Recap / SpongeBob SquarePants S9 E13 "Squid Plus One" / "The Executive Treatment"

Written by Kyle McCulloch and Jack Pendarvis (Squid Plus One) / Jack Pendarvis (The Executive Treatment)

Storyboard by Fred Osmond

Animation Directors: Alan Smart and Tom Yasumi

Original air date: 9/7/2015

When Squidward is invited to a gallery opening and he has to bring someone with him, he struggles to find the perfect "plus one". However, only SpongeBob is intent on going.

"Squid Plus One" contains examples of:

• An Aesop:
  • Your plus-one can be whom you least expect.
  • Give people a chance.
• Ascended Extra: This is Norton’s biggest role in the show. Previously, he didn't even have a name and only showed up to deliver the mail.
• Bait-and-Switch: When Squidward realizes who he can take as his plus-one, SpongeBob is overjoyed and we think it's him, then we cut to the gallery opening and Squidward reveals he's actually taking a mirror with a reflection of himself, with SpongeBob wearing a black suit and carrying the mirror around for him. SpongeBob doesn't mind however, as he's still going to the gala.
• Bait-and-Switch Comment:
  • When SpongeBob hopes Squidward will ask him to go to the gala with him:
    Squidward: SpongeBob, I have something to ask you...
    SpongeBob: Of course I'll go to the opening with you!
    Squidward: That wasn't the question! Which way did the mailman go?
    SpongeBob: Oh, he said he had a package for the Widow Duncan. I think he went — (Squidward has left; he sadly walks away.)
  • He does this again after talking to the mailman:
    Squidward: SpongeBob!
    SpongeBob: Yes? I'm still here.
    Squidward: I need to ask you something important.
    SpongeBob: You don't have to ask me three times! (reveals tuxedo)
    Squidward: Will you tell Larry I want to talk to him? (Zips away)
    SpongeBob: (sadly) Oh...
• Berserk Button: Larry does not take kindly to those who openly mock his protein shake.
• Delayed Reaction: Squidward realizes too late that Norton the mailfish hates clarinets to a T, which causes him to turn him down.
• Demon Head: Squidward does it twice to SpongeBob and the Norton the mailman (even though he thought Norton was SpongeBob at the door).
• Eyelash Fluttering: SpongeBob gives these to Squidward a few times, usually whenever he anticipates him asking him to be his plus one at the opening.
• The Man in the Mirror Talks Back: Squidward's reflection speaks to him in the end, saying "You'll always be my plus one".
• Oh, Crap!: By Squidward when he realizes not only does he have to take someone to the gala opening, but the opening is that night.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Larry beats up Squidward after insulting his protein shake.
• Not Good with Rejection: SpongeBob does not take Squidward rejecting him as his plus-one that well.
• Read the Fine Print: The word "plus-one" on the invitation was written in barely noticeable print.
• Reflective Eyes: When Squidward is staring at SpongeBob and realizes who he can take as his plus-one, his face reflects into his eyes.
• Rule of Three: Squidward's three possible plus-ones for the gala opening are Norton, Larry, and SpongeBob, in that order. The first one couldn't go because he hates clarinets; the second refuses when he accidentally insults him; turns out the third was the only one intent on going.
• Shout-Out: When SpongeBob first appears, he asks, "What'cha dooooooin'?", referencing Phineas and Ferb, where it happened to be Isabella's catchphrase. It's even the same intonation.
• Small Name, Big Ego: In the end of the episode, Squidward actually goes to the Galleria Diphtheria with a reflection of himself, with SpongeBob holding the mirror.

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Original air date: 9/7/2015

Patrick gets swept into the fast-paced world of business.

"The Executive Treatment" contains examples of:

• A Day in the Limelight: Patrick is the main character of this episode. SpongeBob only shows up twice and doesn't play any major role.
• Big "NO!": Patrick shouts this when he is pulled away by executives before he can get his sandwich, and when he is taken to Conference Room 4-B.
• Clark Kenting: Patrick manages to escape from prison at the end of "The Executive Treatment" by abusing this trope.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Stockholder Eel.
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Patrick says he has to "water his manatee" as an excuse to try and escape the meeting.
• Informed Species: The Stockholder Eel does not look much like an eel, rather resembling an alligator or crocodile or some lizard.
• Montage: The narrator announces this in a time card as it features a montage of Patrick doing a lot of job-related activities.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: The CEO is an underwater version of Groucho Marx.
• Pie in the Face: Patrick bakes a pie and puts it in the copy machine, printing out a pie chart. The CEO then slams it in Patrick's face as if it were still an actual pie.
• Special Guest: Frank Ferrante as Stockholder Eel.
• Visual Pun: One executive jokes that Patrick has "sandwiches on the brain." It then shows Patrick's head is shaped like a sandwich from the inside.
  • After getting annoyed with Patrick's antics, the CEO claims "This is the last straw!" while holding a straw and then cutting to the rest of the executives' glasses are missing straws.