Fear of a Krabby Patty

"He'll run his employees into the ground, and when SpongeBob's mind finally cracks from exhaustion, I'll get him to tell me the secret Krabby Patty formula!"

- Plankton

"Fear of a Krabby Patty" is the first segment of the first episode of season 4, and it is paired with "Shell of a Man." In this episode, Plankton tricks Mr. Krabs into opening the Krusty Krab 24/7 to get the formula from SpongeBob when he cracks from exhaustion.

Characters

 * Eugene H. Krabs
 * Squidward Tentacles
 * SpongeBob SquarePants
 * Sheldon J. Plankton
 * Karen Plankton
 * Old Man Walker
 * Krabby Patty (character)

Plot
Mr. Krabs is making new business hours at the Krusty Krab, when he sees that the Chum Bucket stays open for 23 hours a day, making him change his business hours to 24/7. It turns out this was part of Plankton's plan to have Mr. Krabs overwork his employees so when SpongeBob cracks from exhaustion, he'll get him to tell him the formula.

SpongeBob enjoys working 24/7 while Squidward is frustrated and annoyed. Later, Plankton calls Mr. Krabs with the fake name Peter Lankton to buy 10,000 Krabby Patties. SpongeBob starts cooking the patties, but becomes a wreck after making them for a few weeks. Mr. Krabs gets his attention and tells him he's worried about something, only for SpongeBob to view him as a Krabby Patty.

He gets scared and runs out of the kitchen, only to perceive everything as Krabby Patties. He tells Mr. Krabs he sees killer Krabby Patties, and after finding out how scared he is of the patties now, he tells him to see a psychiatrist. Plankton anonymously sends a flier to him for his psychiatrist service.

When SpongeBob arrives, he tries several exercises to try to get the secret recipe out of them, only for failure to result. His last method is to hypnotize him to make him fall into a deep sleep, where he gets a dream of the giant Krabby Patty capturing him and afterward comforting him in his bed. After he wakes up, he's cured and runs back to the Krusty Krab, where it is only open for 23 hours a day now.