The Card

Template:Episode/113b

Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Patrick Star
• Mermaid Man
• Barnacle Boy ^{(without voice)}
• Store Clerk
• Quincy
• Tom
• Robber

Synopsis

SpongeBob is first seen getting money from "Quincy" who works at the bank SpongeBob goes to. He gives SpongeBob his money, but SpongeBob is very picky on what money to give Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

Quincy and the customers are annoyed by this after a while and soon Quincy kicks him out of the bank. SpongeBob is later shown at a card store. He is there to buy Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy cards. He opens a pack and finds four cards whom he thinks are valuable, but the store clerk tells him they are worthless and that there is one valuable card called the No. 54 card. There are only 5 of them in existence.

SpongeBob frantically attempts to buy as many packs as possible to find the card, but is unsuccessful. With only one pack left in the store, SpongeBob reveals that he has no more money. Patrick who was originally going to buy a counting book, gives up on counting because he felt it was "too hard" and decides to buy what Spongebob is having, so the clerk gives him the last card which coincidently, ends up containing the No. 54 card. Patrick asks SpongeBob if its a good card, SpongeBob is shocked at it and tells him its the best card in existence. Patrick starts rubbing his teeth with the card stating how it "certainly does the job right" SpongeBob yells at him for doing the act and Patrick he's just doing hygiene. SpongeBob goes onto a rant about how valuable the card is, but Patrick isn't paying attention, and SpongeBob's lecture is just going through one ear and out the other with him. SpongeBob finishes asking if Patrick understands, Patrick ignorantly says yes, and walks away, and starts picking his teeth with it some more. SpongeBob follows Patrick home, trying to protect the card from Patrick's carelessness. (Falling from a construction beam, mud from the bus hitting a mud puddle, walking into the goolagoon) When they get home, Patrick grabs his key to his house and SpongeBob freaks out and asks where the card is, he freaks out more when he asks if Patrick put it in his pocket, then starts crying in fear it would get "bent up".  Patrick tells SpongeBob to calm down, for he doesn't even believe in pockets, he just keeps everything he may need in his backflaps. He pulls the card out of his backfolds and it is seen with stink coming out of it. Patrick says to SpongeBob he could keep the card because he seems so fond of it afterall, and SpongeBob is seen crying in the corner. SpongeBob gets happy, because Patrick would give up his most "valuable possesion" and Patrick of course he could have the card, and SpongeBob says he's the bestfriend ever and hugs him. Patrick asks if he could have the card for just one day, or at least the rest of the evening. SpongeBob says sure doubtfully. He uses the card to unlock his house (after his landlord changed the lock again), making it bend, the card to has its top cleaned off, from Patrick cleaning the grill with it. And it caught on fire from Patrick rubbing a coral on it to make it catch on fire so he can light the grill. Patrick spits on it so he can burn the fire out. After Patrick finished the burgers, he gives SpongeBob one, he takes it, and he sees the card is attached to the card by melted cheese, which was all over the sandwhich breaking its talking feature. He then wipes his face with it. The day comes to an end, so Patrick keeps his promise and the card to SpongeBob. SpongeBob begins crying, and when Patrick asks what is wrong, he says that card was a very rare one, and he just destroyed it. Patrick says he'll get it some day, but SpongeBob explains that he bought the last pack. Meaning that there were no more packs left in all of Bikini Bottom until the new shipment comes (judging by his crying, the shipment must take a long time). Patrick then reveals that he has several other No. 54 cards that were also in the pack he bought and gives the four other cards to SpongeBob, who is happy. But then, he has to use one of them because he locked himself out of his house again.

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Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ SpongeBob Theme - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [title card]
 ‣ Cartoon Sting 1 - Gerhard Narholz [opening]
 ‣ Seaweed - Steve Buffer [SpongeBob sees Patrick and his counting book]
 • Steel Sting - Jeremy Wakefield ["Not so fast."]
 ‣ Harp Ding - Nicolas Carr ["Here you are, my good sir."]
 ‣ Adventurers - Larry Hochman [SpongeBob opens the training cards]
 ‣ Steel Sting (f) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Whoa there."]
 ‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Shaindlin [shot of rarest card]
 ‣ Monocle and Pocket Watch - Brian Douglas Gulland [SpongeBob opens the first pack of Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy trading cards]
 ‣ Adventurers - Larry Hochman [SpongeBob opens the second pack of Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy trading cards]
 ‣ Monocle and Pocket Watch - Brian Douglas Gulland [Spongebob keeping spending money]
 ‣ Cartoon Sting 2 - Gerhard Narholz, Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Patrick buys the last pack of cards]
 ‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Hochman [Patrick caught card number 54]
 ‣ Drama Link (d) - Hubert Clifford [Patrick pick his teeth with the card]
 ‣ Tympup B - Sammy Burdson, John Charles Fiddy [shot of Patrick's teeth]
 • Hawaiian Sting - Nicolas Carr [shot of Patrick's teeth]
 ‣ Steel Sting (a) - Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick still pick his teeth with the card]
 ‣ From The Dead - Ronald Hanmer ["I can't let anything happen to that card. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy would never forgive me!"]
 • ? - Nicolas Carr [shot of cracked road]
 ‣ Cartoon Sting 2 - Gerhard Narholz, Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [SpongeBob fastens the card to Patrick's hand]
 ‣ The Jitters - Raymond Jones [SpongeBob blocks Patrick to save the card]
 ‣ Drama Link (g) - Hubert Clifford [SpongeBob jump in front of the card to avoid the mud]
 ‣ Steel Licks (b) - Jeremy Wakefield ["That was close."]
 • Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr [Patrick walks to Goo Lagoon]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (a) - Ronald Hanmer [Patrick walks to Goo Lagoon]
 ‣ Steel Licks (a) - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob drag out Patrick at Goo Lagoon]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (b) - Ronald Hanmer [Patrick walks across a planted grider and falls]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (g) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob rescues Patrick with a crane]
 ‣ Steel Link (a) - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob drag Patrick home]
 ‣ Epic Struggle - Fredrick Bayco [SpongeBob notices Patrick lost the card]
 ‣ Hawaiian Sting 1 - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick tells SpongeBob that he doesn't believe in pockets]
 ‣ Hawaiian Sting 9 - Dick Stephen Walter [Spongebob cries]
 ‣ Hawaiian Sting 13 - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick uses Spongebob's card to unlock his rock]
 ‣ Cartoon Sting 3 - Garhard Narholz ["Why don't we eat some dinner?"]
 • Drama Sting - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick cleans his grill with the card]
 ‣ The Jitters - Raymond Jones [Patrick burn the card]
 ‣ Tomfoolery - David Snell [SpongeBob and Patrick eat dinner]
 ‣ On The Beach - Kapono Beamer [the sun sets]
 ‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Hochman [the card turn to dust]
 ‣ Drowsy Reef - Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton [Spongebob cries because his card is ruined]
 ‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Hochman [Spongebob sees 4 packs of rare card]
 • Hawaiian Trax - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [ending]

Reception

This episode is number 19 in Tom Kenny's Top 20 on iTunes. His description says:

"As a collector of weird old stuff - records, comic strips, anything Popeye - I like how this episode gets into the fanatical mindset of hardcore collectors. The desire to possess that 'certain item' and then to keep it in 'mint-plus' condition can take over the mind. And the sight of a non-collector handling 'the grail' improperly ..."

• YouTube critic The Mysterious Mr. Enter placed this episode as number one in his Top Ten Worst Patrick's a Pr**k Episodes list mainly because Patrick admits that he knows what he is doing is wrong, but he does it anyway because he shares little empathy for his friends.

Release

• The episode is available on the SpongeBob's Truth or Square, Season 6 Volume 2, and Complete Sixth Season DVDs.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• This is the second time Patrick used his barbecue grill. His barbecue grill was first seen in "Naughty Nautical Neighbors." Third will be "Patrick's Staycation," where once again, they will cook Krabby Patties.
• Patrick getting jump from construction site and land in fire as seen American Reality show Fear Factor.
• SpongeBob is once again a neat freak in this episode, while Patrick is very dirty and careless about filth. The first being in "The Battle of Bikini Bottom."
• How Patrick destroyed the card:
  • he picks the card with his teeth
  • puts the card in the folds of his backfat
  • wrinkles the card by trying to open his house
  • cleans his grill by scraping it with the card
  • catches the card on fire, spits on the card
  • uses it as a plate
  • wipes his face with it like a napkin.
• Patrick tells SpongeBob in this episode, "You can't always expect my usual brand of stupidity." Implying that Patrick is aware that he is stupid.
• This is the second episode to feature Goo Lagoon, but not to feature Larry the Lobster. The first is "Sun Bleached," the third is "Ditchin'," the fourth is "Extreme Spots," and the fifth is "It Came from Goo Lagoon."

Cultural References

• When SpongeBob says: "Card #54, where are you?", he refers to the sitcom "Car 54, Where Are You?"
• This episode has some similarity to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where SpongeBob (Charlie) is searching through card packs (chocolate bars) to find the rare card (golden ticket). Also, Patrick saying "I don't even believe in pockets" is a possible reference to Wayside School is Falling Down, where a hobo says "I don't believe in socks".

Errors

• All of the 5 rare cards were in the same pack but had no other cards while the other packs had more than 5 cards.
• When Patrick shows SpongeBob the four #54 cards, the second one he's holding doesn't show a giant fist punching Barnacle Boy.
• The pack Patrick had contained 5 #54 cards, and the store clerk had another #54 card on display.The store clerk said there were only 5 in existence, but there are really 6 #54 cards.
• Patrick says he doesn't believe in pockets, but at the end of the episode the other 4 talking cards are pulled out of his pocket.
• Patrick says he has a landlord, but in "Home Sweet Pineapple" he says he built his home, but it is unknown which tale is true. Patrick could have put his house up for sale and he rented the house.