SpongeBob sprinted toward his pineapple in a blind panic, opening and quickly shutting the door behind him. "Whew, that was a close one. A split second longer, and I probably wouldn't have made it! Gary, his pet snail, slithered up to him. "Meow-mow? (What's got you all twisted up this time, Papa-Bob)?" he said, raising one of his brows. SpongeBob sighed. "Oh, nothing really, Gar. I just haven't gotten used to the nighttime commute from work to home yet." he replied, gently petting Gary's eyestalks. "Meow-meow (Well, there's a simple solution to that: Stop working overtime so that you can come home while it's still daylight)."

SpongeBob laughed a little. "Oh, Gary, you know I can't do that! I LOVE working late!" he replied, smiling brightly. Gary sighed and rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't give me that look, Gar. My job is the main thing that's keeping our tummies full!" SpongeBob argued. Gary looked up at him, slightly annoyed. "Meow (What's the problem, then, Papa-Bob? You clearly love your job, so why let a little bit of nighttime bother you)?" SpongeBob thought about it for a moment. "Because, Gary, every single thing that's scary that happens on TV happens at night! What if I become a victim? Then who will provide for us, Gary? Who?!" he rambled in a slight panic.

Gary slithered a little closer to SpongeBob, attempting to try and comfort him in his sudden anxiety attack. Sometimes the young snail felt like he was raising his owner, rather than the other way around. SpongeBob accepted the gesture by hugging Gary's shell. "Maybe you're right, Gare-Bear... I must be overworked and imagining crazy things." he said, feeling a lot better than he was a second ago. "Maybe some popcorn and one of those late-night crime dramas you like so much will ease the tension of work!" Gary straightened up in excitement. "Meow-meow, mrow meow mow (Now you're talking my language, Papa-Bob)!" he exclaimed. SpongeBob picked up Gary and set him on the inflatable chair in front of his TV.

Several minutes later- SpongeBob and Gary ate from a mound of popcorn that filled almost the entire room, a situation that Gary was used to by now. They munched and watched a show that the mollusk suggested, called Claw and Order. This episode was about a compulsive identity thief, who went around stealing various fishpeople's identities to frame them for crimes that they themselves did not commit, and it was up to the detectives to solve the case.

"Mmm," SpongeBob started to talk as he swallowed the popcorn in his mouth. "Gary, do you think episodes like this ever happen in real life?" he asked? Gary simply rolled his eyes in response. "Ahh, yeah, you're right, Gar," SpongeBob laughed. "I'm just overthinking it. Maybe we should watch only the rest of this episode tonight, and then we go to bed, huh?" Gary nodded, munching on the popcorn surrounding him.

About 14 minutes later- "Oh, boy! That was quite an episode!" SpongeBob exclaimed. "I thought they'd never catch him!" Gary yawned. "Meow-meow (Well, if they hadn't, there'd really be no point)," he replied in a cynical tone. "Oh, come on, Gary! Haven't you ever heard of dramatic tension?" SpongeBob asked rhetorically as he walked upstairs to his bathroom and did his nightly bedtime routine.

Once he and Gary were ready for bed, SpongeBob went upstairs to the bedroom, tucked himself in, said his "good night" to his pet snail, and was fast asleep snoring in just a few seconds. Meanwhile downstairs, SpongeBob's front door creaked open and a bizarre SpongeBob doppelgänger stepped into the living room. His features were much like the happy sponge's, except his face was set in a permanent scowl, his face was pale, his eyes had dark circles underneath them, and he had an abrasive cleaning pad on his back. The grotesque sponge looked around, then proceeded up to SpongeBob's own bedroom.