Analysis of Hooky by Asmae Fahmy

Written by Asmae Fahmy, with pictures and Captions added by Jason Sterling

 

 

“SpongeBob” Season 1, Episode 40, “Hooky” Review

 

Summary and Review

 

This episode starts off in the traditional SpongeBob backdrop: a boisterous day at the Krusty Krab.

 

Mr. Krabs enters the restaurant screaming about “the hooks,” intent on warning everyone within earshot about their arrival. Squidward, of course, buries his head under a trash can – always dismissive of Mr. Krabs' – or anyone, for that matter – attempts at communication.

 

SpongeBob, however, is quite inquisitive.  

 

“Warn him about what, Mr. Krabs?” he asks eagerly.

 

Mr. Krabs then proceeds to tell SpongeBob the harrowing tale of these elusive hooks – silver claws that pierce through the sea to latch on to any nearby creatures and take them up to the surface. Hooks that will create crabmeat for a dinner table or sponge toys for a gift shop. He warns SpongeBob to stay away, less the hooks take hold of him.

 

Mr Krabs warns SpongeBob of the Hooks

Later, Patrick comes by to convince SpongeBob to take a break from work to attend the newly-arrived carnival with him. This “carnival” turns out to be made up of an assortment of multicolored hooks, and the environment is eerily empty.

 

When SpongeBob realizes where they are, he attempts to tell Patrick of Mr. Krabs' warning, but Patrick refuses to listen, drawing SpongeBob into the allure of the hooks; distracting him with the cheese stacked on them.

 

“Does this look dangerous, SpongeBob?” he says through a mouthful of hooks.

 

All of a sudden, Patrick is taken by a hook and soars through the sky. Naturally, SpongeBob starts to freak out, until Patrick comes floating down a few seconds later – happy, fulfilled, and sated, as if he’s just stepped off a carnival ride.

 

“You should try it,” Patrick suggests. “You just jump off when you go too high.”

 

At this point, SpongeBob is still stubbornly clinging on to Mr. Krabs' warning, insisting that despite the hooks’ potential enjoyment, only danger can come from engaging with the hooks.

 

But Patrick makes it a point to change the narrative, and convinces SpongeBob to go for a ride on the hooks anyways. Once they’re on a swing-like hook, they get pulled to the surface, where two eager fishermen are seen swinging forth their catch.

 

Thankfully, and much to the fisherman’s dismay, the two friends jump off in time and come down giddy and giggling.

 

Meanwhile at the Krusty Krab, Squidward is dealing with a flurry of furious customers who want their food served. In SpongeBob’s absence, Squidward takes his spot behind the grill flipping burnt black patties while trying to assuage the angry customers.

 

Mr. Krab comes in demanding to know what’s going on, only to be shocked when he notices SpongeBob has taken an unauthorized break.

 

“I’ll give you a break you’ll not soon forget,” he says as he sets off to find SpongeBob.

 

He arrives at the carnival of hooks to find SpongeBob and Patrick on a hook, just as they disappear into the sea-blue sky.

 

“What did I tell you about those hooks, boy?” Mr. Krabs exclaims to SpongeBob post-ride.

 

He then makes it a point to give a second warning about what happens when you go on the hooks, warning him of tuna packaging and mayonnaise marinade. He makes SpongeBob promise he will never go near the hooks again.

 

Of course, the next day, despite SpongeBob’s intentions to stay away from the hooks, Patrick manages to convince him to take a ride again. SpongeBob is lured into the enchantment of the hooks, only for his pants to get latched on to one of the hooks this time. He runs to the Krusty Krab to beg for help.

 

Spongebob realizes he's hooked

“Didn’t I tell you not to go near those hooks? Mr. Krab says upon seeing SpongeBob’s predicament.

SpongeBob bursts into tears and begs Mr. Krabs for forgiveness, asking what he should do to avoid being turned into tuna. 

 

The only solution that asserts itself is for SpongeBob to remove his pants and underpants – right in front of an audience made up of Pearl, Mr. Krabs’ daughter, and her group of giggling friends.

 

Mr. Krabs taunts SpongeBob by placing a “Help Wanted” sign over the door, accepting his friend’s coming demise. “You should have listened to old Mr. Krabs,” he says wistfully.

SpongeBob removes his pants only to realize the hook is ebbed into his underpants. Pearl and her friends explode in another fit of laughter. 

SpongeBob just can't catch a break! After he removes his pants, the hook is stuck to his undies too!

 

“Please save me Mr. Krabs, I promise I’ll be good,” SpongeBob pleads as he is being pulled away. Finally, the hook loses its grip, ripping his underpants off and sending SpongeBob flying into the glass door of the Krusty Krab – a spread out, naked mannequin on display for the whole restaurant to see (and laugh at).

 

It’s only after SpongeBob walks away in a fit of tears that we see it was Squidward manning the hook the entire time, and that this was all a scheme orchestrated by Mr. Krabs to teach SpongeBob a lesson.

SpongeBob Nudie Pants

 

It’s always difficult to decipher the true intentions behind Mr. Krabs’ actions. 

On the one hand, we know he cares for SpongeBob deeply, and takes on an almost-father like role when it comes to caring for the oblivious sponge. At the same time, Mr. Krabs’ love of over-the-top, sometimes petty schemes must be taken into account. The trauma that SpongeBob must now possess from this ordeal is cruel, but when you look at Mr. Krabs' intentions for SpongeBob’s overall wellbeing, you can’t help but see the reasonability for his actions. After all, the embarrassment of a group of laughing girls pales in comparison to what would have happened had SpongeBob continued his foray into the land of the hooks.

Humiliated Spongebob runs home covering his spongenis

 

Mr. Krabs had warned SpongeBob repeatedly about the peril that the hooks could bring, yet SpongeBob still toyed with them anyway. In essence, the only way that Mr. Krabs could teach SpongeBob this lesson is by traumatizing him a little bit. Did he go too far? Maybe. But the alternative would be exponentially worse, so in a way he had to hurt him a little to protect him from more potential pain.

 

The audience of Pearl and her friends was also an essential element to Mr. Krabs’ lesson. Including them made his plan two-tiered, building up on the fear of being taken away by the hooks with the added layer of embarrassment from being on full display to a group of giggling girls. Maybe Mr. Krabs could have done this without the audience, but he really needed to reinforce the sentiment and keep SpongeBob from ever going near a hook again. With those memories haunting him, there’s no way SpongeBob will be an attendee of this illicit carnival again. Though SpongeBob definitely has some scars that may require a few sessions of underwater therapy, this was the best way to cement Mr. Krabs’ lesson, and the best way to end the episode.

 

Ratings

What was the cleverness/creativity of Mr. Krabs' lesson for SpongeBob on a scale of 1-10?

 

10 – Mr. Krabs' lesson was two tiered: it built on the element of fear with SpongeBob being whisked away into the unknown, and laced that with the embarrassment of SpongeBob losing his clothes in front of a group of girls. This type of deceptive cleverness could only be concocted by Mr. Krabs himself.

How funny was Mr. Krabs' lesson for SpongeBob on a scale of 1-10?

9 – From a comedic standpoint, the lesson was quite funny. However, that humor is slightly dampened by the fact that one can’t help but empathize with poor, innocent SpongeBob, who was simply trying to enjoy a ride on a hook and instead went on an entirely different type of ride.

How embarrassed SpongeBob was on a scale of 1-10?

10 – Embarrassment isn’t even the proper word here. Humiliated, mortified, and probably a little bit scarred for life would be more fitting. There is no way SpongeBob will ever forget this experience, and he will probably shudder every time the mere idea of a hook enters his consciousness.

 

How well Pearl and her friends did in helping out Mr. Krabs teach SpongeBob his lesson I.e. "ooooh look, it's SpongeBob nudie pants"

9 – Pearl and her friends played the part of the mocking bystanders perfectly. Every embarrassing incident needs an audience, and Pearl and her friends could not have done a better job. Though a point has to be taken away for the cliché and mildly cringe-worthy “nudie pants” comment, everything else could not have played out better.

 

Final thoughts

Overall episode rating: 10/10

 

This is one of those SpongeBob episodes that goes a bit beyond humor by teaching the audience an essential lesson – to heed the advice of your elders. With the combination of SpongeBob’s lovable naivety, Patrick’s downright foolishness, Mr. Krabs' clever abrasiveness and Squidward’s complete indifference, the setup is complete for a perfectly entertaining 10 minutes. This episode is perfect for kids ages eight and up, and can even be enjoyed by adults who want to dip their toes back into the ocean of nostalgia and childhood memories.

 

The best part of the episode, though, has to be the final scene, where Patrick gets dropped off at his house in a can of tuna, dubiously asking for a can opener. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but in this case, so is karma.