This video is a metaphor for the five stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. We start with Squidward in his daily job, smiling. Anyone that has watched the show knows that Squidward is almost never happy, which means some big change in his life must have put him in this state of comfort. This is explained as soon as he speaks, which informs us Spongebob is "gone". Squidward almost immediately decides that he HAS to get Spongebob "back", changing his happy expression to one of horror and fear. This introduces us to the first stage, Denial. Squidward cannot face a reality where Spongebob is dead, and decided that he must somehow bring him back from the dead. We soon follow Squidward stealing from a store, taking out his frustations on someone that had nothing to do with Spongebob's death. This is clearly the second stage, Anger. He tries to steal the money, he punches the fish, he just causes havoc and hurts people. This is what the fish means by "You know this is wrong, this won't bring Spongebob back". He is trying to inform Squidward that Spongebob is gone, that nothing he does can bring him back, and that what he is doing now only hurts other people, and won't help him reach Acceptance. Squidward continues his phase of Anger by not listening to him, ignoring him, and leaving the store as fast as he can only to steal an ambulance and continue on his way. Squidward is now trying to get help from the other people in Bikini Bottom, telling them that maybe, just maybe, if they all help, they can bring Spongebob back. Trying to make a deal with other people, who are also as powerless as him. This phrase is also cut off before he can finish, a metaphor for not being able to express himself correctly to others, and for how deep inside, he knows that he can't bring him back, even with the help of his entire city. This stage is Bargaining. Trying to make a deal with mortals to affect things he can't control, like death. Squidward goes to Mr. Krabs and invades his personal life, represented on him destroying the door to the Krusty Krab instead of opening it. This is where Squidwards works, and the crash of the vehicle symbolizes his personal life colliding with his work life. The cold, money-making Krabs sits behind a reinforced door that Squidward has to destroy to get to him. This represents the façade that Krabs puts on to hide his feelings. Nonetheless, Squidwards outbursts completely destroy this barrier, and it's here we see Mr. Krabs is also suffering from Spongebob's death, and is in the stage of Depression. This is represented by him asking Squidward how he plans to even get Spongebob back in the first place, with a sad expression on his face. He's completely done and wallowing in his own sadness. You can also see Spongebob's hand coming out of his desk. Severed hands are normally a metaphor for losing control over one's life, and this is representing how Krabs has lost himself in Spongebob's death. Squidward tells him that they "need some wheels", and calls Sandy, another example of bargaining. Sandy is convinced by Squidward that they need to get Spongebob back, and so she drives off a cliff to get to them and drive them towards Spongebob. Now, this cliff isn't in the show, and that's because this is a metaphor. Notice Sandy's face throughout the entirety of it all, she is happy, she asks Squidward if he wants to talk about Texas, she is in Denial. Her falling off a cliff and destroying part of her house is a representation of her falling through anger straight into bargaining alongside him, deciding to help them both try and bring Spongebob back. The group drives to Patrick's house, where he tells them that he knows of Spongebob's death, and that they gotta bring him back. He is sad, he knows they really can't, but since he has the key to Spongebob's house, he gives it to them. Now, he had the key this whole time, and knew that they had to bring him back, but he decided not to open the door. After all, he knows they can't bring him back, so why try? His sadness and laziness is a clear representation of the stage of Depression. His only friend and loved one has died, and we see it has impacted him quite a lot, more than the cold hearted bussiness man that Mr. Krabs is. He still follows the group inside the house, trying to explain to them that Spongebob is gone forever, and we can see a representation of the stages more clearly. Squidward walks first, being the one trying to reach Acceptance more than anyone. Patrick and Mr. Krabs, both in the stage of Depression, follow. Then Sandy, in the stage of Bargaining, who was moments ago in Denial, is the last one. Squidward finds what he thinks is Spongebob covered in a blanket in his home. Patrick, in his state of depression, tells Squidward that it isn't him. This whole scene of finding out that Spongebob is gone forever is Squidward trying to reach acceptance without going through Depression. This was the last option he had to bring Spongebob back, and this revelation, a reminder of mortality in such an impactful way, sends him spiraling into Depression, symbolized by the spiral we go through in the video. Mr. Krabs tells Squidward that they are "right behind him" in this stage, as moral comfort. The group is now walking into Acceptance. We can assume Sandy has gone through depression off-screen, based on her position behind everyone else in the group. Mr. Krabs tells Squidward to "not look back", to ignore distractions, to accept Spongebob's death. Squidward ignores, and this causes him to be separated from the group. When he looks back and reminds himself that they're all gonna die one day, he sees them turn into pillars of salt. This is a reference to the biblical passage of Genesis 19:23-26, where, during the destruction of Sodom, Lot's wife, Edith, ignoring the warnings of divine beings, looked back at her city being destroyed and turned into a pillar of salt. Squidward looking back directly parallels this story. He didn't kill them directly, but he made them all look back with him. Squidward, looking back, thought of his mortality, what he lost, what he had gone through. He thought of Spongebob. Of the actual good times they had. Of the lovable idiot who he didn't appreciate enough. And he lost himself in grief, yet again. The others not only warned him of losing himself, but themselves too. Through the entire video, Squidward was the leader, the one the group looked up to, and if the captain went down, the ship would surely follow. He lost vision of his goal, accepting the death of Spongebob, and made them all go back to grief over the past, and the destruction of their previous normal life, just like Lot's wife who herself had turned to see the destruction of her own past. Spongebob appears and starts killing Squidward with a spatula, which is out of character for Spongebob. As seen by the fact that Spongebob's eyes were originally black, this represents the concept of SpongeBob's death. This metaphor of Spongebob's death itself chasing and killing Squidward makes him realize that dwelling on these stages more and more is just hurting him. It doesn't help to refuse death, it doesn't stop anything, it just takes away his friends, life, and what precious time he has left. This moment, this revelation of knowledge, is what helps Squidward realize that he can't bring Spongebob back, and that's okay. He doesn't need to. He just has to accept it and move on. This brings Squidward, and everyone else, to the last stage. Acceptance. We see Squidward in his daily job, further confirming all of this was his imagination and mind trying to fight these stages. Even if sometimes memories of Spongebob's death may slip and cause him some pain, he can still continue on his daily life as normal. He knows that even if he doesn't have Spongebob now, his memories will still be with him. Squidward putting the Krabby Patty down for "the rats to enjoy" is him leaving his pain behind. This is why Squidward's face was cooked on the meat, representing the struggles he went through in his quest to accept Spongebob's death. Even if he couldn't bring Spongebob back, he has accepted that the memories they made together will never leave him, and that he should value making memories with people before they pass away, as it is the only thing that will stay after their death.
Squadwurd: ahh it sure is comfrablte around here now that spongebobs gone we GOTTA GTE SPONGEBOB BACK! *ruuing* to market employee: hi what may I help you squadwurd: *punchs him and pulls out a gun* employee: what are you doing squadwurd give me all the money in the cash register! what are you doing squadwurd I GOTTA GET SPONEBOB BACK
WE GOTTA GET SPONGEBOB BACK Squidward:WE GOTTA GET SPONGEBOB BACK Krabs:WE GOTTA GET SPONGEBOB BACK Patrick:I know we gotta get spongebob back Plankton: Sorry if you don’t like my comment I never get likes
Sandy Sandy how do you Squidward when the talk about Texas we guard against fries Bob bag we gotta get SpongeBob back faster than a deer rubbing on the whole pickle Patrick I know we gotta get SpongeBob back here is the key SpongeBob SpongeBob it's not him don't worry Squidward we are right behind you lad Squidward I love you too don't look back no no noooooooooooo! Where am I one second later SpongeBob where is that Krabby Patty oh it's right that I've been sitting in the window all day the customer left I'll just put it right here for the rats to enjoy carnally the Krabby Patty is mine let's to go look at that secret formula Goodwin Patrick
