The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Diet

"[Shudders] This is a new low." "Meh, feels like a very familar low."
This is the kind of episode where I feel the need to put an ellipses count at the bottom.That's how concerning this whole thing was. I have no idea how to feel about "The Diet." It was just... really disturbing and uncomfortable. I don't know if I really liked it or hated it, which is a sensation I haven't had in a long time and I really don't enjoy that.

Even from when the description to this episode was leaked, I thought it sounded terrible. It might as well have been ripped straight from Season 6 of SpongeBob, and honestly, this episode felt like that at points. It was just a mess.

At the very least, I thought the first half of the episode was fine. Richard eating multiple diets at the same time was a nice reveal, if not stupid (even by the character's standards). I also liked Gumball and Darwin failing to lock him in the shed, creating a very horror movie-esque scene, and then (of course) the montage of Richard working out, synth rock and crossfades included, was good fun. Unfortunately, the good news doesn't last long enough, because the show just nosedives into something. Something... weirder.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Grades

"It's a world of scheduled nap-times, optional pants, and food you don't need to chew." "You just described a retirement home."
Welcome to the third week of the Gumbomb folks. It's an interesting one to say the least.

I had incredibly low hopes for this episode, so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be really, really good. I mean, the plot is so overdone, but whereas episodes like "The Sorcerer" fail to elevate their tripe storyline, this one raised the bar.

So yeah. The premise is that, because Gumball bombed a test when he was in kindergarten, his GPA is a point too low and he's forced to repeat it.

I will say that I immensely enjoyed the scenes of Gumball in the kindergarten because they shine so true. He's essentially being tortured because of his inhibitions as these kids stuff garbage through his mouth or cover him in glitter. The whole thing is both stupidly comedic and terrifyingly accurate at the same time. However, once Gumball removes the inhibitions that mentally block him, the episode gets interesting.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Stars

"Okay, what do you want to say?" "'I left this hairdresser a sad, broken man.'" "Dad, you went in a sad broken man."
It seems that this episode has proven to be quite divisive. A lot of people have admitted to greatly enjoying it, while a good buddy of mine is, I assume, preparing to metaphorically piss all over it, for a lack of better terms. So, with that being said, what did I think?
Well, it was fine. I feel like it's been a bit overhyped at this point, either for being amazing or terrible, so when I go into the episode with much more defined expectations, I only get underwhelmed. That being said, I can still recognize this episode as good- just nothing too special.

The whole premise is that Richard is angry at Larry for giving him a bad haircut (or calling him bald, or both- it's really not that clear), so Gumball and Darwin get him to write a review online. Larry finds the review, but bends easily to try to appease Richard, causing the kids to go on a reviewing spree to exploit Larry's weakness and get free stuff along the way. Basically, for their self-gain, they're just effing with Larry as much as possible.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Cycle

"Doo doo doo! Can Richard Watterson please come to collect his dignity from the front desk?"
What a mundane episode.
When I read the description and saw the promo, the first thing I was worried about was that this would effectually become an episode along the lines of modern SpongeBob- at best, forgettable and light, but at worst, mean-spirited and frustrating. This episode, while not that, fell dangerously close. It just never really felt like an episode of Gumball. It lacked a lot of the zany character interactions and smart jokes that have come to define the series, and I know why: it's Harold. But we'll get to that soon enough.

The whole premise is that Harold is being mean to Richard, and the kids are trying to get to the bottom of it all and help their dad get some revenge or, at the very least, a bit of closure. After a series of attempts to address the situation maturely, the gang decides to trick him by leaving a fake check for a billion dollars on the side of the road. Before they can tell Harold that they pranked him, though, he goes off on a lavish march back home, quits his job by manhandling his boss, replaces his wife, and is about to detonate his house. The kids are happy that he is inadvertently ruining his life, but Richard decides to man up and be honest to set it straight with Harold.

In the end, when Richard is about to tell Harold the truth about the check, Harold points out a bit of skywriting he created as to insult Richard ("Sorry we couldn't fit all of you in there. There wasn't enough space on the canvas."), causing Richard to have a change of heart, instead telling Harold he should stack his dynamite closer together for a more intensive blast. We then see a massive explosion in the background and that's it. The plot isn't particularly innovative- it just kind of drifts along- but I at least appreciate how the pace sped-up right when Harold found the check and more interesting things started to happen.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Catfish

"Umm.. I like mortgages and voting, and... I drive cars with my driver's license."
I'm sure a lot of people were more into this episode, but I found it to be completely servicable. There's nothing wrong with it and I found a fair amount to be funny, sure, but it felt largely forgettable. It's a fine episode, if not one you would really pinpoint as being a high point for the show, let alone the season.

The premise is simple: Louie is lonely, so Gumball and Darwin set up a fake ElmorePlus account under the name of Muriel to make him feel he has a friend. However, when Granny Jojo finds out, she goes berserk and possessive, attempting to kill the REAL not-Muriel, but Gumball and Darwin come to the rescue and set it straight.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Console

(Sorry this is late, I was preoccupied. That shouldn't surprise you that much.)

"Okay, we need to find this Awesome Store before we all start growing anime hair."
I was super cautious about approaching this episode. Don't get me wrong, I was excited, but I tried to rationalize how likely it would fail. Well, it was amazing. However, because this article is up so late already and so many people already know it by heart, I'm just going to skip to my thoughts. No plot synopsis.

There is so much to like about this episode, but most importantly, they managed to nail to source material better than any other show I've ever seen. I mean it: there is not another show that I can think of that has such an acute understanding of how this kind of stuff works and is able to make every joke flow perfectly instead of feeling contrived.

Seriously. Almost every cartoon has done a video game episode. So few get it right, yet here we have Gumball, which has nailed it so many times already - "The Phone," "The Words," "The Blame" - but to have the audacity to pull out the most generic concept possible - "THEY GET SUCKED INTO A VIDEO GAME" - and utterly destroy the source material is insane.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Box

"Why did you choose to merge with a cockroach?" "Just imagine what I could do with the powers of a nuclear-resistant parasite!" "Repel girls even more?"
I blame myself, I really do. Perhaps it was because yesterday's episode was immaculate. Perhaps it was because I've been surprised by almost all of the recent episodes and inadvertently raised expectations a bit too high. Unfortunately, I found this episode to be just... fine. Not bad enough for there to be too many salvageable points that stand out and not good enough for what works to be consistent. This was just flat peaks and moderate valleys. Don't get me wrong- some of it I did appreciate. Most of it, however, I did not.

"The Box" is, in effect, a slightly different version of the much-superior "The Check." My main issue is that the latter was completely original and astonishingly smart with every approach it took (see: Darwin accidentally founds a corrupt charity, Anais attempts Marxist utopianism, Gumball destroys the universe). Here, a lot of the ideas felt reheated and lacking in originality, and when you top that with a surprisingly boring ending, there's no true satisfaction to be gained from it.

The premise is a simple one that serves merely as a launching point: Gumball finds a box on their front porch, but nobody ordered it, so they all take turns imagining its contents. No, seriously, that's it. There's not much set up like in "The Check" either. It worked fine, though: it makes sense that a suspicious box would be found by chance and without reason. That's how it works.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Matchmaker

"So, would you like to go out somewhere sometime and do something? Or- or we could go somewhere else sometime and so some other thing..." "Mmm. They both sound great."
Remember when "The Shell" came out and that was the pinnacle? That episode became the instant favorite almost unanimously, a testament to the sheer power of the show to conjure up something both comedic and sweet.

Granted, "The Matchmaker" will probably never hold the same captivating grasp as "The Shell" did, not on the fans and certainly not on the show, where Darwin's sidelined already, but here's the thing: I found this episode to be better.
Allow me to explain.

My main issue with "The Shell" was its sheer simplicity in the narrative. Don't get me wrong- that's one of the most powerful things you can possibly do if done properly, and the writers certainly knocked that episode out of the park. For me, though, "The Matchmaker" was even more effective because it saved the emotional closer for the end- it didn't have the intense build-up, sure, but the fact of the matter is that there were effectively two conflicts going on throughout the episode instead of one major concept - in this case, Darwin's forced love for Teri and Carrie's true, unrequited love for Darwin (which has been up in the air for a really long time) - and in finding the proper balance between the two, the show was able to execute something both emotionally and comedically strong.

Admittedly, there wasn't a moment capable of topping Banana Joe watching fruit porn, okay? That remains the high mark of the entire series. At the same time, though, that's really the only shockingly funny thing about "The Shell," which shifts focus more on story. This episode was consistently hilarious, and I actually mean that. The sheer amount of inventive and weird twists the writers were able to put into the episode is remarkable.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Vase

"Ugh, it's like a ceramic cry for help."
I have a feeling that this is one of those episodes that a lot of people are going to dismiss immediately, and I get why. It's simple. There's nothing in the episode that carries any weight. It's just what it is: a story of Gumball, Darwin, and Anais trying to destroy a hideous vase and failing miserably. Personally, however, I think that it works entirely through its simplicity.

Realistically, I just explained the whole premise, but there is a bit more to it. The kids try to destroy a vase they got from Granny Jojo, repeatedly failing in spite of every ridiculous effort they make, eventually leading them to take it to the wrecking yard. At the same time, however, Nicole finds out that Granny Jojo sent them the wrong vase, with the one she received containing the ashes of Louie's pet python, so now she has to frantically save the day and retrieve the vase before it gets destroyed... presumably destroyed, of course.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Outside

"So officer, allow me to explain why I'm running through the streets in a striped jumpsuit, handcuffed to a tattooed delinquent." 
The basic premise of the episode is that after meeting Frankie and seeing the squalor he lives in, Anais concludes that his primitive surroundings and lack of understanding of modern technology suggests he spent the last 30 years away from his family in a prison, meaning that if they want him to feel welcome, they have to replicate a prison-like environment.

In other words, the episode is centered on poor Frankie being condemned confusedly as much as possible, and while other shows would flounder with the concept by being too mean-spirited (take notes, SpongeBob), the premise works because of Frankie's ongoing charisma, baffled as he is, and I think that's what makes the episode interesting. The idea is weird and pretty prone to failure, and it certainly would've been a crash-and-burn if the writers didn't know what they were doing. However, with Frankie, they manage to strike up a nice juxtaposition between his attempts to maintain a positive spin and everyone else inadvertently making that task as difficult as possible. In addition, the fact that their cruelty to him is from a genuine attempt to comfort him works to hide at least some of the moral issues involved.

Honestly, until the ending, there's no set path for the episode, which I do think is a concurrent issue with more recent Gumball episodes, but the format allows the crew to do what they do best: exploit as much comedy as possible out of the scenario before allowing for progression. And what they manage to pull off is, for a lack of expanded diction, magnificent.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Fuss

"Good choice! Beige balloons... Like a visual Muzak. As non-committal as can be."
The writers for TAWOG have this amazing ability to take even the most overdone ideas and somehow elevate them into something truly original. Case and point: everybody forgets about Nicole's special day. In spite of this, it's through a series of well-executed fourth-wall breaks, and a touching ending that the episode transcends the playing field.

I'll summarize a bulk of the plot right now. Nicole emerges angrily at the rest of the family, blatantly unaware of her special day and work to figure out what it is or, at the very least, compromise by throwing a fully non-committal party in hopes of pulling the wool over her eyes. That's all standard stuff, but the episode, instead of floundering with the concept, decides to have Nicole spill it only to realize she got the date wrong, but not quickly enough.

That being said, the floundering was exceptional. At first, Nicole thinks they're trying to hide a surprise party, believing the mailman to be delivering a sonogram (who then proceeds to deliver a delightfully dark show-tune about the IRS. Too real, guys) and witnesses several balloons on the corner who are, in fact, holding a funeral, which is just so weird that you have to admire it. I especially appreciated the sad song Nicole started only to realize her family was setting the scene, fake rain and all to appease her anger (but fail miserably when Richard electrocutes himself). It's the one thing the show does best: set an expected scene and then subvert it, but it works time and time again because we never anticipate the outcome. In this case, it simply worked gloriously.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Potato

"Hey, what are you doing?" "I'm salting the roads for ice." "But it's like 90 degrees out here, and it's June!" "I am so fired."
When this and the other episodes were leaked, I deliberately didn't watch them right away so that I could watch it with a good friend of mine whom I'm working on re-introducing the show to. Right when it was over, the first thing she messaged to me was "I think I've seen that episode before."

Obviously, that's completely wrong, and me pointing that out isn't really introducing you to any information you couldn't already assume, but it leads me to my point: this episode was completely passable, if not a little bit samey.

The main premise is that Darwin, seeing Idaho get offended whilst performing what I can only describe as potato torture porn, decides to stop eating potatoes to show support for his friend while Gumball works to help distract him from his withdrawal symptoms.

Admittedly, the middle portion of the episode is a pretty great sweet spot to employ as many jokes as possible, and it's where the episode shines the most. The self-relaxation CD where the narrator himself falls asleep was clever, for instance. Perhaps more pointed was the bit where Sarah, who joins in to help Darwin curb his cravings, shows him aversion therapy, failing on the basis that it was advertising but with different music and a blue tint. Ultimately, though, the highlight of the episode (and, so far, a true standout for the season) was Gumball looking up "Things to do with your hands" to help Darwin find a way to distract himself, only to yell "WOAH!" in shock, and, after some extended silence, "Origami!" There isn't much more to be said on how adept the series is when it comes to subtle (and not-so-subtle, on the occasion) adult humor, but the comedic timing and execution knocked it out of the park. (The two proceeding to fold up Terri's parents was also a nice reveal, if not a bit forced.)

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Copycats

"Gumball, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "No, Chi-Chi's thinking what I'm thinking."
Well, it's been a long time coming. "The Copycats" seems to have been dangling over us for eternity as we waited ever-so patiently for its release, enduring the great episode drought of 2016-2017. (Granted, I'm not too excited about CN blowing a solid third of the season over the course of one month instead of extending the show's run, but I digress.) Was the wait worth it?

How is that even a question? Of course it was. Even if the episode was a complete botch, it would've succeeded due to the sheer brilliance of the idea alone. It's Gumball and family meeting their Chinese knock-off counterparts. That's the pinnacle of meta comedy that's never been attempted in the slightest by anybody else in any shape or form, and to see that idea knocked completely out of the park is simply a wonder to behold.

The episode starts off innocently enough, with a simple enough exchange, before Gumball and Darwin walk off-screen, paving the way for Chi-Chi (fake Gumball) and Ribbit (fake Darwin), who reenact the exact same exchange, but are busted by the real guys, leading to some confusion and a couple of gags (no, like literal choking-type gags). On the ride back from the store, the two tell their parents and Anais of their strange encounter, who dismiss it immediately until they see the fake family right across from them.