This is one sponge who would rather work than take personal time.
Bummer Vacation
Original air date: 10/13/2006
SpongeBob is forced to take a vacation off work, but can't seem to get his mind off the Krusty Krab.
"Bummer Vacation" contains examples of:
- An Aesop:
- Be patient when it comes to awaiting special events; try to occupy yourself to kill time.
- Appreciate your time off. Working is great, but everyone needs a break.
- Obsessing over one particular thing can be unhealthy, so it's best to get your mind off it.
- Ax-Crazy: SpongeBob's isolation from the Krusty Krab is eventually too much for him, causing him to go crazy and imprison Patrick in his rock, with nothing to do but watch a static-y TV.Patrick: (sees an apparently depressed SpongeBob) Huh?
SpongeBob: Who do they think they are? I gave the best years of my life to this place, and they think they can just fire me, like that? Like trash?! I don't think so!
Patrick: SpongeBob?
SpongeBob: Stay away...
Patrick: Is that you?
SpongeBob: (turns around and looks at Patrick in a deranged way) I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, PATRICK!!! (starts growling like a rabid dog) - Bait-and-Switch Accusation: When SpongeBob walks in on Patrick in the kitchen:SpongeBob: Patrick! You can't do that!
Patrick: (with Krabby Patties stuck to his chest) Huh?
SpongeBob: You need to turn up the grill to exactly 298 degrees Fahrenheit. - Big "NO!": Done by SpongeBob when Mr. Krabs flushes him down the toilet.
- Blatant Lies: As SpongeBob swipes the spatula from Patrick and starts lecturing him about proper fry cooking, Mr. Krabs catches him working off-the-clock. SpongeBob defends, "Wait! It's not what it looks like!" when actually it is.
- Call-Back: SpongeBob sings his tune of "I'm ready, vacation!" in a similar style to how he sang "I'm ready, promotion!" in The Movie.
- Delivery Guy Infiltration: One of SpongeBob's attempts to sneak into work involves backing a fake delivery truck into the Krusty Krab.
- Eat the Camera: SpongeBob does it when he goes crazy and snaps at Patrick.
- Jerkass Ball: Mr. Krabs is more of a jerk in this episode, where he tries to keep SpongeBob from coming to work during his vacation, just so he won't pay a fine.
- Lethal Chef: Patrick of all people is hired as SpongeBob's replacement.Patrick: (looks at his reflection in his spatula) They put a tiny me in this belly scratcher!
- Loophole Abuse: "Mr. Krabs said I couldn't work at the Krusty Krab! He didn't say I couldn't eat there!" Unfortunately, the poor sponge can't help himself when he sees Patrick doing a bad job in the kitchen.
- Married to the Job: SpongeBob, as usual. When he's legally required to take a break, he goes nuts.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: It's a rare occurrence to see SpongeBob go Ax-Crazy and snap at someone out of jealousy.
- Over-the-Shoulder Murder Shot: Parodied. Near the end of the episode Patrick finds SpongeBob maniacally mumbling to himself. When Patrick calls for him, SpongeBob faces him and screams, "I've been waiting for you, Patrick!"
- Possession Presumes Guilt: SpongeBob is at the Krusty Krab to check on Patrick and scolds him for using his spatula wrong. He takes it from Patrick to show him how to use it, only for Mr. Krabs to walk in on him holding the spatula and assumes SpongeBob is trying to work during his vacation again.
- Reaching Between the Lines: When Patrick talks on the phone, SpongeBob sneaks into the Krusty Krab through the phone lines.
- Recursive Reality: SpongeBob consoles himself with the official Krusty Krab playset. Toy SpongeBob ends up accumulating too much vacation time as well, so he's forced to go on vacation, resulting in Toy SpongeBob playing with Mini Toy SpongeBob and... yeah, the real SpongeBob decided to cut it off there.
- Shout-Out: The magazine Squidward reads, Squid Ink, is a parody of the 1991 magazine Teen Ink.
- Stab the Salad: After SpongeBob goes insane and supposedly attacks Patrick, we cut to the Krusty Krab where a horrified Mr. Krabs discovers that SpongeBob came to work supposedly wearing Patrick's skin, only to reveal that it was just a suit and that SpongeBob simply told Patrick to stay home and watch television.
- Sudden Anatomy: Lampshaded by Patrick: "I didn't even know I had an ear."
- That Cloud Looks Like...: In an attempt to take his mind off work, SpongeBob watches clouds in Jellyfish Fields. He sees clouds in the shape of a jellyfish and a pirate ship, and then he sees clouds forming the text "low salt ketchup", which gets him thinking about work again.
- Toilet Teleportation: Played With. SpongeBob doesn't try to escape through the toilet in the Krusty Krab restroom, but Mr. Krabs notices yet another unsuccessful attempt to get back to his job, and promptly makes this decision for SpongeBob.
- The Unreveal: The length of SpongeBob's vacation was not specified.
- Walk Into Camera Obstruction: SpongeBob does this when he accuses Mr. Krabs of replacing him with Patrick.
- Workaholic: SpongeBob takes his status as such to the extreme. He can't do anything to keep his mind off work during his vacation, so he plots many schemes to gain access to the kitchen.
"I know my wig is glamorous and exciting. But, there is no need to start a riot!"
Wigstruck
Original air date: 11/17/2006note
SpongeBob encounters a wig that lands on his head and starts wearing it anywhere and everywhere.
"Wigstruck" contains examples of:
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: The wig really seems to go to SpongeBob's head, as he is eager to be respected and given a high opinion of for wearing it, in spite of its potential contamination.
- An Aesop:
- What may seem good to you, can be bad to others.
- Don't let something trivial and unhealthy go to your head.
- Sometimes, you just have to let something go no matter how attached you are to it.
- Comically Missing the Point:
- SpongeBob is completely oblivious to all the mockery and laughter his wig gets from everyone, assuming they are laughing with him and thinks they are complimenting it.
- When SpongeBob and Sandy are chased out of the movie theater by an angry mob, a theater attendant says this to his coworker.Attendant: I told you that movie was terrible.
- Disrupting the Theater: SpongeBob is completely oblivious to the fact that everyone is making fun of his wig, but they don't get truly mad at him until he and Sandy go to the movies, where SpongeBob's wig blocks everyone's view of the screen.
- Get Out!: Mr. Krabs delivers this to SpongeBob when the wig starts causing trouble with his job, ordering him not to come back until he gets rid of it.
- Grub Tub: After Patrick is done laughing at SpongeBob's wig, he soaks in a bathtub filled with mustard.
- Insult Backfire:SpongeBob: (after using the wig as a mop) See, Squidward, it's functional, too.
Squidward: It's about as functional as your brain.
SpongeBob: (chuckles) Thank you, Squidward.
Squidward: That wasn't a compliment!- When SpongeBob still insists the wig looks appealing, Mr. Krabs laughs and gives him a jab of what he thinks is "coolness", but SpongeBob just takes it literally. In response, Krabs orders him to ditch the wig, or get out of his job entirely.Squidward: Can't you see how ridiculous you look?
SpongeBob: Well, I think it looks cool.
Mr. Krabs: Hahaha! You wouldn't know cool if I locked ya' in the freezer!
SpongeBob: For your information, Mr. Krabs, Squidward has locked me in the freezer, so I think I know what cool is!
Mr. Krabs: Well, stop wearing that nasty thing to work!
SpongeBob: But, Mr. Krabs—
Mr. Krabs: No "buts"!
SpongeBob: So, I can't have a wig or a butt?
Mr. Krabs: No, SpongeBob! It means until you get rid of that wig, GET YOUR BUTT OUTTA HERE!
- When SpongeBob still insists the wig looks appealing, Mr. Krabs laughs and gives him a jab of what he thinks is "coolness", but SpongeBob just takes it literally. In response, Krabs orders him to ditch the wig, or get out of his job entirely.
- Never My Fault: The band responsible for the episode's plot is dropped from their label. This is because of the lead singer, Ned's, bald head, which was covered by the wig. Yet, his bandmates snap at him for it, despite the fact they're the ones responsible for him losing his wig after making fun of him for it.
- Only One Finds It Fun: SpongeBob is the only one who likes the wig he found.
- Only Sane Man: Squidward was the only one who did not laugh at the wig.
- Ship Tease: SpongeBob gets some with Sandy: SpongeBob is extremely eager for Sandy to give an opinion on his new wig upon seeing him wear it. Later on, the two go to the movies together.
- Shout-Out: The two film posters seen when SpongeBob and Sandy are going in and out of the movie theater are My Hair Lady and From Hair to Eternity.
- Small Name, Big Ego: SpongeBob thinks that wearing a nasty, parasite-infested wig makes him respectable.
- Trip Trap: As SpongeBob and Sandy take their seats at the movies, Nat Peterson sticks out his leg to trip SpongeBob.
- Torches and Pitchforks: When SpongeBob's wig is blocking the screen at the movies, he tries to convince the moviegoers not to start a riot. Guess what happens next?
- Wearing It All Wrong: When Patrick shows off his wig, it's in his armpit instead of on his head.
