Pulling 101 - Tea at the Treedome

Hello everybody!

If you've made it this far into reading this blog, then you are either a true fan of SpongeBob, or I have been forcing you to read them by annoying you until you do...or both.  Either way, I hope you're enjoying reading these.  I certainly have been enjoying writing them.

We will finally be finishing the first series of episodes today with Tea at the Treedome.  I'll remind everyone again to go watch the episode so you can keep up.  https://www.watchcartoononline.com/spongebob-squarepants-season-1-episode-1-help-wanted-reef-blower-tea-at-the-treedome.

Here we go.

TEA AT THE TREEDOME


First things first, this episode features one of the main recurring characters that will play a vital role in the show's future, Sandy the Squirrel.  If this were the first episode you saw, this would be the biggest curveball ever thrown...actually it wouldn't even be a curveball.  This would be like if you were in the batters box and someone chucked a football at you.  It makes no sense!  That being said, this introduction of a foreign being does seem to be rather familiar when you think about cartoons in general.  Think about it; Family Guy has Brian the talking dog, Futurama with a robot, American Dad with an alien and a fish, the list goes on.  Strangely enough, all the shows I mentioned are adult cartoons, coincidence?  You decide.  My main point is that cartoons seem to frequently use this strategy to keep us on our toes and create something unique the show can point to.  Moving on.

Ok, so the episode opens on SpongeBob jellyfishing, didn't realize that was a thing but alright I can dig it.  After catching himself he hears the cry of a female.  Thankfully, its just a squirrel fighting a large clam.  We know its a squirrel because somehow SpongeBob can fit an entire field guide book into his pocket.  We also learn SpongeBob has reading glasses.  That's all cool and stuff, but what I really want to highlight as the point of this episode is the fact that SpongeBob has got GAME SON!  I mean dang this dude is smoother than silk.  SpongeBob sees Sandy momentarily getting her cheeks handed to her by this clam and decides to pull up from Curry range.



So lets break down his efforts in this episode:

First off, he knows he's not strong, he even comments on how surprising it is that he's effectively opening the clam.  But that doesn't stop him.  He figures that getting eaten up by a clam is worth it for some tail (I hate myself for that one).  Furthermore, Sandy is tough as nails, I mean she's fighting a massive clam for Neptune's sake.  Not only that, she kicks that thing off into the distance like it was Team Rocket blasting off again.  That clam looked like it had 300% damage and got Falcon Punched straight into oblivion.  These are signs that SpongeBob clearly ignores, or denies on his way to laying the trap.  Because a girl that tough is one of a few things:  A) Lesbian.  B) Ronda Rousey.  C) A man.  Or D) From Texas......so you got lucky with this one SpongeBob.

    

After running up a small rock structure like he's Neo from the Matrix, he backflips and sticks into the ground. But Sandy challenges him with her strength.  So what does he do?  He turns the table and does the classic arm fart, which is an automatic winner, trust me.  And its at this point that she's hooked.  She walks over and says she likes him and something about being tighter than bark on a tree (go watch it I promise she says it), and then karate chops him in the head, which basically 2nd base for tough people.

But then things get real for SpongeBob.  He gets to the point when the girl says something that you either don't know a thing about, or don't care about, and therefore have to lie your way through that part of the conversation.  You can see him start to struggle with this whole "air" concept she just brought up, and she appears skeptical, but that Casanova SpongeBob is smoother than Diet Dr. Kelp so he saved himself, I think.  What makes me question this is the fact that Sandy pulls out a map showing the directions from the exact spot they're standing in to her house.


Now this is allows for a few options.  Sandy could be a huge thot; maybe she knew when she went to that spot that she would encounter a man, and being a thotty temptress, would seduce him to her house, so she drew up a map before.  OR, maybe she's just playing SpongeBob with the classic "here's a map to my house, but its really just a crude drawing" trick, in which case this just further illustrates how much of a cold killer Spongebob is that he can somehow get to her house the next day anyways.  OR maybe she's just really good at drawing quickly and for some reason her house is short, curvy walk away. You decide.  I do want to put a pin in this Sandy conversation though because I feel like there's a huge backstory that we need to discuss, but we'll save that for another episode.

Ok, so SpongeBob's shot looks like its going in, but he still actually has to go on the date, so let's see how this plays out.  He goes to his wingman Patrick, who gives the most sound advice in the deep blue sea "when in doubt, pinky out."  This is dating 101 right here boys.  On the real though, we all know someone like Patrick.  The person you go to for dating help immediately, and they give you the most useless advice and lead you down a path of destruction.  Patrick successful took Spongebobs shot, mid-air, and punched it into the stands like he was Dwight Howard.

Alright, so SpongeDawg gets to Sandy's with some flowers (take notes gentlemen) and despite the fact that he's literally a fish out of water, he stays stone cold.  I mean just look at the way Sandy is eyeing him.


But SpongeBob, being the dirty dawg he is, starts checkin out that tall glass of water (literally) sitting on the table.  Everyone deserves someone who looks at them the way SpongeBob looks at this vase.


This is a risky move.  He's running the risk of losing Sandy if he can't keep his cool around the water.  Sandy goes to get cookies or something, which leaves SpongeBob alone to suffer through the internal conflict that every human and R. Kelly has suffered.  His head was telling him "I don't need it"...BUT HIS BODY...HIS BODY WAS TELLING HIM I NEED IT!!!!

                                

But have no fear, Patrick the loyal wingman comes to save him (or steal his girl? hmm), but inevitably they both fail, leaving SpongeBob's shot as an.....wait for it......AIRBALL! hahahahahahahaha!!!

Final grade for SpongeBob: F.  Sorry SpongeBob, sometimes you can do everything right and mess up once and that be the determining factor.  You laid the trap, got the digits, executed well, got the drinks, but you were friendzoned in the end, which is always an F whichever way you look at it.  Patrick, you got an F as a wingman.  You supported your friend, had his back, and almost got him to victory, but (intentionally or not) crashed the date and made this hella weird as the 3rd wheel (unless Sandy's into that, idk kinda seems like she is *shrugs*).


Looking back on this episode, I have to say it is much more enjoyable as an adult now that I know that this was a giant parallel to SpongeBob laying the trap.  I'm not sure what the real adult-life equivalent is to SpongeBob and Patrick drying up and having to wear water helmets would be, but perhaps I'm just not old and mature enough to understand.

So that wraps up the first series of episodes.  Wow, I missed this show.  I loved these episodes as a kid and now that I am older and more mature (not really), I love them even more, and I hope you do too.  Let me know what your thoughts are on the episode if you have any.  Until then, I'm outa here.  And remember, when in doubt, pinky out.







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pulling 102: How to Escape the Friendzone - Ripped Pants

Squidward is a Hipster - Reef Blower