The Charge

"I don't want to face my fears! I'm afraid of them!"—from "Roller Cowards"

The Case

The most famous personality to live in a pineapple under the sea needs no introduction. So, let's get to it!

SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 5, Volume 1 presents the shenanigans of the forever childlike SpongeBob and the other inhabitants of Bikini Bottom on two discs, featuring the following episodes:

Disc One
• "Friend or Foe" (two-part episode)
• "The Original Fry Cook"
• "Night Light"
• "Rise and Shine"
• "Waiting"
• "Fungus Among Us"
• "Spy Buddies"
• "Boat Smarts"
• "Good Ol' Whatshisname"
• "New Digs"
• "Krabs á La Mode"

Disc Two
• "Roller Cowards"
• "Bucket Sweet Bucket"
• "Breath of Fresh Squidward"
• "To Love a Patty"
• "SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget"
• "Money Talks"
• "Slimy Dancing"
• "The Krusty Sponge"
• "Sing a Song of Patrick"

The first eight episodes ("Friend or Foe" through "Spy Buddies") appear on the SpongeBob SquarePants: Friend Or Foe? DVD that was released earlier this year and reviewed by my esteemed colleague Judge David Packard. The additional episodes on this release continue the zany and silly hijinks of SpongeBob and company with the occasional life lesson thrown in for good measure. All in all, there is nothing new under the sun (or sea) here.

As far as the kids are concerned, this season delivers the goods. The familiar mix of storylines from past seasons is on full display. In "Night Light" and "Roller Cowards," SpongeBob and Patrick reluctantly and manically confront their fears. "Money Talks" deals with the theme of avarice when the Flying Dutchman grants Mr. Krabs a wish: The ability to talk to money. The results do not meet Krabs's expectations. In "Sponge vs. The Patty Gadget" the story's narration and dialogue are entirely in rhyme. The evil, but microscopic, genius Plankton appears in "Friend or Foe," "Spy Buddies," "Krabs á La Mode," and "Bucket Sweet Bucket." Squidward becomes a nice and popular person (temporarily), much to SpongeBob's consternation, in "Breath of Fresh Squidward." Also, the "Fungus Among Us" and "To Love a Patty" episodes deliver some old-fashioned gross-out humor.

However, I do not think that adults will be as entertained as in previous seasons. The comedy is more targeted at the kids than in the past. In particular, "Rise and Shine," which centers entirely on Patrick's morning routine, will prove rather tiresome (for adults, anyway; kids will enjoy it). Also, the repetitive storylines will wear down older viewers (again, the kids won't mind). Yet, there are some scraps tossed at the adults: there are nods to James Bond and the wager from Trading Places in "Spy Buddies"; Gene Shalit provides the voice of food critic "Gene Scallop" in "The Krusty Sponge"; and Squidward's dance routine in "Slimy Dancing" appears to be inspired by the interpretive performance of The Dude's landlord in The Big Lebowski. However, none of these instances rises above being mildly amusing, mainly because they are quite brief.

The video is flawless. The colorful Bikini Bottom has never looked better. The audio is solid.

The extras are forgettable and almost non-existent. The "Friend Or Foe" and "The Krusty Sponge" episodes have a "Bubble Burst Trivia" option. It's a form of pop-up video, using bubbles containing not particularly interesting information. There are also some additional "Friend or Foe" clips of Plankton and Mr. Krabs as children. That's pretty thin.

Aside from the lack of extras, I have one grievance. As mentioned above, the first eight episodes appeared in SpongeBob SquarePants: Friend Or Foe?. Why wasn't that released as Season 5, Volume 1? This double-dipping has occurred before with the SpongeBob SquarePants series and I'm sure it won't be the last. How much must parents shell out? Have some mercy. Please.

Overall, there's nothing new here and adults will be disappointed, but the latest installment of SpongeBob SquarePants delivers a lot of silly and good-natured fun for the kids and there's nothing wrong with that.

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