Sci Fi Log #6: KRAB-E

In this blog, I’ll be writing about an episode of Spongebob Squarepants called “Krab Borg”. In this episode, Spongebob and Squidward believe that their boss at the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs, is a robot.

The episode begins by Spongebob up late at night, watching a (not even) scary movie called “Night of the Robot”, where robots take over the world at night. He later becomes scared at the thought of robots taking over the world, and he has a nightmare about him being chased by the robot in the movie.

The scene cuts to Spongebob working at the Krusty Krab the next day. He obviously didn’t get a good night’s sleep, because his eyes are bloodshot and he is very paranoid, and is under the impression that robots are "everywhere" (one turning out to actually a trolley full of sea potatoes, and another a red light that was actually the warning light for the grease). He later sees Mr. Krabs apparently "speaking" in a robot language (actually humming to  a song called "Electric Zoo" on the radio and arguing with the radio host to find the song so he can hear it again) and wearing batteries in his pocket (his radio broke and he was planning give the batteries to Pearl for her Christmas present), and suspects that he is a robot imposter.

"Bee-boop-boop-bop."

SpongeBob calls Mr. Krabs to show Squidward he is a robot. First, he tries to test his sense of humor, so Squidward tells a joke to Mr. Krabs: "Why couldn't the 11-year-old go into the pirate movie? Because it was rated ‘ARR’ (HEHEHEHHH).” Mr. Krabs does not laugh and leaves. SpongeBob calls him again and tells him Squidward's father never hugged him. Mr. Krabs thinks it is a little sad but doesn’t really care and leaves, failing the crying test. SpongeBob calls Mr. Krabs again and says that Squidward loves him, but he tells him to get back to work, failing the love test. This means that he must be a robot, right? SpongeBob and Squidward then see Mr. Krabs with metal pincers (tongs he was holding an egg with) and glowing red eyes (he accidentally threw salt into his eyes while trying to salt the egg after calling for him and surprising him), which then confirms SpongeBob's suspicions. Squidward announces over the microphone that robots are taking over the world, causing the customers to flee the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob tries to call the Navy, but, due to their automated phone service, thinks the robots have already taken it over. Squidward then asks Spongebob what the people did in the movie. SpongeBob says that they got “poop” (or collected information) from the robot after learning how to torture, and the two collect some tools for the investigation.

Soon, they capture Krabs and interrogate him in his office. Krabs says he is not, in fact, a robot, but the two workers don’t believe him. They break his technological appliances, thinking that they are his “little friends.” When they are about to break his cash register, Krabs starts to protest a lot, crying and showing love for it. Spongebob then remembers that in the movie, there were no robots at all, and it was just everyone’s imagination. Welp Spongebob, ya dun goofed.