SpongeBob - "Walking Small"

You want to walk tall? Then just watch "Walking Small" that often airs after "Texas." Note to viewers this is the third and final Plankton-focused episode of the first season. So now, let's begin.

In this episode, Plankton decides to bring up the future sight of the Chum Bucket Mega Bucket on the Goo Lagoon. And he uses SpongeBob as bait to get everyone to leave Goo Lagoon. With a few comical situations like SpongeBob being "insertive," and SpongeBob misunderstanding Plankton's phrases to the guy in sandals borrowing his metal detector. It all gets better when SpongeBob's finally become improving like shaking sand everywhere, stealing the hot dogs, kites, and destroying volleyballs. Will SpongeBob reverse the damage, or will Plankton's plan succeed? Watch and find out. Okay?

What I like about this episode is that it's not focused on Plankton trying to steal the formula. Instead, it's focused on him trying to make a much bigger restaurant in Bikini Bottom. It's petty funny when he cries over the fact that he bought two ice cream cones, you know, because this is a Sean Dempsey animation directed episode, Dempsey has a fetish for crying! Also, SpongeBob's Jerry Seinfeld like stand-up comedy was pretty funny. I even like how he reverses the damage, like for example, bringing the hot dogs and kites back to the beach-goers, and being a surfboard for Scooter. All Plankton needed was aggresiveness and being assertive, sorry "Putting Your Hoof Down," you stole that idea.

Overall, this episode is pretty funny, especially with Plankton shouting through his megaphone, SpongeBob taking his sweet time eating his ice cream, and of course, his Jerry Seinfeld reference. He is a true altruist folks. By the way, Plankton does have a point, SpongeBob is soft because he IS a sponge.

In the end, Plankton deserved to have his plan reversed, he totally deserved it. I also like Larry the Lobster's speaking cameo asking for the volleyball and saying "Let's just go home I guess," which speaking of which, all of you should go home right now until the next review.

SpongeBob - "Krusty Krab Training Video"

One of the best qualities of a show is immersion, meaning deep mental involvement. You'll always know a show is good if they can get you immersed and make you believe this is all really happening. with the Krusty Krab Training Video, the show goes for the jugular and gives us the instructional video explaining how to work at the Krusty Krab.

There's really not much to say about this episode, but one thing I should mention is that this episode does a brilliant job of mocking the stereotypical instructional video. It shows the good worker in relation to the bad worker, gives history behind the establishment, shows all the necessary steps in the work shift, and so on. It even goes so far as to have a well-spoken narrator.

As stated with Clams, when the series wants to satirize something, it did so very well. It did a good job being both a parody and a very popular episode. We as kids believed even more that these characters and environments were real, immersing us even further in the magic of the show. And even though we're older, thinking that way while watching this episode still makes it all the more fun, and captures that warm feeling we felt in ourselves when we were young.

The highlight of the episode has to be the Hoopla gag and SpongeBob being smashed in the face by a spatula.

So, in conclusion, I would like all of you newcomers out there to give this episode a shot if you haven't already.

SpongeBob - "Karate Choppers"

A running theme on SpongeBob is his knowledge in karate. Probably the episode where this is portrayed most creatively is "Karate Choppers," written by Aaron Springer, Erik Wiese, and Merriwether Williams, in her writing debut on the show.

The first few minutes are some rather entertaining clips of SpongeBob and Sandy trying to out due each other while sparring. In other words, kind of like boxing. Eventually, SpongeBob's constant awareness for Sandy causes trouble at the Krusty Krab, ranging from him just confusing Squidward's gender, to beating up a customer. It eventually gets to the point where Mr. Krabs threatens to fire SpongeBob if he does anymore karate. After a brief misunderstanding with Sandy and Mr. Krabs almost firing him, the two decide to go to the park to take their minds off character, but no matter what they do, though, they can't seem to take their minds off of it.

And after a really fun scene that involves some hardcore sandwich making with background music composed by The Surfdusters, they give in to their instincts and continue to spar, until Mr. Krabs shows up that is. SpongeBob confesses that they can't help it, I mean sure, before he got fired, he threw a tantrum, but that was because it was a complete misunderstanding, he didn't know what was going on and didn't deserve it. Here, he knows that he screwed up and is ready to own up to it, on the other hand, Mr. Krabs decides to forgive them after he sees how brilliantly they made their sandwiches. The episode ends with SpongeBob and Sandy making tons of Krabby Patties.

As I've said, most of the enjoyment of the episode comes from how creative it is. The karate sequences are a joy to watch and the jokes are pretty funny too. It takes a bit for the story to get going and it really doesn't have a message to it, but it's easily overlooked because of how much darn fun you have watching it.

The highlight of the episode is when Sandy and SpongeBob make their sandwiches with their karate instincts.

SpongeBob - "Prehibernation Week!" Review

Now, let's review my favorite second season episode, "Prehibernation Week!" For those who don't remember, this episode came on a while after The Fairly OddParents first premiered, and when the Fairly OddParents were airing new episodes around that time, Stephen Hillenburg and his crew had to take a break for a while after doing Shanghaied and Gary Takes a Bath. Luckily in May 2001, they went back to work with this episode. Now, let's begin the EXTREME!

The plot is that Sandy is preparing for hibernation, which is strange because in airing order, this came on after Survival of the Idiots, but that's another story. And with the hibernation only a week ahead, For the next seven days, SpongeBob and Sandy do a lot of stop that is EXTREME! Like sand-boarding, catapulting out of bed, EXTREME jacks, giant ear cleaners on the sea needle, a bike ride through the industrial park, and finally, finding the hay in the needle-stack! These thrill seekers are really EXTREME TO THE MAX! Until SpongeBob gets so exhausted and sick of all this that he decides to hide from Sandy in, where else? Under Patrick's rock.

I did feel bad for SpongeBob in this one because he's just SO forced into doing these things that are so EXTREME before Sandy could go into hibernation, however, just because SpongeBob was dragged into all of this, doesn't mean that Sandy was out of character. Because, if I didn't know any better, being a thrill seeker is just what she does in her spare time, let's just say she's a Adrenaline junkie, look it up, Wikipedia that. Or to be more precise, she's more of a novelty seeker who is so EXTREME! Even going so EXTREME as to turn Bikini Bottom upside down while looking for SpongeBob.

One thing I do have to question was that who was doing all the fry-cooking at the Krusty Krab while SpongeBob was stuck with Sandy, oh well, who cares, the customers' foods came out right. This episode is EXTREMELY funny, especially with the joke of fly fishing (cue rimshot), Squidward's dead-pan reactions are well timed as well, and I like Mr. Krabs calling out "MAN THE LIFE BOATS!" I have to give the writers for this episode, Aaron Springer, C.H. Greenblatt, and Merriwether Williams for going a different route with this episode into something SO exciting. Also, I would like to mention that this was the last episode Edgar Larrazabal served as the animation director for the show.

I wonder what he went on to do after this. Oh well, I guess we'll never know. Either way, this episode is pretty good........TO THE EXTREME!!