The Card

Template:Episode/113b

Characters

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. SpongeBob is at the comic book and 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 much 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 decides to buy the last pack, which coincidently, ends up containing the No. 54 card. 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) When they get home, SpongeBob asks Patrick if he could have it, Patrick asks if he can have it one more day, until sundown. He uses the card to unlock his house (after his landlord changed the lock again), cook burgers and then wipe his face. 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. Mening 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.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music
( • ) Original music
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

‣ Spongebob Theme - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [title card]
‣ Cartoon Sting 1 - Gerhard Narholz, Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [opening]
‣ Seaweed - Steve Buffer [Spongebob sees Patrick and his counting book]
• Steel Sting - Jeremy Wakefield ["Not so fast."]
‣ Harp Ding - Nicolas Carr [Spongebob paying to employee a dollar]
‣ Adventurers - Larry Hochman [Spongebob opens the training cards]
‣ Steel Sting (f) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Whoa there."]
‣ Monocle and Pocket Watch - Brian Douglas Gulland [SpongeBob opens the first pack of Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy trading cards]
‣ Arizona Fanfare - Jack Shaindlin [shot of rarest card]
‣ 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 [hawaiian sting]
‣ Cartoon Sting 3 - Gerhard Narholz, Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [SpongeBob fastens the card to Patrick's hand]
‣ ? ["Patrick! Look out!"]
‣ Drama Link (g) - Hubert Clifford [Spongebob jump in front of the card to avoid the mud]
‣ Steel Licks (b) - Jeremy Wakefield ["That was close."]
‣ 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]
‣ ? [Spongebob gasp]
‣ Hawaiian Sting 1 - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Patrick tells Spongebob that he doesn't believe in pockets]

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 ..."

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 back, 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, then 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. 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.