Pest of the West
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"Pest of the West" is the 16th episode of the fifth season and the 96th overall episode of the American animated television series ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character a ...
''. In this episode, SpongeBob finds that he is a distant relative of SpongeBuck SquarePants, a sheriff from Bikini Bottom's past town who helped save the citizens from the quickest whip draw in town, the evil Dead Eye Plankton. It was written by
Luke Brookshier Brian Darrell "Luke" Brookshier (born August 31, 1971) is an American writer, director, and storyboard artist known for his work on Nickelodeon's ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program" ...
, Tom King,
Steven Banks Steven Craig Banks (born November 27, 1954) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and writer of television, plays, books and cartoons, including ''CatDog'', ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'', and ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. Performing In 1987, Banks ...
and
Richard Pursel Richard Dale Pursel (born 17 September 1964) is an American television writer, screenwriter, story, and storyboard artist. He is known as a writer for the television series ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', and ''Cow and Chic ...
, with
Andrew Overtoom John Andrew Overtoom is an American animation director, writer, photographer, and cinematographer. Recent credits include Nickelodeon’s ''The Patrick Star Show'' as well as the animated feature film '' The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run' ...
and
Tom Yasumi Yoshito "Tom" Yasumi (born August 20, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-born American animator and Television director, director best known for his work on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' as well as ''Rocko’s Modern Life''. Yasumi was the animation ...
serving as
animation director An animation director is either the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or television, and animated segment for a live action film or television show, or the animator in charge of co ...
s. Brookshier and King also functioned as
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
directors. Pest of the West originally aired on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
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 Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in ''R ...
and
Andy Paley Andrew Douglas Paley (born November 2, 1952) is an American songwriter, record producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who formed the Paley Brothers, a 1970s power pop duo, with his brother Jonathan Paley. Following their disbandment, And ...
, which was later released on the album called ''
SpongeBob's Greatest Hits ''SpongeBob's Greatest Hits'' is a first compilation album for tenth anniversary by SpongeBob SquarePants. The album was released on February 24, 2009, in conjunction with the year-long celebration of the show's tenth anniversary. The album featur ...
'' 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 The Krusty Krab is a fictional fast food restaurant in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It is famous for its signature burger, the Krabby Patty, the formula to which is a closely guarded trade secret. The resta ...
,
SpongeBob ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American Animated series, animated Television comedy, comedy Television show, television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It ...
discovers that his friend
Patrick Star Patrick Star is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He is voiced by actor Bill Fagerbakke and was created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. He first appea ...
had a famous relative named Patrick Revere, who warned Bikini Bottom of vicious man-eating
mollusks Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
during the 17th century. Later,
Mr. Krabs Eugene Harold Krabs, better known as simply Mr. Krabs, is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy tel ...
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 Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people *Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...
, who reveals that her great-aunt named Rosie Cheeks was the first squirrel to discover oil in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. 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
western saloon A Western saloon is a kind of bar particular to the Old West. Saloons served customers such as fur trappers, cowboys, soldiers, lumberjacks, businessmen, lawmen, outlaws, miners, and gamblers. A saloon might also be known as a "watering trough, ...
called the Krusty Kantina. There he meets William Krabs (Mr. Krabs' ancestor), Hopalong Tentacles ( Squidward's ancestor) and Polene Puff ( Mrs. Puff's ancestor). SpongeBuck is mistakenly made the sheriff, learning that the previous sheriff had died. Later, Pecos Patrick Star (Patrick's ancestor), arrives and warns everybody that the town's villain, Dead Eye Plankton will arrive and sing a song called "Dead Eye". Dead Eye Plankton then arrives and challenges SpongeBuck to a duel at high noon. SpongeBuck gets kicked away to a desert, where he meets Pecos Patrick Star. Pecos tells SpongeBuck that he must smack Dead Eye Plankton several times to defeat him. When they get back into town, SpongeBuck meets Dead Eye Plankton and the two proceed to have a western duel. SpongeBuck then accidentally steps on Dead Eye, defeating him. The people build a golden statue of SpongeBuck to show their gratitude. SpongeBuck says that if he ever has a great-great-great-great-great-grandson, he wants him to say he was proud of his grandfather. 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 special episode written by
Luke Brookshier Brian Darrell "Luke" Brookshier (born August 31, 1971) is an American writer, director, and storyboard artist known for his work on Nickelodeon's ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and he was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Animated Program" ...
, Tom King,
Steven Banks Steven Craig Banks (born November 27, 1954) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and writer of television, plays, books and cartoons, including ''CatDog'', ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'', and ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. Performing In 1987, Banks ...
and
Richard Pursel Richard Dale Pursel (born 17 September 1964) is an American television writer, screenwriter, story, and storyboard artist. He is known as a writer for the television series ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', and ''Cow and Chic ...
, with
Andrew Overtoom John Andrew Overtoom is an American animation director, writer, photographer, and cinematographer. Recent credits include Nickelodeon’s ''The Patrick Star Show'' as well as the animated feature film '' The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run' ...
and
Tom Yasumi Yoshito "Tom" Yasumi (born August 20, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese-born American animator and Television director, director best known for his work on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' as well as ''Rocko’s Modern Life''. Yasumi was the animation ...
serving as
animation director An animation director is either the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or television, and animated segment for a live action film or television show, or the animator in charge of co ...
s. Brookshier and King also functioned as
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
directors. Brown Johnson, president of animation for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group, said, "SpongeBob consistently finds new ways to delight our audience .. and this special is just another example of how the creative team can put SpongeBob in any setting and deliver funny unforgettable classic moments." 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
TurboNick Nick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon. The website previously served as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offered online games, video streaming, radio streaming and individual websites for each show it broadcasts. I ...
, the network's broadband video service on
Nick.com Nick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon. The website previously served as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offered online games, video streaming, radio streaming and individual websites for each show it broadcasts. I ...
. Following its premiere, "Pest of the West" was streamed on video on demand and became available for purchase through downloads on various Nickelodeon partner video distribution platforms. Nickelodeon also launched an online page for the episode located on "www.nick.com/pest", where it featured a new game of the week, and a "name generator". "Pest of the West" is the first episode in the series that the crew used Wacom Cintiqs for the drawings, instead of pencils. Series background designer Kenny Pittenger said that "the only real difference between the way we draw now and the way we drew then is that we abandoned pencil and paper during the fifth season." The crew began the shift while they were working on the episode. Pittenger said that "it was while we were working on 'Pest of the West', one of the half-hour specials, that we made the switch… did you notice?" The shift to Wacom Cintiqs let the designers and animators draw on the computer screen and make immediate changes or undo mistakes. Pittenger said "Many neo-Luddites—er… I mean, many of my cohorts—don't like working on them, but I find them useful. There's no substitute for the immediacy of drawing on a piece of paper, of course, but digital nautical nonsense is still pretty fun." The song featured in the episode's
epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...
, "Idiot Friends", was written by
Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in ''R ...
, SpongeBob's voice actor, and
Andy Paley Andrew Douglas Paley (born November 2, 1952) is an American songwriter, record producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who formed the Paley Brothers, a 1970s power pop duo, with his brother Jonathan Paley. Following their disbandment, And ...
. In 2009, the song was released on the album called ''
SpongeBob's Greatest Hits ''SpongeBob's Greatest Hits'' is a first compilation album for tenth anniversary by SpongeBob SquarePants. The album was released on February 24, 2009, in conjunction with the year-long celebration of the show's tenth anniversary. The album featur ...
'', alongside 16 other tracks.


Cultural references

"Pest of the West" features cultural references from various Western films. Aspects of the
musical cue In musical notation, a cue note is or cue notes are indications informing players, "of important passages being played by other instruments, uch as anentrance after a long period of rest."McGrain, Mark (1990). ''Music Notation'', p.183. Hal L ...
s used in the high noon duel between SpongeBuck and Dead Eye Plankton was from
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's 1968
Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
film ''
Once Upon a Time in the West ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' ( , "Once upon a time (there was) the West") is a 1968 epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, who co-wrote it with Sergio Donati based on a story by Dario Argento, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Leone ...
'', complete with
Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
's harmonica riff used for the
Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...
character.


Reception

"Pest of the West" first aired with a
TV-Y7 The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the television industry and the federal communication commission (FCC), and went ...
parental rating. The premiere marked the fourth Nickelodeon telecast in 2008 to move to the top of basic cable among total viewers, as well as handily ranking as number-one on broadcast and cable television among kids 2–11, 6-11 and teens 9–14. A total of 6.1 million viewers tuned into the half-hour "Pest of the West" special. The episode received positive reviews from media critics and fans. Paul Mavis of the
DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
said the episode is "a real treat for fans of westerns and
spaghetti western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
s" because "the writers play off time-honored genre clichés so well." Mavis lauded Plankton's appearance in the episode, saying "Plankton reaches insane levels of hilarity here, brandishing a whip like
Lash LaRue Alfred "Lash" LaRue (June 15, 1917 – May 21, 1996) was a popular western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s. Biography Early life and education Born Alfred LaRue in Gretna, Louisiana in 1917, he was reared in various towns th ...
and cracking it at the 'hayseeds' that get in his way." He also praised Plankton's voice actor,
Mr. Lawrence Douglas Lawrence Osowski, known professionally as Mr. Lawrence, is an American voice actor, writer, animator, storyboard artist, director, and comedian. He is best known for his work as a writer and voice actor for the Nicktoons ''Rocko's Mode ...
, on his role, writing "It's a terrific vocal performance by r.Doug Lawrence (made even more funny during the town's ritualized squashing of villain Dead-Eye, as he screams grotesquely off-camera)." Lesley Aeschliman of
Yahoo! Voices Yahoo! Voices, formerly Associated Content (AC), was a division of Yahoo! that focused on online publishing. Yahoo! Voices distributed a large variety of writing through its website and content partners, including Yahoo! News. In early December 20 ...
praised the "going back in time" element of the episode, comparing it to "
Dunces and Dragons "Dunces and Dragons" (also known as "Lost in Time") is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', and the 66th episode overall. It was written by Zeus Cervas, Erik Wiese, and Ti ...
". Russ Evenhuis of
Blogcritics Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of all its published con ...
was positive towards the DVD, saying "You won't be disappointed."


Merchandising

"Pest of the West" was released on a DVD compilation of the same name on April 25, 2008, by Nickelodeon and
Paramount Home Entertainment Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, and originally Paramount Home Video) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global. The division oversees PPC's home entertainme ...
.''SpongeBob SquarePants: Pest of the West''. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment. 2008. The DVD includes the episode itself, "The Krusty Plate", "Pat No Pay", "The Inmates of Summer", "To Save a Squirrel", "20,000 Patties Under the Sea" and "The Battle of Bikini Bottom." Bonus features include a "Pest of the West" original animatic and four "Pest of the West" shorts. It also became available in the '' SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Vol. 2'' DVD on November 18, 2008.''SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Vol. 2''. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment. 2008. On September 22, 2009, "Pest of the West" was released on the ''SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes'' DVD, alongside all the episodes of seasons one through five. In 2013, Nickelodeon released a
tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...
book based on the episode called ''Pest of the West''. The book was illustrated by Caleb Meurer, published by
Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
, and was released on January 8.


References


External links

* {{SpongeBob SquarePants episodes 2008 American television episodes 2008 television specials Animated television specials SpongeBob SquarePants episodes 2000s animated television specials