"The Original Fry Cook" is more of a return to form for this season. And by that I mean since season 5 started off with a special that was pretty different from most SpongeBob SquarePants episodes, this episode brings us back to our typical 11-minute collection of gags held together by a loose plot. This episode is real interesting when it comes to SpongeBob's character in a way that harks back to episodes like "Ripped Pants" and "Employee of the Month". This episode also does the thing I used to talk about all the way back in season 1 with establishing Mr. Krabs and Squidward having some kind of friendship or friendly relationship prior to the start of the show. So really, we got some interesting character and character dynamics things happening all around in this episode.
This episode starts off perfectly fine with things getting interesting once the plot arrives in the form of a solid gold liimo. For some reason I just love how emphatically Squidward says “LOOK!”. Even got the animated point and everything. Maybe because it’s in sharp contrast to the monotone way he was handling Old Man Walker. And then I love how absurdly rich Jim is with all of his solid gold stuff, especially considering that he's still a frycook as far as we can tell, apron and all. Honestly, I liked Jim as a character in general. His completely boring name in comparison to everyone else's is just very funny to me for whatever reason, and I though Jim himself was pretty funny, even though he was making slick comments left and right. I mean, the slick comments were for the most part funny so I'm letting it pass.
I really liked the flashbacks we got of the Krusty Krab in this episode. It's kind of interesting that two episodes in a row involved flashbacks and telling stories about the past. The flashback of the “classy” Krusty Krab was cool and also just absurd which made it very amusing to me. And then the cut back to the present with SpongeBob laughing along with them was a good blend of awkward and funny. It made me think of that moment in “Enemy-in-Law” (and by extension, “Imitation Krabs”). SpongeBob’s inferiority and jealousy starts to rear its ugly head almost immediately, and I can appreciate an episode that gets right into the meat of things quickly. I also like the return of the “Employee of the Month” wall from the eponymous episode (and the movie, though that had it in SpongeBob’s house).
Now one thing I don’t like in this episode is how rude Mr. Krabs is to SpongeBob because it was uncalled for. While the guy is never typically warm to SpongeBob, the whole breaking his awards thing and then making him clean it up was…not great. And I know that's the point, especially as we reach the end of the episode and it becomes clear why Jim left and why Mr. Krabs likes having SpongeBob around, but it still wasn't pleasant to watch. But I do like that when Mr. Krabs makes a slick comment a little later, SpongeBob actually gets visibly irritated over it. I like when SpongeBob doesn’t take disrespect sitting down. But then Mr. Krabs complimenting Squidward over SpongeBob…that was just out of character lmao. I’ll chalk it up to Mr. Krabs reminiscing about the days where he, Squidward, and Jim worked together, so Squidward was at the forefront of his complimenting mind. Mr. Krabs’ and Jim’s chat is a little bit of a lull, but I did like Jim’s line about having to charge Mr. Krabs for doing any kind of cooking. As he should. Know your worth Jim! Though Mr. Krabs’ laugh went on too long, I feel like that padded out the scene unnecessarily.
I have a lot of questions about this episode, though, because haven’t we already established that SpongeBob is an expert patty maker? How are Jim’s patties that much better than his? Eh whatever, this show has no continuity so let me not do that. I liked the visuals of SpongeBob going on a Jim Patty journey lol. And then SpongeBob deciding that he wants to learn from Jim was definitely a good direction for this episode to go in, because I couldn’t stand any more slick comments and SpongeBob feeling like garbage. Though I didn’t really get that much of a reprieve given all the slick comments Jim keeps throwing SpongeBob’s way. And I don’t like to see SpongeBob begging. I also didn’t find this scene to be that amusing or funny, so that’s a detractor as well. Though Jim’s line about groveling did definitely save much of that scene for me, as did SpongeBob’s cute little smile at the end.
This episode doesn't start getting actually funny until the montage of Jim training SpongeBob, with all the little fun bits and gags. I liked Jim forcing SpongeBob to break the laws of physics to cook his patty. And the continuous flushing was great like you can’t just trash it like a normal person? I love how that gag in particular paid off with the toilet being clogged in the end and SpongeBob running out crying, and the reaction from that Incidental was hilarious. SpongeBob has some glorious dramatics at the end of this montage, and I love how they’re cut short by Squidward. His whole “I’ve gotta cry too” was pretty funny. And then Squidward’s reaction to SpongeBob’s assumption was so funny, it’s fun to see him be this happy sometimes. SpongeBob writing a resignation letter on toilet paper was great. All of this is just so gloriously dramatic while also being absurd. HIs face as he put the letter in the envelope was so good and expressive. The scene where Mr. Krabs finds the resignation letter is the perfect blend of emotional and comedic, far more on the comedic side which works considering the emotional moment we were just put through a minute ago. And this time when Jim and Mr. Krabs share a laugh, I actually started laughing too because Jim’s comment was funny. Honestly Jim was just a very funny character here. Even some of his slick comments (“both of those reasons are true, SpongeBob”) get a chuckle out of me.
I love the real flashback we get of life at the Krusty Krab when Jim worked there. The music was a great touch, and I love how we can see an evolution in Squidward retroactively, as he’s only working at the Krusty Krab until his “clarinet career takes off”, which we know will never happen. And the way his hair just dissipates is hilarious. And I love all the lingo Jim uses as he tells Mr. Krabs he wants a raise. Mr. Krabs here reminds me a lot of his reaction to SpongeBob in “As Seen on TV”, equally hilarious. And I love how Mr. Krabs is still laughing as we cut back. The ending of this episode is cute as SpongeBob re-establishes his confidence in himself. Poor guy doesn’t value his work the way Jim does. Someone needs to teach this little guy a little something about labor unions…
"The Original Fry Cook" is an episode I find myself going back and forth on about how I feel about it. On one hand, a large part of this episode just barely breaks the entertaining threshold, and then after that is not all that funny, but on the other hand there are parts of this episode that are really funny and great commentaries. And then on some days I get far more annoyed by Jim and Mr. Krabs' behaviors than others. So it's hard to figure out where to place this episode. I think high on my "Good" tier fits it just fine.
Episode Tier: Good
Episode Score: 7.9/10
I hated Jim and Mr Krabs in that Spongebob is the best fry cook in bikini bottom.When I heard:Three cheers for the world's greatest fry cook... SpongeBob!I WAS LIKE:WOHOOOOO,I was happy at first when I heard it, but then I wanted to scream on my pillow when Mr Krabs said:Come here. Help us cheer for Jim.UGH WHYYYY..I thought everyone was gonna cheer at spongebob,Ughh.0/10
