Kwarantined Krab

"Kwarantined Krab"
SpongeBob SquarePants episode
Episode no.	Season 12 Episode 22b
Directed by	Dave Cunningham
Written by	Andrew Goodman
Produced by	Jennie Monica Marc Ceccarelli (supervising) Vincent Waller (supervising) Stephen Hillenburg (executive)
Original air date	April 29, 2022 (2022-04-29)

"Kwarantined Krab" is the second segment of the 263rd episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, airing as part of the show's twelfth season. It was originally scheduled to air in the United States in 2020, but the events of COVID-19 caused it to be banned until its airing on Nickelodeon on April 29, 2022 (making it the final episode of the twelfth season to air), due to the episode's plot revolving around a pandemic. Though, it was originally announced in June 2019, months before the start of the real-world pandemic.

Plot

A health inspector walks into the Krusty Krab, where he declares that there is a disease called the "Clam Flu" spreading around, causing most of the characters to run around and panic. The health inspector orders the restaurant to be put under quarantine, much to the dismay of Squidward and Pearl. The Krusty Krab is now locked down with SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, and Mrs. Puff stuck inside. Some pepper is accidentally launched into the air, causing SpongeBob to sneeze, making everyone else assume he has caught the disease. Despite not actually being ill, SpongeBob willingly walks into the freezer after being asked to. Patrick notices SpongeBob having fun in the freezer and eating some ice cream, so he pretends that he has caught the Clam Flu too, causing him to be thrown into the freezer with SpongeBob.

Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, and Mrs. Puff are now all sitting at one of the tables in paranoia. After Squidward itches his arm, Pearl assumes that he has caught the disease; Mr. Krabs then throws him into the freezer. After returning to the table, Mr. Krabs notices that Mrs. Puff has yawned, making him think that she has caught the Clam Flu too; she is locked into the freezer by Mr. Krabs as well. After Pearl remembers that she has some money left over from last time she was in the mall, Mr. Krabs thinks her mind is poisoned from the disease – and locks her into the freezer with everyone else. Mrs. Puff states that Mr. Krabs himself is the one that has caught the disease; she and the rest of the characters then breaks out of the freezer. Everyone chases Mr. Krabs around the restaurant, but all end up incapacitated in doing so. When the health inspector returns, he says that he made a mistake, and that no one is actually sick, before assuming that everyone has caught a different disease, ordering the Krusty Krab in an even stronger lockdown. The restaurant is then transported onto the Chum Bucket, where Plankton begs everyone to stay away from him to avoid catching the disease, before realizing that he may have already caught it.

Reception and controversy

David King at Bubble Blabber gave the episode a positive review, and notes that the humor comes from the paranoia between the characters; King states "as they're quarantined from disease yet the synopsis itself slowly, makes it obvious near the end with a very ironic ending."

"Kwarantined Krab" was initially meant to air during 2020, but was pulled until April 29, 2022, due to the plot revolving around a pandemic, as an on-going real-world pandemic known as COVID-19 was first detected near the end of 2019. Due to this, it is not available to watch on Paramount+ with the other episodes, nor included on the show's Season 12 DVD set. However, it is available to purchase on iTunes and Amazon Prime. Regarding the pulling of the episode, as well as the third season episode, "Mid-Life Crustacean", Michelle Mehrtens at Screen Rant commented "Considering the fact that SpongeBob SquarePants is specifically geared toward children, it is understandable that Nickelodeon would be hesitant to keep these episodes in their digital rotation. At the same time, the show exists in a compelling televisual spectrum, one that balances between the consumption of children and adults." Tony Perkins of CNSNews was less favorable of the censorship, stating "...Nickelodeon is willing to self-censor an episode with sideways allusions to the COVID-19 pandemic as too controversial and sensitive to broadcast to children, but it has no problem promoting Pride Month, writing songs about Pride Month, introducing an entire rainbow of LGBT characters, or exposing children to drag queens. As kids' cartoons are no longer child-safe, it's no wonder that parents are changing the channel."

External links

• "Kwarantined Krab" at IMDb