Idiot Box (SpongeBob SquarePants)
"Idiot Box" is an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants from season three. "Idiot box" is also a slang term for a television set. Template:Spoiler Brief summary: SpongeBob and Patrick play in a giant TV box, in which they unleash their imagination. Squidward tries to find out what makes the box "work", and ends up using it himself, only that the box - with Squidward inside - gets taken to the dump.
Characters Present:
Plot
Squidward sees SpongeBob and Patrick recieving a large box from a truck. The box is opened, and it contains a giant televion. Patrick and SpongeBob throw the television away and keep the box.
Squidward asks why they threw the television away. SpongeBob the explains by saying, "we don't need television, as long as we have our... imagination."
Squidward, not wanting any part of this, asks for the television, and they let him have it. Once he takes the TV back inside his house, he realizes that the remote control is missing and he goes back outside for it. He hears Spongebob and Patrick begin - supposedly - to mountain climb and, annoyed by their stupidity, he gives the box a hard kick.
A sound of an avalanche suddenly erupts from the box, shocking Squidward. Concerned, he taps the box, prompting another avalanche. After hearing about how SpongeBob cut his limbs off, Squidward rushes over to the box, opens it, and the noises immediately stop. He questions them about the noises, but they act oblivious and he leaves.
Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter is heard and Squidward ducks. Realizing that its coming from the box, he angrily opens the box and confronts them again. SpongeBob simply tells him that all of it came from imagination. Squidward says he has plenty of imagination, to which Patrick replies, "Good, now all you need is a box". Squidward gets a box, attempts it, and fails. After kicking his box in anger, he hears the sound of police sirens outside. Thinking that his kicking of the box is the cause, he goes outside with his box to apologize. He is quick to realize that the noises are coming from the box SpongeBob and Patrick are playing in. Furious, he kicks the box he was holding, which Patrick retrieves, saying, "Whoopee! Another Box!"
Squidward then begins watching TV, but all that is on are programs that are about or involve boxes. He then hears a Space shuttle launch. As he tries to think of how they could possibly manage to make such realistic sound effects, it dawns upon him that they are probably using a tape recorder. Angered, he marches outside and demands the tape recorder of SpongeBob and Patrick.
SpongeBob tells him that they don't have a tape recorder, which Squidward doesn't believe. He decides to join them in the box to see how they are managing to make the sound effects. After being asked where he wants to go, he eventually asks to go to "Robot-Pirate Island". But the only thing he sees is SpongeBob and Patrick saying stereotypical phrases of robots and pirates (Arrr, You'll walk the plank for that, beep beep, etc.) Squidward returns to his house and soon hears the sounds of an epic robot-pirate battle. The show cuts to late at night when a pirate victory celebration is heard. Once SpongeBob and Patrick abandon the box so they can go to bed, Squidward goes to the box, looking for something that would make the noise. A scan of the box proves that there is no such device in it.
Realizing that the box is in fact empty, Squidward wonders if it was their imagination that caused the sound effects, but he immediately dismisses the notion, thinking that it's ridiculous. He mockingly starts pretending to be a racecar driver, but suddenly he begins to hear noises. Really getting into his play now, he imagines himself racing. Though part of it is his imagination, most of it is really a trash truck hauling the box away. It is then dumped into the landfill, and Squidward gets trash all over himself when the box lands in trash. The next day, SpongeBob and Patrick realize the box is gone and they go to check on Squidward. Patrick then says, "I hope he isn't too down in the dumps today." Squidward, presumably, is still in the landfill.
Trivia
- A tune from Count Duckula and Dangermouse is used.
- At one point, Patrick says "I am The Lizard King," who is Jim Morrison' s alter ego.
- The piece of paper said "This plaque is to commerate the brave pirates who gave their lives to protect this box from the Robot Menace. Lest we forget..."
- Things Squidward watches on TV:
- A show about how a box is assembled. (Possibly a reference of Discovery Channel's How It's Made)
- An old man is describing a box in the form of geometry.
- A man and his wife/girlfriend exchange gifts. (Which are actually boxes)
- A boxing match between actual boxes.
- This is the second time a pie splatters in Squidward's face. The first was in Dying for Pie.
- Squidward finds a hat box in his closet and takes out a fridged sombrero, wondering why he hasn't worn it yet. He is seen wearing the sombrero in the episode The Camping Episode.
- Three different types of boxes are seen in this episode. A big-screen TV box, a hat box, and a tape recorder box.
- In Israel, the episode is called "הקופסה" which means "The Box".
- What SpongeBob and Patrick were doing is hopping when they are actually seen skipping and dancing. That's not hopping!
Quotes
- Squidward: How are you doing that?
- SpongeBob: First we establish a base camp at 15,000 feet.
- Squidward: The noises! How are you making the noises?
- Patrick: Well, that's easy. All you need is a box.
- SpongeBob: And... imagination! (forms a rainbow with his hands)
- Squidward: Wh - are you trying to say I have no imagination?! I have more imagination in one tentacle than you two have in your whole bodies!
- Patrick: That's good! Now all you need is a box.
- Squidward: I'll show them! (walking back to his house)
- Squidward: Look officers: everything is okay, I won't do it again!
- Voice #1: You never chase me alive!
- Voice #2: Stop him!
- Voice #3: No Johnny, don't do it!
- Squidward: Grrrrrrr! (kicks box)
- Patrick: Whoopee! Another box! (grabs box)
- Squidward: (flings box open) Alright, where is it?
- Patrick: (Comes out of the sombrero box) Here I am.
- Spongebob: Where's what Squidward?
- Squidward: Don't "Where's what Squidward?" me! Where's the tape recorder?
- SpongeBob: We don't have a tape recorder, Squidward.
- Squidward: Don't "We don't have a tape recorder, Squidward" me!
- SpongeBob: But we don't.
- Patrick: We have a tape recorder box.
- Squidward: Gimme that! (takes the tape recorder box) Make way, you two, I'm coming in.
- Squidward: You two ordered a giant-screen television just so you could play in the box?
- Spongebob: Pretty smart, eh?
- Patrick: I thought it wouldn't work.
- Squidward: Yeah, that’s quite a plan there. Oh, but wait, there was something else I wanted to ask you two. What was it? Oh, yeah, yeah... don't you two have any brains!?
- Squidward: Alright,fine! If you don't want to show me, I don't care! I've got better things to do than pace the floor, wondering how you two work this thing! (shows him pacing the floor) How do those two work that thing? Maybe there's gotta be a secret button,a device,a switch or something!