Are You Happy Now?:
- Never Live It Down: This episode will undoubtedly be remembered for Squidward looking like he was attempting to hang himself, although he was really hanging up a bird cage.
- Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: SpongeBob is in total Nice Guy mode here, spending his own money to try and help Squidward, and none of the bad things that happen to Squidward are his fault. Some viewers have even stated that SpongeBob's behavior is the only good thing about the episode.
- Tear Jerker: Anyone who saw the infamous scene where it looks like Squidward is going to hang himself had one of several reactions: sheer horror from the content, sheer horror from the fact that the writers would attempt to make such a crass joke, amusement that the writers seemingly referenced the Creepypasta Squidward's Suicide, or heartrending levels of sorrow.
- The scene of Squidward and SpongeBob crying together.
- Hell, the episode as a whole is a Trauma Conga Line for Squidward.
Planet of the Jellyfish:
- Bizarro Episode: A positive example. A Whole-Plot Reference/Affectionate Parody to a famous horror movie? A lot of SpongeBob fans loved it, because it allowed for creative storytelling. It's little surprise that a SpongeBob fangame would eventually be made in the episode's honor. Some even dared to say that it rivals Sand Castles in the Sand for the title of best post-Seasonal Rot episode prior to Hillenberg's return to the series after the second SpongeBob movie.
- Win Back the Crowd: While minor, this episode's quality gave fans at the time hope that the series is finally starting to rerail itself and it will one day revert back into its golden age once more. When seasons 9b-12 premiered, their suspicions were confirmed.
