Accidental Aesop: Unintentionally, the episode illustrates that you just can't force two people to be friends, especially if such hatred and animosity is ingrained in one of the people. By the end of the episode, Squidward reverts to his nasty self towards SpongeBob for making him do all those silly activities, showing just how deep-seated his hatred is for him. While Mr. Krabs had good intentions to create the event to bring them closer, it was ultimately doomed to fail when one of them clearly did not want even mandatory friendship. On the other hand, it seemed like a more intentional lesson was that being such a nasty and hate-filled person in the first place will only make things harder for yourself and others if you don't even try to change your ways, which was what Mr. Krabs was attempting to call Squidward out on.
Was Squidward really trying to give SpongeBob a great last day on Earth for him, or was it only to clear his conscience? On one hand, near the beginning, he was genuinely tearful at the idea of SpongeBob suddenly blowing up, and he later cries when he is reminded again, which both point to the former. On the other hand, his line about saying he is such a good person for doing it and anger that he wasted his day (rather than being grateful SpongeBob is alive) points toward the latter. Alternatively, Squidward started out genuinely sorry, but the continued ridiculousness and dismemberment led to his hate subtly growing back.
Also, when Squidward bought the pie from the pirate crew, did he actually take them at their word when they said they were kidding about the pies being bombs, or did he buy it fully aware of what it was but just wanted to get Mr. Krabs off his back? At the end, he does admit to SpongeBob he didn’t know they were actually bombs, implying the former, although he could’ve been saying that to look less guilty.
Why did SpongeBob rub his belly and lick his fingers when thanking Squidward for the pie, if he never really ate it? Did he eat something else and the "thanks for the pie" comment was unrelated, or did he not actually eat anything and the finger-licking and belly-rubbing was just intended to communicate that the pie looked tasty?
Alternative Joke Interpretation: After Squidward leaves Mr. Krabs's office to spend SpongeBob's (supposedly) final day with him. Krabs takes a note to himself "Watch out for Squidward". Does he think Squidward's recklessness will result in his own death despite the octopus showing remorse for allegedly killing SpongeBob? Does he think Squidward will deliberately try to kill him for an unrelated reason? Or does he think Squidward will come back to kill him so he doesn't tell anyone he killed SpongeBob?
Ass Pull: While it was pretty obvious that SpongeBob wasn't gonna die, the way the ending was handled seems pretty rushed. SpongeBobblowing bubble bombs once the sun went down seems pretty contrived in its timing, but more importantly is the twist of SpongeBob still having the pie (which he literally pulls out of his ass). Rule of Funny aside, this throws a lot of things into question. What the heck did SpongeBob eat between him finding the pie and Squidward and Mr. Krabs rushing back to the office? Why did he thank Squidward for the pie after eating whatever the other thing was? And why did smoke rise out of his mouth when something hit his lower intestine, not to mention not recognizing the scent?
Mr. Krabs was about to eat a bite of the pie, but gets up to grab the carton of milk, causing him to trip and drop the piece he's holding, resulting in an explosion. Imagine if Mr. Krabs ate the pie before getting milk...
Genius Bonus: The stock footage of the nuclear explosion that appears when Squidward gets hit with the pie bomb is taken from the 1946 nuclear bomb test on Bikini Atoll, the real life location of where Bikini Bottom is set.
Harsher in Hindsight: While $25 for a single pie is certainly ludicrous by today's standards, at the time of the episode's release, $25 was the equivalent of $45 in 2025 pricing, and $25 will end up being more reasonable for a pie as years go on due to the accelerating inflation rate.*Though it was quite a good price for a bomb capable of destroying an entire city.
The scene with SpongeBob with his face pressed against the window and a big smile looking at Squidward as he walks past became a template of showing obsession over something.
"Oh, these aren't homemade, they were... made in a factory. A bomb factory. They're bombs."ExplanationIn December 2022, it became a meme on TikTok to edit in the pirate warning Squidward about the pies being bombs into scenarios where a person is asked about food that they smuggled in, only to reply with this response.
The Krusty Krab blowing up.◊ExplanationThe scene of Squidward and Mr. Krabs being blasted away by the pie fragment, which also smashes a huge hole in the back of the Krusty Krab. Frequently used for reaction GIFs/images, usually for comical overreaction or comparison to some other media, although it was also popularized in the video "Krusty Krab Bombing of 2003".
A frame of Squidward raising his hands in the air with a big smile during the scene where he claims he's going to make SpongeBob's final hours so happy he'll drown in it with the caption "Guess what, nobody cares" is often used as a reaction image to something the poster isn't interested in.
British people when they see a droneExplanationSquidward yelling, "Drown in it!" sounds like he's saying, "Drone, innit!" in a British accent, with many noting that they Can't Un-Hear It once it's pointed out to them.
"Wearing a salmon suit!"ExplanationThe second thing on the list was dressing up Squidward in a salmon suit and showing him around town. This has been used as a meme template where artists draw their favorite characters reenacting that scene with the grumpier of the two in the salmon suit.
"GARY! YOU ARE GONNA FINISH YOUR DESSERT, AND YOU ARE GONNA LIKE IT!!!"ExplanationSpongeBob's response to learning that Squidward expected him to "explode", pretending to scold Gary after interpreting "explode" in its figurative sense. The surprising gusto with which SpongeBob feigns anger made the bit a popular subject of remixes and edits.
The pie explosion.ExplanationA stock clip of one of the Bikini Atoll nuclear detonation tests, used to represent the effects of the pie bomb at the end of the episode. The footage became a popular clip in YouTube Poop videos, often paired with the "WTF Boom" soundbyte, thanks to the episode exposing it to newer generations.
Spoiled by the Format: After SpongeBob seemingly explodes from the pie bomb and Squidward mourns him, you know there's still more to come from that point as there were about two minutes left in the episode following the explosion.
Tear Jerker: SpongeBob supposedly dying as well as Squidward's guilt for potentially killing him. Turns into a Tear Dryer when it was revealed SpongeBob did not explode after all.
Visual Effects of Awesome: The sunset scene is incredibly well-drawn, with the color palette being incredibly impressionist and SpongeBob and Squidward's shadows not only following their movement exactly, but also stretching out the further the sun goes down.
Imitation Krabs:
Ass Pull: Plankton having a self-destruct coin slot in his Mr. Krabs robot. This was never hinted at beforehand and ensured Plankton wouldn’t win in the end with Mr. Krabs out of the picture at the moment and SpongeBob none the wiser.
"But we did everything you said! I followed all the rules!"ExplanationPlankton's tantrum when SpongeBob refuses to tell him the formula is often used in response to instances of The Cake Is a Lie.
"Ravioli ravioli, give me the formuoli."ExplanationPlankton's modified version of the Italian food rhyme that he and SpongeBob recited earlier in the episode, said in an attempt to coerce SpongeBob to believe that the real Mr. Krabs is a faker. The silliness of the phrase made it a popular source for edits related to other fandoms.
"Ravioli ravioli, give me the diplomioli."ExplanationA common phrase used for graduating college students who want their diploma or "diplomioli".