Original air date: 4/16/2021 (produced in 2020)
Squidward's house becomes infested with a mail-order flea circus meant for SpongeBob.
The episode contains examples of:
- Bottle Episode: The entire episode is set at Conch Street, particularly inside Squidward's house.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: When taking the fleas away on a train, SpongeBob whistles the last few notes of the theme song like he does in the opening.
- Flea Episode: The episode centers on Squidward's house being infested with a flea circus.
- Here We Go Again!: After SpongeBob takes the flea circus to his house, Squidward finds the circus whistle and blows it, which calls the fleas back to his house.
- Iris Out: The episode ends this way.
- It's the Best Whatever, Ever!: When SpongeBob is taming the fleas to return to the pineapple, he says, "Best day ever!"
- Laser-Guided Karma: When Squidward mistakenly receives SpongeBob's package, rather than go next door to SpongeBob's and give it to him, he just tosses it in the trash and stomps on it for good measure, which releases the flea circus in his house. Squidward lampshades this later.
- Minimalist Cast: Squidward, SpongeBob, and the mailman are the only ones present, aside from the fish in the commercials and on Squidward's exercise show.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Norton is ecstatic to find out that Squidward wears pink legwarmers like he does.
- Shout-Out: The title is a reference to the film Under the Big Top.
- The fitness instructor on Squidward's TV is a parody of Richard Simmons.
- Kelp Loops are a parody of Fruit Loops.
- Skewed Priorities: When the fleas try to cook Squidward, he gets out of the oven and chides the fleas for preparing him with parsnip instead of lemons.
- The Television Talks Back: After watching a flea circus commercial, SpongeBob is sad his flea circus didn't arrive yet. The TV then says "Bummer, dude.", confusing SpongeBob, until he sees it's a commercial for Bummer Dude Action Figures. While a depressed SpongeBob drags the TV back home, it says "Sad Sponge", only to reveal that it's a commercial for another Bummer Dude Action Figure.
Original air date: 4/16/2021 (produced in 2020)
Squidward fakes being sick to get out of work, but his agony only begins when SpongeBob arrives to care for him.
The episode contains examples of:
- Accidental Truth: The names of Squidward's made up diseases happen to be real according to SpongeBob's book.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: After suffering through enough of SpongeBob taking care of him for one day, Squidward tearfully pleads to Mr. Krabs to let him come back to work and escape the madness. Unfortunately, Mr. Krabs shows no mercy.
- Batman Gambit: Upon immediately finding out that Squidward is faking sick, Mr. Krabs sends SpongeBob to care for him, knowing how he'll handle the situation. (see Disproportionate Retribution below for more details)
- Book Ends: The episode begins and ends with Squidward being overwhelmed by the workload at the Krusty Krab.
- Brick Joke: Shortly after Squidward wakes up, Patrick appears at Squidward’s window and eats Squidward’s strudel. At the end of the episode, Patrick appears in the ceiling of the Krusty Krab, asking for more, which he calls “layered pie.”
- The Bus Came Back: Handsome Squidward from "The Two Faces of Squidward" returns in this episode.
- Continuity Nod: The Bon-Bon chocolates from “Good Neighbors” appear while Squidward is daydreaming.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Almost immediately after being called by Squidward, Mr. Krabs figures out he's only pretending to be sick. What does he do? Get SpongeBob to play doctor, causing Squidward to be repeatedly tortured, stretched, humiliated, and maimed until he finally decides to come back.
- Downer Ending: After going through hell and back just to get a day off from work, Squidward suffers in his workplace similar to how his nightmare at the beginning played out, effectively making it a reality.
- Dream Intro: The episode begins with Squidward having a nightmare about being overwhelmed at the Krusty Krab.
- Get Out!: Squidward does this all the time whenever SpongeBob and Patrick intrude upon his residence. He does this to Patrick after the latter drools on him during his daydream, then he proceeds to call Mr. Krabs to report his supposed illness.
- Illness Blanket: Invoked - Squidward wraps a blanket around himself while pretending to be sick.
- I'm Melting!: Squidward melts into a puddle at the end.
- Iris Out: How the episode ends.
- Karma Houdini: Mr. Krabs does not receive any punishment for putting Squidward through the wringer.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Patrick appears at Squidward’s window and eats Squidward’s strudel. Patrick then starts drooling on Squidward, who is daydreaming. Patrick then falls to the ground outside of the house after Squidward yells at him.
- Losing Your Head: Happens to Squidward during his nightmare.
- Mean Boss: Mr. Krabs may have been rightfully irked that Squidward was trying to get out of work, but what he had done to him was still extreme.
- Meditating Under a Waterfall: Squidward relaxes and imagines his Happy Place. In the real world, we see him smiling as water rains above him. It turns out to be Patrick's drool; Squidward is disgusted.
- Nurse with Good Intentions: Under Mr. Krabs' orders, SpongeBob did everything possible to "cure" Squidward. Unfortunately, his well-meaning efforts ended up maiming Squidward, not helped by the fact that Mr. Krabs had him intensify the "treatments".
- Playing Sick: Squidward does this to get out of having to go to work.
- Reaching Between the Lines: Mr. Krabs stretches his eye through the phone, which is how he finds out that Squidward is not really sick. He does this twice: the first time when Squidward calls him to report his illness, and the second time when Squidward begs him to let him come back to work, only for him to tell SpongeBob to "better step up the cure".
- Soup Is Medicine: SpongeBob makes soup for Squidward, believing that the squid is genuinely ill.
- Split-Screen Phone Call: The phone call between Squidward and Mr. Krabs involving the former calling out "sick."
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Upon seeing SpongeBob's painting of them, Squidward vomits offscreen.
- You Will Not Evade Me:SpongeBob: [pulls out a toxin-eating urchin] Open wide!Squidward: You will not get that anywhere near my mouth.SpongeBob: [giggles] Guess again.Squidward: [screaming in both fear and pain off-screen]
