Hasbean
Flying Dutchman's Sock
I've been thinking about doing this list ever since the discussion in the "Have We Really Improved' topic, in which Jibbix asks if it's better to have consistent B+ episodes like S8 or a handful of stellar episodes like in S9. It appears that the best way to assess a season is to watch every episode in it and determine their individual quality. If the good episodes outweigh the bad, it's objectively a good season.
However, I have a problem with doing it by episode because they're not written by the same people. Zeus Cervas storyboard/wrote on a different level than did Aaron Springer, who had different concept of the characters than did Tom King, etc. There have been some negative comments about the overall quality of S4-S9 writing of the first two, particularly of Springer. So how can we really judge whether the seasons have improved if writing is coming from different places? I decided to isolate the episodes I'm reviewing to a single source: Luke Brookshier.
Luke Brookshier has been with SpongeBob its entire post-movie run, with no breaks from Seasons 4-9. Unlike Aaron Springer and Zeus Cervas (not to mention Mr. Lawrence, but he didn't even become a post-movie writer until Season 7), he has had no prior experience with the show. At the very least, he's also been acknowledged as one of the better post-movie writers, so at least his episodes won't be too painful to watch (sorry Casey/Zeus, no list for you). I think that he's the best choice in order to evaluate season or characterization trends and season-by-season quality, at least from a sole perspective.
Of course, throughout his tenure on Spongebob, Brookshier has worked with three other storyboard artists; Tom King (4&5), Nate Cash (6-first half of 8 ), and Marc Ceccarelli (last half of 8&9), and writers. Hopefully by reviewing these episodes I'll be able to see which qualities were consistent from 4-5 versus those that developed due to the new writer/artist and which team worked best together.
I'll be posting my reviews of his first two (of eleven) Season 4 episodes by Friday 6:00 EST. In the meantime, any feedback about this project will be greatly appreciated!
However, I have a problem with doing it by episode because they're not written by the same people. Zeus Cervas storyboard/wrote on a different level than did Aaron Springer, who had different concept of the characters than did Tom King, etc. There have been some negative comments about the overall quality of S4-S9 writing of the first two, particularly of Springer. So how can we really judge whether the seasons have improved if writing is coming from different places? I decided to isolate the episodes I'm reviewing to a single source: Luke Brookshier.
Luke Brookshier has been with SpongeBob its entire post-movie run, with no breaks from Seasons 4-9. Unlike Aaron Springer and Zeus Cervas (not to mention Mr. Lawrence, but he didn't even become a post-movie writer until Season 7), he has had no prior experience with the show. At the very least, he's also been acknowledged as one of the better post-movie writers, so at least his episodes won't be too painful to watch (sorry Casey/Zeus, no list for you). I think that he's the best choice in order to evaluate season or characterization trends and season-by-season quality, at least from a sole perspective.
Of course, throughout his tenure on Spongebob, Brookshier has worked with three other storyboard artists; Tom King (4&5), Nate Cash (6-first half of 8 ), and Marc Ceccarelli (last half of 8&9), and writers. Hopefully by reviewing these episodes I'll be able to see which qualities were consistent from 4-5 versus those that developed due to the new writer/artist and which team worked best together.
I'll be posting my reviews of his first two (of eleven) Season 4 episodes by Friday 6:00 EST. In the meantime, any feedback about this project will be greatly appreciated!