Line #68 Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS1E9NaturePantsOppositeDay


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ff05dfe6_de21_4d26_a4b2_ba4968dceae9.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Home, at last.]]
3
4	'''Nature Pants'''
5
6	'''Original air date:''' 9/11/1999
7
8	[=SpongeBob=] decides to abandon his normal ways and live with the jellyfish. Needless to say, not only does living in the wild prove to be troublesome, but Patrick does not take this well.
9	----
10	!!"Nature Pants" contains examples of:
11	* AesopAmnesia: [=SpongeBob=] attempts to assimilate with the jellyfish, despite Sandy's warnings that they are in fact pretty unfriendly animals. [=SpongeBob=] himself should already know given how ugly [[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E7HallMonitorJellyfishJam his last attempt to bond with one went.]]
12	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: [=SpongeBob=] is unsurprisingly shunned and zapped out of Jellyfish Fields because he is ''clearly'' not a jellyfish.
13	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: While Sandy is calling out [=SpongeBob=]'s crazy idea of living with jellyfish, she describes them as "cold and mean and none too bright".
14	* AxCrazy: Patrick, of all people, goes crazy when [=SpongeBob=] refuses to come home. He even threatens to put [=SpongeBob=] in a jar and keep him in there. Forever.
15	* BadBadActing: Patrick in the scene below.
16	* BarbieDollAnatomy: On [=SpongeBob=], after he goes and lives with the jellyfish.
17	* BenevolentBoss: Mr. Krabs. At the start, he actually had a legit reason to fire [=SpongeBob=], but despite multiple offenses (he mentions it's the fourth time that week [=SpongeBob=] began neglecting his job), he talks with [=SpongeBob=] about it. He sincerely tries to make [=SpongeBob=] feel good about the life he has without being condescending. During the welcome home party, he gives [=SpongeBob=] a free Krabby Patty and immediately rehires him (or never fired him), despite [=SpongeBob=] walking out on the job. In short, this is one of the episodes where Mr. Krabs is at his most generous, to the point it's a bit jarring to know what [[{{Flanderization}} he would become in later seasons]].
18	* BigNo: After Patrick and Sandy's attempt to lure [=SpongeBob=] home with Krabby Patties doesn't work, Patrick gives one of these as Sandy drags him away.
19	* BreakTheCutie: Patrick does ''not'' take [=SpongeBob=] leaving well.
20	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Sandy gives [=SpongeBob=] a week for him to come to his senses, while Squidward gives him 11 minutes, which is the duration of the episode in question.
21	* BrickJoke: One of the indignities [=SpongeBob=] suffers in the wild is getting all itchy after being stung by sea urchins. At the end of the episode, everyone gives [=SpongeBob=] a GroupHug, only to get the sea urchin toxin on themselves and end up all itchy.
22	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: [=SpongeBob=] willingly quits his job at the Krusty Krab and even throws his hat to the ground without a second thought. Not much later into the series, [[SeriousBusiness the mere thought of doing those things would horrify him]].
23	* EpicFail: Instead of using the fire extinguisher to put out the fire from the grill, [=SpongeBob=] simply throws it right at it.
24	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Mr. Krabs, Sandy, and Squidward all surmised [=SpongeBob=] would realize living with the jellyfish is a harsh and unbearable lifestyle and he'd crawl back to civilization sooner or later. He does.
25	* GrassIsGreener: [=SpongeBob=] idealizes living among the jellyfish as what his life is meant to be like, and does everything in his power to leave his current life behind, but after getting stung by an entire hive of jellyfish and a run-in with poison sea urchins, he finally realizes that his old life was preferable.
26	-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone What have I done?]] I had a great life and friends, and I gave all of that up!
27	* GroupHug: [=SpongeBob=]’s friends (with Squidward caught in the middle) give him a welcome back hug, even Gary slithers up Patrick’s back to join in. Except this spreads [=SpongeBob=]’s sea urchin rash to them, [[RuleOfFunny even Sandy through her spacesuit]].
28	* HulkSpeak: Patrick devolves to doing this during his breakdown.
29	-->'''Patrick:''' [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry Patrick sad!]]
30	* ICallItVera: [=SpongeBob's=] jellyfish net is named "Ol' Reliable". [[spoiler:Patrick winds up [[ItsAllJunk breaking it over his knee]] after tearfully giving up on catching [=SpongeBob=], and [=SpongeBob=] acquires a new, metallic jellyfishing net dubbed Ol’ Reliable in a later season.]]
31	* IfICantHaveYou: Patrick when he decides to hunt down [=SpongeBob=].
32	-->'''Patrick:''' If I can't have you as a friend, I'm going to make you a ''trophy!'' I even picked out this nice jar for you. Shows a jar labeled "[=SpongeBob=]-Friend"
33	* InelegantBlubbering: Patrick while [=SpongeBob=] is giving his stuff away and leaving. He ''is'' on the verge of losing his best friend after all.
34	* IronicEchoCut: "Even Squidward misses you." Cut to Squidward throwing himself a "Goodbye, [=SpongeBob=]" party.
35	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Squidward references the episode's running time:
36	-->'''Sandy:''' I give him a week.\
37	'''Squidward:''' I give him eleven minutes.
38	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When [=SpongeBob=] realizes the error of abandoning his normal ways.
39	-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' What have I done? I had a great life and friends, and I gave all of that up.
40	* MyNewGiftIsLame: [=SpongeBob=] gives away his possessions to his friends before he leaves to be a jellyfish. The only thing he leaves Squidward is a (non-electric) can opener, to which he sarcastically remarks, "And I thought this friendship would never pay off." Patrick initially didn't do much better, getting a jar of mayonnaise and a stack of old phone books until [=SpongeBob=] also decided to give him [[ICallItVera "Ol' Reliable"]]: his prized jellyfish net.
41	* NatureLover: What drives [=SpongeBob=] to live with the jellyfish.
42	* NoodleIncident: "This is the fourth time this week I had to scrape you off of something."
43	* OffscreenCrash: Patrick causes this when he throws aside the pile of [=SpongeBob's=] old phone books.
44	* OminousMusicBoxTune: When Patrick declares that he's going to make [=SpongeBob=] a trophy.
45	* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: Squidward, when he gives [=SpongeBob=] his pants back at the end of the episode.
46	* ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud: Patrick, in this scene:
47	-->'''Patrick:''' [[BadBadActing Why... thank you Sandy... I would love one. Take patty. Too bad [=SpongeBob=] isn't here... these are his favorites... I sure wish he would come home. Take bite...]]
48	* SceneryCensor: When [=SpongeBob=] takes off his pants, he's standing behind a bush. Scenery censors are used at multiple other points as well. Played with, as the episode shows at other times that [[BarbieDollAnatomy there's nothing to actually censor]].
49	* SeaHurtchin: After [=SpongeBob=] gets zapped by jellyfish, he tries to call it a night by resting in a cave, all while bearing the cold with only a kelp blanket to barely cover him. All of a sudden, he gets a painfully itchy feeling, and it turns out that he's covered by poison sea urchins.
50	* TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: [=SpongeBob=] angrily quits his job at the Krusty Krab, throwing his hat onto the ground and storming out to start a new life.
51	* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: [[HulkSpeak "Patrick sad!" and later, "Patrick itchy!"]]
52	* {{Yandere}}: A rare platonic example. Patrick completely loses his mind after [=SpongeBob=] refuses to come back to civilization, trying to cram his friend into a jar and keep him as a trophy.
53	-->'''Patrick:''' You're gonna look good on my mantel! '''''FRIENDS FOREVER, SPONGEBOB!!!'''''
54	----
55	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/45904e5f_d881_490f_95b4_05c6adbd0c8f.png]]
56	[[caption-width-right:350:"Squidward, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness you need bed rest]]!"]]
57
58	'''Opposite Day'''
59
60	'''Original air date:''' 9/11/1999
61
62	Squidward tricks [=SpongeBob=] into believing it is opposite day, so he can try and move away from [=SpongeBob=]. Needless to say, this eventually backfires.
63	----
64	!!"Opposite Day" contains examples of:
65	* BadImpressionists: Patrick's imitation of Squidward consists of nothing more than dancing in place and singing "I'm Squidward" ad infinitum. [=SpongeBob=] tries to teach Patrick how to properly imitate Squidward, only for him to go right back to singing and dancing, with [=SpongeBob=] following suit.
66	* BigNever:
67	-->'''Squidward:''' ''[[LegCling (clinging to the real estate agent's leg)]]'' Please sell my house!\
68	'''Real Estate Agent:''' ''(yanks her leg out of his grip)'' '''''NEVER!'''''
69	* BigNo: Squidward screams one when he sees the realtor's boat parked outside his house.
70	* BottleEpisode: Most of the episode is set at [=SpongeBob=]'s home lane.
71	* ButtMonkey: Squidward, especially since he was trying really hard to sell his house in this episode.
72	* CelebrationMiscalculation: The episode opens with [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick throwing Squidward a surprise birthday party. After they leave, Squidward yells: "It's not my '''''BIRTHDAY!'''''"
73	* ChasedOffIntoTheSunset: In the ending, Squidward chases [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick with a bulldozer that he used earlier to clean up the mess they made at [=SpongeBob=]'s house.
74	* ChickenJoke: [=SpongeBob=] tells Patrick the punchline of a chicken joke without the setup thanks to Patrick giving up as soon as [=SpongeBob=] gets his attention. This being Opposite Day, the two tell the joke backwards as well (while also [[SdrawkcabSpeech talking backwards]]).
75	-->'''Both:''' ''(laughter)''\
76	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' To get to the opposite side!\
77	'''Patrick:''' I give up!\
78	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Hey, Patrick!
79	* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: As the Opposite Day story didn't really make [=SpongeBob=] or Patrick any less annoying (especially since he didn't tell Patrick at all about how to behave on Opposite Day), Squidward regrets not making it "Go Jump off a Cliff" Day.
80	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Squidward apparently didn't expect [=SpongeBob=] to take celebrating Opposite Day so far. He also mentions earlier that everyone knows about Opposite Day, which is why [=SpongeBob=] doesn't explain to the realtor what is really happening. In addition, he forgot to tell Patrick about Opposite Day as well, who had no idea about it when visiting [=SpongeBob=].
81	* EatingPetFood: [=SpongeBob=] does this when he acts like Gary.
82	* FelonyMisdemeanor: The realtor warns Squidward his home won't be sold if it is surrounded by "bad neighbors", like what happened with her last few ventures.
83	* FinishingEachOthersSentences: As the realtor decides to leave and abandon Squidward to his two neighbors, this exchange happens:
84	-->'''Squidward:''' WAAAAIIT!!!\
85	'''Spongebob:''' Don't...\
86	'''Patrick:''' Go!!
87	* HappyBirthdayToYou: [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick sing a made-up birthday song to Squidward, not knowing it's not his birthday:
88	-->''Happy happy birthday! Happy birthday cake!''\
89	''Happy happy birthday! Pin the tail on the seahorse!''\
90	''Happy happy birthday! Happy birthday Squidward!''
91	* HolidayEpisode: [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick celebrate the made-up holiday Opposite Day.
92	* HouseInspection: Squidward wants to move but is warned about having poor chances of selling his house if his neighbors are obnoxious. In order to keep [=SpongeBob=] out of the way, he tells him that it's "Opposite Day", assuming that will mean that [=SpongeBob=] will stay quiet and out of the way. Instead, he takes it to mean that he should act like Squidward and proceeds to do so when the realtor arrives.
93	* InsaneTrollLogic: [=SpongeBob=] demolishes his house, [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad which on Opposite Day is cleaning it]]. When Squidward repairs his house, not wanting the realtor to see such a mess, [=SpongeBob=] is so confused that he literally ties himself into knots trying to figure out why. He deduces that Squidward is being [=SpongeBob=], which is the opposite of Squidward, and that he must become Squidward, the opposite of [=SpongeBob=].
94	-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I don't get it. [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad I made my house a mess, which was making it clean]], which made Squidward clean my yard, but that really means he's messing it up. But the opposite of clean is filth, which means filth is clean. That means Squidward's really making my yard a wreck, but I'd normally wreck my own yard, which means Squidward is being the opposite of Squidward, which means he's [=SpongeBob=]!
95	* IWillShowYouX: When Patrick and [=SpongeBob=] tell Squidward, "Happy Opposite Day, Squidward! We hate you!", Squidward gets ticked off before [[DissonantSerenity suddenly smiling]] and [[TranquilFury calmly saying]], "Let me show you how much I... HATE ''YOU''!"
96	* IveHeardOfThatWhatIsIt: The TropeNamer:
97	-->'''Patrick:''' Opposite Day? Hey, I've heard of that!\
98	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' You have?\
99	'''Patrick:''' No! What is it?
100	* LaserGuidedKarma:
101	** Squidward suffers this when [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick enjoying Opposite Day (the holiday he came up with in the first place) are what cause the realtor to cancel selling his house.
102	** Both [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick get this when they ruin the realtor's visit when they get chased by the bulldozer to parts unknown.
103	* NoNameGiven: The realtor is not named in the episode, nor is she named in the credits. She lampshades this by stating it might as well be Squidward seeing she's [[SurroundedByIdiots surrounded by "Squidwards"]].
104	* OcularGushers: Patrick sheds them when he thinks [=SpongeBob=] is ending his friendship with him.
105	* OhCrap: Squidward when he sees the realtor's boat, and [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick when Squidward chases them with a bulldozer.
106	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Played with. [=SpongeBob=] becomes very concerned about Squidward's wellbeing when he sees him suddenly acting silly and cheerfully, but Squidward was just acting in order to convince [=SpongeBob=] that it's Opposite Day.
107	* OppositeDay: Obviously.
108	* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Squidward begs this to the realtor complete with a LegCling to no avail.
109	* RageBreakingPoint: The real estate woman when she gets [[RuleOfThree introduced to the "third" (the real) Squidward]].
110	-->'''Real Estate Agent:''' What kind of fool do you take me for? (''points at Patrick'') ''He's'' Squidward? (''points at [=SpongeBob=]'') ''He's'' Squidward?! (''points at Squidward'') ''YOU'RE'' SQUIDWARD?! ''[[AndImTheQueenOfSheba I'M]]'' [[AndImTheQueenOfSheba SQUIDWARD!!!]] Are there any other "Squidwards" I should know about?\
111	'''Gary:''' ''(in Squidward voice with a pickle for a nose)'' [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder Meow]].\
112	'''Real Estate Agent:''' [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere I'm outta here.]]\
113	'''Squidward:''' Ma'am, please! What about my house?!\
114	'''Real Estate Agent:''' I wouldn't sell your house if you were the last "Squidward" on Earth!
115	* RewindGag: Part of their "oppositing" montage has [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick briefly [[SdrawkcabSpeech telling a joke backwards]].When played forwards, their conversation is as follows:
116	-->'''Both:''' ''(laughter)''\
117	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' To get to the opposite side!\
118	'''Patrick:''' I give up!\
119	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Hey, Patrick!
120	* RuleOfFunny: Gary suddenly appearing as yet another "Squidward" at the end of the episode. At no point prior does he collaborate with [=SpongeBob=] or Patrick on this prank; he delivers the {{punchline}} to this sequence of events by simply being there.
121	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The Real Estate Agent, who's fed up with Squidward, [=SpongeBob=], Patrick and Gary (pretending to be Squidward).
122	* SdrawkcabSpeech: One part of [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's Opposite Day celebrations include telling a ChickenJoke backwards while talking backwards; this includes their laughter. Reversing the audio reveals that the joke is as follows:
123	-->'''Both:''' ''(laughter)''\
124	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' To get to the opposite side!\
125	'''Patrick:''' I give up!\
126	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Hey, Patrick!
127	* SpannerInTheWorks: Squidward's plan to get [=SpongeBob=] to do nothing all day might have worked... if he had told Patrick about Opposite Day too.
128	* StatusQuoIsGod: With the realtor refusing to sell Squidward's house, he is to remain in Bikini Bottom between [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick to his dismay.
129	* TeamRocketWins: Squidward eventually gets back at [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick by chasing after them by a bulldozer in the end.
130	* WithAFootOnTheBus: The episode sets Squidward up to leave Bikini Bottom (and the show), but thanks to [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick's antics, the realtor cancels the move out of frustration.

Context Recap / SpongebobSquarepantsS1E9NaturePantsOppositeDay