YMMV / SpongeBob SquarePants S 3 E 3 "The Bully" / "Just One Bite"

The Bully:

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Did Mrs. Puff really not understand what was happening between SpongeBob and Flats, or was she pretending to misunderstand as a way to get back at SpongeBob for all the torment he's caused her while maintaining plausible deniability?
  • Did Gary take out a camera for the attempted "butt-kicking" simply because Snails Are Mean, because he wanted photographic evidence of Flats brutalizing his owner so Flats could be punished, or because he already knew that SpongeBob wasn't going to get hurt?
  • Flats has an Early-Bird Cameo in "Sandy's Rocket" as one of SpongeBob and Patrick's alien-hunting victims. Was his bullying SpongeBob revenge for that incident, or (considering the show runs on Negative Continuity and Rule of Funny) not?
    • One detail possibly working against the revenge hypothesis is that Flats remains on good terms with his "old community college buddy" Patrick and does not seek any onscreen retribution against him, despite Patrick's own involvement in SpongeBob's earlier shenanigans.
  • Flats also has an Early-Bird Cameo in "Texas" where he is part of the party designed to keep Sandy in Bikini Bottom. Bit of a soft spot for the squirrel perhaps?
• Broken Base: The episode's Black Comedy premise is either hilarious or too dark to be funny. Generally, it depends on the individual viewers' experiences with bullying.
• Crosses the Line Twice: As mentioned on the main page, the whole premise would be terrifying if given a second thought, especially since it's not all that inaccurate to real bullying situations. Once Flats starts chasing SpongeBob with a garbage truck, it becomes too bizarre and over-the-top to find actually scary. There's also the Brick Joke of the old man getting beaten up by the well-meaning citizens of Bikini Bottom because they keep thinking he's the one SpongeBob is running from.
• Franchise Original Sin: This was one of the earliest SpongeBob episodes to derive humor entirely from bad things happening to characters who don't deserve it and their abusers getting away with it. This might have been fine in smaller doses or as a one-time thing, but post-Seasonal Rot SpongeBob would use this story so often that not only is it difficult to know exactly who we're rooting for any more, but one-off episodes like this seem even meaner than they were originally intended to be.
• Memetic Molester: There are some screencap memes that jokingly interpret the old man mistaken by the mob for SpongeBob's bully as being a pedophile, possibly due to how easily his statement "I love the young people" can be interpreted entirely the wrong way.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?"^ExplanationA quote from Harold after an innocent old man is mistaken for the bully SpongeBob is running from the second time. It's often used as a response for when someone repeatedly does something stupid or disagreeable.
  • "Can I be excused for the rest of my life?"^ExplanationAfter learning that Flats is dead serious about kicking his butt, SpongeBob calmly asks Mrs. Puff if he can leave school and never come back. This quote is exceptionally popular with students graduating from college or who are still in the middle of their school-year.
  • "Oh, that's real nice."^ExplanationWhen SpongeBob is trying to hide from Flats in a toilet, he acts natural and appears as a kitchen sponge in the toilet. Cue the unfortunate schmoe finding him in this form with the aforementioned phrase. Fairly exploitable and flexible template to use for something you don't like or is not doing particularly well. Or even use it as a literal reaction for a public restroom toilet that isn't flushed.
    • A later variant of this meme is replacing the second part, i.e. "Oh, that's ____," with the second part filled with something either humorous or gruesome (or both). This format usually has a Fauxtivational Poster-style caption providing further context.
  • "Wait, you guys actually [X]? I thought it was a joke."^ExplanationAn image macro of Harold worriedly looking at SpongeBob became a popular meme to use in response to the "actually means it" side of Poe's Law, with the [X] snowclone standing in for sensitive or stupid topics.
  • "I'm SpongeBob!"^ExplanationThe soundbite of SpongeBob introducing himself to Flats, often combined with a stock image of SpongeBob and repeated ad nauseam, became an absurdist meme in 2023 thanks to TikTok memes and its inclusion in the Roblox fan game The Spongy Construction Project.
• Realism-Induced Horror: SpongeBob is constantly bullied and no one is able to help him, not even Mrs. Puff, and when he survives Flats's acts of violence, it's SpongeBob who gets blamed simply because he's not the one who's passed out. For many real-life kids in non-homeschool education environments, this is so close to their reality.
• Tear Jerker: The scene where SpongeBob begs for Patrick's help. Anyone who's ever been bullied knows how much it hurts to feel so helpless.

Just One Bite:

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Some fans have wondered if SpongeBob's obsession with getting Squidward to eat and enjoy Krabby Patties isn't just out of his slavish devotion to his job, but out of being personally offended anyone would turn down his cooking which he takes immense pride in (though he does appear to maturely accept Squidward's "distaste" for Krabby Patties and move on once his co-worker has actually tried a nibble of one).
• Fridge Logic: The bucket of gasoline being used as security in an underwater restaurant.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "The only people who don't like [X] have never [Y]!"^ExplanationFrom SpongeBob and the Krusty Krab patrons saying the only people who hate Krabby Patties have never actually tasted them, kicking off the plot of Squidward saying he's never had one. Edited versions of this quote are often said by fans of a popular show, artist, food, etc. that is universally liked and often accuses any detractors of the thing in question of not actually experiencing it.
  • "Those words... Is it possible to use them in a sentence together like that?"^ExplanationSpongebob's quote is a common retort to any sentence that fans find absurd or disagreeable.
  • "You like [X], don't you, [Y]?" and the accompanying smug grin.
  • "Does this look unsure to you?"^ExplanationA Gross-Up Close-Up of Squidward's frowning face, which became popular as a means of showing that one intends to stand by their opinion.
  • "I have no soul", followed by the Hell-like background, evil laugh, and fiery effect behind Squidward.
  • "Squidward had sex with a Krabby Patty."^ExplanationIn Squidward's dream sequence, he's shown getting married to a Krabby Patty, then with the said patty and a child that resembles a Krabby Patty with tentacles. The implications are disturbing.
  • Squidward getting fat from eating too many Krabby Patties. Many memes have gone around complimenting Squidward for his... ahem, shapely proportions, or even comparing real-life people with similar shapes to him.
  • "I have got to get my dick sucked!"^ExplanationA quote mined edit of the scene where Squidward says "I have got to get my hands on a Krabby Patty!", which has become a meme due to its sheer vulgarity.

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Harold: How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?!

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