Well, Christmas is coming, which means I'm practically required to post.
So! For all you good boys and girls out there--- as well as all you who actually read this--- I've got a few episode reviews.
Be warned --- spoilers ahead!Ditchin'This was actually a very enjoyable episode for me. The premise is like this: SpongeBob takes a "bathroom break" to sneak out of Boating School and go to a book signing, but on his way back is met by many distractions, including the Bikini Bottom Hugfest.
It had maybe one gross-looking shot and a few continuity errors, but hey, this is a cartoon. Overall, it was a very funny episode, and the melodramatic citizens of Bikini Bottom seemed natural and funny rather than forced and over-the-top.
The ending was also pretty funny. It wasn't
too much of a twist, but was just right and tied the story up nicely. How many times has Mrs. Puff been arrested now?
Dear VikingsThis episode was kind of out there. SpongeBob wants to learn about vikings, so he writes them a letter. A garbage man who turned out to be a viking finds the letter, and the vikings come to kidnap SpongeBob and Squidward. It had a few good jokes, but I can't judge the acting because my sound was off and I was reading the captions.
The episode ended on sort of a dull note --- the vikings' ship has sprung a leak, and SpongeBob and Squidward solve the problem by catapulting Spongie into the hole to plug it up and absorb the water inside the boat. SpongeBob makes a lame joke, and it cuts, very suddenly, to commercial. They're still kidnapped by vikings, though. It's fine to end the episode with unresolved conflict (
Shanghaied is a
very good example of this), but
Dear Vikings didn't make it funny, and gave the impression that it was rushed and had no ending.
I'll review the other new ones later. I want to watch them once more before I do so, so they're still fresh in my mind.
