Nosferatu's Fave 50

#42 - Can You Spare a Dime?

"So much later that the old narrator got tired of waiting and they had to hire a new one."

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One of the biggest things I love about this episode is how it explores what is arguably the show's most interesting character relationship. It reverses SpongeBob's and Squidward's roles, having the latter annoy the former to the brink of insanity. It also gives us some insight into why Squidward continues to work at the Krusty Krab for next to nothing with someone he despises. Frankly, he doesn't have a choice. His lack of talent and work ethic makes finding a different job impossible. While Mr. Krabs doesn't care about what he does at the register as long as there's money in it, any other employer would have him fired on the first day, hence the living-in-a-box and eating-his-own-paintings situation Squidward finds himself in.

Though this episode had a lot of philosophy to it, that didn't stop the jokes from coming at a rapid-fire pace. SpongeBob's "football playing king in space" comment and the above-quoted title card in particular come to mind here. Overall, this was a great episode that had everything that made Season 3 Season 3.

#41 - No Free Rides

"Educational television? Ohhh nooo!"

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This is one of the only two boating school-related episodes on my list. I've generally found those episodes to be dull and repetitive, but this was a grand exception. In it, Mrs. Puff decides to get SpongeBob out of her life by handing him an extra credit assignment that a preschooler could pass. Of course, this is SpongeBob we're talking about, so it becomes a long-drawn out and hilarious attempt to get ten simple words onto a piece of paper. Even though he fails the test miserably, Mrs. Puff gives him his license anyway, and it's not until she gets home that she realizes she just put the entire city in danger for her own self-gratification. She decides to set things right by breaking into SpongeBob's car and driving off in it, which is completely reasonable. Unfortunately, she happened to do so while the little yellow guy was right under her, leading to the greatest chase scene in SpongeBob history.

Suffice it to say, this episode was wonderful, chock-full of the clever writing and general silliness that made us fall in love with the show.

That's it for this week! Come back Monday when I'll start off with the next ten.
 
"Can You Spare a Dime?" is definitely coolio because of Squiddy being so rude, yet being the best character. Characters really made up the whole episode for me here. :p

"No Free Rides" is my 2nd favorite boating school episoe. From the Educational Television to K.R.U.D., it was just fantastic and suspenseful. :coolio:
 
#40 - Help Wanted

"Yes, of course he lives in a pineapple, you silly."

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This was the first episode of the series, and like many first episodes, it had endless opportunities to fall flat on its face. The fact that it not only kept itself from falling on its face but kept its head up high in triumph made it an obvious contender for this list. The characters, though animated in a different style, had the personalities that we're so fond of today. SpongeBob, optimistic, sometimes to a fault; Patrick, dim-witted but well-meaning; Squidward, grumpy; Mr. Krabs, greedy. Help Wanted laid the groundwork for the rest of this exceptional show and, despite carrying the weight of the world on its shoulders, managed to stay fresh and funny throughout its 8 or 9 minutes.

#39 - Krab Borg

"Let's get that poop!"

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In this episode, SpongeBob keeps thinking that robots are taking over the world, probably on account of a movie he watches the night before about robots taking over the world. When he's convinced that his boss is a robot, he enlists Squidward's aid in getting the "real" Mr. Krabs back. This results in a hilarious interrogation scene, complete with insults and slapping and destruction of personal property, and it doesn't become apparent to them that they're being idiots until their robot starts bawling about his beloved cash register. Overall, it was a solid episode with a side of Mr. Krabs that you don't get to see often. Also, Electric Zoo was Season 3's Musical Doodle.
 
YAY top 40 <3

Help wanted was bound to be on the list, and Krab Borg was one of the better episodes. But in my opinion, HW should have been a LITTLE higher and Krab Borg should be a LITTLE lower. Like, KB should be in mid-40s and HW should be in early 30s. But this is your opinion, not my opinion, and I agree with both being on the top 50. :)
 
(I know I'm like so late :p)

Can You Spare A Dime? is actually like one of my favorite episodes because of the fact that SpongeBob is so OOC because of Squidward (in a humorous way, not a manic way :p)
SpongeBob literally goes crazy by giving into Squid's every whim, and his petty complaints eventually lead him to strangle his boss over a dime :p :p
I love it.

Krab Borg was pretty neat and original, and of course Mr. Krabs reveals in his "interrogation" that he isn't as cheap as he seems.... after all, he has some soft spot! ;)
But of course SpongeBob, driven on a robot horror movie (can't see how that works :p) thinks (at the wrong place, at the wrong time) that his boss is a robot, mostly because he's screaming because he has dead batteries in his pockets, tongs in his pincers and his eyes are piercing red :p :p
HIGH-LARIOUS

And Help Wanted..... sigh....what more can I say?


The best possible beginning to a saga of the best possible show! :D
 
similemetaphor said:
YAY top 40 <3

Help wanted was bound to be on the list, and Krab Borg was one of the better episodes. But in my opinion, HW should have been a LITTLE higher and Krab Borg should be a LITTLE lower. Like, KB should be in mid-40s and HW should be in early 30s. But this is your opinion, not my opinion, and I agree with both being on the top 50. :)
Click to expand...

Why do you want Help Wanted to be higher? Krab Borg was WAY better.
 
Help Wanted was a great episode, no doubt. But I don't think it deserves a top 40 spot. It deserves a warm spot in all of our hearts, but it's not really THAT good. Krab Borg however, is an episode with endless premise. So, great choices so far. :yes:
 
Opinions, opinions.

I haven't ranked the episodes yet; Kb and Hw were ranked for me by ratings. Maybe when I make a list, you'll be surprised at how high Krab-Borg is,compared to Help Wanted. :p
 
#38 - Krusty Love

"I'd rather go Dutch, if you don't mind."

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Speaking of episodes that show us a side of Mr. Krabs that we don't get to see often, Krusty Love gave us a pretty good idea of what would happen if Krabs found something that he desired as much, if not more, than money. That something came in the form of a character we'd seen a couple of times before: Mrs. Puff (as for Mr. Puff, she doesn't like to talk about it). After playing a game of babble like an idiot with SpongeBob as his translator, Mr. Krabs manages to score a date with her, but after inadvertently showering her with expensive gifts, he gets a bad feeling in the pit of his wallet, and instead of making a choice that he really doesn't want to make, he appoints SpongeBob as his financial adviser, and as you can expect, it doesn't really work out too well for either of them. (Wow, that's a long sentence. :p) Basically, SpongeBob ends up cussing Mr. Krabs out, and Mrs. Puff returns the presents because she never really liked being spoiled in the first place.

This was Mrs. Puff's first major appearance outside of a boating school episode, and in my opinion, she's at her best here, as we get to see her not as a teacher but as a regular ol' blowfish. Though she's understandably cautious around SpongeBob, he doesn't take up the bulk of her attention for once, allowing for a lot more character development on her part and a stronger episode overall.

#37 - Mermaidman and Barnacleboy IV

"Wumbology, the study of wumbo? It's first grade, Spongebob!"

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Ah, Mermaidman and Barnacleboy, arguably the greatest hexalogy of all time. This installment, like the one before it, focused less on our titular heroes and more on the hilarious antics of wannabe hero SpongeBob. In it, the happy sponge gets ahold of Mermaidman's utility belt which, among other things, can shrink stuff to the size of grapes. Recipe for disaster, am I correct? After Squidward catches SpongeBob having fun with the stolen device, SpongeBob shrinks him in desparation, and despite the tiny guy's pleas to go to Mermaidman about it, he refuses in fear of angering the senile old man and instead goes to someone smart and wise, with years of life experience: Patrick Star. Patrick steals the show, providing some well-needed laughs while SpongeBob tries to navigate his way out of the hole he dug for himself. Out of complete paranoia, he shrinks everybody in Bikini Bottom, then he makes his first good decision in the episode by shrinking himself and everything around him. By the end, it's like nothing changed at all! He should really return that belt, though.

This was an extremely funny episode with a touch of morbidity. The fact that I put it in my top two MM&BB episodes should tell you that I'm either crazy or know what I'm talking about. I personally hope it's the latter, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was the former. See you again tomorrow!
 
Good choices; MM&BB IV is underrated and Krusty Love is overlooked.
 
#36 - My Pretty Seahorse

"I don't want to be a burden."

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So, this episode has SpongeBob adopting a stray seahorse, even though he learned in Jellyfish Jam that taking in wild animals is a very bad idea. Must be the show's lack of continuity. Anyway, SpongeBob and the seahorse, which he names Mystery, have a grand old time in a montage that lasts all of three seconds. Then, sleeping snug on his floor, he asks Mystery the question we'd ask anything we picked off the street an hour ago: "Do you think we'll be friends forever?" The answer, of course, is no, because they only have 11 minutes.

The next morning, SpongeBob rides his new pet to work, and after he leaves Mystery outside, she's discovered by Scooter and some other dude that never left the 1990s. They conclude that she's a kiddie ride, and Scooter decides to try her out by putting a quarter in her coin slot, but it turns out that that's no coin slot, and the kiddie ride ends up sending Scooter to a radical grave. Mr. Krabs realizes that animals killing potential customers is bad business, so he orders SpongeBob to get rid of Mystery. SpongeBob doesn't do that, of course, and the seahorse ends up eating all the Krabby Patties, a spatula, a stove, and Old Man Jenkins under SpongeBob's watch. Meanwhile, Squidward, who seems to have miraculously survived falling off a cliff and blowing up, tries to get away from a bowl of onions.

The storytelling in this episode was flawless, and I liked how it focused on SpongeBob's attachment to the seahorse. You can really tell that he loved the creature, and you can almost feel his pain when he lets it go. Almost.

#35 - SpongeBob Meets the Strangler

"I'm trying, but my cleats are stuck in your corneas!"

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This was quite the episode. After SpongeBob catches a litterbug in the act, he does his civic duty and snitches on the fellow, but it turns out that the litterbug is also a psychopath who strangles people that tattle on him. (Someone didn't get enough love as a child.) After escaping from Bikini Bottom's finest, the litterbug vows to strangle SpongeBob by posing as a bodyguard offering protection against, well, him. Yeah. SpongeBob is eager to accept the services of this man he's never seen before, and he spends the rest of the episode not just annoying him, but torturing him. By the end, the tattletale strangler's just desperate to get away, and SpongeBob, still convinced that he's a bodyguard, chases him all the way to prison. After the strangler spells it out for him, he realizes that he had been smeckledorfed, and the episode ends with another cool closer courtesy of Patrick.

This was among the show's darker episodes, and to be frank, I'm surprised that it got past Nick's censors. That doesn't make it any less awesome, though, with one of the most hilariously violent gags of the entire series.
 
The quote you posted on SpongeBob Meets The Strangler made me poke my eye. It was such a fabulous episode. Top 15 choice for me. MPSH is also a great episode.
 
I liked how both episodes had a touch of 'dark' to them, and how good indirect role reversal worked in the latter. :)
 
#36: Love this one.
#35: Really high on my Top 116 countdown.
 
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