Review: SpongeBob SquarePants “Something Narwhal This Way Comes/C.H.U.M.S”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Something Narwhal This Way Comes

Two familiar faces from SpongeBob’s past visit.

C.H.U.M.S

Plankton finds an unlikely ally in the sewers.

Our Take:

It’s a SpongeBob SquarePants takeover in the world of Nickelodeon this week. The channel is shelling out their nautical nonsense with a night of brand new adventures in Bikini Bottom. One of which is the return of the Nicktoon classic as it continues its 13th season with two wacky episodes that’ll fill your square pants with joy.

Its first episode, “Something Narwhal This Way Comes”, represented SpongeBob being visited by Narlene Narwhal and her brother Nobby, two characters from the Kamp Koral spin-off series. Unfortunately, their reunion came crashing down when a group of Neerwhals came along and invaded Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob and the Narwhals seek help from Plankton, who calls in his cousins to handle the situation.

This episode is pretty much proof that Kamp Koral is somehow canon to SpongeBob SquarePants. Narlene and Nobby (voiced by Kate Higgins and Carlos Alazraqui, respectively) were one of the only tolerable things of the spin-off series regarding their characterization and vocal performances. So it was nice to see them get into plenty of wacky shenanigans with the titular sponge in 2D fashion. The plot was also suitable enough to balance itself with its solid visual gags and animation. I also liked that it brought back Plankton’s cousins from the season three episode, “Plankton’s Army”, to give the Neerwhals “The Itch”.

The second episode, “C.H.U.M.S”, is another Plankton-centered adventure that puts the evil genius in a stinky situation. After being sent into the sewers by SpongeBob’s water hose, Plankton discovers a group of mutated chum that worships him as their creator. This discovery allowed Plankton to join forces with his chum army to invade the Krusty Krab and steal Mr. Krabs’ formula.

The Plankton episodes throughout the series have been hit-and-miss so far, with “One Coarse Meal” being the most infamous, according to its fans. While its plot borrows a couple of elements from “Plankton’s Army”, “C.H.U.M.S” is another fun episode that puts the show’s antagonist in the spotlight in the best way possible. The chum creatures may have been as gross as how they taste, but they had proven themselves to be formidable foes for Mr. Krabs, as seen in the episode’s finale. My highlights of the episode are Plankton’s assault training and SpongeBob singing the F.U.N. song from season one.

Overall, the episodes were enjoyable enough to provide some nautical wackiness and solid callbacks from earlier seasons. “Something Narwhal This Way Comes” delivered a decent reunion between SpongeBob and Narlene from Kamp Koral. “C.H.U.M.S” was a tolerable Plankton episode with the character using his mutated food against Mr. Krabs. They may not be the best episodes the show had to offer in its 13th season, but they did show that the Nicktoon is still heading down the right path regarding its direction.