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
Patrick
King Neptune
Larry the Lobster
Ice-cream vendor (Lou)
Everyone else at Fry Cook museum
Mr. Krabs
Audience at Poseidome
Tom Kenny
Sadie Rechid
Nancy
Old Lady
Frank (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 posing for a picture with the spatula, an old lady askes him "Do you know where the menu section is?" SongeBob replied "It's over that way." But when he was pointing to where the menu section was, he unexpectedly pulled the spatula out. Shortly afterwards, King Neptune appeared from a cloud of smoke. He asks who pulled out the spatula, and SpongeBob takes credit.

Neptune's Palace in Atlantis

King Neptune refuses to believe this, and asks a hot dog seller, Larry (the big muscular lobster), and Patrick if they took out the spatula from the grease, but they all say SpongeBob did it. When King Neptune asks for proof, Patrick shows him the photograph he took. King Neptune then gave up on asking anyone else if they pulled the spatula from the grease, and 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 very slowly (which included tucking two pickles into bed with a slice of cheese, 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. Then it ended with King Neptune saying Yeah! that is only with love not magic!

Cultural References

The Poseidome is taken from Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Neptune is the Roman god of the sea.
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

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 means the two are be different.
The man taking a shower is actually Tom Kenny.(SpongeBob's voice actor and additonal voices). This scene is also seen in the episode Suds.
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.
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.
Patrick wore the same outfit in the SpongeBob game Employee of the Month
In this episode, the Krusty Krab kitchen's walls are blue, but when SpongeBob said, "What did I tell you about using your powers, trainee?" the walls are green, a normal color.