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Recap / SpongeBob SquarePants S7 E11 "One Coarse Meal/Gary in Love"

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"I want plankton meat!"

One Coarse Meal

Original air date: 3/25/2010 (produced in 2009)

Pearl inadvertantly scares Plankton off during another attempt to get the secret formula. Upon learning his nemesis has a severe phobia of whales, Mr. Krabs disguises himself as his own daughter and unleashes hell on Plankton.


"One Coarse Meal" contains examples of:

  • An Aesop: Everybody has fears, but you can't use them to your advantage as it would hurt them even more.
  • Armor-Piercing Question: When SpongeBob is calling Mr. Krabs out for tormenting Plankton:
    SpongeBob: Mr. Krabs, I know you and Plankton are sworn enemies and all, but... Putting on a dress to frighten him? Isn't that taking it a little too far?
  • Beware the Nice Ones: A minor example, but when SpongeBob realizes Mr. Krabs is tormenting Plankton into suicide with his whale phobia, he doesn't like it and calls out his boss for the way he's treating their enemy.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Plankton is scared off at the end, but also got the chance to enjoy some revenge beforehand.
  • Break the Haughty: Plankton is scared so much to the point he wants to commit suicide by getting run over by a bus. Fortunately, SpongeBob finds out Mr. Krabs is behind this and gives him back his mojo.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: SpongeBob gives one to Mr. Krabs using Plankton's fear of whales to his advantage and upsetting him to the point of eventual suicide, but he refuses to listen to him.
  • Continuity Nod: In Plankton's nightmare, he is swallowed by Pearl and discovers that his relatives from "Plankton's Army" are there as well.
  • Counterfeit Cash: It is revealed in this episode that Mr. Krabs pays his employees in counterfeit money, known as Mr. Krabs' Wacky Bucks. Pearl calls Mr. Krabs out for this when he makes SpongeBob give her more money in exchange for scaring Plankton, but SpongeBob thinks it's better than real money.
  • Darker and Edgier: Sure the episode is comedic as usual, but Mr. Krabs using Plankton's fear of whales to his advantage to scare him into eventually committing suicide is what takes the cake. SpongeBob even lampshades this when standing up for Plankton.
  • Disguised in Drag: What appeared to be Pearl tormenting Plankton nonstop turned out to be Mr. Krabs in disguise.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Plankton actually does a pretty good job at holding Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob captive at the beginning of the episode, but what Krabs does to get back at him takes it a bit too far. SpongeBob lampshades the latter when calling out Mr. Krabs.
  • Double-Meaning Title: The episode title is a parody of a one-course meal, but "course" is spelt as "coarse", which means "rough", referring to Plankton's torment.
  • Driven to Suicide: By Plankton, who willingly wants to get run over by the next 4:00 bus thanks to suffering so much whale phobia, before SpongeBob stops him.
  • Dude, Not Funny!: SpongeBob doesn't take Mr. Krabs' torment of Plankton really well.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Even SpongeBob is not happy at Mr. Krabs scaring Plankton to the point of suicide.
  • Evil Versus Evil: On one side, Mr. Krabs unleashes a barrage of whale-related scares on Plankton, which drives him to attempt suicide. On the other hand, Plankton is a persistent thief who torments the crew day after day, and on occasion has even put Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob lives in danger as well in his attempts to steal the formula.
  • Foreshadowing:
    • A way to tell the "Pearl" scaring Plankton is Mr. Krabs in disguise is that the real Pearl would never do anything to frighten someone, especially Plankton. She may be a bit bossy and bratty, but she would never stoop as low as Mr. Krabs did.
    • After Pearl voices her disgust for the Chum Bucket, Mr. Krabs asks her if he could borrow one of her dresses, which confuses both her and SpongeBob.
  • Four Is Death: The bus Plankton willingly tries to get run over by was said to come by 4:00. Also, that particular scene occurs when there are four minutes left in the episode.
  • Freudian Excuse: Perhaps the explanation for Mr. Krabs' motivations in this episode, as the constant stress from trying to protect the formula has finally driven Mr. Krabs to pursue drastic measures.
  • Karma Houdini: Zigzagged. Mr. Krabs gets his proper comeuppance at tormenting Plankton when SpongeBob tells Plankton of his secret fear of mimes. However, it's only momentarily before being scared off, with Mr. Krabs not seeming to regret his actions.
  • Lack of Empathy: Mr. Krabs torments Plankton using his fear of whales for over two weeks, to the extent that he's nearly Driven to Suicide. When SpongeBob calls him on it and tells him he's going too far, Krabs just laughs it off.
  • The Mole: SpongeBob briefly becomes one to Plankton when he actually helps him get back at Mr. Krabs for tormenting him by letting him in on his fear of mimes.
  • Near-Death Experience: Plankton almost willingly commits suicide by getting run over by a bus, but SpongeBob defends him against Mr. Krabs and helps him get back at him.
  • Never My Fault: When SpongeBob tells Mr. Krabs about Plankton laying in the middle of the road, Mr. Krabs laughs and says he’s a “mess,” and also doesn’t show any remorse for his actions.
  • Never Say "Die": Naturally, Plankton's suicide attempt is never made explicitly clear for obvious reasons. When SpongeBob confronts Mr. Krabs, the former just refers to what Plankton is doing as "lying in the street...forlorn".
  • Nightmare Sequence: Plankton has one, as seen in the top image, where Pearl chases him and he ends up devoured along with his relatives.
  • No Sympathy:
    • Karen toward Plankton, even after the latter told the former of what happened to his ancestors. Also Mr. Krabs who is more intent on protecting the formula by getting rid of his rival for good.
    • Averted with SpongeBob, who actually shows sympathy for Plankton and tries to defend him against Mr. Krabs.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When SpongeBob finds out about Mr. Krabs tormenting Plankton into suicide, he drops all traces of Cloudcuckoolander and The Pollyanna and angrily confronts Mr. Krabs.
  • One-Episode Fear: Plankton wasn't afraid of Pearl before, especially when he swapped lives with Mr. Krabs.
  • Only Sane Man: SpongeBob is the only character in the episode who has his head straight, as he shows deep and genuine concern for Plankton and sticks up for him, to the point of helping him get back at Mr. Krabs for tormenting him (although he scares him back to the Chum Bucket to protect the formula in the end).
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: The whole plot of the episode is Mr. Krabs tormenting Plankton via his fear of whales to the point where the latter contemplates suicide. SpongeBob defends Plankton and helps him get back at him by telling him of Mr. Krabs' fear of mimes.
  • Pet the Dog: Inverted. SpongeBob actually shows sympathy for Plankton when he is tormented to the point of suicide, and even defends him against Mr. Krabs.
  • Shoo Out the Clowns: SpongeBob is absent for about 50% of the episode to make Plankton's fear and torment more unsettling and foreboding. The comically stupid Patrick is also completely absent in this episode.
  • Suicide as Comedy: Downplayed; Plankton's suicide attempt isn't portrayed as a complete joke per se, but the episode employs a small amount of humor from how oddly casual and apathetic he is in his suicide attempt, and in him asking SpongeBob to step on him to get it over with. Justified, as the scene would probably be a bit too dark for a kids' show if the scene was played too realistically.
  • Sympathy for the Devil: One of few times SpongeBob shows concern and worry for Plankton and actually tries to stick up for him.
  • Token Good Teammate: Aside from Pearl, SpongeBob is the only main character in the episode who is truly nice, unlike Mr. Krabs' torment of Plankton, Plankton's paranoia, and Karen showing No Sympathy. This is best exemplified when he calls out Mr. Krabs for the way he treated Plankton, but he doesn't listen.
  • Tranquil Fury: SpongeBob barely raises his voice when calling out Mr. Krabs for tormenting Plankton.
  • Unexpectedly Dark Episode: "One Coarse Meal" deals with one of the main characters trying to scare another character, eventually to the point of the latter attempting suicide. Granted, the plot is still tame compared to the likes of, say, "Nasty Patty", which involves the plot element of SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs trying to bury a person that they mistakenly think they have killed Played for Laughs, a dark, rainy environment for half of the episode, and even the version of the Never Say "Die" trope through the use of the word "kill". Nevertheless, "One Coarse Meal" is still a subtle sign of this trope happening to the post-movie episodes; SpongeBob even lampshades such when he calls out Mr. Krabs that this has gone way too far.
  • Very Special Episode: About fears and being scared to the point of suicide.
  • Villain Protagonist: Mr. Krabs' evil tendencies are here in full force, as he scares his rival Plankton by using his fear of whales for attempting to steal the Krabby Patty formula. SpongeBob is demoted to the heroic Deuteragonist role as he tries to defend Plankton.
  • Voice Changeling: Mr. Krabs can imitate Pearl's voice fluently.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: SpongeBob felt this way toward Mr. Krabs disguising as Pearl and tormenting Plankton.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Plankton is afraid of whales, while Mr. Krabs is afraid of mimes.

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A young love blossoms in the park.

Gary in Love

Original air date: 2/6/2010 (produced in 2009)

Gary meets a female snail in Bikini Bottom, but another snail from the wrong side of town gets jealous of him.


"Gary in Love" contains examples of:

  • Bittersweet Ending: While Gary doesn't get the girl, he does end up befriending the snail he was competing against for her affections after they're both turned down.
  • Breather Episode: Compared to the previous episode, this one isn't quite as intense and more truly comedic.
  • Continuity Nod: This isn't the first time Gary has met another snail and developed feelings for it.
  • A Day in the Limelight: Gary is the main star of this episode.
  • Did Not Get the Girl: In the end, Mary ends up falling for Brad's snail Billy, which disappoints Gary, though he and the boss snail make up and form a friendship.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: The snail boss does not take Gary's love for Mary that well.
  • Honor Before Reason: Being a Card-Carrying Villain comes with some rather arbitrary rules.
    Bully Snail: Hey, how come we never go through the front, guys?
    Snail Boss: 'Cause bad guys don't never use the front DOOR!
    Bully Snail: ...Well, I think that that's pretty ridiculous.
  • Real After All: The "Brad" and "Monica" from the soap opera Gary watched earlier, though Monica looks different.
  • Talking Animal: The bully snail and his two buddies are fully capable of human speech.
  • Voice for the Voiceless: The snail boss and his gang for Gary and Mary, given they're the only snails in the episode who verbally speak.
  • Wingding Eyes: Gary gets hearts in his eyes when he first sees Mary.

 
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One Coarse Meal

SpongeBob and Plankton are normally sworn enemies, but in this particular moment, he was not happy at Mr. Krabs disguising himself as Pearl and tormenting Plankton to the point of suicide, and stood up in defense of his sake.

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