SpongeBob - "Can You Spare a Dime?"

Brother, can you spare a dime? Because I need that one to review this episode of SpongeBob. Oh wait, no I don't. I've got it right here. This episode is called, "Can You Spare a Dime?" Let's get going.

After Mr. Krabs accuses Squidward for something he didn't do, like say, stealing his first dime, Squidward quits his job. However, he ends up homeless in the process. Seeing Squidward heartbroken in the process, SpongeBob decides to take him into his own house to live with him, but only until he gets a job. However, so much later goes by and Squidward has become a free-loader and SpongeBob is his slave. Will he get out of slavery? Watch to find out.

This episode is pretty funny every time I watch this. Examples of funny include Squidward, Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob counting various things, SpongeBob going up and down the stairs getting this for Squidward, and SpongeBob finally losing his temper and patience due to Squidward's bossing him around, all because he can't get a job. He even takes his anger out on Mr. Krabs, because well, he falsely accused Squidward for stealing his dime. He even goes so far as to shake him violently while choking him until finally, his first dime falls out of his pants. There's a lot of humor here that it's hard to avoid it.

So, there are two morals here.

One: Never falsely accuse someone for something they didn't do or jump to conclusions.

and

Two: Never have a homeless person live with you, otherwise, he'll boss you around like crazy!

Also, since Sean Dempsey was the animation director for this episode, we see Squidward crying while he was homeless. Another indication that Sean has a crying fetish.

SpongeBob - "Clams"

While many moments of SpongeBob have made illusions to timeless media and pop culture, only one episode was based entirely around that. That episode was "Clams," a clever parody of the Steven Spielberg drama, "Jaws."

This episode opens up with Mr. Krabs getting his one millionth dollar, a huge milestone in his career. As a "reward" to SpongeBob and Squidward, Mr. Krabs takes them on a trip, what kind of trip you may ask? Well, clam fishing of course. After SpongeBob's poor fishing skills ends up tossing several things overboard and giving Squidward a a nose rip apart, Mr. Krabs ends up losing his millionth dollar. After breaking the fourth wall, Mr. Krabs loses his millionth dollar to a giant clam. SpongeBob and Squidward take pity on him and decide to help him get it back.

But their efforts are useless when three days go by without ANYTHING happening. After trying to trick Mr. Krabs and giving out an allusion to Moby Dick, they've realized that Mr. Krabs has gone nuts! They try to escape, only to be captured, Mr. Krabs decides to use them as bait for the clam, this time using the music that summoned the clam originally. That musical score by the way is called "Dangerous" by Mladen Franko. Though, that does beg the question. Why didn't Mr. Krabs think of this before?! Anyways, Mr. Krabs, gets his dollar back but gets eaten in the process, luckily, he survives by giving the clam a piece of his body as a trade.

This episode was probably the only episode that consistently parodied something, but it did it very well. The motivation of the original Jaws movie characters was there, but it was made funny when the characters were swapped out with SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob always knew how to do parody jokes right, and this episode was the trademark of that.

The highlight of the episode was when SpongeBob and Squidward try to trick Mr. Krabs into thinking they got his millionth dollar.

SpongeBob - "SpongeGuard on Duty"

Here's my favorite SpongeBob episode from the third season. Before I begin, let me give a little background. This episode along with The Algae's Always Greener aired on March 22, 2002, the same day ChalkZone premiered, as well as the new episode of The Fairly OddParents at the time, "Action Packed/Smarty Pants." Now, with that out of the way, let's begin the review.

While at the beach with Patrick, SpongeBob says Larry the Lobster as a lifeguard, who gets all the attention, wooing the ladies, talking to the surfer dudes (one of them voiced by Carlos Alazraqui), as well as banishing the old people of Bikini Bottom from Goo Lagoon for some odd reason. SpongeBob wants to be a lifeguard like Larry, but Patrick on the other hand thinks that lifeguards are a nuisance. He decides to go to the snack bar to control his anger. After a flying ice cream truck accident, Larry mistakes the white ice cream sticking to SpongeBob as lifeguard material. He compliments him on the looks and let's him be the assistant lifeguard. However, when Larry leaves SpongeBob in charge of the beach, SpongeBob quickly learns that being a lifeguard is a huge responsibility, like saving people from drowning, and the problem is SpongeBob can't swim. How will he handle doing this by himself. Go find out.

This is a clever plot. A person who wants to be lifeguard like Larry the Lobster, a wannabe if you will. I will say that SpongeBob's over-protection is a bit out of hand if you ask me. Going so far as to say "Uh, somebody went," disgusting the citizens and Scooter says "It's a lagoon, dude," even going WAY to far as to tie up everyone in do not cross taping! It's not out of character, but it's too much protection. I kind of like how Patrick stops in the middle of the water and hits butt twirls and makes him flinch in pain shouting "CRAMP!" Also, the weird thing is that the water was only two feet deep, since we saw Larry pick up SpongeBob and Patrick from being over the top while "drowning."

So, bottom line, this story is quite silly, in a good way. I especially like some of Larry's lines like "Gnarly, dudes!" and one fish saying "That's the last time I read and swim." I even like Larry beating the fish up to help him breath. That lobster is quite a hero.

All I can say if you can't swim, all I can say is that practice makes perfect.

And Patrick still doesn't have any ice cream.

SpongeBob - "Graveyard Shift"

This episode is filled with imagination, it takes you to another dimension, a dimension of sound, a dimension of fear, a dimension of mind, a dimension of 24 hours a day in a restaurant, where the Hash Slinging Slasher exists, and Nosferatu turns off the lights, you're crossing over into "Graveyard Shift."

Around closing time, when Tom comes to the doors to the Krusty Krab, when Squidward tries to inform Tom that he has to go home soon, Mr,. Krabs overhears all this and decides to make the hours to the Krusty Krab unlimited, in other words, 24 hours a day, With that Mr. Krabs leaves the scene leaving SpongeBob and Squidward in charge of the restaurant. Over time, Squidward spooks SpongeBob by telling him the story of The Hash Slinging Slasher, which results into SpongeBob into screaming in a rhythmic fashion, until Squidward snaps him out of it saying it was only a joke and a story, which results in SpongeBob laughing in the same rhythm. How will this end? Stay tuned.

This episode is scary........with humor! It's got a lot of good jokes about SpongeBob doing stuff, at night that is. Even rushing outside to take out the garbage and beathing heavily when he gets back inside. It's also very funny when SpongeBob takes off one of his arms and they grow back much to the surprise of Squidward, and even Patrick's little cameo was good. But the best highlight was has to be the reveal of the hash slinging slasher! Especially Squidward mispronouncing the name like SpongeBob did earlier, and he and SpongeBob's eyebrows and eyelashes rising up and shaking in fear. That's pretty funny, folks.

So, the bottom line, this episode is funny, with terror, and it's got a good story. Working late at night and telling scary stories along the way.

I must say, there should've been a Twilight Zone reference where Mr. Lawrence, who wrote this episode, would voice a parody of Rod Serling, explaining about the story of the Hash Slinging Slasher. Maybe it was a deleted concept or something from the storyboard artists.

Anyways, I like Dee Bradley Baker's character for the Hash Slinging Slasher who turns out to be a nice guy.

This episode to great to watch, even at night.

Hey Arnold! - "Olga Gets Engaged"

"Olga Gets Engaged" was the second episode to feature Helga's older and midriff-baring sister. And as much as I like her character, I'm not sure what to feel about this episode. Anyways, it was written by the voice of Arnold's Mom herself, Antoinette Stella.

At school, Helga's friends Rhonda and Phoebe are excited about another one of Olga's visits, and Helga sarcastically just looks forward to it. She has mixed feelings on her bib sister. Sometimes, she might like her, but most of the time, she does not.. Helga always gets annoyed whenever Olga visits from college.

Olga comes to the Pataki residence and explains the big news, she decides to drop out of college because she met a man named Doug/ Bob and Miriam are shocked by this bit of news, but Helga is quite thrilled, thinking this might be Olga's fall from grace and wonders when they'll meet Doug.

At dinner, the Patakis meet Doug, who swoons over Olga, and Helga wonders how long have they've known each other. Bob and Miriam are against the idea that they're rushing into marriage.

While Bob says to Doug that he doesn't adjust, but Helga sympathies with Olga saying that it's not fair for Olga between Doug and them.

This reduces Olga to tears because, well, she suffers from perfectionism, and she's just so miserable, and runs into her room crying. I think it's time for me to talk about her crying, sometimes, whenever she cries, some black make-up falls down her eyes, she's not even wearing mascara, how is it even running?! Oh, well, no matter. Doug runs after Olga, and Helga says "If I played by cards straight, I could get rid of Olga for good." with a devilish smile on her face.

Up in Olga's room, Helga demands her to snap out of it, but Olga's so upset that she can't. Helga auggests that she and Doug run away and get married, Olga rejects to this considering she couldn't elope, and mom and dad would be furious. Helga knows that would be awful, but it's worse than thinking about life without Doug. Ultimately, Olga does give in, and Helga tells her to start packing and Helga will sneak the ladder out the window, and that she and Doug will be married in no time. Olga doesn't know how to thank her and thinks they're really bonding as wo sisters. As Helga closes the door, she says to herself, "Oh boy!"

As Helga gets out the later, she witnesses Doug telling ridiculous lies to Bob and Miriam, which ultimately results into them changing their minds. Helga was confused at first, saying, "What is going on, he hated him a while ago."

Helga comes back into Olga's room, saying to cancel running away, because there's been a change of plans, Doug won him over. Olga rejoices and says "Oh, I knew it, I'd just knew they'd love him." as she hugs herself with joy.

The next day, Helga explains her problems to Arnold about Olga dating a complete liar. Arnold suggests that if your sister or brothers are in trouble, you should help them, but Helga just rejects that thought, and, as usual, Arnold just tells her, forget he said what he had to say.

At dinner, as Doug and Olga are re-enacting a portion of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Helga fantasizes about what would happen if they actually got married, living in a run down apartment with Doug lying about doing great things while Olga is miserable, Helga laughs at her little fantasy.

On the day of the wedding, Olga can't tell how much she's lucky to have a sister like Helga. and from that point on, Helga decides she just can't go through with her plan.

Helga catches Doug red-handed calling his own girlfriend, and Helga does what Arnold told her to do earlier, help out a sibling in need. She demands that Doug should leave or she'll expose him for the phony liar that he is, even going so far as to threatening to push the redial button to tell her girlfriend about his lies and cheating. Upon hearing this, Doug leaves and exits the door!

With Doug gone and out of the way, to make sure Olga knows about his disappearance, Helga writes a note that says it was from Doug. Olga is touched by everything that the note says, she cries, once again, with mascara falling down her face without having any one whatsoever. And Helga just tells her "You crybaby!" And the episode just ends.

I don't get it.





Honestly, I don't think the episode was good or terrible, just weak. But, if YOU are a fan of Helga or Hey Arnold! Go ahead and watch the episode if you choose to, I have nothing against that, okay?

Hey Arnold! - "Monkey Business"

This is all around my favorite Helga episode from Hey Arnold! In this episode, after catching an encounter with a monkey in the park from an organ grinder, Helga starts to believe that she's suffering with fear from monkeynucleosis. Apparently a parody of mononucleosis.

Symptoms of this sort of disease includes

1. Itching and Puffiness
2. Sweaty Palms
3. Lack of Appetite
4. Irritability
   and finaly
5. Expiration.

You do have to remember by the way that Helga always has a tendency to be irritable, mostly due to her dark secrets about her love for Arnold and bully personality.

What I like about this episode is the fact that it's mostly about Helga fearing she's going to expire, and no, they never say the word die, because apparently, you can't say "die" on a kids show, despite the fact she said it in "Haunted Train" but that's another story. Anyways, to get back on track, this is an occasional instance where Helga would indeed get scared. The only thing in the episode that kind of freaked me out was the nightmare she had about being a monkey and too late to confess her love for Arnold. The episode could be like an opposite of "A Case of Ed" from Ed, Edd n Eddy in a sense, except that in that episode, Double D worried about having Lack-a-Daisy-Cathro Disease mainly due to the fact that Ed and Eddy where tricking him whereas here, Helga worries about it because she's so delirious, oh, and she didn't get teased at. Overall, a solid episode. You get sucked into Helga's dilemma, you feel bad for what she's going through, and you want to see her come out okay. P.S. This episode felt like something that Helga's voice actress, Francesca Marie Smith wrote.