Pest of the West
"Pest of the West" | |
---|---|
Featured music | "Idiot Friends" by Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke |
Production code | 151-526/151-527[1] |
Original air date | April 11, 2008 |
"Pest of the West" is the 16th episode of the
Pest of the West originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 11, 2008, and became available on DVD four days later. It included the song "Idiot Friends," written by Tom Kenny and Andy Paley, which was later released on the album called SpongeBob's Greatest Hits in 2009. Upon release, the episode garnered a total of 6.1 million viewers, and was met with positive reviews from media critics.
Plot summary
At the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob discovers that his friend Patrick Star had a famous relative named Patrick Revere, who warned Bikini Bottom of vicious man-eating mollusks during the 17th century. Later, Mr. Krabs reveals that he also had a famous relative—his great-great-grandpappy Krabs, who invented "The Spendthrift Bill Fold System", a booby trap that baits its victims with a dollar bill. Disappointed that he lacks a famous relative, SpongeBob walks into the park where he observes a statue covered in poop and runs into Sandy, who reveals that her great-aunt named Rosie Cheeks was the first squirrel to discover oil in Texas. Feeling sorry for SpongeBob, Sandy takes him to a library. SpongeBob learns that he is the great-great-great-grandson of a Western hero called SpongeBuck SquarePants. Sandy begins to tell SpongeBob the story of SpongeBuck.
In the story, SpongeBuck SquarePants takes a train to a town named Dead Eye Gulch. He goes to The Dead Eye Funeral and Ice Cream Parlor, and later to a
After hearing the story, the two friends go back to the park. SpongeBob realizes that the statue is covered in jellyfish feces and cleans it, which is actually a statue of SpongeBuck. The episode concludes with SpongeBob saying that someday people will know the name SpongeBob SquarePants, unaware of the fact that the jellyfish have returned.
Production
"Pest of the West" was a
To promote the episode, Nickelodeon released short-form videos of the special including a two-minute preview clip, song clips and an instant replay of the special following its premiere on
"Pest of the West" is the first episode in the series that the crew used
The song featured in the episode's epilogue, "Idiot Friends", was written by Tom Kenny, SpongeBob's voice actor, and Andy Paley.[5] In 2009, the song was released on the album called SpongeBob's Greatest Hits, alongside 16 other tracks.[6][7]
Cultural references
"Pest of the West" features cultural references from various Western films. Aspects of the
Reception
"For a SpongeBob SquarePants special, it delivered what the audience expected... sight gags, humorous dialogue, and laughs. I have to say, I appreciated how 'going back in time' was accomplished in this special. It played a lot better for me than the medieval times special ['Dunces and Dragons'] (where SpongeBob and Patrick went back in time to the medieval period, but it was never known whether they actually went back in time or it was all a dream). Here, I liked the fact that we went from SpongeBob and Sandy reading the book, to seeing what happened in the past, with Sponge Buck and the ancestors. Going into this, I was almost afraid that the writers would find a way, either for real or through a dream, to actually send SpongeBob back to the Wild West."
Lesley Aeschliman in her review for Yahoo! Voices[10]
"Pest of the West" first aired with a
The episode received positive reviews from media critics and fans. Paul Mavis of the DVD Talk said the episode is "a real treat for fans of westerns and spaghetti westerns" because "the writers play off time-honored genre clichés so well."[8] Mavis lauded Plankton's appearance in the episode, saying "Plankton reaches insane levels of hilarity here, brandishing a whip like Lash LaRue and cracking it at the 'hayseeds' that get in his way."[8] He also praised Plankton's voice actor, Mr. Lawrence, on his role, writing "It's a terrific vocal performance by [Mr.] Doug Lawrence (made even more funny during the town's ritualized squashing of villain Dead-Eye, as he screams grotesquely off-camera)."[8]
Lesley Aeschliman of Yahoo! Voices praised the "going back in time" element of the episode, comparing it to "Dunces and Dragons".[10] Russ Evenhuis of Blogcritics was positive towards the DVD, saying "You won't be disappointed."[16]
Merchandising
"Pest of the West" was released on a DVD compilation of the same name on April 25, 2008, by Nickelodeon and
In 2013, Nickelodeon released a tie-in book based on the episode called Pest of the West. The book was illustrated by Caleb Meurer, published by Random House, and was released on January 8.[26][27][28]
References
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants Episode Guide -Nicktoons Prods[dead link]
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Vol. 2 ("Pest of the West" credits) (DVD). United States: Paramount Home Entertainment/Nickelodeon. November 18, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "SpongeBob Pays Homage to his Western Roots in 'Pest of the West', a New Special Episode Premiering Friday, April 11, at 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon". Burbank, California: PR Newswire. March 24, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Heintjes, Tom (September 21, 2013). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley #17. Bull Moose Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
- ^ "SpongeBob's Greatest Hits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ "Hit Recording Artists P!nk and Cee-Lo Green Join SpongeBob SquarePants' 10th Anniversary Celebration With Nickelodeon/Sony Music Entertainment's Release of SpongeBob's Greatest Hits, Available in Stores and iTunes July 14". Burbank, California: Nickelodeon. June 25, 2009. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2024 – via PR Newswire.
- ^ Yi, David (June 29, 2009). "Pink sings for SpongeBob's tenth birthday: We've got scurvy!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Mavis, Paul (April 10, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants - Pest of the West". DVD Talk. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ Hrab, Roy (April 25, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob's Pest Of The West". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ a b Aeschliman, Lesley (April 14, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants: Pest of the West". Yahoo! Voices. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants : The Pest of the West". TV Listings. Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "SpongeBob SquarePants 'Pest Of The West' Earns Basic Cable's Total Viewer Top Spot for Week of April 7". New York, NY: Nickelodeon. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2023 – via PR Newswire.
- ^ Ryan, Joal (August 5, 2008). "Bikini Bottom Still Tops in Ratings". E!. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ "Nickelodeon TV Ratings for the Record Book". Entertainment Close-up. July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024 – via Gale General OneFile. (subscription required)
- ^ Kissell, Rick (April 16, 2008). "Major skeins return, but Fox stays on top". Variety. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024 – via Gale General OneFile. (subscription required)
- ^ Evenhuis, Russ (April 17, 2008). "DVD Review: SpongeBob SquarePants: Pest Of The West". Blogcritics. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- ^ "DVDs reviews: 'Corwin,' 'Richie Rich' among new kids DVDs". Deseret News. May 26, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ a b SpongeBob SquarePants: Pest of the West. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment. 2008.
- ^ Houlihan, Mary (April 11, 2008). "New on DVD". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013. (subscription required)
- ^ Lambert, David (December 18, 2007). "SpongeBob SquarePants - New DVD Next April Will Be A Pest". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Vol. 2. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment. 2008.
- ^ Mavis, Paul (November 5, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants - Season 5, Vol. 2". DVD Talk. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ Prince, Dennis (November 27, 2008). "SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Volume 2". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2009.
- ^ Lacey, Gord (September 29, 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants - The First 100 Episodes (Seasons 1-5) Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
- OCLC 823865893.
- ^ "Pest of the West (SpongeBob SquarePants)". Goodreads. 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
- ^ "Pest of the West (SpongeBob SquarePants)". Random House. 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
External links
- "Pest of the West" at IMDb