The Chaperone

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Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Pearl Krabs
• Eugene H. Krabs
• Lots of Freds
• Squidward Tentacles ^(cameo)
• Gary the Snail
• Patrick Star ^(mentioned)
• Margie Star ^(mentioned)
• Fish on Magazine
• Judy ^(debut)
• Billy Fishkins ^(debut)
• Bryan Flounder ^(debut)
• Julie Fish ^(debut)
• Octavius Rex ^(debut)
• Other students
• Joe
• Nathiel Waters

Synopsis

At the Krusty Krab, Pearl runs in crying so profusely that her tears begin literally flooding the restaurant. Mr. Krabs asks her what's wrong, and she explains that her prom date has just dumped her, and the prom is tomorrow night. Mr. Krabs offers to take her instead, but she starts crying, causing an earthquake. He then suggests she take Squidward or one of the restaurant's customers to the prom, but she continues crying, which causes the earthquake to become worse. Ultimately, he chooses SpongeBob to be the one to go with her. Pearl doesn't want to be embarrassed by SpongeBob, and begs him to do his best not to.

At home, using a magazine as a guide, SpongeBob dresses up and uses extremely long artificial legs to make himself look "long, tan, and handsome" for Pearl.

On the night of the prom, things initially work well for SpongeBob and Pearl. However, SpongeBob's costume soon begins malfunctioning, resulting in disaster and severely embarrassing Pearl. SpongeBob, after having broken everything at the prom, runs into the ladies' restroom crying.

Pearl, feeling sorry for him, attempts to console him and restore his confidence.

This ultimately succeeds, and Pearl and SpongeBob join the prom dance.

They begin doing a dance called "Doing the Sponge," which everyone else soon begins doing. However, this results in many injuries and mass destruction. An angry mob forms and lifts up Pearl and SpongeBob, who think this means that they are popular until the mob throws them out of the building.

SpongeBob apologizes, and Pearl says even though it was a disaster, it was really fun. Pearl says goodnight to SpongeBob as she returns home, and tries to get SpongeBob's attention, but as she does so SpongeBob appears to be frozen.

Mr. Krabs congratulates SpongeBob on his success at the prom, and the real SpongeBob appears to retrieve his wax dummy of himself (which was seen earlier in the episode), and carries it off, laughing.

Production

Music

( ‣ ) Production music

( • ) Original music

( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Border Run - The Surfdusters [title card]
 ‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [opening]
 ‣ Lonely Violin - Dick Stephen Walter [Pearl crying]
 ‣ Vibe Link (b) - Richard Myhill ["What do you mean?"]
 ‣ The Rake Hornpipe - Robert Alexander White [Krabs asks who wants to take Pearl to the prom]
 ‣ Hawaiian Breeze - Jon Jelmer ["Just don't be late, SpongeBob."]
 ‣ Orchestral Climax 12 - Gregor F. Narholz ["I am a prom expert!"]
 ‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill ["Oh, Gary, I'm a prom failure."]
 ‣ Cha Cha Nova - Gerhard Narholz [SpongeBob getting dressed]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (a) - Richard Myhill [later...]
 ‣ Love for Sale (a) - Peter Fallowell [SpongeBob at the door]
 ‣ Baby Elephant - Dick Stephen Walter [SpongeBob listing all the things Pearl wants to do]
 ‣ Chief Taravana - Kapono Beamer ["A limo!"]
 ‣ Surf Buggy - The Surfdusters [at the prom]
 ‣ Romeo & Juliet Overture - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Fiachra Trench [Pearl's ex-boyfriend]
 ‣ Border Run - The Surfdusters [the whack]
 ‣ Lonely Violin - Dick Stephen Walter [Pearl cries]
 ‣ Kona Angel - The Surfdusters [SpongeBob cries]
 ◦ Doing the Sponge - Peter Straus
 ‣ Kamakani (b) - Kapono Beamer ["Gee whiz, Pearl."]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (h) - Ronald Hanmer ["Aha!"]
 ‣ Kamakani (b) - Kapono Beamer [ending]

Release

• This episode is available on the Lost at Sea, Complete 1st Season, and First 100 Episodes DVDs.

Reception

• As of January 27, 2017, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 8.5/10 based on 323 ratings by users. TV.com users give this episode a rating of 8.6/10 based on 194 votes.

Trivia

Template:Trivia

• At the beginning when SpongeBob makes a Krabby Patty, the patty looks wider than usual. Also, the bottom bun looks smaller and narrower.
• All the customers at Krusty Krab during the scene where Mr. Krabs offers them to be Pearl's prom date look identical (they are all Freds).
• Pearl's "pizza topping" remark is a reference to anchovies being used as a topping for pizza. At first glance, one would think she's referring to his acne, since "pizza face" is a term for a bad case of acne.
• When the people at the dance throw Pearl and SpongeBob out, rather than sounding angry, they sound more like they're cheering. This was done to deceive the audience.
• This is the first episode SpongeBob dispenses a drink because he absorbs it. The second episode is "The Slumber Party."
• This is the first episode in which SpongeBob and Pearl interact with one another.
• This is the first time SpongeBob has worn long pants, the second is in "Band Geeks," the third is in "Squilliam Returns," the fourth is in "Enemy In-Law," and the fifth is in "SpongeBob LongPants."
• In "Your Shoe's Untied," SpongeBob does not how to tie his shoes, but in this episode he does. This may mean that this episode takes place after "Your Shoe's Untied."
• MY LEG: When the music is playing, everyone struggles to dance as the prom is ruined because of Fred being injured.
• "Doing the Sponge" song in the prom in Filipino dub was played in an instrumental version for unknown reasons.
• Octavius Rex does not appear again in an episode for 17 years until "Goodbye, Krabby Patty?"
• In the Croatian dub, the episode name is "Maturalna Večer", translating to "Prom."

Cultural references

• The scene where Pearl tries to console a hysterical SpongeBob through the door is a reference to a similar scene from the All in the Family episode, "Stale Mates."
• The scene where a girl in a white dress is chased by a giant apple is a reference to the film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978).

Errors

• When SpongeBob listens to Mr Krabs talking to Pearl in his office, the outside door is a wooden door instead of the usual metal door.
• When SpongeBob asks what's wrong, there is a window on the door that goes to Mr. Krabs' office, rather than an anchor, but the anchor is back in a later shot.
• In one scene, when talking to Gary, SpongeBob clearly has lighter than usual blue eyes. This error goes on until the middle of the prom.
• When SpongeBob gets ready for prom he wears braces, but after that and for the rest of the episode he isn't wearing them.
• In the shot, immediately after SpongeBob's legs malfunction, they are back to normal.
• In the scene where SpongeBob is coming to Mr. Krabs' house before the prom, sounds of him struggling to walk can be heard, though his legs can clearly be seen through the window, not having moved the whole time.
• One of Pearl's friends is seen on a stretcher during Doing the Sponge, but when the teenagers throw SpongeBob and Pearl out of the prom, she is one of the teens who threw them out.
• During the Doing the Sponge song, another of Pearl's friends is seen sitting on the floor with her arm in a cast. When the song ends, she throws Pearl and SpongeBob out, and the cast on her arm is missing.
• In some scenes, Pearl's rubber band was the same color as her hair.

"Saltpeter" instead of "Peter Strauss."

• In the credits, Peter Strauss, writer of Doing the Sponge song, is credited as "Saltpeter."
  • This same error happened in Ripped Pants for the "I Ripped My Pants" song.
• On some of the DVDs like "Lost at Sea," in the description, it says "tall dark and handsome" instead of what Pearl says "long tan and handsome."