"Squid Noir" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 11. In this episode, when Squidward's clarinet disappears, he has to become a hard-boiled detective to track it down.
Characters
- Squidward Tentacles
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Patrick Star
- Eugene H. Krabs
- Bubble Bass
- Flats the Flounder (cameo)
- Suburban dad figurine (debut)
- Incidental 41
- Incidental 40
- Incidental 45
- Incidental 64 (cameo)
- Incidental 6
- Incidental 16
- Incidental 14
- Saxophone fish (debut)
- Billy (mentioned)
- Mermaid Man (as action figure)
- Barnacle Boy (cameo on display case)
- The Moth (cameo as action figure)
- Jumbo Shrimp (cameo as action figure)
- Pi-Right Ponderer (cameo as action figure)
- Jellyfish
- Jellyfish Thug
- Unnamed green eel (debut)
- Fish at the Near Mint Comic Books store (debut)
- Grandma SquarePants (mentioned)
Synopsis
The episode begins at the Krusty Krab with everyone getting annoyed by Squidward's music, prompting Mr. Krabs to kick him out so he can continue having business. Then, while playing in Bikini Bottom, Bubble Bass gets annoyed by his music and tells him to leave immediately. Afterwards, while Squidward is playing in his house, Patrick gets annoyed and throws his rocks at him. After Squidward takes a nap, Squidward's clarinet is missing, and everything turns black and white as the aspect ratio switches to the 1.33:1 (4:3) full screen aspect ratio.
The jellyfish liking Squidward's concert.
Squidward first suspects SpongeBob, but turns out to have been at his grandmother's house the whole time. He then suspects Mr. Krabs with SpongeBob, but he is also innocent as he was at the Krusty Krab all day. Afterwards, the two suspect Bubble Bass, but he was at the comic store all day.
Their last suspect is Patrick, who shows them the jellyfish jelly that was at Squidward's house. This gives SpongeBob and Squidward a hint that the suspect is at Jellyfish Fields, and Patrick joins the investigation. Squidward sees that a jellyfish had taken his clarinet, and when he takes it back, the world becomes colorful again as the aspect ratio widens back to the 1.78:1 (16:9) widescreen aspect ratio. The episode ends with Squidward playing his clarinet music at Jelly.
Production
The episode was confirmed by Vincent Waller on March 16, 2017.[1]
As part of the SpongeBob: You Bring The Color promotion, people were able to color images of several scenes in this episode to be part of the actual episode. The competition ended on November 10, 2017.
Storyboard
Art
Music
| ( ‣ ) Production music |
| ( • ) Original music |
| ( ◦ ) SpongeBob music |
‣ Blue Lamp Blues - Ralph Dollimore [Title card.]
‣ ? - Nicolas Carr [Squidward playing clarinet.]
‣ Noodly Shenanigans - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["You're driving me customers batty!"]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 15 - Jeremy Wakefield ["And if I see that clarinet again, it'll be going into the woodwind chipper, you hear me?"]
‣ Fooling Around 2 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony [Bubble Bass shows the other fish his suburban dad figurine.]
‣ ? - Nicolas Carr [Bubble Bass hears Squidward's clarinet.]
‣ Dramatic Impact 6 - Ivor Slaney [Figurine breaks.]
‣ ? - Nicolas Carr [Bubble Bass sees Squidward playing clarinet.]
‣ Nude Sting - Nicolas Carr [Bubble Bass jumps onto Squidward.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 14 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward emerges from under Bubble Bass.]
• Light Conversation 1 - Nicolas Carr, Barry Anthony ["You will remove that subpar woodwind from the premises."]
‣ ? - Nicolas Carr [Squidward playing clarinet in his house.]
• Hot Steel and Slide Licks 5 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward's head is missing.]
‣ Alekoki - Kapono Beamer ["It's time for our pre-performance nap."]
‣ Dramatic Impact 5 - Ivor Slaney [Squidward's clarinet is missing and his window is broken.]
‣ Blue Lamp Blues - Ralph Dollimore ["And that's how it began... my life smashed to bits."]
‣ Secret Sleuth - Max Saunders [Squidward interrogates SpongeBob.]
• New Vibe Hits 2007 - Nicolas Carr ["Huh?"]
‣ The Hurry Up - Kenny Graham [Squidward and SpongeBob drive to the Krusty Krab.]
‣ Stool Pigeon - Kenny Graham [Squidward enters Krabs' office.]
‣ Bobmatisme - Achille Alberto Scotti [SpongeBob and Squidward pampering Mr. Krabs.]
‣ Sleazy Sax - Richard Myhill [Close-up of Mr. Krabs' makeover.]
‣ Silhouette No.3 - Johnny Hawksworth ["What in the salty seven seas are you two doing?"]
‣ Stool Pigeon - Kenny Graham [Squidward interrogating Mr. Krabs.]
‣ Subversion - Ralph Dollimore [SpongeBob and Squidward drive to Near Mint Comic Books.]
‣ Highway Hullabaloo - Kenny Graham [SpongeBob and Squidward burst through the doors.]
• Mermaid Man Sting - Nicolas Carr [Mermaid Man action figure.]
‣ Highway Hullabaloo - Kenny Graham [Mermaid Man action figure and suburban dad figurine fight.]
‣ Drama Link (g) - Hubert Clifford ["No!"]
‣ Funeral March - Frederic Chopin [Bubble Bass crying.]
‣ Today - Ralph Dollimore ["Come on, SpongeBob, let's go. This is a dead-end."]
‣ Vibe Q Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Hmm...Yeah, how'd you know?"]
‣ Dicey - Kenny Graham [Squidward interrogates Patrick.]
‣ Hot Steel and Slide Licks 1 - Jeremy Wakefield [Shot of Patrick's hand full of jelly.]
‣ Rat Trap - Syd Dale [SpongeBob and Squidward realize the thief must be at Jellyfish Fields.]
‣ Drainpipe Drag - Ralph Dollimore [Squidward, SpongeBob, and Patrick drive to Jellyfish Fields.]
‣ Catfish Row - Benny Carter ["My baby!"]
• Tentically Speaking - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [Squidward retrieves his clarinet.]
‣ ? - Nicolas Carr [Squidward playing clarinet.]
‣ Vibe Sting - Nicolas Carr ["Huh?"]
‣ A Brighter Day - David Luong [Jellyfish jazz club.]
• Jazz at the Jellyfish Club - Nicolas Carr, Brad Carow [Squidward playing clarinet]
‣ ? [Ending sting.]
Release
- This episode is available on the SpongeBob SquarePants Vol. 18, The Complete Eleventh Season, and Squid Noir DVDs.
Trivia
General
- This episode premiered in the United States as part of the event based on the You Bring the Color game, where players color a screenshot from the opening of the show and scenes of this episode. There was a chance for them to see their colors live on American TV.
- Also, on the original American airing of the episode, the viewers also had a chance to color the last minute of this episode. In all American reruns, all digital releases, all international airings, and all DVD releases, only the regular colors are used in the last minute of this episode.
- This is, to date, the only episode to have a 3D title card.
- The You Bring The Color event spoiled the ending of the episode by providing the frames from it.
- The fourth wall is broken when SpongeBob interrupts Squidward's narration, causing the latter to ask him to stop.
- The Moth from "Night Light" makes a cameo in this episode as an action figure.
- Jumbo Shrimp and Pi-Right Ponderer also make cameo appearances as action figures.
- Flats the Flounder makes a cameo in this episode. This marks his first appearance since appearing in the ending credits of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
- The Russian title for this episode is "Сквидвард, частный сыщик," which translates to "Squidward, hard-boiled detective."
- In Southeast Asia, this episode along with "Scavenger Pants" premiered on September 17, 2018 in a special event "What's The Juice?!: SpongeBob Edition."
- This episode is similar to the episode "Where's Wanda?" from the animated series The Fairly OddParents!, as it also features a black-and-white color scheme.
- Also, in a similar situation of The Wizard of Oz, not only does the colors change, but also, the aspect ratio changes from 1.78:1 to 1.33:1 when the color changes to black and white, but changes back to 1.78:1 when the colors turn back on. This marks the first episode of the series to change aspect ratios during the continuity of the episode.
- This also marks the first episode to contain scenes in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio since "Hello Bikini Bottom!" from season 8.
- Also, in a similar situation of The Wizard of Oz, not only does the colors change, but also, the aspect ratio changes from 1.78:1 to 1.33:1 when the color changes to black and white, but changes back to 1.78:1 when the colors turn back on. This marks the first episode of the series to change aspect ratios during the continuity of the episode.
Cultural references
The title card that this episode's title card is based on
- The title references film noir, a genre of crime movies popular in the 1940s.
- One of the comics on the Near Mint Comic Books is titled "Blobfish", named after the fish of the same name.
- Patrick tells Squidward he doesn't know who Jack is, but wants some beans, alluding to Jack and the Beanstalk.
Running gags
- SpongeBob losing his coin.
- Squidward plays his clarinet in annoyance.
Errors
John Trabbie
- In the French dub, John Trabbic's name is misspelled as John Trabbie.
- When Bubble Bass' friends comfort him when his Suburban Dad action figure broke, the veil one of the friends wears disappears for a split second.
- In the Polish dub, Squidward's narration in the colorless segment of the episode was undubbed.[2]
- At the beginning of the episode, Incidental 41 passes somewhere about from the Krusty Krab kitchen and passes Incidental 40 about halfway to the exit. In the next frame, Incidental 41 again passes somewhere from the kitchen, and Incidental 40 is nowhere to be seen.
- During the ending scene, SpongeBob's eyelashes are missing.
Videos
