[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/733f6107_b86a_41b4_845b_c59c56d01a73.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Behold, Patrick. The Hallway of Learning!"]]

'''New Student Starfish'''

'''Original air date:''' 9/20/2002

Feeling bad for having to leave Patrick alone when he goes to Boating School, [=SpongeBob=] invites him to a day at Boating School with him. Things start off pretty well, but the two soon begin to realize that dealing with each other in school creates a lot more tension than dealing with each other anywhere else.
----
!!"New Student Starfish" contains examples of:
* AdHominem: When Patrick asks what the big deal of losing one good noodle star is, calling it a stupid star, [=SpongeBob=] retaliates by saying that Patrick ''is'' a stupid star.
* AnAesop:
** You don't always need to hang out with your friend. Sometimes, it's better if you have time to yourself.
** Don't talk and mess around with your friends in class. Focus on the lesson so that you can succeed at your classwork and not disrupt the learning environment.
** Don't let someone else take the blame for something you did.
** Teamwork is important and can help build relationships.
* BaitAndSwitchAccusation: After checking his [[InstantWristwatch watch]] to see that it's 6:20 instead of 9, Patrick points out that [=SpongeBob=] said he was late.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Late for being early!\\
'''Patrick:''' Heeeeey! [[LampshadeHanging ...When did I start wearing a watch?]]
* BecauseISaidSo: After Mrs. Puff removes one of [=SpongeBob=]'s good noodle stars, we have this:
-->'''Mrs. Puff:''' [=SpongeBob=], I've had enough of your nonsense. Now collect your things and move to the available desk in the back of the room.\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' What, me? But why?\\
'''Mrs. Puff:''' Because the Big Fat Meanie said so. Now go!
* BiggerOnTheInside: Normally, the boating school is just a one-room school, but in this episode and "The Bully", it fits a real school into one tiny building.
* BreakTheCutie: [=SpongeBob=] when his star is taken off the wall.
* DetentionEpisode: When [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick have a (wimpy) fight in the hallway, Mrs. Puff gives both of them detention. While in detention, the light bulb that keeps Roger alive burns out, so [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick have to put their differences aside and work together to keep Roger warm and find a new light bulb to replace the old one.
* DiegeticVisualEffects: When Mrs. Puff says "May Neptune have mercy on your souls!", the dramatic lighting on her face is provided by the flashlight she's holding.
* DissensionRemorse: The lightbulb keeping Roger alive running out of power is enough to reduce [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick to a quiet shock as they struggle to ignore each other but letting their fear get the better of them, causing them both to apologize to each other and work together to save Roger.
* ExorcistHead: [=SpongeBob's=] head spins around as Mrs. Puff removes one of his good noodle stars.
* FailedASpotCheck: When Patrick is fetching a lightbulb to save Roger, he has sights solely on the one that is actually screwed in and glowing at the top of the janitor's closet, and completely overlooks the ''giant lightbulb pile the size of a mountain'' that he climbs to get to it.
* FaintInShock: [=SpongeBob=] faints out of his chair when Mrs. Puff removes one of his gold stars from the wall.
-->'''Patrick:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Mrs. Puff, is it naptime?]]
* FatBitch: It turns out a lot of Mrs. Puff's students regard her as this, as she keeps [[https://twitter.com/spongecaps/status/1147497928761729025 a whole stash]] of insulting caricatures of her in her desk drawer.
* FeudEpisode: [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's quarrel begun after Patrick made [=SpongeBob=] lose his star.
* FirstStepFixation: The climax has Patrick trying to grab a fresh lightbulb from the ceiling... by climbing an entire ''mountain'' of spare lightbulbs.
* GoodBehaviorPoints: It's shown that Mrs. Puff has a "Good Noodle Board" system for her class, in which stars are placed next to her student's names on a board when they display good behavior. [=SpongeBob=] has by far the most stars, with a total of 74. However, when Mrs. Puff discovers an unflattering drawing of her made by Patrick, she believes [=SpongeBob=] drew it and removes one of his Good Noodle Stars. Later in the episode, after [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick manage to save the unhatched egg of Roger when the light bulb that gives it warmth goes out, Mrs. Puff gives each of them a Good Noodle Star.
* {{Headdesk}}: Done several times by [=SpongeBob=] as Mrs. Puff removes one of his good noodle stars.
* HoldYourHippogriffs: "May Neptune have mercy on your soul."
* ICantBelieveImSayingThis: "...but [=SpongeBob SquarePants=], I hereby sentence you and your friend... to ''detention.''"
* IdiotHoudini: Aside from getting detention for "fighting" [=SpongeBob=] in the hallway, Patrick faces no repercussions for his disruptive actions, notably his "Big Fat Meanie" drawing, which gets [=SpongeBob=] in trouble instead.
* InstantWristwatch: Patrick when he realizes they're too early for class. He then [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on it by asking "When did I start wearing a watch?"
* IResembleThatRemark: When Mrs. Puff sees the drawing Patrick drew of her, she protests "As if I ''really'' look like this!", while looking exactly like the drawing.
* JerkassBall: Patrick holds this by giving [=SpongeBob=] a rough day at boating school.
* JerkassHasAPoint: While Patrick was largely to blame for [=SpongeBob=] getting his star taken from him and sent to the back of the class, he wasn't too far off when he basically implied that [=SpongeBob=] shouldn't get so worked up over one star taken from him over the 74 he's earned, or even one bad day at school in general. On the other hand, [=SpongeBob=] could've just told Mrs. Puff that Patrick made the drawing.
* LackOfEmpathy: When [=SpongeBob=] rants to Patrick about how nothing he did in class was funny and he got in trouble and lost one of his Good Noodle Stars because of him, Patrick isn't sorry at all and just glares at [=SpongeBob=], asking who cares about a "stupid star".
* LampshadeHanging: At the end, Mrs. Puff notes how she is unsure what an egg science project has to do with driving, with the series constantly having driving school play out more like grade school.
* NotThisOneThatOne: When [=SpongeBob=] is showing Patrick around the school.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Behold, Patrick, the Hallway of Learning. And here's the Fountain of Learning. And these are the Lockers of Learning.\\
'''Patrick:''' And these are the Stairs of Learning, right?\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' No, they're just the stairs. ''These'' are the Stairs of Learning.
* OhCrap:
** [=SpongeBob=] when Mrs. Puff takes the "Big Fat Meanie" doodle from him, leading her to assume he did it resulting in him losing a Good Noodle star.
** Both [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick when Roger's lightbulb breaks, sending them into a FreakOut lasting almost half a minute which leads to them reconciling.
* OverlyLongGag:
** [=SpongeBob=]'s outlandish FreakOut when Mrs. Puff is removing one of his stars.
** The "I hate you" exchange between [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick during detention.
** [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick shuddering and freaking out silently in their seats and trying to ignore each other once Roger's lamp goes out.
* PossessionPresumesGuilt: Patrick hands [=SpongeBob=] a crude, unflattering drawing of Mrs. Puff. She then takes the paper from [=SpongeBob=] out of curiosity, assumes he drew it and takes away a star from his behavior chart as punishment.
* RogerRabbitEffect: When Roger hatches from his egg at the end, he's a live-action chick. However, [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/spongebob/images/0/0e/193_ROGER.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20220610073411 this originally wasn't going to be the case.]]
* RuleOfFunny: When Mrs. Puff sees the unflattering drawing Patrick made thinking [=SpongeBob=] made it, she suddenly looks exactly like the crude drawing. She also gets a lot of drawings like that, apparently.
* ScaryFlashlightFace: Parodied. Mrs. Puff does this when she sends [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick to detention. She conveniently turns the flashlight off.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Patrick decides to leave the Boating School at the end upon realizing it wasn't a Spanish class as he thought.
* ShoutOut: [=SpongeBob=] pulls a [[Film/TheExorcist Regan McNeil]] when Mrs. Puff is removing ''one'' of his extremely copious stars.
* SnarkingThanks: [=SpongeBob=] sarcastically thanks Patrick for getting him in trouble. [[SarcasmBlind Patrick doesn't realize he was being sarcastic.]]
* SpontaneousCrowdFormation: As soon as [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick start arguing, a crowd of students gather around them chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" It takes Patrick a while to figure out that they mean that ''he'' and [=SpongeBob=] are the ones who are fighting.
* TearsOfRemorse: Both [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick shed [[OcularGushers endless sprinkles of them]] as they see Roger's lightbulb go out and apologize to each other.
* TemptingFate: "I'd hate you even if the light bulb keeping Roger alive went out!" (Light bulb goes out)
* WimpFight: Exaggerated. [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick decide to duke it out in the halls, but their hits don't even connect, much to the disappointment of the crowd. Mrs. Puff puts them in detention anyway.
----
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4f71a5fe_f43e_46bf_b181_c4b48f694b16.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:You make a million dollars, and ''this'' is the best you can afford?]]

'''Clams'''

'''Original air date:''' 9/20/2002

In celebration for earning his millionth dollar, Mr. Krabs takes his "loyal crew" of [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward on a clam fishing trip. The trip serves to be much of a let down for Squidward, but things go from bad to worse after a giant clam steals Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar. Now [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward must find a way to either get the dollar back, or be held prisoner on the boat by their boss, whose [[SanitySlippage sanity is slowly leaving him]].
----
!!"Clams" provides examples of:
* NumberOneDime: Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar has negligible monetary value, but its sentimental value to its owner is such that [[spoiler:he is willing to give up over half his body just to have it returned to him]].
* AnAesop: True to [[Literature/MobyDick one of its inspirations]], the episode revolves around the message that obsession is destructive to yourself and those around you.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: When Squidward tries to pass off one of his own dollars as Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar, Mr. Krabs soon finds out that Squidward's dollar has been crumpled up, torn slightly, soaked in a lagoon, and kissed with Coral Blue #2 Semi-Gloss Lipstick.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Actually, it's Coral Blue Number.. ''(gets hit in the head by Squidward)''
* TheBait: Mr. Krabs resorts to using [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward as bait to catch the clam.
* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: Equal parts PlayedForLaughs as it is PlayedForDrama with [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward respectively. When Mr. Krabs sees through the two's ruse and points out that the decoy dollar was kissed with Coral Blue #2 Semi-Gloss Lipstick, [=SpongeBob=] tries to say [[ComicallyMissingThePoint what number lipstick it actually is]], only for Squidward to [[EnragedByIdiocy hit him in the head]] with a fishing rod. Then, when [=SpongeBob=] tries to deny Squidward's claim that Mr. Krabs has gone insane by pointing out he's lost a near and dear possession, Squidward corrects him by telling him to look at Mr. Krabs playing jump rope with his {{eye|scream}}s.
* BottleEpisode: Save for the beginning (which takes place at the Krusty Krab), the vast majority of the episode takes place on the fishing boat.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Mr. Krabs notices the ''Jaws''-esque theme shortly before the clam eats his millionth Dollar.
* BurningTheShips: As motivation to catch the clam, Mr. Krabs nails a sandwich to a flagpole on the boat--then throws the boat's fridge overboard, so that no one may eat until the clam is captured.
-->'''Mr. Krabs:''' Now, I think we understand each other! Nobody eats until I get me millionth dollar back.
* ClamTrap: The clam eats Krabs' millionth dollar [[spoiler:and at the end, most of Krabs himself]].
* CrocodileTears: Mr. Krabs' tears seemed genuine at first when Blue Lips ate his dollar, but when he starts crying after [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward try to deceive him, it appears to be disingenuous.
-->'''Squidward:''' No! Uh-uh, nope! We will ''not'' be swayed by tears anymore.\\
'''Mr. Krabs:''' ''[[MoodWhiplash (instantly stops crying)]]'' I see...
* DeniedFoodAsPunishment: A variant. Mr. Krabs tosses the entire refrigerator replete with refreshments overboard, as he is willing to let his employees starve to death until he could retrieve his millionth dollar.
* DescriptionCut: When [=SpongeBob=] worries about Gary being left home alone without food, it cuts to Gary at home eating the couch.
* {{Determinator}}: Mr. Krabs' goal of retrieving his millionth dollar from the giant clam puts him, Squidward, and [=SpongeBob=] in serious danger, as he forces them to spend several days at sea and threatens them with starvation. Eventually, he resorts to using his crew as live bait, before [[spoiler:deciding to give the clam most of his own body in exchange for the dollar]].
* DisneyDeath: Mr. Krabs is eaten by the clam towards the end of the episode, but survives [[spoiler: with just his head and arm intact]].
* DramaQueen: After the giant clam eats Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar, he starts crying profusely, prompting Squidward to call him a drama queen.
* EtTuBrute: Mr. Krabs to his employees after they attempted to pass off an ordinary dollar as his millionth dollar.
-->'''Mr. Krabs:''' I trusted you, and you gave me ''this''? ''(near tears)'' I can't believe me own crew would betray me like this!
* EyeScream: During Mr. Krabs' SanitySlippage, he takes his eyestalks out of his head and starts jumping rope with them.
* FishingEpisode: To celebrate his millionth dollar earned, Mr. Krabs takes [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward clam fishing.
* GetOut: When Mr. Krabs gets his millionth dollar, he shoos out all his customers so he can be alone with it.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: The episode ends with [[spoiler:Mr. Krabs trading in his own body, sans head and left arm, to Old Blue Lips for his dollar back]].
* HypocriticalHumor: Mr. Krabs tells Squidward that he shouldn't bring anything on a boat that he wasn't prepared to lose, but Mr. Krabs brought his millionth dollar with him.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Squidward is grumpy and apathetic for most of the episode, but he is correct to point out how Mr. Krabs is off the deep end to [=SpongeBob=]. [=SpongeBob=] tries to justify Krabs' actions, but he ends up agreeing with Squidward that they need to leave.
* KarmaHoudini: It's a happy ending for Mr. Krabs, as he was willing to trade his body to Old Bluelip for the dollar. All of this after he endangered the life of his two employees just for his money.
* LaughingMad: As part of Mr. Krabs' SanitySlippage, he starts laughing maniacally before breaking down crying.
* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: The clam's {{Leitmotif}} is being played by the orchestra in Mr. Krab's boat. Krabs even has the band play it to lure the clam into the open.
-->'''Mr. Krabs:''' Can't you hear the music?! That's a 4/4 string ostinato in D minor! Every sailor knows that means death!
* LowerHalfReveal: At the end, [[Characters/SpongeBobSquarePantsMrKrabs Mr. Krabs]] rises out of the sea after a vicious struggle with the clam that ate his millionth dollar. At first, only his head and his left arm (holding the money) can be seen; he claims that after much struggle, he and the clam had a deal, which is how he can get his money back. When Spongebob asks him what the clam got in return, Krabs jumps up into the ship saying "nothing important" - while he has ''lost every part of his body sans his head and left arm''.
* ManipulativeBastard: After Blue Lips eats Mr. Krabs' millionth dollar, he gets [[GuiltByAssociationGag Squidward involved]] in the hunt for the dollar when it was [=SpongeBob=]'s fault. Later on, he is able to see through his employees' duplicate dollar ruse and decides to deprive them of food as blackmail. Finally, he uses them as live bait when they've concluded he's gone insane.
* MeanBoss: Mr. Krabs won’t let [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward leave the fishing boat until he gets his millionth dollar back. In addition, he throws the refrigerator in the sea so they can’t eat, and uses them as bait when they try to escape.
* MediumBlending: A live-action orchestra is revealed to be playing the Clam's theme music.
* MobySchtick: Mr. Krabs' obsession with hunting down the clam who ate his dollar mirrors how Ahab relentlessly chases Moby Dick after the whale bit off Ahab's leg.
* OcularGushers: Mr. Krabs goes into a bawling fit after losing his millionth dollar. At one point, his eyes turn into faucets pouring streams of tears.
* OhCrap:
** Mr. Krabs is horrified when he hears the clam's {{Leitmotif}}, complete with his pupils shrinking.
** When Krabs dumps all the food and the fridge off the boat, Squidward goes from apathetic to panicky, as it makes the point when he realizes his boss has completely gone off the deep end.
** When Mr. Krabs throws Squidward and [=SpongeBob=] in the sea to use them as live bait, Squidward asks why the clam would show up now if it didn't bother to come before. Cue Mr. Krabs playing the clam's {{Leitmotif}}, which causes Squidward and [=SpongeBob=] to scream in terror.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Both Spongebob and Squidward have a mild case of this trope when Mr. Krabs ''really'' starts to lose it:
** Spongebob, who normally displays UndyingLoyalty to his boss, becomes so scared of him here that he's willing to ditch him along with Squidward.
** Squidward, who normally can't stand being around [=SpongeBob=], is perfectly fine with escaping with him in order to get away from Mr. Krabs.
* PsychopathicManchild: Mr. Krabs is this while his millionth dollar is missing. It starts out as just regular {{Manchild}} behavior with him throwing a comical tantrum and sucking the thumb of the recurring giant realistic hand, but as the episode progresses he continues to lose it until he cackles like a toddler as the clam approaches his "live bait".
* RodandReelRepurposed: When [=SpongeBob=] tries casting his line, he accidentally rips Squidward's shirt off.
* SanitySlippage: Mr. Krabs' obsession with retrieving his dollar eventually drives him completely insane, as he becomes a cackling maniac who is willing to sacrifice everything, including himself and his own crew, to have it returned to him.
* ScreamDiscretionShot: A comedic example happens when [=SpongeBob=] accidentally rips off Squidward's nose with a fishing hook, and cut to Mr. Krabs on the other side of the boat.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Defied. Squidward and [=SpongeBob=] try to make a run for the lifeboat at the midst of Mr. Krabs' SanitySlippage, only to be caught by Krabs, who is furious that his crew tried to abandon him.
* SeriousBusiness: Mr. Krabs won't rest until he gets his millionth dollar back from the Clam, even if he has to starve his crew.
* ShoutOut:
** Many things, including the Clam's theme and the title card, are [[JawsAttackParody references]] to ''{{Film/Jaws}}''. [=SpongeBob=] is like Brody, Squidward is like Hooper and Mr. Krabs is like Quint from the film.
** Krabs' obsession with catching the giant clam is a parody of Captain Ahab's obsession with killing the titular whale in ''Literature/MobyDick''. The scene where he nails a sandwich to a flagpole as motivation parodies a key scene in the novel, where Ahab nails a gold coin to the mast of the ''Pequod'' and offers it as a reward to whomever first spots the White Whale.
** The clam being named "Ol' Blue Lips" could be a reference to Music/FrankSinatra's nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes".
* StillSucksThumb: Mr. Krabs sucks the live-action human hand Hans' thumb at the end of his crying fit over losing his millionth dollar.
* SuddenlyShouting: After concluding that Mr. Krabs has lost his mind, Squidward tries to warn [=SpongeBob=] by whispering to him, but freaks out and shouts the end of his sentence.
-->'''Squidward:''' Uhh, [=SpongeBob=], can I have a word with you? Have you noticed that Mr. Krabs has gone COMPLETELY INSANE?!
* TemptingFate:
** When Mr. Krabs tells Squidward not to bring anything you're not prepared to lose on the boat, [=SpongeBob=] accidentally hooks his millionth dollar ''taped to the back of his pants''.
** When Mr. Krabs holds the dollar after [=SpongeBob=] reeled it in, he says “for a second or two, I thought she was a goner.” Immediately after, a clam swoops above him and eats Mr. Krabs’ dollar.
** After Mr. Krabs dumps the sandwiches in the lagoon, Squidward mentions there’s plenty more to eat, but then Mr. Krabs throws the entire fridge into the lagoon.
-->'''Squidward:''' Whatever, we’ve got plenty more to…(fridge gets tossed into the lagoon)…eat.
* TimePassageBeard: [=SpongeBob=], Squidward and Mr. Krabs all grow disheveled beards after Mr. Krabs says, "We don't leave until we catch that clam and rescue me dollar!"
* TooDumbToLive: When Mr. Krabs jumps on the clam’s tongue to get his millionth dollar back, he dances and doesn’t think about jumping out to avoid being eaten. Sure enough, he is, and his entire body except his head and arms is missing when he gets out. Not that he minds that too much though, as he’s just happy he got the dollar back.
* UmpteenthCustomer: Parodied and subverted with the customer who gives Krabs his millionth dollar. His order is celebrated with fast-paced, upbeat music and Krabs bursting out of his office and cheering, which would imply this is played straight. He doesn't get a prize, though; in fact, Krabs is upset that he even asks for one. The customer didn't even ''get his food!''
-->'''Mr. Krabs''': Congratulations, sir! ''You'' have just given ''me'' my one millionth dollar.\\
'''Sandals:''' Ha, great! Uhh, what do I win?\\
'''Mr. Krabs:''' Nothing! ''[[LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand (music stops)]]'' Now, get out!\\
'''Sandals:''' Uh, wha?\\
'''Mr. Krabs:''' GET OUT! EVERYBODY, GET OUT! YOU'RE SPOILING ME MOMENT!
* VisualPun: When Mr. Krabs is crying over the loss of his dollar, [=SpongeBob=] says he's "never seen him so broken up". Cut to Krabs having literally fallen apart on the deck. Then, when Squidward tells Mr. Krabs to "suck it up", Krabs' eyes expand with no tears, only for tears to burst out of them.
* YoureInsane: Said verbatim by Squidward when Mr. Krabs is conducting the orchestra to summon Ol' Blue Lips.
-->'''Squidward:''' Mr. Krabs, listen! I work with [=SpongeBob=] all day long, so I know what I'm talking about when I say... [[SuddenlyShouting YOU ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MIND!]]
* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: From this exchange after Mr. Krabs was eaten by a clam (or so they thought):
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Oh, poor Mr. Krabs. Gone forever out of our lives. Why couldn't it have been ''me''?!\\
'''Squidward:''' Yes, why couldn't it have been ''you''?
----