The former covers every single trope this show has done at the Krusty Krab (Squidward being a grump, SpongeBob being irritating, Pearl annoying "Krabs" for money, "Plankton" trying to steal the formula, unsatisfied customers, etc.) and Plankton's reactions to them all are just glorious. Both manage to go a long way in their premises.
#Spongebob season 3 episode series
Both of these episodes are a sight to behold, as the former has one of my favorite premises in the whole series, and the latter is unlike any other episodes in the series in terms of structure, so much so that not even Boat Smarts could capture the way this episode was structured or capture its top-tier satire.
Some of these episodes are the most unique episodes of the series, like The Algae's Always Greener and the famous Krusty Krab Training Video. If I'm going to be honest, this season actually did a much better job at its plots than season 2. It manages to showcase a subtle, but effective dynamic without even needing to have all three of these characters be in the same physical place at once. You can tell that the animation in this episode had cut corners, but what ultimately drives the plot is Squidward's idiotic fear building up over the course of the episode, and the extremely well-written dialogue. This still means that I still think the comedy in this season is really strong and is even more brilliant than season 2 thanks to episodes like Idiot Box, which honestly shows just how much millage they can get out of a literal bottle episode. I can tell that even one episode rating can make a difference, but that doesn't matter because this entire season is a national treasure. The general episode quality is top tier because the average ep here is easily among the best things the series has produced, but the rest is a bit interchangeable, and this made me realize something that affects this season: I don't know why, but looking at this pie chart, season 3 seems to be really small. I will say though, one big positive this season does poses is that flukes this season has aren't THAT bad (well, y'know, besides Party Pooper Pants), and between the first three seasons, this one has the least number of duds. It makes this season a little on the mundane side even if I still like a majority of these episodes. He's much more of an every-man and it's demonstrated in episodes like Rock-a-Bye Bivalve and Party Pooper Pants. that's not entirely correct, since there was one major difference that I've been trying to place my finger on that displaces this season from S2, and I think I've figured out what it is: I believe that SpongeBob lost that sense of being a child in this season. I love it, and on the surface, this season may seem exactly like season 2 yet again but with better coloring, and that may be true. Let's cut to the chase: Season 3 of SpongeBob is the strongest season of the pre-movie era.
I think the description below will get updated eventually too, but not now (inb4 i never ever touch it)