YMMV / SpongeBob SquarePants S4E1 "Fear of a Krabby Patty" / "Shell of a Man"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Mr. Krabs not thinking twice about an order for 10,000 Krabby Patties, just taking "Peter Lankton" at his word when he says it isn't a prank, could easily be blamed on him having gotten no more rest than his employees have at that point.
• Crosses the Line Twice: Mr. Krabs denying his employees the rest they need or even the right to ever go back home is not funny. SpongeBob's epic meltdown once he starts hallucinating is hilarious.
• First Installment Wins: While the post-movie era of the show gradually garnered mixed reception, these two episodes have been fairly well-received by the SpongeBob fanbase.
• Franchise Original Sin: Many later SpongeBob episodes would be criticized for recycling old premises, but "Fear of a Krabby Patty" reuses part of the premise of "Graveyard Shift", starting the episode by having Mr. Krabs change his policy so the Krusty Krab is open 24 hours a day. However, this instance is considered more acceptable because it takes the plot in a significantly different direction.
• Funny Moments: SpongeBob's aforementioned hallucinations and Plankton getting hit with a piano twice.
• Genius Bonus: Iron Eye mentions his iron eye is actually made of formica, which sounds like a Perfectly Cromulent Word to anyone unsuspecting, but in actuality, Formica is a brand name for plastic. By this logic, Iron Eye is actually Plastic Eye.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "Day 15! Give it up for Day 15!"^note Or substitute 15 with another number.
  • The scene where SpongeBob is being dragged into the kitchen by Mr. Krabs while screaming "NO! NO! I WANT TO LIVE! I WANT TO LIIIIIVE!" has also gained a lot of traction, in varying contexts.
  • "Wait, Where'd you get that piano?"
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Some fans felt this way due to the drastic jump from season 3 to the post-movie era bringing in many changes with Paul Tibbit now being the showrunner. The most notable changes that turned some fans away from the show were the new style of animation that's noticeably much paler than season 3, Mr. Krabs' increased immorality, and SpongeBob's slightly different voice.
• Vindicated by History: The above has become subdued in more recent years, as fans have taken a moment to appreciate seasons 4-9A^note all the way up until Stephen Hillenburg finally returned in the 9B episode "Lost in Bikini Bottom" for their clever writing and humor that they never noticed in the past, and are willing to overlook the creator's absence in favor of overall quality. Many fans have realized that season 4 was more in line with the previous season than they'd like to admit.

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