The Bandits of the Wilderness

"The Bandits of the Wilderness" is the fourth episode of The Life of SpongeBob SquarePants ' first season. It originally aired on April 2, 2015.

Characters

 * Eugene H. Krabs
 * SpongeBob SquarePants
 * Squidward Tentacles
 * Gary the Snail
 * Nat Peterson
 * Gustav Savalas
 * Ribert Ramshackle

Plot
At midnight, Nat Peterson is busy making pancakes inside his home when he suddenly turns around and gasps. As the screen gradually fades to black, Nat takes a look at the window and shouts "Octavius!" as crashing sounds are heard. Nat is then shown lying on a bed in the Bikini Bottom General Hospital, talking - with a weak voice - to Dr. Gustav Savalas about what he had seen. Savalas realizes that Nat has seen "dangerous, very dangerous men" and rushes outside, but not before giving Nat the hospital bill. Nat is enraged by the high price and apparently suffers a heart attack, muttering "bandit" before falling unconscious.

Obeying the court decision from the previous episode, Mr. Krabs decides to close down his restaurant for a full day and take his two employees, SpongeBob and Squidward, on a tour to the Crossroads Ships Graveyard, the final resting place for the ships sunk during the two nuclear tests known as Operation Crossroads (when SpongeBob asks if he can take his pet snail Gary with him, Krabs agrees). During the long trip in Krabs' boatmobile across the Wilderness, Squidward becomes irritated when Krabs preaches continuously and tries to make a connection between "the sacrifice of World War II veterans for freedom, above water and underwater", "the graveyard as a final resting place and a place of remembrance of those stormy times", and "the necessity of working hard and tirelessly to achieve success and greatness in the era of peace" (which, Squidward thinks, is basically Krabs rebuking him). On the other hand, SpongeBob greatly enjoys hearing Krabs speak.

The four of them finally arrive at the Crossroads Ships Graveyard. When SpongeBob asks why the gate and walls appear to be rusting and there are no guards around, Krabs reveals that no one has bothered to come to the graveyard for many years, either because they believe that it is haunted by numerous ghosts (human and fish) or they think that the ships - and the human divers that come from time to time - should be left alone, or both. However, Krabs also notes that there are rumors - which he doesn't subscribe to - of the existence of bandits around this place. Krabs proceeds to act as tour guide, showing SpongeBob, Squidward, and Gary around the wrecks and naming them one by one, while also telling stories about the bandits and their exploits. As they approach the wreck of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, Krabs notices a gun pointed at him.

The masked man who points the gun introduces himself as Ribert Ramshackle, son of the "Great Warrior" Thomasino Ramshackle, and proudly declares himself to be "a bandit of the wilderness". Ribert forces the group to choose between following him into the wreck or being executed on spot. SpongeBob starts to weep while Squidward and Gary go into a state of panic, but Krabs, while surprised to find that the bandits are indeed real, appears unusually calm and orders everyone to follow Ribert, much to the latter's happiness. As they enter the wreck, with Ribert leading the way, Krabs slowly puts his hand in his pocket and smiles.

Trivia

 * Operation Crossroads was a series of two nuclear tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in 1946. The tests, named Able and Baker, were intended to investigate the effects of nuclear weapons on warships. The tests practically rendered the nearby Bikini Island uninhabitable; the atoll's natives had been evacuated to Rongerik Atoll, approximately 200 km (120 mi) to the east of the atoll, and they later moved to Kwajalein Atoll and Kili Island. An attempt to resettle Bikini Island between 1974 and 1978 was ended by health problems stemming from radioactivity in the food supply, prompting another evacuation.