HOME | DD

Description
Yes, this is my personal favorite season of SpongeBob of all time! It may sound weird but trust me, I'll explain why this season is better than S1-3 below.

Similar to S1-3, this season favored more simplistic stories, but what made this season standout was that it added more depth to the plots. What better way to show this than the first episode, which is about the Krusty Krab staying open 24/7. Simple enough, right? Like the usual SBSP episode, it's absolutely hilarious, but what made this episode more interesting was how it delved into SpongeBob's personality, showcasing his attachment to Krabby Patties in a way that not even seasons prior could do. This made the season interesting already, and this type of writing persisted in nearly every episode. There's a reason nearly every episode gained as high of a rating as they did, because each one took the typical simplistic plot idea and managed to make them more interesting, such as how Wigstruck was a creative satire on trends, or Skill Crane showcasing a clever homage to addiction.

S4 also took the extra mile to dive more deeper into characters. Episode 17, also known as Driven to Tears/Rule of Dumb, delved more into Patrick's intellect, how when he comes to power he ends up abusing it due to him not usually gaining power thanks to his stupidity. Pretty much every main character got a chance to shine in this season, with Sandy getting Karate Island and Chimps Ahoy, Mr. Krabs getting Shell of a Man and Krabs vs. Plankton, SpongeBob getting numerous episodes dedicated to him, and Squidward with episodes like SquidBob TentaclePants and Squid Wood.

This season also has great pacing. Ever since season 1 the show has continuously being doing nothing but improving upon pacing, but here was where this was at its absolute peak. This season did a great job at making sure each episode had as much content as possible. As I already said, most of these episodes have really clever writing that go beyond just the premise, but in-general these episodes have a lot going on in them and never feel like there could've been more, because they already have enough content to please me. Even the worst episode, Squidtastic Voyage, had a really creative take on the "person goes inside someone" storyline, presenting itself with interesting twists and beautiful imagery, even if it does have a few issues with characterization not present in other episodes. When even the worst episode here as so much to show, you know that this season will be one of the most entertaining seasons of the show.

This season is also home to some of the best stories the show ever made. Outside of just character-depth episodes, there are episodes which manage to actually make a great point while also being entertaining as hell. For example, Selling Out pokes fun at big businesses and how they'll buy anything just to make money out of it and not care about the quality of the smaller business itself, while also cleverly tying this to Mr. Krabs' character development where he realizes there's more to life than money, making this an easy top 20 episode. There are several episodes which even bring out EMOTIONS out of me. The obvious example if Have You Seen This Snail?, but my personal favorite is Patrick SmartPants. This episode, with such a simplistic concept as Patrick becoming smart, is probably the closest a cartoon has gone to make me CRY, which is impressive for this show for kids. This episode's pacing and great plot progression allows the emotion to truly shine in scenes like the book scene, or the initial break-up, while also providing a great message that no amount of knowledge will ever replace friendship. Not to mention that as a usual S4 episode, this episode is packed with jokes and amazing writing, such as the interesting character interactions applied to the build-up, as well as the very clever ending. This episode showcases pretty much everything great about S4 in one package, and not even the highest rating could explain how much I love this episode. Other great examples of great stories in this season include Shell of a Man, MM and BB 6, Ghost Host, All That Glitters, The Pink Purloiner, and Best Day Ever, among many others.

Lastly I'll talk about animation, since it's easily the best of the show till' post-sequel. This season feels a lot more cleaner than S1-3 and generally looks a lot more fluid, with some really creative expressions presented throughout most of the episodes. Maybe the animation got less expressive toward the end, but this season still felt very nice to look at throughout. This was especially the case with Fear of a Krabby Patty, which has quite possibly the best animation in the show, with some of the best expressions, character designs, and artwork that enhances an already perfect episode. Speaking of designs, they got a boost too, they look really slick and nice, and honestly these designs are the ones I remember the most alongside S3's designs because they work so well and the expressions make them pop out. Not to mention this season somewhat brings back the underwater feel of S1. Maybe not as good as that season since it doesn't have the dark colors, but being honest it didn't really need that since it already has a great esthetic to it while also being appealing at the same time. My only issue would probably be that it can be a bit pale at times, but otherwise this is pretty much perfect SpongeBob animation.

Overall, this season simply perfected many of the aspects of pre-movie while also presenting some of the best writing I've seen in children's television. This is the season that I know SpongeBob for and it's one that I can forever watch episodes of without being bored, while also being respectful to the classic era by incorporating many of those seasons' writing techniques and mixing with this season's brand of storytelling to showcase the absolute top-tier for SpongeBob. Maybe this season slightly declined toward the end, but honestly that doesn't matter because those episodes are still very similar in quality to this season's top episodes, and pretty much every episode here is one that I can easily recommend. It is the true perfect season of SpongeBob, and I highly recommend it, especially to people who still think SpongeBob went downhill after S3. Seriously, I just don't see how this season is a downfall at all when it did nothing but strengthen aspects of S3 while improving the writing 10-fold.

Description
Yes, this is my personal favorite season of SpongeBob of all time! It may sound weird but trust me, I'll explain why this season is better than S1-3 below.

Similar to S1-3, this season favored more simplistic stories, but what made this season standout was that it added more depth to the plots. What better way to show this than the first episode, which is about the Krusty Krab staying open 24/7. Simple enough, right? Like the usual SBSP episode, it's absolutely hilarious, but what made this episode more interesting was how it delved into SpongeBob's personality, showcasing his attachment to Krabby Patties in a way that not even seasons prior could do. This made the season interesting already, and this type of writing persisted in nearly every episode. There's a reason nearly every episode gained as high of a rating as they did, because each one took the typical simplistic plot idea and managed to make them more interesting, such as how Wigstruck was a creative satire on trends, or Skill Crane showcasing a clever homage to addiction.

S4 also took the extra mile to dive more deeper into characters. Episode 17, also known as Driven to Tears/Rule of Dumb, delved more into Patrick's intellect, how when he comes to power he ends up abusing it due to him not usually gaining power thanks to his stupidity. Pretty much every main character got a chance to shine in this season, with Sandy getting Karate Island and Chimps Ahoy, Mr. Krabs getting Shell of a Man and Krabs vs. Plankton, SpongeBob getting numerous episodes dedicated to him, and Squidward with episodes like SquidBob TentaclePants and Squid Wood.

This season also has great pacing. Ever since season 1 the show has continuously being doing nothing but improving upon pacing, but here was where this was at its absolute peak. This season did a great job at making sure each episode had as much content as possible. As I already said, most of these episodes have really clever writing that go beyond just the premise, but in-general these episodes have a lot going on in them and never feel like there could've been more, because they already have enough content to please me. Even the worst episode, Squidtastic Voyage, had a really creative take on the "person goes inside someone" storyline, presenting itself with interesting twists and beautiful imagery, even if it does have a few issues with characterization not present in other episodes. When even the worst episode here as so much to show, you know that this season will be one of the most entertaining seasons of the show.

This season is also home to some of the best stories the show ever made. Outside of just character-depth episodes, there are episodes which manage to actually make a great point while also being entertaining as hell. For example, Selling Out pokes fun at big businesses and how they'll buy anything just to make money out of it and not care about the quality of the smaller business itself, while also cleverly tying this to Mr. Krabs' character development where he realizes there's more to life than money, making this an easy top 20 episode. There are several episodes which even bring out EMOTIONS out of me. The obvious example if Have You Seen This Snail?, but my personal favorite is Patrick SmartPants. This episode, with such a simplistic concept as Patrick becoming smart, is probably the closest a cartoon has gone to make me CRY, which is impressive for this show for kids. This episode's pacing and great plot progression allows the emotion to truly shine in scenes like the book scene, or the initial break-up, while also providing a great message that no amount of knowledge will ever replace friendship. Not to mention that as a usual S4 episode, this episode is packed with jokes and amazing writing, such as the interesting character interactions applied to the build-up, as well as the very clever ending. This episode showcases pretty much everything great about S4 in one package, and not even the highest rating could explain how much I love this episode. Other great examples of great stories in this season include Shell of a Man, MM and BB 6, Ghost Host, All That Glitters, The Pink Purloiner, and Best Day Ever, among many others.

Lastly I'll talk about animation, since it's easily the best of the show till' post-sequel. This season feels a lot more cleaner than S1-3 and generally looks a lot more fluid, with some really creative expressions presented throughout most of the episodes. Maybe the animation got less expressive toward the end, but this season still felt very nice to look at throughout. This was especially the case with Fear of a Krabby Patty, which has quite possibly the best animation in the show, with some of the best expressions, character designs, and artwork that enhances an already perfect episode. Speaking of designs, they got a boost too, they look really slick and nice, and honestly these designs are the ones I remember the most alongside S3's designs because they work so well and the expressions make them pop out. Not to mention this season somewhat brings back the underwater feel of S1. Maybe not as good as that season since it doesn't have the dark colors, but being honest it didn't really need that since it already has a great esthetic to it while also being appealing at the same time. My only issue would probably be that it can be a bit pale at times, but otherwise this is pretty much perfect SpongeBob animation.

Overall, this season simply perfected many of the aspects of pre-movie while also presenting some of the best writing I've seen in children's television. This is the season that I know SpongeBob for and it's one that I can forever watch episodes of without being bored, while also being respectful to the classic era by incorporating many of those seasons' writing techniques and mixing with this season's brand of storytelling to showcase the absolute top-tier for SpongeBob. Maybe this season slightly declined toward the end, but honestly that doesn't matter because those episodes are still very similar in quality to this season's top episodes, and pretty much every episode here is one that I can easily recommend. It is the true perfect season of SpongeBob, and I highly recommend it, especially to people who still think SpongeBob went downhill after S3. Seriously, I just don't see how this season is a downfall at all when it did nothing but strengthen aspects of S3 while improving the writing 10-fold.