educational television? Ohhh nooo!"

This is one of the only two boating school-related episodes on my list. I've generally found those episodes to be dull and repetitive, but this was a grand exception. In it, Mrs. Puff decides to get SpongeBob out of her life by handing him an extra credit assignment that a preschooler could pass. Of course, this is SpongeBob we're talking about, so it becomes a long-drawn out and hilarious attempt to get ten simple words onto a piece of paper. Even though he fails the test miserably, Mrs. Puff gives him his license anyway, and it's not until she gets home that she realizes she just put the entire city in danger for her own self-gratification. She decides to set things right by breaking into SpongeBob's car and driving off in it, which is completely reasonable. Unfortunately, she happened to do so while the little yellow guy was right under her, leading to the greatest chase scene in SpongeBob history.

Suffice it to say, this episode was wonderful, chock-full of the clever writing and general silliness that made us fall in love with the show.

That's it for this week! Come back Monday when I'll start off with the next ten.

[Wumbo]

Ah, No Free Rides. Always found that one to be underrated. Glad to see it here.

[JCM]

#40 - Help Wanted

"Yes, of course he lives in a pineapple, you silly."

This was the first episode of the series, and like many first episodes, it had endless opportunities to fall flat on its face. The fact that it not only kept itself from falling on its face but kept its head up high in triumph made it an obvious contender for this list. The characters, though animated in a different style, had the personalities that we're so fond of today. SpongeBob, optimistic, sometimes to a fault; Patrick, dim-witted but well-meaning; Squidward, grumpy; Mr. Krabs, greedy. Help Wanted laid the groundwork for the rest of this exceptional show and, despite carrying the weight of the world on its shoulders, managed to stay fresh and funny throughout its 8 or 9 minutes.

#39 - Krab Borg

"Let's get that poop!"

In this episode, SpongeBob keeps thinking that robots are taking over the world, probably on account of a movie he watches the night before about robots taking over the world. When he's convinced that his boss is a robot, he enlists Squidward's aid in getting the "real" Mr. Krabs back. This results in a hilarious interrogation scene, complete with insults and slapping and destruction of personal property, and it doesn't become apparent to them that they're being idiots until their robot starts bawling about his beloved cash register. Overall, it was a solid episode with a side of Mr. Krabs that you don't get to see often. Also, Electric Zoo was Season 3's Musical Doodle.