History Recap / SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E4DyingForPieImitationKrabs

-->'''[=SpongeBob=]: ''(holding both Krabses hostage with a vat of tartar sauce)'' '''''QUIEEEEEET!''''' Until I know who the ''real'' Mr. Krabs is, nobody moves, ''nobody gets hurt''!

** '''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ''(unable to handle the real and fake Mr. Krabs' arguing)'' '''''[[BigShutUp QUIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!]]'''''

** '''Plankton:''' BUT WE DID EVERYTHING YOU SAID, I FOLLOWED ALL THE RULES! I EVEN ATE A HUNDRED AND FIVE BLACK LICORICE JELLYBEANS THROUGH A STRAW!

* ShoutOut: Squidward's line "He's gonna be loved... SO MUCH! He's gonna ''drown in it! DROWN IN IT!''", especially the way it's read, channels [[Series/TheHoneymooners Ralph Kramden]]'s famous outburst to his mother-in-law: "YOU are a ''blabbermouth!'' A ''BLABBERMOUTH!''"

* MistakenForDying: Squidward believes [=SpongeBob=] ate the bomb pie and tries to make the best of his "last day on Earth". [[AllForNothing He is none too happy when he finds out [=SpongeBob=] never ate the pie]].

* CrappyHomemadeGift: [=SpongeBob=] makes Squidward a sweater for Employee Brotherhood Day. The hole for Squidward's head is way too big ([=SpongeBob=] says he used a watermelon for scale) and it's itchy because [=SpongeBob=] made the sweater out of his ''eyelash hair.'' Disgusted, Squidward throws the sweater back at [=SpongeBob=], making the sponge cry...and he uses his tears to make a ''new'' sweater for Squidward.

* EatTheBomb: The whole episode has Squidward and Mr. Krabs believe that [=SpongeBob=] did in fact eat an exploding pie, [[SubvertedTrope but in the end, it's revealed that [=SpongeBob=] never ate the pie at all, and just wanted to share with Squidward.]] However, he ends up tripping on a rock and [[PieInTheFace throwing the pie in Squidward's face]], causing the entire town to blow up.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Squidward hates [=SpongeBob=], but he’s not willing to ''kill'' him, and is horrified to learn that he has apparently made it so he will die after eating an explosive pie.

* EasilyForgiven: Mr. Krabs forgives [=SpongeBob=] for his tests, being satisfied that the secret formula was alright.

-->'''Plankton:''' Coin-operated self-destruct... Not one of my better ideas. ''(runs off back to the Chum Bucket with the formula)'' HEEEEEELLLLLP!!!!! ''(the robot explodes, destroying the Chum Bucket and causing the giant hand to land on him)'' Ouch!

** Mr. Krabs, who told Squidward's he had to make a gift for [=SpongeBob=].

** [=SpongeBob=] as usual. He completely falls for Plankton's [[PaperThinDisguise robot Krabs "disguise"]] every step of the way. Even worse during the SpotTheImposter part, where he's ''blatantly'' favouring the imitation Krabs to be the real one: When the real Krabs answers the second question correctly, [=SpongeBob=] asks another related question as if expecting the other Krabs (the imitation one) to answer it. Then he gives a confusing third question possibly to stump the real Krabs, as when he failed to answer it, [=SpongeBob=] immediately kicks him out even though imitation Krabs ''hadn't even given an answer yet''. To top it off, after he kicked out the real Krabs, he told the imitation Krabs that he "knew it all along" that he (the imitation) is the real Krabs. Fortunately, he realizes the truth when Robot Krabs rushes to the Chum Bucket with the formula before exploding. You really have to wonder why Mr. Krabs didn't fire him by the end of the episode, though it could be a case of EasilyForgiven and decided a suitable punishment was taking something out of [=SpongeBob=] for the penny he lost.

** [=SpongeBob=] as usual. He completely falls for Plankton's [[PaperThinDisguise robot Krabs "disguise"]] every step of the way. Even worse during the SpotTheImposter part, where he's ''blatantly'' favouring the imitation Krabs to be the real one: When the real Krabs answers the second question correctly, [=SpongeBob=] asks another related question as if expecting the other Krabs (the imitation one) to answer it. Then he gives a confusing third question possibly to stump the real Krabs, as when he failed to answer it, [=SpongeBob=] immediately kicks him out even though imitation Krabs ''hadn't even given an answer yet''. To top it off, after he kicked out the real Krabs, he told the imitation Krabs that he "knew it all along" that he (the imitation) is the real Krabs. Fortunately, he realizes the truth when Robot Krabs rushes to the Chum Bucket with the formula before exploding. You really have to wonder why Mr. Krabs didn't fire him by the end of the episode, though it could be a case of EasilyForgiven.
** Plankton also counts. He rushed all the way back to the Chum Bucket as the self-destruct sequence nears its end, ''blowing up his own restaurant''.
** Even before that, putting an externally mounted, coin-operated SelfDestructMechanism on his robot. Even he admits that was [[InventionalWisdom a stupid idea]].

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: In Squidward's ImagineSpot when [=SpongeBob=] explodes, chunks of his remains rain down around the customer; when the sun sets and an explosion occurs behind the brick wall, no sponge chunks rain down, giving away the hint that [=SpongeBob=] is not dead.

* AmbiguousSyntax: The second item on [=SpongeBob's=] list is to introduce Squidward to everyone in town wearing a salmon suit. Squidward asks "You're going to be wearing a salmon suit?" Cut to the two of them meeting with some passerby... and ''Squidward'' si the one wearing the salmon suit.

* BumperSticker: "Don't Ask Me About My Day."

* ShoutOut: Squidward's line "He's gonna be loved... SO MUCH! He's gonna ''drown in it! DROWN IN IT!''," especially the way it's read, channels [[Series/TheHoneymooners Ralph Kramden]]'s famous outburst to his mother-in-law: "YOU are a ''blabbermouth!'' A ''BLABBERMOUTH!''"

* CallBack: Back in "Hooky", Mr. Krabs mentioned that nobody has taken a day off at the Krusty Krab since the Great Chum Famine of '59, which is supported by his violent reaction to Squidward taking the day off.

* EverybodyLaughsEnding: At the end of the episode, Mr. Krabs says, "That penny is coming out of your paycheck." He and [=SpongeBob=] then laugh before [=SpongeBob=] says, "Really?".

* PunBasedTitle: The episode title comes from "imitation crab," another word for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_stick crab sticks]], an inexpensive Japanese crab meat substitute made from whitefish and flour.

* RidiculouslyPotentExplosive: PlayedForLaughs. When the bomb disguised as a pie finally goes off at the end of the episode, the explosion is so great we see stock footage of an underwater A-bomb going off and the blast was large enough to destroy the entire city.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[SelfDestructMechanism "Coin-operated self-destruct.]] [[LampshadeHanging Not one of my better ideas..."]]
** Doubly so, since Plankton was the one who threw the penny for Mr. Krabs to catch in the first place.

* BigShutUp: [=SpongeBob=] eventually can't stand Mr. Krabs and Robot Krabs' arguing during the episode's climax, and shuts them up with this and a vat a tartar sauce as a weapon.

* BigShutUp: [=SpongeBob=] screams '''''"QUIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!"''''' to get Mr. Krabs and Robot Krabs to stop arguing during the episode's climax.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ''[holding a hose of tartar sauce]'' Until I know who the real Mr. Krabs is, nobody moves, nobody gets hurt!

** '''Spongebob:''' ''(unable to handle the real and fake Mr. Krabs' arguing)'' '''''[[BigShutUp QUIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!]]'''''

* RealTime: When [=SpongeBob=] somehow activates Robot Krabs’ coin-operated self destruct, it states the robot will self-destruct in ten seconds. Indeed exactly ten seconds elapse between that announcement and the time Robot Krabs explodes.

* AllForNothing: Squidward spends the whole afternoon doing activities with Spongebob so his last moments before the pie bomb hit his lower intestine would be happy, only to find out that Spongebob never ate it in the first place.

* BrutalHonesty: When Spongebob doesn't explode after sunset, Squidward tells him point-blank that the pie he supposedly ate was a bomb.

* LastDayToLive: Squidward is convinced [=SpongeBob=] ate the bomb pie, so he is tasked by Mr. Krabs to enjoy his "final hours" with him. [[AllForNothing When he doesn’t explode after all, he isn’t too pleased about it.]]

* MeatgrinderSurgery: Spongebob "performs" open-heart surgery on Squidward by opening his chest cavity and poking his heart with his finger. This causes blood to come squirting out, though Squidward is alive and well in the next scene.

* MistakenForMurderer: Briefly, when the pie crumb destroys Mr. Krabs' office, he accuses Squidward of trying to off him over a little "new age management". Squidward immediately clears it up by saying he didn't know, [[WhatTheHellHero only to be accused once more]] when it's thought that Spongebob ate the bomb.

* NoSympathy: Initially quite averted with Squidward, who is quite guilt-ridden to learn that Spongebob will supposedly die at sunset because of him and willingly joins [=SpongeBob=] in a variety of ridiculous (and even dangerous) activities to make his last hours as meaningful as possible. However, when [=SpongeBob=] does ''not'' explode as expected, instead of being happy, Squidward is [[AllForNothing angry because his time was wasted]].

-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' You know, if I were to die right now in some sort of fiery explosion due to the carelessness of a friend... well, that'd just be okay.\\

* BaitAndSwitch: Initially, it seems that Spongebob's second SpotTheImposter question is "How much does a Krabby Patty cost?". But when Mr. Krabs gives the answer, it turns out Spongebob was pausing for dramatic effect and the full question is "How much does a Krabby Patty cost... on Wednesday?".

* CallBack: Back in "Hooky", Mr. Krabs mentioned that nobody has taken a day off at the Krusty Krab since the Great Chum Famine of ‘59, which is supported by his violent reaction to Squidward taking the day off.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Plankton didn't count on Spongebob using the coin-operated self-destruct system.

* EasilyForgiven: Mr. Krabs forgives Spongebob for his tests, being satisfied that the secret formula was alright.

* AllForNothing: Squidward spends the whole doing activities with Spongebob so his last moments before the pie bomb hit his lower intestine would be happy, only to find out that Spongebob never ate it in the first place.