64b. Good Neighbors

I don't see how this episode made the show even worse. I have to disagree. Only one bad episode doesn't mke it worse in my opinion. Never mind, I don't want to go back with this situation, if you know what I mean. There are even worse episodes than this one and to be honest, while I don't like this episode for being too bland/dull, I don't necessarily hate it all. I think it was an average/meh episode and it's nothing I would be angry at. I think there are 3 meh episodes in Season 4 (this episode included) and 3 bad episodes (albeit not as bad as other episodes, except for 1, which is really bad). I thought this episode was somehow annoying as well, but it was kinda funny in some cases, like Squidward's house turning into a robot, the sorry for bugging cake and the Security System 5000 machine. As I grew up older, I didn't enjoy as much as I used and it is just dull and boring in order to be a good episode. It could've been good, but I think it was just rather a meh episode. Also, the ending ruined it for me as well. Squidwqrd didn't deserve it, but at the same time, Squidward should've said that it was SpongeBob and Patrick's fault, not just his house, but I don't blame Squidward here, so yeah. Meh episode with a mix of enjoyment and boredom/annoyance, but if the flaws weren't that bad, it might've been a good one.
 
Episode: Good Neighbors (S4-E64-B)

I hate this episode. This is the first season and first episode where it declines. I hate it when SpongeBob and Patrick annoy Squidward a lot. Even worse, after Squidward's house became a robot that destroyed everything, The official told Squidward to clean Bikini Bottom every Sunday.

Final Score = 0/10 :patboo: (seasons 1-3 version Patrick Star)

:fail:
 
Ah yes, Good Neighbors. Pretty much the first STP of the show. Basically, SpongeBob and Patrick annoy Squid and he gets punished for it, even though he did nothing to deserve the abuse, unlike other episodes. This episode is terrible, but there's actually one pre-movie episode that I think is worse.

Airdate: May 20, 2005
 
This episode was one of the first really bad episodes of the show, and debatably where the show started going downhill. This episode is a little overrated in my opinion, but not without reason. It doesn't have the same charm that episodes before it had, it isn't funny, and it doesn't really make any sense. It feels like everything about it was dumbed down, so all attempts at humor had to be right in your face, instead of the nuances SpongeBob had previously had. I would say this is one of the better Squidward Torture Episodes though, since everything Squidward goes through (minus the end) isn't too bad.
 
I love how the beginning shows all three of them, then they're mornings. It works very good as an introductory episode for them as neighbors, despite being four seasons in. Some people dislike this episode, but I love it, starting off as a normal day for them, leading to the town being destroyed.
 
And here's where many people believe the show started to decline. Personally, I don't think it's atrocious, but it's far from good. I didn't like much, if any of it. Plus, some of the torment Squidward is receiving is pretty unnecessary and hard to watch. And the ending of this episode makes no sense whatsoever.

Ranking so far:
1. The Lost Mattress (A)
2. Fear of a Krabby Patty (A)
3. Skill Crane (A)
4. Have You Seen This Snail? (A)
5. Krabs vs. Plankton (B)
6. Shell of a Man (C)
7. Good Neighbors (E)
 
I hate to bump this topic so hard, but it has been 15 years since this episode premiered (in the US). To "celebrate" such an occasion, I want to revisit this episode. I don't know if people still think this, but I know for awhile this is where people thought that the show started to go downhill. I think I still agree with that, somewhat. In my opinion, I don't think it's possible to pinpoint an episode where SpongeBob went downhill. I more think of it in years or seasons. Season 4 is where things definitely started to tilt downwards, and season 5 put it in motion. In other words, the mid-2005 to early-2007 era was a transition for SpongeBob, and after that most episodes were okay/mediocre until more recently. So you could say that this episode was the start of the transition, but personally I don't really like to pinpoint episodes.

That said, I don't think this episode is as bad as everyone always says it is. Yes, it is a mediocre episode, but it isn't anywhere near an atrocity or abysmal. I said in my original review that it didn't have the same charm or nuance that SpongeBob had up to that point, and I stand by that. There's just something off about this episode. I think it's a mix of the animation, the flat humor, and the over-the-top treatment of Squidward. I would not call this episode Squidward torture, because it really was not that bad. But it definitely was an episode that foreshadowed what was to come in terms of Squidward torture.

So yeah, that's basically all there is to say about this episode. It's not one I would go out of my way to rewatch, but it isn't one of those episodes that I'd mute/turn off the TV if it came on. Hard to believe it's been 15 years since it premiered though, shows how long it's been since we were in the bad era of SpongeBob (which I believe ended in 2013, but that's a conversation for another day).
 
I am of the minority who thinks the show has never truly recovered

Good Neighbors may have been the beginning of SpongeBob's downfall but that would mean the show was declining very early in its life-cycle so IDK...
 
Mikurotoro92 said:
I am of the minority who thinks the show has never truly recovered

Good Neighbors may have been the beginning of SpongeBob's downfall but that would mean the show was declining very early in its life-cycle so IDK...
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I agree that the show is not at the highs of seasons 1-3, but it definitely is leagues above seasons 6-8. At this point I don't think there is any "true recovery" because the humor is simply different now. Also, I think some episodes from the newer seasons are some of the best in the show, like Mimic Madness, Squid Noir, Feral Friends, etc.
 
KoronaBoss said:
Bad Mr. enter hates this one
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Does that mean you dislike Mr. Enter or that it's bad because Mr. Enter dislikes it? (Either way, the review is from 5 years ago, if it's Mr. Enter hate, give it a rest)
 
Well, here it is. Is this really the episode that started the downfall of Spongebob?? Well... no, but I still think this episode feels off in a lot of ways. This episode had the potential to be pretty good, but it was ultimately ruined by lack of humor and nonsensical plot. I actually think that the beginning of this episode is okay, but it quickly goes downhill at about the 5 minute mark. It's mostly just misfortune for Squidward without any real wit or nuance to it. Speaking of Squidward, he's my least favorite character in this episode. He's constantly screaming and yelling and it makes the episode even more of a chore to watch. So yeah, that's what I think about Good Neighbors. It's not the worst episode of all time, but it's definitely not something I'd ever want to watch again.

Bad episode (4/10)

1. Have You Seen This Snail? (9)
2. Fear of a Krabby Patty (8)
3. Krabs vs. Plankton (8)
4. Shell of a Man (7)
5. The Lost Mattress (7)
6. Skill Crane (7)
7. Good Neighbors (4)
 
Security system TAKES CONTROL OF SQUIDWARD'S HOUSE and begins ATTACKING THE CITY. Leaving the mayor to give Squidward community service for the damage he caused. EVEN THOUGH Spongebob and Patrick were in his house the WHOLE ::dolphin noise:: TIME,
 
I think the unrelated episode of the same name on Disney Junior's Dino Ranch would be better than this
 
It's pretty obvious that this is a pretty bad episode. It has very few jokes to offer, and the pacing is very weird. It feels like it wants to focus on the good neighbor lodge concept, but the majority of it is Squidward trying to shoo SpongeBob and Patrick away.
There are some things that I like about this episode, such as the animation (in fact, season 4 as a whole has the best animation of the show imo), and also the ways that Spongebob and Patrick actually doing favors for squidward were creative, but everything else about the episode is just frustrating

6/10/2022 edit: I actually watched this episode a couple more times and I decided i should come back to my old review and fix it.
Overall, I think the main reason why this episode fails is that it tries to interweave two separate plots into a mere 11 minute animation. It sets up that Squidward only has 1 day to slumber, with Spongebob and Patrick constantly wasting it in various, albeit creative, ways, and then at the last 1/3 of the runtime it turns into a story of Squidward installing a security system in his house to ensure that nobody invades his home, and of course it doesn't work in his favor, and instead turns into a sequence of Squidward's house turning into a robot, kicking him out, and for some reason, going out to destroy the city. It feels like they're doing too much, without much to really work with, considering that this "good neighbor lodge" that Spongebob and Patrick come up with isn't really that interesting, and the concept of Squidward trying to be rid of his neighbors has been explored in other episodes in the past, which contributes to the episode's overall blandness. You're left with a bloated plot, with unlikeable characters and a couple wtf moments.
Now I want to list out the few positives that this episode has, to make sure I am being fair when I judge it. First off, I must say, Patrick was kind of the best part. The only jokes in the episode that were actually funny came from him, such as him thinking that turning on the toaster would help fix Squidward's house, and him sleeping on being called by Spongebob. I also thought the animation itself was pretty good. There are very little errors that I noticed, as well as some decent visual gags made out of it, fluid movement, and great lighting.
So overall, I would still consider this a bad watch. It's not completely terrible, it's not the episode that caused the show's decline, but it's still poorly constructed, and it shoehorns in Squidward torture for very silly reasons, which is always a plus.
 
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Old review


For those who say this episode is good i strongly disagree! This episode was the origin of the show's decline and it really wasnt a good example of how to be a "good neighbor". Luckily SpongeBob and Patrick get what they deserve at the end but Squidward also got it (in which he didnt deserve)

Rating: Cringeworthy Episode
 
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Well my friends? Ever wonder what started the shows decline? Well its the very episode you are looking at right now! Nothing about this episode was funny its boring and no one was likable not even Squidward's house.

Rating: Terrible Episode

Rankings:
Krabs Vs. Plankton (Amazing!)
Have you Seen this Snail? (Awesome)
Shell of a Man (Delightful)
The Lost Mattress (Okay)
Skill Crane (Meh)
Fear of a Krabby Patty (bad)
Good Neighbors (Terrible)
 
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Pugs4Thugs said:
This episode was one of the first really bad episodes of the show, and debatably where the show started going downhill. This episode is a little overrated in my opinion, but not without reason. It doesn't have the same charm that episodes before it had, it isn't funny, and it doesn't really make any sense. It feels like everything about it was dumbed down, so all attempts at humor had to be right in your face, instead of the nuances SpongeBob had previously had. I would say this is one of the better Squidward Torture Episodes though, since everything Squidward goes through (minus the end) isn't too bad.
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Pugs4Thugs said:
I hate to bump this topic so hard, but it has been 15 years since this episode premiered (in the US). To "celebrate" such an occasion, I want to revisit this episode. I don't know if people still think this, but I know for awhile this is where people thought that the show started to go downhill. I think I still agree with that, somewhat. In my opinion, I don't think it's possible to pinpoint an episode where SpongeBob went downhill. I more think of it in years or seasons. Season 4 is where things definitely started to tilt downwards, and season 5 put it in motion. In other words, the mid-2005 to early-2007 era was a transition for SpongeBob, and after that most episodes were okay/mediocre until more recently. So you could say that this episode was the start of the transition, but personally I don't really like to pinpoint episodes.

That said, I don't think this episode is as bad as everyone always says it is. Yes, it is a mediocre episode, but it isn't anywhere near an atrocity or abysmal. I said in my original review that it didn't have the same charm or nuance that SpongeBob had up to that point, and I stand by that. There's just something off about this episode. I think it's a mix of the animation, the flat humor, and the over-the-top treatment of Squidward. I would not call this episode Squidward torture, because it really was not that bad. But it definitely was an episode that foreshadowed what was to come in terms of Squidward torture.

So yeah, that's basically all there is to say about this episode. It's not one I would go out of my way to rewatch, but it isn't one of those episodes that I'd mute/turn off the TV if it came on. Hard to believe it's been 15 years since it premiered though, shows how long it's been since we were in the bad era of SpongeBob (which I believe ended in 2013, but that's a conversation for another day).
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Well then. I've got some old reviews to update, don't I?

"Good Neighbors" is one of the most infamous SpongeBob SquarePants episodes of all time. A subject of ire from all sides of the fandom, this episode is thought to be the beginning of the end for SpongeBob. And I've got thoughts about that. Let me just say right now that I disagree with that opinion. Because that means subscribing to the idea that modern SpongeBob is bad, and you all know I am Modern SpongeBob's biggest defender. Well, maybe not the biggest (I can only call myself so many things without it being egregious, and I am CEO of Gary the Snail), but I am a big defender of it.

As you might expect, my opinion of this episode is much closer to my 2020 review than my 2018 one, but it has still evolved. Firstly, I think that this episode, being attached to notions of how bad modern SpongeBob is, is extremely overhated because people dislike it more because of that association, and not because of what the episode has to offer on its own. I mean even the famous "security system takes control of Squidward's house" review does that too. And this does a disservice to the episode. So, given that I've already given my opinions about how 1) I'm not contributing to the modern SpongeBob bad narrative, and 2) (in 2020 I said this, but I still agree) you can't pinpoint one episode as the beginning of the end, I'll be sticking to just talking about "Good Neighbors" today, okay? Good.

This episode is all about the neighborly relationship between SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick. I think that's a pretty neutral topic for an episode, so I'll move on from that. The beginning of this episode is nice, and we see why it's called "Good Neighbors" pretty quickly, with SpongeBob breaking into Squidward's house to make sure he's up for work. I've heard complaints about how "creepy" SpongeBob is in these "modern SpongeBob" episodes (man, it's time to rethink this classification scheme, because this episode is almost 18 years old..."Modern SpongeBob" to me is seasons 10+, so I guess I'll call this "Middle-Age SpongeBob" lol.), but I don't subscribe to those, personally. I think it's funny that SpongeBob just breaks personal boundaries this way haha. We've been knew he was a little bit of a weirdo (oh god, I just got Riverdale flashbacks). Anyway, I like the joke about Squidward wanting to be president of Bikini Bottom, I thought that was pretty funny. This episode kind of feels like a precursor to "Cephalopod Lodge", now that I think about it.

Other than that little bit, the next few minutes of the episode are kind of dull. And of course, that's not the worst crime an episode can commit, so I'll take it I guess. And then things start to take a downward turn when SpongeBob acts really stupid out of nowhere, not knowing where Squidward is, and then Squidward's Sunday starts to get truly ruined when he doesn't even get his pedicure. Considering Squidward hasn't done much at this point to deserve this treatment, it isn't very satisfying. I only like seeing Squidward lose when it's funny and/or a case of universal justice. It is neither here, which is a problem.

This is yet another one of those episodes with two distinct parts. Except the pacing of this episode is kind of weird. If the whole security system thing is a result of Squidward being completely done with SpongeBob and Patrick, and the beginning of the real plot of the episode, then Squidward installing it should've happened much earlier. But fine, whatever, I'll take it. This episode reminds me of that Regular Show episode "Peeps", with Squidward acting as Benson here. Instead it backfires on him basically immediately.

Honestly, I think the existence of the security system meme has made that scene a lot funnier to me. And like I can't even look at it "objectively" because this is a review which means I have to be subjective, which means I find that scene a lot funnier than I probably should. Squidward running around panicking makes me laugh for no reason, and then when he gets thrown out and pulls a Mrs. Puff in "Doing Time", man oh man I think it's hilarious, and satisfying because Squidward can finally relax!

Now, the house attacking the city is like okay whatever, and this is where I wish the episode's pacing was different. If this scene came earlier, then we could've had more time with SpongeBob and Patrick actually being funny while trapped in Squidward's house, more time with Squidward actually enjoying his Sunday (and perhaps doing something to deserve his ultimate ending), and I think the episode would've been better for it. As it is, the security system issue is resolved very quickly, and so we don't really get much satisfaction in seeing Squidward enjoy his Sunday before he ends up having to do community service every Sunday for the rest of his life. At least SpongeBob and Patrick are forced to as well, although that's not great for poor Squidward, so it's a very poor note to end the episode on.

And I think that's this episode's biggest weakness. It just ends badly. The rest of it is not this show's best material, let's be clear, the pacing is bad and it's not all that funny except for a few moments, but I can forgive a lot if the ending of an episode is decent (you may remember my "Dumped" review. I still don't like that episode, but it could've been a lot worse if the ending wasn't so gratifying). It is this bad ending that really bogs this episode down for me, making it tumble down from "Okay", to "Mediocre", finally settling down just on the cusp of (barely) "Tolerable". Yeah, I don't dislike this episode all that much. It's not one that I rewatch, let's be clear, but I don't think it deserves to go in my "Bad" tier either. There aren't very many episodes that do. And there's even less that deserve "Abysmal" status. But this is the lowest rated episode of the show thus far, in my book, so don't think I'm letting this infamous one off easy. I'm generous, not delusional.

Episode Tier: Tolerable
Episode Score: 4/10
 
Pugs4Thugs said:
Well then. I've got some old reviews to update, don't I?

"Good Neighbors" is one of the most infamous SpongeBob SquarePants episodes of all time. A subject of ire from all sides of the fandom, this episode is thought to be the beginning of the end for SpongeBob. And I've got thoughts about that. Let me just say right now that I disagree with that opinion. Because that means subscribing to the idea that modern SpongeBob is bad, and you all know I am Modern SpongeBob's biggest defender. Well, maybe not the biggest (I can only call myself so many things without it being egregious, and I am CEO of Gary the Snail), but I am a big defender of it.

As you might expect, my opinion of this episode is much closer to my 2020 review than my 2018 one, but it has still evolved. Firstly, I think that this episode, being attached to notions of how bad modern SpongeBob is, is extremely overhated because people dislike it more because of that association, and not because of what the episode has to offer on its own. I mean even the famous "security system takes control of Squidward's house" review does that too. And this does a disservice to the episode. So, given that I've already given my opinions about how 1) I'm not contributing to the modern SpongeBob bad narrative, and 2) (in 2020 I said this, but I still agree) you can't pinpoint one episode as the beginning of the end, I'll be sticking to just talking about "Good Neighbors" today, okay? Good.

This episode is all about the neighborly relationship between SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick. I think that's a pretty neutral topic for an episode, so I'll move on from that. The beginning of this episode is nice, and we see why it's called "Good Neighbors" pretty quickly, with SpongeBob breaking into Squidward's house to make sure he's up for work. I've heard complaints about how "creepy" SpongeBob is in these "modern SpongeBob" episodes (man, it's time to rethink this classification scheme, because this episode is almost 18 years old..."Modern SpongeBob" to me is seasons 10+, so I guess I'll call this "Middle-Age SpongeBob" lol.), but I don't subscribe to those, personally. I think it's funny that SpongeBob just breaks personal boundaries this way haha. We've been knew he was a little bit of a weirdo (oh god, I just got Riverdale flashbacks). Anyway, I like the joke about Squidward wanting to be president of Bikini Bottom, I thought that was pretty funny. This episode kind of feels like a precursor to "Cephalopod Lodge", now that I think about it.

Other than that little bit, the next few minutes of the episode are kind of dull. And of course, that's not the worst crime an episode can commit, so I'll take it I guess. And then things start to take a downward turn when SpongeBob acts really stupid out of nowhere, not knowing where Squidward is, and then Squidward's Sunday starts to get truly ruined when he doesn't even get his pedicure. Considering Squidward hasn't done much at this point to deserve this treatment, it isn't very satisfying. I only like seeing Squidward lose when it's funny and/or a case of universal justice. It is neither here, which is a problem.

This is yet another one of those episodes with two distinct parts. Except the pacing of this episode is kind of weird. If the whole security system thing is a result of Squidward being completely done with SpongeBob and Patrick, and the beginning of the real plot of the episode, then Squidward installing it should've happened much earlier. But fine, whatever, I'll take it. This episode reminds me of that Regular Show episode "Peeps", with Squidward acting as Benson here. Instead it backfires on him basically immediately.

Honestly, I think the existence of the security system meme has made that scene a lot funnier to me. And like I can't even look at it "objectively" because this is a review which means I have to be subjective, which means I find that scene a lot funnier than I probably should. Squidward running around panicking makes me laugh for no reason, and then when he gets thrown out and pulls a Mrs. Puff in "Doing Time", man oh man I think it's hilarious, and satisfying because Squidward can finally relax!

Now, the house attacking the city is like okay whatever, and this is where I wish the episode's pacing was different. If this scene came earlier, then we could've had more time with SpongeBob and Patrick actually being funny while trapped in Squidward's house, more time with Squidward actually enjoying his Sunday (and perhaps doing something to deserve his ultimate ending), and I think the episode would've been better for it. As it is, the security system issue is resolved very quickly, and so we don't really get much satisfaction in seeing Squidward enjoy his Sunday before he ends up having to do community service every Sunday for the rest of his life. At least SpongeBob and Patrick are forced to as well, although that's not great for poor Squidward, so it's a very poor note to end the episode on.

And I think that's this episode's biggest weakness. It just ends badly. The rest of it is not this show's best material, let's be clear, the pacing is bad and it's not all that funny except for a few moments, but I can forgive a lot if the ending of an episode is decent (you may remember my "Dumped" review. I still don't like that episode, but it could've been a lot worse if the ending wasn't so gratifying). It is this bad ending that really bogs this episode down for me, making it tumble down from "Okay", to "Mediocre", finally settling down just on the cusp of (barely) "Tolerable". Yeah, I don't dislike this episode all that much. It's not one that I rewatch, let's be clear, but I don't think it deserves to go in my "Bad" tier either. There aren't very many episodes that do. And there's even less that deserve "Abysmal" status. But this is the lowest rated episode of the show thus far, in my book, so don't think I'm letting this infamous one off easy. I'm generous, not delusional.

Episode Tier: Tolerable
Episode Score: 4/10
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all you said was true, but then the episode becomes unwatchable, when THE SECURITY SYSTEM TAKES CONTROL OF SQUIDWARD'S HOUSE AND STARTS ATTACKING THE CITY, LEAVING SQUIDWARD TO GET COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR THE DAMAGE HE CAUSED EVEN THO-
 
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