189. SpongeBob, You're Fired

[SpongeBobsNumber1Fan]

Hi guys,

You may remember me if you were on the SpongeBob Wiki during the time when they actually had comment sections on articles. I always like to read what people think of new episodes, so I've been coming here for quite some time, but now that I have more time on my hands I will be contributing to the discussion for new episodes from now on. Anyway, here's what I thought of "SpongeBob, You're Fired!":

I LOVED this episode!!!! In my opinion, this is one of the best, if not the best, episode of Season 9 so far. The beginning was cute, I loved how SpongeBob split himself into tiny SpongeBobs to clean the dishes. The scene where he gets fired is very good because it just seems so... real. There isn't any dramatic build-up, Mr. Krabs just gives it to him straight. I do think it's a bit ridiculous that he got fired just for a nickel, but Mr. Krabs would sell SpongeBob's sould for 62 cents, so... maybe it's not too far of a stretch. I loved the "canned", "pink-slipped" and "axed" puns. When SpongeBob started to cry it made me genuinely sad. It literally broke my heart a bit to see him that way. I don't think I've seen anything as depressing on SpongeBobb since "Have You Seen This Snail?". This is a good thing, it means that the scene was very powerful and it touched my heart. So I think it was very well done, and representative of what happend in the workforce every day (not the crying part, the part where really good employees get laid off just to save some money). And to anyone who says SpongeBob cries too much: He just had his lifelong dream crushed before his eyes. You would cry, too!

The scene with SpongeBob coming home to Gary is depressing at first, but it was really heartwarming how Gary comforted SpongeBob. SpongeBob is right, there's nothing like the unconditional love of a pet! It was also really sweet how Patrick was upset by SpongeBob's crying. That is a true friend! And it was hilarious when SpongeBob couldn't say he got "fired" and Patrick started naming foods that started with F, especially when he said "I can't think of any more foods that begin with C!".

The "Early The Next Morning" time card looked really cool.

SpongeBob's appearance the next morning was quite depressing, especially his "Best Day Ever" mug... for some reason, this really pulled on my heart, probably the idea of SpongeBob making a slight attempt at cheering himself up, but failing miserably. Patrick trying to teach SpongeBob the joys of "fun-employment" was really funny, especially with SpongeBob trampling Squidward's petunias and trying to stick to Patrick's rock using Gary's snail slime.

It was cute how SpongeBob pulled off a piece of himself, dunked it in his coffee, then ate it, only to have it grow right back. I loved the scene with Sandy. Patrick's second head was hilarious, as was Sandy's "psychological experiment". I thought it was awesome how Sandy was concerned about SpongeBob and tried to cheer him up and get him back on his feet (Spandy Moment!), and how Patrick encouraged SpongeBob to follow his heart. It was really great to see SpongeBob revert back to his positive, happy self thanks to his friends' encouragement. This was really inspiring! It was so great to hear SponheBob's trademark "I'm Ready!" again, we haven't heard that in a very long time!

The scenes of SpongeBob trying out jobs at those fast-food places were well done, too. The Weenie Hut, Pizza Piehole, Taco Sombrero, and Wet Noodle were all very creative and I love how each owner wears a costume of his restaurant's primary menu item, and how each owner is named after this food item (Mr. Weiner, Pizza Pete, Señor Taco, and Noodle Guy). I also love how The Weenie Hut is a reference to Weenie Hut Jr.'s. It was funny seeing SpongeBob make patties out of each food item and then get fired for it, and then mistake each restaurant owner for Mr. Krabs and complain about getting fired. It was sad to see him cry so much but this was justifiable. I also liked the snarky comments SpongeBob made to each restaurant owner when he got fired.

It was realy nice to hear SpongeBob refer to the snail food by it's brand name, Snailpo, this was a nice nod to the earlier seasons. I like how SpongeBob made his own snail food, this scene showed that SpongeBob was able to become happy by making others happy.

It was hilarious to see SpongeBob get kidnapped by the fish in the hot dog costumes and kept as prisoner in The Weenie Hut. It got even more wacky when each fast-food restaurant owner tried to capture SpongeBob and almost ended up ripping him to pieces! This was a fantastic and hilarious scene. I loved how the Krabby Patty Man turned out to be Squidward... to be honest I really didn't see that coming! It was so touching and heartwarming how Squidward was the one to invite SpongeBob back to the Krusty Krab... he didn't want to admit it, but you could tell that Squidward really did care. It was also great seeing SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs make up, perhaps Mr. Krabs will try to be a bit less cheap from now on. I literally let out a cheer when SpongeBob exclaimed "My life has purpose again!"! It was great seeing SpongeBob restore the Krusty Krab, he's back and better than ever!

I do admit that this ending was sort of predictable, but it was still really well executed and quite touching and heartwarming, I felt. I knew The Krusty Krab couldn't last without SpongeBob! It was cool to see all the fast-food restaurant owners eating together at The Krusty Krab. The ending with the 5-cent fee to use the bathroom was funny as well, but I do feel bad for Old Man Jenkins! I hope he found his nickel.

If I could make one suggestion to the writers, it would be this: what they cold have done is have Mr. Krabs say, "Sorry, SpongeBob, but a nickel's a nickel. Besides, I just burned the last of the patties and now me customers are gone! I need to come up with a gimmick to get them back." At this point, SpongeBob would say, "I have an idea!" and the scene would cut to SpongeBob serving Hot Dog Patties, Pizza Patties, Taco Patties, and Noodle Patties to many happy customers including the fast-food restaurant owners. SpongeBob would then be hired back. An ending ike this might flesh out the episode and give some added meaning to SpongeBob's job hunting. But don't get me wrong, I still LOVE the ending we got!

All in all, "SpongeBob, You're Fired!" was a cute, clever, funny, original, deep, and powerful episode. From the wacky plot to the characters' personalities to the references to old episodes, this episode is one of mt very favorites, not only from Season 9, but of all time! I like how the episode promotes the power of optimism, friendship, and perseverance, while also teaching a bit about the economy. I absolutely LOVE this episode and I give it a 10 out of 10!

[Clappy]

Main reason I came online today.

So I watched the DVR of this "special" episode this afternoon. I have to say, I have a mixed bag in terms of how I feel about this episode. For starters, I never truly believed SpongeBob would remain fired from the Krusty Krab. The execution of SpongeBob's firing was absolutely awful, even for Mr. Krabs standards. A nickel? *shakes head*

But anyway, for those of you mentioning how anticlimactic this episode was, let me just say this. SpongeBob has and always gone through a reset at the end of any episode. Of course it's not going to have a continuous storyline. It's not Gravity Falls, Avatar, Adventure Time, etc. Would it be awesome if they broke those standards every once and awhile? Sure. That would be refreshing.

That being said, the SpongeBob writers could have at least spent more time trying to develop their plots and not rush the entire second half of the episode. That bugged me to no end that we watch SpongeBob go through a quick montage of how he faltered at every job post Krusty Krab and Mr. Krabs being an awful fry cook (reference to Squilliam Returns perhaps?).

So yeah, long story short, this episode could have been executed far better and it turns out to be one of the most disappointing episodes in show history. I shouldn't have set my hopes up so high.

2/5

[Cha]

Thought this episode was pretty emotional. I think it really captured the essence of how he would react. It even made me feel depressed a bit, especially the first eleven minutes. I kinda saw the restaurants ganging up on him coming, since Le Big Switch did the same thing before. Even though the ending felt rush, and somehow SpongeBob knew Squidward hates him (wtfishpaste?) it wasn't too bad. Kinda makes me sad Krabs didn't really have a speech or they didn't show the Krusty Krab side of the problem. Oh well. Oh and the BEST DAY EVER MUG AND I'M READY?! WEENIE HUT JUNIORS TOO?! Too many references.

Solid C


And am I the only one who thought Squidward's dress at the end looked like that picture SpongeGirl93 made once?

[WhoBibbles]

I know all of you were looking forward to this episode but to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to this episode because the idea of someone being fired has been already done in many shows and the reason why Mr. Krabs fired SpongeBob makes no sense. To save a nickel, Mr. Krabs fired SpongeBob. Seriously Mr. Krabs? You make tons of money and you want to save a worthless nickel? It's another example that Mr. Krabs is still greedy and also Mr. Krabs saving a nickel reminds me of Penny Foolish episode because Mr. Krabs was trying to get the penny (It's actually $500 dollar bill) that SpongeBob found. I watched the Greek version of this episode and It as actually better than I expected. I thought this episode was okay at first until I watched the Engilsh version. It was actually a great special but It's still not amazing as season 4 and 8 specials (These specials are the best specials of SpongeBob). This episode has some problems though. Mr. Krabs was greedy again and some parts were boring. There were some gross-out humor in this episode too but the gross-out hmor didn't bother me much. Also SpongeBob crying in this episode was kinda annoying but It's still less annoying than SpongeBob crying in Funny Pants and All That Glitters. I wasn't really enjoying watching this episode until the second part when SpongeBob trying to get a job at diffirent restaurants. I really enjoyed the scenes with The bosses of their own restaurants fighting over SpongeBob and then Killer Patty (who is actually Squidward) rescuing SpongeBob and kicks the bosses' butts. I also enjoyed watching the begining of this episode I laughed at some parts in this episode like Old Man Jenkins parts, Squidward wanting to be fired too but Mr. Krabs not firing him, SpongeBob and Patrick stepping on Squidward's petunias, Patrick's second head, SpongeBob making Squidward a princess and the ending. There was a emotional scene between SpongeBob, Squidward and Mr. Krabs and I liked it. Also there were some references to old episodes like "Best Day Ever" mug, SpongeBob turning every food into patties in Le Big Switch and Mr. Krabs being terrible at cooking in Squilliam Returns. Also It's good to hear SpongeBob's "I'm ready" catchphrase and It was great to see Sandy in this episode (we barely saw her in season 9). It's not one of the best specials or one of the best season 9 episodes but It's still a great episode for me and It's worth watching again. I can't wait to see the next season 9 special, It Came from the Goo Lagoon (I actually saw the Greek version of this episode, now I have to see the English version). I gave this epsiode 8/10.

[Jjs Goodman]

But anyway, for those of you mentioning how anticlimactic this episode was, let me just say this. SpongeBob has and always gone through a reset at the end of any episode. Of course it's not going to have a continuous storyline. It's not Gravity Falls, Avatar, Adventure Time, etc. Would it be awesome if they broke those standards every once and awhile? Sure. That would be refreshing.

 

 

I'm aware of that, and that's why this episode was so dull to begin with. It's not even that the concept was predictable, the actual episode content wasn't even very strong. The first half was dull filler that did nothing to advance the story. The second half was just SpongeBob going into restaurants, getting fired, getting kidnapped by them, and then he is saved. There was really no conflict whatsoever, and there was barely any emotion for me to care about SpongeBob getting fired.

 

Sorry to those who liked it, but I honestly was a not a huge fan of this one. :/

[SpongeOddFan]

I'm aware of that, and that's why this episode was so dull to begin with. It's not even that the concept was predictable, the actual episode content wasn't even very strong. The first half was dull filler that did nothing to advance the story. The second half was just SpongeBob going into restaurants, getting fired, getting kidnapped by them, and then he is saved. There was really no conflict whatsoever, and there was barely any emotion for me to care about SpongeBob getting fired.

 

Sorry to those who liked it, but I honestly was a not a huge fan of this one. :/

technically, SB did got fired BEFORE, remember *Karate Chopper & *Squid on Strike*?

[Jjs Goodman]

technically, SB did got fired BEFORE, remember *Karate Chopper & *Squid on Strike*?

 

Yes, but it wasn't really official.

[4EverGreen]

I thought it was a pretty good episode. Sure, it doesn't grab you like a REALLY funny episode like "I'm Your Biggest Fanatic," but this episode isn't really meant to be funny; it's more of a character development episode like "Gone." This episode examines how Spongebob would react to getting fired, what Spongebob would do at different restaurants (make different patty foods for each restauarants) and it finally shows us that...YES!!!! :D :D Spongebob DOES know that Squidward hates him; so at least we finally got THAT question answered! And at the end, I did see the other costumed restaurant guys eating at the Krusty Krab, so it should be a given that they apologized to Spongebob for firing him than trying to kidnap him later. Overall, I give this a episode a 9.4 out of 10, only because the episode was a little slow in places! Enough said!

[Young Nug]

Written By: Marc Ceccareli, Luke Brookshier, and Mr. Lawrence

 

On SpongeBob, sometimes, there are very simple, and almost boring plots that are saved by how they are executed, a prime example being "Sand Castles In The Sand". Other times, there are incredibly interesting plots that are botched by execution, like "Clash Of Triton". 

 

This episode is neither. 

 

At first glance, SpongeBob getting fired seems like a marvel idea. The show's central focus is on SpongeBob and the Krusty Krab, so taking that element away must make for a great episode, right? Well, not so much, when you think about it. But, I'll save that for later, moving on to the episode. When Mr. Krabs learns he can save a nickel by firing SpongeBob, he fires SpongeBob. SpongeBob cries for about 2 minutes and then tags along with Patrick as they discover the joys of being unemployed. SpongeBob then decides to get it together and get a new job. We're treated to SpongeBob trying to get a job at 4 different places that all reject him because SpongeBob only knows how to make patties. SpongeBob then gets kidnapped 4 times by the different restaurant owners, before an unknown savior beats everyone up, saves SpongeBob, and he gets his job back because Mr. Krabs doesn't know how to run a restaurant because this is SpongeBob and time's almost out. And then SpongeBob mirrors what he did at the start of the episode and it ends.

 

Even without seeing the episode, I'm sure you can see the biggest flaw in it- It's just not that interesting. However, that's not to say everything was bad. For starters, because the plot is so very thin, the episode required a lot of filler, and some of the filler is actually pretty interesting. The opening scene where SpongeBob cooks the patties and cleans is endearing and another cool look into his many patty-cooking processes. And the scene where SpongeBob makes the SnailPo utilizes one of my favorite Post-Movie background tunes and has some nice animation. A lot of gags genuinely worked, too- Patrick's mini-face gag cracked me up every time, and there's  wonderful anti-sequence gag where a fish gets hit by a bus that comes out of nowhere and is absolutely hilarious. Seeing a depressed and sarcastic side of SpongeBob was great too, his softly sad voice was great. As a final note, the episode seemed to look at the characters from a more relaxed angle, and they act more realistic- Patrick bobbing back and forth when waiting for SpongeBob to open the door, SpongeBob dipping his head in the coffee, etc. Not sure who directed these parts, but whoever did, nice job. And the entire episode has a bit of a Season 3 feel that's really nice.

 

But otherwise, this episode did suffer from a lot of problems, the earliest being Eugene's braindead reason for firing SpongeBob. Saving a nickel, while slightly better than a penny, is still incredibly stupid and reminiscent of Season 6 Penny Foolish Krabs, and no one wants to see that. Mr. Krabs can be cheap in moderation, but using cheapness as an entire plot just doesn't work. The second problem is how pointless the episode feels. While some filler was cool, like the scene with Sandy, the entire plot point with the four different restaurants just didn't need to exist. We are literally forced to endure the same joke 4 times, over and over. And it wasn't even funny the first time. Squidward was also handled poorly in this episode (but it's a Brookerelli episode, this should've been expected, I guess). 

 

"SpongeBob, you know I hate you, right?"

"...Yes. Yes I do."

"Well, I hate the smell of burnt patties more. Will you come back?"

 

NONONO

 

That is not Squidward, that's not funny, that's a horrible line that should never have existed and I'm pissed it was even written and even got through.

 

But, even amongst all these problems, it seems like the good would outweigh the bad, right? It does, slightly. The problems in this episode just stem from the fact that SpongeBob getting fired does not make for a good plot. A small plot element, like in Bummer Vacation, or Karate Choppers? It works great. But an entire special about SpongeBob getting fired doesn't work, because SpongeBob having job anxiety, or looking for a new job, or being depressed will only be novel so many times, and it'll stop being interesting at some point. This episode's plot was too thin to give Luke or Marc much to work with, and for what they had, they did a good job. But the episode is still very middle of the road and really didn't need to exist. I guess I'm glad the finally got this plot out of the way.

 

6.5/10. It could've been worse, I suppose.

[almy]

saw this episode at grandma's house.

 

 

"wth was that," i said to myself

 

 

5/10

[Buttered Toast]

Slow, dull, boring and repetitive as heck.

2/10

[patrickduh]

It is awesome! When Spongebob is continuously crying, it is my favorite part!

[Ron]

Finally saw this episode... definitely was below expectations. I didn't like this episode at all. It was pointless, not funny, very bland... this episode really had no reason for being. It could've been great but had terrible execution.

[­MarioOrangeDash]

Can someone correct me but wasn't there an episode called Spongebob, you're fired, where Spongebob goes inside his house and plays with KK figures? I've seen this plot before...

 

EDIT: Nvm, it was Bummer Vacation

[NegiSpongie]

Can someone correct me but wasn't there an episode called Spongebob, you're fired, where Spongebob goes inside his house and plays with KK figures? I've seen this plot before...

 

EDIT: Nvm, it was Bummer Vacation

He wasn't actually fired in that episode. He was just on vacation.

[thespongebobfan]

An okay episode, below my expectations but still it was okay.

 

6.5/10

[The Guy With the Computer]

Eh, it's not good, but it's grown on me a bit.

 

6/10

[Supergameman]

So, as a Season 9 finale, I have this one statement.

Look at the first post. Does that picture look anything like Spongebob in Season 3?

It feels like Spongebob is redeeming himself, but not in the way we expected it.

[WhoBibbles]

I know all of you were looking forward to this episode but to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to this episode because the idea of someone being fired has been already done in many shows and the reason why Mr. Krabs fired SpongeBob makes no sense. To save a nickel, Mr. Krabs fired SpongeBob. Seriously Mr. Krabs? You make tons of money and you want to save a worthless nickel? It's another example that Mr. Krabs is still greedy and also Mr. Krabs saving a nickel reminds me of Penny Foolish episode because Mr. Krabs was trying to get the penny (It's actually $500 dollar bill) that SpongeBob found. I watched the Greek version of this episode and It as actually better than I expected. I thought this episode was okay at first until I watched the Engilsh version. It was actually a great special but It's still not amazing as season 4 and 8 specials (These specials are the best specials of SpongeBob). This episode has some problems though. Mr. Krabs was greedy again and some parts were boring. There were some gross-out humor in this episode too but the gross-out hmor didn't bother me much. Also SpongeBob crying in this episode was kinda annoying but It's still less annoying than SpongeBob crying in Funny Pants and All That Glitters. I wasn't really enjoying watching this episode until the second part when SpongeBob trying to get a job at diffirent restaurants. I really enjoyed the scenes with The bosses of their own restaurants fighting over SpongeBob and then Killer Patty (who is actually Squidward) rescuing SpongeBob and kicks the bosses' butts. I also enjoyed watching the begining of this episode I laughed at some parts in this episode like Old Man Jenkins parts, Squidward wanting to be fired too but Mr. Krabs not firing him, SpongeBob and Patrick stepping on Squidward's petunias, Patrick's second head, SpongeBob making Squidward a princess and the ending. There was a emotional scene between SpongeBob, Squidward and Mr. Krabs and I liked it. Also there were some references to old episodes like "Best Day Ever" mug, SpongeBob turning every food into patties in Le Big Switch and Mr. Krabs being terrible at cooking in Squilliam Returns. Also It's good to hear SpongeBob's "I'm ready" catchphrase and It was great to see Sandy in this episode (we barely saw her in season 9). It's not one of the best specials or one of the best season 9 episodes but It's still a great episode for me and It's worth watching again. I can't wait to see the next season 9 special, It Came from the Goo Lagoon (I actually saw the Greek version of this episode, now I have to see the English version). I gave this epsiode 8/10.

I HATE MYSELF

When I rewatched this episode, I realized that It wasn't a good episode at all. There are a few amusing moments like the scenes with Killer Patty but for most part, this episode is a filler, It's mean-spirited, It's very uncreative and It rips off many episodes. Not a bad episode but It's the most laziest-written episode, I've ever seen on TV, right next to Brian & Stewie episode of Family Guy. I expected much better from you Luke, aka one of the best post-movie writers. 5/10

[NegiSpongie]

I guess this means I'm the only one who still enjoys this episode?