53b. Clams

Fantastic plot and an underrated gem. I love a lot of the jokes and Mr. Krabs' insanity over the dollar is quite funny, if harsh. More people need to recognize this episode for its brilliant parody.

9/10
 
I will never get over how much I like this episode. One of the best from season 3, which was an all-around great season as it was.
 
This episode has really funny jokes, a great atmosphere, a perfect plot, and an awesome reference, It's #29 in my favorites.

10/10
 
So it looks like this is the first episode I'm reviewing (Because I was randomly generating episodes to review and this came up). I would give this episode a 7/10 C. This episode was definitely not the worst episode ever, but it's not my favorite. This episode didn't spark my attention for too long. I find Mr. Krabs a bit harsh in this episode. Sure, he lost his one millionth dollar to a giant clam. But SpongeBob was the one at fault here, yet Squidward also got blamed. It's not an STP because he DID come up with the idea to give Mr. K a fake gag dollar. But the main problem with this episode is that the plot just isn't that interesting to me. And a side note, Sandals, the guy who ordered coral bits- well, he never got them. :'(
 
While the general location of the plot does make this episode feel a bit dull, there are enough gags to call it good and the plot was nice. Not one of my favorites, but it's pretty good.

Good Episode (7/10)
 
I was pretty conflicted on this one at first, but after thinking about it, I can say I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. Mr. Krabs' harshness in some parts of this episode were a little annoying, and some parts of this episode were kinda dull, but the whole thing about the Clam being awakened by the music was pretty funny. The sound editing really is the best part about this episode for me, which I don't really know if that's a bad thing or not. Anyway, this episode was pretty good. Not best of the series material or anything but a fairly entertaining ride throughout.

Good episode (7/10)

1. Chocolate With Nuts (10)
2. Krusty Krab Training Video (10)
3. Idiot Box (10)
4. Mermaidman and Barnacleboy V (10)
5. Wet Painters (9)
6. The Algae's Always Greener (9)
7. Snowball Effect (9)
8. Can You Spare A Dime? (9)
9. Rock-A-Bye Bivalve (9)
10. Just One Bite (9)
11. Krab Borg (9)
12. As Seen On Tv (8)
13. One Krabs Trash (8)
14. Nasty Patty (8)
15. New Student Starfish (8)
16. No Weenies Allowed (8)
17. My Pretty Seahorse (7)
18. Squilliam Returns (7)
19. Mermaidman and Barnacleboy IV (7)
20. Clams (7)
21. The Bully (7)
22. Doing Time (7)
23. Spongeguard on Duty (6)
24. Club Spongebob (6)
25. Party Pooper Pants (4)
 
43/100
Highlight:
Mr. Krabs: This is my millionth dollar!
Scooter: Cool, what do I win?
Mr. Krabs: Nothing! Now get out!
Lowlight: Krabs once he loses his dollar
 
Not really good... Mr. Krabs wasnt likable sure he to protect his dollar and when that clam eats the dollar he started accusing SpongeBob and Squidward for it. This is not a good episode

Rating: Bad Episode

Rankings:
No Weenies Allowed (Golden)
Idiot Box (Perfect)
Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V (Perfect)
Krab Borg (Amazing!)
Wet Painters (Amazing!)
The Algaes Always Greener (Amazing!)
Just One Bite (Amazing!)
Squlliam Returns (Amazing!)
My Pretty Seahorse (Delightful)
Krusty Krab Training Video (Astonishing)
Doing Time (Great)
Snowball Effect (Great)
One Krabs Trash (Good)
Can you Spare a Dime? (Good)
SpongeGuard on Duty (Okay)
Rock-a-Bye Bivalve (Okay)
Club SpongeBob (Meh)
New Student Starfish (Meh)
MMABBIV (Meh)
Clams (Bad)
Nasty Patty (Bad)
The Bully (Bad)
As Seen on TV (Bad)
Party Pooper Pants (Sucky)
 
A classic episode. It has a lot of classic and memorable lines/moments. Like the opera, the Coral Blue lipstick, and Krabs's millionth dollar. (I always found it interesting that it is the millionth dollar Krabs ever made total apparently. I could see some people getting confused thinking he now has a million dollars.) I like the change of location in that the episode takes place on a fishing boat. I appreciate the unique setting. The parody of Jaws in the title card and title itself is nice too. Overall, a classic, memorable, and hilarious episode.
 
Next up, we've got the classic, yet somehow hidden gem, parody of Jaws, "Clams"! This is a fun episode that I've come to appreciate over time, and I'm looking forward to talking about it.

The beginning of this episode is really fun, jumping right in to Squidward being a very relatable representation of what it's like to work in the service industry. I'm glad I don't work in food service, because I'm a very picky eater so I'd really be no help to anyone lmao. Also, the amount of times I find myself quoting Squidward's "Something stupid, I'm sure" line is actually insane. Anyway, things get moving very quickly once Sandals pays for his food, and it turns out to be Mr. Krabs' one millionth dollar earned. It's very in-character for him to count his money like this, especially knowing that back in "Wet Painters" he has his first ever dollar framed, or in "Can You Spare a Dime?" he keeps his first dime earned in his pocket. It's kind of wholesome to see Mr. Krabs celebrating like this, even if it is very silly. I love how he cheerfully tells Sandals to get out before forcefully kicking out every customer, just too funny.

It's also pretty wholesome that Mr. Krabs actually acknowledges that Squidward and SpongeBob have helped him with this and so rewards them. Well, rewards in his own way. Also, real quick, but I love the painting of Squidward and SpongeBob when Mr. Krabs talks about how they've been such valuable crew mates, it was very well done, and you know I can't resist some delicious visual irony. I also like the montage of Squidward trying to guess where they'll be going on a trip. It reminds me of that one bit in "Krusty Towers". As is a common thread especially in these season 3 episodes, anticipation is built and then expectations are subverted as it turns out the reward is...going clam fishing in a tiny boat. Also, I have many questions about this...how are they gonna go fishing when they're sea creatures lmao.

Anyway, I like all the mayhem the trio (but mostly SpongeBob) get up to in the first few minutes on the boat. SpongeBob hooking everything with the fishing rod is a great mix of jokes and foreshadowing, especially once Mr. Krabs tells Squidward not to bring anything he isn't prepared to lose, which is then of course followed by SpongeBob hooking his millionth dollar. This is where things start to get really funny, and the Jaws parody turns up to 11. The 4th wall breaking with the music is both hilarious and brilliant. It's the whole "Why do I hear boss music" meme before it was even a meme.

This episode has some amazing visual gags too. When the clam ends up eating Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar, every single one of Mr. Krabs' reactions is hilarious, from the initial shock, to the detailed painting of his eyes tearing up, to the faucet eyes, to (my favorite) him literally falling apart over it. You know I love some good dramatics, and Mr. Krabs absolutely delivers here, to the point where even Squidward has to feel bad for him. Really, this episode is just really good visually. Like the detailed paintings in this episode are fantastic. I'm especially thinking of when Mr. Krabs is on watch for 3 days, I love the transition to that (the music in this show always delivers) too. I love how old and decrepit everything looks after those 3 days as well.

This last act of the episode is where things start getting really funny for me, as SpongeBob and Squidward team up to try and get off the boat (I love seeing them work together). I like that SpongeBob's first thought was for Gary, and the quick cut to the snail eating the couch was hilarious. This episode reminds me of both "Wet Painters" and "Arrgh!". The former because of the plot with using a random dollar to trick Mr. Krabs, and the latter because Mr. Krabs starts going completely off the deep end. Also I'm pretty sure that like "Arrgh!", this episode was used for one of my favorite YTPs. It's extremely entertaining to see Mr. Krabs go absolutely insane, especially once he starts throwing out their food. Like before, the visual gags continue to be outstanding in this part of the episode. Tensions rise once Squidward and SpongeBob get increasingly desperate, which leads us to the end of the episode when Mr. Krabs starts conducting the 4th-wall-breaking music to use Squidward and SpongeBob as bait.

Even though Mr. Krabs had been acting crazy and putting Squidward and SpongeBob in danger for at least 5 minutes by this point, it's still satisfying to see him get his millionth dollar back, and shocking to see the clam eat him right after. I like that Squidward still has to get one last jab in at SpongeBob even as they're hanging with no way down. That is, until Mr. Krabs shows up again, millionth dollar in tow. I love the ending stinger of this episode too, it's one of my favorites, with the shock of Mr. Krabs only being a head and an arm, but also his laughter at the fact that he traded "nothing important". It's just a humorous juxtaposition that I'm sure I didn't need to actually explain like this, but you know me, always over-explaining jokes in these reviews.

"Clams" is a really fun and enjoyable episode that, for some reason, I had never fully appreciated before. I think it was just one of those episodes I rewatched infrequently, which made me think I valued it lower than what I actually did. Like, I have no problems with this episode at all. It does an amazing job at spending almost the entire run-time at one location without being boring or even slow. Like I said before, the gags and especially the visuals in this episode are fantastic, and the 4th-wall breaking really just ties everything together. This episode is a great exploration of the SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs dynamic. You know, now that I think about it, you know how I mentioned that this episode reminded me of "Wet Painters" and "Arrgh!"? "Clams" is kind of like if those two episodes used Squidward instead of Patrick. Anyway, this episode definitely belongs in my "Amazing" tier, and I'm glad I can finally recognize that.

Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10
 
Pugs4Thugs said:
Next up, we've got the classic, yet somehow hidden gem, parody of Jaws, "Clams"! This is a fun episode that I've come to appreciate over time, and I'm looking forward to talking about it.

The beginning of this episode is really fun, jumping right in to Squidward being a very relatable representation of what it's like to work in the service industry. I'm glad I don't work in food service, because I'm a very picky eater so I'd really be no help to anyone lmao. Also, the amount of times I find myself quoting Squidward's "Something stupid, I'm sure" line is actually insane. Anyway, things get moving very quickly once Sandals pays for his food, and it turns out to be Mr. Krabs' one millionth dollar earned. It's very in-character for him to count his money like this, especially knowing that back in "Wet Painters" he has his first ever dollar framed, or in "Can You Spare a Dime?" he keeps his first dime earned in his pocket. It's kind of wholesome to see Mr. Krabs celebrating like this, even if it is very silly. I love how he cheerfully tells Sandals to get out before forcefully kicking out every customer, just too funny.

It's also pretty wholesome that Mr. Krabs actually acknowledges that Squidward and SpongeBob have helped him with this and so rewards them. Well, rewards in his own way. Also, real quick, but I love the painting of Squidward and SpongeBob when Mr. Krabs talks about how they've been such valuable crew mates, it was very well done, and you know I can't resist some delicious visual irony. I also like the montage of Squidward trying to guess where they'll be going on a trip. It reminds me of that one bit in "Krusty Towers". As is a common thread especially in these season 3 episodes, anticipation is built and then expectations are subverted as it turns out the reward is...going clam fishing in a tiny boat. Also, I have many questions about this...how are they gonna go fishing when they're sea creatures lmao.

Anyway, I like all the mayhem the trio (but mostly SpongeBob) get up to in the first few minutes on the boat. SpongeBob hooking everything with the fishing rod is a great mix of jokes and foreshadowing, especially once Mr. Krabs tells Squidward not to bring anything he isn't prepared to lose, which is then of course followed by SpongeBob hooking his millionth dollar. This is where things start to get really funny, and the Jaws parody turns up to 11. The 4th wall breaking with the music is both hilarious and brilliant. It's the whole "Why do I hear boss music" meme before it was even a meme.

This episode has some amazing visual gags too. When the clam ends up eating Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar, every single one of Mr. Krabs' reactions is hilarious, from the initial shock, to the detailed painting of his eyes tearing up, to the faucet eyes, to (my favorite) him literally falling apart over it. You know I love some good dramatics, and Mr. Krabs absolutely delivers here, to the point where even Squidward has to feel bad for him. Really, this episode is just really good visually. Like the detailed paintings in this episode are fantastic. I'm especially thinking of when Mr. Krabs is on watch for 3 days, I love the transition to that (the music in this show always delivers) too. I love how old and decrepit everything looks after those 3 days as well.

This last act of the episode is where things start getting really funny for me, as SpongeBob and Squidward team up to try and get off the boat (I love seeing them work together). I like that SpongeBob's first thought was for Gary, and the quick cut to the snail eating the couch was hilarious. This episode reminds me of both "Wet Painters" and "Arrgh!". The former because of the plot with using a random dollar to trick Mr. Krabs, and the latter because Mr. Krabs starts going completely off the deep end. Also I'm pretty sure that like "Arrgh!", this episode was used for one of my favorite YTPs. It's extremely entertaining to see Mr. Krabs go absolutely insane, especially once he starts throwing out their food. Like before, the visual gags continue to be outstanding in this part of the episode. Tensions rise once Squidward and SpongeBob get increasingly desperate, which leads us to the end of the episode when Mr. Krabs starts conducting the 4th-wall-breaking music to use Squidward and SpongeBob as bait.

Even though Mr. Krabs had been acting crazy and putting Squidward and SpongeBob in danger for at least 5 minutes by this point, it's still satisfying to see him get his millionth dollar back, and shocking to see the clam eat him right after. I like that Squidward still has to get one last jab in at SpongeBob even as they're hanging with no way down. That is, until Mr. Krabs shows up again, millionth dollar in tow. I love the ending stinger of this episode too, it's one of my favorites, with the shock of Mr. Krabs only being a head and an arm, but also his laughter at the fact that he traded "nothing important". It's just a humorous juxtaposition that I'm sure I didn't need to actually explain like this, but you know me, always over-explaining jokes in these reviews.

"Clams" is a really fun and enjoyable episode that, for some reason, I had never fully appreciated before. I think it was just one of those episodes I rewatched infrequently, which made me think I valued it lower than what I actually did. Like, I have no problems with this episode at all. It does an amazing job at spending almost the entire run-time at one location without being boring or even slow. Like I said before, the gags and especially the visuals in this episode are fantastic, and the 4th-wall breaking really just ties everything together. This episode is a great exploration of the SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs dynamic. You know, now that I think about it, you know how I mentioned that this episode reminded me of "Wet Painters" and "Arrgh!"? "Clams" is kind of like if those two episodes used Squidward instead of Patrick. Anyway, this episode definitely belongs in my "Amazing" tier, and I'm glad I can finally recognize that.

Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.3/10
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there's a vey similar episode to this in the later seasons called ''plankton paranoia''
 
Apparently they are making another parody of moby dick. I don't think it will ever live up to this one to be honest..
 
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