BlackJack

If you were looking for the article about the character, then see BlackJack (character).

Characters

• Gary the Snail
• Mr. Postman ^(mentioned)
• Template:Data:Links
  • Daydream SpongeBob
• BlackJack Template:Single appearance
  • Daydream BlackJack
• Fish in pictures
• Harold SquarePants
  • Daydream Harold
• Margaret SquarePants
  • Daydream Margaret
• Daydream Perch Perkins
• Grandma SquarePants
• Captain Blue SquarePants Template:Single appearance
• French Narrator
• Clam ^(mentioned)
• BlackJack's guard worm Template:Single appearance
• Fumigators ^(mentioned)
• Krill ^(mentioned)
• Jellyfish ^(mentioned)

Synopsis

In the beginning of the episode, SpongeBob receives a "ransom" note from his cousin BlackJack, saying that he has been released from prison, has paid SpongeBob's parents a "visit," and has challenged him to a wrestling match for their safety. When he arrives at their house, it is wrapped with police tape, and all of the furniture is covered in plastic, which leads SpongeBob to believe a crime was committed at his parents' house. He finds another note from BlackJack, this time saying he's going to pay SpongeBob's Grandma a visit. SpongeBob arrives at Grandma SquarePants' house, and she says BlackJack recently called her, and left a message for SpongeBob, saying he has some "loose ends to tie up." This results in SpongeBob thinking BlackJack tied up his parents.

File:BlackJack 101.png

The boy came to work.

SpongeBob seeks help from his uncle, Captain Blue SquarePants, a retired police captain. But because of listening to various loud sounds, instead of helping SpongeBob save his parents from BlackJack, he makes SpongeBob partake in manual labor, including lawn mowing, building a fence, trimming a coral tree, and much more for the next 346 minutes. When SpongeBob finishes, SpongeBob stops the music and tells the situation. Captain Blue refuses to help, saying that if he was in SpongeBob's place, he will just go home and tells him that he's not cut out for this type of work but he does drive him to BlackJack's house, which is ironically (and literally) right next door. SpongeBob stands in front of BlackJack's front door for a moment regretting his decision (and remembering what his uncle said), when he hears his mother scream from inside the house. SpongeBob instantly runs into BlackJack's house, and into the basement. SpongeBob goes in to confront his foe and save his parents, but it is revealed that his parents were never in any danger, and that they are holding a party for BlackJack to celebrate his release.

File:BlackJack 195.png

BlackJack.

They explain to SpongeBob that BlackJack has renounced his "criminal" ways of littering, and that their house was closed off due to a krill infestation. BlackJack then enters the room, still intent on beating up SpongeBob, but SpongeBob is now prepared to stand up for himself. As BlackJack charges at SpongeBob, it is revealed that BlackJack is no bigger than SpongeBob's foot, and that he cannot do any harm whatsoever, as the episode ends.

Production

Release

• This episode is available on the To Love a Patty, Season 5 Volume 2, First 100 Episodes, Holidays with SpongeBob 3-DVD Gift Set, The Ultimate SpongeBob Box Set, All Aboard for Laughs, Kids Double Pack: Volume 6, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 8, Complete Fifth Season, From the Beginning, Part 2, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The Inmates of Summer, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, Easter with SpongeBob, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and The Fifth & Sixth Seasons DVDs.

Reception

• Currently retired critic Mina Rhodes of the DVD Verdict called the episode in a review of To Love a Patty, "one of the weakest in the entire series."

Trivia

General

File:Season5insearchofmomanddadsponge.jpeg

The title "In Search of Mom and Dad Sponge" used on the episode outline.

File:In Search of Ma and Pa Sponge.png

Unused "In Search of Ma and Pa Sponge" title card.

• This episode's alternate titles were "SpongeBob's Cousin," "In Search of Ma and Pa Sponge," and "In Search of Mom and Dad Sponge." One of the alternate titles even had a title card made for it before they decided to change it to the finalized title of "BlackJack."
• Since mid-2009, Nickelodeon USA broadcasts of this episode use the soundtrack "Secret Agent 00 SquarePants" as the title card cue instead of "K-55," possibly due to copyright issues. This is also true for all Nicktoons USA and Nick@Nite broadcasts, as well as all digital and streaming releases on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, and iTunes. The international non-US airings and all DVD releases still use "K-55," however.
• This episode has a similar plot to "The Bully," as both episodes involve a character trying to bully SpongeBob.
• The return address on the envelope that has been covered by saliva can be made out as "BlackJack, 133 Coral Rd or Bd, Bikini Bottom."
• On the envelope, Template:Data:Links is just referred to as "The Pineapple, Bikini Bottom," instead of "124 Conch Street."
• When SpongeBob has a flashback to when he was a kid, he is shown wearing a bowtie.
• During SpongeBob's childhood with BlackJack, SpongeBob is seen with the same bowtie that he wore in "Squirrel Jokes" and "Party Pooper Pants."

File:Bowl.png

"BlackJack" (left) and "Grandma's Kisses" (right).

• The bowl on Grandma's counter is the same as the one in "Grandma's Kisses" but with a different, clearer shape.
• After SpongeBob says, "Cleaning up the mess?," his face deflates just like Template:Data:Links's face does at the end of "Squid's Day Off."
• 346 minutes equals 5 hours and 46 minutes which means that SpongeBob spent almost six hours mowing the lawn at Uncle Captain Blue's house.
• The door knocker on BlackJack's house has a hand attached to it with a bone sticking out. This resembles SpongeBob's hand.
• SpongeBob's father's first name is revealed to be Harold.
• BlackJack is the only one of SpongeBob's known relatives to have been sent to jail for criminal activity.
• It can be considered ironic that BlackJack has black hair, as he can be considered the black sheep of his family.
• John DiMaggio guest starred as BlackJack.
• This episode features more appearances of SpongeBob's relatives than any other episodes, with a total of five characters.
• This is the second appearance of SpongeBob's grandmother, who first appears in "Grandma's Kisses."
  • This means that she took six years to return.
• This is the third episode to have a title card that only has light around the text. The first was "Squirrel Jokes," and the second was "Funny Pants."
• This is the fourth episode in which SpongeBob gets split in half. The first is "Texas," the second is "Procrastination," and the third is "I Had an Accident."
• This is the final third segment until "A Skin Wrinkle in Time" in season 13 and the sixth third segment overall. The first was "Tea at the Treedome," the second was "Fungus Among Us," the third was "Good Ol' Whatshisname," the fourth was "Slimy Dancing," and the fifth was "The Krusty Plate."
• In the Indonesian dub, the scene where SpongeBob entering his parents' house was skipped to the daydream scene due to the time constraints.
• On the November 6, 2009 airing, this episode was paired up with "Cephalopod Lodge."

Cultural references

• BlackJack is a reference to the gambling card game of the same name.

Errors

• Because of the title card soundtrack substitution mentioned above, when SpongeBob says, "Hmm" when about to read the letter, the line echoes with 2 recordings of the line overlapping each other. This error is only present in all American television broadcasts since 2009, digital releases, and streaming services.
• When SpongeBob is at his parents' house, there is an image above the couch, that shows a sun on some rocks in goo. In SpongeBob's idea of what happened, the image shows dark rocks, like it is night.
• In SpongeBob's idea of what happened to his parents, it shows that it is daytime, but when BlackJack comes in, it is night.
• In SpongeBob's idea of what happened to his parents, the stripe on Harold's hat is lighter than normal.
• When SpongeBob is running to work on Uncle Captain Blue's car, the purple paint is still there from when he was painting Uncle Captain Blue's wall but when he is done fixing Uncle Captain Blue's car, the paint isn't there anymore.
• When SpongeBob builds the fence, he builds it all around Captain Blue SquarePants' house, but when he drives SpongeBob to BlackJack's house, the fence has an opening.
• When Uncle Captain Blue drives SpongeBob to BlackJack's house (who lives next door), the fence SpongeBob built earlier in the episode is brown, instead of white. BlackJack's house is not seen when he builds the fence however.
• When Uncle Captain Blue drives SpongeBob to BlackJack's house, the grass around Uncle Captain Blue's house is replaced with sand.

File:BlackJack 199.png

His belt is missing.

• When SpongeBob says, "You haven't changed a bit," his belt is missing.

Videos

File:Nickelodeon Split Screen Credits (July 27, 2007)

File:Nickelodeon Split Screen Credits (August 3, 2007)