Can it be? A Gary episode? Hooray! Well, less hooray is the fact that the main plot of this episode is one I don’t care for: romance. And so soon after “A Pal For Gary”, I have quite a bit of…trepidation…going into this episode. So perhaps I am not having the good time that I am hoping to.
So, here’s the thing. Romances like this make my eyes roll right out of my head. Because they’re drab and boring. So when the episode begins with this kind of romance, even though it is an exaggeration as it is a parody, I’m still bored and already sighing. And why are they putting this on Gary of all people? Why me. At least we get some SpongeBob and Gary content that doesn’t make me want to go into the show and murder somebody, so that’s definitely an improvement. And the joke with SpongeBob sitting on the bench and immediately conking out was pretty funny. Personally I would never sleep in public.
And I don’t need to get on my soapbox here, do I? But of course the snail Gary “falls in love with” has to be “unambiguously female”, so she’s got lipstick, long lashes, and is wearing a bow. Do I even need to elaborate? Maybe it’s because I’m gay but I’m just so very tired of this. Sigh. And honestly the plot of this episode in general bores me. Like we get some jerkwad boyfriend(?) of Mary’s who tries to chase Gary off and fails, and now he wants to act all tough and beat Gary up because of how he’s “stolen” his girl. My eyes literally cannot roll any further than they are right now.
Now, Gary’s lovesick self is fun to watch, I’ll give this episode that. Like his funny drawing of Mary is cute. Or the way he sees Mary in the food. And as this scene goes on, I’m struck by a way this episode could’ve been improved immensely…pull a “Single Cell Anniversary” and have Gary go to SpongeBob for help, or have SpongeBob figure out what’s going on! It’ll allow for some more character dynamics involving characters that actually talk (which now that I’m thinking about it, why is it that the jerkwad snail can talk just fine, but neither Gary nor Mary actually talk…).
Anyway, Gary ends up setting off on a romantic quest. And as CEO of Gary I of course have to cheer him on, even if I am again tired of this plot. And once SpongeBob gets up, this is where the episode finally starts to get my attention. His misconstrual of Gary’s drawing as a ransom note is hilarious, and it makes me think that maybe my idea for a better plot may not be better after all, as this is some good stuff right here. And the jerkwad snail is pretty funny once he gets a chance to talk to people that aren’t Gary. That whole bit with the guy getting his spikes stuck too is pretty funny.
From here, the episode turns into a triple pursuit, with Gary going after Mary, SpongeBob going after Gary, and the jerkwad snail gang going after Gary. And I think the episode balances each of these pretty well. The way the guy just picks up Gary and puts him in the cage is a little frustrating though, and I don’t understand why Gary didn’t just explain that he wasn’t a stray. So either, 1) Gary didn’t explain which is dumb or 2) Gary did explain and the guy just didn’t understand him, which is also dumb because once the jerkwad snail gang comes in, the guy clearly understands the leader. So I’m lost. But that’s a very minute detail that hardly ends up mattering in the end. The bit with the jerkwad snails is pretty funny too, I love how they take 2 hours to completely trash the place, and I love how it ends up traumatizing the guy LMAO. And those jerkwads end up getting their comeuppance, so that’s great to see.
Once Gary breaks out of the shop, we first off get an absolutely adorable Gary face. I mean look at this
little guy, ugh I love him so much. And then we get a resolution to the jerkwad snails as Gary uses the henchmen to launch himself to Mary in a pretty entertaining sequence. And then I love how SpongeBob assumes the woman is snail-napping Gary. I just really love how SpongeBob cares for Gary so much in this episode. It’s healing after the trauma that was “A Pal For Gary”. And I love how SpongeBob was ready to argue with this woman, like you go SpongeBob! Poor Gary, though, he ends up being rejected and heartbroken. At least he makes friends with the jerkwad snails! Gotta love a happy ending.
“Gary in Love” started out kinda slow, but it got really good after a few minutes. While the whole plot itself bores me, I can look past it after those few moments of settling in (which is another reason why the first few minutes are weak for me—I have to get used to the fact that I’m about to watch this). I was also pleasantly surprised by this episode for that very reason, I really thought I was gonna be annoyed the whole time. But I should’ve just trusted the process. I blame “A Pal For Gary”.
Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score: 8/10
Dancing (Good)