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Band Geeks

If you were looking for the article about the DVD, then see Band Geeks (Korean DVD).

"Band Geeks" is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season 2. In this episode, Squidward creates a band to perform at the Bubble Bowl.

Characters

Synopsis

One day, Squidward was playing his clarinet but was disturbed by a doorbell which is a doctor who arrived at his house after mistaking his clarinet playing for a "dying animal." He then receives a call from his former high school classmate and rival Squilliam Fancyson, who informs Squidward that he is the leader of a band that is supposed to play the prestigious Bubble Bowl the following week, but is unable to attend. He gives Squidward a backhanded offer to replace him, correctly suspecting that Squidward does not have his own band. However, Squidward defiantly insists that he does have a band and accepts the offer, before posting flyers around Bikini Bottom looking for people to join his band.

Band Geeks 034

On the first night of rehearsals, Squidward brings his rented instruments to a practice hall filled with townspeople. Upon discovering that none of his prospective bandmates have any previous musical experience, Squidward teaches them the basics. Unfortunately, the night doesn't end well as Squidward gets pinned to the wall by drumsticks the players mistook as mouth instruments while Sandy beats up Patrick and shoves his body through the bore of a trombone after he kicks her leg.

Things do not get any better during the second day of training; while practicing a march through the street, two flag twirlers are killed when they spin their flags too fast, causing them to fly into the air and crash into a passing blimp. On the third day, Squidward checks on Plankton's harmonica solo, though he becomes exhausted and collapses from running back and forth between the holes since the harmonica is much bigger than him.

On the fourth and final day of practice, Squidward says that while none of them have made any improvement since the beginning, he suggests that everyone play loud so they will be good. Unfortunately, they take this theory a bit too literally as they play so loud and badly that the windows of the practice hall break and Squidward's face is deformed beyond recognition, prompting him to change the plan to playing extremely quietly so nobody will hear them. The band members then begin to insult each other, and despite Squidward attempting to quell the rising tensions, a mass brawl breaks out that damages most of the instruments. When the clock hits 10:00 PM, the fighting ends and everyone starts to head home.

Squidward stops them at the entrance and expresses his disappointment at their lack of progress and for not taking his dream seriously. After Squidward leaves in distress at his failure, a remorseful SpongeBob scolds the townspeople and asks them to think about all of the times Squidward came through for them. Despite drawing a blank, they are convinced enough to give practice one more try for Squidward's sake, with SpongeBob as the conductor.

At the day of the performance, Squidward prepares to finalize his band's cancellation, only to find Squilliam waiting for him at the entrance of the Bubble Bowl. Squidward tries to explain that his band can no longer play as they all died in a marching accident, but they suddenly appear behind him in full uniform with their instruments ready, forcing Squidward to go through with the performance.

Band Geeks 182

As everyone enters a huge glass dome, Squidward bemoans the humiliation that he is certain is awaiting him. The dome rises into a football stadium filled with human fans. Squidward, still fearing that the performance will be a disaster, nervously begins conducting. But to his and Squilliam's astonishment, the band performs "Sweet Victory" and it turns out to be a tremendous success. As the crowd sways in awe, Squilliam faints in shock while going to the hospital. Squidward throws away his baton and leaps into the air in triumph.

Production

This episode was in production in 2000 and early 2001.

Art

Model sheets

Storyboards

Music

( ‣ ) Production music
( • ) Original music
( ◦ ) SpongeBob music

 ‣ Here Comes The Band! (A) - Dick Stephen Walter [Title card]
 • Squids Clarinet - Brad Carow [Squidward playing his clarinet/Squidward blasts his clarinet through the phone]
 • Vibe & Harp Hits - Nicolas Carr ["Squilliam Fancyson from band class?"]
 ‣ Comic Walk - Sidney Torch ["I hear you're playing the cash register now."]
 ‣ On The Beach - Kapono Beamer ["I gotta drum up a marching band fast!"]
 • Marching Band Scales - Brad Carow, Nicolas Carr, Robert Lee Faust, Ira Nepus [Squidward, the brass, the woodwind, and the drums play scales]
 • Stars & Stripes Forever - Brad Carow, Nicolas Carr, Robert Lee Faust, Ira Nepus [Band playing]
 • Taps - Brad Carow, Nicolas Carr, Robert Lee Faust, Ira Nepus [Played after explosion]
 • Steel Licks 22 - Jeremy Wakefield [Day four, plays faintly]
 • Marching Band Blast - Brad Carow, Nicolas Carr, Robert Lee Faust, Ira Nepus [Everyone plays loudly]
 ‣ Like Strange - Kenny Graham ["What did you say, punk?"]
 • Spongemonger - Sage Guyton, Jeremy Wakefield [The dust brawl starts]
 ‣ Hawaiian Cocktail - Richard Myhill ["You took my one chance at happiness and crushed it."]
 ‣ Fates [#61.03] - Gregor F. Narholz ["What kind of monsters are we?"]
 ‣ Whisper from the Past [#63] - Gregor F. Narholz [SpongeBob's pep talk]
 ‣ Hawaiian Link (A) - Richard Myhill [Bubble Bowl]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (A) - Ronald Hanmer [Squidward sees Squilliam]
 ‣ Comic Walk - Sidney Torch ["I just wanted to watch you blow it."]
 ‣ Dramatic Cue (D) - Ronald Hanmer ["That would be my band!"]
 • Steel Licks 40 - Jeremy Wakefield [Squilliam laughs]
 ‣ Gala A - Dieter Reith [Live-action football field]
 ‣ Send them Victorious (B) - Graham De Wilde [Fanfare]
 ‣ Sweet Victory 1 - David Eisley, Bob Kulick [Ending]

Release

Broadcast

Distribution

Reception

"Squid tries to "inspire" Bikini Bottom's doofy denizens into being a tight marching band – but it's like herding kittens. "Sweet Victory" is like the worst Night Ranger–type power ballad in history."
  • On the Winner Take All Sunday this episode was #6.
  • "Band Geeks" was ranked #1 during the SpongeBob's Top 100 event in the UK and Ireland from June 4-8, 2012.

Trivia

General

  • According to production art, this episode was originally called "Squid in Charge."
  • Harold SquarePants was originally planned to appear on this episode but was later cut.[5]
  • There is a book based on the episode named Star Power!
  • The coloring books Star Power! and SpongeBob's Best Days depict scenes that were never seen in the actual episode:
    • SpongeBob and his friends practicing for the performance after Squidward left.
    • SpongeBob naming his band "Captain SpongeBob's Jellyfish Jam Band," a reference to The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
    • SpongeBob taking his shirt off during the "Sweet Victory" performance.
    • An extended ending where Squidward has changed his mind about SpongeBob's song.
    • However, it was already seen as white in some shots from "Walking Small."
  • The episode reveals that:
    • Evelyn's little Jimmy was trapped in a fire, and a fireman had to rescued him.
    • Larry took too many tanning pills; his heart gave out and had to be revived.
  • This is the first episode for a few things:
    • The first appearance of Squidward's rival Squilliam Fancyson.
    • In production and airing order, the first episode to have more than one timecard.
    • The first episode where Plankton appears but does not do anything evil in any way.
  • Squidward's flyer reads as follows: "Looking to add fulfillment to your dull, dull life? Then become a part of the greatest musical sensation ever to hit Bikini Bottom and be forever adored by thousands of people you don't know. Not to mention free refreshments! Practice begins tonight, 8:30 sharp."
  • A clip from this episode was used during SpongeBob on Nick at Nite bumpers in 2018.[6]
  • The Bubble Bowl "real-life" crowd is the footage used from a USFL Memphis Showboats vs. Tampa Bay Bandits game at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee back in the 1980s.
  • On day two when the band is marching down the street, they are doing a rendition of "Semper Fidelis," regarded as the official marching song of the U.S. Marine Corps.
  • After the flag twirlers crash into the blimp, one trumpeter plays "Taps." Taking a closer look also shows that Mr. Krabs sheds a tear when he puts his claw over his heart.
  • This episode came packaged in a PVD in black and white with the VideoNow personal video player by Hasbro. The episode was later released in color with "The Secret Box."
  • This is the third episode to end with a song. The first is "Help Wanted," and the second is "Your Shoe's Untied."
  • SpongeBob's eager face was used in the online games Reef Rumble and Nick's Not So Ultimate Boss Battles and the 2021 video game Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.
  • In the shot where SpongeBob sings the verse "On the world closing in," he can be seen wearing the Best Friends Forever Ring from "The Secret Box."
    • Both episodes are sister episodes.
Band Geeks 034
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Band Geeks Uniform TCS Costume
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SpongeBob 2021 McDonald's toys


Dub facts

  • In some foreign dubs of this episode, Fred can be heard screaming "My Leg" after he collides with the airship together with Incidental 106, indicating that he and Incidental 106 survived the airship's explosion.
  • In the Latin American dub, Squidward talks about the part about kicking he says, "No SpongeBob, you think this is karate." "No Bob, ¿Crees que esto es Karate?"
    • In the same dub, while asking the drumline to repeat the line from his clarinet, instead of saying he says "Percussion," which is a far less common denomination of the instrument.
    • "Sweet Victory" is not dubbed and is in English.
  • In the Japanese dub of this episode, the French Narrator and the announcer in the stadium are unheard.
Italian_censor_of_Band_Geeks_(!!!!!)
  • In the Persian and Italian dubs of this episode, "Sweet Victory" is cut (shortened in the PSiM Persian dub) due to unknown reasons.[27] For Italian, likely due to commercial constraints, as the dub was commissioned for a commercial broadcaster (Italia 1), for Persian, likely as "music is haram" in Islam.
    • This also applied to the Indonesian version (on later airings only) as the song would cut like any other dubbed episodes with original music to save more time for other episodes to play. This lasted until April 2021, when the full episode played in normal, later reverting to cut episodes.
  • In the German dub, the word sedan is replaced with "Opel Kapitän," a German luxury sedan manufactured between 1938 and 1970.
Spongebob_Squarepants_M&E_Error_In_Romanian_Dub
  • In the Romanian dub, Sandy's and Larry the Lobster's lines are muted, but this is likely because the Romanian TV station forgot to update the Sandy Cheeks and Larry the Lobster's lines.
  • When Patrick opens his mouth while talking with a trombone noise from being stuck in a trombone, the slider goes downwards from a higher-pitched noise to a lower-pitched noise. Correctly, the slider should have been sliding upwards.
  • After class is over on the way towards the door, the door flies open, revealing Squidward with his arms to his side, as if he had not touched the door.
  • The Turkish dub has the following cut scenes and errors:[28]
    • The title card was mistakenly left in English undubbed.
    • When Sandy, Plankton, and Mrs. Puff start reading from a poster, Mr. Krabs' and Larry's scenes of reading the poster are cut.
    • In the scene when Squidward is supposed to say, "Wait, wait. I know tensions are high...," he cannot be heard saying that line in this dub. Instead, he is left mute at that part; all that can be heard are the crowd's voices overlapping.
  • In the Indonesian dub that aired on Global TV as well as Nickelodeon Asia (Indonesia), instead of saying "Is mayonnaise an instrument?," Patrick says "Is mine an instrument?" and instead of "Horseradish is not an instrument, either," Squidward says "Horse racing is not an instrument, either." However, when the episode was aired in Latvian, the error didn't happen.

Cultural references

  • The Bubble Bowl is a parody of the Super Bowl, the annual final championship game of the National Football League.
    • Coincidentally, a reanimated portion of this episode was used in the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
    • It was also used in a Paramount+ commercial during the Super Bowl LV.
  • The painting seen hanging in Squilliam's house resembles the style of Spanish painter Joan Miró.

Errors

2000Copyright
  • This episode along with its sister episode are incorrectly listed with a 2000 copyright date in the end credits.
    • This also happens in the next episode "Graveyard Shift"/"Krusty Love."
    • This mistake may be attributed to the fact that this episode was mostly in production in 2000, but wasn't actually finished until early 2001.
  • Part of Pearl's skirt is gone when SpongeBob talks to Evelyn and Larry but reappears in the next scene, and then disappears again.
  • During the band's performance of "Sweet Victory" when the main cast is shown, Mr. Krabs is playing a purple keytar, but during the panning the keytar is green.
  • During the full band scene, all of the main cast moves up/down rows in some way, but Mr. Krabs does not move at all.
  • When everyone is talking to each other when Squidward enters the practice hall, Incidental 11's mouth doesn't move.
  • The characters switch places throughout this episode, examples include:
    • When everyone in the room is talking, SpongeBob and Patrick are sitting next to each other. However, when Patrick asks if mayonnaise is an instrument and when he says "Kicking? I want to do some kicking!" he is sitting next to Sandy.
      • Then, after getting beaten by Sandy, Patrick returns to a third seat.
Trianglerror
  • When Plankton asks whether instruments of torture count as musical instruments, the bottom side of the triangle he is holding disappears for a frame.
  • Throughout the scenes of the rehearsals, the characters constantly change instruments, including the drummer's drums to change between shots.
  • During multiple scenes in which the screen shakes, when televised, it is surrounded by either a brown or blue border. This error also occurs in "Welcome to the Chum Bucket" and "The Secret Box."
  • When Squidward says that he really expected better of them, Evelyn's skin is green instead of pink.
  • Patrick's trombone has valves on it, a feature uniquely absent from trombones in real life.
    • Patrick's trombone could be a valve trombone.
  • When Squidward says "That's his eager face," his mouth is somewhat out of sync with the animation.
  • When "Spongemonger" plays, it cuts off after the beginning.
Band Geeks 117
  • When Mrs. Puff slams Mrs. Krabs and Incidental 40 with her cymbals, she is bigger than normal; being almost twice her normal size.
  • When Plankton plays his work-in-progress harmonica solo, he is so small that he has to run back and forth along the harmonica to get to the right areas, which exhausts him. But in the later scene where he shouts "Correct!" in response to Squidward's theory, he's as tall as Sandy's boot.
  • When Squidward asks Plankton how the harmonica solo is going, the harmonica is not on the chair. A second later, it is on the chair.
    • The harmonica could have been on a different chair.
  • The saxophone is a woodwind instrument, but when Squidward tells the brass section to play, Incidental 40 can be seen playing the saxophone.
    • The saxophone can sometimes be grouped with brass instruments when playing in sections.
  • It is unknown how Sandy is able to play the saxophone when in her suit, due to her requiring it to breathe underwater.
  • When Squidward tells the woodwind section to play, one of the players is playing a brass instrument.
  • When it is day four, all the seats are missing.
    • This could be because it's the last day of practice so they removed the seats.
  • In the shot where Mr. Krabs asks, "When do we get the free food?" Sandy is sitting next to him. Two seats behind Mr. Krabs is Incidental 105. Part of him is shown, but the part that should be shown in Sandy's helmet is not there. It is not a trick with lighting because the part of Fred, who is sitting behind Mr. Krabs, that is in Sandy's helmet is shown.
Band Geeks 039
  • When the band is shown turning from above, Pearl's nose is unreasonably big and covers several people.
Blue teeth error in Band Geeks
  • When the flag twirlers are exploding, Squidward's teeth turn bluish-gray/the color of his body skin, and his side of his mouth that is usually red is transparent, for a second.
  • During the scene where SpongeBob and Plankton harmonize in singing, SpongeBob's eyelid turns blue for a second.
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  • When the glass dome containing the band originally rises to the field, it is seen to be approximately 10 yards in diameter and positioned just off of the center of the field. Later shots from within the dome looking outward show an entirely different perspective with many more white lines than would be expected.
  • In some scenes, while practicing, the "P" on Pearl's dress is missing.


Videos

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
French L'orchestre The Orchestra
German Hör' mal, wer da spielt Listen to Who's Playing
Italian La banda The Band
Russian Оркестр недотёп
Orkestr nedotyop		 Band of Duffers
Spanish (American) La banda de tontos The Band of Fools
Spanish (European) Banda Geeks Banda Geeks

References

  1. ^ Cable Guide (UK) October 2001 - pg. 126
  2. ^ Nickelodeon UK - October 19, 2001
  3. ^ Nickelodeon UK - Continuity - October 4, 2001
  4. ^ Best Sound Editing in Television Animation - 49th Annual (2001) MPSE GOLDEN REEL AWARDS | Motion Picture Sound Editors
  5. ^ Band Geeks (Squid In Charge) - The Big Cartoon Database
  6. ^ Nick at Nite - SpongeBob bumpers (2018)
  7. ^ February 23, 2002 - Nickstory
  8. ^ October 8, 2012 - Nickstory
  9. ^ December 3, 2019 - Nickstory
  10. ^ January 19, 2004 - Nickstory
  11. ^ November 10, 2006 - Nickstory
  12. ^ November 12, 2007 - Nickstory
  13. ^ December 30, 2019 - Nickstory
  14. ^ April 11, 2008 - Nickstory
  15. ^ July 19, 2009 - Nickstory
  16. ^ January 10, 2021 - Nickstory
  17. ^ February 24, 2013 - Nickstory
  18. ^ June 2, 2013 - Nickstory
  19. ^ September 2, 2013 - Nickstory
  20. ^ May 20, 2020 - Nickstory
  21. ^ July 7, 2021 - Nickstory
  22. ^ July 17, 2021 - Nickstory
  23. ^ July 27, 2021 - Nickstory
  24. ^ November 25, 2022 - Nickstory
  25. ^ January 29, 2025 - Nickstory
  26. ^ Sam Henderson Interview - SpongeBuddy Mania
  27. ^ Out Of Context International Dubs on Twitter
  28. ^ SpongeBob - Band Geeks Turkish dubbing error and cut scenes

Notes

  1. ^ Mistakenly listed with a 2000 copyright year in the end credits.
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