Not Normal

Template:Episode/104a

Characters

• Squidward Tentacles
  • Normal Squidward ^(debut)
    • Squog ^{(Cameo in one of Squidward's self-portraits)}
• SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Normal SpongeBob ^(debut)
• Banshee ^(mentioned)
• Live-action fish
  • Blue Tang ^(debut)
  • Lion fish
  • Moorish idol ^(debut)
  • Yellow Tang ^(debut)
• How to Be Normal host ^(debut)
• Gary the Snail ^{(cameo in photo)}
• Mr. Normal ^(debut)
• Dave
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Harold Bill Reginald Scott
• French Narrator
• Gus
• Clay
• Evelyn
• Frank (red shirt)
• Halbert
• Mable
• Wobbles
• Mevis
• Peterson Nat Tucker
• Norton ^(purple)
• Sylvester
• Tyler
• Other Krustomers
• Patrick Star
• Martha Smith
• Sadie
• Jimmy Gus
• Abigail Marge
• Sea Monkey ^(debut)
• Shubie
• Susie Rechid
• Taylor
• Jellyfish

Synopsis

One morning, Squidward is trying to sleep, when he gets waken up by SpongeBob, who is running around. Squidward says that he is "screaming like a banshee." SpongeBob is convinced by Squidward that he is not normal. After Squidward goes to his home, while he is sleeping, SpongeBob sits on his body, this freaks Squidward. SpongeBob asks Squidward how does a person become normal but he kicks him out in such furor. He proceeds to look at a video on How to Be Normal for Beginners in order to change his ways. At work, SpongeBob slowly changes over a three-week time period, becoming a more rounded-shaped sponge without holes, lacking his buck teeth, having a small nose and big freckle-less cheeks. He also becomes more mild mannered than his usual self.

Along with his new appearance and personality, SpongeBob purchases a new suburban home and works in a cubicle at the Krusty Krab like "normal" people do. Instead of making Krabby Patties the regular way, he prints them out. Mr. Krabs likes this at first, until he realizes that they are printed on paper. He soon loses his job after the customers notice the new tasteless Krabby Patties.

Afterwards, SpongeBob goes over to Squidward's house and talks to him. He states that Squidward is not normal, pointing out that Squidward has various abnormalities, such as a large "bulbous" nose, odd eyes, and wearing no pants. Angered, Squidward kicks SpongeBob out of his home.

Upset, SpongeBob enlists Patrick's aid to make him abnormal again. After a trial of odd tasks, SpongeBob slowly regains his buck teeth, holes, freckles, and other former traits. First, they slide through the town on some water in their underwear, and then are sent flying into an exhibit in the zoo. However, in Patrick's home, he soon transforms back to "normal," concluding that he has become "permanently normal." SpongeBob and Patrick begin crying, but a few moments later, Squidward appears at the door in his "normal" form. This snaps SpongeBob out of his normal state and returns him back to his old self. He hugs Squidward and thanks him for making him his true self again and compliments Squidward that it is "a wonderful weather they're having."

Production

Art

Character Art 13a.jpg

Character Art 14a.jpg

Character Art 15a.jpg

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Marlin March - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [title card]

 ‣ Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob wakes Squidward up]
 ‣ Comic Walk - Sidney Torch ["What could you possibly be trying to do this time?!"]
 ‣ Harp Ding - Nicolas Carr ["There are people that are normal..."]
 ‣ Comic Walk - Sidney Torch ["...and then there's you."]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (b) - Richard Myhill ["I'm not normal?"]
 ‣ Steel Link (a) - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob asks Squidward how to become normal]
 ‣ Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [Squidward kicks him out]
 ‣ Steel Link (b) - Jeremy Wakefield ["I need to understand normal!"]
 ‣ Here and There - Gary Hughes ["Journey Into Normality" video]
 ‣ Keel Row - Brian Peters [at the Krusty Krab]
 ‣ Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr [water cooler in the kitchen]
 ‣ Busy Shoppers - Len Stevens [SpongeBob typing at a computer]
 ‣ Goofy Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [SpongeBob's new house revealed]
 ‣ Junior Miss - Len Stevens [montage of SpongeBob becoming normal]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [three weeks later]
 ‣ Gay Dog - Francis Chacksfield ["You know, it's a funny thing, Squidward."]
 ‣ The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka - Chelmsford Folk Band [Krabby Patties printed on paper]
 ‣ Dramatic Impact 2 - Ivor Slaney [customers leaving]
 ‣ Dirgey - Nicolas Carr, Steve Marston ["Wait, where you going?"]
 ‣ The Dreadnought Tea Clipper (b) - Tim Laycock, Robert Alexander White ["What are you doing back here?"]
 ‣ Steel Sting (n) - Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob loses his job]
 ‣ Screw on the Loose - Tony Lowry [Patrick waiting at the bus stop]
 ‣ The Pollywog Strut - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["But I do need to defragment my hard drive."]
 ‣ Cinnamon Stick - Frank Sterling [SpongeBob visits Squidward]
 ‣ Steel Licks (d) - Jeremy Wakefield ["What happened?"]
 ‣ Harp Ding - Nicolas Carr ["No problem, SpongeBob."]
 ‣ Tension Bits - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob clenching]
 ‣ Steel Sting (q) - Jeremy Wakefield ["Oh, well."]
 ‣ Gator - Steve Belfer [Patrick's tongue twisted]
 ‣ Fates [#62.02] - Gregor F. Narholz ["Please, Patrick, if anyone can teach me the arcane art of the weird, it's you."]
 ‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr ["I'll need you to remove your trousers."]
 ‣ Steel Sting (b) - Jeremy Wakefield [people laughing at SpongeBob]
 ‣ Sponge Monger - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [first lesson in weird]
 ‣ Steel Sting (b) - Jeremy Wakefield ["SpongeBob, the weird therapy is working!"]
 ‣ March of Industry - Wilfred Burns [montage of SpongeBob becoming abnormal]
 ‣ What's This Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Huh?"]
 ‣ Symphony No. 7 - Ludwig Van Beethoven [SpongeBob and Patrick crying]
 ‣ House of Horror Parts 3 & 5 - WIlliam Merrick Farran ["It's me, Squidward. I'm looking for SpongeBob."(Part 3)/Normal Squidward revealed (Part 5)]
 ‣ Cream Pie - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the Spongicus, Season 6 Volume 1, Complete Sixth Season, and Next 100 Episodes DVDs.

Trivia

General

• The title card is similar to "Le Big Switch" and "No Hat for Pat," but more zoomed in.
• SpongeBob's voice is slightly lower in this episode.
• SpongeBob's "normal" features include:
  • Round body/pants
  • Smaller nose
  • No freckles
  • No craters/holes
  • No buck teeth
  • Pointed shoes
  • Normal sized arms and legs
  • No squiggled outlines
  • Slightly smaller eyes that are spaced further apart
  • Lower voice
  • He also looks like a round bath sponge.
• Squidward's "normal" features include:
  • Wearing pants
  • Holes on his cranium are big spots
  • Smaller nose, head, and arms
  • Eyeballs are smaller
• This episode premiered as a part of the Gimme 5 marathon.
• SpongeBob mentions the episode title when he asks "I'm not normal?"
• The part where SpongeBob says "Hi, how are ya?" has become a popular internet meme.
• This episode is very similar to "Patrick SmartPants," since the main focus is a character turning normal in both of the episodes, which includes him getting a calmer, lower voice.
• When SpongeBob is having tea with Squidward, Squidward's 483 self-portraits from the sister episode, "Gone," can be seen.
• As SpongeBob and Patrick are belly-sliding through town, they go up a ramped truck. Oyster Stadium can be seen as they are falling.
• When SpongeBob says, "Tap, erus uoy era?," it is backwards for "Are you sure, Pat?"
• This is the second episode where Squidward's face changes physically. The first was "The Two Faces of Squidward."
• This is the third episode where the Bikini Bottom Zoo appears. The first two are "The Smoking Peanut" and "The Thing."
• This episode premiered eight years after the Canadian premiere of "Help Wanted," "Reef Blower," and "Tea at the Treedome," five years after the release of Lost at Sea, The Sponge Who Could Fly VHS, and Anchors Away, and two years after "Squeaky Boots" premiered in China.
• Squog reappears in one of Squidward's paintings.

Cultural references

• SpongeBob's "normal" house looks like the NET Building from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
• Secret Krabby Sauce is probably a reference to the Big Mac sauce from McDonald's, which is often called their secret sauce.

Errors

No Arm error

• When Squidward and SpongeBob are talking, the "L" on SpongeBob's name tag reading "Hello, I'm Normal" constantly changes in appearance.
• During SpongeBob's first "normal" day, his freckles constantly appear and disappear.
• When SpongeBob holds the How to Be Normal tape, his left arm is missing.
• When Squidward is riding his bike to his house, he looks up and sees SpongeBob's "normal" house. When the camera pans out for all three houses to be seen, SpongeBob is not there. But when the scene cuts to Squidward, he is there.
• The Krabby Patties made from SpongeBob's computer are shown to be real and edible. It is a paper one only when one of the customers takes a bite into it.
• When SpongeBob and Squidward are having tea, Squidward is holding a teacup. But when SpongeBob begins criticizing Squidward, the teacup disappears for the remainder of the scene.
• If one plays the scene where SpongeBob fixes Squidward's face frame by frame, the viewer can see Squidward's face was already the original shape before he fixed it back.
• SpongeBob's shoes change after he talks backwards, but in continuous shots after that, his shoes keep turning pointy and then to his older shoes.
• When "normal" Squidward is first shown, he only has two legs, but when SpongeBob is hugging him, he has all four legs.
• When Mr. Krabs shows SpongeBob the paper patty, it changes position while he is holding it. In the same scene, the size of one of the buns also changes.