Ooh, we’ve got a fun one today in “Suction Cup Symphony”. For years I’ve seen this episode as one of the real highlights of season 6, so I’m excited to revisit it today. Not that it needs too much revisiting, as I rewatch this episode with decent regularity.
The episode starts off well, with a good joke about Squidward’s horrendous clarinet-playing reminiscent of “Band Geeks”. SpongeBob is pretty wholesome here too. And everything with the construction workers is pretty funny. And then once we learn that the composition is due the next day, this provides a great source of tension for the next few minutes. Also speaking of that knowledge, I am now being reminded of the existence of
this cool Sparta remix that uses Squidward saying “due tomorrow” as its source, and the Grass Skirt Chase Sparta Base as its base. Super cool. Anyway, the episode continues on pretty amusingly as Squidward stresses like SpongeBob in “Procrastination”, while also being very me-core in being distracted by his neighbors (mine are very loud…send help). The various sounds just inspire curiosity in me (which will be satisfied later in the episode), and I love all the faces of Squidward moving across the screen in a way similar to “Fear of a Krabby Patty”. This episode is very expressive with its animation and I love it. I also loved the shots we get of a gorgeous background outside of Squidward’s house…I’m going to need more of that please.
I really like how this episode kind of subverts expectations a little bit with Squidward getting announced as the winner immediately, making one wonder what exactly the rest of the episode is going to be about. I can appreciate when an episode is not immediately predictable (or at least I’m assuming this episode isn’t, because obviously I was already familiar with the plot). Once the symphony starts, though, we get a good idea of just what’s about to go down, as SpongeBob and Patrick make their appearance. I really like the sound of Squidward’s symphony too, and I love how SpongeBob and Patrick kind of fit into it too. It’s kinda genius of Squidward, even if it was incidental. The blank face SpongeBob has throughout the entire playing of the symphony was hilarious to me. I also like how this whole segment basically says the same thing as “Squidville” but much differently and perhaps more subtly…Squidward’s life would be far less interesting without SpongeBob and Patrick in his life. He probably wouldn’t have won the competition without them.
One of the biggest strengths of this episode are the visual gags. For example, Squidward’s “game face” was pretty funny, and I loved the whole bit with SpongeBob and Patrick being balls (don’t even start). Or like the rainbow part with Squidward’s creativity. Or even the entire sequence of SpongeBob and Patrick playing doctor and patient. Or especially the entire playing of the symphony, especially at the end when everyone’s eyes are tracking Patrick’s descent. Honestly, this episode really has the comedy down, because it’s not just visual gags that are great here. The part where Patrick’s like “my job doesn’t provide me with health insurance” is great because of the rest of that interaction, and also I like that moment because it does my favorite thing of tipping this show into a more adult direction (how much do kids understand insurance? I’m trying to think of when I was a kid, and if I knew how insurance worked…no idea).
Just like “House Fancy”, one great thing about this episode is that in the end Squidward’s a winner, which is quite satisfying after all the trials and tribulations we see him go through. It’s also just nice to see Squidward win in something that he really wants, such as this symphony. And with that, there really isn't anything else I can say about "Suction Cup Symphony". It's just a very amusing and satisfying episode, not much to it.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.4/10
