In the bubble buddy episode in spongebob, spongebob leaves the bubble buddy to dig a guy they buried out before the tide comes in.
Cue to later when the buried guy is shown to have died and reincarnated as an angel, and at that point it's used as a gag because bubble buddy isn't alive and spongebob is ignorant...
...Until later when it's learned that bubble buddy is actually alive and sentient, as he stops squidward from popping him, then leaves in a bubble taxi.
So for the realization part, why did bubble buddy let the guy they buried die? He was sentient the entire time, and he could have dug the man out before the tide came in.
Bubble buddy watched a man plead for his life until he slowly drowned.
