The Media that Made Me: SpongeBob and Nihilism

SB-129

I’ve watched a lot of Spongebob in my life (if you couldn’t tell by the two other blogs), and while some episodes tease at being spooky, like the hash-slinging-slasher, others do have an uncanny feel to them.

SB-129 aired on December 29th, 1999, at the height of the Y-2K scare. While I don’t remember the original air of this episode, I do remember my feeling every time I’ve seen it it since, unsettled. I can only imagine the how the tin-foil hat wearing spongebob fans felt as they watched the most earie episode they’ve seen.

FUUUTUUUREE!

The episode starts like several others, squidward wanting peace to play his clarinet when he's berated by Spongebob and Patrick, but the episode takes an interesting turn when he accidentally gets locked in the Krusty Krab freezer for 2000 years. When he wakes up he finds himself in a chrome filled future.

Still annoyed by his futuristic neighbors he uses a time machine to go to the past, then into a purgetory-esc space. Squidward nervously says “hello” which is then muttered back at him by several mysterious voices. He is stuck. He is nowhere. After some psychedelic effects and trippy sequences, Squidward ends up right where he started.

Nihilism and Squidward

Many have tried to dissect this episode and explain it different ways, but Karsten Runquist (Youtuber) brought light to this episode like no one has before. Runquist brought up the idea of existential Nihilism and Neitzeche’s idea of eternal recurrence.

Existential nihilism is the belief that life has no inherent meaning or purpose, and it's a philosophy that's been explored in many forms of art and media. It's a heavy topic, and it's not often found in a children's cartoon, but SB-129 manages to touch on it in a way that's mind-blowing.

Alone

The idea of eternal recurrence is that every moment in time happens over and over again, in an infinite cycle. It's a haunting thought, and it's one that Squidward experiences in the episode.

Squidward’s worst nightmare comes true, he can never get away from Spongebob, and if he does, he’s stuck in an empty white void forever with only echos. He’s stuck in an endless pain that could last forever.

Unchanged

But what's even more interesting is that Squidward doesn't change. He's still annoyed, still grumpy, and still wants peace and quiet. He's trapped in this cycle, and he's never able to escape it.

It's a commentary on the human condition and how we often find ourselves trapped in our own negative thoughts and behaviors.

Some might argue that this episode is just a random and nonsensical piece of animation, but I believe there's more to it than that. It's a subtle commentary on the meaning of life and our place in the world. And, it's done in a way that's entertaining and accessible for everyone , making it a unique and memorable episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

SB-129 is more than just a quirky episode of SpongeBob. It's an exploration of existential nihilism and eternal recurrence. It's a reminder that sometimes, even in the most seemingly trivial things, there can be hidden depths and hidden meanings.

And, it's just another example of the creativity and genius of the minds behind SpongeBob SquarePants.