Cultural Markers

 is the 20th episode of Find the Markers: The Series. It was released on September 18, 2022.

Plot/Summary
Quest Marker organizes and hosts a talent show at the Spawn, but refuses to let Purple Marker be part of it.

Synopsis
The episode opens on another day at the Spawn, with Beige Marker manning a free salad bar, Purple Marker preoccupied with cleaning rogue dust particles off a table, and Quest Marker daydreaming about dancing. Beige Marker is getting irritated at the lack of customers when one decides to come in. Ecstatic at finally getting a customer, Beige Marker orders Purple Marker to cater to the fish's every whim. Unfortunately for them, the fish was only looking to get change for a dollar and is driven away by Purple Marker's excessive enthusiasm, though not before leaving a penny behind for Purple Marker. However, Beige Marker notices the penny and literally gets the drop on it first.

As Beige Marker stores the penny away in his vault, he gives his two employees the bad news: Profits are way down this month, and they need a gimmick to bring in customers. His request for ideas yields a response of apathy from Quest Marker and increasingly absurd ideas from Purple Marker. After Beige Marker points out that he was thinking along the lines of "live entertainment," Quest Marker hits a brainstorm: the first Spawn talent show, which he would host.

He nearly blurts out his intent to make himself into a star, but quickly corrects his faux-pas by claiming it would "bring culture to this cultural wasteland we call Bikini Bottom," and that it would bring in much-needed revenue. Quest Marker draws in Beige Marker further by claiming that Dragon Marker could become a star through this. Purple Marker is excited at the chance to show off his talents and runs off to call his parents, while Beige Marker gives Quest Marker approval to organize the show. As preparations are undertaken at the Spawn for the upcoming show, Purple Marker asks Quest Marker when he is going to go on the show, even demonstrating his act, which consists of blowing a hippopotamus-shaped bubble, then tap dancing along with it. Unfortunately, the talent does not impress Quest Marker, who claims it is not "cultured" enough. Purple Marker runs off, vowing to come up with the most "cultural" performance ever.

Later that evening, the Spawn is packed; among the audience are Ski Marker and Purple Marker's parents, the latter of whom Beige Marker personally introduces himself and nonchalantly admits his miserhood. Backstage, Quest Marker makes it very clear to everyone else that this is his own chance to reach stardom, but is interrupted by Purple Marker's newest act: inflating himself with water and showing off his spongy characteristics. Quest Marker once again shoots him down, not wanting Purple Marker to ruin his chances at stardom. Purple Marker tearfully begs Quest Marker to let him on the show, claiming he will do anything, with the cephalopod assigning him to clean up after the show is done. Purple Marker, not realizing that Quest Marker has assigned him custodial duties, endeavors on his new "act" with great enthusiasm.

Quest Marker goes on stage to introduce the audience to the first Spawn Talent Show, in the process making a joke about how no one else would give the Malding Gummy a home. This greatly amuses Ski Marker to the point where he randomly interrupts the next parts of Quest Marker's speech with loud guffawing. Not able to get in a word edgewise, Quest Marker eventually just introduces Dragon Marker by her name alone and leaves the stage. Dragon Marker is unveiled with a set of cheerleader pom-poms, and Beige Marker is ecstatic to see his daughter in the spotlight. Her act is a cheerleading routine about the Spawn, but her size and weight launch the entire audience up into the air with each jump, resulting in everyone eventually lying about in various states of pain. As she leaves the stage, Purple Marker drops into badger Quest Marker about his next "act," asking which direction he should mop the floor, with the latter trying to ignore him.

The next act is poetry by Purple Marker's pet snail, Catzo Marker. While the pet "speaks" in meows, at least Rainbow Road Marker can understand how good his poetry is. Quest Marker is increasingly anxious at this point, both from how much time Catzo Marker is taking with his act and from Purple Marker bothering him again. The third act is by Beige Marker's business rival Dark Markery as "The Amazing Dark Markery," with him intending to make a Malding Gummy "disappear" before the audience's eyes. However, it is just another ploy to steal the Malding Gummy formula, one that Beige Marker puts a stop to. Dark Markery, vowing revenge, attempts to vanish into thin air with a magic spell, but only blows himself up and leaves the restaurant in shame as the crowd boos him.

The crowd by this point is getting fed up with the terrible acts, and Beige Marker storms backstage, angry at the lack of good responses. Quest Marker temporarily placates him by claiming he "saved the best for last." After some buildup with spotlights, Quest Marker appears with his dancing gear, wearing a blue swimsuit, to looks of confusion from the audience.

Quest Marker starts out dancing to orchestral music before the music suddenly changes into a trance-like techno beat; Quest Marker's dancing also becomes incredibly bizarre. Unfortunately for him, his time in the spotlight comes to an abrupt end as the audience members, completely disgusted by his talent, or lack thereof, pelt him with tomatoes from the free salad bar. Beige Marker, hoping to cash in on the audience's rage, quickly slaps a one-dollar price tag on the front of the free salad bar, which one audience member admits is "worth every penny" because they all hate Quest Marker's act more than all of the other acts put together. Quest Marker berates the audience for having no appreciation for his talent, only to be coldly rebuffed as the crowd says "No Talent." Furious, he storms backstage, where a waiting Purple Marker asks whether he can go on now. Quest Marker permits him to do so, as the show is over, much to the sponge's confusion.

Purple Marker gets to work cleaning the stage, only to receive an unexpected surprise: the audience not only interprets the cleaning as an act but appreciates it. Quest Marker thinks the audience has changed their mind about him and charges in as Purple Marker leaves, only to be met with silence. He storms off again, and Purple Marker continues cleaning to great applause. Quest Marker charges in and is once again met by silence. However, he begins to realize that Purple Marker seems to be tied to the audience's sudden change in behavior, and tries several times to get the audience to cheer for him by doing Purple Marker's act, only to be rejected and have another tomato thrown at him. Quest Marker is forced to conclude that it is Purple Marker the audience is cheering for and watches from the sidelines. Quest Marker gets praised by Beige Marker for organizing the event, and Purple Marker's parents for making their son a star. Beige Marker, lying in a wheelbarrow full of money, says he will need another one for next week's show; Quest Marker can only sigh and watch with sad envy as Purple Marker gets a standing ovation for his cleaning, ending the episode.

Characters

 * Purple Marker
 * Archer Marker
 * Baby Marker
 * Ball Marker
 * Bee Marker
 * Big Orange Marker
 * Black Marker
 * Bone Marker
 * Brown Marker
 * Cactus Marker
 * Capless Marker's Cap
 * Carpet Marker
 * Coral Marker
 * Crystal Marker
 * Dark Blue Marker
 * Dragon Marker
 * Dream Marker
 * Dummy Marker
 * Explode Marker
 * Fire Marker
 * Firefly Marker
 * Fishbowl Marker
 * Ghost Marker
 * Gingerbread Marker
 * Grass Marker
 * Hanging Marker
 * Industrial Marker
 * King Marker
 * Lava Jump Marker
 * Lavender Marker
 * Lightbulb Marker
 * Liquid Marker
 * Magenta Marker
 * Marker Deleted
 * Marker for the Black Baseplate
 * Markerplier
 * Markerseed the Fallen
 * Maroon Marker
 * Marshmallow Marker
 * Martian Marker
 * Mud Marker
 * Old Marker
 * Periwinkle Marker
 * Permanent Marker
 * Red Marker
 * Rocket Marker
 * Sand Marker
 * Snow Marker
 * Snowman Marker
 * Tan Marker
 * Temple Marker
 * Tied Marker
 * Torch Marker
 * Transparent Marker
 * Triple Marker
 * Water Marker
 * Yellow Marker
 * Zombie Marker
 * Bendy Straw Marker
 * Blue Marker
 * Box Marker
 * Brick Marker
 * Catzo Marker
 * Chocolate Marker
 * Cobblestone Marker
 * Cork Marker
 * Crayon
 * Cyan Marker
 * Dark Green Marker
 * Ecosystem Marker
 * Flamingo Marker
 * Feta Cheese Marker
 * Golden Marker
 * Gray Marker
 * Greedy Marker
 * Hammer Marker
 * Khaki Marker
 * Leaf Marker
 * Licorice Marker
 * Lilypad Marker
 * Lime Marker
 * Marker?
 * Mint Marker
 * Mushroom Marker
 * Oil Marker
 * Olive Marker
 * Orange Marker
 * Pink Marker
 * Platinum Marker
 * Primrose Marker
 * Princess Marker
 * Rainbow Marker
 * Realistic Marker
 * Rock Marker
 * Rust Marker
 * Sandstorm Marker
 * Serenity Marker
 * Salmon Marker
 * Smoke Marker
 * Space Marker
 * Star-ker
 * Static Marker
 * Teenage Mutant Ninja Marker
 * Triple-Scoop Marker
 * White Marker
 * Xanwood Marker
 * Atomic Marker
 * Aurora Marker
 * BFDI Marker
 * Battery Marker
 * Bluish Gray Marker
 * Camo Marker
 * Candy Cane Marker
 * Capless Marker
 * Ceramic Marker
 * Cheese Marker
 * Chicken Marker
 * Cloud Marker
 * Dirt Marker
 * Evil Marker
 * Flan Marker
 * Flower Marker
 * Forgorker
 * Glitch Marker
 * Green Marker
 * Ice Marker
 * Ivory Marker
 * Jumpscare Marker
 * Killbrick Marker
 * Knight Marker
 * Lollipop Marker
 * Magenta Void Marker
 * Marker Stack
 * Merchant Marker
 * Missing Texture Marker
 * Nebula Marker
 * Obby Marker
 * Paper Marker
 * Phoenix Marker
 * Plaid Marker
 * Polka-Dot Marker
 * Runner Marker
 * Salted Caramel Marker
 * Shadow Marker
 * Spider Marker
 * Strawberry Marker
 * Vermillion Marker
 * Void Marker
 * Wild Marker
 * Wizard Marker
 * Wood Marker
 * Atmosphere Marker
 * Balloon Marker
 * Bioluminescent Marker
 * Black Hole Marker
 * Bubble Bath Marker
 * Burning Marker
 * Couch Marker
 * Cough Drop Marker
 * Devil Marker
 * Gilded Marker
 * Error Marker
 * Gummy Marker
 * Inverted Marker
 * MEGA MARKER!
 * Pebble Marker
 * Plasma Marker
 * Skinny Marker
 * Stormy Marker
 * Sunburnt Marker
 * Sus Marker
 * Teapot Marker
 * Time Marker
 * Winning Marker
 * 90 Degree Marker
 * Alternate Marker
 * Cornbread Marker
 * Danger Marker
 * Foliage Marker
 * Forbidden Marker
 * Medium Stone Grey Marker
 * Mimic Marker
 * Noob Marker
 * Potion Marker
 * Sunlight Marker
 * Supernova Marker
 * Technical Marker
 * Tree Sap Marker
 * Zen Marker
 * Difficulty Chart Marker
 * Reindeer Marker
 * Santa Marker
 * Abacus Marker
 * Beige Marker
 * Bluegrass Marker
 * Comet Marker
 * Cowboy Marker
 * Dark Markery
 * Dreamscape Marker
 * Furnace Marker
 * Goat Marker
 * Malding Marker
 * Moonstone Marker
 * Music Marker
 * Party Marker
 * Peppermint Marker
 * Pixel Marker
 * Popsicle Marker
 * Quagmire Marker
 * Quartz Marker
 * Quest Marker (debut)
 * Quicksand Marker
 * Rainbow Road Marker
 * Rockslide Marker
 * Security Marker
 * Ski Marker
 * Skydiving Marker
 * Stardust Marker
 * Statue Marker
 * Thief Marker
 * Viridian Marker
 * Vitellary Marker
 * Wireframe Marker
 * Wireframe Marker

References:

 * /References

Transcript:

 * /Transcript

Trivia

 * This was the fourth episode to premiere during the "Marker-Land Danger Zone" marathon.