The Bully

Template:Episode/43b

Characters

• Nat Peterson
• Shubie
• Miss Shell
• Sheldon
• Clay
• Sadie Rechid
• Nancy Suzy Fish
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Mrs. Puff
• Flatts the Flounder
• Whale ^(mentioned)
• Martin
• Patrick Star
• Mario ^(mentioned)
• Dave
• Frankie Billy
• Flatts' Dad ^(debut)
• Billy
• Nathiel Waters
• Paco
• Medley Fishbowl
• Fred
• Henry-Bart
• Anchovy Waiter
• Archie
• Francis
• Charlie ^(Purple)
• Jimmy Gus
• Harold "Bill" Reginald
• Lonnie
• Purple Doctorfish
• Gary the Snail
• Jellyfish

Synopsis

SpongeBob is at boating school, and Mrs. Puff announces that there's a new student. His name is Flatts the Flounder, and he tells SpongeBob that he is going to "kick his butt."

File:The Bully 035a.png

SpongeBob at first assumes him to be joking, but Flatts soon makes it clear that he really means to beat up SpongeBob. SpongeBob, who takes this extremely seriously, tries to seek help and to reason with Flatts, but to no avail.

He eventually runs away into town, where Flatts attempts to run him over with a garbage truck, while he eventually drives over a banana peel, causing it to flip over. Flatts awakens in the hospital, where he learns that SpongeBob saved his life by performing CPR on him for five hours straight.

Despite this, Flatts continues to pursue SpongeBob; when SpongeBob runs through town, some people kick an old man's butt who they think is going to kick SpongeBob's butt. The old man was by a bus stop and a guy asks how many times they have to teach him this lesson. Eventually, he corners SpongeBob in his own home, where he proceeds to beat him up.

However, SpongeBob's spongy body absorbs the blows, and he is unharmed. Flatts continues to hit SpongeBob nonstop throughout all of next week, until he finally faints from exhaustion; his classmates cheer for SpongeBob. However, pitying Flatts, SpongeBob starts a speech, which ends with him making a fist. Mrs. Puff enters and sees SpongeBob making a fist, and believes SpongeBob beat up Flatts. The episode ends with Mrs. Puff saying "I'm going to kick your butt!" to SpongeBob.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Marching to Honolulu - Kapono Beamer [title card]
 ‣ Hello Sailor (b) - Richard Myhill [opening at boating school]
 ‣ Dangerous B - Mladen Franko [Flats the Flounder introduced]
 ‣ Wooden Bear - Gil Flat, Tony Tape, Florian Voelxen [Flats says he's gonna kick SpongeBob's butt]
 ‣ Horror Chords (b) - Paddy Kingsland [Flats rips off chest hair]
 ‣ Wooden Bear - Gil Flat, Tony Tape, Florian Voelxen [Flats draws himself beating up SpongeBob]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (b) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob hides in the bathroom]
 ‣ Unease - Dick Stephen Walter ["I just don't understand."]
 ‣ Dramatic Climax (Mike Sunderland) - Mike Sunderland ["What am I gonna do?"]
 ‣ Steel Sting (Original Version) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, that's real nice."]
 ‣ Zelle 505 - Gerhard Trede [Flats enters]
 ‣ Zelle 506 - Gerhard Trede [SpongeBob talks to Flats]
 ‣ Funeral March - Frederic Chopin, R.A.F Music Library [phone call]
 ‣ Harp Ding - "Patrick, is that you?"
 ‣ Epic Struggle - Fredric Bayco [Flats at Patrick's house]
 ‣ Steel Licks (b) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Come in, SpongeBob."]
 ‣ Romance and Rhapsody - Felton Rapley [SpongeBob talks to Mrs. Puff]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (d) - Ronald Hanmer ["You what?!"]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (e) - Ronald Hanmer ["I got diarrhea!"]
 ‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr [Flats' dad]
 ‣ Unpreventable - Gregor F. Narholz ["Dad, what are you doing?"]
 ‣ Flight in Panic 1 - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob running away]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (f) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob hides in a garbage can]
 ‣ Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob gasps]
 ‣ Flight in Panic 1 - Gregor F. Narholz [Flats chasing SpongeBob]
 ‣ Dramatic Stabs - John Fox [banana peel]
 ‣ Hawaiian Flower - Jon Jelmer [Flats in the hospital]
 ‣ Flight in Panic 1 - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob runs home]
 ‣ Dramatic Encounter - Gregor F. Narholz [Flats getting ready to beat up SpongeBob]
 ‣ Chief Taravana - Kapono Beamer [SpongeBob absorbing Flats' blows]
 ‣ Whisper from the Past - Gregor F. Narholz ["Flats was the real victim here."]
 ‣ Tales from the Swamp (c) - Ron Goodwin [Mrs. Puff gasps]
 ‣ Steel Licks (Original Version) - Jeremy Wakefield [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the Tide and Seek, Complete 3rd Season, and First 100 Episodes DVDs.

Reception

• As of August 11, 2015, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 8.7/10 based on 217 ratings by users. TV.com users give this episode a rating of 9/10 based on 163 votes.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• While this is his first lead role, this isn't Flatts' first appearance on the show. He has appeared up twice. The first time was in "Sandy's Rocket," when SpongeBob and Patrick mistaking everyone as aliens, SpongeBob catch Flatts who opens the mirror where SpongeBob hides. The second time was in "Texas," when Sandy isn't going to leave, Flatts is shown dancing with a purple gallon.
• Flatts fully intended to kick SpongeBob's butt. He even made a sand version of SpongeBob and kicked it. What he did to SpongeBob was punch him, definitely not kick him. This is probably the biggest con in SpongeBob history, and it may have been that the editors knew that kicking SpongeBob would take effect, and punching him wouldn't. But the writers did not have time to change the storyline. SpongeBob has been kicked several times before, the first was in "Naughty Nautical Neighbors."
• This episode, along with "Just One Bite," are the only episodes from Season 3 to be aired in 2001.
• When the uncut version of "Just One Bite" was aired, "The Bully" would be aired first, and "Just One Bite" second. However, when the scene was deleted, the order of the two episodes is reversed. In some TV guides, the episode is still listed as "The Bully"; "Just One Bite."
• While SpongeBob and Flatts are talking, Mrs. Puff is saying "blah blah blah red light blah blah blah green light blah blah speed" in the background.
• Flatts is seen driving a dump truck in the episode, which makes the fact that he is in boating school seem illogical. However, he could be in here for a very similar reason as Squidward in "Boating Buddies."
• When Patrick is talking to SpongeBob on the phone, Patrick says Flatts was his "Community College Buddy," implying that Patrick went to college.
• The drawing Flatts makes of himself beating up SpongeBob can be seen on Squidward's chalkboard in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie video game for PC.
• When SpongeBob runs to the bathrooms, there is a flyer that reads, "Join the Glee Club."
• When Flatts first walks into the classroom, it shows that the school leads outside. Later, SpongeBob is standing in a hallway, where the door would lead to. The hallway also appears in "New Student Starfish."
• Flatts apparently recovers from his injuries to chase SpongeBob out of the hospital within less than a minute.
• When SpongeBob asks to be excused for the rest of his life, Mrs. Puff denies his request, despite desperately wanting to be rid of SpongeBob; further more, she shows no dislike toward SpongeBob in this episode. She also does this in New Student Starfish.
• It's unknown if Flatts ever got his driving license or just moved to a new school.
• Charlie is purple instead of blue and wear a green pants instead of red in this episode.
• Running Gag: Twice during the episode, SpongeBob runs in fear from Flatts, and inadvertently points to an old fish (Lonnie) when he says Flatts is gonna kick his butt. The citizens of Bikini Bottom, led by Harold, are angry at this, and try to beat up the old man.
• Flatts seems to move another town after this incident due to being absent for a long time. However, he makes a cameo appearance in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water credits.
• When SpongeBob tells Mrs. Puff that Flatts plans to kick his butt, she angrily says "there shall be no butt-kicking in any class of mine!" But earlier, when Flatts introduced himself to the class, he said "I like to kick people's butts," and Mrs. Puff responded with laughter. Though, this is probability because Mrs. Puff thought Flatts was joking.
• In most of the parts, Flatts is not flat. The most round picture of him was when he rips of his shirt and chest hair which says "I MEAN IT."
• Pizza Castle, the restaurant that Patrick mentioned, is most likely a parody of Pizza Hut and White Castle, even though the latter does not serve pizza.
• Mario from Pizza Castle (also mentioned by Patrick) was mentioned again in "Suction Cup Symphony" by SpongeBob when he said "sounds like Squidward ate at Mario's last night."
• When Flatts sees his dad, he asks Flatts about talking to strangers, implying that his dad never met SpongeBob before.
• When the class is clapping, there's an old lady in the class.
• Running Gag: The Bikini Bottomites attacking the Old Man.
• The reason Flatts wanted to kick SpongeBob's butt is never explained.

Cultural references

• Patrick refers to SpongeBob as Mario without knowing the difference. This name could be a reference to Mario the popular video game character from the Super Mario Bros. series.

Errors

• Captions misspell Flatts as "Flats."
• When the students are clapping for Flatts when he first enters the class, SpongeBob cannot be seen anywhere.
• When SpongeBob crashes into Flatts's dad's boat, there is only 1 seat. Later it shows Flatts in the car, too.
• When the Garbage truck is idling behind SpongeBob, it says "Bikini Bottom Garbage." Later, it is blank.
• When Flatts is making a Sand Sculpture of SpongeBob and kicking it, you can see that Mrs. Puff's mouth is not moving while she is heard talking.
• SpongeBob's eyelashes are missing for a short amount of time while Mrs. Puff  says "And maybe play some sports with you on weekends."
• SpongeBob states that he only said three words to Flatts before he ran out of class. However, he actually said 15 words since he said more than just "Hi, I'm SpongeBob."

External links

• The Bully at the Internet Movie Database
• The Bully at TV.com