Squid Noir
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"Squid Noir" is the first half of the ninth episode of the eleventh season and the 224th 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 ...
''. The episode 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 November 10, 2017. This episode aired as part of a premiere week of new SpongeBob episodes called "You Bring the Color". During the premiere week, users could color in frames from the ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' theme song online and had a chance for them to be used in the opening sequence. The original American airing of "Squid Noir" featured each frame of the last minute of the episode also colored by viewers. The episode revolves around Squidward's clarinet suddenly disappearing prior to his
open mic An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether the ...
performance. The episode was written by Andrew Goodman, storyboarded by John Trabbic, and directed by Dave Cunningham, with
Alan Smart Alan Smart is a retired animator and an animation director best known for his work as the supervising director on ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', which he has been involved with since the pilot, and as assistant director and layout artist on ''The Sim ...
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 directors. The episode is unique to the series as the majority of the episode is in black and white and 1.33:1 full screen, parodying the
film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
genre. "Squid Noir" was met with acclaim from critics.


Plot summary

Squidward plays his clarinet in 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 ...
as preparation for an open mic night, to the annoyance of the customers. When
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 ...
kicks him out, he goes to a comic book store and begins practicing again. His poor playing causes
Bubble Bass The characters in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' were created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character and his various ...
to drop his action figure in surprise, breaking it, and he threatens to break Squidward's clarinet. Frustrated, Squidward goes home and practices, causing
Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
to throw a rock at him. The day before his recital, Squidward puts his clarinet down and takes a nap. He returns to find his window broken and jelly near where his clarinet was. Squidward begins viewing the world in monochrome and narrates his search for the clarinet. He accuses SpongeBob of taking it, who proves his innocence by showing that he was visiting his grandmother's house at the time. Now joined by SpongeBob in his search, Squidward goes to Mr. Krabs to do a "
good cop, bad cop Good cop, bad cop, also informally called the Mutt and Jeff technique,The Phrase Finder/ref> is a psychological tactic used in interrogation and negotiation, in which a team of two people take opposing approaches to the subject. One interrogator ...
" routine. Mr. Krabs shows that he had been counting his money all day and was not near Squidward's house. At the comic book store with Squidward, SpongeBob finds Bubble Bass and battles him with an action figure. After the fight, Bubble Bass's action figure breaks and he begins crying, as Squidward concludes that the comic book store was a dead end. Back at Squidward's house, SpongeBob and Squidward find Patrick, who shows them the
jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...
jelly. The three go to Jellyfish Fields, where Squidward recovers his clarinet from a jellyfish, restoring color and ending his narration. That night, Squidward plays in a jazz club for the jellyfish, SpongeBob, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs. Although, the three are shown with their ears covered.


Reception

"Squid Noir" was watched by 1.855 million viewers on its premiere, with a Nielsen rating of 0.4, making it the fifth most-watched cable program of the day. John Schwartz of Bubble Blabber gave the episode a score of 6 out of 10, praising its colors and black and white "noir" look, while criticizing its premise, feeling it was too clichéd, and its "pretty plain jane" dialogue. Blake Harper of
Fatherly Fatherly is a digital lifestyle brand that provides news, expert advice, product recommendations and other resources for parents. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in New York City. Overview Fatherly offers articles, videos, and oth ...
included the episode in his list of "The 10 Best Kids Television Episodes of the Last 10 Years", calling the episode "a hilarious tribute to the classic noir genre" and writing "It's episodes like these that prove the show is every bit as dumb and brilliant as you remember."


Merchandising

On March 31, 2020, "Squid Noir" was released on the '' SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Eleventh Season'' DVD, alongside all episodes of the eleventh season.


References


External links

* {{SpongeBob SquarePants episodes SpongeBob SquarePants episodes 2017 American television episodes Black-and-white television episodes