215a. Feral Friends

Honest Slug

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Might as well make topics for the rest of season 10.

Discuss the special that may or may not air in 2028.
 

Squidy

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So, first it starts with Sandy’s birthday.Then the Neptune moon shines and everyone goes into their primal form. So this episode had a new gag (You don’t see that everyday!) It’s not that funny but GOSH PATCHY RETURNS. So this is one of the best episodes in season 10 so you know it’s a GOLDEN episode. So it’s the first Sandy episode since “Sandy’s Nutmare.” Another thing is that the fight is very cool too and the whale ride. 11/10.
 

CartoonJazzLover

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Season 10 was a rollercoaster of season imo. The season itself in tone bipolar, but I won't get too off-topic about it, let's review this episode instead...it was a strange episode, but in a good way. This is the best surrealness I've seen in the 10th season. Everything about it worked. I enjoyed seeing Patchy and Potty again. I noticed Potty is now voiced by Mr. Doug Lawrence. He's somewhat more higher pitched than Stephen Hillenburg and Paul Tibbitt's take on the character, but it's jarring because I couldn't even tell if it was actually him (Mr. Lawrence is easy to tell apart in voices). What made the episode really interesting is the narrator is actually real. He's basically a guy in a water suit, probably living his life narrating the world of SpongeBob. I'm glad this ended up being the most Sandy centered episode of the season, because here's the thing: Sandy only appeared in 4 episodes, yet her voice actress Carolyn Lawrence actually get speaking lines for other characters in some episodes I think it's a slap in the face. Either way, the plot here was unique, it's basically a weird one as I mention. It's kinda like Pressure where everyone become real life animals, but animated. The continuity is pretty strong here because Mr Krabs and Mrs Puff spent the episode interacting with each other. Mr Lawrence must really ship these two so much (he did came up with the idea of Krusty Love after all, and this was brought up again in Whirlybrains, an episode he written). The climax was exciting to watch, although in the end it was pretty weird to see everyone even Pearl and Mrs. Puff naked. Also, Patrick got a big butt. All in all, it's an awesome episode and ones of my favorite of the otherwise underwhelming 10th season. I still preferred Mimic Madness though.
 

Depressed Luigi

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I noticed Potty is now voiced by Mr. Doug Lawrence. He's somewhat more higher pitched than Stephen Hillenburg and Paul Tibbitt's take on the character, but it's jarring because I couldn't even tell if it was actually him (Mr. Lawrence is easy to tell apart in voices).
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, that would explain it! I thought there was something weird about Potty's voice.
 

The Appetizer

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Wintermelon43 said:
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, that would explain it! I thought there was something weird about Potty's voice.
As much as I love Doug's voice work, I can't say I really like his Potty voice. Hillenburg and Tibbitt do way better Potties.

I really liked this episode, the premise was deliciously weird. There were some good jokes [Larry's comment about moons for one], and I really liked Sandy's characterization here. I really liked how she was pretty much the hero in this episode, with SpongeBob and Patrick merely secondary characters. But the REAL highlight for me were the bits with Patchy and the French Narrator. I love how Sandy relied on the Narrator throughout the episode [heck- he even refers to himself as "French Narrator" in the episode! Genius. Sheer, unadulterated genius!] The nudity, even though I can see why one would dislike it, wasn't really a big issue with this episode for me. Overall, a fantastic episode. One of the better of Season 10.
10/10
 

Waterbubble

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I think it was an okay episode. I know it's been awhile since we heard from Patchy the Pirate! So that's a plus! And it's it just me, or does Sandy sort of break the 4th wall by talking to the French narrator?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
 

McSponge

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So this is one of the few episodes from Seasons 10/11 that I was actually looking forward to, and it turned out to be just about as great as I thought it would be.

First of all, I absolutely love the plot in this episode. It's imaginative, it's creative, it's one of the most original plots in Season 10! A lot of episodes recently have had much simpler premises, and tended to focus more on a new environment certain characters were put into (Larry in Larry the Floor Manager, Man Ray in ManRay Returns, SpongeBob in Code Yellow, etc.). So I'm actually really satisfied with this plot. We haven't had a suspenseful, action-packed episode since Season 8 (Probably one of the few things I actually admire about that Season), so it was nice to see this episode drive away from the comedy side of SpongeBob, and focus more on an interesting story. And yes, when I mean story, I mean story. Not a premise, a story. A premise is a simple concept, or idea that an episode builds around (At least, that's how I interpret it). Episodes like Larry's Gym, SpongeBob LongPants, and Cave Dwelling Sponge relies on how different characters react to a certain scenario taking place. This episode, on the other hand, essentially tells a story about how Sandy tries to keep her friends safe, during the event in which Neptune's Moon (I wonder how the moon affected King Neptune himself... :sbdisappointed: ) is no longer dormant for 2 hours.

While I guess the concept of a Neptune's Moon is a parody of the concept of werewolves (Or were-anything), the episode's story manages to remain completely original, making it one of the most entertaining episodes of the Season.

Again, there isn't much comedy in this episode, as it's one of those "Survival" episodes that used to show up every once in a while around Seasons 7 & 8. As for the few jokes in this episode, well...they're not that funny.

Patchy's Segments are pretty funny (Especially when Pearl jumps out of the water, I thought that was very funny), but a majority of the jokes actually in the main SpongeBob portion of the episode tend to be very forgettable, and not too funny. The jokes that are funny are kind of surreal in a way. The gags with Krabs and Puff in love, though great development of their characters, are kind of odd to see. The gags with the primitive versions of the characters aren't too funny, but there are some likable moments here and there (Especially with Larry, he seems to be one of the funnier characters in this episode). When all the characters appear nude at the end of the episode, that was...different. It wasn't that funny, but...it was...an experience...I guess...

I am kind of glad that the crew took a risk with having Puff and Pearl nude, since only guys have been nude in the series, which kind of goes along with what some user said on this site months ago, about how the crew should just do what they do when SpongeBob or Patrick appears nude, just remove the unmentionables. I only bring this up, because it's one of the most unique and kind of baffling scenes in the episode, and it perfectly goes along with what that user said on this site months ago.

Anyway, as I mentioned before, I absolutely love the plot to this episode, I feel as if it's completely original, and was very entertaining to watch. :janet:

But you know what's the best part of the episode? The characters. I can not believe that the French Narrator finally has a major role in an episode, I never would've thought I'd see the guy star as a main character. :krabsshocked:
And guess what? He's actually vital to the plot, and helps contribute to the episode. Not only is it fascinating seeing this character in person (Yes, in a diver's suit in a submarine), but it's also very cool that the episode gives him some character. He's apparently friends with Sandy (Maybe the connection between the two is involved with the reason why Sandy moved underwater... :notetoself: ). Seeing the two interact with each other is extremely cool, and even better, we see him interact with Patchy! Apparently Patchy knows Frenchie (Yes, that's his name) personally, adding even more depth to this character! I was excited enough when I saw Patchy in this episode (Considering the fact that I love Patchy. Sorry Puffy Fluffy), but seeing the French Narrator of all people! That was incredible! Plus, he makes this a much more interesting episode. Making him a prominent character in this episode really makes this episode stand out, and makes it much more memorable than it already was. Yeah, it could've been a simple Okay Episode, but no! Incorporating Frenchie as a main character really makes this episode even more unique than it already was!

As for Sandy, well, she's perfectly in character. It was nice seeing a little bit of Karate action at the beginning of the episode, and it's interesting that not once does her science side show up in the episode. She's a quick thinker, and is quite intelligent, but it's cool to see her in one of these scenarios without bringing up science. In fact, now that I think about it, Sandy has used science in all previous action-packed/survival episodes (The Krabby Patty That Ate Bikini Bottom, Whelk Attack, and Planet of the Jellyfish), so seeing her now in the position that SpongeBob was in, during those episodes, this time, without the help of anyone, it's fascinating, honestly. Gee, how many commas have I used in that sentence? :nervoussponge:

As for the Patchy Segments, well, they're not as good as they were from Christmas Who? to Friend or Foe, but they're certainly a large improvement over his appearances from Atlantis SquarePantis to It's a SpongeBob Christmas. Again, it's not as great as his classic appearances in his home (Which is the environment I believe Patchy shines in the most), but it definitely has it's moments. It actually contains some pretty good looking effects (Something you NEVER see in Patchy segments, whether intentionally, or unintentionally), and his interactions with Potty and Frenchie are pretty entertaining. Plus, the scene with him and Pearl is one of the many highlights of the episode. Also, was I the only one getting flashbacks to Ugh during the ending of the Patchy Segment. I kind of hoped they would reference it, or at least have Patchy sprouting the same outfit he wore in Ugh, but I guess it's a decent enough ending.

Overall, Feral Friends is a Great Episode. Tons of originality, great characters, awesome animation, and an overall unique experience. I give it a 9.3/10.
 
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tfw the show brought up fish cannibalism oh wee

this episode was one of the strongest episodes they have done in years. For 18 years, the show hadn't come up with the idea of characters becoming mindless fish creatures and it finally happened in this episode. An idea I never thought of it but glad it happened. The episode felt very fast paced without being over the top zany and something like it. It was like a quite small adventure for Sandy and I loved it. Sandy was amazing, she really cared about her friends and she didn't want them to eat each other. It was even shocking to see her trying to hide Squidward, more Sandy/Squidward dynamic please but it was once great to see Sandy having struggle with saving people. A lot of people felt Sandy became such a plot solver and yeah I can see that, even though that never bothered me but Sandy was shown some vulnerability and that helped me caring for her more. A lot of funny moments through the episode like the entire French Narritor showing up, Mrs. Puff eating Mr. Krabs, the moon joke by Larry, Sandy turning into mindless squirrel and all of Patchy/Potty stuff. This wasn't a 22 minute special episode but if they make the specials more like this episode, adventurous and funny. This episode was a combination of both and props to Mr. Lawrance for his second masterpiece of season 10, first being Mimic Madness.

Grade: A
 

Growlie

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I've mixed feelings about this episode, I like Squidward being an actual real "Giant" octopus and being a monster/predator type creature, If Only he came across Squilliam while he was in this form, then we'd have him in that position instead of Squidward. But man would that be awkward.

Pearl vs Squidward was interesting, but I'm glad that the two hours were up before it got, well....bloody. (although no, there wouldn't be any of that in this show. I am saying that it would've gotten nasty had it continued.)

So, do I like this episode? Well, I don't hate it. I just haven't decided yet.
 

kingseye423

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Okay, I finally caught up with the episode on Friday (so two catch up episodes for me), and I have to say this was pretty good for the most part.

The character interactions (Sandy speaking to the French Narrator, something you don't see everyday; Patchy, in his first appearance in some time, also talking to the French Narrator) were really strong, as well as some of the jokes, especially Larry (hmm..) the visuals, and the animal cycle broken down in the middle.

All in all a great episode.
8.8/10
 

MasiHosseini

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Season: 10

Episode: Feral Friends

This episode was good. The plot was original and refreshing, the Patchy and Potty fragments were rather nostalgic, so that was positive. It was fascinating to see the sea creatures in a realistic manner, scientifically accurate. There were some funny jokes. 8/10
 

Growlie

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I'm watching a video by Vailskibum94 on SpongeBob, and I think he mentioned this episode was longer then 11minutes.
Was that true? Was this longer than 11minutes?
 

Honest Slug

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I'm just going to say that this episode raised season 10 from a bad season to a mediocre season. May sound like faint praise, but I'm shocked. I really love this episode. I think it's even better than Mermaid Pants. My previous best season 10 episode.

I don't think I would've ever came up with a concept like this, but it just works so well. This is definitely a Sandy episode and while Sandy never struck me as a highlight in the SpongeBob cast this episode proves her worth as a goofy interpenetration of an action hero in a devastated Bikini Bottom. Unlike a lot of season 10 episodes everything flowed so naturally, the jokes never felt forced. Compare the Neptune's Sun twist to the crazy ending of Krusty Katering. Both are nonsensical endings but the difference in craft is obvious. The wackiness is much less... patronizing. It actually has a proper ending before the comedic twist, and the comedic twist isn't full of loud children yelling about cake, food flying everywhere, and Patrick being season 10 Patrick, it's too much. In Feral Friends It's just a funny idea of a joke that comes with the right dosage of crazy animation to ham it up. The episode's got fantastic animation, but it never goes overboard and in fact elevates the episode's many great action and comedic setpieces. This and Dunces and Dragons prove you can really make a great adventure even in SpongeBob of all things.

Quite interesting how the episode was a bit educational too. I already know most of this but the inclusion was clever and funny to the point where it doesn't feel like the episode's being dumbed down to teach you something a la SpongeBob's Last Stand.

Live action was solid as well. Patchy was decent for the most part. Probably the weakest aspect of the episode and certainly not up to par with his seasons 2-3 + Friend or Foe appearances. But the jokes were charming and THANK GOD IT WASN'T AS HORRIBLE AND ABOMINABLE AS TRUTH OR SQUARE I MEAN SERIOUSLY IT ISN'T THAT HARD TO AIM A SHOT CORRECTLY WHY WAS IT LIKE 20 MINUTES LONG WHY AM I WATCHING PATCHY KIDNAP ROBIN WILLIAMS WHAT IS THE STORLYLINE HOW DID ANYONE APPROVE THIS!!!

...Sorry for my tangent. I'm just glad Patchy's stuff here has well-crafted cheapness, good jokes, pretty brief, and has an awesome appearance by the french narrator.

This episode's really got everything I want from a SpongeBob episode, it isn't perfect but close enough. This might be my favorite post-sequel episode now. Who would've thought.

9/10
 
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