SquidBird (SpongeBob SquarePants)

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"SquidBird"
It was my understanding that everyone had heard. But apparently this episode hasn't heard that the bird is the word.
Series: SpongeBob SquarePants
Part of Season: 13
Episode Number: 292a
Air Date: August 10, 2023
Writer: Danny Giovannini
Director: Ryan Kramer (storyboard)
Previous episode: The Goobfather
Next episode: Allergy Attack!

SquidBird is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from Season 13.

Plot

In this episode, Squidward gets left with a mess when SpongeBob and Patrick use carrier clams to send messages to each other.

Why It's Not the Biggest Bird

  1. To start, this episode is rather a tasteless rip-off of "The Clam Whisperer" from season 11, only two seasons prior.
    • It should also be noted that Danny Giovannini was the writer of this episode, and that he has a poor track record of writing Squidward-centered episodes.
  2. Much like "Little Yellow Book", this episode tries way too hard to make Squidward unlikeable in order to justify the torment he receives in the episode. It is rather unclear as to who is considered the antagonist of this episode: the clams, or Squidward.
  3. Squidward is seriously out-of-character in this episode, and it is evident when:
    • Squidward tries to kill the clams twice in this episode, first by caging them up and sending them to a chowder factory, and then by luring a larger clam to killing them.
    • Squidward steals Patrick's lunch for no reason, despite the latter having done nothing wrong in this episode.
  4. The clams themselves are also unlikeable and go way too far with the torment Squidward receives:
    • The clams leave Squidward naked multiple times throughout the episode.
    • They lock up Squidward in his house while he was taking a shower.
    • At the end, the clams throw Squidward and his house into a volcano, burning them alive.
  5. The episode teaches atrocious morals to kids in the two aforementioned scenes as Squidward gets tortured by the clams as he gets bitten by them and they rip off his clothes, which is one heck of a bad moral for kids. Sound awfully familiar?
  6. Misleading title: This episode has nothing to do with birds and is just Squidward attacking clams and being tortured back.
  7. Instead, the episode seems to make fun of the "Bird is the Word" meme from Family Guy. It seems as if the Danny Giovannini may seem to be pandering a Family Guy audience as well.
  8. The attempts at humor in this episode come off as disgusting and unfunny, especially with the gross scenes.
  9. The pacing comes off as shockingly mediocre, unlike many other SpongeBob episodes.
  10. Horrifying ending: The clams drop Squidward and his house into a volcano, causing them to burn alive. Even though Squidward deserved it for trying to kill the clams twice, that kind of punishment was way too much and very brutal.

Redeeming Qualities

  1. SpongeBob and Patrick are still likable in this episode as they teach the clams to stop annoying Squidward through a montage.
  2. The Squidward torture, despite being much too over-the-top, is just karma for Squidward trying to kill the clams twice.
  3. It had a few funny scenes.
  4. The title card music was good and very fitting, as it pays homage to "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen.
  5. Ryan Kramer's storyboard is very nice and fast pacing.

Reception

Upon release, this episode received negative reviews. It is often considered the worst episode of the Post-Threequel Era along with "Don't Make Me Laugh", "Squidiot Box", and "Plane to Sea". It now has a 6.1/10 rating on IMDb along with its sister episode "Allergy Attack!", which was also poorly received.

Trivia

  • This is the fourth Season 13 episode where Squidward gets tortured by animals after "A Place for Pets", "Under the Small Top", and "Squidward's Sick Daze" in the urchin scene.

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