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YMMV / SpongeBob SquarePants S2 E15 "The Secret Box" / "Band Geeks"

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The Secret Box:

  • Fanon: Many fans assume the embarrassing Christmas photo is the photo Squidward took of SpongeBob in the episode "Christmas Who?" Another theory exists that it's a photo that was taken during one of Nickelodeon's "Nickmas" holiday bumpers.
  • Funny Moments: Patrick's line about the contents of his mind being an enigma, which is then revealed to be... a milk carton tipping over. In one interview, Bill Fagerbakke cited this as his favorite Patrick gag.
  • Just Here for Godzilla: Not that this episode is considered bad by any means, but even fans who don't like it that much will sit through it just because of its sister episode.
  • Memetic Molester: Patrick, due to his creepy I'm-going-to-rape-you face and laugh at the end of the episode.
  • Memetic Mutation:
    • "The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma."Explanation
    • SpongeBob's "secret TV channel".Explanation
  • Tear Jerker: "It's the best friends forever! Best friends forever! Ring!" SpongeBob has to use their friendship ring to prove to Patrick that it's him and not an intruder. Patrick breaks down crying because it means SpongeBob has betrayed his trust, which was why he refused to believe it was really him until that point. And the little figures of SpongeBob and Patrick on the ring are so darn cute... Thankfully, Patrick wasn't really upset.

Band Geeks:

  • Awesome Music: "Sweet Victory", of course. No wonder it was voted the #1 Nicktoon moment of all time!
  • Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Why the Bubble Bowl takes place on land, watched by a crowd of live-action humans is never foreshadowed, explained, or referred to in any way. For those curious, the football game was the May 25th, 1984 game between the Memphis Showboats and the Tampa Bay Bandits. Then again, this is SpongeBob we're talking about here...
  • Catharsis Factor: One of the major reasons for its enduring popularity, as the increasing levels of cosmically unjust torture Squidward would later suffer during the show's Seasonal Rot have made this episode grow more satisfying with age. For the first time in the entire series, Squidward actually wins, his hard work pays off, everyone else pitches in to help him out, and Squilliam suffers an abrupt heart attack. This is a major part of the reason many fans consider it an unofficial series finale — it's a good way to send it off.
  • Crosses the Line Twice:
  • Ensemble Dark Horse: Debuting in one of the best-received, if not the best-received Nicktoons episodes ever would most likely have granted Squilliam this honor by default, but he's gone on to be one of the show's most popular supporting characters, if nothing else then certainly due to the fact that episodes he appears in usually end in victories for Squidward.
  • Fountain of Memes: The "big meaty claws" moment is already subject to Memetic Mutation (as seen below), but the whole scene is memetic in and out of itself in Latin America, with not one but four quotes from that scene being distinct memes.
    "¡Grandes tenazas carnosas!" *
    "¡¿Qué dijiste, estúpido?!" *
    "¡Estas tenazas no son solo para atraer pareja!" *
    "¡Acércate, viejo! ¡Acércate!" *
  • Fridge Brilliance: SpongeBob mentioning that time Larry overdosed on tanning pills explains why Larry, an uncooked lobster, is red.
  • Funny Moments:
    • The whole episode, from the sheer incompetency of the Bikini Bottomites at playing their instruments, to the hilariously dark blimp death, and to SpongeBob's "eager" face.
    • The German dub, when SpongeBob takes over conducting, has him saying the line, "Eins, und zwei, und keine Schlägerei!" ("One, and two, and no brawls!"), as though he expects one to happen again. Of course, considering it comes just after the big brawl, one can't exactly fault him...
    • The part where Sandy stuffs Patrick into a trombone. From Patrick's over-the-top scream, to the way everyone just blankly stares at the door and then at him without even changing expression, to the trombone sounds when he walks before letting out a big note (that comes out of his mouth) when he sits down, every second of that scene is side-splittingly hilarious.
  • Hype Backlash: The sheer amount of the praise of the episode has caused this for some people, with many of those detractors describing the episode as "overrated".
  • It Was His Sled: Squidward wins. What was initially seen as an unexpected and sweet Throw the Dog a Bone moment is now a given to audiences thanks to how much the "Sweet Victory" scene has spread across pop culture.
  • Jerkass Woobie: Squidward. The episode is kicked off by his successful rival Squilliam calling him on the phone to tell Squidward that he's living his dream of having a band play at the Bubble Bowl, just to rub it in his face. Squidward tries to save face by getting a band together, and his efforts to teach his band meeting with failure at every turn. The whole thing leaves the poor guy in tears as he gives up. Even worse is that Squilliam shows up at the Bubble Bowl so he can watch Squidward fail. Though his motives are a bit selfish, it's hard not to feel sorry for Squidward.
  • Memetic Mutation:
    • "Is mayonnaise an instrument?"Explanation
    • Big Meaty ClawsExplanation
    • Oh-ho! So now the [X] is going to preach to us!Explanation
    • SpongeBob's "eager face".Explanation
    • It's very common to replace "Sweet Victory" with another song, such as "Don't Stop Believin'".
  • Moment of Awesome: There's a reason the ending was voted the #1 Nicktoon moment of all time.
  • Sacred Cow: Widely considered the best episode of the series, and one of the best episodes on any Nickelodeon show. Fans will not take criticism of this episode lightly.
  • Signature Scene: The entire ending, with the cast performing "Sweet Victory" and ending on a still shot of Squidward jumping in triumph, owed to a mix of its sheer bombast and its huge Throw the Dog a Bone moment for Squidward.
  • Signature Song: "Sweet Victory", which was named as the #1 Nicktoon moment of all time in the Nicktoons Superstuffed Nicksgiving Weekend during Thanksgiving 2007.
  • Woolseyism: The Korean dub of the episode changes the famous "Big! Meaty! Claws!" line into "Some stupid yellow guy!" (In Korean culture, the term "yellow person" is slang for "a selfish, narrow-minded person.")

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