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« on: April 01, 2015, 11:56:03 AM »
Despite being a show for kids, some of the earlier spongebob episodes were surprisingly well-written. One of my favorite episodes based on it's writing is "Frankendoodle".
Right off the bat, the episode pretty much gives away what the synopsis is about: A creature is born into existence through unconventional means, and ends up becoming violent and aggressive, ultimately having to be put down for his and other's sake. An interesting concept for a kid's show, but it was set up in a way that it wasn't too preachy or it never flew over the main audience's head.
The episode starts off with an artist at sea being inspired to draw, only to drop his only pencil into the water. Once it hits the ocean floor, Spongebob and Patrick are scared of it until Spongebob works up the courage to brown townyze it. After drawing a jellyfish, they throw in a gag about criticism while the jellyfish drawing magically comes to life. After fooling around with it, Patrick attempts to draw and Spongebob responds with the following quote:
"Be careful, Patrick! Being an artist is a heavy responsibility. Each work of art is like a child and must be treated as such."
Patrick draws a crude Squidward, only for the both of them to agree upon it being creepy, and erases it. Patrick effectively created and destroyed life in two short successions. Nothing even hints towards remorse, because they go to pranking the actual Squidward with a fake drawn dollar that for some explainable reason doesn't come to life. To complete the prank, Spongebob draws a facade of himself, to trick Squidward into believing it's the real Spongebob. Doodlebob seems startled upon creation, but goes to fulfill his purpose until ultimately being erased after the prank is finished.
The first thing Doodlebob does is attack Squidward, then steal the pencil that created him. At first it isn't shown that he understands what the pencil is, but he uses is in a way that gives away the fact that Doodlebob undoubtedly understands what the pencil is. Doodlebob thinks he is Spongebob, in an unfortunate ironic twist, so he goes on to recreate Spongebob's house. It's revealed that both Spongebob and Patrick are completely terrified of Doodlebob, and Patrick outright refuses to confront him, until being convinced by Spongebob.
While the three of them are fighting, Spongebob gains the upper hand by stealing the pencil back, and erases Doodlebob's face whilst saying "I brought you into this world and now I'm gonna take you out. Any last words?". Spongebob proceeds to destroy him while getting carried away with it, shouting that he's the destroy of evil. The two friends agree that's the end of that and go on with their lives, without pondering on the fact that they might have erased another sentient being's existence. That is, until it's revealed that Doodlebob survived, stole the pencil and recreated himself. After Doodlebob confronts Spongebob, he says the following quote:
"You doodle! Me SpongeBob!"
Doodlebob is trying to usurp Spongebob's existence because all he knows is how to be Spongebob. Because he can't be Spongebob, his existence is futile until he can be Spongebob. This is why he's trying to destroy "himself", essentially. Spongebob ultimately traps Doodlebob in a book, where Spongebob literally erased him out of existence. Patrick shows up to gasp and point out the 'Evil Doodle', only for Spongebob to lament that he wasn't evil, he was just a two-dimensional being in a three-dimensional world, trying to fit a purpose. This moment shows that Spongebob and Patrick understand that any life created by the magic pencil is basically futile, so they get rid of the pencil and continue on with their life.
The point is that Doodlebob in all intents and purposes believed he was truly Spongebob, and was trying to fulfill his purpose by becoming Spongebob. It's not explained why he attacked Squidward, but it may be due to the fact that he was lost and confused after being created not even a minute beforehand. The entire episode shows a creature with a simple purpose trying to adapt, but failing and ultimately being literally erased from existence. Pretty heavy implications for a kid's show, huh?
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