This article is a transcript of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Rock Bottom" from season 1, which aired on March 15, 2000.

• [The episode begins at Glove World!, where SpongeBob and Patrick are standing outside the amusement park waiting for the bus.]
• SpongeBob: [when Patrick is licking a glove-shaped lollipop] Another fun-tastic day at Glove World! [The bus stops at the bus stop and he and Patrick get in. SpongeBob struggles for a bit with his balloon]
• Incidental 41: [as a bus driver] [clears his throat and points to a coin deposit]
• SpongeBob: Let me get my wallet. [turns around, but the balloon that he's still holding hits Incidental 41] Wait, let me check this pocket. [turns around and the balloon hits the bus driver again] No... [turns around and the balloon hits him for the third time already, asks Patrick] Patrick? Do you have any change?
• Patrick: [off-screen] How much do you need?
• SpongeBob: Uh, how much is it?
• Incidental 41: Fifty cents.
• SpongeBob: [turns around and the balloon smacks Incidental 41 in the back of his head] Fifty cents.
• Patrick: Nope.
• SpongeBob: [turns around and the balloon smacks the bus driver again] Let me check my other poc-
• Incidental 41: [annoyed] Forget it!
• SpongeBob: [turns around and balloon smacks Incidental 41 again] What did you say?
• Incidental 41: [yelling] Just take your seat!
• SpongeBob: Thanks, mister.
• Incidental 41: Yeah, whatev- [SpongeBob turns around and balloon smacks him in the back of the head, causing him to glare at SpongeBob with an annoyed grin. After that SpongeBob walks next to Incidental 64, who is taking a nap and takes his seat next to Patrick. The bus drives away.]
• Patrick: Show me what you got at Glove World!
• SpongeBob: Okay! Here's my glove light. [turns on a light]
• Patrick: Wow...
• SpongeBob: [puts the light inside his head and his eyes starts to flash] I see you! [both laugh]
• Patrick: I got gloves for my glove action-figure! [puts a tiny glove on the big glove's thumb]
• SpongeBob: Cool! [Patrick looks out the window and notices a yellow sign that says "You Are Now LEAVING Bikini Bottom" written in red as they drive past it]
• Patrick: Hey, SpongeBob?
• SpongeBob: [when the camera zooms at his face and a tiny glove is on his nose] Yeah, Patrick?
• Patrick: Where's 'Leaving Bikini Bottom'?
• SpongeBob: Where did you see that?
• Patrick: We just passed the sign. 'You are now in Leaving Bikini Bottom'.
• SpongeBob: [gasps loudly] What?! [looks out the window]
• Patrick: What's wrong, SpongeBob? [driving past a green with "Bikini Bottom City Limits" written on it]
• SpongeBob: Patrick, I think we're on the wrong... [The bus drives down at a 90-degree angle steep road as SpongeBob and Patrick yell. The alarm sounds, and the two fly back, hit the back of the bus and end up looking flattened. SpongeBob tries to finish what he said earlier] ...bus! [walks slowly up front, helps himself by holding the seats. His face gets all distorted as he is moving closer due to strong pressure. His pants rip off and fly at Patrick, but the seastar ducks in time and giggles. Then SpongeBob's underwear hits him right in the face. The bus comes to an immediate stop at the end of the steep road, next to a strangely-looking bus stop. SpongeBob and Patrick both fly forward and hit the windshield. Then the balloon smacks Incidental 41 onto it and all of them peel off together. SpongeBob and Patrick are kicked out of the bus] But, sir, we need to get back to Bikini Bottom.
• Incidental 41: [off-screen, hands the balloon to SpongeBob] Oh, well. [drives the bus away]
• Patrick: What is this, SpongeBob?
• SpongeBob: [reads a sign] Rock... Bottom. [the camera scrolls over to a bus station] It sure is weird around here. Kinda different, even the [picks up some green soil] soil looks different.
• Soil: Would you— [raspberry] mind— [raspberry] putting me down? [SpongeBob shakes him rapidly off as he gasps]
• Patrick: SpongeBob, I don't like it here. It's dark and scary. [quivering] I don't wanna be here. I wanna go home. Look, I-I can't even tell the bathrooms apart! [bathroom doors have the "?" on one door and the "¿" on the other]
• SpongeBob: Uhh, that's an easy one, Patrick. We just wait for somebody to come out and then you'll know. [Incidental 200 comes out the "¿" door. Patrick gasps] Maybe we should wait for one more. [Incidental 214 comes out of the "?" door, while Incidentals 222, 204, and 201 come out the "¿" door]
• Patrick: [has bloodshot eyes, starts to sweat] I still can't read the sign! [shaking in fear] I wanna go home!
• SpongeBob: Uhh, uhh, okay. You wait for the bus, call me when it comes, I'm gonna get a bus schedule. [walks off] Boy, this place sure is creepy. [sees the bus driving by with Patrick's head sticking out the window]
• Patrick: Hey, SpongeBob, the bus is here. [SpongeBob runs after the bus and pants due to exhaustion. Patrick yells and half-sobs in worry] SpongeBob...! [the bus drives up the 90-degree angle road and SpongeBob tries to run up the road, but falls down. Tries a couple more times but is unsuccessful]
• SpongeBob: I guess Grandpa SquarePants was right. Don't run for a bus. [puts on Grandpa SquarePants' disguise] Especially one that's going up at a 90-degree angle. [takes off his disguise] I better go wait for the next one.
• [Bubble transition to SpongeBob standing by the bus stop sign with his glove balloon in his right hand.]
• SpongeBob: C'mon, bus! I've got to get home and feed Gary! [notices his shoe is untied and lets go of the balloon] Uh-oh, shoe's untied. [puts his foot on the bus sign] Over, under, and over, and loop-dee-loop, and over... [the bus drives up and then drives off] and through the barrel. [groans as he missed the bus]
• [Bubble transition to later. The wind is blowing SpongeBob's glove hat on his side so he puts it back, but it blows the glove balloon away.]
• SpongeBob: My balloon! [chases after the balloon, jumping for it when he gets the chance. A bus drives up and then drives off] Wait! Hold on! Stop that bus! Aww, not again! [throws his hat down. Notices Incidental 211] Umm, excuse me, sir. Can you help me? [Incidental 211 gives raspberry] Uhh, uhh, yeah, I... [Incidental 211 runs after the balloon] No, no! Not the balloon! I need to know when the next bus comes... [the bus drives up and then drives off. SpongeBob runs after it, but decides to walk back to the bus stop sign] Well, there goes another one. I gotta be more diligent. I am not leaving this spot no matter what! [his stomach growls] I'm gettin' hungry. Glove candy dispenser! Good thing I went to Glove World! [squeezes out six tiny glove candies onto his tongue, then spits them out] Eww, glove flavored! Hey, what's that? [a Kandy vending machine is shown across the road] A candy machine. [rubs his tummy] Mmm, kelp nougat crunch. Mmm... [checks each side of the road to see if a bus is coming] I'm not leaving this spot no matter what! [his stomach growls again] I'll only be gone a second. [runs over to the machine. While getting out a quarter, a bus drives up. Runs back across to bus] Hey! [the bus drives off] Ooh! [His stomach growls a third time. SpongeBob takes a few steps across the road and turns around to check for the bus. Takes a few more steps and checks again. Gets to the candy machine and takes out the quarter. Before inserting it, he checks for a bus. There's no bus so he puts in the quarter but a bus DOES come and drives off.] Wait! [Now he checks to his left down the road and decides to sprint across and get some candy. Pushes some buttons and checks for the bus. The candy is slowly coming down] Come on, come on! [candy drops to the bottom. SpongeBob grabs for it, but a bus drives up and then drives off. SpongeBob gets angry. He reaches for the candy but a bus comes up. Every time he reaches for the candy, the bus drives forward but when he pulls his arm away, the bus drives backwards. So he decides to leave the candy and run after the bus, but the bus drives off before he can get there. Incidental 222 comes up and takes the candy] Hey! That was mine! [walks over to the candy machine. Three more buses drive up and drive off while he's over there so he decides to run back. No more buses come, so he shakes the bus sign angrily] Barnacles! Alright, that's it! No more mister nice guy!
• [Bubble transition to SpongeBob at the Kandy machine staring at it and a bus drives up. Another SpongeBob tip-toes up, but the SpongeBob at the candy machine falls over revealing it to be made of cardboard. The bus drives off.]
• SpongeBob: Tartar sauce!
• [Bubble transition to SpongeBob as a bus stop bench. A bus drives up but drives off after it notices the SpongeBob bench]
• SpongeBob: [morphs back to his original shape] Fish paste!
• [Bubble transition to SpongeBob walking into the bus station.]
• SpongeBob: I'm getting to the bottom of this, right now! I want a bus to Bikini Bottom! I am first in line, and no one is gonna tell me otherwise! [sees Incidental 220 standing behind him already in line] Okay, second! I am second in line! [sees Incidental 206 already in line] Okay, third is good! [Incidental 205 is already in line] Fourth, not bad.
• [Bubble transition to SpongeBob at the end of the line behind Incidental 221.]
• SpongeBob: Okay, 329. I am 329th in line and nobody forget it! [Incidental 221 inflates herself like a balloon and spits out a giant egg on SpongeBob's head with the number 329 on it and blows a raspberry.]
• Window Attendant: Next. [raspberry]
• SpongeBob: Well, at least the line is moving. [everyone steps forward. The 329 egg hatches three baby fish that jump in front of SpongeBob, thus making him remain 329th in line. SpongeBob gets extremely furious. He lets out an angry growl.] Tartar sauce! (repeatedly) [SpongeBob hides inside his clothes and goes ballistic. Then comes out and everyone staring at him turns around]
• Window Attendant: [time is going fast. raspberry] Next. [raspberry] Next. [raspberry. SpongeBob is sleeping] Next. [raspberry] Next!
• SpongeBob: [wakes up] Huh?
• Window Attendant: Next... [raspberry]
• SpongeBob: Finally! Yes, I'm next! [runs up to the window] When is the next bus to Bikini Bottom?
• Window Attendant: What? [raspberry]
• SpongeBob: The bus schedule. The next bus.
• Window Attendant: [reveals himself as Incidental 222] I can't... [raspberry] understand... [raspberry] your accent. [raspberry]
• SpongeBob: The next bus... [raspberry] to Bikini... [raspberry] Bottom. [long raspberry]
• Incidental 222: Ohh. [raspberry] Why didn't you say so? [raspberry] Next bus leaves in... [raspberry] five seconds. [the bus leaves] Ohh, tough luck, kid. [raspberry] That's the last one 'til morning. [raspberry]
• SpongeBob: Oh, [raspberry] no... [raspberry] you don't! [raspberry]
• Incidental 222: Goodnight! [puts a closed sign up]
• SpongeBob: Hold it, I'm not through here! [raspberry] Do you hear me? [raspberry] I demand you come back and give me a bus to Bikini Bottom right now! Until then, I am not leaving this spot! [gives three raspberries. Lights turn off. SpongeBob laughs nervously] Okay, like I said, I'll be right here when you get back. At this spot. In the dark. By myself. With no one around. Except my glove light! [turns on the light] Ah, that's better.
• [The glove light buzzes with a spark fuse and it stops working; short pause.]
• SpongeBob: This isn't your average everyday darkness. This is... advanced darkness. Hey! [closes his eyes] If I close my eyes, it doesn't seem so dark.
• [A raspberry is heard in the distance; he opens his eyes]
• SpongeBob: Who's there? [walks down the road] Well, I guess that spot will be there tomorrow. I better just keep walking. [hears another raspberry] Running. Better start running. Running. Running. [hears another raspberry] Sprinting! Yes! I just gotta keep sprinting! [runs into the 90-degree angle road. Sits down with scallops flying around his head] Sitting, sitting. Bleeding. [hears noise] Hey, who's there? [hears another raspberry] Okay, that's enough! [hears another raspberry] Don't come closer! [hears another raspberry] I'm warning you! [hears another raspberry] I'm a sponge! [a red light shines around SpongeBob. It's Incidental 211 from earlier] Oh, it's only you. [Incidental 211 ties the white balloon to SpongeBob's wrist] Well, that solves my balloon problem, but I have a bigger problem. [Incidental 211 begins blowing the balloon bigger] I'm kinda stuck here. I need to catch a bus to get home. You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you? Balloon... [raspberry] has... [raspberry] enough... [raspberry] air... [raspberry] thanks. [gives a few more raspberries as he is floating up] Hey, I get it, balloon travel! Thank... [raspberry] you! [raspberry]
• Incidental 211: You're welcome! [SpongeBob continues to float while leaving Rock Bottom.]
• [Bubble transition to Bikini Bottom as SpongeBob passes by an "Entering Rock Bottom" sign on the way up, still with the balloon tied to his wrist. He floats past downtown Bikini Bottom on the way to his home.]
• SpongeBob: Ah, home at last. [the balloon pops]
• Patrick: [riding another bus to Rock Bottom] Don't worry, SpongeBob, I'm coming back for ya! [The bus passes by his, Squidward's, and SpongeBob's houses as the episode bubble transitions to the end.]