027b - Life of Crime

The episode starts at The Krusty Krab, where SpongeBob and Patrick see Mr. Krabs watching the classic crime movie. Mr. Krabs starts to talk about how bad thieves and stealing are, but then SpongeBob and Patrick remind him of all the things he has stole:

SpongeBob: A barrel from Salty Sea Farms 
Patrick: A towel from the Sizzling Spring Sauna 
SpongeBob: A Bikini Bell phone 
Patrick: Sandy's hedge-clippers 
SpongeBob: Plankton's lawn mower 
SpongeBob: Mrs. Puff's hair curlers. (Mr. Krabs stole it from her.)

Mr. Krabs makes the excuse that he "borrowed" everything, and tells them that it's okay to borrow anything as long as you give it back before it's missed.

Later that day, SpongeBob and Patrick see a balloon stand. But since they don't have any money, they decide to "borrow" a balloon. They sneak away with it, and as they talk about all the fun things they plan to do with it, it suddenly pops. Realizing that they can't return the balloon, they conclude that they have stolen it.

Believing that this is a serious crime and that they are now wanted criminals, they leave Bikini Bottom.

That night, they camp in the middle of nowhere, and lament that they will never see any of their friends or do any of the fun things they used to do again. However, they then begin to look at the positives, such as not having to live by society's standards and not having to return anything they borrow, and realize that being criminals can be fun. Patrick says that they still don't have anything to eat, and SpongeBob reveals that he has two candy bars, saying that they will "only have to make them last the rest of their lives." However, Patrick immediately eats his in 2 bites, and then tries to take another bite of it, not realizing that it is gone.

When he sees SpongeBob's bar, he accuses him of stealing it, and although SpongeBob tries to explain to Patrick that he ate his, he refuses to believe him and decides to tell on him when SpongeBob eats the candy bar. SpongeBob then tells Patrick that he will tell on him first, when Patrick stomps on the campfire and said,"That's it!" and then burns his foot. They begin to go racing to the police station.

Once there, they both confess together, and the officers whisper to each other before...

they are locked up. However, the police immediately release them, telling them that they stole the balloon on "National Free Balloon Day," much to the officers' amusement.

SpongeBob and Patrick vow that they will never take anything without permission ever again, and the officers give them lollipops for the trip back home. Patrick eats his in one bite, and accuses SpongeBob and the police of stealing it. They laugh a bit, but then Patrick says he means it.