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www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aCoXT…

I saw SpongeBob's Season 10 episode, "Mimic Madness". In it, SpongeBob does impressions of everyone in Bikini Bottom; it's all in good fun until he forgets his true self.

This episode... is amazing. This is another episode where Mr. Doug Lawrence writes on his own, and once again he produced an interesting story that can rival episodes from the first three seasons. The plot progression is natural, with SpongeBob enjoying making people happy with his impressions until they get annoyed and he is unable to be himself. Some would consider this a better version of "Face Freeze!", and while I don't hate that episode like others do, I can agree since Lawrence did work on that episode as well. The mimicking gimmick also previously appeared in "Gone", though it wasn't the focus of that episode, "Opposite Day", and "Big Pink Loser" except with some role reversal to that. There are some nice little touches, like the "Bring it around town" line at the beginning of the episode. The characters are in character, undoing some of the flanderization. It's really touching to see SpongeBob's friends get together to save him, even Squidward and Plankton.

Since Season 9, SpongeBob SquarePants transitioned to the 16:9 HD format. This allows for the animation to do more than before, such as wide-angle shots and improved bubble transitions. Just like with many long-running cartoons, the bigger budget allows for crisper visuals that even match up to the movie (if any). SpongeBob's head/face changing to other characters and objects is cartoonish and creative, and is certainly not as disturbing as some of the faces that we've seen before. If they were, then they happen very fast and aren't lingered on for an overly long gag. Just a few errors, like Squidward missing his forehead and SpongeBob appearing in his typical form at the end of his song, but they don't hurt the overall quality of the episode.

Probably the best part about the episode is the voice acting. Starting with Season 9B, Tom Kenny is now the voice director of SpongeBob on top of his usual voice acting duties. In some cartoons, when character A does an impression of B, A would do a perfect copy of B by having the latter's actor do the mimic voice. "Mimic Madness" does not go this route. Kenny did say in interviews for Winnie the Pooh (2011) that he doesn't consider himself a good impressionist, but his performance in the episode speaks otherwise. While he does sound like his usual roles in SpongeBob and out, he still sounds fairly enough like the characters he copies. The credits even list SpongeBob's impressions under Tom Kenny so it's not just the other actors playing him copying them. SpongeBob's friends all doing impressions of him is amusing, especially when Plankton unsuccessfully tries to get the formula out of Mr. Krabs. Another funny part is SpongeBob imitating the French Narrator (to his annoyance), resulting in a fourth wall break. There is also Plankton saying that SpongeBob's impression of him is "wrong", which is a subtle reference to how Lawrence was originally going to voice SpongeBob. The song "Who am I?" really tugs at the heartstrings...

Overall, "Mimic Madness" is a fantastic episode that proves the show is becoming great again. The change of staff environment along with Stephen Hillenburg's return did wonders for a show that suffered seasonal rot after the 2004 movie. This is an episode that I would recommend for newcomers and returning fans. It goes to show that SpongeBob never gave up, and after going through the dark times, it is worth loving the sponge again.

SpongeBob SquarePants belongs to Stephen Hillenburg and Nickelodeon.

You know that SpongeBob is back on track when "Honolulu March" plays near the end.

Description
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aCoXT…

I saw SpongeBob's Season 10 episode, "Mimic Madness". In it, SpongeBob does impressions of everyone in Bikini Bottom; it's all in good fun until he forgets his true self.

This episode... is amazing. This is another episode where Mr. Doug Lawrence writes on his own, and once again he produced an interesting story that can rival episodes from the first three seasons. The plot progression is natural, with SpongeBob enjoying making people happy with his impressions until they get annoyed and he is unable to be himself. Some would consider this a better version of "Face Freeze!", and while I don't hate that episode like others do, I can agree since Lawrence did work on that episode as well. The mimicking gimmick also previously appeared in "Gone", though it wasn't the focus of that episode, "Opposite Day", and "Big Pink Loser" except with some role reversal to that. There are some nice little touches, like the "Bring it around town" line at the beginning of the episode. The characters are in character, undoing some of the flanderization. It's really touching to see SpongeBob's friends get together to save him, even Squidward and Plankton.

Since Season 9, SpongeBob SquarePants transitioned to the 16:9 HD format. This allows for the animation to do more than before, such as wide-angle shots and improved bubble transitions. Just like with many long-running cartoons, the bigger budget allows for crisper visuals that even match up to the movie (if any). SpongeBob's head/face changing to other characters and objects is cartoonish and creative, and is certainly not as disturbing as some of the faces that we've seen before. If they were, then they happen very fast and aren't lingered on for an overly long gag. Just a few errors, like Squidward missing his forehead and SpongeBob appearing in his typical form at the end of his song, but they don't hurt the overall quality of the episode.

Probably the best part about the episode is the voice acting. Starting with Season 9B, Tom Kenny is now the voice director of SpongeBob on top of his usual voice acting duties. In some cartoons, when character A does an impression of B, A would do a perfect copy of B by having the latter's actor do the mimic voice. "Mimic Madness" does not go this route. Kenny did say in interviews for Winnie the Pooh (2011) that he doesn't consider himself a good impressionist, but his performance in the episode speaks otherwise. While he does sound like his usual roles in SpongeBob and out, he still sounds fairly enough like the characters he copies. The credits even list SpongeBob's impressions under Tom Kenny so it's not just the other actors playing him copying them. SpongeBob's friends all doing impressions of him is amusing, especially when Plankton unsuccessfully tries to get the formula out of Mr. Krabs. Another funny part is SpongeBob imitating the French Narrator (to his annoyance), resulting in a fourth wall break. There is also Plankton saying that SpongeBob's impression of him is "wrong", which is a subtle reference to how Lawrence was originally going to voice SpongeBob. The song "Who am I?" really tugs at the heartstrings...

Overall, "Mimic Madness" is a fantastic episode that proves the show is becoming great again. The change of staff environment along with Stephen Hillenburg's return did wonders for a show that suffered seasonal rot after the 2004 movie. This is an episode that I would recommend for newcomers and returning fans. It goes to show that SpongeBob never gave up, and after going through the dark times, it is worth loving the sponge again.

SpongeBob SquarePants belongs to Stephen Hillenburg and Nickelodeon.

You know that SpongeBob is back on track when "Honolulu March" plays near the end.