17b. Rock Bottom

Not really a fan of this episode, i didn’t find it funny or interesting though i like the atmosphere of Rock Bottom.

5/10
 
I liked this episode quite a lot. It's got great comedy and a decent story. I wouldn't say it's perfect or anything, but it's a very cool episode

Ranking so far:
1. Employee of the Month (A+)
2. SB-129 (A+)
3. Sleepy Time (A+)
4. Pickles (A+)
5. Pizza Delivery (A+)
6. F.U.N. (A)
7. Plankton! (A)
8. Arrgh! (A)
9. Naughty Nautical Neighbors (A)
10. Sandy's Rocket (A)
11. Karate Choppers (A)
12. Help Wanted (A)
13. Rock Bottom (A)
14. Culture Shock (B)
15. Boating School (B)
16. Bubblestand (B)
17. Suds (B)
18. Scaredy Pants (B)
19. Home Sweet Pineapple (B)
20. Hall Monitor (B)
21. Jellyfishing (B)
22. Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost (C)
23. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy (C)
24. Jellyfish Jam (C)
25. Tea at the Treedome (C)
26. Opposite Day (C)
27. Ripped Pants (C)
28. Valentine's Day (C)
29. Reef Blower (C)
30. The Chaperone (C)
31. Nature Pants (C)
32. MuscleBob BuffPants (D)
33. The Paper (D)
34. Squeaky Boots (D)
35. I Was a Teenage Gary (E)
 
This episode is amazing, it nails the atmosphere, it nails the comedy, and is the definition of going an extra mile. They didn't have to add all of these weird characters, they didn't have to have all these different design choices, but they did anyway, and it all just really works. Plus, foreshadowing to the end is always appreciated.
 
The setup to this episode is quite decent, but once Patrick leaves the plot, this episode gets really annoying. Most of it is just SpongeBob attempting to get on a bus, but the bus ends up leaving when he gets to it, and it's repeated a lot, and it's not funny, rather really annoying. Honestly, I don't think they used the concept to their advantage, as we didn't get to see much of Rock Bottom, aside from the setup.

Bad Episode (4/10)
 
I watched it again now. I used to hate this episode as a kid, but after rewatching it around a year ago, I find it amazing. This is classic episode. The atmosphare here is one of the best around the show. 9.5/10
 
One of my all time favorites. The location of Rock Bottom is really interesting, and I wouldn't mind seeing it in future episodes. Aside from that, the episode is really funny, with tons of jokes every minute. They vary up the bus joke just enough so that it never gets stale or unfunny, and the candy machine scene is a contender for my favorite scene in the whole series. The designs on the citizens of Rock Bottom are really interesting, and seeing Spongebob get angry is also just really entertaining to see. Really phenomenal episode.

Perfect episode (10/10)

1. Pizza Delivery (10)
2. Rock Bottom (10)
3. SB-129 (9)
4. Opposite Day (9)
5. Pickles (9)
6. MuscleBob BuffPants (9)
7. Sleepy Time (9)
8. Help Wanted (9)
9. Naughty Nautical Neighbors (8)
10. Plankton! (8)
11. Sandy's Rocket (8)
12. Employee of the Month (8)
13. Arrgh! (8)
14. F.U.N. (8)
15. Hall Monitor (8)
16. Scaredy Pants (8)
17. Ripped Pants (8)
18. Suds (7)
19. Tea at the Treedome (7)
20. Karate Choppers (7)
21. Jellyfish Jam (7)
22. Culture Shock (7)
23. Home Sweet Pineapple (7)
24. Boating School (7)
25. Bubblestand (7)
26. Mermaidman and Barnacleboy (7)
27. Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost (6)
28. Valentines Day (6)
29. Reef Blower (6)
30. I Was A Teenage Gary (6)
31. Squeaky Boots (6)
32. The Chaperone (5)
33. Nature Pants (5)
34. Jellyfishing (5)
35. The Paper (4)
 
9/10

Not exactly perfect, but it is really great at atmosphere, and being relatable. I really like the visuals in this one, plus the humor is funny, and is pretty good in terms of plot. I really liked the ending too, and the bus scene where SpongeBob was trying to get to the bus.

Naughty Nautical Neighbors: (10/10)
Ripped Pants: (10/10)
Tea at the Tree-Dome: (10/10)
SB-129 (10/10)
Help Wanted: (9.5/10)
Karate Choppers: (9.5/10)
Sleepy Time: (9/10)
Rock Bottom: (9/10)
Pizza Delivery: (9/10)
Plankton!: (9/10)
F.U.N: (9/10)
Arrgh!: (8.5/10)
Boating School: (8.5/10)
The Paper: (8.5/10)
Bubblestand: (8.5/10)
Culture Shock: (7.5/10)
Reef Blower: (7.5/10)
Pickles: (7/10)
Scardey Pants: (7/10)
The Chaperone: (6.5/10)
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy I: (6.5/10)
Valentines Day: (6.5/10)
I Was A Teenage Gary: (6.5/10)
Home Sweet Pineapple: (6.5/10)
Employee of the Month: (6.5/10)
Suds: (6/10)
Opposite Day: (6/10)
Squidward The Unfriendly Ghost: (5.5/10)
Nature Pants: (4.5/10)
Sandy's Rocket: (4.5/10)
Hall Monitor: (4/10)
Squeaky Boots: (3.5/10)
MuscleBob BuffPants: (2/10)
Jellyfishing: (1.5/10)
 
This episode is not only my fav this season, but my fav in the show...well at least so far. xD
 
The literal "Rock Bottom" of Season 1. This episode is so boring and long, it's so dark and dull, making the art style in the episode easily the worst part. Also, I'm not a fan of "wasted opportunity" jokes, where the bus goes away from SpongeBob and SpongeBob tries to catch it. It's kinda mean spirited towards SpongeBob, and it doesn't help how boring this episode is. It's far from the worst of the Pre-Movie Era, as CYSAD and Procrastination are way worse, but I think it's fully necessary to give this episode the ScumBob rating.
 
old review

Many fun moments here its funny and might be on the creepy side but the gags are nice!

Rating: Good
 
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I like this episode despite the rather dark plot. The jokes were great and scene where SpongeBob gets a candy bar while attempting to catch the bus was the right time for me to laugh.

Rating: Amazing Episode

Rankings:
SB-129 (Perfect)
Sleepy Time (Amazing!)
F.U.N. (Amazing!)
Pizza Delivery (Amazing!)
Reef Blower (Amazing!)
Rock Bottom (Amazing!)
Opposite Day (Amazing!)
Help Wanted (Amazing!)
Pickles (Amazing!)
Plankton! (Amazing!)
Naughty Nautical Neighbors (Amazing!)
Arrgh! (Great)
STUFG (Great)
Employee of the Month (Great)
Squeaky Boots (Great)
Bubblestand (Great)
Jellyfishing (Great)
Valentine's Day (Great)
MMABB (Great)
Suds (Great)
I Was a Teenage Gary (Great)
Scaredy Pants (Great)
Karate Choppers (Great)
Ripped Pants (Okay)
Boating School (Okay)
Hall Monitor (Okay)
Culture Shock (Okay)
Tea at the Treedome (Meh)
Jellyfish Jam (Meh)
Sandy's Rocket (Meh)
The Chaperone (Bad)
Home Sweet Pineapple (Bad)
MuscleBob BuffPants (Bad)
The Paper (Terrible)
Nature Pants (Terrible)
 
The candy machine scene makes me crack up. Sponge's sides rumbling when he gets hungry was only done in this episode.
 
A staple in my Halloween marathon, we've got the classic Rock Bottom! You know you're iconic when you've got a whole game level created after you (with a killer soundtrack too)!

Now, let me come right out and say it. I don't rewatch this episode very much because it's way too frustrating. Which means this episode is automatically knocked out of the running to be in my "Amazing" tier. And when I rated it for my complete season 1 review, it was in my "Good" tier. Now? I think it sits comfortable in my "Great" tier. So let's talk about it.

Like I just said, this episode's main weakness for me is the fact that it's just wayyyyyy too frustrating for me. Like SpongeBob in that bus line? That's me from essentially start to finish. But I understand that that is the point of this episode. I mean just think about it, everything in this episode is all about repetition, annoyance, and frustration, starting from the very first joke with the balloon and the bus driver (which is very funny, by the way). This style of comedy definitely works for me sometimes, but other times it uh...it does not. This is one of those times (in certain parts of the episode, at least). I wish SpongeBob and Patrick were stuck together in Rock Bottom rather than just SpongeBob, but it does lead to a couple funny moments such as when Patrick gets back on the bus and the very end of the episode, so I'm not going to complain about it too much.

Now, the good. There's a lot of it. The frustration of this episode makes the ending far more cathartic, and it leads to one of my absolute favorite jokes of the show, when SpongeBob has a whole angry meltdown in the bus line. Like I've said before, when SpongeBob gets mad, that's peak comedy if done correctly. The vending machine scene is just a classic, and there's really not much I need to say about that (when you're put into a game as an easter egg, there's really nothing I can say other than iconic). (lol, I found this compilation of SpongeBob missing the bus and it's hilarious)

I also love the whole environment of Rock Bottom. The backgrounds in this episode are absolutely gorgeous. The plot of this episode is also great, because getting lost in a foreign place is a common enough issue. Now, growing up in the United States in the late 2000s, early to mid 2010s, obviously this has become less of a problem with the advent of better and better phones, but this still feels like timeless humor. Speaking of timeless, let's talk about how SpongeBob SquarePants barely uses technology, which prevents it from being dated. I love that aspect of the show, and I'm pretty sure they talked about it in the SpongeBob BingePants podcast.

Episode Tier: Great
Episode Score: 8.2/10
 
Pugs4Thugs said:
let's talk about how SpongeBob SquarePants barely uses technology, which prevents it from being dated. I love that aspect of the show, and I'm pretty sure they talked about it in the SpongeBob BingePants podcast.
Click to expand...
it would be pretty weird if spongebob pulled out a smart phone, and started using instagram, oh wait.....he did
 
Great episode. 9/10.
 
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I rewatched it for this review and i think this episode is super overrated I mean I don't think its as good as everyone says but I give it a 7/10 I give it that for the weird *blowing raspberry* language and "I am not leaving this spot!" I just thought it was mostly boring
 
SpongebobMaster said:
I rewatched it for this review and i think this episode is super overrated I mean I don't think its as good as everyone says but I give it a 7/10 I give it that for the weird *blowing raspberry* language and "I am not leaving this spot!" I just thought it was mostly boring
Click to expand...
  1. Pizza Delivery (10/10)
  2. Ripped Pants (10/10)
  3. The Paper (10/10
  4. Sb-129 (9.5/10)
  5. Suds (9.5/10)
  6. F.U.N (9.5/10)
  7. Sleepy Time (9/10)
  8. Karate Choppers (9/10)
  9. Arrgh! (8.5/10)
  10. Plankton! (8.5/10)
  11. Pickles (8.5/10)
  12. Scaredy Pants (8.5/10)
  13. Naught Nautical Neighbors (8/10)
  14. Boating School (8/10)
  15. Nature Pants (8/10)
  16. Squidward The Unfriendly Ghost (8/10)
  17. Culture Shock (8/10)
  18. Employee Of The Month (8/10)
  19. Mermaid And Barnacle Boy (8/10)
  20. Jellyfish Jam (8/10)
  21. Help Wanted (8/10)
  22. Bubble Stand (8/10)
  23. Opposite Day (7.5/10)
  24. Rock Bottom (7/10)
  25. Reef Blower (6.5/10)
  26. The Chaperone (6/10)
  27. Tea At The Treedome (5.5/10)
  28. Hall Monitor (3.5/10)
  29. Home Sweet Pineapple (3/10)
  30. Valentines Day (3/10)
  31. Sandy's Rocket (2.5/10)
  32. Musclebob Buffpants (2.5/10)
  33. I was a Teenage Gary (2.5/10)
  34. Jellyfishing (2.5/10)
 
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