ONE
Fry Cook Spongebob flips patties. One patty twirls into the air and changes into a jellyfish, which swims about the Krusty Krab kitchen and escapes out the porthole.
Spongebob likes this. He turns back to the stove and watches all the patties morph into jellyfish. Spongebob himself floats into the air and flies after them out the window. He transforms into a large, square yellow jellyfish. With big round eyes! They cavort in Jellyfish Fields until a voice calling his name awakens him from this wish-fantasy One.
TWO
The stove smokes and Mr. Krabs is yelling. Reality is the Trouble.
THREE
Krabs hands him a fire extinguisher, which Spongebob throws at the stove. Incompetence in the kitchen is very not-Spongebob.
FOUR
The stove smoke becomes a fire.
Fish fireman runs in to spray the blaze but ends up filling Spongebob, who’s in the way, with water. A giant, overstuffed Spongebob falls backward onto the stove and dowses the fire. Hurray!
Krabs takes Spongebob into his office for a talk. “This is the fourth time this week I’ve had to scrape you off of something.” Okay, that’s a great line.
The cold, industrial life Spongebob now lives will be replaced by a natural, free life among the jellyfish. It’s not the answer Krabs expects or wants. He laughs at him. Here’s your open range (the stove); here’s your amber waves (the fry oil); here’s your — Spongebob’s gone.
At home, Spongebob says goodbye to Squidward and Patrick. Among the parting gifts, Spongebob gives Patrick Ol’ Reliable, the jellyfish net. Patrick weeps and Sandy tries to talk Spongebob out of living with the jellyfish. Ah, you fools.
SWITCH
He drops his square trousers and frolics off.
FIVE
Jellyfish Fields looks beautiful. Spongebob, saying, “Buzz-buzz,” runs after the jellyfish.
A wafting smell attracts him. Sandy and Patrick have a picnic. With Krabby Patties! Patrick weeps throughout the ruse, breaks character, and begs Spongebob to return home. Sandy has to drag him away while Spongebob strides off into his new life.
As he dances with the jellyfish, a very red. large, and angry Patrick appears wielding Ol’ Reliable. “If I can’t have you as a friend, I’m gonna make you a trophy.” Oh, hahaha! Oh!
Chase sequence.
Unable to catch Spongebob, Patrick eventually breaks the net over his knee and quits.
Spongebob, hiding in a jellyfish bee hive, doesn’t seem to care. The jellyfish return and sting him. Now he’s covered in welts. As he tries to sleep in a cave, he’s cold, and then attacked by poison sea urchin bugs.
Muttering, “Buzz,” he wanders into Bikini Bottom.
SIX
This mindless meander is the mirror moment. At the Three and Six Spongebob behaves in an unconscious way. He’s not himself in either moment; not the reality version of himself at the Three, not the dream version at the Six. He’s in between the worlds.
Meh. It’s what I’ve got. Roll with me.
SEVEN
The Krusty Krab, Sandy’s dome, his own pineapple house . . . “What have I done?”
EIGHT
When he opens his door, his friends wait, throwing him a party. Forgiveness! Camaraderie! Krabby Patties!
Squidward holds out the pants.
NINE
As they go in for a group hug (even Gary!) they all start to itch.