Does this dutiful delivery fish
have a sinister secret?
This is Bikini Bottom Mysteries.
Have you noticed Norton?
No? You're not alone.
Nobody paid attention to Norton.
It's Norton's time to shine!
But is he really looking for his time to shine?
Or does he want to stay under the radar?
Exhibit A: avoiding contact.
It's seems Norton will do almost anything to avoid other fish.
Sure, he's been spotted in the hustle and bustle of Bikini Bottom.
But notice something odd?
That's right, he's walking around with his eyes shut.
Avoiding eye contact perhaps?
And Norton's response to a daily greeting?
Hi, mailman!
[screaming]
Literally running away.
He'll even stuff mail in someone's mouth
to stave up the conversation.
You really don't wanna talk to anyone, do you Norton?
Now these could be the acts of an introvert.
I'm much more of an introvert.
I love introverts!
Or they could be a way to deflect suspicion
to avoid scrutiny, to blend into the background,
to get away with just about anything.
Exhibit B: bad mail fish.
Norton's hardly jolly about his job.
You like delivering mail?
It puts bread on the table.
Rye or pumpernickel?
And evidence suggests he's not very good at it either.
Dropping a fragile shipment on the ground like that,
without even asking for a signature?
And dumping an entire bag of mail on the ground?
For shame, Norton.
But is he just careless or is he...
A criminal.
Shocking post office surveillance footage
shows Norton throwing out a letter instead of delivering it.
That's flagrant mail theft, pal.
And it gets worse, because we've gotten tips
that he's been snooping in SpongeBob's mail.
One magic kit and another one of these yellow things.
That parcel is wrapped up tight.
So how did you know it was a magic kit, Norton?
One magic kit...
Actual magic? X-ray vision?
Or are you just prying through the post?
Snooping through the shipments, opening everyone's mail.
And it seems there's no line Norton won't cross.
Because he'll go from snooping to something even more sinister.
Watch carefully.
My favorite novelty T-shirt.
Ooh, someone's here!
Did you see that? Right there.
Let's break this down.
One, Norton rings the doorbell.
My favorite novelty T-shirt.
Two, SpongeBob leaves Gary's shell.
Ooh, someone's here!
Three, Norton is already inside the house.
Special delivery for SpongeBob Squarepants.
Special delivery, eh Norton?
Does special delivery mean breaking and entering?
Trespassing? Pineapple invasion?
Which leads us to...
Exhibit C: the double.
If Norton doesn't care about his delivery duties,
why else would he be on Conch Street?
It's not to see SpongeBob Squarepants.
Boy, if I weren't already on parole...
He hates SpongeBob Squarepants.
And he certainly has no interest in Patrick Star.
No, it seems the only fish on Conch Street
that Norton's happy to see is Squidward Tennisballs.
Mr. Tennisballs.
That's Tentacles!
Sorry, Squidward Tentacles.
Sound strange?
It gets stranger.
Norton doesn't just lurk around Conch Street.
When Squidward's almost at peak handsomeness,
guess who's in the admiring crowd.
Norton.
Who can blame him, right?
But it goes even further.
Norton shows up in court the very day
Squidward is testifying.
And he's cultivated some very specific taste.
- I love going to fancy art galleries. - That's me!
And eating delicious food.
Especially when that delicious food is something
you can spread on a toast point!
That's right, Norton has memorized Squidward's obscure interests.
But are his tastes actually that refined?
Or could he be faking it?
Because we have evidence that Norton's real favorite snack
is potato chips.
Potato chips are his favorite snack.
You heard the fish.
Norton goes nuts for potato chips.
So why lie, Norton?
Why pretend to love this when you really love that?
It's almost as if
he said it to mimic Squidward.
The preferential treatment,
the odd coincidences,
the toast points,
Could it be that Norton is jealous
of Squidward Tentacles?
That's Tennisballs-- Tentacles!
Could his adopted tastes, his disdain for his job,
his dismissal of SpongeBob all be an act?
A way to mimic Squidward, to mirror his every move.
To become his exact double.
But there are still so many questions.
Do you deliver your own mail? Or do you have your own mail person?
But then who delivers his mail?
Is there a never-ending chain of mailmen delivering mail
to other mailmen?
But most importantly, why would anyone want to be
more like Squidward?
And now, a Bikini Bottom Bonus Mystery.
Welcome to Scenic Bikini Bottom.
Population: uh... unclear.
Who's number 46,853?
[screaming]
At one point it seems at least 46,853 fish lived in Bikini Bottom.
But by the time SpongeBob skips town,
the population has plummeted to 538.
- And dropping. - Minus one.
So how and why did the population plunge 98.8%?
Did at least 46,315 fish
all decide to move away? Or did they just vanish?
File this one under W for was there a wumbo wormhole?
Have you seen something strange under the sea?
Leave us a comment and tune in next time
for more investigations that will blow your pores,
strip your scales and flip your fins.
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if the pineapple fits, live in it.