I went to my TV with a feeling of apprehension a half hour ago, thinking that the SpongeBob would be just like many others, hitting its prime early and fading out over the years. To my surprise, Fear of a Krabby Patty and Shell of a Man were entirely decent! Looks like SpongeBob will last a while longer if this keeps up.
I don't want to give away the plot, since there are probably one or two people hiding out there who haven't seen it yet, but both episodes retain the sarcastic humor the show is loved for, "hmm, what else is loud and obnoxious...". The characters, especially Mr. Krabs, are noticably different looking, but you get used to it by the end of the episode. The music and sound effects are typical loud brassy stuff like Season 3, as opposed to the lighter ones of the earlier episodes. One disappointing aspect, to me anyway, is that the new episodes center on Mr. Krabs, almost more than on SpongeBob himself. The old crowdpleasers like Gary, Patrick, and Squidward are nowhere to be seen, not to mention Sandy (who may or may not have been written out of the show). Actually, for some reason, it feels like the show lost the feeling of innocence it used to have. Everything from the centering on the oldest main character, to the subtleties of the music distances the new episodes from the lighthearted adventures that SpongeBob used to be... Nonetheless, the show is still great.
I can't wait til Krabs vs. Plankton and The Lost Mattress air next week. Same time, same great channel.
