History YMMV / SpongebobSquarepantsS7E11OneCoarseMealGaryInLove

* '''BrokenBase: In spades.''' The quality of the episode is often contested, due to the torment Plankton received. Many feel that his torture and his attempt at suicide was undeserved, saying that Plankton hasn't done anything that grievous to deserve it. Others feel that his suicide attempt was deserved, saying that Plankton ''would'' try to murder other people in his attempts to obtain the secret formula if he were left unstopped (see the subpoint under AlternateCharacterInterpretation above).

** Something else interesting with this is that the first 9 also DID pay attention to [[WorldOfPun the whale in the room,]] and still ranked it as good, and weren't that bothered by it. Maybe they were there before the rush? Also, it's ranked 6.7 out of 133 reviews, so it really all comes down to which side of the BrokenBase you fall on.

* ParvumOpus: The episode is arguably tied with "[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS7E131KeepBikiniBottomBeautifulAPalForGary A Pal for Gary]]" as being the most despised ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBob SquarePants'' episode.

* ParvumOpus: The episode is arguably tied with "[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS7E131KeepBikiniBottomBeautifulAPalForGary A Pal for Gary]]" as being the most despised ''[=SpongeBob SquarePants=] episode.

* MoralEventHorizon: Mr. Krabs driving Plankton to suicide by preying upon his fear was, for many, the one moment which solidified Mr. Krabs' {{Flanderization}}.

** Even the title card of the episode is eerie to some viewers. It would have looked perfectly innocuous, if not for the mysterious, black shadow around the border of the screen.

** A fearful Plankton accidentally going into the freezer while trying to escape.
** Mr. Krabs' adverseness to mimes, particularly in the very end of the episode.

* VindicatedByHistory: Inverted: the episode actually got pretty good reception by fans on various websites when it first aired back in March 2010. It wasn't until roughly around 2012 where the episode became infamous, to say the least. Just take a look at the reviews of the episode on TV.com: the first nine reviews are gleamingly positive, but nearly all of the subsequent reviews rate the episode 1.0.
** Something else interesting with this is that the first 9 also DID pay attention to [[WorldOfPun the whale in the room,]] and still ranked it as good, and weren't that bothered by it. Maybe they were there before the rush? Also, it's ranked 6.7 out of 133 reviews, so it really all comes down to which side of the BrokenBase you fall on.

* DudeNotFunny: The plot of this episode is that Krabs disguises himself as a whale and scares poor Plankton to the point where he tries to kill himself. This gives "The Boys of Bummer" from WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons a run for its money. However:
** CrowningMomentOfFunny: While admittedly not a popular opinion especially nowadays, some people admit to finding Plankton's suicide attempt [[BlackComedy humorous]], owing in part to his sheer apathy and half-heartedness of his attempt, as well as how unexpected of a plot element it is in a kids' show.
** The "DudeNotFunny" status of the episode can also depend on whether or not one views the episode as being ''meant'' to be funny. Some defenders of the episode say that Plankton's suicide is meant to be a serious plot point, rather than being PlayedForLaughs.

** CrowningMomentOfFunny: While admittedly not a popular opinion especially nowadays, some people admit to finding Plankton's suicide attempt [[BlackComedy humorous]], owing in part to his sheer apathy and half-heartedness of his attempt, as well as how unexpected it is in a kids' show.
** The "DudeNotFunny" status of the episode can also depend on whether or not one views the episode as being ''meant'' to be funny. Some defenders say that Plankton's suicide is meant to be a serious plot point, rather than being PlayedForLaughs.

** Even the title card of the episode is eerie to some viewers. It would have looked perfectly innocuous, if not for the mysterious, black shadow around the border of it.

* VindicatedByHistory: Inverted: the episode, as hard as it to believe, was received pretty well by fans on various websites when it first aired back in March 2010. It wasn't until roughly around 2012 where the episode became infamous, to say the least.

* NeverLiveItDown: The episode will forever have the misfortune of being remembered for being paired alongside "One Coarse Meal" rather than for the episode itself.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: It's quite touching to see Gary fall in love with and pursue another snail, even if it doesn't last for too long.

* BrokenBase: Over the quality of the episode, due to the torment Plankton received. Many feel that his torture and his attempt at suicide was undeserved, saying that Plankton hasn't done anything that grievous to deserve it. Others feel that his suicide attempt was deserved, saying that Plankton ''would'' try to murder other people in his attempts to obtain the secret formula if he were left unstopped (see the subpoint under AlternateCharacterInterpretation above).
** Others feel that even if it was undeserved, driving Plankton in suicide would nevertheless be in-character for Mr. Krabs by now, pointing out that his actions in certain episodes - such as in "[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS3E15BornAgainKrabsIHadAnAccident Born Again Krabs]]", where he ''sells [=SpongeBob=]'s soul'' for sixty-two cents - make his actions in "One Coarse Meal" look tolerable in comparison.

** CrowningMomentOfFunny: While admittedly not a popular opinion especially nowadays, some people will admit to finding Plankton's suicide attempt [[BlackComedy humorous]], owing in part to how oddly apathetic he sounds while doing so.
* HeReallyCanAct: Tom Kenny manages to make the normally goofy-sounding [=SpongeBob=] sound quite concerned about Plankton's fate as he confronts Mr. Krabs. It's relatively minor in comparison to other examples of this trope, but you can still hear the concern in his voice.

* InternetBackdraft: This episode has started one; fans did ''not'' like Mr. Krabs' behavior towards Plankton in this episode, believing Mr. Krabs' actions to be DisproportionateRetribution. Given how much criticism the writers have faced for the episode, it's probably best to [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement not go too much into detail]] about the fan reactions.

** A few fans have pointed out, though, that Plankton has had a record for attempting murder and desiring to do so in the past, most prominently in [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobSquarepantsMovie the movie]]. This could alter the interpretations of Plankton and Mr. Krabs in this episode for some people, perhaps even making Mr. Krabs' actions justified. These interpretations become even ''more'' complicated depending on whether or not one Plankton's past attempted murders are still part of continuity.
* BrokenBase: Over the quality of the episode, due to the torment Plankton received. Many feel that his torture and his attempt at suicide was undeserved, saying that Plankton hasn't done anything ''that'' grievous to deserve it. Others feel that his suicide attempt was deserved, saying that Plankton ''would'' try to murder other people in his attempts to obtain the secret formula if he were left unstopped (see the subpoint under AlternateCharacterInterpretation above).

* MoralEventHorizon: Mr. Krabs driving Plankton to suicide by preying upon his fear. For many, this was the one moment which solidified Mr. Krabs' {{Flanderization}}.

** A few fans have pointed out, though, that Plankton has had a record for attempting murder and desiring to do so in the past, most prominently in [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobSquarepantsMovie the movie]]. This could alter the interpretations of Plankton and Mr. Krabs in this episode for some people, perhaps even making Mr. Krabs' actions justified. These interpretations become ''even more'' complicated depending on whether or not one takes continuity into account regarding Plankton's past attempted murders.
* BrokenBase: Over the quality of the episode, due to the torment Plankton received. Many feel that his torture and his attempt at suicide was undeserved, saying that Plankton hasn't done anything ''that'' grievous to deserve it. Others feel that his suicide attempt was deserved, saying that Plankton ''would'' try to murder other people in his attempts to obtain the secret formula if he were left unstopped (see the subpoint under AlternateCharacterInterpretation above). Others feel that even if it was undeserved, driving Plankton in suicide would nevertheless be in-character for Mr. Krabs by now, pointing out that his actions in certain episodes, such as in "[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS3E15BornAgainKrabsIHadAnAccident Born Again Krabs]]" where he ''sells [=SpongeBob=]'s soul'' for sixty-one cents, make his actions in "One Coarse Meal" look tolerable in comparison.

* InternetBackdraft: Fans did ''not'' like Mr. Krabs' behavior towards Plankton in this episode, believing Mr. Krabs' actions to be DisproportionateRetribution. Given how much criticism the writers have faced for the episode, it's probably best to [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement not go too much into detail]].
* MoralEventHorizon: Mr. Krabs driving Plankton to suicide by preying upon his fear.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some people would have liked to see Plankton succeed in getting his revenge on Mr. Krabs at the end.
* VindicatedByHistory: Inverted; the episode, as hard as it to believe, was received pretty well by fans on various websites when it first aired back in March 2010. It wasn't until roughly around 2012 where the episode became infamous, to say the least.

* BrokenBase: Over the quality of the episode, due to the torment Plankton received. Many feel that his torture and his attempt at suicide was undeserved, saying that Plankton hasn't done anything ''that'' grievous to deserve it. Others feel that his suicide attempt was deserved, saying that Plankton ''would'' try to murder other people in his attempts to obtain the secret formula if he were left unstopped (see the subpoint under AlternateCharacterInterpretation above). Others feel that even if it was undeserved, driving Plankton in suicide would nevertheless be in-character for Mr. Krabs by now, pointing out that his actions in episodes such as "[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS3E15BornAgainKrabsIHadAnAccident Born Again Krabs]]" makes his actions in "One Coarse Meal" look tolerable in comparison.

* HeReallyCanAct: A relatively minor example, but Tom Kenny manages to make the normally goofy-sounding [=SpongeBob=] sound quite concerned about Plankton's fate as he confronts Mr. Krabs.

* InternetBackdraft: Fans did ''not'' like Mr. Krabs' behavior towards Plankton in this episode, believing Mr. Krabs' actions to be DisproportionateRetribution. Given how much criticism the writers have faced for the episode, [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement we won't go too much into detail]].

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: While admittedly not a popular opinion especially nowadays, some people will admit to finding Plankton's suicide attempt [[BlackComedy humorous]], owing in part to how oddly apathetic he sounds while doing so.
* DudeNotFunny: The plot of this episode is that Krabs disguises himself as a whale and scares poor Plankton to the point where he tries to kill himself. This gives "The Boys of Bummer" from WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons a run for its money.

** A few fans have pointed out, though, that Plankton has had a record for attempting murder and desiring to do so in the past, most prominently in [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobSquarepantsMovie the movie]]. This could alter the interpretations of Plankton and Mr. Krabs in this episode for some people, perhaps even making Mr. Krabs' actions justified.

* InternetBackdraft: Fans did ''not'' like [[DisproportionateRetribution Mr. Krabs' behavior]] towards Plankton in this episode. Given how much criticism the writers have faced for the episode, [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement we won't go too much into detail]].

** Even the title card of the episode is eerie to some viewers. It would have looked perfectly innocuous, if not for the mysterious, black border around the border of it.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: "One Coarse Meal" is quite complicated when it comes to interpretations. As a result of the episode, many fans have started to view Plankton as just a mere thief who receives undue torment by Mr. Krabs, and Mr. Krabs as crossing the MoralEventHorizon and taking his greed to a new level.
** A few fans have pointed out, though, that Plankton's has had a record of attempting murder or so desiring to do so in the past, most prominently in [[TheSpongebobSquarepantsMovie the movie]], which could alter the interpretations on Plankton and Mr. Krabs in this episode, perhaps even making Mr. Krabs' actions justified.

* InternetBackdraft: Fans did ''not'' like [[DisproportionateRetribution Mr. Krabs' behavior]] towards Plankton in this episode. Given the extent to which the criticisms are directed towards the writers of the episode, [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement we won't go too much into detail]].

** Even the title card of the episode can pass off as eerie to some viewers. It would have looked perfectly innocuous, if not for the mysterious, black border around the border of it.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: "One Coarse Meal" is quite complicated when it comes to interpretations. As a result of the episode, many fans have started to view Plankton as just a mere thief who receives undue torment by Mr. Krabs, and Mr. Krabs as crossing the MoralEventHorizon and taking his greed to a new level. A few fans have pointed out, though, that Plankton's previous history when it comes to his desire to murder people could change the interpretations on Plankton and Mr. Krabs in this episode, perhaps making Mr. Krabs actions justified.

* InternetBackdraft: Fans did ''not'' like [[DisproportionateRetribution Mr. Krabs' behavior]] towards Plankton in this episode, [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement and we'll just leave it at that]].

* DudeNotFunny: One Coarse Meal. The plot of this episode is that Krabs disguises himself as a whale and scares poor Plankton to the point where he tries to kill himself. This gives "The Boys of Bummer" from WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons a run for its money.
* MoralEventHorizon: Krabs driving Plankton to suicide by preying upon his fear.
* NightmareFuel; The nightmare Plankton has of him being devoured by Pearl.

* DudeNotFunny: One Coarse Meal. The plot of this episode is that Krabs disguises himself as a whale and scares poor Plankton to the point where he tries to kill himself. This gives "The Boys of Bummer" from [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons]] a run for its money.