The EXTREEEEEME Episode! To the extreme!
Prehibernation Week
Original air date: 5/5/2001 (produced in 2000)
Sandy has one week until hibernation, so she wants to get as many extreme activities as she can before then. SpongeBob tries to help out, but soon finds himself in over his head.
"Prehibernation Week" contains examples of:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Despite her stress, Sandy still chuckles at SpongeBob asking if he can hibernate.
- Adults Dressed as Children: One of the skiers is revealed to be wearing kiddie clothes under his normal clothes. He later appears again when Sandy is looking for SpongeBob. Both times he says, "Uhh, I Can Explain."
- An Aesop:
- Helping your friends is good, but you should leave enough time for yourself for your own well-being.
- Speak up if you're not comfortable doing something. A true friend will understand.
- Running from conflicts will not make them disappear, only lead to bigger problems.
- Don't force or guilt-trip your friends into doing something they don't feel comfortable doing. Alternatively, just draw the line with it before things spiral out of control.
- If someone tells you they want to stop doing something, listen to them.
- Artistic License – Biology:
- If Sandy is about to start hibernating, shouldn't she be trying to fatten herself up so she can make it through Winter, instead of burning carbs with all her extreme sports? Oddly enough, this is apparently what she's been doing a couple of episodes later.
- As it's mentioned in the article of "Survival of the Idiots": Squirrels don't hibernate.
- Sandy describes hibernation as "a mammalian thing". In reality, at least one species of bird (the common poorwill) is also known to hibernate, as are frogs and snakes.
- Aside Glance: Just as SpongeBob gets on Sandy's tandem bicycle for what he thinks is a safe ride through the park, the heavy metal music starts right up again and SpongeBob glances fearfully at the camera. It turns out to be the industrial park.
- Blatant Lies: The exhausted Bikini Bottomites try feeding this to Sandy to give up searching for SpongeBob. Each time they lie, Sandy points out how obviously dishonest they are.
- Bowel-Breaking Bricks: Implied when Sandy says that giant clams "like to feed at this hour." SpongeBob's eyes widen in horror as a single bubble pops up from the lake.
- Broken Ace: SpongeBob is pushed to his limits in this episode, to the point where he can't take it anymore.
- Butt-Monkey: Our spongy friend goes through a lot of extreme and dangerous games here, doesn't he?
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: The only parts of SpongeBob's body that shows when he is hiding under Patrick's rock are his eyeballs. Later, when the other Bikini Bottomites hide under the rock too, they get the same treatment.
- The Cameo: Patrick appears at the end of the episode, returning home and seeing the other Bikini Bottomites hiding under his rock, yells "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!"
- Comically Missing the Point: Tibor seems to forget that the teams are for the sake of finding where SpongeBob is, treating them as if they're dodgeball teams.Sandy: Alpha Team, you search uptown! Gold Team searches downtown! Any questions?!
Tibor: (beat) Gold Team rules! - Early-Installment Weirdness: When Sandy reports that SpongeBob's gone missing at the Krusty Krab, the patrons are eating Krabby Patties. This implies that there are other fry cooks who work there when SpongeBob isn't around. Although the fifth season episode "The Original Fry Cook" reveals this is the case, it's implied that only SpongeBob can make the delicacy so delicious, hence why Bikini Bottom descends into anarchy if SpongeBob isn't there to fix them.
- Easy Impersonation:
- Tibor the bodybuilder fish tries to exploit this trope by forcing Francis into a square shape and having him say, "I'm ready, I'm ready," like SpongeBob hoping that it will be enough to fool Sandy. It doesn't work, prompting other citizens to try themselves: Clay holds up a square cereal box and declares, "I found SquareBob." When Sandy protests that SpongeBob is yellow, Charlie claims a banana is SpongeBob.
- After the townsfolk find SpongeBob and throw him out of Patrick's rock, Squidward calls to Sandy, "Oh, look, it is I, SpongeBob! Out here in the open!", without changing his voice. This time, it works.
- Empty Piles of Clothing: Sandy becomes alarmed when she finds SpongeBob's clothes strewn on the ground, because "[SpongeBob] always folds his clothes before running around... in the nuuuuude!"
- Extreme Sports Plot: Up until SpongeBob goes into hiding, most of the episode revolves around him and Sandy engaging in life-threatening extreme sports.
- Facial Horror: Clay gets his face horrifically disfigured after looking directly into a sulfur geyser.Clay: Hey, SpongeBo-ooooob~? (sulfur blasts him in the face) Well... at least I still have my personality.
- Failed a Spot Check: Sandy doesn’t think to see if SpongeBob's at his house before she tries to look for him. This is exploited by SpongeBob and eventually the townsfolk when they hide under Patrick's rock. It’s the one place Sandy doesn’t think to look.
- Forcibly Formed Physique: As Sandy has all of Bikini Bottom looking for SpongeBob, Tibor the bodybuilder fish picks up a smaller fish, Francis, claiming he found him. When Sandy points out that SpongeBob is square, Tibor squeezes Francis into a square shape.Francis: I'm ready, I'm ready.
Sandy: No, you ain't! - Friend-or-Idol Decision: SpongeBob rather quickly decides to ditch work for the sake of spending all his time that week with Sandy.SpongeBob: Sandy, I'm willing to sacrifice any of my time that I haven't already sold to Mr. Krabs to you.
- Go-to-Sleep Ending: SpongeBob tries to admit the truth to Sandy, only to see that she has fallen asleep. He laughs in relief and promptly passes out next to her.SpongeBob: I never thought I'd say it, but thank Neptune for hibernation!
- Hope Spot: Sandy embraces SpongeBob, tearfully admitting how worried she was about him. Does this mean she's had a Heel Realization and that SpongeBob means more to her than extreme sports? Maybe if she was sane... but in this case, she instantly tries to do another stunt.
- Human Snowman: Or rather, sponge sandman. While sandboarding with his tongue, SpongeBob runs smack into a sandman some kids were building. The kids, who were trying to bring it to life like in a certain Christmas song, were surprised when the sandman tells them, "Life's as extreme as you wanna make it!"Girl: Maybe we didn't... sing it right.
- I Heard That: "This is a load of barnacles..."
- I'm Melting!: Happens to SpongeBob after his and Sandy’s wild ride through the industrial park.
- Injured Self-Drag: SpongeBob's legs get incredibly sore from sandboarding, and when he tries to go home, he has to lift each leg off the ground with his hands in order to take a single step.
- Innocently Insensitive: Sandy actually believes that SpongeBob is having just as much fun as she is with her crazy games, but quite the opposite is true.
- Insane Troll Logic: How Sandy comes to the conclusion that SpongeBob has gone missing.Sandy: Bu-But, he always folds his clothes before running around... in the nuuuuude! Something terrible must've happened to him!
- Instant Ice: Just Add Cold!: Sandy and SpongeBob dive into a pond of ice-cold water and emerge encased in ice blocks.
- I Resemble That Remark!: After he melts, SpongeBob manages to do this to himself.SpongeBob: (thinking) This squirrel's trying to kill me! Any more of these stunts, and I'll be reduced to a puddle! (his shoe floats along his goopy body)
- Irony: When SpongeBob runs away, Sandy believes that “somethin' terrible must have happened to him”. She, and the rest of Bikini Bottom, proceeds to look for him as he could be in danger. SpongeBob disappeared because Sandy was obliviously endangering him.
- It's the Best Whatever, Ever!:Sandy: I'm impressed with you, SpongeBob! You're makin' this the best Prehibernation Week ever!
- Jerkass Ball:
- Sandy pulls this by torturing SpongeBob forcing him to participate in dangerous "fun" activities simply to maximize her prehibernation week.
- A smaller case with the understandably upset and exhausted townsfolk throwing out SpongeBob into the open the first chance they get, at least without letting him explain.
- Karma Houdini: Because of Sandy falling asleep instead of listening to SpongeBob's confession that he can't take the games, she gets no comeuppance for her actions. Unless falling asleep earlier than she would've wanted to counts as Laser-Guided Karma.
- Lack of Empathy: Sandy's actions after SpongeBob runs away are out of concern for his safety. Despite this selfless goal, she completely disregards the turmoil she puts the townsfolk through.
- Lame Pun Reaction: After Sandy suggests going fly fishing on an airplane, a live-action man on the drums (Aaron Springer) plays a Rimshot.
- Last-Second Word Swap: SpongeBob's response when Sandy announces that their next activity is a ride to the park.SpongeBob: Gee, that sounds safe! I mean, fun.
- Left the Background Music On: Right before the ride through the industrial park, SpongeBob hears the Pantera music kick back up and glances at the camera in fear.
- Man on Fire: While sandboarding, Sandy speeds past a hiker and sets him on fire.
- Mundane Made Awesome: Sandy's activities include extreme jacks (you pick them up before a bowling ball crushes you) and riding through the park... the industrial park. Oh, and it's all accompanied by music from Pantera.
- Noodle Incident:
- "Uhh, I can explain."
- Sandy's reaction to finding SpongeBob's clothes implies that he likes to run around nude often.
- Not So Above It All: One of the first Swapped Roles plots with Sandy and SpongeBob, with the latter actually playing Straight Man to Sandy's non-stop sports obsession. When SpongeBob hides and Sandy thinks he's missing, things jump even further down the slippery slope...
- Oh, Crap!: "SpongeBob?" "AAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- When Sandy finds SpongeBob's pants on the coral and sees that they're not folded, she instantly jumps to the conclusion that something terrible has happened to him.
- SpongeBob willingly shows himself with some encouragement from the townsfolk. Sandy is joyful at seeing him safe and well. SpongeBob, on the other hand, screams in terror. He's never reacted this way to seeing her before.
- Poor Communication Kills: Sandy becomes so engrossed in her extreme sports that she forces SpongeBob into several dangerous activities that he clearly doesn't want to do. She assumes that he's having just as much fun as she is. When SpongeBob tries to explain, she butts in with another stunt. SpongeBob has no choice but to run away and hide. Unfortunately, Sandy assumes that something terrible has happened to him and forces everyone in Bikini Bottom to look for him. The townsfolk go through the same process as SpongeBob and eventually bail on her, though in their case, she just thinks they went back to look. SpongeBob also attempts to tell them why he was hiding, but also interrupt him to save their own skins. Though the ending implies they at least were able to hear what he had to say to Sandy without falling asleep.
- Pushed at the Monster: Well, not monster so much as "frantic squirrel going insane trying to find her best friend", but still. The Bikini Bottomites, from under Patrick's rock, watch Sandy demolishing the city in her search for SpongeBob and find the sponge in question gloating about how Sandy will never find them. They promptly throw SpongeBob out for Sandy to find and bring the search to an end.
- Rousseau Was Right: When Sandy breaks the news that SpongeBob's gone missing, the townsfolk all willingly decide to join her search, without even the need for a missing person reward, because they actually care about SpongeBob. It's eventually subverted when they want to stop and end up angrily throwing SpongeBob out of Patrick's rock to Sandy, though that mainly has to do with Sandy refusing to look out for their safety and not giving them any breaks.
- Rule of Three: Used during the "Status Report" scene, when various fish tell Sandy about looking for SpongeBob:Urchin-Covered Fish: He's not at the Poison Sea Urchin Cove...
Sandy: Well, look again!
Leech-Covered Fish: He's not at the Leech Farm...
Sandy: Well, look again!
Squidward: He's not in my thoughts.
Sandy: Well, think again! - Sanity Slippage: Almost everybody in the episode acts like a Cloudcuckoolander's Minder to Sandy with how crazy she becomes. The first three extreme sports are innocuous enough, but once she ear-cleaner wrestles with SpongeBob on top of the Sea Needle, she starts showing signs that she's slipping off the edge. Once through the industrial park and the needle stack, SpongeBob decides Screw This, I'm Outta Here, and Sandy pushes the Bikini Bottomites to their absolute brink trying to look for him for days straight. Once everyone decides to dip out on her, Sandy goes completely insane, tearing up buildings looking for SpongeBob and having Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises. Even once she finally finds SpongeBob, she claims that, "there's just enough time to go atom smashing".
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: SpongeBob finally admits to Sandy he can't take it anymore, only for her to fall asleep while doing so, though much to SpongeBob's relief.
- Ship Tease:
- Sandy is genuinely distressed at not having enough time to play with SpongeBob. This prompts him to sacrifice all his time to be with her.
- It's subtle, but when Sandy finds SpongeBob's clothes and believes that he’s in danger, she susses this out because his garments are unfolded and he always folds them before he runs around naked. Why would Sandy know this?
- The fact that Sandy went to so much trouble to find SpongeBob in the first place. It could simply be chalked up to the fact she’s slowly going insane, but she wasn’t just trying to look for SpongeBob so she could continue her activities. She genuinely thought he was in danger. The fact she's willing to force everyone in town to help her, and destroyed the city, coupled with her strong embrace and tearful relief when she finds him, speaks volumes.
- Shout-Out:
- To Rebel Without a Cause when SpongeBob cries that Sandy's games are, "tearing [him] apart!"
- The game "Find the hay in the needle stack" is a switch on "find the needle in the hay stack". Alternatively, it could be a reference to the episode "General Hospital" from Blackadder.
- Two kids building a sandman and singing a song in hopes of him coming to life is a reference to the song Frosty the Snowman.
- Special Guest: Pantera play an edited, instrumental version of their single "Death Rattle" called "Pre-Hibernation" for all of the extreme stunts Sandy forces SpongeBob into.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: Every single person in Bikini Bottom, sans Patrick, has the same idea for a hiding place — under Patrick's rock.
- Stripping Snag: SpongeBob runs away from Sandy when all of the extreme sports she wants him to do with her before hibernation cause him great pain. He decides to hide under Patrick's rock, but gets his pants caught on a reef. The reef pulls them off, leaving him in his underwear. When Sandy finds SpongeBob's pants on the reef, she overreacts as she assumes something terrible must have happened to him, and she forces everyone in Bikini Bottom to form an unnecessary search party for SpongeBob.
- Tempting Fate: SpongeBob figures that a tandem ride through the park will be safe. But then it turns out that Sandy meant the industrial park.
- That's No Moon: At one point, Sandy instructs various fish to, "Check in this here moist cave!" Turns out it's not a cave — it's the snout of a massive sea monster, and they all run away screaming.
- Think of the Children!: One fish says this to Sandy when she's forcing them to search for SpongeBob nonstop for days. Sandy takes this the wrong way.Sandy: That's a good idea! Use the children to crawl into small spaces you couldn't normally reach!
- Title Drop: "You're makin' this the best prehibernation week ever!"
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Zigzagged. Sandy does notice SpongeBob's discarded shirt and pants, but they're not the big thing she focuses on first.Sandy: SpongeBob's tie? And all his other little dressins'?!
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Sandy forces everyone in Bikini Bottom to look for SpongeBob because she’s genuinely concerned for his safety. At first, they put up missing posters and search through town. But then Sandy makes everyone look in more and more hazardous places without any consideration for their wellbeing. When everyone bails on her, she destroys the city, ripping buildings off their foundations while screaming for SpongeBob. No wonder everyone forces SpongeBob to show himself and bring the search to an end.
- Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises:
- When Sandy goes completely insane and destroys the city trying to find SpongeBob, she practically shoves her face into the camera with this expression.
- Seen briefly on SpongeBob when his confession is halted midway and notices Sandy fell asleep.
- Wingding Eyes: When Sandy spots SpongeBob, he does an Eye Take with his pupils as skulls and crossbones.
There ain't nothing worse than a thief.
Life of Crime
Original air date: 5/5/2001 (produced in 2000)
SpongeBob and Patrick discover that Mr. Krabs has a lot of stuff that isn't his. Krabs explains that it's "borrowed" and says that it isn't stealing as long as you give it back before it's missed. Later, they test this out by "borrowing" a balloon, but it pops before they can return it, so now they are criminals on the run! Or so they think...
"Life of Crime" contains examples of:
- Acting Unnatural: SpongeBob and Patrick try to act natural after popping the balloon, but they are so freaked out that they just babble and have convulsive fits. They quickly draw a crowd who mistake them for street performers.
- An Aesop:
- Don't steal things. Even if they're free or you're just borrowing it, it's always better to ask first before you take it.
- If you break something you haven't paid for, it's best to own up and pay the damages.
- Learn about exceptions before panicking. SpongeBob and Patrick never were in any real legal trouble, since they took a balloon on Free Balloon Day.
- Amusing Injuries: While celebrating all the things they can do as criminals, Patrick suggests that they can fly; SpongeBob enthusiastically agrees and throws himself off a cliff, at which point he screams and falls to the ground with a loud crash before muttering a pained, "okay, we still can't do that." He then comes back up to Patrick a second later without so much as a scratch.
- Apple of Discord: The candy bars.
- Bindle Stick: SpongeBob and Patrick carry these when they decide to leave Bikini Bottom. In Patrick's case, he tries to carry his entire house in the carrying sheet.SpongeBob: We're gonna have to travel lighter.
- Borrowed Without Permission: Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob that it's appropriate to borrow anything without asking so long as it's returned before the owner finds out it was borrowed. The episode later has SpongeBob and Patrick "borrowing" a balloon from a balloon seller, and planning on giving it back later. However, it then pops, causing the two to panic and think of themselves as thieves. Later in the episode, it's revealed that it was Free Balloon Day.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: How Patrick looked for money to buy a balloon. First his pocket, then his other pocket and then his belly button.
- Brick Joke: While running away under the pretense of being convictable criminals, SpongeBob and Patrick run into the balloon vendor whose balloon they stole earlier. They run away in fear, and the vendor voices his confusion over them not wanting a balloon during Free Balloon Day. At the end of the episode, when SpongeBob and Patrick turn each other in for stealing the balloon, the cops pretend to lock them up before letting them out almost immediately, mocking the fact that they "stole" a balloon on Free Balloon Day.
- Cassandra Truth: Patrick only eats his candy bar in two bites, and believes he lost it when he tries a third. When he sees SpongeBob‘s unopened bar and accuses him of stealing it, he completely refuses to believe he already finished his up and doesn’t even notice the chocolate coating his lips.
- Comically Missing the Point: SpongeBob says, "We've gotta move fast, and cover our tracks!", followed by Patrick using paint to literally mark where they went.
- Creator Cameo: Alan Smart, the show's supervising director, played the "buns and thighs" man, but his voice was dubbed by Tom Kenny.
- Deliberately Monochrome: Crustacean Crime Theater.
- Donut Mess with a Cop: You can see a half-eaten donut on the desk at the police station when SpongeBob and Patrick confess to having "stolen" the balloon.
- Dramatic Irony: The audience knows ahead of SpongeBob and Patrick that it was Free Balloon Day. Though they only find out near the end of the episode.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Everyone bursts into laughter when Patrick demands to know who "stole" his lollypop, even Patrick. That is, until he growls, "I mean it."
- Felony Misdemeanor: "We're not talking about some dumb mail fraud scheme or hijacking, here! WE STOLE A BALLOON!!!"
- Forgetful Jones: Most notable with Patrick as he eats his candy bar and, at the end, lollipop and forgets about it in mere seconds.
- Funny Background Event: Right after Patrick yells out that they stole a balloon, a guy walks past SpongeBob and Patrick, staring at them as they panic, and gets so freaked out that he starts booking it.
- Fridge Logic: An In-Universe example occurs after SpongeBob and Patrick run away from Bikini Bottom:SpongeBob: But, at least it's warm around the fire!
Patrick: Hey, if we're underwater, how can there be a-- (fire goes out) - Go Mad from the Isolation: Even if it only lasted one night, SpongeBob and Patrick go at each other's throats over merely a single chocolate bar since they don't have any other food. This hits Patrick the hardest given what a Big Eater he is.
- Gross-Up Close-Up: Of Patrick's cellulite-ridden belly when he says, "Now I'm gonna starve." Oh, poor, poor Patrick.
- Here We Go Again!:Patrick: Alright. Which one of you flatfoots stole my lollipop? (everyone laughs) ...I mean it.
- Honor Before Reason: Even after claiming he will starve, Patrick refuses to accept SpongeBob offering half of his candy bar because he is convinced that SpongeBob stole it from him and wants him to admit it.
- Hypocritical Humor: Mr. Krabs rails against stealing, but when SpongeBob and Patrick point out all the stuff he has that isn't his, he claims it's "borrowed".
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Patrick uses this to get SpongeBob to confess that he stole his candy bar, though since SpongeBob didn't steal it, it isn't very effective.SpongeBob: This is my candy bar!
Patrick: Liar, liar, plants for hire!
SpongeBob: It's "pants on fire", Patrick.
Patrick: Well, you would know. ...Liar! - Internal Reveal: While the audience finds out halfway through the episode that SpongeBob and Patrick didn't technically steal the balloon because it was Free Balloon Day, they don't find out until near the end when the officers reveal it to them after jailing them for only two seconds.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Mr. Krabs voices his utter hatred towards thieves, but then SpongeBob claims that Mr. Krabs himself is one.Mr. Krabs: There ain't nothin' worse than a thief! Thieves need to be locked up forever! They should all be strung up by their gills, and forced to breathe air!
SpongeBob: But, Mr. Krabs. What about all the stuff you stole? - It's the Best Whatever, Ever!:SpongeBob: Aww, Patrick. You're the best bad influence ever!
Patrick: You too! - Karma Houdini: Mr. Krabs never gets any kind of punishment for having stolen stuff.
- Literal-Minded: SpongeBob panics, "We gotta move fast, and cover our tracks!"; then it shows Patrick literally covering their tracks with paint.
- Medium-Shift Gag: When SpongeBob says that being on the run is good for your buns and thighs, a photo of a bodybuilder appears and says "Ja, buns und thighs!" In the German dub, the guy simply says Oberschenkelmuskeln (thigh muscles).
- Mood Whiplash: SpongeBob's wallet contains a rainbow you can slide on, but it doesn't have any money.
- No, You: When SpongeBob and Patrick run to the police station to tell on each other:SpongeBob: You're gonna get in trouble!
Patrick: No, you are! - Out of Focus: Sandy, Plankton, Mrs. Puff, Squidward, Gary, and Pearl are all mentioned, but none of them appear.
- Overly Long Gag: SpongeBob teasing Patrick with his uneaten candy bar when accused of stealing his, before he completely swallows it.
- Puff of Logic: The campfire goes out as soon as Patrick points out they're underwater. It unexpectedly reignites later just as Patrick kicks one of the logs in frustration.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Patrick says real slowly, "You took my only food! Now I'm gonna starve!"
- The Runaway: SpongeBob and Patrick run away from home thinking they're now fugitives for stealing the balloon.
- The Scapegoat: Patrick very pathetically blames SpongeBob for his missing candy bar (Patrick finishes his up in only two bites while SpongeBob never opened his) in spite of the fact SpongeBob's the one who gave him the candy in the first place.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: SpongeBob and Patrick flee Bikini Bottom to avoid getting into legal trouble after they think they committed a crime.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Turns out it was Free Balloon Day and they didn't have to borrow the balloon in the first place.
- Show Within a Show: Crustacean Crime Theater.
- Smart Ball: Patrick, of all characters, is the one who wonders how there can be a fire underwater.
- Still Sucks Thumb: Patrick, when SpongeBob starts to describe all the things he misses back home.
- Wham Line:
- One when SpongeBob and Patrick bump into the balloon salesman again and they run away in panic:Lou: Hey! Don't you want a free balloon? It's National Free Balloon Day!
- And brought up again when in jail:SpongeBob: But... But, we stole a balloon.
Officer John: Yeah. On Free Balloon Day!
- One when SpongeBob and Patrick bump into the balloon salesman again and they run away in panic:
- Word, Schmord!: When SpongeBob asks if Mr. Krabs got permission from the people he "borrowed" items from, Krabs dismisses the idea with "Permission, schmermission."
