Next in line is the episode that not only gets into the neighborly relationship between SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward, but also the best friendship between Patrick and SpongeBob! This is a sorely-needed episode to help establish (or further establish) these character dynamics.
"Naughty Nautical Neighbors" is funny and a classic example of the shenanigans these three characters get up to. Squidward's imitations of SpongeBob and Patrick's voices never fails to crack me up. SpongeBob and Patrick's arguing throughout the episode is great too, and I died with all of the melodrama (especially with the bath scene). You know, now that I think of it, this episode almost feels like a parody of a soap opera.
Anyway, this episode is full of so many iconic moments, from Squidward's choking, to SpongeBob's classic "the gang's all here". And then of course, we have the quick return of one of my favorite gags, things randomly blowing up, when SpongeBob and Patrick start laughing after drinking too much soda. Speaking of that scene, it's very heartwarming to see that their bond is so deep that even after they think the other said all those horrible things to them, they can return to being thick as thieves just by finding something funny.
Something about this episode makes me especially nostalgic, more than every other episode so far. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but I don't know, maybe I watched this episode a lot when I was really little and now I have that association. Who knows.
I also like that this episode actually follows Squidward rather than SpongeBob, the character we've basically been following this whole time. This isn't something I think about often (except for more recently, where episodes have been nearly missing SpongeBob altogether, which I'm cool with), but SpongeBob SquarePants actually engages in this sort of a thing a lot, following other main characters that aren't our titled protagonist. It makes for a lot more possibilities for episodes.
Also, I like that we get to see the back of everyone's houses, I feel like that rarely ever happens in this show. Apparently this episode used to be called "Friendly Fire". I must say, this title is better.
In contrast to my season review back in January, this episode now sits firmly in the "Amazing" category for me. I really have no qualms with this episode at all. It's hilarious, it shows new sides and dynamics to our characters, it's heartwarming, and it doesn't drag at all. And it has that "wow" factor that bumps it up from "Great" to "Amazing". I think I underappreciated this episode before. No longer.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9/10
