Dirty Bubble Returns

If you were looking for the article about the comic, then see Dirty Bubble Returns! (comic).

Characters

• Template:Data:Links
• Margaret SquarePants ^(mentioned)
• Patrick Star
• Squidward Tentacles
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Realistic Fish Head
• Dirty Bubble
  • Clean Bubble Template:Single appearance
  • Little Dirty Bubbles
• Pirate captain Template:Single appearance
• Buccaneer customers Template:Single appearance
• Popeye fish ^{(cameo; purple)}
• Finback fish Template:Cameo
• Al Gristlepuss
• Perch Perkins
• Unnamed police officer
• Warden
• Template:Data:Links
  • Incidental 118D
  • Incidental 118
  • Incidental 118B
  • Incidental 118A
  • Incidental 13
  • Incidental 45
  • Incidental 64
  • Incidental 6
  • Incidental 23
  • Incidental 12
  • Incidental 27
  • Incidental 48
  • Fred
  • Old Man Walker Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 108
  • Incidental 7
  • Incidental 41
  • Incidental 151 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 153
  • Incidental 14
  • Incidental 40
  • Incidental 65
  • Incidental 36
  • Sandals
  • Incidental 106
  • Incidental 92
  • Incidental 37A
  • Incidental 37B
  • Incidental 107
  • Incidental 42
  • Incidental 103 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 97 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 96 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 16 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 105 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 15 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 49 Template:Cameo
  • Incidental 168 Template:Cameo
• Administrator Flotsam
• Members of the Bikini Bottom White Suit Society
• Little girl Template:Cameo
• Teacher Template:Single appearance
• One of the twin sisters

Synopsis

The news reporter Perch Perkins reports on the cornering of the Dirty Bubble at the Bikini Bottom Power Plant. The Dirty Bubble is seen to have already tied Al Gristlepuss onto an aerial. He threatens the Bikini Bottomites that he will eat the police chief unless they act for him. Perch Perkins comes up to make a further statement on the Dirty Bubble's predicted actions. However, the Dirty Bubble strangles him with his tongue, ready to eat him. Just as he is about to eat Perch Perkins, the police come up to the radio station top to grab the Dirty Bubble with bubble wands, ordering him to drop Perch Perkins. The Dirty Bubble is then arrested and placed into a glass jar.

After the Dirty Bubble serves his 6-month pretrial release, he is released as the Clean Bubble. The Clean Bubble feels refreshed as a new self. The warden warns him that he must ensure his cleanliness or else he would become evil again. Afterward, the Clean Bubble is released to work at the Krusty Krab. He assures he will not become dirty.

File:Dirty Bubble Returns 025.png

Clean Bubble.

When the Clean Bubble reaches the Krusty Krab, he is excited to work there. He wants to work as a waiter or a cash register. However, Mr. Krabs assigns him a cleaning job of washing dishes. SpongeBob, who comes back from the freezer to cook some patties onto the grill, greets him. The Clean Bubble refers to himself as "DB."

The Clean Bubble begins scrubbing the dirty dishes, which causes him to turn back into the Dirty Bubble. He surprises SpongeBob at his sudden return. SpongeBob, thinking that the Dirty Bubble kidnapped the Clean Bubble, threatens to wash him down with the sink hose, then sprays out water at the Dirty Bubble. SpongeBob noticed that the Dirty Bubble became the Clean Bubble, and realizes that "DB is short for Dirty Bubble." The Clean Bubble tells him that he is trying to change his personality by staying clean. SpongeBob assures that he will promise to keep him squeaky clean. He gives a handshake to him.

Mr. Krabs reveals to the Clean Bubble that his new job will be to scrub the dirty toilets. SpongeBob assures that he will clean the toilets. The Clean Bubble stares in the toilet and hallucinates over "beautiful" dirt. He goes into the toilet to transform slowly into the Dirty Bubble. He then causes havoc to people in the toilet. SpongeBob runs off and spits out absorbed sink water onto the Dirty Bubble to transform him to become clean again. Elaine then reports in comic book form about SpongeBob's continual duty to prevent Clean Bubble from turning into the Dirty Bubble.

Back at the Krusty Krab, the Clean Bubble is a waiter for the customers. SpongeBob compliments him for not being dirty for weeks. But Patrick comes in to mention more about dirtiness, specifically his dirty belly button gunk. He flicks it to the Clean Bubble by pure unawareness, and accidentally reformed the Dirty Bubble. The Dirty Bubble came out to cause even more havoc in Bikini Bottom. Patrick considers this transformation special, but SpongeBob knows it means trouble.

The Realistic Fish Head reports again on the Dirty Bubble's re-premise, stating that the Dirty Bubble has come back to do dirty deeds to some Bikini Bottomites. Some of these include ruining a perfect mud bath for two kids, turning a pirate into a chubby sailor, smashing a building cleaned by himself, and literally wiping out an old teacher's face in Poseidon Elementary. Afterward, the Dirty Bubble inverted Perch Perkins' face, after Perch Perkins reported about wiping out the teacher's face.

SpongeBob attempts to hose down the grime off the Dirty Bubble, but the grime is too strong. The Dirty Bubble eats the hose and attacks SpongeBob with five miniature Dirty Bubbles. SpongeBob eventually pops them all, leaving the Dirty Bubble slightly stumped. SpongeBob launches himself toward the Dirty Bubble to try to pop him with his spatula, but bounces off. He chases after SpongeBob and eats him to trap him. The Dirty Bubble decides to eat Goo Lagoon next.

SpongeBob, struggling to escape the thick walls of the Dirty Bubble, grabs out his pencil to write down his last words, knowing that he will eventually drown in the accumulating Goo Lagoon goo. However, knowing that he is able to absorb liquids from his surroundings, begins to spin around the Dirty Bubble. Dirty Bubble tells him to stop spinning, but fails to stop him, and eventually became absorbed into SpongeBob. SpongeBob burps out a tiny version of the Dirty Bubble.

Just as the Dirty Bubble tries to cause more trouble as a small bubble, the police arrest him by trapping him in another jar. The lady officer thanks SpongeBob for contributing to the Dirty Bubble's arrest. SpongeBob sneezes the entirety of Goo Lagoon's goo everywhere, much to the anger of the officers. SpongeBob grabs a tissue to wipe out the goo from the lady officer's face.

Running gags

• When Clean Bubble cleans dirty things, he transforms into the Dirty Bubble.
• SpongeBob washing Dirty Bubble into Clean Bubble.
• The Dirty Bubble rhyming when talking.

Production

The episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on March 23, 2019.

Storyboards

• File:EML9rm6U0AAhX K.png
• File:EML9rlwU0AAFKMW.png
• File:EML9rlnUcAAC4RR.png
• File:EML9rl0UcAA9yi2.png

Release

• This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 20 and The Complete Twelfth Season DVDs.

Trivia

General

• This episode was confirmed exactly eight months before it premiered.

File:DBR accidental on Nick app.jpg

• An image of this episode was accidentally released on the Nick app on September 15, 2019.
  • That got later fixed after the premiere of this and "Handemonium."
• This episode was paired up with "Handemonium" during the original American airing, but has since been re-airing with "Mind the Gap."
• In Russia, this episode was originally going to premiere on November 9, 2019 alongside "Mind the Gap," but due to a mistake in the schedule, "Senior Discount" got paired with it instead of this episode.
• The Realistic Fish Head reads the "6 Months Later..." time card in this episode instead of the French Narrator doing it, marking the second occurrence this has happened. The first was in "Mermaid Pants."
• The Dirty Bubble mostly speaks in rhyme in this episode, similar to Pistachio, Hazelnut, and Macadamia in "Sandy's Nutty Nieces."
• The Dirty Bubble was popped by a pencil point in "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II," but he did not pop in this episode by a spatula.
• This is the first episode in which Dirty Bubble appears without Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.
• The 3rd "B" in the title card is upside down.
• This is the first episode to use the track "The Merry Go Round" since "Ghost Host."
• This is the fourth episode to have a title which is "(character) returns." The first was "Squilliam Returns," the second was "Spot Returns," and the third was "Man Ray Returns."

Cultural references

• While rubbing Perch Perkins, the Dirty Bubble says, "No more pencils, no more books, no more news guy's dirty looks!," a variation of the lyrics to the 1972 classic hit song "School's Out" by Alice Cooper.

Errors

• In the Dirty Bubble Returns! comic panels, SpongeBob's belt is missing.
• When the Dirty Bubble spits the kids out, he also spits out some mud, but in the next shot, the mud is gone.
• When the Dirty Bubble eats SpongeBob to trap him, SpongeBob has his hat on, but when the Dirty Bubble arrives at Goo Lagoon, it is gone.
• In the last Dirty Bubble Returns! comic panel, when SpongeBob hugs Clean Bubble, his right arm and hand are transparent.

Videos

• File:SpongeBob SquarePants - "Dirty Bubble Returns" Official Promo
• File:SpongeBob SquarePants - Dirty Return Nickelodeon
• File:The Dirty Bubble Cleans Up 🧼 - Dirty Bubble Returns - SpongeBob