Episode Airing Number: 102

Episode Production Number: 83c

Original Airdate: September 29, 2007

Season: 5

On DVD: "Season 5, Vol. 1", "Friend or Foe?"

On VHS: (none)

Aired With Episodes: "Rise and Shine," "Waiting"

Running Time: 11:02

Storyboard Directors: Casey Alexander and Zeus Cervas

Writers: Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas and Richard Pursel

Technical Director: Vincent Waller

Animation Director: Tom Yasumi

Supervising Producer: Paul Tibbitt

In Brief: An unusual green fungus inhabits Bikini Bottom.

Story: SpongeBob is sleeping and Gary crawls in his bed and meows. SpongeBob continues to sleep so Gary climbs up on the diving board and jumps on top of him but he still doesn't wake up. He then licks SpongeBob's face. SpongeBob wakes up and sees that Gary's food bowl is empty and gives him some organic food which Gary doesn't like. He then tries to eat some green fungus off the floor but SpongeBob stops him and then starts to clean it up. SpongeBob hears someone at the door and he opens it. It's Patrick who immediately notices that some of the fungus is on top of SpongeBob's head. Patrick asks him what it is and bends his head over so he can see it. SpongeBob asks Patrick what he should do and he tells him to scratch it like there's no tomorrow. Patrick takes out a mirror and lets SpongeBob see that it's spreading even worse. He takes out some pimple cream and rubs it on the fungus. Patrick leaves and SpongeBob takes a shower. He lathers some soap on his head and washes it but it doesn't help the fungus one bit. Later he sits down to do a crossword puzzle but is overcome by the terrible itching.

At the Krusty Krab SpongeBob is in the kitchen trying to resist scratching the extremely itchy fungus. A piece of it falls down on his nose and he flings it against the wall. Even more grows in it's place so he pushes his nose in. SpongeBob notices the fungus on the wall so he scoops it up in his arms and tries to put in the trash can but it sticks. He puts on gloves from a first aid kit to cover up his arms. Squidward comes in and notices SpongeBob scratching. He asks him what happened to his skin and why he's so puffy. SpongeBob tells him it's just a little blemish. His nose pops back out and Squidward screams and jumps on top a cabinet. SpongeBob asks Squidward for help. Squidward gets on the phone and calls up the S.W.A.T. team. They report immediately and see that SpongeBob is worse than they thought. The S.W.A.T. team calls the hazmat physician who pushes SpongeBob into a cage and is taken off with a heliocopter. As the helicopter flies away a piece of ick sticks to Squidward. He waits on an old man and hands him some change. He adjusts his glasses and gets some of the fungus on his nose. Squidward scratches himself.

Meanwhile, SpongeBob is at his house sealed in a bubble with tubes attached to it. The scientists tell SpongeBob he has to stay in the bubble until the ick clears up. Gary is also sealed in a bubble similiar to SpongeBob's. One of the scientists scans SpongeBob and then they pack up their stuff and leave. SpongeBob's whole pineapple house is covered in a plastic bag with police tape and barbed wire around it. The whole place is quarantined. While SpongeBob filter feeds Patrick barges in. He bumps into SpongeBob's bubble. He asks what it is and starts to poke it. SpongeBob tells him to stop or he's gonna pop it. Patrick then starts to squeeze it, bite it and even dig a pair of cleats into it. Patrick asks SpongeBob if he wants to play Pirate Wrestling. They take out hooks and burst the bubble. Patrick yells excitedly that he won and starts to celebrate and do the worm. SpongeBob explains to Patrick that his bubble is destroyed and doesn't know what to do. Patrick gets an idea and takes out some bubble soap and blows a bubble around SpongeBob. He loves the idea and calls Patrick a genius. The new bubble is mobile so SpongeBob can go back to work.

Back at the Krusty Krab Squidward's fungus is spreading. Mr. Krabs pulls him into the kitchen and asks him to help with the patties. Squidward shakes his head and gets fungus all over the patties. He then goes to serve the customers and all the food is covered with the ick also. Squidward gets some fungus on the wall and realizes that he has got the ick. Squidward yells out to everyone that he caught it from SpongeBob. An angry mob forms around him. One fish tells Mr. Krabs the hygiene of his staff is inadaquit. Mr. Krabs assures him that his employees always show up clean and disease-free. SpongeBob shows up, still inside his bubble. He's swelled up and totally green, oozing disgusting liquid. Squidward tells everybody SpongeBob infected the entire Krusty Krab. Everybody starts to attack SpongeBob. He cries making a puddle in the bottom of his bubble. Outside, Gary crawls around in the dumpster looking for food. He tries to eat a can but spits it back out. Many of the fish are body slamming SpongeBob's bubble making holes in it causing the ooze to leak out. It finally pops splattering the ick everywhere and covering everybody. Mr. Krabs starts to laugh because Gary is tickling him. He eats all the fungus off of Mr. Krabs making him sparkly clean. Mr. Krabs gets a brilliant idea. He sets up a stand and charges everybody $5 to be cleaned by Gary. He cleans SpongeBob off and Mr. Krabs tells him what a great money maker Gary is. Gary burps from all the ick he has eaten.

Song: (none)

Quotes:

Patrick: Hi, SpongeBob! *notices fungus* Eww!!!

SpongeBob: Is something wrong, Patrick?

Patrick: SpongeBob! What is that?

SpongeBob: What's what?

Patrick: This! *holds SpongeBob's head down so he can see the fungus*

SpongeBob: Ahh!!! Patrick, what should I do?

Patrick: Scratch it like there's no tomorrow!

Lady Fish: Where are your manners? It's ladies first!

Patrick: I believe the expression is starfish first.

Observations:

Patrick's Dancing Patrick does "The Worm" after beating SpongeBob in Pirate Wrestling. He also does this in "Squidtastic Voyage".

Quarintined It's strange that the Krusty Krab wasn't quarantined after Squidward called the SWAT team. You'd think that fungus/ick would be a major health violation for a restuarant.

Green Patties It's weird that Squidward and Mr. Krabs don't notice the fungus on the patties while they are cooking them.