Well if it isn’t the return of our favorite little amoeba, Spot! One thing that I really like in these newer episodes is that there’s now the barest shreds of continuity. The existence of Spot, Larry’s gym, and the Krusty Katering business are all new bits of continuity that before might have only existed for a single episode. Now, I’ll never expect continuity from this show, but this is pretty cool.
The episode begins with Plankton playing with a fattened Spot. I love seeing Plankton have this obvious soft spot (lol) for Spot, it’s cute, and gives him more dimensions than just being a villain (though we are of course well past that point in the show). Seems Plankton has such a soft spot that he’s been feeding Spot too many treats. And turns out, Spot is pregnant! Plankton freaking out is hilarious. Plankton is just really good in this episode. His sass later is also super funny.
Spot has puppies basically immediately, and Karen short-circuits from cuteness overload. I love puppies, but I’m not sure I’d be able to see the cuteness in these tiny, tiny little guys haha. Plankton soon finds out that these puppies are little troublemakers as they start razing the Chum Bucket. That is where Plankton and I align, because our family’s puppy is also a little troublemaker. Plankton decides to find a way to get rid of the puppies, and he does so by giving them away for free. I love how SpongeBob enters this episode, with the bubbles, that was cute.
I love the continuation of the Patrick joke from “Plankton’s Pet”. Him being adopted by Mr. Krabs is just a hilarious gag that the episode keeps returning to. Speaking of hilarious, this episode is legitimately just so funny from beginning to end. Plankton trying to give away the puppies as his aggressive self is just great. SpongeBob decides to mold a few thousand of the puppies into one extra-large puppy so that people will be interested in taking them. And it works! Works quite well, actually.
Turns out that even supersized and free to a new home, the puppies are just as much troublemakers as before. And they’re loyal to Plankton. They steal their owners belongings and go back to the Chum Bucket, which, as you might expect, gives Plankton an idea. Can it really be a Plankton episode without an attempt to steal the formula? Yes, yes it can, but let’s pretend for a moment that it can’t. Plankton gets SpongeBob to help him train the amoebas (without revealing the true purpose, of course). And so we get an entertaining sequence of SpongeBob and Plankton training the puppies. And then, the puppies are finally ready, so we get to see each puppy in a cute little introduction sequence.
Plankton reveals his plans to SpongeBob, who acts quite heroic in this episode haha. This part of the episode felt hammy, but in a good way. Anyway, Plankton explains how the puppies will steal the formula in a fun sequence, and as he explains, the puppies do the deed in real time, bringing back the formula at the end of the narration. Of course, SpongeBob won’t take this lying down. The little dude is pretty smart this episode, I must say. And I like that. While Plankton is busy trying to get the formula open, SpongeBob uses the puppies to free him, and then uses the puppies against Plankton by making them have puppies of their own. At least Karen finally reboots, and she’s greeted with the sight of even more puppies. Death by puppies…not a bad way to go out.
Honestly, “Spot Returns” might be even better than “Plankton’s Pet”, or at least just as good. This episode is just funny all the way through, manages to fit quite a few plot points nicely into its 11 minutes, and is just a good showing for all characters involved. There’s really nothing bad I can say about this one.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10
