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Graveyard Shift (SpongeBob SquarePants)

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"Graveyard Shift (SpongeBob SquarePants)"

"Graveyard Shift" is the 16th episode of the second season and the 36th overall episode of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. The series follows the adventures of the title character in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. In this episode, Squidward and SpongeBob are forced to work 24 hours a day by Mr. Krabs, so that he can get more money. Squidward soon gets bored, and tells SpongeBob a scary story to have some fun with him. After getting scared, SpongeBob is told by Squidward that the story is fictional. However, when Squidward and SpongeBob are alone, the events in Squidward's story begin to occur.

The episode was written by Mr. Lawrence, Jay Lender and Dan Povenmire, with Sean Dempsey serving as animation director. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September 6, 2002, and received positive reviews upon release.

Plot summary

File:Count Orlok (SpongeBob).jpg
Count Orlok of the 1922 silent film Nosferatu as seen at the end of the episode smiling.

Mr. Krabs is inspired by a group of interested customers to lengthen the schedule of the Krusty Krab late at night, leaving an anticipated SpongeBob and a chagrined, irritated Squidward to work a night shift. Exasperated with his boss's demands, Squidward spins a horror tale with the intentions of shattering SpongeBob's enthusiasm of the legendary "Hash-Slinging Slasher", a former fry cook employed at the restaurant during the night shift who inadvertently sliced off his own arm and was killed by a transportation bus late one night, cautioning SpongeBob of the multiple warning indications signaling the ghost's oncoming arrival.

Albeit Squidward manages to reassure a petrified SpongeBob of the fictionality of his story, the two employees are alarmed by the coincidental, strange occurrences paralleling the fictitious omens pertaining to apparitions of the murderous Hash-Slinging Slasher (i.e. flickering lights, repetitive anonymous telephone calls remaining unanswered, etc.). SpongeBob insists that these are clear indications of paranormal activity, whereas a dubious Squidward dismisses them as meaning nothing until the warning signs continue recurring and reappearing, matching those listed in the ghost story. Finally, a mysterious, dark silhouette appears at the road-side outside of the Krusty Krab restaurant matching Squidward's description of the Hash-Slinging Slasher, to which both horrified men immediately realize that they genuinely are experiencing supernatural events. Panicking and screaming, they are relieved when the unidentified, strange figure enters the restaurant with the intentions of applying for a fry cook position at the Krusty Krab and reveals that he had constantly tried contacting the establishment by telephone, but had hung up out of nervousness and that the flickering of the lights was to be credited with the antics of Count Orlok in Nosferatu, with whom the characters are inexplicably familiar. They then simultaneously exclaim "Nosferatu!". Count Orlock gives a friendly smile and finally turns off the light.

Production

Original sketch of a deleted scene by Jay Lender, in which SpongeBob is delivering mail to Floorboard Harry.

"Graveyard Shift" was written by Mr. Lawrence, Jay Lender and Dan Povenmire, with Sean Dempsey serving as animation director.[1][2] The episode originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on September 6, 2002, with a TV-Y7 parental rating.[3]

Episode writer Lender proposed to have Count Orlok of the 1922 silent film Nosferatu as a gag at the end of the episode.[4] Series creator Stephen Hillenburg accepted Lender's proposal and let him do it.[4] Lender said "Steve gave you the opportunities to do things that would really be memorable, if you could sell him on it."[4] Lender then searched for books with scannable pictures of Count Orlok.[4] However, the image of Count Orlok used in the episode was taken from the Internet.[4] He said "I searched what little there was of the Web back then."[4] Nick Jennings Photoshopped the smile on Count Orlok to make sure it matched Lender's board drawing.[4] Lender said "It was my baby, and I held its hand until we shipped it overseas [to Rough Draft Studios in South Korea]."[4] Before the idea of having Count Orlok as a gag, Lender thought of "Floorboard Harry".[4] Floorboard Harry was a deleted gag that concludes the broadcast episode, in which he initially flickers the lights.[4]

"Graveyard Shift" was released on the DVD compilation called SpongeBob Squarepants: Nautical Nonsense and Sponge Buddies on March 12, 2002.[5][6][7] It was also included in the SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 2nd Season DVD released on October 19, 2004.[1][8] On September 22, 2009, "Graveyard Shift" was released on the SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes,alongside all the episodes of seasons one through five.[9][10] On September 14, 2010, the SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments DVD was released and included "Graveyard Shift" as one of its features.[11][12][13][14]

Reception

"Graveyard Shift" received very positive reviews upon release. Emily Estep of WeGotThisCovered.com ranked the episode No. 4 on her "Top 10 Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants" list, saying "[It] is another scary episode of SpongeBob, and it's my favorite one."[15] She added "I love 'Graveyard Shift' for a myriad of reasons, but mostly because it puts the two SpongeBob SquarePants characters with the best chemistry together: Squidward and Spongebob. The episode is kind of like a puzzle, and SpongeBob's relentless cheer in the midst of likely doom is inspiring."[15]

In his review for the DVD Talk, Jason Bovberg praised the episode for its "spooky wonderfulness."[8] Bovberg stated the episode scared his daughter.[8] Paul Mavis of the DVD Talk said "A fun, 'scary' (for little kids) SpongeBob that adults will appreciate, 'Graveyard Shift' uses the old standby of the headless/handless/legless (take your pick) killer-seeking-revenge stories we all told as kids, and cleverly grafts it onto a 'SpongeBob at work' storyline."[16] Mavis added "I always enjoy it when Rodger Bumpass, the voice actor for Squidward, gets quiet and manipulative when he's shining SpongeBob on, and here's one of the best examples of that."[16] He praised Count Orlok's cameo "especially when they animate the vampire's face into a goofy, giddy smile."[16] Mike Jackson of DVD Verdict said the episode is one of his "personal faves."[17] He also said "[The episode] has everything that makes the show great: funny dialogue (the whole story of the Hash-Slinging Slasher is hilarious), clever sight gags (especially Spongebob's regenerating limbs), and that aforementioned outta-nowhere ending that made me bust a gut."[17]

References

  1. ^ a b SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 2nd Season. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2004.
  2. ^ Lender, Jay. "SpongeBob SquarePants". JayLender.com. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  3. ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants : The Graveyard Shift; Krusty Love". Zap2it. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Heintjes, Tom (21 September 2012). "The Oral History of SpongeBob SquarePants". Hogan's Alley. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  5. ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: Nautical Nonsense and Sponge Buddies. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2004.
  6. ^ Bovberg, Jason (15 April 2002). "SpongeBob Squarepants: Nautical Nonsense and Sponge Buddies". DVD Talk. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  7. ^ Lacey, Gord (8 March 2002). "SpongeBob SquarePants - Nautical Nonsense/ Sponge Buddies Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Bovberg, Jason (11 October 2004). "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Second Season". DVD Talk. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  9. ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2009.
  10. ^ Lacey, Gord (29 September 2009). "SpongeBob SquarePants - The First 100 Episodes (Seasons 1-5) Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  11. ^ SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2010.
  12. ^ Basile, Nancy. "'SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments'". About.com. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  13. ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments". KidzWorld.com. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  14. ^ Pritchard, Paul (9 September 2010). "SpongeBob Squarepants: 10 Happiest Moments". DVD Verdict. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  15. ^ a b Estep, Emily (5 December 2011). "Top 10 Episodes Of Spongebob Squarepants". WeGotThisCovered.com. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  16. ^ a b c Mavis, Paul (16 September 2010). "SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments". DVD Talk. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  17. ^ a b Jackson, Mike. "Spongebob Squarepants: Nautical Nonsense / Sponge Buddies". DVD Verdict. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
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