"Plankton Gets the Boot" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 10. In this episode, Karen kicks Plankton out of the Chum Bucket, leaving it up to SpongeBob to teach Plankton how to make it up to her.
Characters
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Shelby Nautica (debut)
- Sheldon J. Plankton
- Karen Plankton
- French Narrator
- Patrick Star
- Eugene H. Krabs (cameo)
- Incidental 13
- Molecular Analyzer (debut)
- Mermaid Man (action figure)
- Flying Dutchman (cameo on board game box)
- Dirty Bubble (cameo on paddleball set box)
- Curator (cameo)
- Gary the Snail (cameo)
- E.M.I.L.P. (mentioned as "motherboard")
- Gordon Plankton (deleted scene only)
- Mama Plankton (deleted scene only)
- Larry the Lobster (deleted scene only)
- Mrs. Puff (deleted scene only)
- Squidward Tentacles (deleted scene only)
- Toilet (deleted scene only)
Synopsis

The episode begins at the Chum Bucket, where Plankton is making his final touches to the Analyzer. Karen tells him about her new screensaver, but Plankton ignores and then disagrees with her new screensaver. He accidentally gets sucked up by the Analyzer, and then is shown to be "30% mean guy, 20% spiteful monster, 50% evil butt-head" and concluded to be "100% big jerk" by the machine. Molecular Analyzer also praises Karen's new screensaver. Annoyed by the machine, Plankton destroys it. Karen gets so fed up with her husband for not talking appropriately to her that she kicks him out of the Chum Bucket, as well as shutting the doors completely to him.
Plankton visits Mr. Krabs and Pearl's house, only for his house's door to be slammed closed. Plankton then suddenly meets SpongeBob. The latter invites the former to stay with him, but Plankton does not want to, though he soon reluctantly agrees after knowing that he needs a place to stay. SpongeBob is happy to see that Plankton can stay at his house, and watches a romantic movie. Plankton then looks at his portrait of Karen and him, which makes him feel sad. SpongeBob tells him that everything will be alright, and calmly talks to Plankton about his issues. Plankton admits he is a mean person and wants to change, not mentioning he that called the screensaver fat.
Outside SpongeBob's house, Plankton tries to do a good deed to Patrick to open the door for him, but it backfires because he is too small to reach the normal-sized door's doorknob and that Patrick is too large to fit into the tiny door that Plankton is able to open by himself. Plankton gets angry of that, so SpongeBob tells Plankton to try something else.
Back in SpongeBob's house, SpongeBob tells Plankton to say something nice, since it appears difficult for him to do something nice, due to size limitations. It backfires when Patrick admires Plankton's antennae, interpreting that "mocking" about his antennae was insulting.
Back outside, SpongeBob tells Plankton about "working on his terrible outsides," since Plankton has typical bad characteristics that he cannot change from the inside. SpongeBob tries making makeovers for him, but does not like the idea of it. Plankton then suggests the idea of SpongeBob to disguise as a robot.

With SpongeBob disguised as a robot, with the name "Shelby Nautica," Plankton and SpongeBob step into the Chum Bucket. Karen greets them in, and finds that Plankton is in the Chum Bucket. Plankton tells her that Shelby Nautica is her robot date, and wants a nice table. Karen analyzes Shelby Nautica and she detects that it is SpongeBob. Pretending to ignore that Shelby Nautica is a disguise, she gives Plankton a bucket of chum and Shelby Nautica a "bucket of grease, chopped up full of nuts and bolts." SpongeBob refuses to eat, but does so anyway to avoid disguise reveal. Plankton then pretends to romantically love Shelby Nautica.
Karen tells Plankton that Shelby Nautica is his, which then SpongeBob is joyful to the fact that Karen no longer loves Plankton. Plankton then angrily tells SpongeBob that his goal was to get Karen to still love him. Karen apologizes to Plankton about her angry attitudes, and allows him to kiss her. She turns on the same screensaver as previously seen, and Plankton is disgusted by it, calling it a "fat screensaver." Karen gets angry at Plankton again for talking inappropriately to her and proceeds to attack Plankton and kicks him out of the Chum Bucket again, as the episode ends.
Production
The episode name was confirmed in a tweet by Vincent Waller on October 22, 2016.[2]
Art
Music
( ‣ ) Production music |
( • ) Original music |
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
• Chumbucket Rhumba - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Title card.]
‣ Wooden Bear - Gil Flat, Tony Tape, Florian Voeixen [Opening.]
‣ Unknown Track 38 - Karen's new screen saver.
‣ Mechanised World - Phil Green [Plankton gets sucked into the analyzer.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 1A - Jeremy Wakefield [Analyzer spits Plankton out.]
‣ Unknown Track 38 - "It is most beautiful."
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 15 - Jeremy Wakefield [Plankton smashes the analyzer.]
‣ Slippery Sid - Roger Roger ["I was just trying to make myself pretty for you, but do you even care?"]
‣ The Jitters - Raymond Jones [Karen gets angry.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 2D - Jeremy Wakefield [Karen kicks Plankton out of the Chum Bucket.]
• Silly Bob Conversation 2 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Karen doesn't let Plankton enter into the Chum Bucket.]
• The Fruitcake Vendor - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Plankton exits SpongeBob's bathroom.]
‣ Show Fanfare 1 - David Lindup ["YEAH!"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 11B - Jeremy Wakefield ["We're gonna be the best roommates ever!"]
• Soapy Organ - Hiram Titus [SpongeBob and Plankton watching TV.]
‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill [Plankton cries.]
‣ Hawaiian Breeze - Jon Jelmer [Plankton asks SpongeBob to help him to be a nice person.]
• Rip Tide - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [SpongeBob teaching Plankton to hold the door open for someone.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 1A - Jeremy Wakefield [Closeup of Patrick's face.]
• A Simple Conversation 1 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Plankton tries to say something nice to Patrick.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 12 - Jeremy Wakefield ["I'll never get Karen back now."]
• The Corn-O-Copia - Nicolas Carr ["Makeover time!"]
‣ Saucy Organ - Ernst Lindemann [SpongeBob giving Plankton a makeover.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 13A - Jeremy Wakefield ["Forget it, SpongeBob. Karen is the perfect woman."]
‣ Unknown Track 38 - "Show Karen your heart."
• Harp! - Nicolas Carr ["That's a great idea!"]
‣ Psycho Surgery - Dick De Benedictis ["I'll cook up a scheme to make her jealous and crush her spirit!"]
• Lap Steel - Nicolas Carr [Transition to next scene.]
• The Donut Dilema (With Triangle) - Nicolas Carr [SpongeBob disguised as a robot.]
• A Fishy Conversation - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Plankton and "Shelby Nautica" have dinner.]
‣ Springtime for Lovers - Len Stevens [Plankton romancing "Shelby Nautica".]
• Who Said That - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["Hey you, get your hands off my man!"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 20C - Jeremy Wakefield ["You're really in love, I won't stand in your way. Plankton is all yours."]
‣ Bashful Eyes - Kapono Beamer ["Sorry, Plankton, you just said such nice things to me."]
‣ Unknown Track 38 - Karen's new screen save appears again.
• Porous Pursuit - Nicolas Carr, Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [The ending]
Release
- This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 17, Factory Fresh, The Complete Tenth Season, and Bubble Boats DVDs.
Trivia
General
- The title card is similar to that of "Plankton's Good Eye," though the black and gray background is replaced with a blue background, there are more eyes, and is in widescreen.
- There are 36 eyes on the title card.
- The opening scene of the episode is possibly the only time in the series where Plankton casually wears an outfit that is not a disguise for scheme purposes. This also debunks the quote in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, when he claims they do not make clothes in his size.
- When Plankton uses SpongeBob's bathroom, he is implied to have used his shoe(s) (closet) instead, as vaguely hinted in the quote "...you're going to need some new shoes." This is possibly because Plankton would be too small to use someone else's bathroom. Strangely, SpongeBob does not seem to mind this, nor does Plankton seem embarrassed or ashamed by it.
- When SpongeBob changes his clothes behind the changing curtain, Gary is amongst the items being thrown.

- Karen refers to SpongeBob as "Spongist Buffoonist" when she analyzes his costume.
- This and "SpongeBob's Place" are the first episodes in the series to use one of the Nickelodeon Productions 2017 idents during the ending credits. However, it has been used during the on-screen credits only in the original American airing.[3] The full official credits still uses the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo.
- This is the first episode to use the track "Chumbucket Rhumba" since the season 8 episode "Restraining SpongeBob."
- It also marks the return of "Bashful Eyes" since "Enchanted Tiki Dreams."
- This episode premiered on the same day as the 2017 Kids' Choice Awards.
- This is the tenth episode (along with the sister episode "SpongeBob's Place") to premiere on the same day as the Kids' Choice Awards. The first was "Help Wanted"/"Reef Blower"/"Tea at the Treedome" in 1999, the second was "Krabby Land"/"The Camping Episode" in 2004, the third was "Krusty Towers"/"Mrs. Puff, You're Fired" in 2006, the fourth was "Born to Be Wild"/"Best Frenemies" in 2007, the fifth was "Nautical Novice"/"Spongicus" in 2008, the sixth was "Sentimental Sponge" in 2011, the seventh was "Are You Happy Now?"/"Planet of the Jellyfish" in 2012, the eighth was "Kenny the Cat" in 2014, and the ninth was "Mall Girl Pearl"/"Two Thumbs Down" in 2016.
Episode references

- When SpongeBob and Plankton are eating popcorn on the former's couch, many objects from older episodes are visible in the background. These include:
- Whirly Brain ("Whirly Brains")
- Pretzel Pals ("Buried in Time")
- Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy Paddle Ball Set ("Have You Seen This Snail?")
- Patrick! The Game (the episode of the same name)
- The Flying Dutchman's Treasure Hunt ("Arrgh!")
- Eels and Escalators ("Sailor Mouth")
- Mermaid Man action figure ("Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob" and "Toy Store of Doom")
- Pin-the-tail-on-the-seahorse ("Opposite Day" and "Party Pooper Pants")
- Rocky Road ("Goodbye, Krabby Patty?") (This Rocky Road was not made with real rocks, unlike the one from "Goodbye, Krabby Patty?")
- Krusty Krab pizza ("Pizza Delivery" and "I ♥ Dancing")
- Colorful balloons that spell out "F.U.N." are also seen; this is a reference to the episode of the same name.
- Similar objects from older episodes appear in SpongeBob's house in the sister episode, "SpongeBob's Place."
- Molecular Analyzer's outputting of Plankton's components is similar to that of how Karen did in the episode "Plankton!."
- In "Plankton!", Plankton is analyzed as 1% evil, 99% hot gas. While in this episode, Plankton is analyzed as 30% mean guy, 20% spiteful monster, and 50% evil butt-head, with the final result as 100% big jerk.
Cultural references
- The name of this episode is a wordplay of the classic 1940 MGM animated short film Puss Gets the Boot (which is known for starting off the cartoon franchise Tom and Jerry).
- Karen's screensaver references the Windows 1 Screensaver Flying Toasters.
Errors

All the numbers are gone except for a zero.
- At one point when Plankton is in the computer getting converted into binary, for one frame, all the numbers gone and only a zero can be seen.

Missing path to the Krusty Krab.
- When Plankton gets kicked out of the Chum Bucket, the path leading to the Krusty Krab across the street is missing.

- On SpongeBob's banner, Plankton's antenna are not connected to his body.
- Also, shortly after this frame, when SpongeBob picks up Plankton and walks to the left of the screen, the banner changes. These changes appear to be an accidental switching of some of the different layers of the Plankton image, specifically the lines connecting the arms to the body.

Overlapping outlines on banner.

SpongeBob's transparent hole.
- When SpongeBob is rubbing Plankton's head and says, "Well, if Karen threw you out for doing the same things you always do, maybe you should learn to not do the same things you always do!," one of his green holes turns transparent for a split second.

Clancy Brown is uncredited.
- In the closing credits to this episode, Clancy Brown, who played Mr. Krabs, is uncredited.