The Pink Purloiner

Template:Episode/79a

Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Patrick Star
  • Daydream Patrick
• Jellyfish
  • Blue Crested Blaster ^(debut)
  • Speckled Squirter ^(debut)
  • Two Fisted Jumper ^(debut)
  • Gold Throated Singer ^(debut)
• Spiders ^(mentioned)
• Gary the Snail
• French Narrator
• Johnny Elaine
• Perch Perkins
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Scallop
• Confess-A-Bear ^(debut)
• Nat Peterson
• Abigail Marge
• Billy
• Nazz-Mimi

Synopsis

During the annual jellyfish migration, SpongeBob and Patrick come to Jellyfish Fields to see several rare and exotic species of jellyfish. The two begin jellyfishing, with SpongeBob using Ol' Reliable. At the end of the day, SpongeBob was very successful while Patrick was unable to catch anything. SpongeBob boasts the superiorities of his net to Patrick, who says "I would kill for a net like that! (You know, something small, like a carrot)." The following morning, SpongeBob finds Ol' Reliable missing and begins panicking, posting missing jellyfish-net posters all over town with a promise of a reward, even interrupting the local news to announce this.

SpongeBob is unsuccessful in his search and gives up on finding Ol' Reliable. That night, he sees Patrick happily playing with his jellyfishing net before he goes to bed, and when SpongeBob realizes that Patrick's net disintegrated yesterday, he believes that Patrick has stolen Ol' Reliable. The following morning, SpongeBob gives Patrick a Confess-a-Bear (which he made himself) to try to make Patrick confess that he took the missing net. Patrick does not mention this but does say he knocked SpongeBob's toothbrush into his toilet and put it back on the counter without washing it, stopping the conversation. Later on, SpongeBob goes to Patrick's rock to talk and sees Patrick's shadow with a net. But Patrick still shows no sign of the net.

The next day, SpongeBob pretends to go to work, but actually spies on Patrick for eight hours, but he sees nothing but Patrick standing still. He eventually sees Patrick carrying a box and uses a false mustache to disguise himself as a man who is interested in purchasing what is inside the box for $1 billion. Patrick says he would not sell it for any price because it is his friend SpongeBob's... and SpongeBob stops him right there, finally believing it was Patrick. But Patrick finishes the sentence, saying "...gift." To his great surprise, it is revealed that the box contains a net built by Patrick for SpongeBob to replace Ol' Reliable with. SpongeBob is torn between gratitude for Patrick's generosity and guilt for accusing his friend falsely.

Patrick gets upset at SpongeBob for ever suspecting him, and prepares to leave Bikini Bottom. The bus arrives, and Patrick is about to climb aboard when SpongeBob grabs hold of him, begging his friend not to go while pleading earnestly for Patrick's forgiveness. The bus driver demands to know what the hold-up is, and when he sees that it is SpongeBob and Patrick, he gives SpongeBob Ol' Reliable, saying he left the net on the bus (as he does every week).

To make up for his accusations against Patrick, SpongeBob gives Ol' Reliable to his friend. Patrick is utterly overwhelmed by this gesture, and immediately decides to forgive SpongeBob for his thoughtlessness, and stay in Bikini Bottom after all. Everyone on the bus cheers, much to the chagrin of the bus driver, who claims that the two do this kind of thing all the time. SpongeBob and Patrick then run off to Jellyfish Fields together to enjoy their new nets during the last days of the jellyfish migration.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Happy Sponge Chase Vibes - Nicolas Carr [title card]
 ‣ Blue Danube - Fiachra Trench, Johann Strauss Sr [SpongeBob and Patrick jellyfishing]
 ‣ On the Beach - Kapono Beamer [Patrick's net disintegrates]
 ‣ Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob's net is missing]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (a) - Ronald Hanmer [SpongeBob screams]
 ‣ Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [one pair of pants later]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (e) - Ronald Hanmer ["Patrick, Ol' Reliable's been stolen!"]
 ‣ Steel Sting - Jeremy Wakefield ["I'm all done."]
 ‣ Bikini Bottom News Theme - Nicolas Carr [news on TV]
 ‣ Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield ["Attention, Bikini Bottom! My jellyfishing net has been stolen!"]
 ‣ Keel Row - Brian Peters ["I am prepared to offer a large reward for its safe return."]
 ‣ Steel Sting (h) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Guys, I know it's a slow news day, but come on."]
 ‣ Tomfoolery - David Snell [Patrick calling SpongeBob]
 ‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob looks outside]
 ‣ Steel Licks (d) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Patrick's lucky."]
 ‣ Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob's eyes open]
 ‣ Goofy Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [the next morning]
 ‣ Toy Piano - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Confess-a-Bear]
 ‣ House of Horror - W. Merrick Farran [SpongeBob screaming]
 ‣ Toy Piano - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["You're mad at me, aren't you, Confess-a-Bear?"]
 ‣ Steel Licks (b) - Jeremy Wakefield [later]
 ‣ Terror by Night - Hubert Clifford ["I'm not decent! The house is a mess! There's a radiation leak!"]
 ‣ Seaweed - Steve Belfer [Patrick is nervous]
 ‣ Spongeburglar - Nicolas Carr ["Patrick wouldn't steal Ol' Reliable... would he?"]
 ‣ Against the Law (c) - Wilfred William Burns ["I would kill for a net like that."]
 ‣ Closing the Door - Nicolas Carr ["I must know for sure."]
 ‣ Spindlelegs - Cedric King-Palmer ["Good morning, Patrick."]
 ‣ Mission Improbable - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [eight hours later]
 ‣ Goofy Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["What are you doing?"]
 ‣ Mission Improbable - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["You're acting weird."]
 ‣ Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr ["Okay, bye!"]
 ‣ The King's Codpiece - Paddy Kingsland [SpongeBob with a fake mustache]
 ‣ Tales from the Swamp (c) - Ron Goodwin ["Aha!"]
 ‣ Gator - Steve Belfer ["Patrick, I'm the scary mustache guy!"]
 ‣ Hawaiian Flower - Jon Jelmer [Patrick made SpongeBob a new net]
 ‣ Fates [#61] - Gregor F. Narholz [Patrick's about to leave]
 ‣ Parting of the Clouds - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob left his net on the bus]
 ‣ Whisper from the Past [#64] - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob gives his net to Patrick]
 ‣ Romeo & Juliet Overture - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Fiachra Trench [SpongeBob and Patrick hug]
 ‣ Wahini Wobble - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the Season 4 Volume 2, Complete Fourth Season, and First 100 Episodes DVDs.

Reception

• As of May 3, 2017, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 7.3/10 based on 157 ratings by users. TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.2/10 based on 126 votes.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• This episode aired in Germany on December 9, 2006, before it aired in the USA.
• This is one of the episodes that aired on the "Patrick for President" marathon, along with "Driven to Tears," "Rule of Dumb," "The Gift of Gum," "Rise and Shine," "Waiting," and "Sing a Song of Patrick."
• There are 14 jellyfish on the title card.
  • Oddly, the jellyfish have no spots.
• Ol' Reliable was previously used as the name of SpongeBob's Jellyfish net in "Nature Pants," however, that was a traditional bamboo net, whereas this one has more advanced technology built into it, not unlike SpongeBob's new net (not given any special name) in the episode "Best Day Ever."
• This is the first time Perch Perkins said something that was not news-wise or news related.
• This is the first appearance of Patrick Star's House with stairs.
• This episode was released on the Season 4 Volume 2 DVD box set before it aired on TV in the USA.

Cultural references

• The title is a possible reference to The Pink Panther.
• The Confess-A-Bear is likely a reference to the meme called Confession Bear, which has a picture of a Malaysian sun bear on a log and supposedly confessing something.
• SpongeBob's line "Come here you Big Love!" is a reference to the 2006 DreamWorks film Over the Hedge.
• The line where Patrick confess having dropped his toothbrush in the toilet may be a reference to a line from the Seinfeld episode"The Pothole," where Jerry says"I bruised my lip. I was drinking a Cel-ray, and I brought it up too fast and I banged it on my lip, and then I knocked your toothbrush into the toilet and I wasn't able to tell you before you could use it."

Errors

• When SpongeBob catches a swarm of the rare jellyfish, they turn into a normal run of the mill jellyfish when they're in the net.
• When SpongeBob is catching a jellyfish while doing a flip, the actual net is not attached to the ring of Ol' Reliable. The end of the net itself is off screen as if the net continued motion without SpongeBob or Ol' Reliable.
• When SpongeBob and Patrick arrive home, when SpongeBob opens his door there's a duplicate door behind it.
• When SpongeBob is spying on Patrick having fun with a net, he views Patrick Star's House from an impossible angle, because Squidward's house is directly between their houses, which is shown in the view of all the houses from the rear side.
• The hinge on Patrick's house is in a different position when SpongeBob first sees him with a new net than when he confronts him with a mustache.
• When SpongeBob was picking up Patrick's jellyfishing net that Patrick made for SpongeBob, SpongeBob's top left hole is outlined with black for a split-second.
• When Patrick was holding SpongeBob's new net and said "Gift," his freckles were not colored in.
• After the bus takes off at the end, one of the passengers' faces changes color.