Line #93 Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E12TheChaperoneEmployeeOfTheMonth


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/73004821_9dfd_4afd_8aed_f0d295950c0e.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:"Go wreck someone else's prom, will ya'?"]]
3
4	'''The Chaperone'''
5
6	'''Original air date:''' 3/8/2000 ''(produced in 1999)''
7
8	After his daughter gets stood up by her prom date, Mr. Krabs has [=SpongeBob=] be Pearl's date.
9	----
10	!!"The Chaperone" contains examples of:
11	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: [=SpongeBob=] is upset at having a hot dog land in Judy's hair, but Pearl thought it was pretty funny.
12	* BaitAndSwitch: When [=SpongeBob=] takes Pearl back home, an angry Mr. Krabs threatens him to, "Keep away from me precious little flower!" He actually means the flower he planted on his front yard.
13	* BathroomStallOfAngst: When [=SpongeBob=] realizes he has ruined Pearl's prom, he runs off crying and locks himself in the bathroom. The ''girls' ''bathroom. [[PetTheDog Pearl comforts him, though.]]
14	* BeTheBall: The last seen part of the Sponge involves [=SpongeBob=] becoming a basketball that Pearl promptly grabs, dribbles and shoots into the gym hoop.
15	* BeYourself: Played with. [=SpongeBob=] realized that by pretending to be long, tan and handsome, he only caused a disaster. He just decided to be himself and do the Sponge, only to cause more chaos.
16	* BiggerOnTheInside: Arguably the high school.
17	* BittersweetEnding: [=SpongeBob=] ruins the prom and gets him and Pearl kicked out. Despite this, Pearl still had a good time and she and Mr. Krabs are both happy.
18	* BlackComedy: It's implied that several people ''died'' as a result of doing the Sponge.
19	* BoyfriendBlockingDad: Mr. Krabs yells at [=SpongeBob=] to "keep away from his precious little flower!" [[BaitAndSwitch Then reveals]] that [=SpongeBob=] almost stepped on a ''literal'' sea flower.
20	* BreakTheCutie:
21	** [=SpongeBob=] runs to the bathroom breaking into tears after he realizes he messed up the prom. Ironically, he cried because he was trying to keep Pearl from crying.
22	** Pearl does this too, but with much less intensity and more so teenage angst at the very beginning of the episode.
23	* BrickJoke: [=SpongeBob=] appearing to freeze, only for him to reveal it's a realistic wax dummy of himself. The first time he uses it is midway through Pearl's meltdown, then he uses it again at the end after taking Pearl home.
24	* ClosedDoorRapport: Pearl consoles [=SpongeBob=] through the ladies room door when he locks himself inside.
25	* DanceSensation: The Sponge. [[GoneHorriblyWrong It quickly goes wrong.]]
26	* GilliganCut:
27	-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Don't worry, Mr. Krabs! I am a prom expert! ''(bubble transition to [=SpongeBob=] sitting at home, sulking)'' Oh, Gary. I'm a prom failure.
28	* HighSchoolDance: The story takes place during Pearl's prom, where [=SpongeBob=] leads the students in a dance routine, to disastrous results.
29	* InformedAttractiveness: Pearl's ex-boyfriend, Octavius Rex AKA Mr. "Long, Tan and Handsome", is revealed to be a plain-looking geeky anchovy.
30	* IntelligibleUnintelligible: Pearl is able to understand [=SpongeBob=] through his InelegantBlubbering.
31	* MindScrew: Was it [=SpongeBob=]'s dummy that took Pearl to the prom? If it did, how did it move, talk, destroy things...?
32	* MisplacedRetribution: While [=SpongeBob=] and Pearl ''were'' responsible for all the damage that had been done prior, they didn't destroy anything during "Doing the Sponge", with the damage being done by the other students trying and failing to do the Sponge. Despite this, it's what gets the two kicked out of the prom.
33	* NinjaLog: Mr. Krabs asks [=SpongeBob=] to take Pearl to her prom, but then the ''real'' [=SpongeBob=] appears and shows him the exact replica of himself he made, which is whom Krabs was talking to. In the end, it is implied that the dummy [=SpongeBob=] is the one who went with Pearl.
34	* OcularGushers: Pearl's tears [[CryingARiver flood the Krusty Krab]].
35	* PetTheDog: When [=SpongeBob=] begins bawling over Pearl's near-bawl, she goes to comfort him, then they dance together and get kicked out.
36	* PrimpOfContempt: Squidward is shown filing his nails with DrearyHalfLiddedEyes while Pearl is crying loudly about her date standing her up.
37	* ThePromPlot: [=SpongeBob=] ends up being a chaperone for Pearl to her prom after her boyfriend dumps her. Sponge, [[TheKlutz being who]] [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} he is,]] causes various hijinks to ensue to the point that they are eventually [[spoiler:[[GetOut kicked out]] of the venue]].
38	* RunningGag:
39	** [=SpongeBob=] appearing to freeze, only for him to walk in on the other side and reveal the other [=SpongeBob=] is a realistic dummy of himself.
40	** [=SpongeBob=] messing up the prom.
41	* ScoringPoints: Pearl shoots [=SpongeBob=] (who turned himself into a basketball) into the basket as a part of the Sponge dance, and scores 2 points for Home.
42	* ShipTease: The episode is well-known for blatantly teasing that [=SpongeBob=] and Pearl apparently love each other. [[AlmostKiss The two would actually have kissed had it not been for Mr. Krabs barging in.]]
43	* ShoutOut: The scene where a girl in a white dress is chased by a giant apple is a reference to ''Film/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes''.
44	* SoundtrackDissonance: While "Doing the Sponge" fits perfectly with [=SpongeBob=] and Pearl finally having a fun time, it's also overlaid to [[MoodDissonance the prom falling apart at the seams and the students getting clinically injured]].
45	* TallDarkAndHandsome: [=SpongeBob=] makes himself like this as Pearl's date. He tans himself in a toaster, puts on a toupee for the handsome part and wears stilts to make himself taller (which make it difficult for him to walk).
46	* TorchesAndPitchforks: Happens to Pearl and [=SpongeBob=] at the very end of the episode due to the Sponge causing chaos.
47	* YouDidntSeeThat: [=SpongeBob=] claims to have won a dancing trophy, but when the guy actually holding the trophy takes it back, [=SpongeBob=] says, "That didn't just happen."
48	----
49	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/895e6b3d_d187_482c_8ed3_e4ad8f2ccf6a.png]]
50	[[caption-width-right:350:Double the output, double the award.]]
51
52	'''Employee of the Month'''
53
54	'''Original air date:''' 3/8/2000 ''(produced in 1999)''
55
56	[=SpongeBob=] and Squidward compete over who will get the Employee of the Month award at the Krusty Krab. But their competition soon begins to get out of hand. ''WAY'' out of hand.
57	----
58	!!"Employee of the Month" contains examples of:
59	* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: Squidward telling [=SpongeBob=] to stop breaking his clocks causes [=SpongeBob=] to assume cocky superiority.
60	-->'''Squidward:''' You're a lunatic, [=SpongeBob=]!\
61	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Maybe so. But, I ''did'' win Employee of the Month ''26'' months in a row.\
62	'''Squidward:''' A-Are you trying to say that you're better than me?!\
63	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I've ''been'' better than you for 26 months! And it'll be 27, tomorrow.
64	* AgitatedItemStomping: Squidward stomps on [=SpongeBob=]'s hat, but [=SpongeBob=] kept a lead brick there for just such an occasion.
65	* AgonyOfTheFeet: What happens once Squidward actually stomps on the hat.
66	* AllForNothing: From what we see in the episode, neither [=SpongeBob=] nor Squidward won the award, meaning all their attempts to sabotage each other, right to when they start working at the Krusty Krab, was only a complete waste of time.
67	* AmbiguousEnding: We never learn whether the winner was [=SpongeBob=] or Squidward, although it's likely that neither one of them won because they destroyed the Krusty Krab in the process (not to mention that Mr. Krabs is more concerned with losing profits from the customers thinking the Krabby Patties are free).
68	* BigNo: Mr. Krabs lets one out when an overworking [=SpongeBob=] "cleans" the dishes he just destroyed with a mop.
69	* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Squidward and [=SpongeBob=] when debating the merits of the Employee of the Month award. On one hand, [=SpongeBob=] is right that nothing is wrong with taking pride in your work and it can make the job worthwhile, especially if you are recognized for your hard work. On the other hand, Squidward has a point that many unscrupulous bosses simply use awards to keep employees happy without actually doing much if anything to treat them better[[note]]Genuine, well-meaning bosses also employ this tactic since they legitimately cannot give their employees anything better due to circumstances beyond their control and don’t want to lose them[[/note]], and that giving employees such awards is a potential way to butter them up enough to do extra work without extra compensation.
70	* BrokenRecord: "Hey, Squidward. Hey, Squidward. Hey, Squidward..."
71	* CaptainOblivious: Mr. Krabs has just no idea why [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward are being so competitive during the morning of the day when the Employee of the Month is judged.
72	* CrazyPrepared:
73	** "An experienced Employee of the Month always keeps a brick of lead in his hat."
74	** Squidward has dozens of alarm clocks to replace the ones [=SpongeBob=] breaks.
75	* CreateYourOwnVillain: From [=SpongeBob=]'s perspective. Squidward didn't care about the Employee of the Month award until [=SpongeBob=] broke into his house, tried to sabotage him, and wounded his pride by gloating that he's better than him.
76	* CripplingTheCompetition: Goes back and forth between Squidward and [=SpongeBob=].
77	* DontBeRidiculous:
78	-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Do you know what day it is?\
79	'''Squidward:''' Annoy Squidward Day?\
80	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' No, silly. That's on the fifteenth.
81	* DownerEnding: The competition for Employee of the Month has no real winner since it ended up destroying the Krusty Krab and letting countless Krabby Patties be enjoyed for free by the townspeople. Mr. Krabs is going to lose a lot of business due to his stock being given away, and his employees are still at each other's throats and don't care.
82	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: [=SpongeBob=] is outright ''hostile'' to Squidward even before the EscalatingWar starts, outright taunting Squidward about his awards and being better than him. It's ''nigh-impossible'' to imagine later seasons [=SpongeBob=] doing that, as most of [=SpongeBob's=] harassment of Squidward is usually [[ObliviouslyEvil oblivious]].
83	* EmployeeOfTheMonth: The focus of the episode is [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward competing with each other to earn the award at the Krusty Krab. It's also shown in that episode that [=SpongeBob=] has won the award at least 26 times.
84	* EscalatingWar: [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward trying to stop each other from getting to work first, then trying to outdo each other once they get there.
85	* FeudEpisode: This is the first one for [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward who become competitive over who gets to win the Employee of the Month Award.
86	* GoneHorriblyRight: Mr. Krabs, at least according to Squidward, set up the Employee of the Month award to butter up his employees into working harder for no extra cost. He keeps [=SpongeBob=] invested for a long tenure, even jokingly setting him against Squidward, though the result is both of them becoming incredibly paranoid and competitive, culminating in the two trying to manically outperform each other and wrecking the Krusty Krab in the process, the losses likely costing more than Krabs saved.
87	* InternalMonologue: [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward silently smile at each other while shaking on a deal to compete fairly, but we hear their thoughts reveal that they plan to stab each other in the back the first chance they get.
88	-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ''He's nothing but a lying, boneless, ink-squirting, big-nosed phony!''\
89	'''Squidward:''' ''Look at that bucktoothed, cornfed smile. You can't trust him as far as you can throw him!''\
90	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' ''As soon as he stops shaking my hand...''\
91	'''Squidward:''' ''I'm gonna make a run for it!''
92	* LaserGuidedKarma: Mr. Krabs. Since it's him that gives the Employee of the Month awards, he ends up paying the price when [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward become overly eager to win it.
93	* TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack: [=SpongeBob's=] photos on the Employee of the Month wall tell him to stop Squidward.
94	* ManipulativeBastard: The "March" month General [=SpongeBob=] who convinces the real, analogous one that Squidward actually is out to get his award. Squidward at first had no interest in getting the award, but after [=SpongeBob=] tried tampering with his clock and breaking into his house and gloating on how consecutive winnings make him better than Squidward, he tries to take the award out of spite.
95	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Well, "villain" in that [=SpongeBob=] is technically the instigator of the whole affair, but in his paranoid attempts to prevent Squidward from possibly winning Employee of the Month, Squidward goes from not caring at all aside from jokingly saying he could sneak it out from under him to deciding he'll win the award just to spite [=SpongeBob=].
96	* NoEnding: It is never decided who is Employee of the Month at the end, nor is the mystery of whether the customers actually were made to pay for the loosely distributed, copious Krabby Patties ever solved.
97	* OutOfCharacterMoment: The episode is one for both [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward:
98	** For [=SpongeBob=], this is one of very few episodes in which he sets out to antagonize Squidward ''on purpose'', and quite possibly the only one in which Squidward didn't antagonize him first, although [=SpongeBob=] actually ''believes'' he did. It shows just how much his streak of Employee of the Month awards means to him, and how effective Mr. Krabs' mind games have been.
99	** Squidward, normally a lazy employee who claims Employee of the Month is a scam at the start of the episode, actually wants to win the award later. This is because [=SpongeBob=] [[ItMakesSenseInContext breaks into his house to sabotage his sleep schedule]] and then insinuates he's better than Squidward for winning in the first place.
100	* RainOfSomethingUnusual: When [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward accidentally blow up the Krusty Krab as they're fighting over the award, specifically when they're making loads of Krabby Patties that it fills the restaurant full until it explodes, making Krabby Patties rain from the sky, much to the dismay of Mr. Krabs.
101	* RunningGag: Squidward being hit by Krabby Patty meat from the fan.
102	* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Squidward had absolutely no intentions of winning Employee of the Month, but [=SpongeBob=], paranoid that Squidward ''was'' out to get it, causes him to actually try to get it in his efforts to stop him, purely out of spite.
103	* SeriousBusiness: Winning the Employee of the Month Award! Played with in that only [=SpongeBob=] actually cares about it, while Squidward only decides to take it seriously after being driven up the wall by [=SpongeBob=] and deciding to win it to spite him.
104	* ShoutOut:
105	** The patty meat hitting Squidward is a reference to ''Film/TheShining''.
106	** [=SpongeBob=] talking to his Employee of the Month awards is a reference to ''Film/FullMetalJacket''.
107	** Squidward's many alarm clocks is an homage to ''Film/GroundhogDay''.
108	* SkewedPriorities:
109	** [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward have gone completely off their rockers, and the Krusty Krab has been blown to unrecoverable pieces, but the only thing Mr. Krabs is worried about is the customers attempting to take the thousands of falling Krabby Patties without paying for them.
110	** While Mr. Krabs is panicking over the customers taking free Krabby Patties, [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward, who just blew up their workplace by complete accident, are still trying to get Krabs to tell them which of the two is Employee of the Month.
111	* TitleDrop: The episode is named after the award that the Krusty Krab employees are vying for, which is said by name several times.
112	* TruceTrickery: [=SpongeBob=] and Squidward fiercely compete for the titular award, repeatedly trying to sabotage each other's attempts to get to the Krusty Krab before it opens. After these tricks escalate to them dragging a shipwreck and an anchor tied to their backs, the pair decide to call a truce. However, each of them know that the other is lying, and they both quickly rush to the Krusty Krab as soon as they stop shaking hands.
113	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Mr. Krabs. He sets off [=SpongeBob=]'s paranoia against Squidward by joking that Squidward might win the titular award this month (despite being just as lazy as usual).
114	* VandalismBackfire: [=SpongeBob=] tries his absolute hardest to turn off Squidward's clock, and even when he's caught in the act, he goes through with destroying it. This proves to be fruitless when Squidward reveals he has an entire closet of alarm clocks, and [=SpongeBob=] can't destroy them all.
115	* WritersCannotDoMath: [=SpongeBob=] says he won Employee of the Month 26 times in a row, but the wall shows ''43'' portraits.

Context Recap / SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E12TheChaperoneEmployeeOfTheMonth