Waiting (SpongeBob SquarePants)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| "Waiting" | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 When do the writers learn how to be patient and help out instead?
| ||||||||||||||||
|
Waiting is the second segment of the third episode of the 5th season of SpongeBob SquarePants.
Plot
SpongeBob waits for a toy to arrive in the mail.
Why This Episode Will Make You Impatient
- The episode's plot is very unoriginal, pointless, and nothing but pure filler, and for one good reason: SpongeBob is waiting for a toy from a cereal box postcard. That's it.
- A free one, at that, which is the least of the episode's problems.
- Not to mention, the plot is partially a rip-off of "Bubble Buddy".
- This episode goes nowhere since nothing really happens that much in the episode, other than what was said above.
- SpongeBob acts like a huge obsessive jerk in this episode, almost as bad as he was in "A Pal for Gary". At least he does show remorse for it at one point, but that's not going to excuse his behavior for the following:
- He knocks Sandy away.
- He refuses to give Gary attention.
- He screams at Patrick (depending on your view, it can be funny, though.), who says that he missed his birthday.
- SPOILER ALERT: It turns out the present was a fork for a cake that Patrick ate.
- All of this is over a delivery.
- SpongeBob then starts crying when he believes that the toy is "broken", which wasn't even a big deal.
- The toy was never actually broken in the first place, either.
- SpongeBob and Patrick showcase their obnoxious immaturity once more, which is typical for the Dark Age episodes. They act fussy over a toy when it can be fixed easily. Men playing with toys would repair broken toys or have them repaired by someone if they can't do so.
- Doesn't help that this could've been even worse...
- Although the voice acting is passable, the crying and screaming performances from Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke are extremely annoying and ear-grating. Of course, this is one of those rare episodes in SpongeBob that showcases some really annoying voice acting.
- Major plot hole: Why isn't SpongeBob working at the Krusty Krab if he could've been waiting for a toy after he's done working?
- Here's another plot hole: Squidward is seen coming home from work at the Krusty Krab, but how on earth is Mr. Krabs aware of not seeing SpongeBob at work?
- Overall, it's also started Tuck Tucker's (along with combo of Cash/Tucker) career on the production order in the mean-spirited and sadder note.
Patience Qualities
- Squidward does knock some sense into SpongeBob and Patrick by pressing the toy's head (which is a sign of fixing it) at the end.
- Everyone except SpongeBob are likable.
- Despite also being annoying here, Patrick acts way more tolerable than SpongeBob since he did try to make SpongeBob feel better and didn't wait for the toy either, unlike SpongeBob.
- The premise could've been salvaged if the mail was more consequential if SpongeBob missed it.
- Funny moments such as:
- To get a free prize offer, SpongeBob has to send in 99 Kelpo box tops; it then cuts to him eating several boxes of Kelpo while simultaneously saving the tops; Gary then abruptly prompts him with a suggestion: Send in the box tops before eating all the cereal.
- Patrick brings some cake and a present back from SpongeBob's birthday party, which the latter missed while waiting for his package. Patrick eats the cake slice while looking for a fork. When SpongeBob asks what the present is, Patrick opens it... and it's the fork. (despite being a bit mean-spirited)
- SpongeBob's line: "WHAT! What do you want?!"
Trivia
- This episode was produced in 2006.
- This episode was on TurboNick three days before it premiered on TV.
- This is one of the episodes that aired during the "Patrick For President" marathon.
- This episode, along with "Rise and Shine" and "Sing a Song of Patrick," are the only season 5 episodes to premiere with a TV-Y rating.
- A rerun of this episode was featured right after the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards, due to it ending 13 minutes earlier than planned.
- The title card shows 11 still pictures of the Kelpo toy.
- This episode's title is said 20 times.
- This episode's plot is loosely based on the SpongeBob SquarePants book Special Delivery!, that Steven Banks also wrote.
- This episode reveals that SpongeBob wants to see the mailman delivering his mail and does not want to miss it.
- SpongeBob has been seen waiting for the mailman to deliver his mail before in "Chocolate with Nuts" and "Chimps Ahoy."
- This episode has a rare instance in which SpongeBob overpowers Sandy.
- This episode takes place on July 14, SpongeBob's birthday, which he forgot about and missed out on while he was waiting for a toy to arrive in the mail.
- The clip of SpongeBob and Patrick dancing after the toy was mailed was used during the "Up next" Nickelodeon USA bumpers from 2009 to 2011.
- This is the second episode for three things:
- The second short of season 5, the first being "Rise and Shine."
- The second episode where SpongeBob expects to find a toy in his cereal box and is disappointed, the first being "Shanghaied." However, this episode explains the lack of a toy in the box: the label reads "Free prize offer inside," meaning that it would be needed to send in box tops to actually get the toy.
- The second short of the series to be bookended by a soundtrack after "Gary Takes a Bath," but the first by an original soundtrack.
- This is the third episode to have Vincent Waller credited as a creative director instead of a technical director. The first was "Best Day Ever," and the second was "The Gift of Gum."
- This is the last episode to play the production track "Island Romance."
- On the November 6, 2009 airing, this episode segment and "Rise and Shine" were paired up with "Patty Caper."
- This is the first time where Nate Cash and Tuck Tucker worked on as writers and storyboard directors duo, the first episode they did is "Best Day Ever" (packing order).
Reception
- Ranked number 20 on MoBrosStudios's worst SpongeBob SquarePants episodes list, but was later taken off even though Anim8ball said it was not a good episode.
- The Mysterious Mr. Enter ranked "Waiting" as #10 on his "Top 10 WORST Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants" list. He admitted that he wanted to review the episode for a long time, but couldn't find anything interesting to say about it.
- It has a rating of 6.4 on IMDb.
Videos
Comments
Loading comments...