User:PlanKrab/Reviewing Every Episode/Season 5

Here, I am reviewing every episode of SpongeBob's fifth season.

Note that this is a MAJOR work in progress and will not be officially complete for a long time.

81- Friend or Foe

File:Friend or Foe title card.png

Airdate: April 13, 2007 (/41)
Quote: "You'll regret this one day!" - Plankton and Krabs

Season 5 is the only season to start with a special, and this is the best special of the season by far. What I like about this episode is the premise and storytelling. Seeing Krabs and Plankton as kids, especially as best friends, is very unique. Very few episodes outside of season 1 attempt something like this, and I really appreciate that Friend or Foe did this. Now, the plot itself is brilliant, and it just has a really great atmosphere, too. I really like how Krabs and Plankton are both the underdogs in the story. You're not just rooting for Krabs, you're rooting for both Krabs and Plankton. The way we find out how Krabs and Plankton became enemies is really creative, too. First Krabs tells his version of the story, then Plankton tells his (which is just the opposite of Krabs's version, making it really funny IMO), then Karen, out of nowhere, shows up and tells us the true story.

There's several other really cool moments, like Krabs spending his first dollar on Plankton, the reveal that Krabs loves money because he was poor as a kid and actually badly needed it, the scene where Plankton and Krabs open up their separate restaurants, and the ending when Plankton in the present attempts to steal the formula again. The one off characters aren't really noteworthy but I still really liked them. I liked the concept of Stinky being the one who inspired Krabs and Plankton to make and sell a burger. The humor is not the main focus of this episode, but it's definitely still there. There's some great gags like baby Krabs laughing when baby Plankton says "goo", "you'll regret this one day!", and my favorite being the gag about K.Oing the past Old Man Jenkins (which actually caused the feud between Krabs and Plankton). Overall, the SpongeBob segments are really amazing and probably one of the highlights of this season.

Although the season 4 specials didn't have any Patchy segments, this special does, and they're... alright. I understand why many people like them, since there are a few cool gags, and the story is pretty cool, but overall I find them really boring. It's not nearly as interesting as Krabs and Plankton's backstory, and there isn't very much humor in them, either. Although I do admit I really loved the ending for Patchy, with the gorilla being hired and going nuts after Patchy insulted him. Overall, this is certainly an amazing episode, mostly because of the SpongeBob parts. The Patchy segments do bring this episode down slightly, but they are still pretty good, so the overall rating isn't affected too much.

Rating: Fantastic (15/17)

82a- The Original Fry Cook

File:The Original Fry Cook title card.png

Airdate: July 30, 2007 (/41)
Quote: "These side burns are fake." - Mr. Krabs from the past

So this episode... it's got some flaws, but also some really cool scenes. Let's get the bad out of the way first. This episode is really cruel to SpongeBob, and not in an entertaining way. It's understandable for Mr. Krabs and Squidward to be excited about Jim's return, but they act like SpongeBob flat out doesn't exist, and it feels off to me. The part where Krabs knocks down all of SpongeBob's awards really gets on my nerves in particular. However, this episode is not infuriating or anything- it just feels odd.

Jim as a character is actually really awesome, and I wish he could return. He's rich, but he's not a complete snob. He's also willing to help SpongeBob despite his very strict standards. Not to mention that the flashback scenes are easily the best part of this episode, especially the interaction between Jim and Mr. Krabs in the second one. That whole scene is hilarious because of their language (followed by them not being able to understand each other), Krabs' reaction to Jim asking for a raise, and Squidward, the whole time, freaking out about his missing hair. A lot of SpongeBob's best jokes are done through not just dialogue itself but the line delivery, and this is a perfect example.

In addition, this episode also has a great moral: to always be your best. SpongeBob learns to always try his hardest from Jim's training, as well as Jim's advice to "quit this dump". The ending is satisfying enough to make up for the first half of this episode. The first half of this episode is just okay, but the second half is really great, so it's a pretty solid episode in my opinion.

Rating: Good (12/17)

82b- Night Light

File:Night Light title card.png

Airdate: July 30, 2007 (/41)
Quote: "See you in another 57 years!" - The Moth

Night Light is the perfect example of an episode that beats one gag into the ground over and over again. It is funny in some parts of this episode and repetitive in others. At first the gag of SpongeBob being afraid of the dark was funny, but it got old quick, especially when he got scared of even just closing his eyes, and then became scared of any little bit of dark around him. It did get funnier again when SpongeBob and Patrick started randomly grabbing huge sources of light, though. This was easily my favorite part of the episode.

I'm really mixed on Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy's inclusion in this episode. On one hand, it completely changes the episode's plot. On the other hand, the moth is a cool villain, and the action was pretty cool. However, the episode in general feels very slow paced and repetitive. I think I would've liked it more if there was an actual threat in the dark that SpongeBob and Patrick were frightened of. I don't quite consider this a bad episode because the escalating of the night light gag was funny, but the rest of it is really lame. There isn't much else to say, really.

Rating: Mediocre (8/17)