Before the show's unfortunate flanderisation in around about series 6, the character dynamics in Spongebob Squarepants are pretty easy to understand, if you put Spongebob into the role of third grader. Yes, he's an adult with a house and a job, but assume the intended viewing audience project their own motivations onto him.
Spongebob and Squidward. We'll start with Spongebob's long-suffering neighbour, Squidward Tentacles. Squidward is the "elder sibling" type; the type who had gotten accustomed to being an only child, and then this weird younger brother shows up one day and he won't leave. Obviously, Spongebob and Squidward aren't related, but it's the sort of character dynamic that young children would understand. Anyway, he finds the weird younger brother absolutely intolerable, insufferable, and eminently ignorable, yet no matter how hard he tries, he just can't ignore him. All of the weird younger brother's interests are unsophisticated and boring, compared to his own intellectual pursuits. However, other people are not allowed to be mean to him; that's a luxury reserved for the elder brother, and he will severely dress down the one who attempts it.
Spongebob and Patrick. The dynamics between these two are like a third-grader and his same-age best friend. They like the same things, so they spend the vast majority of their time together. At the same time, it's easy for one of them to do or say something that offends the other one to the point of abandonment; though it's only a minor thing that they disagree over, which is easily forgotten. Of course, the elder sibling (Squidward) tries to take advantage of this and intentionally turn them away from each other if, for no other reason, than to get some peace and quiet for a change.
Spongebob and Sandy. Sandy is the fourth-grader to Spongebob's third-grader. They have a slightly more mature relationship, but only insofar as one often has friends that are of different ages outside school. They don't have as much in common as Spongebob has with Patrick, and are probably only friends because Spongebob is nice. Of course, to a third grader, a fourth grader is just 1 step away from being an adult; they seem to know everything because they've already studied what third graders are currently studying, they seem to have greater physical abilities because they've grown up slightly more than the third grader has. The fact that Sandy is a girl barely enters into it at all.
Spongebob and Mr. Krabs. Mr. Krabs is the father figure of the piece. Yes, Spongebob has a father already, but nothing is known about him other than the fact of his existence. Mr. Krabs, on the other hand, presents a fatherly aspect that the viewer can recognise immediately. He is obsessed with money and budgets, concerned that if he spends even the slightest amount on anything but the barest essentials that he will have enough money left for... whatever it is fathers always seem to need money for. His only interactions with Spongebob seem to be making sure that he is still doing his work (reads as "still doing his chores and homework"). He tends to be supportive in situations where the status quo is threatened and he wants to return to his idea of normalcy.
Spongebob and Plankton. Plankton is like that weird uncle, who only ever comes around when he wants something. Despite his purely selfish motives, he never lets on that he wants anything until he has your attention.
Spongebob and Mrs. Puff. Even post-flanderisation, Mrs. Puff's character dynamics never changed. She is still the teacher who has become disillusioned with teaching but is not allowed to retire because the school board can't afford a replacement.
Obviously, the precise dynamics per episode are somewhat fungible based upon the requirements of the story, as is the case with all television shows. The problem with flanderisation is that it takes three-dimensional characters and flattens them; mostly because the network consultants conflate viewer interest with marketability and insist that the show will be more popular if characters are changed to amplify their most basic trait. Spongebob and Patrick became Dumb and Dumber, Squidward is just a curmudgeon whose only interests are playing the clarinet badly and hating Spongebob, Sandy is basically Phineas and Ferb but less interesting, Mr. Krabs is an unhauntable Ebenezer Scrooge, Plankton is annoying and predictable, and Mrs. Puff is bored and boring.
The moral to the story, if there is one, is start out flanderised. If your characters start out three-dimensional, they will inevitably be flattened by episodes that enhance a single trait until it fills the screen. However, if your characters start out flat, the stories will invariably lead to character development until they're so three-dimensional, they may actually be four-dimensional. That is, if the network buys your pitch. They don't seem to be doing that anymore.
--4 May 2023--