THE ALGAE'S ALWAYS GREENER
Episode Title: "The Algae's Always Greener"
Episode Airing Number: 46
Episode Production Number: 41
Original Airdate: March 22, 2002
Season: 3
On DVD: "SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Third Season," "Sea Stories"
On VHS: (none)
Aired With Episode: "SpongeGuard on Duty"
Running Time: 11:38
Storyboard Director: Aaron Springer
Storyboard Artist: C.H. Greenblatt
Writers: Aaron Springer, C.H. Greenblatt and Merriwether Williams
Animation Director: Frank Weiss
Creative Director: Derek Drymon
In Brief: Plankton swaps lives with Mr. Krabs and becomes the Krusty Krab's boss.
Story: At the Krusty Krab, Plankton hides inside a ketchup bottle, hoping to get squeezed onto a Krabby Patty. However, the old man using it has bad aim and ends up shooting him through the wall, into Krabs's office. Mr. Krabs sees the thing bouncing around his office is Plankton, failing at another Krabby Patty theft. He tosses him back to the Chum Bucket.
Karen the computer serves Plankton holographic meatloaf, which sets him off. He rants about wanting real food like Mr. Krabs and wanting to switch lives with him. Karen suggests he uses the machine he built to switch lives with things, so he does. He hooks himself up to it to switch lives with Mr. Krabs and presses a button that blasts him away.
Plankton wakes up to find himself the boss of the Krusty Krab - the machine worked. He manages to get two Krabby Patties by telling SpongeBob he needs one for bun inspection. While he's in the office enjoying having the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob bursts in and wants a performance review. Plankton promotes him to cashier to get him out of the office. However, he doesn't get to spend much time with his Krabby Patties. Squidward bursts in, saying he will not work right next to SpongeBob, so Plankton makes him the fry cook.
Still, Plankton has to deal with problems. His daughter, Pearl, wants money and cries when she doesn't get enough; Squidward serves a customer a horrible Krabby Patty; and SpongeBob feels terrible for giving a customer a medium drink instead of a large. Then, Krabs, who is just like Plankton in the real world, tries to steal a Krabby Patty. SpongeBob stops the naked thief by clothing him with a clothes cannon. Krabs hands over the Krabby Patty, but not without saying that he'll keep trying to steal it. Plankton can't take all the insanity that happens at the Krusty Krab, so he zaps back to reality and enjoys some holographic meatloaf at the Chum Bucket.
Song: (none)
Quotes:
Mr. Krabs: *to Plankton* So long, Shrimp! *an actual shrimp exiting the restaurant stops and looks towards Krabs*
Plankton: I wish I could somehow just switch lives with him, just to know what it's like.
Karen: Then why don't you just use that Switch-Lives-Just-to-Know-What-It's-Like omagrafier thing you built last Tuesday?
Plankton: I'm gonna need to take one of these patties back to my office for, umm...bun inspection.
SpongeBob: I'm afraid you can't do that, Mr. Plankton!
Plankton: Why not?
SpongeBob: Because that patty is for the customer, sir.
Plankton: *upset* The customer? I'll boil the customer in hot oil and rip out his - *sees Customer is right behind him*
Customer: *talking about Plankton making Pearl cry* You think this is funny?
Plankton: In a cosmic sort of way, yes.
SpongeBob: You'll never get this formula, you twisted fiend!
Krabs: Oh, but I will. Even if I have to come back tomorrow. And the next day! And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. *walks off* And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day.
SpongeBob: *holds up phone to Plankton* Phone call, Mr. Plankton.
Krabs: *on phone* And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day.
Observations:
Name Plaque On the name plaque on Mr. Krabs's desk, the 'R' in 'Mr.' is capitalized when first seen. It is later lowercase.
Other Switches Plankton's "Switch Lives" machine also allows him to switch lives with a jellyfish, a dolphin and a mermaid.
Phrase Plankton's saying, "A rolling stone gathers no algae," is a take on the saying, "A rolling stone gathers no moss."
On the Ground When SpongeBob delivers the Krabby Patty to a customer, a spilled drink is on the floor.
Things for Plankton On the wall is a framed Business Award certificate that is presented to "Plankton of The Krusty Krab." There is also a framed cover of a magazine called "Clam$ Magazine," which features a picture of Plankton throwing silver coins in the air. The magazine is 25 cents and is from December of some year.
Magazine Squidward reads a magazine titled "Dance Now!" at the cash register.
Too Heavy to Hop Pearl's jumping inside the Krusty Krab causes a table to fall over.
Things in the Krabby Patty Made by Squidward:
-A red and white sock
-An eyeball
-Two clumps of black hair
-A few hairs
-A wooden board
-Two nails
-Two flies (which are motionlessly hanging in the air)
-Some slime
Different Door The kitchen has a brown wooden door instead of the normal steel white one when Krabs bursts through it on a rope with a patty.
On a Table When everybody's doing their victory screech, one of the customers are seen standing and screeching on a table.