The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Decisions

"There! I made a decision to do... exactly what that guy told me... ugh."

Self-awareness in late seasons of a TV show is something of a double-edged sword. In some cases, it comes across as smarmy, making fun of your show's own failings without making any proper amendments to fix them, but in other cases, it's a step towards fixing some deeper-set issues. Whether or not "The Decisions" was able to symbolically fix up Darwin's spotty history as a character over the past few seasons of sidelining, it's far more in the latter lane than the former.

Darwin's always been something of a difficult character for the show to grapple with. While there are some pretty solid spotlights here and there, most recently with "The Sucker," he's relegated to a supporting role without even the faintest bit of influence over what's going on too many times to count, and while he once had a fun level of tact in that role (like in "The Hug," by calling out Gumball's idiocy), the past two seasons have eroded most of that away, making him a pleasant but biteless partner-in-crime. That's what makes "The Decisions" so exciting in its self-awareness: Darwin finally realizes that all he does is whatever Gumball tells him, and he needs to learn how to forge his own path in life.

He attempts this, first, by seeking apprenticeship from Alan. It's sort of weird to see him back after getting what looked like such a grandiose exit earlier in the season, but his existence in "The Decisions" makes perfect sense, and to the show's credit, it doesn't do anything in terms of re-configuring Alan's personality to create conflict; if anything, Darwin's life under Alan's leadership is flawless. Gumball is smarter than that, though, and it recognizes that Darwin literally just doing as Alan says, while solving his problems, isn't more personally fulfilling—if anything, it sends him into a downward spiral leading to him slipping and falling into causing a riot at the mall, where water gushing out of a broken pipe threatens to drown everyone inside.

There's a cool duality to the rest of the episode, with Gumball and Alan fighting for his attention like two shoulder devils. Gumball gets to pop in a deliciously meta joke, too, saying Darwin should try to resolve everything with a song, but "The Decisions" isn't stooping down to those levels again. Alan attempts to plug the bursted pipe, but fills up uncontrollably, pinning Gumball down, and for once, nobody can tell Darwin what to do. So he does it himself.

I'm sorry if I'm nerding out over that a little bit, but it's legitimately exciting to see the writers take a step back and finally give Darwin some more time to shine. "The Decisions" is possibly the most dramatic way for him to prove his own sense of self-worth, with him going greenhorn, swimming to the water valve, and shutting it down before popping open a clog in the mall's water fountain to expel the rest of said water. With that, Darwin saves the day and proves that he isn't just Gumball's yes-fish, he's a gosh-darn fish. With legs.

And here's the thing: I know that there's a handful of people who aren't particularly big fans of the episode, but I can't see that much wrong with it aside from that it doesn't fix every issue of the past two seasons, which is just an impossible feat. It's unfortunate for the show, and fixing such a visible issue takes more time than we have left, but as it stands, "The Decisions" is one for Darwin's highlight reel. I've written entire reviews for episodes where Darwin's in the main cast without mentioning his name once, and to see an episode where he's the one most relevant, and where he has all the screentime, just makes me happy. Of all of the characters over the past season to get one final, dramatic episode, Darwin probably needed the most, and he sure as heck got it.

Notes and Quotes:

-Tobias, once again, proves that he's the best member of the series' supporting cast with one of his most pathetic pick-ups yet: "Ladies, the Equator called, it wants its hotness back. From me. Because I'm hot. For you. Or you."

-"Huh, that went pretty well, don'tcha think?" "Uh, no, he ran off crying!" "Well, like I always say, you gotta break them down to build them back up again, then you break them down again, and then you build them up again! Then down again, then up again, then it's down, down, up, up, down, up, then all the way up, and then a little bit down, and then you're done!"

-"Best way to deal with rioters? Seal them in, and let them all get it out of their system!" 

-The gag of showing Darwin at a fork in the road, having to choose one of two hallways before going down one before quickly backing out and realizing it's a dead end, was the best joke of the episode.

-This time on Gen Z Reality Check: No Gen Zer questions the tastiness of meringue. That constitutes as sacrilege of the highest order, as baked goods are not to be jostled with in such frivolous ways. See exceptions: fruitcake, Best Western cheese danish, end of list. Otherwise, high marks.

FINAL GRADE: B+. "The Decisions" is Gumball sticking to its tried-and-true formula, but it takes them and twists them into a complete success with the revelatory central casting of Darwin (as well as a smart call on including Alan), giving him a stellar episode where he can take the lead and prove his place in the series, even if a bit late in the game. There might be a hint of bitterness in some people's mouths, who could argue it's an empty-handed gesture in lieu of actual progress, but the care put into the episode, I should hope, speaks for itself, with Darwin emerging as the unequivocal hero.

For the last Gumball review of "The Revolt," CLICK HERE.

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