Recap / Sponge Bob Square Pants S 5 E 9 The Krusty Sponge Sing A Song Of Patrick

The Krusty Sponge

Original air date: 7/24/2007 (produced in 2006)

Mr. Krabs starts merchandising SpongeBob after a food critic gives SpongeBob rave ratings.

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The Krusty Sponge contains examples of:

• An Aesop: Taking inspiration from critics for ideas is a good thing, but don't let this idea get out of hand.
• Adam Westing: Pun-happy film and book critic Gene Shalit appearing as pun-happy food critic "Gene Scallop".
• Artistic License – Law: While Krabs definitely deserved to lose his case in court, the jury was composed entirely of people affected by the food poisoning. This would be unlikely to happen as there is a clear bias that would prevent impartiality. He would also likely be called liable rather than guilty.
• Biting-the-Hand Humor: The whole episode is basically a jab at Nickelodeon always exploiting the show and all of the trouble it's causing.
• Calling the Old Man Out: "Mr. Krabs! You've POISONED all these people!"
• Didn't Think This Through: Mr Krabs didn’t realize that selling yellow, rotten Krabby Patties would make his customers ill.
• Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: A calliope-style version of the theme song is heard during the train ride scenes.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Squidward and SpongeBob were both disgusted at Mr. Krabs for attempting to pass off rotten Krabby Patties as "Spongy Patties" based on their resemblance to SpongeBob.
  • Even Mr. Krabs was shocked and horrified when he realized that they made his customers ill, especially when SpongeBob told him off for it. He was even ready to face punishment in the court room.
• Eye Scream: When Squidward notices a traumatised SpongeBob, he pokes one of his eyes.
• The Food Poisoning Incident: Mr. Krabs sells spoiled Krabby Patties that have turned yellow with green spots and spongy as an attempt to cash in on SpongeBob's popularity. This causes the customers to turn yellow with green spots just like SpongeBob.
• Goofy Suit: Squidward is forced to wear a large SpongeBob costume with arms that he cannot maneuver.
• Heel Realization: Krabs realises he's gone too far once SpongeBob points out that the spoiled "Spongy Patties" are poisoning his customers.
• Hurricane of Puns: Mirroring his voice actor, Gene Scallop cracks one bad joke after another when he talks about his experience at the Krusty Krab.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Gene Scallop is designed after his voice actor, American film and literary critic Gene Shalit, featuring his trademark oversized hair, mustache, and glasses. Scallop's bright green bowtie additionally mirrors Shalit's affinity for similarly colorful neckwear.
• Informed Obscenity: Squidward (in his SpongeBob costume) mutters angry gibberish when he bonks his head on the doorframe trying to exit Mr. Krabs' office, to which Mr. Krabs replies, "Let's watch the language, Squidward!"
• The Inspector Is Coming: The Krusty Krab gets a visit from a prominent food critic. Despite everyone's best efforts, the critic dislikes everything there except for SpongeBob, which leads to Mr. Krabs going overboard with making everything SpongeBob-themed, down to serving rotten patties that look yellow and spongy.
• Letting the Air out of the Band: When SpongeBob gets tired of giving train rides and collapses asleep on the train.
• Merchandise-Driven: An In-Universe example. After SpongeBob's cooking was the sole thing that saved Krabs from a bad review from a food critic, he exploits SpongeBob's newfound fame as much as possible with many SpongeBob-themed items, including the Spongy Patty... which are just rotten Krabby Patties that turned yellow with green spots.
• Mistaken for Undead: Mr. Krabs mistakes the customers who have eaten the Spongy Patties for zombies.
• Mutagenic Food: Spongy Patties turn whoever eats them yellow with greenish spots that look like SpongeBob's pores.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Krabs when he sees that he poisoned his customers and got his business shut down. He even willingly decides to turn himself in.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: When Squidward (in his SpongeBob costume) tries to grab his spatula, the costume's flimsy arm smacks him in the face, causing him to fall backwards into the pots and pans and dazedly mumble, "Mommy, is that you?"
• No Sympathy: Mr. Krabs did not show any concern or sympathy over SpongeBob growing extremely tired from all the train rides.
• Pooled Funds: When Squidward enters Mr. Krabs' office to complain, we see Mr. Krabs sitting in a wading pool filled with money.
• Pungeon Master: Gene Scallop, just like his voice actor.
• Reviews Are the Gospel: An In-Universe example. When Gene Scallop opens his review of the Krusty Krab by disparaging the restaurant's decor and Squidward's attitude, every customer in the restaurant - all of whom were perfectly willing to eat there beforehand - gets up and walks out. When Gene then praises SpongeBob's cooking, however, they all rush back in again, giving Mr. Krabs the idea to rebrand the restaurant in SpongeBob's image.
• Shout-Out:
  • The Krusty Sponge's monument of a giant SpongeBob holding a giant Krabby Patty is a spoof of the Big Boy Restaurants.
  • There is a fish that resembles Napoleon Dynamite.
  • When Mr. Krabs is in the courtroom with the poisoned customers, the music from The People's Court can be heard.
• Smurfing: Mr. Krabs lapses into this as his obsession with selling SpongeBob merchandise intensifies.
  "Get back to work, SpongeBob^note Squidward! I'll be in me SpongeBob^note office if ya SpongeBob^note need me!"
• Special Guest: Gene Shalit as Gene Scallop.
• Take That!: The episode is a commentary on Nickelodeon making SpongeBob SquarePants, both character and franchise, into a cash cow.
• Tempting Fate: After SpongeBob finally escapes from having to drive the train around, he asks, "What's next? A zombie invasion?" Cue SpongeBob seeing all the customers walking around like zombies due to eating the Spongy Patties.
• Thousand-Yard Stare: Mentioned by name when Mr. Krabs and Squidward find SpongeBob in shock at the beginning. When he realizes it's because they're about to receive a visit from food critic Gene Scallop, Krabs adopts one as well.
• Title Theme Drop: The scenes with the Krusty Sponge Fun Train are accompanied by a carnival-stylized variation of the theme song.
• Vocal Dissonance: The female fish that complains to SpongeBob on the train ride has a male voice.
• What the Hell, Hero?: SpongeBob is appalled that Mr. Krabs poisoned the customers by selling them Spongy Patties, which are just Krabby Patties that have gone rotten and turned yellow with green spots.
• Wham Shot: The handcuffs that are put on Mr. Krabs, as well as the customer complaining about the moldy Krabby Patties showing his badge and telling Mr. Krabs to "tell it to the judge", which shows that the "customer" is actually an undercover health inspector.
• Wingding Eyes: Mr. Krabs has little SpongeBobs in his eyes when Gene Scallop says that SpongeBob could make Mr. Krabs lots of money.
• Your Costume Needs Work: "That's the worst SpongeBob costume I've ever seen!" - Passenger on a train ride that SpongeBob himself is driving.

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Sing a Song of Patrick

Original air date: 2/19/2007 (produced in 2006)

SpongeBob helps Patrick get his new song on the radio.

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Sing a Song of Patrick contains examples of:

• An Aesop: There are some people who like your work and some who don't.
• Angry Mob: One forms as a result of Patrick playing his song on the radio.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: When an angry mob goes after SpongeBob and Patrick, they pass a torches stand, a pitchfork stand, and a... cotton candy stand. The salesman then tells them, "You can't go on a riot without cotton candy!" The mob ignore and walk past him.
• Awkward Poetry Reading: Patrick reveals he has a fear of public performance because of a traumatic experience he had reciting a poem in class. However, he recited it in the middle of gym class and took being pelted with dodgeballs as a sign of rejection from his classmates.
• Bait-and-Switch Comment: After SpongeBob listens to Patrick's song for the first time:
  Patrick: That was awesome! Did you like it? Did you really like it? Give me your completely honest opinion of how great it was!
  SpongeBob: Oh... hmm... how do I put this delicately... THAT WAS THE BEST SONG I EVER HEARD!
• Black Comedy: Right when the band is about to play Patrick’s song, the next scene cuts to their tombstones, as it seems they died as a result.
• Brown Note: Patrick's song has rather nonsensical lyrics (I made myself a sandwich / My mommy named it Fred / It tastes like beans and bacon / and it smells like it's been dead), and it sounds so stupid that it causes the whole city to riot. Even the band died the moment they recorded it.
• Call-Back: The "Patrick's Brain with Cogs" gag is seen again and the gears are in the same arrangement as they were a season ago in Patrick SmartPants.
• Dodgeball Is Hell: Patrick was pelted with dodgeballs in elementary school for reading a poem during gym. This happens to him again and SpongeBob by the same gym coach.
• Ear Ache: When SpongeBob and Patrick bring Patrick's song to the radio station, it immediately cuts to them getting thrown out. Though we don't see it happen, the song apparently turned the DJ's ears inside out.
• Eye Scream: When the band's lead singer reads Patrick's song, his eyes melt.
• Fate Worse than Death: Having to listen to "I Wrote This", according to one fish; upon seeing another fish's head explode from listening to the song, the fish remarks, "Lucky."
• Funeral Cut: After the guys at the radio station sing Patrick's song, it cuts to their gravestones. The joke is that Patrick's song is bad enough to be a Brown Note.
• Gilligan Cut: Happens when the rock band decide to record Patrick's song, despite their exhaustion from recording so many songs in a row (and how terrible Patrick's song is).
  Band Member: Come on guys. We're gonna do this if it kills us. And one, and a two, and a—
  (cut to their graves at the cemetery)
  Funeral Director: They wanted you to have this. (presents SpongeBob and Patrick with the recorded song).
• Gross-Up Close-Up: Patrick's poem in the envelope, which bulges like a dirty diaper.
• Kick the Dog: While the rock band are making songs they don't want to, but have to out of contractual obligations, the guitarist complains, "I hate my life!". The keyboard guy adds "I hate your life too, dude!"
• Left the Background Music On: When Patrick is explaining why he can't write a poem, sad music is heard until it's revealed to be Gary playing his records.
• Oh, No... Not Again!: After Patrick starts writing his poem, SpongeBob opens a window to let out a bunch of smoke. Squidward complains about it and asks, "Is Patrick thinking again?"
• Only One Finds It Fun: The only ones other than SpongeBob who liked Patrick's song were a random male fish boyfriend and Old Man Walker.
• Reading the Stage Directions Out Loud: Patrick includes the stage direction "drum solo" in his song... which the singer shouts before the actual solo starts.
• Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue...: The poem Patrick read in elementary school.
  Roses are blue, violets are red.
  I have to go to the bathroom.
• Shout-Out: The title is a play on the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence.
• Storefront Television Display: A radio variant. When Patrick's song is being played on the radio and everyone in Bikini Bottom goes on a rampage, one of the fish happens to walk past a radio store with a single radio at the storefront playing his song. The fish screams and runs away.
• Stylistic Suck: Patrick's song, "I Wrote This". It's so bad, that the band that was paid $100 to compose it died right after they were done playing it, society breaks down when it plays on the radio, and band together as a massive lynch mob when they figure out that SpongeBob and Patrick highjacked the radio station to put it on the air.
• Suckiness Is Painful: Patrick's self-composed song, which is so awful that it actually kills the band that records it.
• Tempting Fate: The lead singer of the band in the recording studio says that they'll record Patrick's song "even if it kills [them]". Gilligan Cut to a cemetery, with four graves sitting side-by-side.
• Thinking Wheels: Patrick gets the gears in his head to work when trying to write his song, but they make a smelly smoke.
• Torches and Pitchforks: Used by the angry mob who go after SpongeBob and Patrick, passing by a torch stand, a pitchfork stand, and a cotton candy stand.
  Vendor: You can't throw a riot without cotton candy!
• Your Head A-Splode: One listener of Patrick's song has his head suddenly explode. Another character nearby says that he was the lucky one.

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