Stuck in the Wringer (SpongeBob SquarePants)

"Stuck in the Wringer"

How to destroy Zeus Cervas and Sean Charmatz's writing reputation in one episode.

Series:	SpongeBob SquarePants
Part of Season:	7
Episode Number:	128b
Air Date:	July 19, 2009
Writer:	Zeus Cervas Sean Charmatz Derek Iversen
Director:	Zeus Cervas Sean Charmatz
Previous episode:	Growth Spout Single Cell Anniversary (193–652) (Season 6) The Inside Job (Airing order)
Next episode:	Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy The Inside Job (223-702) Overbooked (Airing order) (Season 6)

Stuck in the Wringer is a season 7 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Plot

SpongeBob accidentally gets stuck in the wringer, and his situation only gets worse when Patrick puts glue on the wringer.

Why It Should Get Stuck in the Wringer

The entire set-up for this episode is contrived, as it consists of SpongeBob slipping on a bar of soap he dropped onto the floor, rockets around his bathroom & gets stuck in his wringer, only for Patrick to permanently trap SpongeBob inside the wringer with his "Forever Glue".
Patrick is extremely unlikable in this episode, and is at his absolute worst in terms of his stupidity (which has been cranked up to 11 in this episode), as he gets SpongeBob, his best friend, stuck in his wringer. He also thinks it would help by permanently trapping SpongeBob inside his wringer with his "Forever Glue" & is oblivious to the fact that it made things worse for his own best friend, even psychologically & physically.
- Thanks to him, SpongeBob has a pretty bad day, no pun intended. He gets thrown out of the Krusty Krab because of the Wringer. After this Patrick takes SpongeBob to get ice-cream, but since the wringer blocks his esophagus, he can't digest the ice-cream! But it only gets worse from here, Patrick then takes SpongeBob to the carnival & while he has lots of fun, SpongeBob continues to suffer, as he gets a black eye & flung off a ride, & Patrick either is oblivious for his stupidity or doesn't seem to care about all the suffering his best friend is going through!
The rest of the characters are no better, Mr. Krabs is a jerk for not even wanting to help SpongeBob, and just pulls him out of the Krusty Krab, without offering him help, and Squidward just makes fun of SpongeBob.
The infamously infuriating scene where SpongeBob loses his temper and snaps at Patrick for his actions (and for the right reasons too), then Patrick attempts to play it off by saying "Okay, if that's how you feel... I won't help you anymore!" and runs away crying, only for SpongeBob to be called out by the townsfolk, who tell him that he deserved what he's gotten. (which he didn't, as SpongeBob is the one who had been suffering throughout this episode, even visibly). They didn't know the full story, you say? At the time, SpongeBob snaps at Patrick and calls him out for his actions, the townspeople were clearly witnessing & overhearing the argument, and SpongeBob was visibly suffering, physically & emotionally, at the moment. Are the Bikini Bottom townspeople this unlikable?! Not to mention the fact some of them could've seen him getting injured throughout the day on all the carnival rides Patrick took him on.
- Not only is this highly unfair and horrible, but it gives the wrong message to kids that if someone is treating you badly, you have no right to be mad at them.
- It seemed that the townsfolk either took on Patrick's side because he claimed he was only trying to help or because they thought SpongeBob was a bit harsh to Patrick & they feel sorry for him because Patrick got upset, meaning Patrick made SpongeBob look like the bad-guy in a way.
- There was also another scene where Patrick tried to stay angry at SpongeBob for finally standing up to him. It was his own fault, so he shouldn't blame SpongeBob since he went through an unfortunate set of circumstances in this episode. And it even shows that Patrick can't take criticism or because he still claims he tried to help SpongeBob in the first place, and that Patrick can't take responsibilities for his actions.
- The worst part is that the townsfolk get off scot-free for shaming SpongeBob, making them Karma Houdinis.
The episode is boring, because the only "joke" is that SpongeBob is suffering... and that's it.
Bad moral and ending: SpongeBob comes out of the wringer based on tears, and says "I guess crying does solve your problems.", which is clearly false and although this was meant to be a "joke", it doesn't work because SpongeBob's problem was solved by tears, so it's still a bad message. And to top it all off, the episode ends with SpongeBob and Patrick getting stuck in the wringer. On top of that, Patrick also had the gall to ask if he should get the glue, implying that he did not learn his lesson to begin with.
- Overall, it's started the worst season in the mean-spirited and harsh start, Season 7 on the number code order.
There is a very disturbing and off-putting scene in the kitchen at the Krusty Krab where SpongeBob accidentally shoots mustard and mayonnaise onto Squidward's eyes, literally melting them as a result before both of them fall out from his face & then onto an incomplete Krabby Patty.
Incoherence: They are underwater, the glue should have been washed away by the water, mainly because this show takes place underwater in the Pacific Ocean in every episode.
Missed Opportunity: Couldn't SpongeBob go to Sandy's treedome instead of Patrick to get freed from the wringer?

Redeeming Qualities

SpongeBob is the only likable character in this episode, especially since he has his original personality here.
- Also, he had the right to call out Patrick for his stupidity.
As usual, the animation and voice acting is great.
Despite the bad ending, at least Patrick gets his comeuppance when he ended up getting stuck to the wringer as well.
The beginning scene was great as it shows SpongeBob happily taking a bath.
Spongebob snapping at and blaming Patrick for his suffering is extremely cathartic.
SpongeBob freaking out over the bar of soap falling to the ground. Not as funny as the "Doubloons, don't drop 'em!" joke, but it's still funny.
It's pretty surprising that SpongeBob was able to make a Krabby Patty while being stuck in a wringer.

Reception

With a 4.1 rating on IMDB, this episode is considered one of the worst episodes of the show, along with A Pal for Gary and One Coarse Meal (believe me, those episode are much worse), because of its cruelty and Patrick's insufferable stupidity.

It also ruined Sean Charmatz and Zeus Cervas's career thanks to his cruel writing quality, which making them the overhated writers of the SpongeBob SquarePants, along with Casey Alexander and Richard Pursel, though Sean Charmatz later improves himself in Aaron Springer's episodes.

However, it's also worsen Zeus Cervas's reputation because of its cruelty writing, making him overhated by fans.

Trivia

The title card is similar to "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired" and "Ditchin'."

Gallery

after the great beginning, downhill begins in the episode by this scene..
and the horror get worse.
Squidward's eyes on an incomplete Krabby Patty. Yikes.
"Help?! I think you've "helped" quite enough today!"
Pretty big choking hazard.
SpongeBob being tortured on a carnival ride.
[as Mr. Krabs says it] "Help?! I think you've "helped" quite enough today!"
"You know, kid: your body isn't the problem - it's your heart."
Geez.. when did the writers really need to learn their mean-spirited writings?
"I guess crying does solve your problems." (And that's the moment that broke the YouTube cartoon reviewer (Mr. Enter) sphere forever.)
"Should I get the glue?"