History WMG / TheBikiniBottomHorror

In the epilogue we see that [=SpongeBob=] has staffed his Pretty Patty restaurant with clones of himself. Assuming the above WMG isn't true, and [=SpongeBob=] really ''did'' plan the Tortured One's rampage, it's possible that at least one of those clones might begin to have second thoughts about what the original [=SpongeBob=] did. He might even betray the original [=SpongeBob=] and the other clones and help Sandy and/or Squidward expose the conspiracy that destroyed Bikini Bottom.

In the epilogue we see that SpongeBob has staffed his Pretty Patty restaurant with clones of himself. Assuming the above WMG isn't true, and [=SpongeBob=] really ''did'' plan the Tortured One's rampage, it's possible that at least one of those clones might begin to have second thoughts about what the original [=SpongeBob=] did. He might even betray the original [=SpongeBob=] and the other clones and help Sandy and/or Squidward expose the conspiracy that destroyed Bikini Bottom.

Consider how he acts in the epilogue compared to the main story. He puts on a cheerful facade, but his mood rapidly shifts from scene to scene, he's prone to little outbursts of anger (towards Sandy when she asks about the undercooked patty), and he refuses to mention or acknowledge the massacre he caused. Those are all classic signs of trauma. He hates what he's become, and he's willing to go to any length to make sure no one finds out about the terrible thing he did, which is why he suddenly pushes back so harshly when Sandy brings the subject up.

Consider how he acts in the epilogue compared to the main story. He puts on a cheerful facade, but his mood rapidly shifts from scene to scene, he’s prone to little outbursts of anger (towards Sandy when she asks about the undercooked patty), and he refuses to mention or acknowledge the massacre he caused. Those are all classic signs of trauma. He hates what he's become, and can't bear to let anyone else find out about the terrible thing he did, which is why he suddenly pushes back so hard when Sandy brings the subject up.

Consider how he acts in the epilogue compared to the main story. He puts on a cheerful facade, but his mood rapidly shifts from scene to scene, he’s prone to little outbursts of anger (towards Sandy when she asks about the undercooked patty), and he refuses to mention or acknowledge the massacre he caused. Those are all classic signs of PTSD. He hates what he's become, and can't bear to let anyone else find out about the terrible thing he did, which is why he suddenly pushes back so hard when Sandy brings the subject up.

But if that's the case, why would [=SpongeBob=] be going to such lengths to cover it up? Him having masterminded the whole thing is definitely one explanation. But another possible explanation is ''guilt''. When Sandy leaves the Pretty Patty restaurant after accusing him of causing the disaster on purpose, [=SpongeBob=] looks sad; is this because he's disappointed she isn't seeing things the way he does, or could it be because he realizes [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone how far he's fallen]] and can't bring himself to let everyone know the truth? It's possible [=SpongeBob=] may be just as traumatized by the disaster as Sandy is. He hates what he's become, and can't bear to let anyone else find out about the terrible thing he did, which is why he suddenly pushes back so hard when Sandy brings the subject up.

Consider how he acts in the epilogue compared to the main story. He puts on a cheerful facade, but his mood rapidly shifts from scene to scene, he’s prone to little outbursts of anger (towards Sandy when she asks about the undercooked patty), and he refuses to mention or acknowledge the massacre he caused. Those are all classic signs of PTSD.

Consider how he acts in the epilogue compared to the main story. He puts on a cheerful facade, but his mood rapidly shifts from scene to scene, he’s prone to little outbursts of anger (towards Sandy when she asks about the undercooked patty), and he refuses to mention or acknowledge the massacre he caused. It’s entirely possible he’s just as traumatized as Sandy.

But if that's the case, why would [=SpongeBob=] be going to such lengths to cover it up? Him having masterminded the whole thing is definitely one explanation. But another possible explanation is ''guilt''. When Sandy leaves the Pretty Patty restaurant after accusing him of causing the disaster on purpose, [=SpongeBob=] looks sad; is this because he's disappointed she isn't seeing things the way he does, or could it be because he realizes [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone how far he's fallen]] and can't bring himself to let everyone know the truth? It's possible [=SpongeBob=] may be just as traumatized by the disaster as Sandy is. He hates what he's become, and can't bear to let anyone else find out about the terrible thing he did, which is why he suddenly pushes back so hard when Sandy brings the subject up.

But if that's the case, why would [=SpongeBob=] be going to such lengths to cover it up? Him having masterminded the whole thing is definitely one explanation. But another possible explanation is ''guilt''. When Sandy leaves the Pretty Patty restaurant after accusing him of causing the disaster on purpose, [=SpongeBob=] looks sad; is this because he's disappointed she isn't seeing things the way he does, or could it be because he realizes how far he's fallen and can't bring himself to let everyone know the truth? It's possible [=SpongeBob=] may be just as traumatized by the disaster as Sandy is. He hates what he's become, and can't bear to let anyone else find out about the terrible thing he did, which is why he suddenly pushes back so hard when Sandy brings the subject up.

* The epilogue reveals that Neptune (it's unclear whether this is meant to be King Neptune from the first movie, or Neptune the god from the show) has somehow gone missing. If there's a sequel, perhaps the plot might involve the protagonists seeking him out and asking him to use his powers to undo the BadFuture that [=SpongeBob=] caused.

[[WMG: The scene in the Pretty Patty restaurant in the epilogue is just Sandy having a PTSD-induced nightmare]]
She clearly shows a lot of symptoms of the condition during the epilogue: she clearly suffers from a ''major'' case of SurvivorGuilt, is traumatized by the fact that her friends are all either dead or warped beyond recognition, and even seems to go into a full-fledged flashback when she returns to Texas. People with PTSD often lose trust of their friends and see malicious motives behind other people's everyday actions that aren't really there. So it's possible-- obviously not confirmed, but ''possible''-- that the whole disaster really ''was'' an accident, and what we see in the epilogue is simply Sandy's traumatized mind making it even worse.

This interpretation would also make [=SpongeBob=] a lot more in-character to his canon self than the idea that he orchestrated the whole thing. All the other characters in the story, warped though they are, still act more or less like they do in the show. For [=SpongeBob=] to want to overthrow Mr. Krabs and destroy the Krusty Krab is unusual, to say the least, given that he values working there. Even if he had the ''means'' to do something like that, he'd probably lack the ''will'' due to his loyalty to the Krusty Krab. Maybe [=SpongeBob=] really did under-cook that Krabby Patty by accident. Even the best fry cook in Bikini Bottom can make a mistake. Or maybe he just wanted to share the AwfulTruth with Patrick, and had no idea how Patrick would react to it. But Sandy is so shell-shocked by what she's been through that she's convinced there must be something else going on.

This interpretation would also make [=SpongeBob=] a lot more in-character to his canon self than the idea that he orchestrated the whole thing. All the other characters in the story, warped though they are, still act more or less like they do in the show. For [=SpongeBob=] to want to overthrow Mr. Krabs and destroy the Krusty Krab is unusual, to say the least, given that he values working there. Even if he had the ''means'' to do something like that, he'd probably lack the ''will'' due to his loyalty to the Krusty Krab. Maybe [=SpongeBob=] really did under-cook that Krabby Patty by accident. Even the best fry cook in Bikini Bottom can make a mistake. Or maybe he just wanted to share the AwfulTruth with Patrick. But Sandy is so shell-shocked by what she's been through that she's convinced there must be something else going on.

This interpretation would also make [=SpongeBob=] more in-character to his canon self than the idea that he orchestrated the whole thing. All the other characters in the story, warped though they are, still act more or less like they do in the show. For [=SpongeBob=] to want to overthrow Mr. Krabs and destroy the Krusty Krab is unusual, to say the least, given that he values working there. Even if he had the ''means'' to do something like that, he'd probably lack the ''will'' due to his loyalty to the Krusty Krab. Maybe [=SpongeBob=] really did under-cook that Krabby Patty by accident. Even the best fry cook in Bikini Bottom can make a mistake. But Sandy is so shell-shocked by what she's been through that she's convinced that isn't the case.

She clearly shows a lot of symptoms of the condition during the epilogue: she clearly suffers from a ''major'' case of SurvivorGuilt, is traumatized by the fact that her friends are all either dead or warped beyond recognition, and even seems to go into a full-fledged flashback when she returns to Texas. People with PTSD often lose trust of their friends and see malicious motives behind other people's everyday actions that aren't really there. So it's possible-- obviously not confirmed, but ''possible''-- that the whole disaster really ''was'' an accident, and what we see in the epilogue is simply Sandy's traumatized mind making it even worse.

She clearly shows a lot of symptoms of the condition during the epilogue: clearly suffering from a ''major'' case of SurvivorGuilt is traumatized by the fact that her friends are all either dead or warped beyond recognition, and she even seems to go into a full-fledged flashback when she returns to Texas. People with PTSD often lose trust of their friends and see malicious motives behind other people's everyday actions that aren't really there. So it's possible-- obviously not confirmed, but ''possible''-- that the whole disaster really ''was'' an accident, and what we see in the epilogue is simply Sandy's traumatized mind making it even worse.

* Creator/DavidHasselhoff could save the day again. Enough said.

* Creator/DavidHasselhoff could save the day again.