Broken Base: Some fans dislike this episode for its abuse towards Squidward in the second half, even when he didn't bring it upon himself, while others still consider it funny in its own right.
Franchise Original Sin: Later seasons will be torturing Squidward for no good reason, but here, he gets nearly starved to death because of the duo's stupidity. The only difference is that at least here, he brought the misfortunes in the first half upon himself, and SpongeBob and Patrick act in-character for the rest of the episode, whereas the later seasons will torture him mercilessly just for minding his own business.
Funny Moments: The Magic Conch saying, "No," to Squidward over and over and over is pretty funny on its own, but when it says it one last time with a slightly cockier inflection, it's a million times funnier.
Magic Conch: Try asking again. Squidward:(hopefully) Can I have something to eat? Magic Conch:(snarkily) No!
Hilarious in Hindsight: SpongeBob asked the Magic Conch if he would ever get married and the answer was "maybe someday". In "Truth or Square", SpongeBobalmost married Sandy. Almost...
Jerkass Woobie: Squidward's arrogance caused the heroes to get lost in the kelp forest, but his suffering and Sanity Slippage is just brutal. Also, that Magic Conch Shell really has it in for him.
Memetic Mutation: "The [X] has spoken!"ExplanationThe response is often used whenever declaring someone's statement, whether it's true or something ridiculous, to be truthful and undisputable.
Nightmare Fuel: In January of 2022, an unused painting of a disheveled Squidward from "Club SpongeBob" was revealed to the public, after being left on the cutting room floor for over two decades. Not hard to see why it wasn't used.
Unintentionally Sympathetic: The episode is meant to be Squidward being a Jerkass and bringing his own misfortune upon himself. However, the conflict started because of Poor Communication Kills on SpongeBob and Patrick's part and Squidward only got them lost by accident when he tried to get out of the treehouse. Once lost, Squidward is the only one being remotely realistic about the situation that they need to focus on survival and getting out, while Patrick and SpongeBob were relying on a toy for guidance and it only worked because the duo is Born Lucky. While Squidward was rude about the Magic Conch Shell, said Shell denying him food can come off as a bit much since from his perspective, there wasn't any reason to listen to it before.
A shot of Patrick wearing a purple sweater at the beginning of the episode is a popular reaction image with the phrase, "Mom, come pick me up, I'm scared.", edited in.
The frame of Patrick sitting on the ground with a board nailed to his head which internet users use to describe feeling overwhelmed or unable to think/do anything at the moment.
"Hey, who left this bowl of onions here?"Explanation Throughout the episode, certain characters appear to be crying out of sympathy for SpongeBob, only for it to be revealed that their eyes are only watery due to a nearby bowl of onions. This quote, which is said by Squidward, is often used by fans to express sorrow, be it genuine or sarcastically.
Squidward's explanation of how things work is pretty popular for fans who grew up and realized the repetitive realities of being an adult.
Tear Dryer: While SpongeBob releasing Mystery into the wild is incredibly sad, it loops back around into being funny when he unknowingly tells Patrick to, "Just get out of here, you stupid, dumb animal," and Patrick complies with the dullest expression ever, with the board still nailed to his head.
Mr. Krabs' story about spending a dollar he cherished as a kid. While it's still a funny joke, it's still a story about a little boy giving up his most prized possession.
SpongeBob saying goodbye to Mystery could strike this.
from "Club SpongeBob" was revealed to the public, after being left on the cutting room floor for over two decades. Not hard to see why it wasn't used.