Neptune's Spatula (Episode)

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Neptune's Spatula
Episode No.:	19a
Airdate:	1.4.2000
Season:	Season 1
Previous Episode:	Walking Small
Next Episode:	Fools in April

"Neptune's Spatula" is an episode from Season 1

Info

Characters

SpongeBob
King Neptune
Patrick
Larry the Lobster
Ice-cream vendor (Lou)
Everyone else at Fry Cook museum
Mr. Krabs
Audience at Poseidome
Tom Kenny
Joe (Cameo Character)

Places

Songs

We're going to Atlantis

Plot

At the fry cook museum, SpongeBob and Patrick are amazed by everything. They see a greasy griddle with a golden spatula embedded in the grease. On it is a plaque, which says "Many have tried to pull this spatula out of this ancient grease, but all have failed. Only a fry cook worthy of King Neptune himself can wield the golden spatula". While SpongeBob is trying to pull the spatula out from the grease, an old lady askes her "Do you know where the menu section is?" SongeBob replied "Oh, it's over there." But when he was pointing to where the menu section was, he unexpectedly pulled it out! The old lady said "HOLY SMOKES!" and ran away. Shortly afterwards, King Neptune appeared from a cloud of smoke. He asks who pulled out the spatula, and everyone says SpongeBob.

Neptune's Palace in Atlantis

King Neptune refuses to believe this, and asks for proof. Patrick shows him the photograph he took. King Neptune then asked a hot dog seller and Larry (the big muscular lobster) if they took out the spatula from the grease, but the both said SpongeBob did it. King Neptune then gave up on asking anyone else if they pulled the spatula from the grease. He then asks SpongeBob if he wants to compete with him in a burger-cooking competition. Patrick keeps on saying how good SpongeBob is, so he's zapped many times by King Neptune. SpongeBob says yes, if Patrick is returned to normal (He agrees, but accidentally makes his face on his butt). If SpongeBob wins, he will stay at Atlantis forever and become a god. If he loses, he has to give up fry-cooking forever. In the Poseidome, King Neptune makes 1000 burgers with his mighty magic, while SpongeBob only makes one, with a lot of love (which included tucking to pickles in to bed, by putting them on top of the patty, put faces on them with the ketchup, putting slice of cheese over them and telling them a story). However, SpongeBob's tastes delicious while King Neptune's tastes terrible. So SpongeBob wins. But he does not want to leave his friends, so they arrange for King Neptune to be a trainee under SpongeBob at the Krusty Krab.

Cultural References

The Poseidome is taken from Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea and Neptune being the Roman.
The whole spatula in the "ancient grease" is a reference to the Arthurian legend of Excalibur, or the sword in the stone in which whoever pulls the sword from the stone would become the King of England. Also, the fact that it's called "ancient grease" can be seen as a play on Ancient Greece (The Ancient Roman god Neptune and his Greek counterpart, Poseidon do not seem to be distinguished in this episode.)

Trivia/Goofs

John O'Hurley guest voices.
This is one of few times SpongeBob works the register.
This, along with I Was a Teenage Gary and The Paper are not broadcast on Nickelodeon much, because they are paired with holiday episodes, although April Fools Day is not an actual holiday.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is somewhat similar to this episode, regarding that some of the jokes are used again (such as Patrick heightening the number of tasks SpongeBob can do (though he was lowering the number of days it would take SpongeBob to get the crown back in the movie). Also, in the movie King Neptune is voiced by someone else and looks different. But in Krusty Towers Squidward mentions King Neptune XIV, which is a possibility the two may be different.
The man taking a shower is actually Tom Kenny himself.
This is Neptune's first appearance. His second was in Party Pooper Pants in the Patchy segments as a real life person. His third appearance was in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, his fourth was in SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget, when he was mentioned very briefly. He also appeared in the video game Battle For Bikini Bottom along with the Poseidome.
This is the only episode in which the animated Neptune looks different than in his other apperances.
When Patrick takes the picture of SpongeBob just before Neptune appeared, SpongeBob is standing casually. However when Patrick shows the picture to Neptune, SpongeBob is seen as he was when he pulled the spatula out of the grease.