YMMV / SpongeBob SquarePants S 5 E 18 "Whatever Happened to SpongeBob?"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Patrick mistaking a random woman for SpongeBob. Was Patrick really too stupid to recognize his own best friend, or was he plunging into denial?
• Crosses the Line Twice: Squidward laughs as he said this:
  Squidward: If I knew that was the last time I've seen SpongeBob—I would have slammed the door in his face even harder! (laughs in sync with Patrick and Sandy's crying)
• Designated Monkey: Some believe that the actions that cause people to get angry with SpongeBob, from breaking Gary's shell by hugging him, to knocking Patrick over and ruining his mom's cake, to getting stuck in pottery and knocking Mr. Krabs and his money into the deep fryer, are a little too conveniently-placed together, on top of everyone, especially Patrick of all people, specifically calling SpongeBob "idiot boy". In fact, the only reason why SpongeBob ruined Sandy's robot is because he was wearing his water helmet with an opening on the top, when he has a water helmet that covers up the top.
• Nightmare Fuel: The demented shot of SpongeBob's face, quite possibly the most terrifying thing to have ever come out of the show, arguably more scary than the "Moar Krabs" and "Sure Squidward" faces. If you're truly feeling brave enough, here's the image.◊
  Is there something wrong with me?
• Tear Jerker:
  • After every single one of his friends and even his pet chew him out for messing things up, SpongeBob decides they're better off without him and leaves town dejected. This is one of the instances where SpongeBob can actually take a hint he's not wanted, and it's heart wrenching.
  • There's also his friends, minus Squidward, showing Tears of Remorse for calling SpongeBob an idiot boy. Gary meanwhile is shown to have succumbed to binge eating in depression.
  • Sandy's reaction to the amnesiac SpongeBob not recognizing her. In her eyes it would seem SpongeBob is snubbing her (out of spite for how she treated him earlier), had she not soon realized that SpongeBob was just suffering amnesia.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Some fans and critics (such as PhantomStrider) think the idea of SpongeBob having to adjust to a new career as mayor wasn't given enough attention. They contend that it could have been used for an entire special of its own, or perhaps even a Story Arc.
• The Woobie: SpongeBob's friends call him "idiot boy" in the beginning, thus running SpongeBob out of town. Later on, he loses his memory. Even his friends sans Squidward feel bad for him when they find out about this later on.

---