These two episodes are enjoyable but mostly unremarkable
Mermaidman and barnacleboy (7)
This episode introduces two elderly superheroes. It's an interesting look at people past their prime and they're both enjoyable characters with fantastic voice acting. The jokes are quite hit and miss but the story hits most of the right beats and it never drags on for too long, throwing at least one good joke per scene.
Pickles (7)
Pickles starts off poorly and ends brilliantly. The plot is a bit too unbelievable for someone like spongebob and the jokes miss quite frequently during the first half. When Mr Krabs enters, it shows that he can be a rather helpful person even when he's still a greedy jerk and the last two minutes are hilarious, topping off with one of the funniest jokes in the season. It's rough, but it nails the landing.
The episodes are more inconsistent than previous ones, though they're still of a high quality, even if far from the best the season has to offer.