Pinned thread Season 9 Discussion

[JoeyBoi]

Season 9a

Awful (2)
20. Spongebob, You're Fired!
19. Little Yellow Book
Bad (3)
18. Squid Baby
Bad (4)
17. Don't Look Now
16. Yeti Krabs
15. Kenny The Cat
Average (5)
14. Evil Spatula
13. Patrick-Man!
12. Séance Schméance
11. Squirrel Record
Average (6)
10. Bumper to Bumper
9. Gary's New Toy
8. Squid Defense
7. Safe Deposit Krabs
6. Extreme Spots
Good (7)
5. License to Milkshake
4. Jailbreak
3. Eek, an Urchin!
Good (8)
2. It Came From Goo Lagoon
Great (9)
1. Plankton's Pet

Season 9b

Bad (4)
29. The Fish Bowl
28. Mutiny on the Krusty
27. Food Con Castaways
26. Spongebob Longpants
Average (5)
25. Sanctuary!
24. Company Picnic
23. Married to Money
22. Salsa Imbecilicus
21. Two Thumbs Down
Average (6)
20. Snail Mail
19. Lost in Bikini Bottom
18. Patrick! the Game
17. Copybob Dittopants
16. The Executive Treatment
Good (7)
15. Sandy's Nutmare
14. Larry's Gym
13. Lame and Fortune
12. Pineapple Invasion
11. Tutor Sauce
10. Mall Girl Pearl
Good (8)
9. The Whole Tooth
8. Pull up a Barrel
7. Sharks vs. Pods
6. Squid Plus One
5. Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
4. Bulletin Board
Great (9)
3. Sold!
2. The Sewers of Bikini Bottom
Perfect (10)
1. What's Eating Patrick?

Season 9

Awful (2)
49. Spongebob, You're Fired!
48. Little Yellow Book
Bad (3)
47. Squid Baby
Bad (4)
46. Don't Look Now
45. Yeti Krabs
44. The Fish Bowl
43. Mutiny on the Krusty
42. Food Con Castaways
41. Spongebob Longpants
40. Kenny The Cat
Average (5)
39. Sanctuary!
38. Company Picnic
37. Evil Spatula
36. Married to Money
35. Salsa Imbecilicus
34. Patrick-Man!
33. Two Thumbs Down
32. Séance Schméance
31. Squirrel Record
Average (6)
30. Bumper to Bumper
29. Gary's New Toy
28. Squid Defense
27. Safe Deposit Krabs
26. Snail Mail
25. Extreme Spots
24. Lost in Bikini Bottom
23. Patrick! the Game
22. Copybob Dittopants
21. The Executive Treatment
Good (7)
20. License to Milkshake
19. Sandy's Nutmare
18. Jailbreak
17. Larry's Gym
16. Lame and Fortune
15. Pineapple Invasion
14. Eek, an Urchin!
13. Tutor Sauce
12. Mall Girl Pearl
Good (8)
11. The Whole Tooth
10. It Came From Goo Lagoon
9. Pull up a Barrel
8. Sharks vs. Pods
7. Squid Plus One
6. Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
5. Bulletin Board
Great (9)
4. Sold!
3. Plankton's Pet
2. The Sewers of Bikini Bottom
Perfect (10)
1. What's Eating Patrick?

The Ratings:
Top-Tier: 4
Good: 16
Average: 19
Bad: 8
Bottom-Tier: 2

In terms of number rankings:
10/10: 1
9/10: 3
8/10: 7
7/10: 9
6/10: 10
5/10: 9
4/10: 7
3/10: 1
2/10: 2
1/10: 0

Not a bad season at all. Compared to season 8 anyway; it's a huge improvement. The average rating for 9a is 5.35 (average) and the rating for 9b is 6.51 (good).
As a whole, the season gets a 6.04 (average). Of course, 9b really carried this season, but there were still some nice ones in season 9a as well. Overall a mildly enjoyable season, not much to say here.

 

[Blurple]

Bad:
Sharks VS Pods
The Sewers Of Bikini Bottom

Meh:
Squid Baby
Sandy's Nutmare

OK:
Bumper To Bumper
The Fish Bowl
The Executive Treatment

Good:
Yeti Krabs
License To Milkshake
Squid Defense
Squid Plus One
Squirrel Record
Snail Mail
Spongebob Longpants

Great:
It Came From Goo Lagoon
Kenny The Cat
Pineapple Invasion
Lame And Fortune
Spongebob You're Fired
Evil Spatula
Seance Shmeance
Tutor Sauce
Little Yellow Book
Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
Extreme Spots
Two Thumbs Down
Sanctuary!
What's Eating Patrick?

Amazing:
Food Con Castaways
Gary's New Toy
Jailbreak!
Don't Look Now
Safe Depostit Krabs
Patrick-Man!
Lost In Bikini Bottom
The Whole Tooth
Plankton's Pet
Pull Up A Barrel
Company Picnic
Larry's Gym
Married To Money
Mutiny Of The Krusty

Outstanding:
Copybob Dittopants
Sold!
Bulletin Board
Salsa Imbecilicus
Mall Girl Pearl

Legendary:
Patrick! The Game :3

 

[Blurple]

Here's mine (updated)

 

[Snails]

Good
Debatable
Atrocity

Extreme Spots
Squirrel Record
Patrick-Man
Gary's New Toy
License To Milkshake
Squid Baby
Little Yellow Book
Bumper To Bumper
Eek, An Urchin!
Squid Defense
Jailbreak!
Evil Spatula
It Came From Goo Lagoon
Safe Deposit Krabs
Plankton's Pet
Don't Look Now
Seance Shmeance
Kenny The Cat
Yeti Krabs
SpongeBob You're Fired
Lost In Bikini Bottom
Tutor Sauce
Squid Plus One
The Executive Treatment
Company Picnic
Pull Up A Barrel
Sanctuary!
What's Eating Patrick?
Patrick! The Game
The Sewers Of Bikini Bottom
SpongeBob LongPants
Larry's Gym
The Fish Bowl
Married To Money
Mall Girl Pearl
Two Thumbs Down
Sharks Vs Pods
CopyBob DittoPants
Sold!
Lame And Fortune
Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
Sandy's Nutmare
Bulletin Board
Food Con Castaways
Snail Mail
Pineapple Invasion
Salsa Imbecilicus
Mutiny On The Krusty
The Whole Tooth

Bottom 5
5. Company Picnic
4. Two Thumbs Down
3. Salsa Imbecilicus
2. Little Yellow Book
1. SpongeBob You're Fired

Top 5
5. Snail Mail
4. License To Milkshake
3. Sharks Vs Pods
2. Plankton's Pet
1. Pineapple Invasion

Season 9: Great Season

 

[Snails]

 

[Bigsmoker]

 

[Season 4-11]

Same scale as always:

Best, Good, Mediocre, Bad, Worst, & Good but Overrated.

I honestly wasn't expecting Sold to be my favorite. I really like the episode and I knew it would be high, but it wasn't until I was making the actual list that I realized just how good it was.

Anyway there isn't much to say this time around. There's a few unpopular opinions in there and a few surprises but nothing major. And if I'm being honest, I think I prefer a lot of the good episodes in this season over some of the good episodes in Season 3, which is saying a lot.

Also this is unrelated, but the wave effect on the opening credits in 9B is misaligned. (see the left side of the screenshot below :P)

 

[MattTheSpongeFanatic]

Time for Season 9, the first season in the Widescreen Era.



The Best: 1
Amazing: 14
Great: 8
Good: 8
Meh: 4
Bad: 6
Awful: 4
SCUMBOB: 3
The Worst: 1

The best season in my opinion, Season 9 also contains my favorite and least favorite episodes.

 

[Random Guy]

S9 went from having a rocky start to be around the level of the first three seasons. S9 is a massive improvement over S6-8 and ALSO S4 and S5. Especially 9b was the Renaissance of the show, with Hillenburg's return.

• Finally some more greater episodes, which are quite numerous in this season. Pineapple Invasion is the first truly competent Gary episode, because it's simply perfectly paced. Plus, it's got a 'my leg'.
• Tutor Sauce is a hilarious episode. Krusty Krab being destroyed for laughs may seem repetitive, but never ceases to entertain thanks to Squidward's uninterest.
• The Whole Tooth is the best season closer this far.
• Most of the season dud belongs to 9a, which sometimes looks more like a S8 follow-up. Spongebob You're Fired is a very lame and pointless special, its plot is really nothing new.
• 9b's also got a dud, Sanctuary!, which I think it's actually worse than The Fish Bowl, because I just don't like the 'Spongebob's house held hostage' formula. It just doesn't seem that interesting.
• In any case, there's far more very compelling episodes than the last seasons.

 

[Pugs4Thugs]

I'll go ahead and separate 9A and 9B like I did last time, since they're so different.

Season 9A
Extreme Spots: 7.5/10
Squirrel Record: 8/10
Patrick-Man!: 7.5/10
Gary's New Toy: 5.5/10
License to Milkshake: 8.5/10
Squid Baby: 4.5/10
Little Yellow Book: 2.5/10
Bumper to Bumper: 7/10
Eek, An Urchin!: 9/10
Squid Defense: 6/10
Jailbreak!: 8.5/10
Evil Spatula: 8/10
It Came From Goo Lagoon: 6/10
Safe Deposit Krabs: 7.7/10
Plankton's Pet: 9/10
Don't Look Now: 8.7/10
Seance Shmeance: 8.4/10
Kenny the Cat: 5.6/10
Yeti Krabs: 6/10
SpongeBob You're Fired: 4.5/10


9A Top 3:
3. Don't Look Now
2. Plankton's Pet
1. Eek, An Urchin!

9A Bottom 3:
3. Squid Baby
2. SpongeBob You're Fired
1. Little Yellow Book


Season 9B:
Lost in Bikini Bottom: 8/10
Tutor Sauce: 9/10
Squid Plus One: 8.3/10
The Executive Treatment: 7.5/10
Company Picnic: 8.4/10
Pull Up A Barrel: 8.5/10
Sanctuary!: 8.7/10
What's Eating Patrick?: 7/10
Patrick! The Game: 9.2/10
The Sewers of Bikini Bottom: 8/10
SpongeBob LongPants: 7/10
Larry's Gym: 8/10
The Fish Bowl: 6.7/10
Married to Money: 7.8/10
Mall Girl Pearl: 9.1/10
Two Thumbs Down: 8.4/10
Sharks Vs. Pods: 9.3/10
CopyBob DittoPants: 7.6/10
Sold!: 8.3/10
Lame and Fortune: 7.8/10
Goodbye, Krabby Patty?: 6.8/10
Sandy's Nutmare: 7/10
Bulletin Board: 7/10
Food Con Castaways: 8.2/10
Snail Mail: 7.5/10
Pineapple Invasion: 8.3/10
Salsa Imbecilicus: 6.5/10
Mutiny on the Krusty: 8.3/10
The Whole Tooth: 7/10

9B Top 3:
3. Mall Girl Pearl
2. Patrick! The Game
1. Sharks Vs. Pods

9B Bottom 3:
3. Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
2. The Fish Bowl
1. Salsa Imbecilicus


Overall Top 5:
5. Tutor Sauce
4. Eek! An Urchin
3. Mall Girl Pearl
2. Patrick! The Game
1. Sharks Vs. Pods

Overall Bottom 5:
5. Kenny The Cat
4. Gary's New Toy
3. Squid Baby
2. SpongeBob You're Fired
1. Little Yellow Book

Overall Scoring:
Amazing: 6
Great: 18
Good: 14
Okay: 6
Mediocre: 2
Tolerable: 2
Bad: 0
Abysmal: 1

Additional Comments:
For me and many others season 9 was a return of SpongeBob to a much improved form. Especially 9B, that had some of my favorite episodes in a while. SpongeBob started experimenting more, and the animation improved greatly. So I really enjoy rewatching this season, particularly 9B.

This is also the first season I can remember watching live. Like I definitely remember when 9B came out, and I remember some episodes of 9A like Extreme Spots and Squirrel Record. Hard to believe how long ago that was actually.

One thing I appreciate about season 9, and the newest seasons as a whole, is that they don't really play it safe. The experimenting is good, even when sometimes the episodes are duds, which is more exemplified in seasons 10, 11, and 12 than 9, but 9 is the beginning of all of that so I'm saying it here.

 

[SlipperytheTotodile]

9a tier list

• LICENSE TO FREAKIN MILKSHAKE IS THE BEST ONE ON 9A! ITS SO FUNNY!
• Idk why i like Squid Baby but i like SpongeBob Youre Fired because its rather interesting and entertaining
• There were no meh episodes on 9a so far
• Little Yellow Book is boring as hell and Patrick did a gross thing... eat a diaper...
• Dont Look Now is the worst episode here the plot is really weak and the episode is too scary and too weird for me

Best (of 9a): License to Milkshake
Worst (of 9a): Dont Look Now

9b tierlist

• Pineapple Invasion is a badbutt episode its my favorite of 9b
• Sold! is funny
• Company Picnic has some great jokes but the concept is really poor
• Mall Girl Pearl is a WHY?!
• Snail Mail is worse than Dont Look Now its boring Gary is unlikable and the ending was kinda bad

Best (of 9b): Pineapple Invasion
Worst (of 9b): Snail Mail

 

[coft]

Awful (0/5)
49. SpongeBob You’re Fired

Bad (1/5)
48. Squid Baby
47. Salsa Imbecilicus
46. Little Yellow Book
45. Yeti Krabs
44. Squid Defense
43. Mutiny on the Krusty
42. Food Con Castaways
41. Sèance Shmèance

Average (2/5)
40. Squirrel Record
39. Kenny the Cat
38. Gary’s New Toy
37. SpongeBob LongPants
36. Extreme Spots
35. Sanctuary!
34. Bumper to Bumper
33. Snail Mail
32. Evil Spatula
31. Married to Money
30. Company Picnic

Good (3/5)
29. Don’t Look Now
28. The Fish Bowl
27. License to Milkshake
26. Eek, an Urchin!
25. Lost in Bikini Bottom
24. It Came from Goo Lagoon
23. CopyBob DittoPants
22. Safe Deposit Krabs
21. Jailbreak!
20. Two Thumbs Down

Great (4/5)
19. Patrick-Man!
18. Tutor Sauce
17. The Executive Treatment
16. Lame and Fortune
15. What‘s Eating Patrick?
14. The Whole Tooth
13. Pull Up a Barrel
12. Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
11. Sharks vs. Pods
10. Patrick! The Game
9. The Sewers of Bikini Bottom
8. Sandy’s Nutmare
7. Larry’s Gym

Amazing (5/5)
6. Pineapple Invasion
5. Bulletin Board
4. Plankton’s Pet
3. Mall Girl Pearl
2. Sold!
1. Squid Plus One

9a Score: 2.2 (Average)

9b Score: 3.38 (Good)

9 Score: 2.79 (Average)

Thoughts:
I might as well split this up in 2. While 9a is a considerable improvement on 8, I still don’t love it very much, it’s gotten to the point the show is average not because it had some really good episodes and really bad episodes, but because the lack of both bad and good cancels out, of course there are exceptions, but overall it’s a very sanitised seasons. 9b on the other way, was good, it really feels like a return to form, the jokes are more plentiful and funnier, the animation is way less rigid and the characters, especially Mr. Krabs and Patrick, feel more like characters and less like caricatures, it still had some stinkers, but they’re way better than most of the bad episodes from seasons 5-8. An average season overall, but it’s a high average.

 

[SlipperytheTotodile]

I'll go ahead and separate 9A and 9B like I did last time, since they're so different.

Season 9A
Extreme Spots: 7.5/10
Squirrel Record: 8/10
Patrick-Man!: 7.5/10
Gary's New Toy: 5.5/10
License to Milkshake: 8.5/10
Squid Baby: 4.5/10
Little Yellow Book: 2.5/10
Bumper to Bumper: 7/10
Eek, An Urchin!: 9/10
Squid Defense: 6/10
Jailbreak!: 8.5/10
Evil Spatula: 8/10
It Came From Goo Lagoon: 6/10
Safe Deposit Krabs: 7.7/10
Plankton's Pet: 9/10
Don't Look Now: 8.7/10
Seance Shmeance: 8.4/10
Kenny the Cat: 5.6/10
Yeti Krabs: 6/10
SpongeBob You're Fired: 4.5/10


9A Top 3:
3. Don't Look Now
2. Plankton's Pet
1. Eek, An Urchin!

9A Bottom 3:
3. Squid Baby
2. SpongeBob You're Fired
1. Little Yellow Book


Season 9B:
Lost in Bikini Bottom: 8/10
Tutor Sauce: 9/10
Squid Plus One: 8.3/10
The Executive Treatment: 7.5/10
Company Picnic: 8.4/10
Pull Up A Barrel: 8.5/10
Sanctuary!: 8.7/10
What's Eating Patrick?: 7/10
Patrick! The Game: 9.2/10
The Sewers of Bikini Bottom: 8/10
SpongeBob LongPants: 7/10
Larry's Gym: 8/10
The Fish Bowl: 6.7/10
Married to Money: 7.8/10
Mall Girl Pearl: 9.1/10
Two Thumbs Down: 8.4/10
Sharks Vs. Pods: 9.3/10
CopyBob DittoPants: 7.6/10
Sold!: 8.3/10
Lame and Fortune: 7.8/10
Goodbye, Krabby Patty?: 6.8/10
Sandy's Nutmare: 7/10
Bulletin Board: 7/10
Food Con Castaways: 8.2/10
Snail Mail: 7.5/10
Pineapple Invasion: 8.3/10
Salsa Imbecilicus: 6.5/10
Mutiny on the Krusty: 8.3/10
The Whole Tooth: 7/10

9B Top 3:
3. Mall Girl Pearl
2. Patrick! The Game
1. Sharks Vs. Pods

9B Bottom 3:
3. Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
2. The Fish Bowl
1. Salsa Imbecilicus


Overall Top 5:
5. Tutor Sauce
4. Eek! An Urchin
3. Mall Girl Pearl
2. Patrick! The Game
1. Sharks Vs. Pods

Overall Bottom 5:
5. Kenny The Cat
4. Gary's New Toy
3. Squid Baby
2. SpongeBob You're Fired
1. Little Yellow Book

Overall Scoring:
Amazing: 6
Great: 18
Good: 14
Okay: 6
Mediocre: 2
Tolerable: 2
Bad: 0
Abysmal: 1

Additional Comments:
For me and many others season 9 was a return of SpongeBob to a much improved form. Especially 9B, that had some of my favorite episodes in a while. SpongeBob started experimenting more, and the animation improved greatly. So I really enjoy rewatching this season, particularly 9B.

This is also the first season I can remember watching live. Like I definitely remember when 9B came out, and I remember some episodes of 9A like Extreme Spots and Squirrel Record. Hard to believe how long ago that was actually.

One thing I appreciate about season 9, and the newest seasons as a whole, is that they don't really play it safe. The experimenting is good, even when sometimes the episodes are duds, which is more exemplified in seasons 10, 11, and 12 than 9, but 9 is the beginning of all of that so I'm saying it here.

I absolutely agree with you that Sharks Vs Pods is the best of this season its also my 2nd favorite of the show

 

[SlipperytheTotodile]

I added the rest of the episode by editing

Terrible:
Dont Look Now
Snail Mail

Bad:
Little Yellow Book
It Came from Goo Lagoon
Mall Girl Pearl
SpongeBob LongPants
TSOBB
Sandys Nutmare
Food Con Castaways
Safe Deposit Krabs

Meh:
Squid Baby
Company Picnic
Bumper to Bumper
Yeti Krabs
Lost in Bikini Bottom
Jailbreak!

Okay:
The Fish Bowl
Garys New Toy
Mutiny on the Krusty
Married to Money
Squid Defense

Good:
Salsa Imbelicious
Kenny the Cat
Patrick Man!
The Executive Treatment
Two Thumbs Down
Bulletin Board
Sanctuary!
Sold!
Extreme Spots
Squirrel Record
Evil Spatula
Goodbye Krabby Patty?
Tutor Sauce
Seance Shmeance

Great:
SpongeBob Youre Fired
CopyBob DittoPants
Patrick! The Game
Lame and Fortune
Larrys Gym
Eek an Urchin!
Squid Plus One

Amazing:
Pineapple Invasion
Planktons Pet

TOP TIER MATERIAL!:
Pull Up A Barrel
License to Milkshake
The Whole Tooth
Sharks Vs Pods

Best episode: Sharks vs. Pods
Worst episode: Dont Look Now

 

[Pugs4Thugs]

I absolutely agree with you that Sharks Vs Pods is the best of this season its also my 2nd favorite of the show

Finally another Sharks Vs. Pods lover!

 

[Pugs4Thugs]

End of the month means another season overview! Let's do it!

Extreme Spots: 8.1/10
Squirrel Record: 8.7/10
Patrick-Man!: 7.6/10
Gary's New Toy: 6.8/10
License to Milkshake: 8.8/10
Squid Baby: 3.5/10
Little Yellow Book: 2.7/10
Bumper to Bumper: 9.1/10
Eek, An Urchin!: 9.4/10
Squid Defense: 6.8/10
Jailbreak!: 9.4/10
Evil Spatula: 9.2/10
It Came From Goo Lagoon: 5.8/10
Safe Deposit Krabs: 8.8/10
Plankton's Pet: 9.3/10
Don't Look Now: 9.4/10
Séance Shméance: 9.2/10
Kenny the Cat: 7/10
Yeti Krabs: 7.6/10
SpongeBob You're Fired: 5.9/10

Lost in Bikini Bottom: 9/10
Tutor Sauce: 9.6/10
Squid Plus One: 9.1/10
The Executive Treatment: 9.1/10
Company Picnic: 8.9/10
Pull Up A Barrel: 9/10
Sanctuary!: 9.3/10
What's Eating Patrick?: 9.2/10
Patrick! The Game: 9.4/10
The Sewers of Bikini Bottom: 9.5/10
SpongeBob LongPants: 8.8/10
Larry's Gym: 8.5/10
The Fish Bowl: 7.9/10
Married to Money: 8/10
Mall Girl Pearl: 9.2/10
Two Thumbs Down: 9/10
Sharks Vs. Pods: 9.4/10
CopyBob DittoPants: 9.3/10
Sold!: 6.9/10
Lame and Fortune: 9.2/10
Goodbye, Krabby Patty?: 7.5/10
Sandy's Nutmare: 6.9/10
Bulletin Board: 9.2/10
Food Con Castaways: 9/10
Snail Mail: 8.8/10
Pineapple Invasion: 9.4/10
Salsa Imbecilicus: 5.7/10
Mutiny on the Krusty: 8.4/10
The Whole Tooth: 7.4/10

Top 5:
5. Don't Look Now
4. Patrick! The Game
3. Sharks Vs. Pods
2. The Sewers of Bikini Bottom
1. Tutor Sauce

Bottom 5:
5. SpongeBob You're Fired
4. It Came From Goo Lagoon
3. Salsa Imbecilicus
2. Squid Baby
1. Little Yellow Book

Scoring:
Amazing: 24
Great: 10
Good: 6
Okay: 4
Mediocre: 3
Tolerable: 0
Bad: 1
Abysmal: 1

Additional Comments:
My my my, season 9. Season 9 is so interesting because as we all know, this is the season where everything changed…right? Well…yes and no. More yes than no, though. Obviously, I’ve got opinions on that statement and more, so let’s discuss. Before that, though, let me go on a short tangent.

Shortly before I started season 9, I was reminded of the fact that I have actually done this episode review thing before, a very long time ago. I did it with the premiere of season 9b episodes. “The Getaway”, “The Fish Bowl”, “Married To Money”, “Sharks Vs. Pods”…I remember writing reviews to all of these episodes, back when this forum had blog posts. Ah…good times. So season 9B specifically is a pretty special season for me. Okay, that’s the end of my tangent, let’s get started.

Obviously, the unique thing about season 9 is that there is a very clear split in this season, caused partially by the second movie. There’s season 9A, typically lumped in the season 6-8 categorization (which I’ve already argued against last month, so I won’t rehash that), and then there’s season 9B, commonly seen as the show’s renaissance, in no small part due to Stephen Hillenburg’s return to the show (I wish we had more information as to what exactly this meant, since he’s always been a part of the show lol). Other common comments about this season is that the animation is more bright and fluid, the writing is better, etc. etc. These latter comments are the ones I want to evaluate.

Well, there’s absolutely no doubt that season 9A and season 9B are different. But as I’ve been arguing ever since I started reviewing middle-age SpongeBob, they aren’t as different as you’d think. Though I will say that season 9A, the way it was going, was going to be around season 8 in quality. Season 9B, on the other hand, was some of my favorite sets of episodes in a long time. But, in the sense of fairness, when comparing this season to other seasons, I have to consider season 9 as a whole. And as a whole, I regard it about equally to season 4, which means I like it more than season 8. Season 9 also had an average episode rating of 8.2, which is the highest we’ve seen since the first 3 seasons. Very impressive.

Why is this? Well, season 9 (particularly the latter half, of course. Well, it’s more like the latter 2/3rds) does a lot of things right. First off, season 9 sees the return of certain character fundamentals. For Patrick especially, this is important, because I find myself starting to like his character again, rather than feel neutral. “The Executive Treatment”, “What’s Eating Patrick?”, and “Patrick! The Game” are some of the best Patrick appearances I’ve seen in a long while. It makes me really happy to see his character being treated right again. Patrick’s not the only character to get this treatment though. Mr. Krabs sees some important character moments, giving him a little bit of a heart again, in “Tutor Sauce”, “Pull Up A Barrel”, and even “Mutiny on the Krusty”.

Another big strength of this season, which is shared with season 8, is a sense of adventure when it comes to plots. And I think this coincides nicely with my next point, which is that I think season 9 gave a lot of focus to making the episodes all-around entertaining rather than providing laughs every second. I think that’s the reason why the plots in this season are so interesting to me (and very few episodes are boring). It almost feels like season 1, except not even that season put as much attention into the plots like this. Additionally, season 9 started giving focus to characters that don’t get as much, like Pearl, Larry, and even Bubble Bass. It’s great to see, and something that will continue to happen as these episodes go on. It just makes things a lot more interesting, and keeps the show from growing stale.

In terms of the quality of the episodes this season, the first third of the season was very much a mixed bag. We’ve got a few amazing, mediocre, great, even abysmal makes an appearance. The last two-thirds of the season, however, are a meteoric rise. At least…it is at first. I’d say the second third of this season is fantastic, for sure up there at the level of the first 3 seasons. But the last third…well, something was running out of steam. Tiers other than Amazing and Great started being spotted, even with my optimistic and generous scoring. I wonder what this means for season 10…I suppose we’ll see next month!

To close out this overview, I of course have to do one last thing: I gotta name the season. And for once, I’ve had a name in mind for weeks now. Season 9 is undoubtedly the Boomerang Season. Why do I call it that? Well…do you guys remember the Boomerang channel? And do you remember it’s little slogan? “Boomerang…it’s all coming back to you”. Not only was that brilliant branding, but it’s perfect for this season as well. Because it’s true, season 9 is all about coming back to something. The feelings of previous seasons (while being something new), old characters, etc. Heck, this season even starts getting heavy on the easter eggs, which is a very boomerang thing to do. And even talking about the impact of this season, season 9B in particular did a lot of work at bringing back those who had been known as Modern SpongeBob Haters, though now the dynamic has changed in the 7-10 years since this season premiered. This season is also one of the most nostalgic for me, given that I was there and cognizant when it premiered, so it means a lot to me. So it reminds me of Boomerang (the channel) in that way too. Season 9 joins season 3 as one of the most special seasons of the show in my eyes. Perhaps that’s unpopular. But I don’t care.

 

[Mr. What Zit Tooya]

End of the month means another season overview! Let's do it!

Extreme Spots: 8.1/10
Squirrel Record: 8.7/10
Patrick-Man!: 7.6/10
Gary's New Toy: 6.8/10
License to Milkshake: 8.8/10
Squid Baby: 3.5/10
Little Yellow Book: 2.7/10
Bumper to Bumper: 9.1/10
Eek, An Urchin!: 9.4/10
Squid Defense: 6.8/10
Jailbreak!: 9.4/10
Evil Spatula: 9.2/10
It Came From Goo Lagoon: 5.8/10
Safe Deposit Krabs: 8.8/10
Plankton's Pet: 9.3/10
Don't Look Now: 9.4/10
Séance Shméance: 9.2/10
Kenny the Cat: 7/10
Yeti Krabs: 7.6/10
SpongeBob You're Fired: 5.9/10

Lost in Bikini Bottom: 9/10
Tutor Sauce: 9.6/10
Squid Plus One: 9.1/10
The Executive Treatment: 9.1/10
Company Picnic: 8.9/10
Pull Up A Barrel: 9/10
Sanctuary!: 9.3/10
What's Eating Patrick?: 9.2/10
Patrick! The Game: 9.4/10
The Sewers of Bikini Bottom: 9.5/10
SpongeBob LongPants: 8.8/10
Larry's Gym: 8.5/10
The Fish Bowl: 7.9/10
Married to Money: 8/10
Mall Girl Pearl: 9.2/10
Two Thumbs Down: 9/10
Sharks Vs. Pods: 9.4/10
CopyBob DittoPants: 9.3/10
Sold!: 6.9/10
Lame and Fortune: 9.2/10
Goodbye, Krabby Patty?: 7.5/10
Sandy's Nutmare: 6.9/10
Bulletin Board: 9.2/10
Food Con Castaways: 9/10
Snail Mail: 8.8/10
Pineapple Invasion: 9.4/10
Salsa Imbecilicus: 5.7/10
Mutiny on the Krusty: 8.4/10
The Whole Tooth: 7.4/10

Top 5:
5. Don't Look Now
4. Patrick! The Game
3. Sharks Vs. Pods
2. The Sewers of Bikini Bottom
1. Tutor Sauce

Bottom 5:
5. SpongeBob You're Fired
4. It Came From Goo Lagoon
3. Salsa Imbecilicus
2. Squid Baby
1. Little Yellow Book

Scoring:
Amazing: 24
Great: 10
Good: 6
Okay: 4
Mediocre: 3
Tolerable: 0
Bad: 1
Abysmal: 1

Additional Comments:
My my my, season 9. Season 9 is so interesting because as we all know, this is the season where everything changed…right? Well…yes and no. More yes than no, though. Obviously, I’ve got opinions on that statement and more, so let’s discuss. Before that, though, let me go on a short tangent.

Shortly before I started season 9, I was reminded of the fact that I have actually done this episode review thing before, a very long time ago. I did it with the premiere of season 9b episodes. “The Getaway”, “The Fish Bowl”, “Married To Money”, “Sharks Vs. Pods”…I remember writing reviews to all of these episodes, back when this forum had blog posts. Ah…good times. So season 9B specifically is a pretty special season for me. Okay, that’s the end of my tangent, let’s get started.

Obviously, the unique thing about season 9 is that there is a very clear split in this season, caused partially by the second movie. There’s season 9A, typically lumped in the season 6-8 categorization (which I’ve already argued against last month, so I won’t rehash that), and then there’s season 9B, commonly seen as the show’s renaissance, in no small part due to Stephen Hillenburg’s return to the show (I wish we had more information as to what exactly this meant, since he’s always been a part of the show lol). Other common comments about this season is that the animation is more bright and fluid, the writing is better, etc. etc. These latter comments are the ones I want to evaluate.

Well, there’s absolutely no doubt that season 9A and season 9B are different. But as I’ve been arguing ever since I started reviewing middle-age SpongeBob, they aren’t as different as you’d think. Though I will say that season 9A, the way it was going, was going to be around season 8 in quality. Season 9B, on the other hand, was some of my favorite sets of episodes in a long time. But, in the sense of fairness, when comparing this season to other seasons, I have to consider season 9 as a whole. And as a whole, I regard it about equally to season 4, which means I like it more than season 8. Season 9 also had an average episode rating of 8.2, which is the highest we’ve seen since the first 3 seasons. Very impressive.

Why is this? Well, season 9 (particularly the latter half, of course. Well, it’s more like the latter 2/3rds) does a lot of things right. First off, season 9 sees the return of certain character fundamentals. For Patrick especially, this is important, because I find myself starting to like his character again, rather than feel neutral. “The Executive Treatment”, “What’s Eating Patrick?”, and “Patrick! The Game” are some of the best Patrick appearances I’ve seen in a long while. It makes me really happy to see his character being treated right again. Patrick’s not the only character to get this treatment though. Mr. Krabs sees some important character moments, giving him a little bit of a heart again, in “Tutor Sauce”, “Pull Up A Barrel”, and even “Mutiny on the Krusty”.

Another big strength of this season, which is shared with season 8, is a sense of adventure when it comes to plots. And I think this coincides nicely with my next point, which is that I think season 9 gave a lot of focus to making the episodes all-around entertaining rather than providing laughs every second. I think that’s the reason why the plots in this season are so interesting to me (and very few episodes are boring). It almost feels like season 1, except not even that season put as much attention into the plots like this. Additionally, season 9 started giving focus to characters that don’t get as much, like Pearl, Larry, and even Bubble Bass. It’s great to see, and something that will continue to happen as these episodes go on. It just makes things a lot more interesting, and keeps the show from growing stale.

In terms of the quality of the episodes this season, the first third of the season was very much a mixed bag. We’ve got a few amazing, mediocre, great, even abysmal makes an appearance. The last two-thirds of the season, however, are a meteoric rise. At least…it is at first. I’d say the second third of this season is fantastic, for sure up there at the level of the first 3 seasons. But the last third…well, something was running out of steam. Tiers other than Amazing and Great started being spotted, even with my optimistic and generous scoring. I wonder what this means for season 10…I suppose we’ll see next month!

To close out this overview, I of course have to do one last thing: I gotta name the season. And for once, I’ve had a name in mind for weeks now. Season 9 is undoubtedly the Boomerang Season. Why do I call it that? Well…do you guys remember the Boomerang channel? And do you remember it’s little slogan? “Boomerang…it’s all coming back to you”. Not only was that brilliant branding, but it’s perfect for this season as well. Because it’s true, season 9 is all about coming back to something. The feelings of previous seasons (while being something new), old characters, etc. Heck, this season even starts getting heavy on the easter eggs, which is a very boomerang thing to do. And even talking about the impact of this season, season 9B in particular did a lot of work at bringing back those who had been known as Modern SpongeBob Haters, though now the dynamic has changed in the 7-10 years since this season premiered. This season is also one of the most nostalgic for me, given that I was there and cognizant when it premiered, so it means a lot to me. So it reminds me of Boomerang (the channel) in that way too. Season 9 joins season 3 as one of the most special seasons of the show in my eyes. Perhaps that’s unpopular. But I don’t care.

I agree with a lot of the things you mentioned, especially that it feels like a return to the writing of the first few seasons, I have to say that 9b has my favorite characterization of Patrick, he's quite nice, funny, and I like how he cares about SpongeBob, even if in The Fish Bowl he behaved selfishly, at the end he admits that he behaved badly and apologizes to SpongeBob, i really wish they would use his 9b characterization more instead of just showing him off as a fool

 

[zerocool]

GREAT (5/5), GOOD (4/5), AVERAGE (3/5), BAD (2/5), AWFUL (1/5), SCUMBOB (0/5).

1. Goodbye, Krabby Patty?
2. Plankton's Pet
3. Jailbreak!
4. Bulletin Board
5. Eek, an Urchin!
6. License to Milkshake
7. The Executive Treatment
8. Pull Up a Barrel
9. What's Eating Patrick?
10. Two Thumbs Down
11. Patrick! The Game
12. Mall Girl Pearl
13. Larry's Gym
14. Patrick-Man!
15. Sandy's Nutmare
16. Sharks vs. Pods
17. The Sewers of Bikini Bottom
18. Food Con Castaways
19. Safe Deposit Krabs
20. The Whole Tooth
21. Tutor Sauce
22. Extreme Spots
23. Squid Plus One
24. Squirrel Record
25. Pineapple Invasion
26. Bumper to Bumper
27. Squid's Defence
28. Sold!
29. Lost in Bikini Bottom
30. Sanctuary!
31. Married to Money
32. Evil Spatula
33. CopyBob DittoPants
34. Yeti Krabs
35. It Came From Goo Lagoon
36. Company Picnic
37. Lame and Fortune
38. Don't Look Now
39. SpongeBob LongPants
40. Gary's New Toy
41. Salsa Imbecilicus
42. Snail Mail
43. Séance Schméance
44. Kenny the Cat
45. The Fish Bowl
46. Mutiny on the Krusty
47. SpongeBob, You're Fired
48. Squid Baby
49. Little Yellow Book

 

[CrazyMew37]

I have a question regarding Season 9: I notice that people tend to split it into 2 parts. What episodes are in Season 9A and Season 9B, and why is it split like that? Doing some research, I heard it's apparently because of the second Spongebob Movie causing Season 9 to be delayed for a year. And I guess I should also ask when the split between Season 9A and Season 9B occurs.

 

[Mr. What Zit Tooya]

I have a question regarding Season 9: I notice that people tend to split it into 2 parts. What episodes are in Season 9A and Season 9B, and why is it split like that? Doing some research, I heard it's apparently because of the second Spongebob Movie causing Season 9 to be delayed for a year. And I guess I should also ask when the split between Season 9A and Season 9B occurs.

Season 9a dates from Extreme Spots to SpongeBob You're Fired, Season 9b dates from Lost In Bikini Bottom to The Whole Tooth.