SpongeBob, You're Fired (SpongeBob SquarePants)

"SpongeBob, You're Fired!" is the 189th episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Plot
After Mr. Krabs fires SpongeBob to save money, he must find a new job.

Why SpongeBob Shouldn't Be Fired

 * 1) The biggest issue with this episode is that it is 22 minutes straight of extremely boring filler after Spongebob was fired by Mr. Krabs for reasons (see below). Several scenes serve no other purpose than to just pad out the runtime of the episode, notably when Patrick and SpongeBob try to mess around with Squidward's garden, The scene where SpongeBob is just crying for around a minute, Patrick trying to guess what SpongeBob is trying to say and when Patrick and SpongeBob are taking a nap on top of the former's rock.
 * 2) The other main issue with this episode is that this entire episode makes fun of and insults people who have been unfairly fired from their jobs their whole lives by treating unemployment as something enjoyable.
 * 3) Speaking of treating unemployment as fun and enjoyable, the line: "Fun-employment". That pun line is why the episode makes fun of unemployment in a mediocre manner.
 * 4) Almost no one is likable in this episode:
 * 5) *Mr. Krabs is extremely unlikeable in this episode (being almost as bad as he was in One Coarse Meal) as he fires SpongeBob, over a nickel. This is, without question, one of the dumbest actions that Mr. Krabs has ever done, and just goes to show that Mr. Krabs is willing to do anything just to keep his money, even if he has the go-so far as to fire someone.
 * 6) *While nowhere near as bad as Mr. Krabs, Squidward is also unlikeable in this episode, as he shows no sympathy towards SpongeBob who just got fired from his job by Mr. Krabs over nickel, and gleefully kicks SpongeBob out of the Krusty Krab without any remorse while the latter is crying his eyes out over losing his job, until the end.
 * 7) *Mr. Wiener, Pizza Pete, Senior Taco, and Noodleman are all unlikable one-time antagonists and are horrible characters, as all four of them not only fire SpongeBob for making simple mistakes, but they also later try to literally kidnap him just because their customers liked SpongeBob's Krabby Patty-styled foods as stated earlier in WIS #7.
 * 8) *Sandy is also out-of-character for running an unethical experiment of how people would eat anything if it's free and feeding them toxic waste.
 * 9) *Patrick feels mostly unnecessary and out-of-place in this episode. He was good enough to sympathize with SpongeBob by crying alongside him, but for the rest, he is just... therefore obvious reasons. After that, we hardly ever see him again for the rest of the story. This also makes Patrick feel useless.
 * 10) It is an extended SpongeBob torture episode, as he gets unnecessarily tortured for the whole episode until he gets his job back. He gets fired as a result of Mr. Krabs' greed, then is treated badly and unfairly punished by four restaurant managers.
 * 11) *As stated in the #4 Segment, firing someone over a nickel shows a rather cruel side of Mr. Krabs' greed.
 * 12) On that note, it would've made more sense if Krabs fired SpongeBob for his showings of incompetence in the previous episodes.
 * 13) When the four restaurant managers discover that everyone likes SpongeBob's Krabby Patty-style foods, instead of just simply calling him back and saying that it was a misunderstanding, they all try to kidnap him.
 * 14) Squidward doesn't ask Mr. Krabs who is going to make the patties until he's done with kicking SpongeBob out of there, which makes him look like he's wise after the event.
 * 15) The writing is really at its worst as this shows how much this episode sucks at storytelling. It is also unoriginal as well, as its plot is a mish-mash of scenes and gags from various earlier SpongeBob episodes, such as "Can You Spare A Dime?", "A Day Without Tears", "All That Glitters", "Squilliam Returns", "Bummer Vacation", "Model Sponge", "Le Big Switch", etc. - even the title of this episode copies the title of the episode "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired".
 * 16) SpongeBob being fired from the Krusty Krab is treated as a very shocking, yet a bad idea to make into an episode, while it is an interesting premise of an episode as SpongeBob hates being fired. Thing is, the idea of SpongeBob being fired from the Krusty Krab has already been done before in "Karate Choppers" and "Squid on Strike"; as a result, this episode is pointless.
 * 17) Heaps of plot-holes and inconsistencies, all of which feel very, very contrived:
 * 18) *The most obvious would be that Squidward isn't fired and Mr. Krabs claims that he has seniority, although Squidward is the laziest of his employees and is easily eligible for firing, not SpongeBob.
 * 19) *Whenever SpongeBob gets a job at the four employees' restaurants, he has trouble making those kinds of food and the only thing he can make is Krabby Patty-style foods, but later on, in one scene at SpongeBob's house near the end of the episode, he is shown being capable of making Gary's food, which is very bizarre.
 * 20) *Near the end of the episode, Squidward (who is in a Krabby Patty suit), is shown to be an expert fighter as he defeats all of the employees.
 * 21) At one point there is an extreme close-up shot where SpongeBob has an ugly-looking face as a result of his depression.
 * 22) SpongeBob tries hard to get a job at the four new restaurants but gets unfairly fired at all of them, as SpongeBob is not only fired for one stupid thing, but is also unfairly punished and kicked out over the aforementioned stupid thing, which is just harsh and cruel than just funny.
 * 23) SpongeBob's non-stop crying throughout the entire episode is incredibly annoying and gets on your nerves very quickly.
 * 24) False advertising: The Next 100 Episodes DVD calls this episode a "fan favorite" along with the other episodes that are included on the back cover of the DVD, which just contrasts its actual reception.
 * 25) For the most part, mediocre and forced humor, like the scene which Mr. Wiener, alone, takes a box of wrustels (that implicates he takes a cigar, in a kids show), take one of them and then burps.
 * 26) The fight scene is ridiculous, crazy, and way too over the top for a SpongeBob episode, although Squidward kicking 🐬 is nice.
 * 27) Half semi-mediocre ending: It's somewhat stupid, as Mr. Krabs doesn't learn his lesson as he charges five cents for customers who want to use the bathroom, which is possibly illegal and would cost hundreds of dollars to install.
 * 28) *Other than that, the ending is extremely clichéd and predictable. We the audience can guess SpongeBob would be rehired at last after the Krusty Krab was without him, which makes the episode even pointless.
 * 29) While the scene where SpongeBob makes Gary his food is a lighthearted moment, it literary gets drop out and is never talked about again after Mr. Wiener's employees kidnap him.
 * 30) Sandy calls Patrick, one of the eating volunteers that agreed to her experiment, a freeloader for no reason, despite him being her friend. What did he do to you, Sandy?
 * 31) *The “Baby Patrick” Patrick grows on his head as part of his mutation from the toxic waste is rather disgusting because when he eats he “defecates” in Patrick’s mouth and Patrick eats the “feces” from “Baby Patrick”. The idea of Patrick eating poop is disgusting and weird, especially on paper.
 * 32) Like most SpongeBob episodes, this episode has no impact on SpongeBob SquarePants as a whole whatsoever. Given the fact that none of the events of the episode or even the characters introduced in the same episode are ever mentioned and seen ever again goes to show this episode was all a completely sad joke.
 * 33) It could be considered a rating trap as it was advertised as an episode about SpongeBob getting fired from the Krusty Krab, but it doesn’t show or reveal the fact that he is rehired at the end this episode.
 * 1) Like most SpongeBob episodes, this episode has no impact on SpongeBob SquarePants as a whole whatsoever. Given the fact that none of the events of the episode or even the characters introduced in the same episode are ever mentioned and seen ever again goes to show this episode was all a completely sad joke.
 * 2) It could be considered a rating trap as it was advertised as an episode about SpongeBob getting fired from the Krusty Krab, but it doesn’t show or reveal the fact that he is rehired at the end this episode.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The beginning of the episode is really good because it has some creative elements like the mini duplicates of SpongeBob as shown at the start despite being filler.
 * 2) Old Man Jenkins' line "I'm not a very strong swimmer!" when SpongeBob's tears flood up the Krusty Krab, while poorly written, could be hilarious to some due to its ironic nature and unintentional humor.
 * 3) The scene where SpongeBob's brain and eyes fall out of his head sideways as a literal depiction of Sandy's quote of him "falling apart", while disturbing, is arguably the funniest scene of this episode.
 * 4) Half semi-good ending: Mr. Krabs apologizes to SpongeBob for his unforgivable actions and rehired him again.
 * 5) Despite conducting an unethical scientific experiment of feeding Bikini Bottomites radioactive experimental food, Sandy quickly realizes her actions when she notices SpongeBob looking depressed, and is the one who encourages SpongeBob to look for a new job.
 * 6) SpongeBob and Gary are likable characters.
 * 7) *Despite being pointless, Patrick becomes more likable as the episode progresses and encourages Spongebob to find a new job.
 * 8) At least Squidward redeemed himself after kicking the characters from having SpongeBob in their restaurants and feeling bad that the Krusty Krab wouldn't be good without him.
 * 9) SpongeBob's reprise of his old catchphrase "I'M READY!" when he looks for a new job.
 * 10) The mascot fight scene was funny, and it’s nice to see the normally grumpy guy in the show (Squidward) be able to fight and even save SpongeBob.

Reception

 * This episode received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and fans alike.
 * IMDB ranked this episode as 4.7/10.
 * The Mysterious Mr. Enter ranked this episode as #4 on his Top 10 WORST Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants list, and said that the episode was incredibly boring, to the point that he said "Waiting" had more of a plot than this episode.
 * The episode also sparked some political arguments online. Liberal-leaning viewers of the episode found it to be disparagingly insulting to the unemployed. Meanwhile, conservative-leaning viewers praised the episode for its portrayal of welfare, and how SpongeBob decided to job-hunt instead of mooching off welfare.

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