Indeed, many kids were ready when a certain cartoon about a certain underwater sponge premiered on Nickelodeon in May 1999, but I doubt that they were ready for that cartoon, known as SpongeBob SquarePants, to become as much of a globally known phenomenon as it is today. Between then and now, many episodes, along with several kinds of merchandise such as toys and video games, have been created for the series, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the marine biologist and animator known for the show’s creation, Stephen Hillenburg. Absolutely no one was ready, however, when Stephen Hillenburg passed away from ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, on November 26, two days before the writing of this review. Many fans of SpongeBob, whether they’ve watched it in their childhoods or continue to watch it today, have expressed sadness over his passing, some even paying tribute to him, and as someone who spent a portion of my childhood watching the show, I had a strong feeling that I needed to do the same. Thus, I decided to re-watch the episode where it all started and write a review for that episode.
Ladies and gentlemen, here is my review of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, “Help Wanted”.
An important part of the series overall is SpongeBob’s job at the restaurant known as the Krusty Krab; “Help Wanted” is the episode where SpongeBob goes in to get that job. Of course, Squidward Tentacles, an employee at the Krusty Krab, is opposed to the idea of working alongside him, and when asked to vouch for him, he simply tells Mr. Krabs, “No.” To keep him away, Mr. Krabs sends SpongeBob off to find a seemingly non-existent “hydro-dynamic spatula”....but as soon as he leaves, five buses of anchovies arrive at the Krusty Krab and cause mass chaos inside of the restaurant. All seems lost for Squidward and Mr. Krabs, until SpongeBob returns with the spatula, and in a montage, he makes Krabby Patties, the burger that the Krusty Krab is most known for, for each and every one of the anchovies....
First of all, I must say that the animation holds up well for its age. Sure, it’s not the most spectacular-looking animation ever, but compared to other shows created in 1999, it’s not half bad. There were also a few minor errors in the episode, such as where Mr. Krabs was going when he said he was going to his office to count his money at the end of the episode, but things like that can be chalked up to it being the first episode and the Krusty Krab’s layout not being completely figured out yet as a result. What I can’t find even the slightest error with, however, is the voice acting; it could clearly be heard that the voice actors, even the anchovies’ voice actors (and all they said was “meep”), were putting their all into their respective performances.
The episode introduced us to four of the most important characters in the series (with other major characters debuting in later episodes), and it clearly shows us the personalities that they each will have. SpongeBob is the optimistic and innocent protagonist, Patrick is his dim-witted best friend, Squidward is cynical and strongly dislikes SpongeBob, and Mr. Krabs is the money-loving owner of the Krusty Krab; we receive this knowledge of these characters from what they all say and do in this episode. This is a good thing, as a first episode is supposed to give us an idea of who the main characters are and what personalities they have.
Finally, there’s the humor and the background music. This episode is not without humor, and the jokes presented is this episode, whether subtle or obvious, were quite amusing; it set up the style of humor the viewer would expect to see in future episodes. The background music is also something the viewer would expect to hear in future episodes, and fortunately, the background music is catchy, memorable, and fitting for the situation it’s being played in. Say what you will about “Living in the Sunlight” by Tiny Tim, but there’s no doubt that this song fits SpongeBob’s character; thus, the fact that this song played during his montage of making Krabby Patties was quite appropriate.
Overall, “Help Wanted” was an excellent start to the SpongeBob SquarePants TV series. If you want to marathon the entire show so far, this would be an optimal episode to start with; after all, it was what kickstarted 19 and a half years of adventures and misadventures of a cheerful, yellow sponge and his friends. Thank you, Stephen Hillenburg; may you rest in peace.
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