#WritingAnalysis

[forensic-linguistics]

Title: Introduction to Forensic Linguistics: Unravelling Crimes Through Language

Introduction

Forensic linguistics, the application of linguistic techniques to investigate crimes where language data forms part of the evidence, has emerged as a crucial tool in modern law enforcement. With its roots in anthropology, psychology, sociology, and political science, the field has seen significant growth since the 1980s, with linguists now actively involved in matters such as voice identification and authorship profiling. This blog aims to introduce you to the central principles of forensic linguistics and its two main areas of focus: voice identification and author profiling.

Voice Identification (Forensic Phonetics)

Voice identification, also known as forensic phonetics, deals with analysing audio and video recordings to identify speakers. Its relevance has surged in recent years with the increasing reliance on such recordings in criminal trials. Key aspects of voice identification include:

1. Speaker Profiling: Linguists aim to narrow down the list of suspects by analysing speaker characteristics, such as age, regional background, individual peculiarities, and linguistic style.

2. Speaker Identification: By combining auditory and acoustic analysis, linguists determine whether a particular voice belongs to a known individual, helping establish a person's involvement in a recorded conversation or call.

3. Technical Issues: Linguists also address technical challenges like enhancing recording quality, transcribing intelligible speech from noisy audio, and investigating possible tampering with recordings.

4. Voice Lineups: Witnesses are presented with recordings of potential suspects to identify the perpetrator's voice based on characteristics like pitch or breathiness.

Author Profiling (Forensic Stylistics)

Author profiling, or forensic stylistics, focuses on determining the author of a particular text by comparing it with known writing samples. Linguists play a critical role in analysing forensic texts, which include various written or recorded messages used in criminal investigations, such as:

1. Emergency Calls: Linguists analyse urgent calls to identify specific features related to the incident and the caller's attitude.

2. Ransom Demands or Threat Texts: Linguistic profiling is employed to identify anonymous senders and assess potential threats.

3. Hate Mails: The goal is to distinguish genuine threats from expressions of hatred without actual intent to harm.

4. Suicide Letters: Linguists analyse suicide notes to ascertain the author's true intentions.

Linguistic Features in Author Profiling

Linguists rely on two central linguistic parameters—lexis (vocabulary) and grammar—when conducting author profiling. By identifying peculiarities and non-standard usages, linguists can narrow down a suspect list or positively identify an author. Examples include misspellings, omissions, unusual punctuation, and lexical choices.

Conclusion

Forensic linguistics has become an invaluable discipline in modern criminal investigations, shedding light on voice identification and author profiling. By utilising linguistic techniques to examine language data, forensic linguists assist law enforcement in narrowing down suspects, validating audio recordings, and determining the authors of written texts. The field continues to evolve, and practical analysis of real forensic data provides invaluable insights for aspiring forensic linguists.

[konekoryuugamine]

Riffing the Reef: “Greasy Buffoons”

This episode made me gag. No joke. Someone has a sick sense of humor at some studio. Spongebob is owned by Stephen Hillenburg and I am only going over the episodes I feel miss the point of the show. Please read and enjoy.    As I stated in the first "Riffing the Reef", Mr. Krabs has become a character I despise with every moral fiber of my being. He's the itemization of Greed within this show, possibly within all cartoons, more so than Mr. Burns.    Yeah, I went there.    Krabs did have a good dimension of character in pre-movie episodes of Spongebob and was even shown he cared deeply for his crew and family in several episodes. He cared for Pearl in "Culture Shock", he defended Spongebob in "Born Again Krabs", and in "Squid on Strike" he admitted he needed Spongebob and Squidward to help him. His cheap nature was often kept as a joke, like in "Imitation Krabs", but it was kept subtle for his better parts to show. And yes, in some episodes like "Krabby Land" and "The Patty Caper", he got what was coming to him.    THANKFULLY.

   However, many an episode exists where he is not placed at fault with his immoral actions, and he is not portrayed as the dimensional character he ONCE was.    I saw ONCE because the old Mr. Krabs is gone and dead.    He has become villainous, a criminal, and a downright jack-ss to his employers, murderous, cheap and disgusting as I'll get out, and has resorted to often letting his family and friends take the brunt of his actions. Krabs has become flanderized to the point where he is the character I want to see set in boiling oil and served with a side of butter.    And that DID happen in a modern Spongebob episode, albeit it was in about season 4 or 5, but I digress.    Evidence of his flanderization and bastardization go from "Drive-Thru", "Summer Job", "Krabby Kronicle", "Penny Foolish" and that one episode where he used Gary to acquire stolen money to "One Coarse Meal", "Cracked Krabs", "Spongebob, You're Fired" and "The Krusty Sponge".    I'll tackle those, especially a certain one, in the near future, but for now, I want to take a look at one that involves his greedy nature, Plankton and almost everything wrong with a modern Spongebob episode in one swoop.    "Greasy Buffoons".    This episode is disgusting, beyond annoying and shows Krabs as a jerk and Plankton as a somewhat good-guy here. I actually gagged when I watched it. And instantly realized why my mom suddenly banned my sisters and I from watching the show years ago. 

   Spongebob is actually in character for this episode as well, so that is also a problem in its own right, but the real problem stems from the plot itself.    Spongebob, after slipping on a grease slick on the kitchen floor, and ADMITTING TO KRABS HE FELT HE BROKE SOMETHING, Krabs sees the grease trap is overflowing and says that they have to empty it, adding "for no extra pay".    Note how Squidward actually vanishes at this point. I cannot blame him.    Already the problem is that Krabs was ignorant of his own employees, even saying THEY had to clean out the grease trap. He specifically states that it was a job for two employees to do for no extra pay. Funny or not, it's just a bad thing to mention. He was also ignorant of Spongebob's overall health prognosis, even when he stated he felt hurt.    You would think after so long, Spongebob would be an assent for Mr. Krabs, but oftentimes the Krab treats him as a slave, a dirt monkey, or worse. Several episodes like "Staycation" and "WhoBob WhatPants" show he cares little for paying him for his services and often will resort to belittling him in other episodes. However, he's not above trying to get his 'Golden Boy' back when he's not making money in the restaurant, also like in "WhoBob Whatpants".     That episode is already on my list . . .    Already I'm talking about this crab, but that's the least obstructive point in the episode.    The REAL meat of the story begins when Krabs and Spongebob, (more or less from Krabs' directions), dump the excess grease behind the Chum Bucket. Spongebob, as they drive off, asks Mr. Krabs if that was legal.    Krabs replies with " Le-gale?"    . . .    I've stated this before, and I'll state it again: I despise this character. He's been disciplined, he's been in the Navy, he's been a cook and a cleaner on several ships for the love of Neptune! He would be familiar with the concept of Johnny Law, even with basic commands like 'Attention' and 'Cleanliness'.    This line ALONE shows that Krabs has become a purely evil character, as he dumped a highly toxic and/or strange chemical behind his rival's restaurant and did not know it was a bad thing.    This is being blind to morality, or genuine idiocy enforced on the character due to the plot.    THIS IS A BAD THING.    Another thing is YES, it IS illegal to dump these kinds of chemicals on the ground like that. It can cause toxicity to the environment, the removal of any kind of soil, and can destroy whole ecosystems. He would also lose his vendor's license, but let's not GO THERE NOW!    Plankton finds the goop the next morning and immediately notices it tastes amazing. He takes it and uses it to make his chum taste better, which it actually might, and brings in customers who don't seem to hate his food.    Another problem or two I have with this episode is how Plankton is portrayed, and how the rivalry between Krabs and Plankton is seen as a fast-food competition with GREASE equaling FLAVOR.    First off, Plankton tells Krabs, (after Krabs uses a terribly written pun and/or 4th wall-breaking joke), that he was visited by the "Flavor Fairy", and that he was legitimately using it. The point does remain that Plankton was using Krabby Patty grease to mix with his chum, and Krabs DID dump it illegally on his property. The debate over whether or not Plankton 'stole' the flavor is varied, but in my honest opinion, since Krabs got rid of it, Plankton could use it as he pleased.    Krabs, being the jerk sod he is, doesn't want the trilobite to have a SINGLE customer, and given Plankton's past attempts at selling his chum, I cannot blame him here. The best example would be for "Spongicus" when he grotesquely described what was in his chum on a stick.    I felt nauseated when I heard he put anchor rust in there.    However, the greedy crustacean takes it too far as he uses the grease from his own patties to make them 'tastier', and gives them 'new and amazing' names to go with it. Krabs is being played as the good guy in this part, while Plankton is being placed as the villain still.     The problem is Plankton did not do anything morally or legally wrong. Plankton is not at fault, nor was he ever at fault. All he is guilty of is using grease that was disposed of on the ground, which may or may not end up making his customers sick with bacteria. 

   Come to think of it, that would have been a far better angle to take on this episode. Krabs disposes of the grease, Plankton begins to use it, and Krabs knows even mixing the Krabby Batty grease with the chum would cause some disaster for Bikini Bottomites, so he recruits Spongebob to help eliminate the grease and right his wrong.

   THEN AGAIN, this is Spongebob, so when has logic been applied before?    Another note I have to address is it's been proven by numerous studies that an intake of too much grease can lead to obesity, increased heart problems, breathing problems, etc. Just because it makes something taste better does not mean is it going to be good for your body. These two should have known about health codes and regulations in the first place to earn their vendor's licenses, and to even open their restaurants.    And they did, once upon a time.    This episode carelessly uses the grease as a plot device to start the conflict between the two, and create a stir of activity between their food. The two each try to outdo the other, even to the point where Krabs is serving 'Yummy Soup', which in reality is grease on a paper plate.    DISGUSTING DOES NOT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE IT.    A minor argument can also be made that the same customers who rush back and forth between the two restaurants are also at fault, mostly because they buy into the hypes the two monsters generate over their 'tasty' foods. Grease is sprayed between fish, they grow obese and become covered in the grotesque stuff, and one even SPITS IT OUT AS HE TALKED TO SPONGEBOB.    There are lines to draw here. It is gross.    This episode legitimately made me ill to watch.    The customers here are also written to serve the plot and are portrayed as stupid and ignorant of their surroundings. A general consensus of Bikini Bottomites from previous episodes have often shown intelligence, even a collective conscience, but THIS is just stupidity for the sake of the plot.    The entire time this goes on, Krabs is egging on the competition as much as Plankton is. He is raking in the money and cares nothing for his employees, NOR for his customers. All he cares about is money, money, money, money, MONEY.    The old Krabs would actually abide by his customers, like in the episode "Bubble Buddy". He’d care about the customer and even go so far as to chew an elderly lady’s patty for her.    Here, he’s shown to be completely ignorant of the customers' conditions and of Spongebob's thoughts towards how feeding people grease of this amount is a BAD thing.    The krab has been cracked; no pun intended on any future riffing episode.    The only saving grace of the episode is that Spongebob, close as he is to his original personality, calls the health inspector, and admits that the two have been feeding people grease for, as he says, two weeks. For SPONGEBOB of all people to do this, after seeing Patrick suffering, is the best thing in this episode. He recognized the immorality of Krabs and Plankton's actions while also admitting what he was doing as the cook was wrong.    The inspector being here is also an unexpected part. If this were another episode, Krabs and Plankton would have been arrested and the restaurants would have been destroyed from grease fires.    However, there was a gas and fire joke in "Just One Bite", and that was edited for safety's sake after 9/11, so who am I to say now about this?    The episode's conclusion shows the restaurants being shut down until they become clean, which, if it had ended there, would have been a satisfying conclusion for a mediocre episode. Krabs would have been punished for his immoral actions, karma would have taken its course and we would end on a happy note for once.    BUT NO.    Spongebob soaks up the grease, tells Krabs that he will dispose of it properly, and Krabs is stuck in a dream-like state because he fell asleep outside and had one of those "it was all a dream" moments. Patrick then comes out of literal nowhere and starts licking Spongebob for the grease, and Krabs ends the episode with a questionable thinking expression.    THIS is a bad ending and a bad idea.    KRABS should have been the one to help clean up his own mess, NOT Spongebob. This is averting him from accepting what he did was wrong and for taking the blame for his actions. Spongebob cleaning up his mess is not a good way to end this kind of story, nor is it a good idea for Krabs to continuously have evil thoughts like this while Spongebob is being pursued by Patrick.    I can only speculate what he was thinking, but I feel it was along the lines of him using Spongebob for more grease and Krabby patties again.    This makes Krabs even more of a Karma Houdini. He was caught, but SPONGEBOB was the one who cleaned up his mess. And he still gets allowed the chance to make the same scam going again thanks to Spongebob’s golden boy attitude. No punishment, no permanent comeuppance, all for the sake of some cheap laugh.    This just teaches the wrong lesson in morality as well as how people should not go about running restaurants.    And this was in a MODERN kid's cartoon.    Overall, this episode shows Krabs as a jerk and a terrible person. He's ignorant to the law, (which from previous episodes deviates from his character), unfaithful to his employees and uncaring to the customers he once showed small amounts of compassion for. Spongebob is the only person who is still in character and Plankton was shoe-horned in for the sake of the plot, like the grease itself. The citizens are devoid of intelligence and Patrick is only here because “laugh, monkey”. It demonstrated both immorality and careless writing on part of it being an 'entertaining' story.

[romandavis-blog]

The process to recognize the interest of people is termed as audience analysis. Before writing a speech, it is very important to do audience analysis. It helps you to write an influencive speech. Audience analysis needs to done before writing a speech. Because it will become very difficult to manage all things in a single go at the time of speech. Audience analysis involves different factors. With each factor, you get to know the interest and believe o

[goldenquillpress]

Writers get FREE Writing Analysis and help with your writing! 

[konekoryuugamine]

Riffing the Reef: “Good Neighbors”

This was written with the intent to start riffing apart Spongebob episodes since going about it in a general way would lead me to rant on everything under the sun. I will select episodes that need to be riffed, immediately and definitely, and begin riffing them as needed. Also, I will not take requests unless I can have a valid reason to riff them, other than a character being out of character. With that in mind, I am only criticizing the episodes and not the show in general. The show is credited to Stephen Hillenburg. Please enjoy.   

We can't go on and deny it. Spongebob Squarepants used to be one of the greatest and funniest cartoons on Nickelodeon, nay on the air. It took inspiration from 'Ren and Stimpy', another classic Nick cartoon, and the evidence remains to this day. It had pizzazz, humor, and a sort of distinct charm with Spongebob being a likable protagonist while still having moments of advanced stupidity. Sometimes he was in the right, other times he was in the wrong.    He always learned his lessons and kept being the same happy-go-lucky sponge we watched on Friday Night Nicktoons.    Sure, he had some downer moments, but he was always perked and peaked, and soon became a cultural icon.    But then . . . it all turned sour. How you may ask?    Let me answer that question with this small tangent.     The Spongebob Squarepants Movie was planned to be the final Spongebob Squarepants animation, with the creator himself having gone off to start a career in marine biology. Smart move. The film was made out to be Spongebob's biggest adventure, and it was: King Neptune, an adorkable princess, Mr. Krabs getting frozen, Squidward showing brains, Plankton actually winning for once, Dennis, David Hasselhoff successfully being shoehorned in, an epic quest, and a Twisted Sister parody song with awesome guitar riffs.

   The movie. Was awesome.    More importantly, it demonstrated how Spongebob had come of age in his own time and how he was ready to move on. He was even shown in the epilogue images doing the things he always does, but now with the respect and responsibility of being the manager of the Krusty Krab 2.    Given this information, continuing the series after the movie would have killed the movie. The lessons and experiences Spongebob had learned from the movie would not be remembered, the Krusty Krab 2 would be gone and everything would remain unchanged. That being said, since the movie was considered by many to be the true ending for Spongebob and friends, the fourth season was a large slap in the face.    To Nickelodeon, it was a business decision. The movie brought in a record amount of viewers and cash, and was generally well-recieved, aside from some negative criticism about the amount of singing and unnecessary filler in some parts, but that's beside the point. Hillenburg decided to move on from Spongebob and do what he wanted, but Nickelodeon decided to cash in on the movie's popularity, and created new seasons with new writers and artists for Spongebob Squarepants.    And since everyone watched the new episodes with the added expectation of it being like the movie, even the specials of Spongebob from season 4 onward, Nick gained the ratings and money needed to continue producing more seasons. Now the show is going on season nine, and the show has become what most would consider 'adult swim' channel entertainment.    Thus, the series became what is called in the trope community a 'franchise zombie'. This means the show is continuing down the same path as before, the Status Quo is God, and it is constantly brought back from old drenches.    I could go on about how Nick jumped the shark, how their newer writers were also old writers from previous seasons, and how most of the season four to five episodes were shorts cut up into 5-7 minutes each, but that would take all day and I want to tackle things like this one at a time. Not all at once.    Way too much vernacular for my fingers to type out.        Thus, I feel it necessary to state that many, if not all, of the post-movie Spongebob Squarepants episodes are crap.    Many names come to mind in how bad they are: "The Splinter". "Pet Sitter Pat". "Smooth Jazz at Bikini Bottom". "A Pal for Gary". "One Coarse Meal". "Squid Baby". "The Thing". "Driven to Tears". "Rule of Dumb". The list goes on from there.    These episodes and more are given the harshest of critiques for children's programming, and are often scrutinized by longtime fans of the series, if any still exist. The main reasons for these episodes' condemnation?    Their quality and quantity.    These episodes feature characters who are placed into horrible situations for no reason than to either be tortured, placed there just for the sake of plot convenience, or placed with a deus-ex-machina that makes everything completely unnecessary. Sometimes these characters are flanderized beyond belief, others are defined as jerks throughout, and in the case of Mr. Krabs, Spongebob and Patrick most of the time, are made completely unlikable.    These episodes also feature some, if not all, of the following: mean-spirited humor, anti-humor, disgusting shots, clunky dialogue, out of character moments, torture, gross out humor, gore, adult jokes that go over children's heads, severe sterotyping, insulting humor, false outcomes, cliche plot devices, and just plain bad writing in general.    Making episodes and cartoons like this in general is a bad idea. Kids watch this show not only because it's their demographic but because they like watching cartoons about funny things. Constantly writing and creating episodes where a character gets a toenail ripped off, or abuses a pet snail for no reason other than plot, immediately send the wrong messages to kids. They'll either be grossed out or be forbidden from watching a violent show by their own parents.    The creator himself even stated the show has become something that should be aired on 'adult swim'.    I can believe it. I also know my mom has banned my sisters from watching the show.    After re-watching a few episodes, I can see why.    If we take all of the previous statements made before and try to form a given conclusion, we always come to this: Spongebob Squarepants has become one of the worst cartoons in history. It has come to deserve this title wholeheartedly. And considering it has to compete with Family Guy, I'm not surprised at all.    Spongebob episode quality had a drop in many seasons, with seasons 6 and 7 being the most devious with the most infamous episodes. Season 4 had a few hits and misses, while season 5 had less hits and more tries. The once splendid animation to me has now become creepy and despondent, like it was purposely making me want to turn off . . . my . . .TV . . .    That may be their true intent, but I need my TV for anime.        Sorry, writers. No dice.    As to why I'm just now bringing up the episodes when earlier I was praising it is because a good show can have bad episodes. Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends had 'Everyone Knows It's Bendy', and Powerpuff Girls had 'Town and Out' and maybe 'PeePee Gees'. Spongebob Squarepants has had a good run, but the episodes have shrunken in quality and merit, and it reflects that through the writing and characters.    And, considering how everyone keeps talking about the show while I have had almost NO say in the matters, I feel it necessary to take a stance on some of the episodes that either tugged at my heartstrings or yanked out my heart and stomped on it. These episodes have to be taken apart, lest the writers of now never learn what the show did wrong.    That way, these mistakes can never be made again.    Hopefully.    One such episode that left me scratching my head was "Good Neighbors" from season 4.    I consider this to be the first truly 'bad' episode of Spongebob. Not only are some of the animations and screenshots disturbing, but Spongebob and Patrick become incredibly stupid for the sake of the plot while Squidward is placed as the butt of their torture and jokes. Another name for this from other critics is a 'Squidward torture porn'.    Now, before I go on, I have to admit: I hate Squidward. He's an egotistical, spineless and spiteful squid who often reviles at his own employment, longs for the fancy life and enjoys only his pursuits of arts. His artwork is terrible because he sees himself as perfection and sophistication, thus uses himself as a muse. This in turn makes his artworks hard to look at, and like what happened with 'Bold and Brash', get thrown away. He is shown as selfish, self-centered and a stickler in many an episode, and often reviles in Spongebob's happiness and positivity.    Now you see why I hate the guy.    Of course, he gained his moments of sympathy, such as when he is confronted with his high school rival Squilliam Fancyson, who seems to be his antithesis. Squilliam can even be stated as what Squidward wants to be: perfection, a god and even a fancy gentleman. However, something will always hold Squidward back, either by plot device, plot or some sort of personality trait. He does have moments where he impresses Squilliam, such as hosting the Krusty Krab as his own restaurant with Spongebob's help, or rocking out at the Bubble Bowl, also with Spongebob's help.    That being said, it is also wise to note that I feel Squidward placed too much hate onto Spongebob most of the time. The yellow cube was often doing his best to help the cephalopod, and often times his own quirks made the good deeds backfire. Episodes like "Are You Happy Now?" and "Tiki Dream" are two that come to mind with this.    I'd say a word about PATRICK, but THAT is for another time.    So, I've stated Squidward is a prick, can be a major jerk, and Spongebob often helps him see the light. It just takes a while for Squidward to see it. Hmm . . . Spongebob and Squidward are opposites in this case, but not with just being happy and sad. The two are two sides of the same coin; Squidward is mopey and pathetic, fed up with fulfilling his dreams while Spongebob tries his best to become a fulfilled character with goals and dreams.    Aside from that depth, and given that I've gone on this tangent with a purpose in mind, consider this: Squidward has often liked Spongebob, and admits it in certain episodes like "SB-129".    In "Good Neighbors", however, Spongebob is showing his usual brand of stupidity and naivety, while bothering Squidward, who later yells loudly at Patrick and Spongebob for being horrible neighbors. Something once touched on in "Naughty Nautical Neighbors" and "Opposite Day".    Why did that work there and be funny while here it was a bad idea?    A few reasons, actually.    "Good Neighbors" revolves around Squidward wanting to just enjoy a nice, quiet day, like a previous episode of Spongebob called "Squid's Day Off".    The first problem is this episode is borrowing and/or stealing a direct plot line or idea from a previous episode. This is considered rehashing, and this is a major author no-no. You never rehash an old storyline or plotline unless you can expand on it, make it better and more detailed, or solve the problems that were with it before.    Rewriting it into a newer season with a different style and name is still rehashing, and looks like copy-pasting on paper. In other words, THIS IS CHEATING.    Furthermore, "Squid's Day Off" did this well to begin with, because Squidward's conscience kept playing with him. It was actually funny to see him worry his head off about things Spongebob would never do, such as destroy the Krusty Krab. He even admitted he wanted his job back at the end of the episode because he was worried.    Showing morality with the character is the best way to connect with the audience. Much better than some cheap laugh.    But no; Squidward ends up planning out the perfect Sunday, and Spongebob and Patrick come out of nowhere to ruin it.    The second problem with this episode is Spongebob and Patrick in general. They are flanderized to be stupid and naive as possible, when in previous episodes, Spongebob was accepting of limits and wants for others of the sea. He saw his own faults when he shrunk everyone in Bikini Bottom, and stopped himself from doing dangerous things with Patrick in "Life in a Day". He knows limits and accepts them.    In this episode, however, Spongebob is completely ignorant of Squidward's frustration and anger, nor does he seem to be aware of his own morality index. What he was doing is wrong, he should have known it was wrong, but he did it anyway.    Patrick being there is more of a double-marker of him being stupid for stupid's sake. That's another nitpicky rant for another time, but for now, having there just furthers the stupidity.    The two constantly barge in on Squidward as he tries to relax on his only day off, (in a comfy and casual way no less, which actually looks peaceful), and cause trouble for him. The two end up being told to paint polka dots on trees and accidentally paint Squidward to where his eyes are hurt and he looks ill.    They steal his fancy pedicure and Sunday time relaxing, ruin his Sunday paper, and drive him mad, and for what, you may ask?    To let Squidward become the leader of their Secret Royal Order of the Good Neighbor Lodge.    Again, this was touched on before, and done better, in other previous episodes of Spongebob. This episode is a continuity rehashing of over ten separate episodes of the previous seasons, with less humor and more anger filled dialogue. Squidward ended up deserving the hurt he needed in those other episodes as well because he acted like a jerk in "Club Spongebob", "Naughty Nautical Neighbors" and "Squid's Day Off".    Moreso, Spongebob, and Patrick just randomly break into Squidward's house, wearing fezes, and just decide to annoy him right when he wants to relax. This is a case of plot convenience gone wrong and a Squidward Torture Porn in the making.    Furthermore, Squidward only wanted to relax, something we all can relate to. He was only trying to be himself and enjoy a day off from his terrible job with a terrible boss. Mr. Krabs, I'm looking at you! He had no reason to be tormented or tortured by the two of them. This came out of nowhere for him.    You could say it was because he tossed Spongebob out of his window by saying it was Sunday and he didn't have to go to work, but again, it makes Squidward look like he's in the wrong because Spongebob is portrayed as being in the right.    Thus, the third problem here is who the real protagonist and antagonist of this episode really is.    Squidward, Spongebob and Patrick: who is the real jerk?    I say it varies in interpretations, given Squidward is still his pre-movie self, and Spongebob and Patrick are dumber than hell, but either way, it falls the outcome of the episode is still the same.    The only saving grace of the episode is that Squidward manages to pierce their veils of idiocy by yelling at the two of them at the top of his lungs. He lets ALL his anger and frustration out. That is the only time within these newer seasons that ANYONE has managed to break through their idiocy.    Savor the moment, people. SAVOR IT.    The final part of the episode, or what I consider the undoing of the episode, is pretty much the reason I thought it was entertaining as a kid. Now, I find it cruel and unusual. Squidward finds an ad for an advanced security system and purchases it with the intention of keeping the two knuckleheads out of his house for good.    After installation, the two materialize into his house with an apology cake that says "Sorry for Bugging You So Much".    This is another making or breaking of the episode, surprisingly. They realize what they did was wrong, and they accepted it as such. However, Squidward is still reasonably upset by the fact the security system did not get rid of them. They even bring in a cake, but the fact is the end up barging in, but still pose no real threats. Had this been handled well, Squidward would have ACCEPTED their apology and admitted he was in the wrong as well for being so overly upset.    However, Status Quo is God dictates he must get punished and get severely angry at them for coming in, and at the security system for not responding to their annoyance. It goes haywire and the system hurts Squidward in the process.    AND then the cake flies on the machine, it goes haywire and . . . makes Squidward's house come to life and destroy Bikini Bottom . . .    This is COMPLETELY unnecessary, and completely over the top. There are so many questions for this and a lot of writing plot holes here. If the security system was on the inside of his house, how did the house grow arms and legs? Why would the system go haywire when cake hits it when drinks and beverages would do far more significant damage than smear the screen with frosting? Why does Squidward seem in the wrong here? And . . . if Mr. Krabs is so cheap, how the hell did Squidward afford that much of a security system?    The point remains; this is completely unnecessary. It only serves to cause more trouble for Squidward, get him kicked out of his own house, have it destroy Bikini Bottom with Patrick and Spongebob inside, and cause the terrible conclusion of this episode. I'm not going to go over how contrived this is or how forced this is, mostly because I think I've already covered it before.    An angry mob - why is it always an angry mob? - forms outside of his house and is placed at fault for causing the damage. Then he gets a court summons to clean up the town every Sunday for the rest of his life. Spongebob and Patrick get it as well, and they take it as naively as possible. 

   I think Squidward’s look in the final scene summed everything up nicely. He was stuck in purgatory he could never relieve himself from.     Overall, this episode is the basic example of a Squidward Torture Porn, and of modern Spongebob episodes to boot. The lack of consistent writing is jarring, their behavior is off-putting and the whole episode is mean-spirited to Squidward, even if all he wanted to do was relax. There are a few moments that can make or break the episode, but given the overall quality of the episode, it's more weighed down with them than weighed up.

   It’s an indicator of things to come in the world of Spongebob and should have set off alarm bells for us.     Good Neighbors is often called one of the worst episodes of Spongebob now, and I can firmly see why.

   Although, I can see much worse episodes on the horizon from later seasons that could possibly contend with it.