F is for friends who do stuff together - and there are plenty
of friends in the world of Bikini Bottom. Naturally, some are stronger than others,
and some relationships probably would be better off separated. But which of these relationships
is the healthiest under the sea, and which are about as toxic as a burger at the Chum Bucket?
I’m Kyle with WickedBinge, and this is Spongebob Relationships: Healthy to Toxic.
As always, we're going to be starting with our strongest and Healthiest
relationships before working our way down. These are The Healthy.
For our Gold Medal of Healthiness, we’re giving it to Sandy and Spongebob. When it comes to all
of Spongebob’s friends, Sandy is probably the one who has given him the least amount of grief
and frustration. Whenever the two of them have any conflict, they usually tend to communicate
their concerns in an honest way - and even when the other person doesn’t listen at first,
like Spongebob with his squirrel jokes or Sandy with some of her specific goals whenever she’s
hyperfocusing on them - they usually get it and apologize or make up for it eventually,
as they tend to care a lot about what the other thinks. They’re also usually willing to help
each other out, are very protective of each other, and enjoy doing karate together. It’s
not a flawless friendship, as they both have strong personalities that can sometimes clash,
but their tendencies to work it out in the end prove that they can still get along well.
Getting our Silver Medal of Healthiness is a newer relationship in the show,
Plankton and Spot. First appearing in “Plankton’s Pet”, Spot proved to be the perfect amoeba for
Plankton from the very start. While Plankton was a bit out of his depth as a pet owner,
he still cared about treating Spot well, never only seeing him as a tool that could help him
get the Krabby patty formula. Even when Plankton is frustrated with Spot and tries to scold him,
Plankton just can’t be mean to him. In turn, Spot is incredibly loyal and affectionate towards
Plankton, protecting him from danger and showing him tons of love. It’s just incredibly adorable,
and we’re so glad to have it as one of the main elements in the modern day seasons.
Moving onto the Bronze Medal of Healthiness, is our Girls Night trio of Sandy,
Mrs. Puff and Karen. Everyone loves a good trio of Gal Pals, right? Honestly,
it’s a wonder these three weren’t paired up sooner, as the episode “Girls Night
Out” shows them getting along swimmingly. Of course the three of them have fun together,
blowing off steam and playing pranks, but they also listen to each other vent and offer each
other sympathy and support when it comes to their respective stressful lives. Admittedly,
you could argue that the group does sort of bring the worst out of them, given some of the pranks
they pull, but in the end we’re just happy to see these girls enjoying themselves and each other.
We’re going to be ranking the dynamic duo of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy next. It may be
a bit contentious to put this relationship so high up, given the episode where Barnacle Boy
briefly becomes a villain, or even all the times where Barnacle Boy is just annoyed by Mermaid
Man. But in all honesty, for the most part it’s just mild annoyance at best, and even that could
be attributed to their age. In terms of actual interactions, the two of them still manage to
work together well and have each other’s backs - and even when Barnacle Boy became evil, he only
did so to send a message. Once it was clear that he just wanted some respect, Mermaid Man was more
than happy to give it and the two became friends again. It’s not the happiest relationship around,
but it’s stable and they truly feel like two old friends who always drift back towards each other.
Next up, is the adorable pet and owner relationship between Spongebob and Gary.
A dog may be man’s best friend, but a snail is clearly a sponge’s best friend. While
Gary may sometimes be exasperated by his owner’s various shenanigans, it’s obvious
that he cares about Spongebob’s well-being just as much as Spongebob cares about his.
There have been brief lapses of judgment on Spongebob’s part, like when he was
too focused on his paddleball challenge to feed Gary or when he tried to push Gary into
things he didn’t want to do, but in all of these instances Spongebob was immediately remorseful
once he realized what he’d done and promised to do better. Gary can also be a bit bratty,
like when he doesn’t want to take a bath or when he wants extra treats, but again these are only
brief instances that don’t overshadow all the positive and loving parts of their relationship.
Following them, we have Pearl and Spongebob. Although maybe not the most expected friendship
and certainly not one who gets a ton of focus, Spongebob and Pearl still manage to be good
friends. It may be a bit one-sided, as Spongebob is usually the one helping Pearl - either by
showing her a good time at prom, helping her quit her job or buying her a ton of birthday
presents - but at the very least, Pearl always appreciates his efforts. She’s sometimes a bit
mean and distant with him in her attempts to be seen as ‘cool’, but she always makes
her gratitude clear in the end and even comforts him when things don’t work out, like in the prom
episode. Add in the fact that Spongebob seems to care more about her than Mr. Krabs does at times,
and you’ve got yourself a pretty positive relationship in spite of how rarely they interact.
Wrapping up the good, we’re giving a shoutout to Spongebob and Larry. Originally,
it almost seemed like Spongebob and Larry were going to be rivals, given how Spongebob seemed
somewhat jealous of Larry in episodes like “Ripped Pants” and “Musclebob Buffpants”. Thankfully, the
show never went down this route, and Larry ends up being another friend for Spongebob. They may
not always see eye-to-eye given their differences in personality, and Larry can sometimes be a bit
blunt. But whether it’s being lifeguards together, running Larry’s gym together or Larry helping
out the Krusty krew, the two of them are shown getting along pretty well! It’s not the closest
relationships around, but it’s a relationship that has very little friction for the most part.
Next up, we have the relationships that have some merit and their own positives,
but they also have a couple of concerning flaws. Welcome to the Grey Area.
Starting this tier off are BFFs Spongebob and Patrick. Now, on the one hand,
these two are a pretty iconic bromance. They play together, support and help each other,
and have gone on some pretty amazing adventures together. What’s more, they understand each other
better than anyone else in Bikini Bottom. Buuut on the other hand, Patrick’s tendency to lean
towards selfishness and gluttony in his worst moments make their friendship seem just a bit
one-sided and toxic at times. For as much as they clearly love each other and will always
come back together in the end, it can’t be denied that Patrick makes Spongebob’s life a lot harder,
not being nearly as loyal towards Spongebob as Spongebob is to him, and he isn’t always
apologetic about it. Thankfully, newer episodes like “Goodbye, Krabby Patty?” have begun to
rectify some of the worst parts of their dynamic that were seen in the middle seasons of the show.
Finishing off the Conch Street trio, we have Squidward and Spongebob. Their relationship is,
in a word… complicated. For the most part, the status quo is that while Spongebob sees him as one
of his best friends, Squidward can hardly stand to be near him. Not that we can necessarily blame
Squidward, since Spongebob can be annoying, VERY clingy and even downright stalkerish at times.
But for as much as Squidward yells and insults him, Spongebob is always willing to help him out,
only wanting him to be happy. This leads to the rare moments where Squidward will either defend
Spongebob, like in “Pizza Delivery” or “Born Again Krabs”, or will do something truly nice for him,
like in “Christmas Who?” and “Dying for Pie”. We’ve seen several times that, when Squidward gets
wrapped up in the shenanigans, he and Spongebob are able to work together very well, even having
fun and bonding with each other. Squidward has even admitted that he secretly likes Spongebob,
and that he’d rather live and work WITH him than without him,
as shown in “Squidville” and "SpongeBob You're Fired.” Unfortunately, these positive moments are
still on the somewhat rare side of things, hence why we can’t place them any higher.
Next up, let’s take a look at Plankton and Spongebob. Although they may technically be
enemies, which prevents them from having a true friendship. But hey, you can't blame a sponge for
reaching out in the hopes of bringing Plankton to the good side. Of course, Plankton rarely
ever takes Spongebob up on the offer, caring more about the secret formula. Every once in a while,
though, the two of them are able to genuinely get along. Plankton may not understand Spongebob - or
kindness in general - but he does seem to secretly enjoy how Spongebob is able to help
him. The second movie is a pretty great example of this, and even if things don't quite end happily
ever after, it's obvious that these 'frenemies' are perfectly capable of being actual friends.
From the Chum Bucket to Boating School, next up is Spongebob and Mrs. Puff. When it comes
to teachers, Mrs. Puff tends to be average at best. She tries, sure, but she does tend to go to
extremes when pushed to her limit regarding either stress or anger. She once tried to kill Spongebob
in a demolition derby, and we certainly can't forget all the lying and grand theft auto from "No
Free Rides". But while Spongebob certainly doesn't deserve to be murdered, his carelessness behind
the wheel - especially in the modern episodes - has begun to feel less naive and innocent
and more just cruel, even if it's not on purpose. Spongebob may care about and respect his teacher,
but if he REALLY cared about her, maybe he should just finally drop out of her school.
Wrapping up the Greys is one of the show’s few romantic relationships, Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff.
Originally just an admittedly sweet one-shot idea, the modern day crew of Spongebob decided to bring
this pairing back- and for what it's worth, they do manage to have a couple more cute and flirty
moments. However, there have also been plenty of moments where Krabs' obsession with either money
or Plankton have ruined an interaction between them, making Puff feel more like a secondary
importance to him. It's still a bit too soon to say if this relationship will last, but for
as much as we may hope for the best, we can't say that we see a Krabs/Puff wedding in their future.
We've finally arrived at the more troubling relationships on this side
of the ocean. These relationships are The Toxic.
Just outside the Podium of Toxicity is Spongebob and Mr. Krabs. Probably the best example of
a toxic professional relationship, there is very little positive when it comes to Krabs
and Spongebob. At best, Krabs is like a surrogate father to him. But at worst,
he only cares about getting as much work and money out of Spongebob as possible. He's constantly
pulling Spongebob into his get rich quick schemes, not caring about his physical wellbeing or moral
concerns. It's only when Spongebob starts cutting into Krabs' bottom line that he
actually bothers trying to figure out what's wrong with him. It's a classic case of a greedy
boss taking advantage of their loyal employee, and while Krabs does have his kinder moments,
he still doesn't deserve a hard worker like Spongebob as far as we're concerned.
Earning our Bronze Medal of Toxicity is the romance between Plankton and Karen.
It's a shame that we have to put these two so low down, as there have been plenty
of moments where Plankton and Karen show that they love and care about each other,
to the point of even having date nights. But for the most part,
Plankton just takes Karen for granted while Karen is known for being fairly unsupportive
and surly with her comments. At worst, Karen will outright attack Plankton while Plankton has had a
couple occasions where he's technically cheated on her - first by pursuing Krabs' mother, and
then by replacing her with Karen 2.0. It's truly hard to appreciate the sweeter moments from this
couple when you remember just how dysfunctional and occasionally loveless their marriage is.
For our Silver Medal of Toxicity, we’re giving it to Mr. Krabs and Pearl. So much for being daddy's
little girl… To Krabs' credit, he does love Pearl and wants her to be happy… he just loves his money
more, to the point where he serves stale popcorn and cardboard cake at her Sweet 16. In that sense,
you can't exactly blame Pearl for having such little respect for her father, not wanting to
hang out with him and only interacting with him when she wants money to go shopping. Thankfully,
as bad as their relationship is, the earlier seasons do have Krabs being fairly loving,
such as when he gives her control of the Krusty Krab or when he makes
sure that she has a date to prom. He certainly has the capacity to care and,
when compared to other Nickelodeon parents, isn't nearly as neglectful as
he could be - but that doesn't stop his greed from often overshadowing his fatherly love.
Finally, our Gold Medal of Toxicity is going to the forever rivalry between
Plankton and Mr. Krabs. Out of all the Spongebob relationships, this one of the most destructive
as well as the most codependent. Simply put, Krabs and Plankton depend on each other and
their rivalry. Whenever one of them tries to find peace or make a truce or move on with their life,
they end up falling back into their unending game - all because their rivalry seemingly
gives them purpose. It's a fight they're destined to have forever, and it's almost tragic in a way.
What's more is that their rivalry just brings out the absolute WORST in them - from Krabs scaring
Plankton into ending himself once he finds out Plankton's fear of whales, to Plankton disguising
himself as a lady made out of cash and tricking Krabs into marriage, not caring if he breaks his
heart. While they may technically give each other a purpose and can even work together on occasion,
there's very little positive to the relationship between this pair of enemies.
But let us know in the comment section if you agree with our ranking,
and tell us what we should cover next! Remember to hit that notification bell
and binge more of our videos. But most importantly, stay wicked!