For Here or to Go

Characters

• Template:Data:Links
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Sheldon J. Plankton
• Squidward Tentacles
• Karen Plankton Template:Cameos
• Bogus Business Bureau agents Template:Debut
  • Agent Twirp Template:Debut
• French Narrator
• Mermaid Man ^(mentioned)
• Incidental 41
• Incidental 37A
• Incidental 49
• Incidental 106
• Incidental 4
• Incidental 20
• Incidental 42
• Fred
• Incidental 107
• Incidental 3
• Incidental 5
• Incidental 27
• Incidental 47
• Incidental 31
• Incidental 48
• Incidental 73
• Incidental 40
• Incidental 92
• Incidental 104
• Incidental 7
• Ted (fish)
• Trucker
• Incidental 16
• Incidental 13
• Incidental 6
• Incidental 9
• Incidental 108
• Bogus Business Bureau receptionist Template:Debut
• Patty Laddie Template:Debut
• Flankton Template:Debut

Synopsis

The episode begins at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob is blowing a trumpet, heralding an important announcement from Mr. Krabs: it is the first annual bun seed counting contest. Anyone who correctly guesses how many seeds are in the sesame seed jar wins a free Krabby Patty. Several people make guesses, each more ridiculous than the last. The next contestant is Plankton, but before he can guess, Mr. Krabs grabs him by the antennae and takes him outside. Plankton claims it is unfair that he does not get to guess; however, Mr. Krabs says that he can do whatever he pleases and that he knew all Plankton would do is analyze the Krabby Patty to steal his secret formula. Mr. Krabs then chews Plankton up, inflates him, and blows him away, where he splatters onto the door of the Chum Bucket. Plankton calls the Bogus Business Bureau on him, but Mr. Krabs is unconcerned.

File:For Here or to Go 011.png

At the Krusty Krab, agents burst through the roof along with Agent Twirp, who tells Mr. Krabs he must accept guesses from all customers no matter how "diminutive" or "annoying" they are. Plankton pops out of Twirp's shirt pocket, proudly proclaiming he is both. Mr. Krabs is adamant about refusing to let him guess, but when Twirp threatens to close down the Krusty Krab, he reluctantly agrees. Plankton uses technology to scan the jar and guesses: 500,301. Mr. Krabs laughs at him, saying it is actually 500,300 "and none." Agent Twirp interrupts and states that the contest isn't official unless all the seeds be counted, and Mr. Krabs refuses until Twirp once again threatens to close down the Krusty Krab if he does not comply. Mr. Krabs painstakingly counts every single seed from the jar: 500,300. However, SpongeBob notices an uncounted seed in the jar's lid, and Plankton wins.

Desperate to stall, Mr. Krabs makes excuses, but SpongeBob obliviously corrects him. Mr. Krabs says the contest included a free show, which Twirp allows. He constructs a puppet theater and performs a puppet show, but Plankton sees through the delay and continues to demand his Krabby Patty. Mr. Krabs realizes there is nothing else he can do, and sadly tells SpongeBob to prepare what could be his last Krabby Patty. Mr. Krabs has Squidward distract Twirp, giving him time to flush all the buns down the toilet, but a delivery man with buns that SpongeBob ordered thwarts his last-ditch efforts. This time SpongeBob realizes his error in unknowingly helping Plankton, as Krabs stares at him for understanding. When the Krabby Patty is ready, Plankton wants it "to go," but Mr. Krabs says it must be "dine in." Plankton stuffs the entire patty into his mouth, but Mr. Krabs tells him to swallow it. Once he does, he asks if he can go now, and is thrown out by Mr. Krabs into the Chum Bucket. In the Chum Bucket, Plankton climbs onto an operating table and tells Karen to remove the patty from his stomach right away, even declining anesthetic.

Later, Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob sadly watch the long line at the Chum Bucket. Suddenly, people rush out, sick from patties they say taste like stomach acid, aspirin, and carrots. The rest of the customers flee, and Plankton asks Karen what's going on. She tells him she followed his orders, revealing she focused on his stomach contents, rather than the Krabby Patty ingredients. Relieved, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob to recover the buns he flushed down the toilet and to put the seeds from the jar back onto them. SpongeBob ends the episode by saying "That's my Krabs!" and laughing.

Running gags

• Mr. Krabs adding more rules to the contest.
• SpongeBob unintentionally helping Plankton to get closer of getting the Krabby Patty.

Production

Release

• This episode is available on SpongeBob, You're Fired!, The Complete Eighth Season, The SpongeBob SquarePants Collection, The SpongeBob SquarePants 8 Season DVD Collection, SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 14, Home Sweet Rubble, The Best 200 Episodes Ever, and Next 100 Episodes DVDs.

Trivia

General

• This episode marks the first time Plankton is able to eat a Krabby Patty.
• This was Steven Banks' last episode as a writer.
• This episode is called "Plankton Eats" on Digiturk.
• This episode shows one of Plankton's many launchings that Karen records in "Truth or Square," although this one does not make the highlight reel.
• According to the buttons Plankton presses, the Bogus Business Bureau's phone number is 8918.
• Plankton is on the left arm of the chair, but when Squidward walks up, he is on the right arm. Plankton simply moves to the other arm when the scene shows SpongeBob, Squidward, and Mr. Krabs.
• SpongeBob's hat disappears after Flankton eats the Krabby Patty, but is back on when he is squirted with ketchup. It's possible that he simply removes it for a brief time.
• The scene where Mr. Krabs stuffs the buns into a toilet is similar to when Jim and SpongeBob flush Krabby Patties down the toilet in "The Original Fry Cook."
• This episode marks the second time a character says "Flankton" as opposed to "Plankton." The first is in "Free Samples."
  • Coincidentally, both are Template:Data:Links episodes.
• When the Bogus Business Bureau enters the Krusty Krab, the SpongeBob Action Theme plays.
  • Moreover, this episode and "Hall Monitor" are the only episodes that have ever played this music.
    • However, it was used on the original pilot 1997 version of "Help Wanted" during the title sequence, but was replaced with the now iconic theme song.
• This episode premiered during the "Two Whole Weeks of Never Before Seen SpongeBob" event.

Cultural references

• The title is a reference to the same question asked by fast food workers to confirm whether the customer wants to eat the food at the restaurant or have it served in a takeout bag.
• The bun seed counting contest is based on real-life jellybean counting contests. Unlike Mr. Krabs' contest rules, the winner is usually determined by whomever guesses the closest to the actual number, rather than getting the exact number that is in the jar.
• The Bogus Business Bureau references Better Business Bureau. The purpose of both organizations is to make sure businesses are not being unfair to customers.

Errors

• If one looks closely at the first fish in line at the Chum Bucket, when he turns around when the customer runs out, his eye stays in one place and moves to the other side of his face. When he turns around, the eye makes it to its original state.

File:Error in Move it or Lose It.jpg

He kinda looks possessed.

• Just before SpongeBob pulls out his spatula, Mr. Krabs' pupils disappear.
• In one shot of the Chum Bucket, both the mobile and wall versions of Karen appear at the same time.
• In the scene where Mr. Krabs walks toward the Bogus Business Bureau and says "Drat the luck," the Krusty Krab table behind him has a pixelated white outline. This makes the table look like as if it was poorly photoshopped into that scene.
• The tape over Plankton's stomach wound from cutting the Krabby Patty out disappears in his final scene at the end of the episode.

File:For Here or to Go 092.png

His arms and the lid disappears.

• The lid and SpongeBob's arms disappear when he splits in half, even though they are sticking forward by a fair amount.