spongebobreviewed

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 08B: Squeaky Boots

Premise: Mr. Krabs gives Spongebob a pair of boots but soon grows to regret that decison.

Review: Mr. Krabs is one of my favorite characters in the show but he’s been regulated entirely to bit parts for the most part until now. Squeaky Boots is a highlight of the season and one of the best episodes featuring the crustaceous cheapskate.

The episode’s humor mostly revolves around the witty dialogue but the last few minutes include some very trippy visuals to accompany a low-key Telltale Heart reference. It’s a great, memorable way to end the episode and Clancy Brown’s portrayal of the crazed Krabs is definitely well done. Another great physical gag comes from Mr. Krabs attempting to fix a squeaky window.

Like I mentioned, the animation excels in the last few minutes with the inclusion of some warped visuals and great facial expressions from Mr. Krabs, though the entire episode is pretty well animated with more than a few interesting angles, especially in the office meeting with Mr. Krabs and Spongebob.

Squeaky Boots is a little overlooked these days but it really is one of my favorites from Season 1. I’ll admit to being a bit biased because Mr. Krabs is my favorite main character but even still, the episode’s strengths are more than apparent.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Notable Quotes:

“Oh, what am I gonna do? I spent two whole dollars on these boots and now I'm stuck with them!”

“Those boots have got to go! And I need an aspirin.“

“Ah, quiet money. Silence and money.“

“Oh, oh, don't you hear it?! Yes, I did it! I did it! I took the boots! They're here, under the floorboards! Oh, please, make it stop! It's the squeaking of the hideous boots!“

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 08A: Sandy’s Rocket

Premise: Spongebob and Patrick sneak aboard Sandy’s rocket ship and believe that they’ve traveled to the moon.

Review: According to some fans, modern Spongebob episodes have seemingly thrown a random “scientist” personality to the character of Sandy. But this episode is proof that it existed as far back as Season 1.

Sandy’s Rocket is a pretty good episode and it especially works well as kind of a third “Halloween” episode along with the upcoming Scaredy Pants and I Was A Teenage Gary. The general story is already a funny idea but it’s improved by some great animation and gags.

There’s a plethora of great facial expressions from both Spongebob and Patrick and the addition of the zero-g segments allow for some clever slapstick and visual humor. Writing is also pretty good, the mistaken identity aspect gives a lot for Spongebob and Patrick to play with regarding their alien hunting. The segment with Squidward is the highlight.

Overall, a great episode. Not much else to say.

Rating: 3.75 stars

Notable Quotes:

“I’ve been to the moon, there are no aliens.” “Sandy, Sandy Sandy. How could you be so naïve? There's evidence all around us. How do you explain Atlantis, cow licks, 99¢ stores?”

“The aliens are projecting our memories onto the environment! They're trying to confuse us, Patrick.” “So you mean to say they've taken what we thought we think and make us think we thought our thoughts we've been thinking our thoughts we think we thought? I think...”

“Patrick, do you know what this thing is?” “...Stinky?” “No, it’s an egg sack. Let’s look at the embryo.” “Twins.”

“So, you were an alien all the time and you didn’t even tell me.” “I didn’t even know!”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 07B: Jellyfish Jam

Premise: Soongebob befriends a wild jellyfish and soon discovers its a bigger hassle than he expected.

Review: Jellyfish Jam is a strange episode in that it plays more like an extended music video than anything resembling what the series has offered so far. Not that it’s a particularly bad one, just very unique.

Naturally, music plays a big role in this episode and the two prominent tracks, Stadium Rave A and the titular Jellyfish Jam, are really well done pieces. Stadium Rave A has often been incorrectly given the moniker of “Jellyfish Jam” but it is a stock music piece, not something original to the show. The track itself is pretty awesome, though it is fairly basic in structure. Then again, something doesn’t have to be complex to be good, a sentiment that describes this episode pretty well.

Even though the musical segments take up the bulk of the episode’s focus, there’s still a fair amount of good jokes throughout, most notably with Squidward. The Jellyfish dancing around his broken, burning clarinet will always be one of the funniest shots in the series to me.

The second best part of the episode, honestly tied with the music, is the animation. There’s a great amount of detail present in backgrounds such as Spongebob’s bamboo wallpaper being splintered and split just like real stalks of bamboo and a lot of great animation sequences like the Stadium Rave A number, the mob of jellyfish dancing in the house, and the Jellyfish Jam sequence as well. The addition of a few computer generated segments (the pineapple shaking to the music and the line of dancing jellyfish at the end) also add to the episode’s visual department.

Jellyfish Jam is one of the more famous Season 1 episodes and for good reason. It’s unique, it’s entertaining, it’s just a downright fun watch.

Rating: 4 stars

Notable Quotes:

“I wouldn’t let that thing into my house even if it was potty-trained!” [Jellyfish on the toilet] “I didn’t need to see that.”

“Spongebob is the only guy I know who can have fun with a jellyfish...FOR TWELVE HOURS!”

“Gary, you were right. Thanks for not rubbing it in.”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 07A: Hall Monitor

Premise: Spongebob finally gets his chance to be the Hall Monitor for his boating school but he takes it a few steps too far and starts policing the entire town.

Review: Hall Monitor is a pretty good episode. It’s another “not amazing but still enjoyable” pick from the same litter as Pickles or Home Sweet Pineapple.

The episode’s highs are easily the variety of facial expressions and great animated sequences, most notably Spongebob’s directing of traffic and the end montage of him running through Bikini Bottom trying to escape the “maniac”.

The writing is a bit of a weak spot as the episode doesn’t really rely on snappy dialogue in favor of the spectacle of Spongebob’s chaos. There’s a great sequence with Patrick and some policemen but that’s about all I can really think of. Expect the “Notable Quotes” portion of this review to be pretty bare.

Speaking of Patrick, I hadn’t really brought it up but starting with Home Sweet Pineapple a few episodes back, we’ve seen him transform into the more dopey persona that the character’s known for as opposed to the more wise confidant he was in episodes like Help Wanted and Tea at the Treedome. While the latter is a more interesting take, the dumb persona allows for a wider variety of comedy so it’s a welcome change for me.

My reservations about this episode might also be due to the fact that I’m not really a fan of the “Boating School as a literal school” episodes like this one and many others later on. There’s just something about it, it kind of conflicts with episodes like Boating School where there’s less of a normal school-aspect and its more like a standard driver’s ed class. I feel the latter is just a more unique set up for an episode.

Either way, Hall Monitor ranks as another mid-tier episode for me. It’s got some good moments but as a whole it feels rather lacking.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Notable Quotes:

“Just take the hat and belt.” “I can’t accept that yet, ma’am. First I have to make my speech!” “You can’t make this easy, can you?”

“He’s just standing there...MENACINGLY!”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 06B: Pickles

Premise: Spongebob loses his confidence after forgetting the pickles on a Krabby Patty.

Review: Pickles is a pretty average episode all things considered, light on any real quality laughs but packing some decent animation.

The story is interesting enough with the arrival of Bubble Bass, an apparent rival to Spongebob. We don’t have much concrete history given to us regarding these two but their dialogue indicates Bubble Bass is something of a food connoisseur here at the Krusty Krab to judge Spongebob’s fry cook abilities. It’s a nice way of establishing the character dynamics without any explicit explanation.

Unfortunately, this episode is light on laughs throughout packing most of its greatest bits at the beginning and end of the episode. Sprinkled throughout we do get some funny moments involving Squidward attempting to take over the fry cook position but Spongebob’s weird lack of confidence/amnesia condition wears thin pretty fast.

Animation is alright, some good facial expressions throughout and some nice painted cels appear during the ending standoff. Surprisingly, the stock music is probably the greatest aspect. Many western-style themes are used throughout this episode and it feels very Ennio Morricone. The Stranger in Town by Franco Micalizzi & Tony Kinsey is the standout piece.

In the end, Pickles is an often remembered episode but that might not be for its comedic prowess or animation but for a unique conflict throughout and its memorable ending.

Rating: 3 stars

Notable Quotes:

“I’ll have a Krabby Patty!” “How original.” “And with extra onions.” “Daring today, aren’t we?”

“Can I get some extra salt?” “We’re all out.” “...Could ya check?” “...No.”

“ I'll take a Double Triple Bossy Deluxe on a raft, four by four, animal-style, extra shingles with a shimmy and a squeeze, light axle grease, make it cry, burn it, and let it swim.” “...We serve food here, sir.”

“He’s been hiding the pickles under his tongue the whole time!” “And there’s the pickles from last time too!” “And there’s my car keys!”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 06A: Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy

Premise: Spongebob and Patrick attempt to reunite their favorite superheroes after discovering they live in a retirement home nearby.

Review: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy is another shining example of Season 1′s character writing and voice acting. Of course, this episode is also important for the introduction of some of Spongebob’s most famous side characters in the titular superheroes portrayed by actors Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway. Borgnine and Conway are fantastic in their roles, each voice suiting the personality of their respective characters to a T. 

The writing in this episode hits all the marks. The best quotes naturally come from Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy with Spongebob as the main opposite for them to play off of. The idea of retired superheroes isn’t anything new but this episode does play very well with the trope.

Animation in this episode is also very good. The inclusion of human characters allows the animators to apply a brilliant variety of facial expressions to Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

I haven’t talked a lot about the music in this review series but this is an episode that shines on that front. The Lineman, the stock track composed by Sam Pence is used as the infamous “theme song” of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy and it’s a fantastic choice to use, fitting the superhero theme song style perfectly.

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy is one of the standout episodes of Season 1. It may suffer a bit from putting our main characters in the backseat to focus on the superhero duo, but it’s worthwhile jokes and impressive animation are enough for it to take a proud spot as one of the best episodes of Season 1.

Rating: 4.75 stars

Notable Quotes:

“You know what this means.” “Donuts.”

“EVIL!”

“ Listen up, you villains. I wanna eat my meatloaf. If you don't get out of here, then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. “ “What is going on in here?” “You may kiss the bride!”

“Did you reunite our heroes?” “No, but I’m married.”

“ Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, unite! “

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 05B: Home Sweet Pineapple

Premise: Spongebob’s house is destroyed by nematodes, prompting him to either rebuild it or move back in with his parents.

Review: Home Sweet Pineapple is another middle of the road episode. Nothing awful about it, it’s good but it doesn’t have anything noteworthy to really write home about, especially after coming hot off the heels of one of the best episodes in the series.

The humor is pretty mild here. The writing is just okay with a few chuckleworthy lines but most of the humor comes from some slapstick gags when Spongebob and Patrick are trying to rebuild the pineapple. The “spiders” gag is probably the most memorable one from the episode but I didn’t find it to be too funny and the punchline (with Spongebob moving away from the rock only to have Patrick run over and smash him anyway) was kind of weak.

Animation is also a little disappointing this episode too. It’s done fine enough but there’s nothing from it that’s really worth mentioning beyond one great expression from Patrick at the beginning of the episode.

A middle-of-the-road but still overall fine episode though not one I’m really going to be coming back to anytime soon.

Rating: 2.75 stars

Notable Quotes:

“Hooray, Gary! We’re finally huge!”

“Is it time already to ruin Squid’s day? Hey, Spongebob! Don’t start without me!”

“I wish I lived there.” “Really?” “No.”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 05A: Pizza Delivery

Premise: Spongebob and Squidward go on a long, perilous journey to deliver the first ever Krusty Krab Pizza.

Review: Pizza Delivery is one of the most iconic episodes in Spongebob history, revered by fans for its story, dialogue, and animation. Their praises certainly aren’t without merit as Pizza Delivery is extremely strong, playing off the wonderful dynamic of Squidward and Spongebob and even giving the characters mini arcs of sorts.

Squidward’s the standout character of the episode, even if Spongebob is the one who delivers the more memorable lines. His neurotic, cynical personality is on full display here and Rodger Bumpass delivers one of his best performances of the series. The change of heart he has towards the end of the episode feels natural and is a good note to end on.

The most engaging part of Pizza Delivery is undoubtedly the writing. From Spongebob’s obsession with the pioneers to his beat-boxing and rock-and-roll styling of the Krusty Krab Pizza song, every line is memorable. Spongebob’s not alone in the great dialogue as Squidward gets his fair share of quips throughout the episode.

Of course, no Spongebob review is complete without mentioning the animation and facial expressions. Squidward gets the lion’s share of great faces throughout the episode but Spongebob also has a few, most notably during the Krusty Krab Pizza song sessions.

As previously mentioned, Pizza Delivery is a stone-cold classic and one of the all-time greatest Spongebob episodes. For its fantastic writing, great animation and hilarious story, it gets the blog’s first ever five-star rating.

Rating: 5 stars

Notable Quotes: Too many to list.

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 04B: Boating School

Premise: After failing once again, Spongebob enlists the help of Patrick to pass his driver’s test and get his license.

Review: Boating School is just okay. It’s not really standout in either the animation or the writing. In this case, it falls somewhat flat as the b-side to the standout episode Naughty Nautical Neighbors. Animation is fine, there’s at least one notable expression and a lot of really weird downward angles on Spongebob. The frantic animation of both Spongebob and Mrs. Puff’s overreaction to the boat starting up is pretty good, as is the exploding pants when Patrick is listening to Spongebob explain his problem.

The episode is of course special for introducing us to Mrs. Puff another “major-minor” character of the episode. Mary Jo Catlett plays Mrs. Puff fairly well, giving a fine performance as an exhausted and, at times, panicked teacher. She doesn’t have any real stand-out lines and the gag of her puffing up after Spongebob crashes the boat isn’t really funny enough to repeat again at the end of the episode. Mrs. Puff is definitely a character that gets better as the series goes on and expands the boating school concept more.

The episode does have a few funny moments. Patrick Squarepants is a pretty hilarious visual image and him casually putting the pants back on later in the episode is also pretty funny. Speaking of Patrick, this is another early season episode that portrays the character almost the exact opposite of how we know him today. In Boating School, Patrick is smart enough to basically get Spongebob all the way through his boating exam, something later seasons Patrick would screw up very easily.

This episode also introduces Spongebob’s library, a unique and seldom seen area in the series.

Overall, not very exciting to watch as an episode but not bad. Just very mediocre all around.

Rating: 2.25 stars

Notable Quotes:

“Hey, I just got my license!” “Hey, I’m gettin’ mine next!” “Hey, I doubt it!”

“Pat to Sponge, Pat to Sponge. Testing. Testing. Testing testing testing testing testing testing testing. TESTING. AAAAH. TEST. TEST. DO YOU READ?”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 04A: Naughty Nautical Neighbors

Premise: Squidward destroys Spongebob and Patrick’s friendship and must get them back together as they continue to make his life worse.

Review: Naughty Nautical Neighbors continues the quick-wits and fantastic Squidward-Spongebob-Patrick dynamic found in other Season 1 greats like Bubblestand and Jellyfishing. The episode flows at a brisk pace getting right to the action and hitting you right out the gate with great gags and visual humor. On particular display here is some great facial expressions and more than a few clever visual jokes. The animation is some seriously great stuff here and we even get some unique backgrounds and locations like the backyard area of the three characters’ homes.

But the real strength of Naughty Nautical Neighbors comes from the characters’ dialogue and their great dynamic. Squidward playing off Spongebob and Patrick at the very beginning with the faux bubbles provided some great lines and the reactions from each character were just as hilarious.

If there was anything to critique about Naughty Nautical Neighbors, it would probably be the quick conclusion the episode gets. While its a good conclusion overall, some may view it as happening a little too fast with the viewers losing out on some more of that good dynamic between Squidward and his neighbors.

Overall, Naughty Nautical Neighbors is the third in the “Neighbor Episodes” that we’ll see a lot more of in the coming reviews.

Rating: 4.25 stars

Notable Quotes:

“If I had a dollar for every brain you don’t have, I’d have one dollar!”

“Right, you’re a turkey!” “What’s that?” “It’s what you are!” “Well you’re a bigger one!”

“Uhh, I know what to do but I should wash my hands first.” “...” “...Oh well!”

“Squidward will be performing his version of Solitude in E minor.” “Yeah, E minor, all right!”

“Oh-ho-ho! So this is what I find, huh? My best friend and my ex-best friend and...rubber bath toys!”

“Squidward!” “Patrick, your glass is full!” “Oh, yeah.”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 03B: Plankton!

Premise: Spongebob meets Plankton, the business rival of Mr. Krabs who’s determined to get his hands on the Krabby Patty secret formula.

Review: For an important episode such as this that introduces our sixth main character, it’s unfortunately very middle-of-the-road.

Plankton himself is a very funny character, especially in later episodes where his evil genius and desperate personality are used to their fullest potential, but here there isn’t really anything too funny or interesting. He does get some chuckleworthy lines (”I went to college!”) but I feel like this episode didn’t really give us much to care about Plankton.

It might just be that I never watched this episode much growing up, but some other things feel very...off. The animation is fine, the jokes feel like Spongebob jokes, but there’s just something about it that just doesn’t sit right with me. I can’t really explain what it is. Marginally related, but Spongebob’s laugh early in the episode is extremely weird. Originally I though that it was just a prototype laugh that Tom Kenny developed for the character before settling on what we all know now, but looking back, Spongebob laughs normally at the beginning of Ripped Pants. So I guess it’s just a weird one-time event then.

There’s not really much to say about Plankton. It doesn’t really hit all of its marks effectively in either story, jokes, or dialogue and just all-around isn’t a very entertaining episode.

Rating: 2 stars

Notable Quotes:

“I went to college!”

“Shut your mouth, you mediocre clarinet player.” “...Mediocre...?”

“There’s no one here.” “Don’t remind me.”

“Brace yourself, Spongebob. This...is my lab!” “And this...is my laboratory!”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 03A: Jellyfishing

Premise: After an accident involving a jellyfish, Spongebob and Patrick try to help cheer Squidward up by throwing him a “best day ever” party.

Review: Jellyfishing is something of a spiritual successor to Bubblestand. Both are exceptionally well-done in terms of comedy and animation, although I’d probably give the edge to Jellyfishing in regards to the former as it’s almost consistently funny throughout.

Right from the get-go the episode showcases some wonderful animation as the screen pans and fades to Spongebob’s house. Throughout this episode there are fantastic shots, sequences, and, as always, plenty of facial expressions.

As mentioned earlier, the writing in this episode is fantastic. There’s great slapstick and more than a few witty back-and-forths. One such exchange has survived to this day as one of the most popular Season 1-based memes: Patrick’s “Firmly grasp it” routine. Really, that’s the best way to describe most of the comedy in this episode: they all feel like classic routines from early 1940′s cartoons like Looney Tunes. There’s also a lot of “sightless” gags that rely entirely on sound or implications. For example, when Spongebob and Patrick first step out of the pineapple and begin chasing the lone jellyfish, they step out of the frame and all we can hear is their attempts to catch it (which doesn’t end well for them both).

Overall, Jellyfishing is a wonderful episode and a great companion piece to Bubblestand.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Notable Quotes:

“Welcome home, Squidward!” “Merry Christmas!”

“Firmly grasp it in your hand.” “Firmly grasp it.” “FIRMLY GRASP IT!”

“It’s the jellyfish.” “You know, from yesterday!” “You’re not still mad are you?” “Yeah, he’s still mad.”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 02B: Ripped Pants

Premise: Spongebob accidentally rips his pants, causing everyone to laugh at him. He continues to rip his pants in order to get laughs and acceptance from his friends.

Review: This is gonna be a controversial one: I don’t like Ripped Pants. I know, I know. This is another famous one, so much so that it was even featured on the cover of the first DVD and is reportedly one of voice actor Tom Kenny’s favorite episodes. But outside of one really great joke, this one just didn’t click with me.

The story didn’t really grab me. Like the characters in the episode, I found myself quickly growing bored with Spongebob’s pants jokes which some might argue is the point, but the reactions from the characters is very different. When Spongebob and Sandy are ordering ice cream, Spongebob barrages the vendor with jokes. He looks completely disinterested but Sandy is yakking up a storm. It feels like a conflict of intentions. Should we be siding with the nameless background character and be annoyed by Spongebob? Or should we be laughing along with Sandy, a main character? Of course, Sandy rather jarringly grows sick of the jokes when Spongebob takes it one step too far, but this transition does not feel natural. I think the episode’s moral would’ve been better shown if Sandy was growing to hate the jokes as much as the nameless characters were.

The biggest thing people remember from this episode is the musical number at the very end. Honestly, while it’s not a bad song by any means, it feels...very artificial. It feels like it was tacked on at the end like a 1980′s PSA rather than being the natural conclusion to the story. The moral isn’t bad or anything, it’s an important lesson to teach kids, but it comes across as “preachy” in a way.

But like I said, I don’t hate Ripped Pants. There’s some things in this episode that I enjoyed. Larry the Lobster, a “major-minor character” is introduced for the first time here. He has all the properties you’d associate with a stereotypical beach bully (huge muscles, wants to hang with the girl) but Larry isn’t one. He’s just a guy who wants to have fun doing fun beach things. The episode also features a fantastic joke involving Spongebob washing ashore and faking his death. Grim, that’s the point, but the writing is superb.

Ripped Pants might be one of the perennial favorites by most fans, but for me it’s unfortunately lacking. Not one of the best of Season 1, but then I am the odd one out here.

Rating: 2 stars

Notable Quotes:

“Ah, Goo Lagoon. A stinky mud puddle to you and me. But to the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom, a wonderful, stinky mud puddle.”

“ Hello, SpongeBob. Could you keep it down? I'm trying to be boring.”

“Come closer...I need...I need...” “What do you need?” “...a tailor.”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 02A: Bubblestand

Premise: Spongebob sets up a bubble-blowing stand in front of his house, much to Squidward’s annoyance.

Review: Bubblestand is another iconic classic that hits it out of the park with story execution, brilliant writing, and great performances by the voice actors.

The basic elements of the story are simple and realistically, this should result in a passable, if slightly stale episode. However, the addition of different unique elements to a traditional “characters set up lemonade stand” story makes it stand out, along with the exceptionally well-done writing. Spongebob and Patrick aren’t just blowing bubbles, they say it themselves in that they’re “making bubble art”. This line slightly, if unintentionally, is a driving force for Squidward to become involved in the plot. The first shot we see of Squidward in his upper room, he is surrounded by paintings of himself. Without explicitly telling us through dialogue, we see that Squidward is an artist. The thought that Spongebob’s bubbles could be considered similar to his self portraits subtly infuriates Squidward and drives him to prove that he’s a better bubble blower than Spongebob and Patrick. Again, this might be unintentional but I don’t think there’s any harm in heavily analyzing the writing of this episode as its definitely one of the best of Season 1.

Of course, great jokes are prevalent in this episode from the short-lived running gag of Patrick falling off the side of his rock into his furniture, to the immortalized line “It’s a giraffe!”. My standout favorite is absolutely Squidward screaming his head off and making the giant bubble in the process. Not only is it a brilliant image and great payoff of the rib on Spongebob’s technique, it’s wonderfully performed by the one and only Rodger Bumpass.

Great visual gags can only be supplied by great animation and this episode has it in spades. Great faces can be found throughout, especially when Patrick and Squidward are trying to blow bubbles.

Bubblestand is an iconic episode, simply put. Bubbles, as simple as they are, have become an integral part of the show and feature in many episodes down the line, tons of marketing images, as well as a very famous scene from the first movie. But we’ve still got a long way to go before we get to that!

Rating: 4.25 stars

Notable Quotes:

“How did I ever get surrounded by such loser neighbors?”

“First go like this...(basically, the entire technique)”

“It’s a giraffe!”

“Technique! Technique!”

“Squid’s got genes! Squid’s got genes!”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 01C: Tea at the Treedome

Premise: Spongebob meets Sandy, a “Land Squirrel” from the surface who invites him over to her air-filled “treedome” for tea and cookies.

Review: One of the most classic episodes and the introduction of our fifth main character in Sandy. It also marks the introduction of jellyfishing which will become a prominent pastime for Spongebob and friends in later episodes.

The best part of this episode is undoubtedly the writing. While the previous episode Reef Blower relied exclusively on physical comedy, Tea at the Treedome rebounds back to the style of Help Wanted with a healthy mixture of clever dialogue accompanied by great animated visuals. More famous quotes make their debut in this episode, but their are also lots of great smaller gags sprinkled throughout.

Since this is her debut episode, Sandy naturally gets most of the focus. Carolyn Lawrence portrays her as a tough Southern girl (Sandy’s well-known Texan heritage would not be revealed until later on) but also kind and down to earth. Her interactions with Spongebob could be seen as romantic, but the episode does not explicitly place either of the characters in such a situation. Patrick returns once again displaying a wiser personality than the character is known for. Spongebob runs straight to Patrick for advice and the latter even “corrects” Spongebob when he mentions Sandy’s air helmet.

The animation is probably the only slightly weak aspect of the episode. In the beginning scene at the jellyfishing fields, Spongebob is noticeably off-model at parts and the movements of the characters throughout could be seen as “choppy” (Karate pun not intended). However, expressions are absolutely on-point, especially during most of the parts at the Treedome. The environments continue to be wonderfully created. Sandy’s treedome is simple but effective and recognizable and the landscapes in the background are full of coral growths, purple rocks, and other wildly beautiful colors and shapes.

Tea at the Treedome is one of the finer episodes of Season 1, full of great visuals, clever dialogue, and good character interactions. Definitely a great way to end the first “block” of episodes.

Rating: 4 stars

Notable Quotes:

“I just met this girl. She has a hat full of...air.” “Do you mean she puts on “airs”?”

“Remember: when in doubt, pinky out!”

“You know, you’re the first sea critter to ever visit.” “I can’t imagine why.”

“I don’t need water! Water’s for quitters! I don’t need it! I don’t need it!”

“Air is not good, Patrick! Air is not good!” “You’re just being shy.”

“WHAT KIND OF A PLACE IS THIS?”

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 01B: Reef Blower

Premise: Spongebob attempts to clean his lawn, but a shell refuses to leave his property.

Review: There isn’t a whole lot to say about Reef Blower and one would be hard pressed to even call it an actual episode. It’s completely void of dialogue, runs at only two minutes and thirty seconds, and lacks most of a plot.

The only notable aspect of it is expansion on Squidward and Spongebob’s relationship. As I mentioned in the Help Wanted review, the first episode did not explicitly establish why Squidward both knows about and despise Spongebob, but here we understand why: they’re neighbors and Squidward just wants to relax and enjoy the day but Spongebob is up to all kinds of wacky antics. It also introduces us to the reef blower, a device that will show up in future episodes and play a prominent role in one in particular.

Because of the lack of dialogue, the episode’s humor revolves entirely around slapstick. In this aspect, it reminds me of an old-school Tom & Jerry episode, but nothing in this episode stands out so much. The best gag would probably be Spongebob blowing the sand off of Squidward’s lunch and out of his eyes afterwards. The animation for these sequences is nice and there are great expressions throughout.

Reef Blower isn’t going to be remembered much and honestly, I’m not sure if it’s even worth remembering at all outside of its unusual style. The slapstick humor isn’t terrible, but not the show’s best work at all.

Rating: 1.5 stars

Notable Quotes:

Are you kidding me?

[spongebobreviewed]

Episode 01A: Help Wanted

Premise: Spongebob Squarepants attempts to obtain the job of his dreams: working as a frycook at the Krusty Krab.

Review: Help Wanted is a pilot episode and, as such, it does a great job of introducing us to the characters and (most of) their personalities. Spongebob, our protagonist, is portrayed as a determined go-getter, Patrick Star is Spongebob’s best friend, Squidward is the cynic annoyed by Spongebob’s antics, and Mr. Krabs is a rusty sailor with a love for money. Patrick is a far cry from the lovable dope we know him in later episodes, appearing here as a wiser confident to Spongebob. One of the great things about the character interactions here is that there isn’t that “introduction” aspect that most first episodes seem to feature. None of the characters are meeting each other for the first time (with the possible exception of Mr. Krabs and Spongebob) and each establish their relationships with each other through well-written dialogue. For example, Squidward sees Spongebob running towards the Krusty Krab and immediately says: “Oh no, Spongebob...”. There’s no explicit backstory as to why Squidward hates Spongebob, but we as an audience immediately understand the characters’ implied histories.

The animation is definitely different than most other episodes. It was the only episode produced in 1997, two years before it aired on television. The color palette is a lot more muted, Spongebob is significantly less yellow than usual, Squidward is a much brighter shade of cyan, and Mr. Krabs features bright pink eyelids. Character models are also slightly off, particularly Gary who’s vacant expression will haunt you forever. The backgrounds are watercolor and feature a tremendous amount of detail. Some probably already know that the Krusty Krab is based off an actual lobster trap and the inside is filled with ropes, wooden poles, metal walls, and the classic steering wheel tables and barrel stools. The restaurant is styled much like that of a ship and coupled with Mr. Krabs’ sailor jargon and mannerisms gives it a very distinct personality. The entire look of this episode, as well as the majority of Season 1, is very “vintage” looking and reminds me of most of the traditionally animated cartoons Nick aired in the 90′s.

The voice acting by actors Tom Kenny (Spongebob, Gary, Narrator), Bill Faggerbakke (Patrick), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), and Rodger Bumpass (Squidward) is great. Each actor brings their character to life and is full of life and personality. The writing for this episode is decent and a good first start with a few chuckleworthy jokes and one standout that has escaped the confines of this episode and has become regularly quoted by many people to this day.

Special mention must be made to the music, which is another aspect of the show that has garnered contemporary fame. The music in Spongebob is 90% stock music from various libraries but the pieces are so iconic and recognizable that they’ve become ingrained as part of the show itself. This episode in particular features a rare licensed track, Tiny Tim’s “Livin in the Sunlight, Lovin in the Moonlight”, which caused Help Wanted to be left off the official Season 1 DVD release due to rights issues. The most notable piece, and one that will continue to be used for the rest of the show’s run, is “The Rake Hornpipe” which most people have come to associate as the official theme of the Krusty Krab, although it makes its entrance in the episode accompanied by the start of Mr. Krabs’ dialogue rather than the first appearance of the restaurant.

Overall, Help Wanted isn’t the most in-depth or extraordinary episode but as a pilot, it gets the job done and gets it done well. It’s a good starter episode for the series and introduces all the primary characters in a way that makes each unique and interesting.

Rating: 3.75 stars

Notable Quotes:

“There it is: the finest establishment ever established for eating: the Krusty Krab!”

“You’re terrible! A hydro-what?”

“Do you smell it? That smell. A kind of smelly smell. A smelly smell that smells...smelly.”

“Batten down the hatches, Mr. Squidward! We’re taking on water, Mr. Squidward! I WANT MY MOMMY, MR. SQUIDWARD!”