"There's always a diamond in the rough."
Show-SpongeBob SquarePants
Episode Title-License to Milkshake
Air Date-September 7th 2012
Season 9
Episode 181a
Hello my name is Evan A.K.A. The Animated Critic. Today we return to the magical land of SpongeBob SquarePants. Last time we talked about the show we looked at one of the more......unflattering episodes. There I talked about how the show went down hill after the movie due to the original writers and creator leaving the show and the new ones not quite understanding the fine semantics of what made SpongeBob so funny. They understand the basics like SpongeBob annoys Squidward, but they don't quite understand how to execute the jokes. Thus the show had a drastic decline in quality. You all probably already know this though. After all so many other animation reviewers have talked at length about SpongeBob. I know some people are getting sick of it. I understand. I still love the crap out of this show though and want to talk about it, even during it's rough patches. SpongeBob is a special show to me. I've been watching it since I was a little kid. It's one of the first shows I have clear memories of watching. Even today I still laugh at the same jokes, that have been around for 15+ years, and still absolutely adore the charm the show has. Especially during the older seasons. Which is why the rough patches the show has had had such an impact on me. Why I talk about them so much is because it made me upset that such a wonderful show went so sour. It inspired me to start The Animated Critic in the first place. So I really don't plan to stop talking about SpongeBob anytime soon. I think though I sometimes forget that there are still really good episodes during the seasonal rot era. Episodes that even live up to the original 3 seasons.
This is a season 9 episode and season 9 is when the show began to get back into the swing of things. Especially the second half (after the Sponge Out of Water movie). In the second half the original creator returned to the show and things really began turning back around. But I think early season 9 also made great strides in doing that. There were still plenty of awful episodes (for example this episode's sister episode is Squid Baby), but the good episodes were really good. I want to talk about one of my favorite episodes from this era. License to Milkshake. Just as a reminder that there are good episodes. Things may seem bad sometimes, but they'll always be little specs of light here and there. And this is one of the brightest. So lets dig into License to Milkshake and have ourselves a really enjoyable 11 minutes.
First thing I want to put out there is the writing team. 2/3 of these writers are considered the worst of the new writers and all 3 of them were the exact team that wrote one of the worst and most infamous episodes of the series, One Coarse Meal.
These guys get a lot of flak, and they even received some harassment online. Which by the way don't do that. It's one thing to give a negative opinion on someone's work, but another thing entirely to treat them like garbage online because of said work. They don't deserve that. They wrote some terrible episodes, but that doesn't make them terrible people. I think most people already know that even the newer episodes have their gems, but I think some people really forget that these guys share a part in some of these gems.
So the episode starts at, you're never gonna believe this, The Krusty Krab. SpongeBob gets another order. He expects it to be another Krabby Patty, but to his surprise it's actually a Milkshake. Which SpongeBob notes he hasn't had to make in awhile.
SpongeBob makes the shake and takes it to the customer. Only the customer has some problems sucking it down.
This guy is trying super hard for this shake.
It turns out the shake is completely frozen.
Don't know how that happened considering he was able to easily blend it, but I'll just label this as funny cartoon logic. Not only is it completely frozen, but the customer also tastes it....
and it also tastes like complete crap. So like any other reasonable fast food customer he unleashes his anger on SpongeBob.
Ok, 2 things.
1-This may seem like an overreaction on the customers part, and while it is I can tell you as an employee of the fast food industry that this is a completely accurate representation of the average customer.
and 2-He totally just liquefied the frozen shake. Why didn't you just do that from the start.
Well....I guess that wouldn't fix the taste.
The customer tells him that he doesn't even think that SpongeBob has a license to milkshake.
Hey title drop.
SpongeBob says he does in fact have one.
Only it expired 7 years ago. The customer is understandably angry and asks for a refund. Mr. Krab's cheapskate alarm goes off and he shows up to tell the customer that he's being completely unreasonable and that he should come back tomorrow. Then SpongeBob will make him a shake that will make it up to him. Mr. Krabs grabs SpongeBob and throws him in a boat mobile.
He takes him to The Milkshake Academy.
It's pretty much an intense military academy centered around Milkshakes. This gets even more obvious as we meet the general. Sir Frostymug.
I love this character. He's so much fun. The very first thing this guy does is jump from an airplane and instead of using a parachute he breaks his fall with whipped cream.
This episode has a lot of fun visual gags like this. I don't want to talk about them all individually, as I feel that would ruin the fun of the episode, but trust me they are there.
Sir Frostymug starts with a test. What is the name of this item?
SpongeBob says Ice Cream Spatula, and becomes the laughing stock of the class. Poor guy.
So now it's time to actually make shakes. SpongeBob remembers Mr. Krabs saying that milkshaking technology has evolved since he last got his license.
And just like everything else in this world it's gotten more complicated than it needed to be.
Sir Frostymug doesn't teach his students how to use this complicated machine and expects them to be able to figure it out. Huh, reminds me of America's education system. Everyone seems to be doing just fine though.
Except for SpongeBob who seems to be having trouble. He seems to finally figure it out though with a little help.
Perfect. See, simple. I have to wonder what the bajillion buttons on the machine are for?
The ice cream looks like it's getting perfectly ground. There's no way he messed this...
Oh...
Frostymug begins to get annoyed with the Sponge though. He tells him the most logical thing to say in this situation. In order to make a milkshake he must feel what it's like to be a milkshake. Yeah, that checks out. So he puts SpongeBob in this machine.
He decides to set the machine to obliterate.
Another student pleads with him not to use the obliterate option as no one has survived it, but Frostymug is out for blood.
But SpongeBob is a resilient one, so he survives.
And still ends up frozen. Though that's not really SpongeBob's fault more as it is Frostymug's. I mean he's the one who made the Spongeshake after all.
Frostymug asks the other students if they have any ideas of how to teach SpongeBob. The students just make fun of him for being unteachable.
SpongeBob vows he'll show them all, and thus we transition into a montage à la an eighties action movie. I won't spoil the fun, but it's a great moment.
One highlight includes SpongeBob finally making something that isn't a frozen milkshake.
In fact it's not even a milkshake.
But it's not frozen so.....I think it's an improvement.
Five seconds later though he makes another frozen milkshake.
He seems happy about it though.
So it's time for graduation.
Everyone gets a license....except for SpongeBob.
When SpongeBob asks why Frostymug says he couldn't even get past step one. Putting Ice Cream in the cup. No I think he got that step. I think it was the liquefying of it that caused issues. Frostymug puts the shake in the machine.
The sight of the spinney thing as it's referred to causes him to have a traumatic flashback.
The flashback starts at Frostymug's retro shake shop.
It seems just like any other normal day in Bikini Bottom. The sun was shining, the sky flowers were blooming, and there's a line of customers at the door all excited to buy a shake.
Unfortunately for Frostymug, today would be the day his life changed forever.
The spinny thing goes out of control and some of the ice cream gets splattered on some frayed wires.
This causes the machine to explode.
Thus ruining Frosty's business and giving him creamy goodness PTSD.
Frostymug reveals he hasn't touched a shake machine in 20 years, which probably explains why he didn't tech anyone how to actually use the darn things. Makes you wonder how he got the job.
In his distracted state Frostymug gets his hand stuck in the blender.
Which then eventually leads to his whole body getting sucked up.
He screams "My hand!!!"
and his leg.....and his other leg.....and like half his torso.
SpongeBob is able to pull him out though despite Frostymug telling him to leave him behind.
Frostymug tells him that he's been able to make shakes for so long without a machine because some cliche crap about how making shakes comes from the inside.
He takes it literally.
The customer seems to be happy with the Sponge organ flavored shake though.
And everyone lines up to buy one.
Mr. Krabs asks where he learned that and Frostymug tells him that he taught him the move.The episode ends with SpongeBob getting his milkshake license.
And the episode just kind of ends on a rather lame note with a basic joke about how SpongeBob still can't get his boating license.
Overall, it is a rather simple episode. But that's fine. Not every episode needs to be big. It's a fun episode with some good gags that should entertain for 11 minutes. It understands what it's job is and does that job incredibly well. Making for a rather memorable and fun episode. Congrats to everyone who worked on this one. Definitely a big improvement from the other episodes I've already reviewed. Good Neighbors and Home Sweet Rubble.
That's gonna do it for me though. Next time we'll check back in on Date A Live for it's second episode. Thanks for reading, see you guys then.
Next Animated Critic-Date A Live Episode 2
Next Evan Vs. Disney-Pinocchio
Other upcoming reviews:
Seikon no Qwaser Episode 1
Peter Problems (Family Guy)
Friendship is Magic Parts 1-2 (MLP)
Out of Character note: *Also starting in October we'll be celebrating the first Toon-O-Ween of the reboot. Only Evan won't be the host. More info will come soon. Also apologies for being late with this one. Sometimes things in life come up suddenly so I unfortunately wasn't able to keep my promise. I am trying as hard as I can though. Well I'll see you later. Enjoy the continuation of the Trapped Arc.*
Evan-“There we go, another review done.”
Kevin-“Hello again.”
Evan-“God Dang it! How are you doing this?”
Kevin-“Doing what?
Evan-“Talking to me through my blog.”
Kevin-“Magic.”
Evan-*Sigh* “Listen, I really don’t have time for this. I’m in the middle of lunch and need to finish up an assignment before next period.”
Kevin-“Why aren’t you hanging out with your friends?”
Evan-“How would you know I’m not with friends.”
Kevin-“Just a guess. You seem like the type who likes to keep to himself.”
Evan-“Hey, you just answered your own question. Congrats.”
Kevin-“But for real, why?”
Evan-“Why would I trust an absolute stranger, who hijacked my blog, with that sort of info?”
Kevin-“Come on, you can trust me.”
Evan-“If I tell you will you leave?”
Kevin-“Sure.”
Evan-“Fine. It’s just I don’t trust myself around others. I always do something dumb and make a fool of myself.”
Kevin-“Doesn’t it get lonely.”
Evan-“Hey, enough questions. Leave.”
Kevin-“Sheesh.”
Evan-“If you’re so worried, don’t be. I’m fine.”
*Bell rings*
Evan-“Crap! You distracted me from getting my work done.”
*Slams computer closed.*
Evan-*Sigh* “Who is that weirdo? Ugh, I have too many problems to worry about now.” Evan said as he got up from the cafeteria table. “I’ll have to ask Google to check the security of my account later.” Evan wandered off to the next class, unknowing of the danger that was coming.
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