Spongicus
Plankton demolishes the Chum Bucket and replaces it with a coliseum, featuring a man-eating lion.
Spongicus contains examples of:
- Beastly Bloodsports: Plankton replaces his failing restaurant, the Chum Bucket, with the Chum Coliseum, where he pits Patrick against a ravenous lionfish. SpongeBob has to save his friend while Krabs looks on in horror.
- Big Damn Heroes: When he sees Patrick being chased by the lionfish, SpongeBob jumps into a chariot and rushes to his aid.
- Brick Joke: It's noted that not only are Krabby Patties better tasting than Plankton's chum, but they are also cheaper ($1 < $10). At the end, Mr. Krabs raises the price to $10 as well (and coerces their attention with the lionfish from the colosseum).
- Didn't Think This Through: Plankton, having built an arena big enough to fit the entire city, still decided to go with someone he knew was the friend of his most frequent foiler. If he had picked literally anyone else, SpongeBob wouldn't have stopped him.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: SpongeBob, Patrick, Krabs, and Squidward begin laughing as the music cue signals the end of the episode, but the scene continues. One by one, the characters get bored, stop laughing, and walk away.
- Everyone Has Standards:
- Mr. Krabs is noticeably upset that his mother wants to see SpongeBob and Patrick mauled by the lionfish.
- Likewise, while SpongeBob is willing to watch someone else get mauled in the match, he puts his foot down the moment he realized it was going to be his best friend. Squidward, ironically, has the exact opposite reaction, questioning beforehand why people would be entertained... and actively rooting for the lion to slaughter him after he realizes it's Patrick.
- Exit, Pursued by a Bear: Plankton exits chased by the lionfish.
- I Ate WHAT?!: One customer is noticeably grossed-out when she tries Plankton's chum, but becomes even more disgusted when Plankton lists the ingredients: jellyfish squeezings, whale blubber, seahorse snout, and a sprinkle of anchor rust.Customer: (gags and vomits on the ground) Oh barnacles, that's foul!
- Mix-and-Match Critters: The lionfish is literally just a lion's head on a fish body.
- Noodle Incident: One of Plankton's previous schemes mentioned here was trying to boil Mr. Krabs in a giant bisque.Plankton: (wincing) I can still feel the burns... which is why I removed all molten liquid from this maneuver.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode title is a parody of Spartacus.
- Series Continuity Error: Plankton says it's been 20 years since he's able to get a customer; however in "Plankton's Army", it's the 25th anniversary of when he first tried to steal the formula.
- Tempting Fate:
- Mr. Krabs proclaims that while Plankton might be able to take his fair-weather customer, he won't be able to take the loyal ones. Cue an empty Krusty Krab.
- After the lionfish is released, SpongeBob excitedly says to Squidward, "I can't wait to see the poor sucker who has to go against that beast!" Immediately afterwards, Patrick is released into the ring and SpongeBob is horrified.
Suction Cup Symphony
Squidward attempts to write a symphony for the Bikini Bottom Orchestra.
Suction Cup Symphony contains examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch: After Squidward's performance, the audience remains silent and awkwardly stares at him, but Squidward receives a thunderous applause from them a few seconds later.
- Big "NO!": Squidward does this after the rainbow his brain forms melts.
- Continuity Nod:
- After pulling an all-nighter writing the symphony, Squidward has a facial expression very similar to the one he made in "Squid's Day Off". Makes sense since both times he was off his rocker.
- Patrick is seen in a giant, complicated machine during the concert. This is the same machine that SpongeBob imagines in "Funny Pants" when he thinks he has lost his laugh.
- Everything's Better with Rainbows: Four-colored rainbows appear from Squidward's head when he gets the inspiration for his composition.
- Foreshadowing:
- When Squidward hands his completed symphony to the maestro, the latter states that it's very unusual, hinting that Squidward's symphony was going to be out of the ordinary.
- The maestro approved the score that Squidward handed to him, hinting that the audience was going to love the performance.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Following Patrick's attempt to play doctor while subjecting Spongebob to some unpleasant treatment attempts in Suds, it's Patrick's turn to be the patient while Spongebob is the doctor making him go through some torturous treatment attempts.
- Literal Metaphor: SpongeBob tells Squidward to not get a swollen head. Squidward's head ends up inflating due to Patrick squeezing the blood pressure pump.
- Mistaken for Flatulence: SpongeBob mistakes Squidward's clarinet playing for "gastrointestinal distress" and makes a lot of noise to cover up Squidward's shame.
- Nightmare Face: Squidward has one when he finally finishes his composition.
- Oh, Crap!: Squidward has this reaction when he realizes that he wrote down the sounds he heard while completing his symphony.
- Playing Doctor: SpongeBob acts as Patrick's doctor due to Patrick not having health insurance.
- Standard Snippet: "Piano Concerto No. 1" from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky can be heard in the background while Squidward is writing his symphony after getting inspired. It ends after SpongeBob interrupts it twice while trying to heal Patrick, though.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Squidward's performance gets thunderous applause at the end of the episode, with several people chanting his name in admiration of his composition work.
- Time-Passes Montage: The montage of Squidward trying to finish his composition as time passes and Patrick keeps screaming.
- Worst Aid: Subverted; SpongeBob is no doctor and does a lot of painful things to Patrick in order to fix his butt, yet despite this, he manages to heal Patrick at the end. Played straight earlier on when Patrick shoved the bones coming out of his butt cheeks back in causing them to appear
in the back of his mouth. - Your Head Asplode: All but shown to happen to Squidward's head at the very end.
