“Sea-Man Sponge Haters Club” is an episode that I’ve heard much about through the
SpongeBob SquarePants fan grapevine. I actually don’t know much about it though, other than what I can gleam through the title. Despite hearing a lot about this one, people keep their lips sealed on the plot, I guess.
Anyway, let’s get this thing started. I love how SpongeBob continues to be sentimental about his garbage, but not in a problematic way like “Sentimental Sponge”. Perhaps this is some character growth, lol. The plot gets kicked into gear quickly by building up some intrigue—SpongeBob sees Mrs. Puff leisurely strolling up to Squidward’s house in a trench coat (which are we about to get some Mrs. Puff and Squidward interactions??? Making up for the missed opportunities of “Boating Buddies”, are we?) with no explanation. I love how even though everyone coming up to Squidward’s house is supposed to be “in disguise”, SpongeBob can tell who they are immediately. Something about this episode set-up reminds me a lot of “Cephalopod Lodge”, actually.
We then get the reveal as to why the mailman, Bubble Bass, Mrs. Puff, and Plankton are all at Squidward’s house. I mean, we of course already know why because of the title of the episode, but let’s pretend we don’t. See, these guys have formed a support group for their hatred of SpongeBob (or at least because they all suffer because of him…none of them actually hate him. No not even Squidward, no matter what anyone says). I love how apparently these guys have had over 400 meetings…how often do they meet??? The fact that these guys have formed a support group is actually so funny to me. Like…that’s real hater energy, to bond over hatred. Again, I do think the creators of this show are the winners of the idgaf war, but it’s also amusing to think of this as a response to some of the criticism of SpongeBob’s character in the middle seasons. I like how this show can acknowledge that SpongeBob causes a whole bunch of characters amusing pain, but he’s still a very lovable guy that we (yes, we I’m making this statement for all of us, now what) don’t want to see come to any harm. And even the characters involved in the support group acknowledge this in their motto. The only time I’ve ever liked any of these characters trying to hurt SpongeBob (for being SpongeBob, as Plankton does this a lot otherwise) is honestly “Demolition Doofus”, because that episode was exaggerated and hilarious, despite popular opinion on the matter.
The first story shared is from Mrs. Puff, and the way SpongeBob is portrayed here is actually hilarious. Even though it’s a completely different kind of creepy than the kind I praise, it’s obvious that this is just Mrs. Puff’s perception, which eliminates any potential issues I’d have with this before they arise. Next up is Bubble Bass’s story. You know, before I get into that, I think one of the things that makes this whole support group thing better is that the characters involved all have varying levels of deserving the suffering incurred by SpongeBob. I mean, we all know that Bubble Bass is an annoying loser, so I’m sure whatever we’re about to see 1) won’t even be bad and 2) is deserved otherwise. Squidward deserves his “torment” like half the time, as does Plankton. Mrs. Puff is really the only one who is ever innocent in these situations (which also says something about the misogynistic parts of this show but that’s not an analysis I will be conducting at this time. I always say that. I just think something like that would need to be addressed in its own post or something).
Okay, so, Bubble Bass’s story. SpongeBob is also creepy in this one, but more like the creepy we’ve come to known from him. I’m usually amused by SpongeBob being a little weirdo. And like I thought, Bubble Bass’s story isn’t even that crazy, and it’s just SpongeBob being a perfectionist. But I suppose I should say his feelings are valid. But this is a cartoon so I don’t care about that haha. Next is Plankton’s story, and he claims that his will involve
true suffering. So let’s see if that’s the case. If anything, we start off on the right foot, as Plankton’s story begins with an atmospheric background
alert. Yeah, I should make that an official thing in my reviews. I like how there’s some elements of horror in Plankton’s story. Just a tiny bit. I like how SpongeBob’s basically just a bird or moth in this story LMAO.
We couldn’t go without Squidward being able to tell his story, now could we? I mean, he’s basically got a monopoly on this suffering, both living with and working with SpongeBob. And his story occurs in real time, because his suffering is predictable lol. His story also has some horror elements to it, and like Plankton’s, they’re all played for laughs. I love the way SpongeBob just appears from nowhere and the whole lighting changes. SpongeBob in this episode looks so funny and silly. I like how him simply being friendly is construed as the most annoying thing ever.
Of course, if SpongeBob’s in Squidward’s house, then his partner in crime can’t be far behind. This move I’m a little less sure about, as half of these characters have no real vendetta against Patrick, but this episode has been amusing so far, so I’ll trust the process. I like how Squidward just lampshades the predictability of a story involving SpongeBob being an annoyance. This episode really just pokes fun at one of the core stories of the show, and I really like that. I also really like the
shot of Squidward inside the flaming house. And with Squidward’s house burnt down, the only place the hater club can finish their meeting is SpongeBob’s house…oh dear. I love how Squidward doesn’t even go with them. He’s lost it nearly as much as he did in “Squid’s Visit”.
I really liked “Sea-Man Sponge Haters Club”. This episode was funny, and it even kind of did something I’ve been asking for, which is be a collection of smaller stories. Now, I’ve been asking for something a little different, which is an episode with a bunch of stories taking place on the same day, but hey, this episode is getting us closer to that. And that’s just a small reason to like this thing. Some bigger ones are the way that this episode doesn’t take itself seriously at all, which makes it a lot better. And having these characters get together for a hating SpongeBob support group is fantastic. I just love all the ideas here.
Episode Tier: Amazing
Episode Score: 9.4/10