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.

No, I don't mean anything weird happens (this episode is otherwise pretty pedestrian). It's just that the show so clearly distinguishes its intention with other shows that use the same plot. Gumball's not trying to escape kindergarten out of disgust (heck, if Miss Simian didn't show up, Gumball would be none the wiser)- he's actually having the time of his life. I know it sounds really niche, but that the episode separates itself from others so early on definitely makes the whole thing feel much more original and inspired. I just didn't see the twist coming, so I appreciated it for what it was, however simple.

Eventually, Miss Simian does show up after finding out that she was one student short of her mandate and would be fired if he couldn't get him back. After a bit of semi-guilt-tripping, Gumball obliges, and after a botched study session (Gumball's never studied in his life, which should honestly surprise nobody), it's decided that the only way he can get in is by cheating.

Unfortunately, Gumball can't cheat to save his life. The whole comedy of errors as Gumball repeatedly bombed every attempt to cheat was really inspired because of how much mileage they got out of the concept. Sure, some of it was predictable, what with Gumball using notes written on toilet paper in the bathroom, but if you don't think there's something unique about Miss Simian posing as Venus then I don't know what kind of terrible world you live in. It must be horrifying.

Then there's the ending, which actually worked for once! After Gumball gives up on letting Miss Simian help him, he does the test by himself and passes with a 100. Basically, Miss Simian actually motivated him to study, which is new for two reasons. For one, Gumball studies. Sure, whatever. At the same time, though, he shows that he does care about Miss Simian. It's good to see an empathetic side to Gumball, especially considering how scattered his personality seems from episode to episode. This is the character at his best, and he's being his best for Miss Simian of all people. There's just something truly selfless about that.

This episode is also one of the few times where both the first and second half are drastically different but just as great. Most episodes meander before securing a solid second half, like "The Cycle," but this epsiode was just consistently strong and it really showed.

In addition, again, I thought it was really nice to see Gumball team up with Miss Simian. Yes, the idea of two opposing forces uniting for one cause has been done to death, but it was nice to see that they actually had a bit of chemistry. Both characters were willfully on the same level (literally so in the ending). Whether or not the two really cared for one another, they managed to cooperate to save themselves- further, Gumball didn't even have to help Miss Simian (he was fine with kindergarten), so it's nice to see that he has at least a bit of sympathy in him (especially after the last episode). That's character development for you.

Basically, both characters actually worked. It was essentially a better version of "The Apology" but with a more interesting twist. If only the good feels would carry through for the next episode... [shudders]

Takeaway:
-"Listen, I'm not a furry. I just wanted to know what I'd look like with a tail." The kids, Ben. The kids.
-"Real food in the vending machines?!" "No! Even better!"
-I really liked the shot of Gumball being hoisted out of the classroom without noticing. It's just some clean, fantastic animation.
-Hey, look! The writers found a use for "Think Big" from "The Genius" and it was actually funny instead of a huge waste of time! "The Genius" officially has no reason to exist anymore.
-"They just waddle around with their pants down, grabbing everything they see, and putting it in their mouths, even if it's a part of your anatomy. They get into fights for no reason and end up crying and hugging. Then they just go on slurring unintelligible nonsense and they pass out wherever they feel like it. They're like.. they're like... British tourists."
-"Gumball why is air invisible?" "Because scientists thought it was too ugly to look at and no one would want to breathe it in."

Final Grade: A. This, ladies and gentleman, is a near-perfect episode. They elevated a simple concept, made the unlikely pairing of Gumball and Miss Simian workable, and made a lot of smart little design choices along the way. Perhaps it was because I watched this episode last out of this week's batch after being beleaguered by... other things... but this episode brought back all those good feels. My only complaint is that it's not game-changing, but that doesn't mean it still can't be a good episode.

For the last Gumball review of The Stars, CLICK HERE.