How Spongebob Explored Existential Nihilism

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[@KarstenRunquist]

what’s your favorite spongebob episode..?

[@ronstoppable5659]

Idiot Box, Survival Of The Idiots, Snowball Effect, and Camping Episode

[@jules_films]

Squidville obviously 🔥👍

[@derk5867]

Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V

[@ajford3973]

Band Geeks yo

[@susanaghostp679]

the one that explains how to make a cangreburger. and it's like weird only the narrator and spongebob. also the with the nigth krustykrab

[@AskAir]

"In case you've forgotten, here's how things work. I order the food, you cook the food, then the customer gets the food. We do that for 40 years and then we die."

[@Advent3546]

That moment when Squidward explains the despairing life of a minimum wage worker long before you enter a despairing life of a minimum wage worker.

[@Wawagirl17]

As a kid that line always upset me, but now it's one of my favorites.

[@jaysmith3173]

@@Advent3546 4:10 Conspiracy, the universe, spongbob fans, and the writers are biased towards Spongebob and want Spongebob to prosper and get away with being annoying and wanted to torture Squidward psychologically just so Squidward can admit he misses Spongebob and things return to the Status Quo and Spongebob annoys him forever

[@jaysmith3173]

I think the Matrix and Descartes Evil Demon kzbin.info/www/bejne/sICTpIaAd5aHqKs want us to suffer forever and feel forever miserable for their pure evil entertainment. Forces from within and outside the universe are consciously pure evil for the sake of it and are sadistic cause they want to make us psychologicaly suffer for their entertainment.

[@justanotherperson7774]

Bless Your Soul

[@musicmancer]

I don't know why I only just realized this, but the only reason SpongeBob and Patrick like jellyfishing is because Squidward showed it to their ancestors. He is the maker of his own prison.

[@royedking]

Damn

[@parischanelle7666]

omg true

[@ew8550]

👁️ 👄 👁️

[@Julia_A7]

Squidward: Who's the barnacle head who invented that game anyway? SpongeBob and Patrick: You are, Squidward!

[@GaminGuy_]

@@Tadfafty, although paradoxical, i think its funnier to think that there was no alternative timeline, that squidward went back to the past and taught spongebob/patrick jellyfishing, only to later on go to the past to avoid spongebob/patrick jellyfishing, completing the cycle

[@gracefort1212]

I also appreciate the fact that in this episode, when Squidward goes to the past, he ends up teaching Spongebob and Patrick how to jellyfish, contributing to his own torture.

[@andrewguerra2532]

Time travel paradoxes are so cool

[@antonioscalcione7921]

HOLY SHIT A TIME PARADOX

[@Not_Efficient]

Bro saw the top comment

[@Flumptys_Plus]

You mean primitive sponge and primitive star?

[@abel6298]

Read your bible! (KJV, preferably) ❤️😊

[@ang1229]

It’s so disappointing SpongeBob no longer makes amazing episodes like this. They’re now targeted towards brainless children

[@jollyplaguedoctor7512]

You mean like “Bwahaha funny meme face fart noise crazy face lol lmao” Yeah the subtle comedic genius is long gone. Now it’s just obnoxious.

[@HannibalTorrance]

They were always targeted toward children, but they were still enjoyable to other ages as well.

[@BEDCORN]

it makes me think cartoons back in the day had a lot of scripts that were cancelled movies/tv shows for adults but reworked to be replaced with spongebob characters/setting for example

[@remaks8405]

Old SpongeBob good, current SpongeBob bad. Like button on the left

[@abel6298]

Read your bible! (KJV, preferably) ❤️😊

[@silverman1601]

SB-129 is basically just ‘The End of Squidvangelion’

[@chadfishfruit]

Get in the pineapple SpongeBob

[@robfobjanstar]

@@chadfishfruit Go To The Kusty Krub Squidward

[@isaacm4757]

SpongeBob puts his hand on Squidward's face after being strangled in a way to show affection...

[@origaminosferatu3357]

Congratulations

[@davidj.flores4291]

Congratulations, Jerk!

[@otaddiction]

Something else I noticed about the episode when it comes to how lonely Squidward truly is in the world is the fact that he was locked in a freezer but felt confident that someone will come looking for him "in no time", but he waited 2000 years and nobody bothered

[@bojarckhoosemanschnarf5851]

Damn that's dark as hell. They probably did bother, though since spongebob and Patrick thought they were friends. Mr krabs wouldn't have cared though. How come mr krabs didnt look into the freezer of the krusty krab fir over 2000 years? Spongebob needs to go into the freezer to get food. Why wouldn't he report the body? Wtf have you uncovered

[@bojarckhoosemanschnarf5851]

New conspiracy

[@adenwillemburg4300]

this is hella sad

[@bojarckhoosemanschnarf5851]

@@ab-wj8yg ah I guess that does make sense thanks for the reply

[@vaughnshinkus4178]

But that’s a different, parallel timeline. Even upon returning, there’s a parallel timeline in which Squidward is still stuck in a freezer.

[@lunondisposable5382]

I love when people discuss the actual philosophical implications, instead of just calling every weird thing in kids' cartoons "purgatory" or "a dream/hallucination"

[@meestersecure9060]

It's still just basic analysis at the end of the day, not the true meaning.

[@DestroyerOfEvil_69]

Did you notice the 666 go by? 1:25

[@Lilbuddie27]

​@@DestroyerOfEvil_69I just did lol. You think it means anything or they just threw it in there because why not.

[@chiefhydropolis]

it's basic analysis with extra fluff and some nihilism thrown in for good measure. the entire video boils down to "Squidward doesn't like SpongeBob and Patrick , he stays alone but he has ego and doesn't like being alone"

[@ausernamed]

4:13 in this scene alone, i think all the coloured squares surrounding squidward are meant to represent the spongebob main cast. yellow, brown/orange = spongebob pink = patrick light blue, purple/dark blue, red = mr. krabs these coloured squares disappear once he mentions being alone it may just be accidental, coincidental, or was done for a reference but it might be meaningful here :P i don't know

[@davidnissim589]

There's also a turquoise square that probably represents Squidward, and it vanishes when he tries to lift it up

[@rickcorn]

Hillenburg in heaven: "Uh, yeah, I totally meant all that"

[@jaysmith3173]

@Rick Corn 4:10 Conspiracy, the universe, spongbob fans, and the writers are biased towards Spongebob and want Spongebob to prosper and get away with being annoying and wanted to torture Squidward psychologically just so Squidward can admit he misses Spongebob and things return to the Status Quo and Spongebob annoys him forever. I think the Matrix and Descartes Evil Demon and want us to suffer forever and feel forever miserable for their pure evil entertainment. Forces from within and outside the universe are consciously pure evil for the sake of it and are sadistic cause they want to make us psychologicaly suffer for their entertainment. Why else did the Universe kill Hillenburg? Cause he knew too much and was trying to save us.

[@landon5435]

@@jaysmith3173 you freak me out and can I join this cult

[@jaysmith3173]

@@landon5435 if you spread the word.

[@landon5435]

@@jaysmith3173 no I'll do you one better I will kill all our enemies

[@lolkayleen2757]

This seems very intentional tho bc the similarities between the Nietzche philosophy and the episode (specifically the “alone” part) r way too uncanny and specific

[@JG-pt3xe]

When you think about it, Squidward is probably the most fleshed out character in Spongebob (In the early seasons at least). He starts off as this snarky person who seems to just hate everyone around him. But over time, it's shown that Squidward only acts this way because he feels like he's trapped in this world where no one else understands him and will always be alone.

[@andrewduong2740]

And at the same time the show doesn't go out of its way to sympathise with him as some tortured genius. Many times when he has shit hurled at him, it's not because he's this misunderstood intellectual. It's because he's being high-strung and pretentious. But he's not really as above the sort of spontaneity of his neighbors as he thinks he is, like in that episode where he lives in that gated community for a few weeks. I dunno, this is just my take

[@maymay5600]

it also shows that in life when you wat to be fancy and a "gentleman" it can get lonely at times, i see them didn't bring back squidwards girlfriend squiliva, which i think they should had; there many times when spongebob and patrick are not around even for the day and he just gets heated and just starts to panic

[@toenailclippings]

I always felt bad for Squidward when I was little because he always felt like an older brother that had to watch over his younger siblings

[@JG-pt3xe]

@@toenailclippings Wow, that's actually kind of accurate!

[@ew8550]

@@toenailclippings wow that makes a lot of sense!!

[@NathanBailey-hg3qf]

I was so lucky to grow up with SpongeBob. Intelligently written, hilarious, deep, and interesting. A show that sticks with you forever.

[@cwcpants140]

SB-129 was phenomenal. As a kid, I was jealous when Squidward found his alone space. It always seemed really nice to me.

[@fajararsy_saiga9567]

Same here.

[@arlocristofaro4653]

The part where squidward ends up in nowhere is still terrifying to me.

[@mohammadjihad569]

Yeah its just as terrifying as the backrooms

[@jaysmith3173]

4:10 Conspiracy, the universe, spongbob fans, and the writers are biased towards Spongebob and want Spongebob to prosper and get away with being annoying and wanted to torture Squidward psychologically just so Squidward can admit he misses Spongebob and things return to the Status Quo and Spongebob annoys him forever

[@top_floor_boss]

It use to scare the shit out of me when I was younger

[@lukedebiase8212]

It always freaked me out when all the voices said "alone" forever and ever

[@keylakettlemjardim8282]

So fucking eerie

[@KircherTalksEntertainment]

This dude literally just put together a collegiate essay based on a memed SpongeBob episode. Well done!!

[@rotisseriepossum]

The best kind of essay

[@AxxLAfriku]

Why is Donald Trump pretty and I am not? But why does he only have a wife but I have TWO HOT GIRLFRIENDS who I show off in my masterpiece YT videos? Do you know the answer, dear kir

[@bleacherpolish8683]

Every spongebob episode is a memed episode

[@laurenbennett7674]

Oh, there are thesis’ dedicated to meme culture. We live in a strange time.

[@xaviero8678]

I dont see why spongebob wouldnt be a fit for a collegiate essay

[@Blake-tj9kc]

I took an entire class on Existentialism this past semester. From Heidegger to Camus and Sartre, each one’s insights force you to approach time, our liminality as we stand between our past, present and future, as well as our mortality, and our question and search for meaning. Definitely my favorite class I’ve taken so far.

[@Iwanttoblowmybrainsoutrn]

I would love to take a class like that

[@invalid5498]

This episode was truly terrifying I felt like I was there with squidward experiencing true emptiness and loneliness. Everything was so hollow and barren and the genuine fear of the emotions in that episode being something you can feel in real life shook me to my core

[@Claire.blain.]

The scariest thing to me is that the episode isn't even named. SB stands for spongebob, and 129 is 129 because it's in the first season and is the 29th segment on the show. It scares me and for no reason.

[@SakuraStallion]

Now that you've said that I am terrified.... the original "lost episode" or episode that was never supposed to be released..

[@spongebobsquarepants8403]

Whaddaya mean it was never meant to be released, Squidward caused a time anomaly and he effectively screwed up the timeline, if it wasn't for him I would have gotten my driver's licence and Squidward would have gotten a better life

[@Claire.blain.]

@@spongebobsquarepants8403 why do people roleplay in comment sections just stop

[@spongebobsquarepants8403]

@@Claire.blain. Well that's just my theory on why Squidward is always in constant dread knowing his dreams won't ever be fufilled and he would be stuck in a job he hates

[@c1em3nte34]

holy shit true

[@jaredhernandez6268]

Why are the episodes that focus more on Squidward always the scariest?

[@Spontamar]

It's because Squidward is the most cynical character and functions as the audience surrogate on numerous occasions.

[@snowmanwithasnowplan]

And squidward has a popular creepypasta

[@jaysmith3173]

​4:10 Conspiracy, the universe, spongbob fans, and the writers are biased towards Spongebob and want Spongebob to prosper and get away with being annoying and wanted to torture Squidward psychologically just so Squidward can admit he misses Spongebob and things return to the Status Quo and Spongebob annoys him forever. I think the Matrix and Descartes Evil Demon kzbin.info/www/bejne/sICTpIaAd5aHqKs want us to suffer forever and feel forever miserable for their pure evil entertainment. Forces from within and outside the universe are consciously pure evil for the sake of it and are sadistic cause they want to make us psychologicaly suffer for their entertainment.

[@MandyDeadite]

because we're all squidward now so it makes it scarier.

[@fabtheman4693]

because Squidward feels more human than the other characters when you see him through your adult mentality

[@whattabirb637]

I love how spongebob can be enjoyed in two different ways, the cartoony, energetic show that kids enjoy. But you can also find the deeper meaning in each episode which would appeal to adults.

[@joannbeasley3067]

I love the philosophy woven through spongebob’s episodes. Especially the Squidville episode it’s about balance in life.

[@niklasjoel1995]

Can't believe Nietzsche was such a big Spongebob fan that it inspired him to write a book. Amazing

[@Frog101_Real]

And I'll end any mothafucka like my name in a spelling bee!

[@MortiefiedBear]

@@Frog101_Real It's nice to see a fellow man of culture

[@joesmith3365]

Whats the name of the book?

[@yourface88]

Seek Christ

[@tristanshindell32]

666th like

[@moricwilson]

When I was a kid for some reason I thought the square things in the nowhere place were like abstract things Squidward knew about. The yellow and pink are Spongebob and Patrick, purple is Squidward's house, red is Patrick's house, etc, like if they devolved into their basic elements in his mind.

[@rockhistoria2537]

Jesus that actually makes sense!

[@amandadelatorre8371]

😳

[@aldosahagun3350]

Damn man

[@metaloopa6907]

WAIT

[@eddiekaspbrak4624]

WTF 😨😨😨😨

[@room34]

I was already an adult when Spongebob was on, but my kids loved it and I watched a bunch of episodes with them. This one was definitely my favorite and years later we still say "ALOOOONE". Thanks for diving into the philosophy of a show that's much deeper than most people my age would ever give it credit for being!

[@rickwilliams967]

Did you guys actually get to see the one where Squidward tries Krabby Patties, and the security system Mr. Krabs has is a bucket of gasoline and a robot arm dropping a match? They actually cut the latter part out after a few airings.

[@ms.littlelady4132]

I remember those

[@JustTryingToChillOut]

There is something even more uncanny in this episode. According to physic's laws if you go back in time you will not return in the actual past. You will create a seperate timeline which is exactly like your past but it is impossible to return to that one you left because time's flow cannot be changed. In other words Squidward has left his actual reality forever and is teleported to a different reality which has another Squidward just like him. And this only gets uncannier because by the time Squidward is teleported to the seperate reality, the other Squidward from that reality is already trapped in the freezer just like he was.

[@russiancyber5843]

Wait so is the show past sb-129 not in the original universe?

[@Hanz13171]

So basically what I'm hearing is all these episodes Squidward was in an alternate reality and not in his own....

[@uba5578]

@@Hanz13171And the whole time, the true Squidward from that timeline is in that freezer…

[@Hanz13171]

​@@uba5578I'm never gonna look at SpongeBob the same again after reading this.....

[@Hanz13171]

And wouldn't this ultimately mean that that the other Squidward frozed to death....

[@shizaya]

"This isn't your average, everyday loneliness. This is... advanced loneliness."

[@beautifulpotato444]

My life in 10 words

[@moricwilson]

This loneliness is without description.

[@shgds]

@@moricwilson *static*

[@migumusica]

You see, you're not dealing with the average loneliness anymore...

[@ARCHIVED9610]

my everyday life in a few words

[@GenScinmore]

This episode and Rock Bottom was so uniquely disturbing as a child, though I couldn't explain why at that age.

[@mariomessiah8862]

Feeling lost and trapped in a place you can’t escape is a scary feeling for a child.

[@nihilist1345]

lol i remembered that episode i'm also scared of watching that when i am a kid and feel kinda creepy and scared which kinda feel your in a dark abyss of nowhere and feel your surrounded by monsters LOL

[@arinjayshirali1951]

Bro fr it felt so eery it gave me chills, I watched every episode more than once except this one

[@cheriekat]

Also that one episode where jellyfishes are attracted to Spongebob’s sound when the air winds thought his holes is pretty dark.

[@mocha1759]

@@cheriekat oh yeah, that episode scared me when I was little lol

[@naytendox]

Imagine if the writers of this episode just wrote it randomly with no real reason.

[@sonderdaze]

I would of considered that but I really don't think this is the only episode that has an actual meaning.. funny to say any of this shit about a little cartoony show but it actually makes sense

[@drgog4300]

Which most likely is the case

[@eternalnjem]

That’s typically how it is

[@maddieb.4282]

@@drgog4300you don’t think they were smart enough to include added meaning?

[@drgog4300]

@@maddieb.4282 I'm not saying they're smart. Just what's the point?

[@mikewolfskhal8782]

The clarinetland episode always hit me as one of the darkest episodes. That mental snap of squidwards was very deep at its core. It’s symbolism is open to interpretation but really any logical way to look at it is pretty dark.

[@Iwanttoblowmybrainsoutrn]

That one was creepy

[@ashtonbowman5077]

Why does him saying “you’re never aware youre in the present because your mind is already in the past” make me nauseous

[@fareehamehmood5278]

same

[@chrisa-95]

How is my mind in the past? I am (my mind is) presently aware of my phone, my dog barking, the fact I feel warm, and feel hungry - while I am also thinking about what WAS said in this video (the past). You have to be aware of the present in order to DO anything. That quote in the video sounds deep - but actually doesn’t make any sense. Yes, if you want to be super picky - it takes an extremely brief amount of time for what is in front of you to travel through your senses and into your brain and then your mind to react to it, so in a very superficial way it is true - but VERY SUPERFICIALLY. Choosing to focus on and use your mind to think about something that was SAID IN THE PAST is not the same as your mind itself BEING IN the past. FOCUSING ON the past and BEING IN the past are totally different things. So fear not and don’t be nauseous - enjoy the present - and learn from/think about the past when necessary!

[@bobbyt4562]

@@chrisa-95 you're thinking about it way too literally lmao. good try tho

[@ryanclerk9731]

It’s interesting to think about, as your conscious self is in the present your physical body you call “you” is ever so slightly in the future therefore you can’t truly understand yourself because the future is unpredictable. Like you’re walking your dog, you’re the present, the dog is the future someone could pick your dog up and throw it in a wood chipper randomly. Now you can’t understand yourself because your metaphorical body is in a wood chipper.

[@crispcrap4852]

@@chrisa-95 this was one cope too hard for you

[@royalrod_]

This episode is the reason I’m afraid of the walk-in freezer at my restaurant job.

[@adamwightman5487]

same bro! i second guessed walking into the freezer at work as well

[@Timbiscuit12]

Don’t wanna get stuck in there and frozen for 2000 years?

[@skin9255]

There are people paying millions to be frozen.

[@thisis675]

lol this comment actually made me lol

[@joaom.v.1498]

This and keenan and kel

[@imoffendedthatyouareoffended]

I remember seeing this and having my first ever existential crisis. Felt like the gates of my mind were blown apart at the seems and everything I knew changed. I remember feeling like a kid and then not knowing how I felt about anything, it was insane to process what I had just seen and how my brain suddenly flipped a switch. Maybe that’s why I enjoy SpongeBob to a degree even hitting 30. It was the first time I was able to remember thinking for myself for the first time.

[@BLUrayter]

This guy ate the whole bottle of Flinstone Gummies

[@zojirushi1]

💀

[@nameredacted9005]

💀

[@emilys2562]

💀

[@thepartydontstoptilliwalkin]

Skull emoji

[@Christian-xg9vk]

💀

[@jordangroff8978]

"SB-129" and "Rock Bottom" are probably still my favorite episodes.

[@parasitegirl6770]

rock bottom scared me so damn much as a kid

[@aescliptic]

Same

[@lonelyrooster]

I will never forget Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom was terrifying because it was so real. There was no ghosts, there were no monsters, it was about Spongebob in a town he doesn't know, full of fish who could barely understand him, waiting at a bus stop. It's a situation everyone will end up in at one point in their life...

[@Tsukuyomi28]

@@parasitegirl6770 it just really annoyed me how unrealistically difficult it was for him to leave.

[@yunan9610]

@@lonelyrooster as a kid, not being able to get home from an unfamiliar place was such a scary thing to happen

[@AlpArslanTheSeljuk]

I watched this episode as a kid in Germany. The word asparagus was such a interesting and mysterious word for me, until I learned in school what it actually meant lol

[@violetwicks4082]

This episode absolutely TERRIFIED me as a child, and even still unsettles me. I find it really cool to view it now in a similar but different and more mature light.

[@SuperWiiBros08]

Squidward has gone through a lot

[@Flairis]

@•keklord chester• I like you too 😏

[@JacobLuisLLDM]

Agreed

[@andreanolan6742]

He has seen some things

[@NatsukiTheHeavyMain]

He's gone through too much

[@soseikiharagatatsu7859]

We're all squidward

[@mikemancini313]

Fun fact: SB-129 was the last episode of SpongeBob to air in 1999.The air date was December 31, 1999.

[@Zekie_]

Y2k

[@Helloimchapstik]

100th like

[@pspuser1100]

That makes so much sense

[@Oddie99000]

I was born in 1999..

[@40mmmikemike]

@@Oddie99000 me toooo, may 19th 1999. Watched this episode growing up.

[@teh_durgenburn4968]

The alone scene is so well put together when the voices blend together and we are moved far away from squidward even us leaving him in his loneliness is some amazing presentation it made me so uncomfortable

[@arrunthiagarajan3688]

This episode shows that you have to accept reality instead of wishing it were different because problems are inevitable regardless of whether you are in the past, present, or future since there will always be people you don’t like, and being alone will be a relief at first, but later, fear starts to creep in, and you’ll start panicking.

[@pantrax_uwu2096]

i've seen this episode a lot of times since i was 4... now i realise that nobody has opened the freezer in 2000 years

[@Anita_sensei]

Multiple freezers?

[@revolvency]

Theory: Squidward prevent anyone open the freezer, to avoid the time travel paradox

[@jeffreywilliams8499]

Yea how come Mr Krabs and SpongeBob didn't notice that Squidward has been missing from work for a really long time when the krusty krab was open ?

[@kaizoisevil]

@@jeffreywilliams8499 he wasn’t missing from work because he made it back to the present. There are actually two Squidwards in the Krusty Krab. One awake and working, the other frozen.

[@ARCHIVED9610]

@@kaizoisevil i don’t wanna think about this anymore, its like an scp at this point

[@jjs_arkade]

This episode kinda scared me as a kid, crazy how existential nihilism is so present in our minds it penetrates the blissful ignorance of the youth

[@cottoncandy2023]

This intrigued me as a kid

[@jason6070]

well said!

[@katlyn6928]

It scared me as a kid too!! And I have existential panic attacks a lot now lmfaooo

[@nutsostoik6231]

Me too man, like I don't actually understand what was really going on but my intuition kicked in and was telling that "This is fucking weird man, why is this is scary?". This also reminds me of that drunk scene in Dumbo

[@EAZYEfrain]

It didn’t scare me completely but did make me uncomfortable tho lol

[@darkcs69]

This is definitely one of the most disturbing episodes of all time. As a kid you can't understand what is going on, and you probably laughed at the part when people were chanting "alone alone alone". But now seeing this, it's definitely something far disturbing. It's like spongebob then was to not he understood by younger people until they rewatch it being older, then it's just not the same.

[@lucyknox1745]

This was a wonderful video!! SpongeBob is my all time favorite TV show and you just made me love it that much more.

[@BallsInMyCup_]

kids now have “the backrooms” and we had squidward’s “existential purgatory room”

[@glorytofathersonandholyspirit]

Lol

[@terigonUSAS12]

lmao

[@pepearown4968]

Are you gate keeping existential horror?

[@jesusrodriguez3728]

@@pepearown4968 are you gatekeeping his gatekeeping of existential horror?

[@shin_a]

What’s a backroom

[@dillonkeenan8436]

My seven year old brain was not ready for this episode the first time I saw it.

[@randomfrog6966]

Ikr, I wasn't exactly scared by it but more psyched out by it. I never really liked watching the episode after that lol

[@missperfect121995]

This was literally my favorite episode lol so trippy

[@LegoGamers100]

Yeah it was traumatizing. But I feel like purgatory, is a process of being stuck in time. Not going nowhere anymore, ever

[@jakemurray4346]

Kind of weak argument to say they're exploring Nihilism and connect it only with inference. Could easily just be their creative choices to tell the story of what the episode was clearly actually about, which was introversion versus extroversion. Introverts will feel like they want to be alone most of the time, but easily come to suffer loneliness within the infinite landscape of their self. The episode is making the argument that no matter what the individual feels, they must always be a part of community or else they will end up in nothing, alone. The substantiates of time travel and giving Spongebob and Patrick jellyfishing nets, breaking the time machine out of frustration and ending up in nothing is a very good way to do this, because in a way you do make your own prison as an introvert. Admitting he misses society (Spongebob), snaps him out of it, but he doesn't change. He simply realises he needs them and accepts it, just like an introvert would have to. I would believe your point it's inspired by recurring themes and patterns in life and papers written on them, but to say it was specifically one, and that this episode specifically explored Nihilism seems like complete BS honestly. Just seems pessimistic. It's far more likely there was a pattern theme to reinforce the idea that you could be much the same as everyone else with the same needs. In fact you could be so much the same as everyone else, that one of your ancestors could have begun a tradition that alienates you from society today. I think the message that we're all the same in a lot of ways, and that we all need each other even if we have contempt for one another, is a much more likely message for Spongebob to have than "everything is pointless" lol.

[@Sher_18]

To be honest i felt like the episode was trying way too hard to make life seem meaningless. Thinking = goals Goals = purpose Purpose = all you need All you need = reduces anxiety, doubt and to realize your path Reduces anxiety, doubt and to realize your path = Happiness Not implying that one won’t be sad in their life since that would be a lie.

[@andycruzatx3387]

I did DMT one time and went into the white dimension, SCARY. When I came back I was so happy to see the basic things materialize again like my floor/ drawer. Also time had no meaning I understood how 1 second is the same as a million years without a conscious viewer to experience time.

[@ThillerKillerX]

Did way to much my dude.

[@ahhh4117]

I have had life-long bipolar disorder and existential dread was a big part of that, I'm talking "couldn't look at the sky bc it reminded me of the impermanence and insignificance of my mortal human life" type of dread. I always took great comfort in this episode and I remember feeling that when it first came out, ultimately because Squidward, despite everything he's gone thru and where he went. He wasn't trapped in the in-between He lives in a world full of other people and would therefore never be truly alone even if sometimes he thinks it would be better

[@oo8962]

That alone scene is really scary. The thing that makes it scary is being trapped in nothingness without anyone or anything to distract you, alone with your thoughts for unlimited amount of time. It has the same feeling of floating away in outer space for eternity without being able to go anywhere.

[@commietearsdrinker]

@Professor Weaboo My friend, no matter from what timeline you come from, being doomed to exist for eternity with nothing but your own thoughts would send anyone insane sooner or later.

[@annacontreras6648]

I have a huge phobia of this

[@saltywafflez5133]

@@annacontreras6648 I’m so glad I’m not the only who’s terrified of this. I can barely think about it without crying, it’s so terrifying

[@Milkra]

Fire Punch

[@allinfidelsmustdie3922]

I guess that’s why Kars stopped thinking...

[@th3azscorpio]

This lockdown and events are really having an effect on people. Folks really doing philosophical breakdowns of SpongeBob.

[@sarahrose7425]

LMAO

[@deisk2707]

Not philosophically. Mentally

[@x85gilreath]

Its not a fools errand, how many millions of kids spent hours watching SB

[@Pickle-man-spider]

People have been doing philosophical breakdowns of Spongebob for a while now and I love it.

[@Yaooosteve]

😂😂😂😂

[@annejia5382]

i love this episode so much. i remember they would replay episodes of different nick cartoons from late night to early morning like 11pm to 4am. i rewatched this one on a midnight and the whole vibe contributes to the whole episode experience hahaha 💛

[@delsi3795]

I absolutely love how you find beauty and purpose in a show I thought I knew everything about

[@Jonathan-nb9lc]

I think the main point of this episode is that squid ultimately is responsible for his own misery. The scene that really drives this point home imo is when he literally invents jelly fishing

[@zeltzamer4010]

Probably making SpongeBob the most Kafkaesque show ever. Two characters who work for a stifling bureaucratic system (Mr. Krabs) under an equal set of circumstances, though one is able to overcome this situation and live happily independently of it (SpongeBob) while the other wallows in their own misery and cynicism (Squidward).

[@razkable]

i am so done with people looking too deep into kids shows...its like they think these characters are real...

[@Pyriites]

@@razkable u be surprised how many kids act like spongebob

[@citlallirue1300]

@@razkable why are you watching this then lmao

[@Walamonga1313]

@@citlallirue1300 He has a Naruto pfp, pea brain doesn't surprise me

[@pickleBOB405]

Yeah SpongeBob had a lot of dark episodes, like the one where squidward accidentally gives SpongeBob a bomb pie and thinks he gonna die the whole day and regrets how he treated him...yeah they had weirdly deep and dark episodes

[@csr2legend]

Squidward's Heart

[@MultiSuperguy101]

And Spongehenge

[@Lailasstyles]

It also like desensitized me as a kid to death😂😭😭😭

[@nightlymoss1361]

don’t think that’s very dark lmao

[@Ashes2Ashes_Blush2Blush]

They had the best episodes back in the day!

[@guitarchamp616]

The part of the episode where its all white and you hear all the different voices say "alone", it reminds me of that one Gorillaz song All Alone. Give it a listen and the way they say all alone is just like that part in this episode.

[@pootzmagootz]

The existential episodes like SB-129 and Clarinetland were always my favorite and I still can't really place why

[@ronjohn2865]

This is essentially what a bad trip is like.

[@briangilley3101]

Fuck yeah it is 🥴😂

[@alyssabautista6531]

Fax

[@youtubeislame8773]

How scary. I've never had one myself, but I've sure as hell heard about some people's experiences. The mind is crazy powerful, and so is Lucy/mushrooms

[@crow22532]

This happened to me on shrooms. I was in a room with my friend when the trip started. I walked around his house feeling the fabric of his couch and conceptualizing time but after that we sat down and watched some tv. I watched that flavortown dude eat a burger and it was pretty strange. i started asking existential questions to myself during all of that and it started to come to conclusion explained in the video. I just kept hearing "it is what it is" and i was afraid man. I wanted to go for a walk but my friend never wants to do anything i suggest so i just soaked for a long time in that dark place. The repitition think hit hard too. I was able to shake it all out though. There is alot of darkness in life, but there is just as much light and goodness. I have to remind myself of that alot

[@lil-bingus]

That moment where Squidward's relaxing and says "alone", then all the other alones popping up. Then suddenly pan out, more and more, along with the rancorous roar of all the "alones" at once. Yeah. That's a bad trip. The sensation of everything you were previously thinking about being minimized in an instant of what feels like pure fear. Makes me sweaty thinking about it.

[@ookeyan4249]

Karsten Runquist: Squidward is going through Nihilism Game Theory: Squidward is suicidal

[@slaughterround643]

MatPat commits labour abuses. ...but that's just a Game Theory.

[@bjangofett1]

@@slaughterround643 Wait really? Elaborate

[@erikrobinson9999]

it would be Squidward is going through a Nihilistic Realization or Squidward is experiencing Nihilism

[@luigiofthegods459]

Karstame Theorquist: Squidward is nihilistically suicidal

[@IslanderIsaac]

Dont tou mean Film Theory?

[@sjcflawless]

You did this topic perfectly!

[@Angelo-pz7zp]

the feeling that he went to a no return journey to the unknown and testifying the wether if it's in the extreme future or extreme past, nothing would remain to you was what disturbed me the most. I just couldn't explain at that time...

[@Jotenks]

I feel like the creators of spongebob keep accidentally creating very depressing and terrifying theories

[@jadedjimmy]

Hahaha I agree, and tbh I didn’t really find this theory all that compelling for that reason alone. Like I *highly* doubt the writers were going for anything as deep as this guy is getting at, which makes it all seem all the less interesting to me

[@Jotenks]

@@jadedjimmy that’s why I said accidentally, it’s like the feeling when you make something really wholesome but then you accidentally make people think it means something more, overall interesting topics to poke at though

[@jadedjimmy]

@@Jotenks well said

[@Jotenks]

@@jadedjimmy thanks lol

[@catbatrat1760]

@@Jotenks Exactly. Even if the writers didn't intend it, it's still pretty fun to see what people think of these episodes. People may go "Oh, it's just a little kids' show episode. Quit being such a huge nerd." But honestly, I think those people are just fun police, lol.

[@sofialopinto2564]

You should talk about the Rock Bottom episode

[@laurenbennett7674]

Oh geez

[@goat504]

Yessss

[@Karmy.]

Or the episode where SpongeBob travels through dreams

[@lifeguard8887]

Aesthetic asf

[@beinerthchitivamachado9892]

@@Karmy. BRUUUUUUUUUH! That's a CLASSIC!

[@caspernikus-3291]

Honestly as a kid this episode did open up something locked in my brain; something that would continue to grow to this very day.

[@Skiz13435]

Thank you Karsten, this video helped me work through a few ideas I’ve been juggling in my head w the concept of P - P - F and eternal recourse

[@shaylabush7653]

This episode literally gave me my first sense of existential anxiety ever in my life when I was young. I’ll never forget the fear that sank into my bones.

[@ugandahater]

No it didn't

[@alexiaisfly]

I had the same experience but had no idea why. I hated that it was the end of SpongeBob. And I hated this episode because I was uncomfortable watching it for reasons I had no idea until revisiting the idea as an adult. But as a child what it looked like, i just thought wow that was the worst episode they could have ended with. Cause I knew it was the last episode when I watched it. It said so on nickelodeon

[@sleepyeevee9255]

Yess

[@BuhBaSam]

You’ll be Ight

[@billieguitar]

I... Love ur pfp. U r cute.

[@headinthecloudsagain1735]

This whole scene is scary but the thing that always stuck with me as a kid was those voices squidward heard in the alone scene I can’t even explain why it’s scary In fine detail except that it makes me think of lost souls in the abyss

[@aleah559]

The whole episode terrified me but the alone scene was the scariest

[@MySpaghetti]

It freaked me out because he was "alone" but there were voices that weren't his own speaking and they were with him...As a kid I was like "Okay he is alone in nothingness" and then the random voices were there...that made me uncomfortable for some reason.

[@AUSans101]

yea

[@gregory7320]

The fact that it's different voices and in different tone but the worst part is that it doesn't stop

[@midnightmoon7257]

Yep yep yep got a minute in started having ptsd of those things that made not able to sleep as a child sometimes

[@sparkymularkey6970]

This is excellent! Thank you for making this exist in the world. I loved it!

[@goose5718]

When you realize all your favorite episodes came from the first season

[@flamsauce9158]

"The gay science" activated my stupid brain cells to make me chuckle.

[@rianuhh]

me too 😔

[@apollo1573]

I didn’t even laugh until you pointed it out. BiG bRaiN

[@gustavosifuentes3991]

I saw your comment and was waiting for it and it didn’t disappoint

[@his_heranywaystreamsmartis3618]

What time did say that

[@msr5565]

That's so fucking random but I loved it.

[@treedoor]

Spongebob writers: "Wouldn't it be funny if Spongebob and Squidward did this?" KZbinrs: "Each episode of Spongebob plunges deep in the abyss of human emotion to find not only what makes us laugh, but what makes us truly suffer."

[@loading2463]

"and to prove it I will quote this man that use complicated sentences and doesn't know what he is talking about and also is probably dead."

[@karlmatthewpepito4439]

There's always a hint of optimism in these idea full of nihilism.

[@HOLDENPOPE]

@@karlmatthewpepito4439 "Life is meaningless, so I might as well enjoy myself."

[@dark_lightning6909]

@holdenpope exactly the way I see it if there’s no point make your own

[@livefastdiequick]

They reach heavily too

[@succmybighugeandsucculentween]

Squidward is canonically thousands of years old

[@TwentySeventhLetter]

I feel it's worth mentioning also that part of why Squidward does crunches in the ground saying "FUTURE" is that he's assuming the fetal position to cope with feeling a loss of control, to evoke a sense of security in an insecure situation

[@OhNoBohNo]

Something that I think ties into this theory, at the very end of the episode, is that Squidward realizes that in the past HE invented jellyfishing, the very thing he's been opposing and trying to remove himself from this entire episode. He HAS technically made a change in the world, but it's the very thing he didnt want, and its a bootstrap paradox- a cyclical theoretical concept without an origin.

[@starter-il1bh]

Oh. Oh god. Please don't make my head hurt like that.

[@jaden-senpai5047]

I dont even know what this means anymore

[@tonyt1616]

In short he built his prison, and will forever serve the life sentence.

[@GavinFromWeb]

@@tonyt1616 yeah, seems like it

[@JaydenMontano]

Good lord guys its just a spongebob episode

[@6ixlxrd]

Always thought the darkest moment was when Mr. Krabs sold Spongebob's soul for 62 cents.

[@TheRattleSnake1994]

"look squidward, money!"

[@Kanal7Indonesia]

Ikr poor SpongeBob

[@Aeunax123]

I actually loved this! Was not expecting to find this video recommended to me lmao but it was great!

[@Manker00]

One of my favorite Spongebob episodes of all time - that eerie feeling I had as a kid watching it for the first time was something else while still being funny and entertaining. 10/10 would watch again.

[@commandogaming2274]

"The problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present." -Hobbes

[@OwO377]

And it proof in current year.

[@imdebaws3715]

The problem with the present is that it keeps turning into the past.

[@alanivar2752]

people dont think the universe be like it is but it do - black science man

[@andhyalvarez21]

Didn’t know fast and furious got that deep

[@adog3129]

The philosopher, or the cartoon tiger named after the philosopher?

[@elfiebranford9330]

SB-129 is the most Lynchian that SpongeBob has ever gotten. Aside from Courage the Cowardly Dog, I've never seen a cartoon reach this level of surreal fear.

[@taltus674]

You're not perfect.

[@CassandraPantaristi]

RETUUUURRRNNNN THEEE SLAAAAABBB! Or suffer my curse!

[@CassandraPantaristi]

@@rpd5983 That "you're not perfect" is a reference to the last episode of Courage.

[@carlosmendoza1177]

@@CassandraPantaristi He may be referencing the blue fetus creature that appears in one of Courage's dreams and tell him: "You're not perfect", I still don't understand how that particular scene didn't traumatized me as a kid, but as an adult I find it really scary

[@CassandraPantaristi]

@@carlosmendoza1177 That episode I don't really remember much honestly.

[@user-rw9no4vt7e]

The crunches scene really reminds me of how Gregor Samsa grounded himself in his bodily sensations to hold onto his humanity in Metamorphosis

[@starswirI]

its very rarely talked about how in the episode, specifically the "alone" text scene, is that the more the disembodied voices repeat the word, "alone" the more frightened their voices become. its so haunting, the realization setting in that you are truly and utterly in your loneliest loneliness

[@ComputerClan]

Very nicely done. I've always liked this episode, but I never thought _that_ much about it. Awesome.

[@rocky-kg8cc]

Yeah, many people have seen this and wondering why this episode... is this episode? There is a video that mainly describes what this video is.

[@ok-tr1nw]

yoooooo a youtuber i watch which also watched other stuff i watch

[@ComputerClan]

@@ok-tr1nw that'll happen : )

[@pokelover3602]

Oh, hi. What are you doing here?

[@battleskorpionYT]

All I remember is that is scared the shit out of me as a child lol

[@NatsuKazooXIII]

SB-129 and Rock Bottom were the episodes that traumatized me as a kid and ngl up until now I’m avoiding these two episodes because the creepy and disturbing feeling is still there.

[@rowen42069]

those are 2 of my favorite episodes

[@SagittariusUDY]

I recommend watching Jamaican Snuggie reacting to Rock Bottom with his friend. That way you won't be watching it alone and traumatized.

[@whatamidoingwithmylife3229]

rock bottom always made me feel weird when i was younger

[@SMCwasTaken]

@@rowen42069 pikachu is overrated

[@rowen42069]

@@SMCwasTaken I don't even know anything about pokemon, I made that my profile picture years ago because of the meme and I just can't be bothered to change it😂

[@dxublexxsplicitxxsplicit4943]

I genuinely understood this and was terrified at like 6 years old. I would cry in front of the TV and not know why but I really did know why

[@vincentthe1st]

As a kid I was like "this is a pretty neat episode"

[@qthemixer]

"Nothing matters." literally just made my brain hurt after overthinking how many interpretations that can have.

[@soapysurprise8603]

Ah shit now you've gotten me too.

[@DeathlyDrained]

But if nothing matters, then we can decide what matters to us as individuals since nothing in the universe means a thing.

[@Moloch_01]

Now its time for "i don´t care". By saying this you allready care enough about the subject to say that you don´t care...

[@Wydjacob]

Bruh waS speaking a different language

[@condawg5984]

@@DeathlyDrained yessir Kurzgesagt

[@omgitzpaige2013]

as a kid i never thought of this as too deep but i DO remember noticing “asparagus” and feeling clever for seeing it lmao

[@EmceeIntricacy]

Look again, it says assburgers

[@yungbrxdge]

i never noticed that until you mentioned it wtf 😭

[@xenakisrah6872]

I liked the “huh” more tbh

[@jcharmaine1]

What does that mean?

[@dumbdannia6326]

LMAO SAME

[@PrinceKiesler]

This video has been on my recommended for 18 years.

[@redstonecommander5190]

yes, that’s right this episode also teaches you that loneliness is bad if you are alone for too long, especially if you’re in a wide-open space full of no one around It over you giving you a strong sense of bitterness, frustration, and overall sadness

[@sunnysanjo]

"this episode is sponsored by squarespace" Oh man we're in for a good documentary

[@luiscastanon6031]

I know right

[@XXLittleSofyXX]

true beauce ucualy good videos are for some weird reasion sponsonred by squarespace

[@2twosix6]

This video is sponsored by Squarepants

[@mikaylajbmartin]

@@2twosix6 *Tortellini

[@johans3164]

they know how to market themselves

[@FartingPrice]

I remember watching this episode when I was just a kid and feeling extremely weird and afraid every time. Even to this day when I watch it I still feel that weird sensation of emptiness and fear.

[@Km0577]

This was my favorite episode growing up! I would get so excited when it would come on

[@sosukeaizen7028]

Squidward wants to be alone, in solitude, but he doesn't want to be lonely.

[@mfznal-hafidz8592]

Lord Aizen is here to reign supreme from soul king and alone to be king 🤣

[@qwerty-bm5gx]

So.... Evangelion...?

[@moltenhydrogen2218]

not just any solitude, but solitude in e minor

[@LustyClassyCat]

same

[@LILOCW]

Woah

[@Stoked_magic]

Bro you are bending my mind and my reality. 5:59 that's when it started. Like literally after each thing you said after I just kept saying "what"

[@24hrcircus99]

Funny how as soon as squid walked into the freezer, the workers at the restaurant randomly stopped using that freezer for the next 2000 years without a reason

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

You still remember your parents when they said that SpongeBob was a "dumb" show made for kids? Show them this.

[@STAROCiDE]

They could just say he's overthinking this

[@nuclearmonster8084]

Honestly, this vid is kinda pretentious Like I do think the writers were going for something along the lines of the existential dread but not to the point that the video trys to make it out to be

[@Anonymous-zd1ow]

@@nuclearmonster8084 I was thinking the same before I watched it.

[@danielfecklessness2796]

*has a Fairy Tale pfp*

[@lionelladvelino4795]

@@danielfecklessness2796 well he is a famous commenter if he were to change his pfp everyone would be confused

[@rinsiblerelic5318]

Author: writes literally a single sentence ELA teachers:

[@nandi1004]

So true

[@thoughtfulghost]

that alone scene gave me one of my first existential crisises as a kid and and i have anxiety disorders now 👍🏼

[@purplehaze2358]

Spongebob gameplay: An anthropomorphic sponge with an annoying laugh that makes burgers, blows bubbles, and catches jellyfish Spongebob lore:

[@Ichigo90]

I can’t believe you talked about an eternal cycle and didn’t mention at the end when Squidward asked Spongebob and Patrick who invented Jellyfishing and they both responded with “you did, Sauidward!” At which point Squid was just like “I’m going back.”

[@geoffstemen3652]

Good catch!

[@IAteAChickfilaChickenSandwich]

Wait, how would they actually know if he actually do it? Did they have ancestors who told them that the person “squidward” made jelly fishing? Soon passing it on generation through generations? Why were spongebob and patrick so calm that they were meeting the person that taught their ancestors how to jelly fish? “You did squidward...” there is a possible chance squidward might be... actually dead. Since he taught spongebob and patrick how to jelly fish. He taught them how to jellyfish. And now he’s here with the ancestors great great 15x grandchildren, and they act all normal, like he didn’t die, like he didn’t disappear. Just to come back. He came back to the present with a time machine and they acted all normal... what if that isn’t the present? What if he’s actually still dead. He’s in the afterlife.

[@yoifrdontwannawakeup]

Ah yea my favorite character: sauidward.

[@eri6970]

@@yoifrdontwannawakeup XD

[@grandr.4279]

the most relatable character in SpongeBob SquarePants: Sauidward.

[@spicymeatball4441]

The "alone" part of the episode always creeped me out and made me sad. The way you interpreted it makes so much sense

[@patrickla6452]

i literally avoided watching this episode as a kid because of that. i got nightmares for days after i watched it for the first time