The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Intelligence

"Good morrow, sweet imp!"

Somehow, this onslaught of episodes teemed with diversity, and I'm not talking about subject matter: they all had very different strengths, and sometimes, very different weaknesses. Of the episodes that tried to take satirical angles, though—the others being "The Founder" and "The Schooling"—"The Intelligence" found itself struggling with, surprisingly, finding a way not to package its message, but to tell it. It's a peculiar case of the show emphasizing style over substance, and while the end result is no doubt enjoyable, its message is as straightforward as ever.

This certainly isn't the first time that Gumball has toyed with our fascination with technology and how it distorts our reality ("The Stars" is a particularly infamous example), but there's just not much that "The Intelligence" is actually trying to say. A lot of people are calling it surface-level, but it's not even that, in my opinion; it's flat-out the sense that we need technology and would take it over anything else, regardless of if that alternate reality is better or worse. It barely registers to the point where the meaning comes across almost as lukewarm intention in its lack of sophistication. Naturally, it's a bit unfair to criticize a show for going with a generic idea, but for Gumball, a show that takes joy in its merciless incisiveness, "The Intelligence" just falls short.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Schooling

"Are you trying to deny my consumer right to make bogus complaints to get free stuff?"

Writing episodes centered around trying to teach lessons through commentary is always a risky thing for TV shows to do, and despite being surprisingly adept at it, Gumball doesn't have the cleanest track record either. "The Schooling," thus, was an episode I was initially skeptical of, but it turned out to be, if not a revelation, a pleasant surprise playing to the show's strengths.

Where commentary episodes so often fail is in being ham-fisted; they tend to put whatever message they're trying to get across at the forefront, and then try to align the show's sensibilities in tandem with that message, and the outcome, when done poorly, risks condescension and preachiness, as if exercising an obligation. "The Schooling," though, demonstrates how commentary can be done at its finest: while there's a message underneath—that we undervalue and take for granted a proper education and otherwise neglect the difficulties of the service industry—TAWOG's distinct charm is always at the forefront, and it never relinquishes a part of its identity to get the job done.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Founder

"I either need some food or some therapy... eh. Chips are cheaper."

Here's an interesting episode. Whereas "The Parents" struggled with its use of humor and "The Brain" struggled with its lack of realization, "The Founder," in its relative simplicity, is nothing but unbridled fun. And that's precisely why it works. It takes a simple premise that could've been attempted at any point in the show's run and imbues it with so much charm and ingenuity that it just left me feeling happy. And that's not usually something all of those other hard-edged critics (assuming the criteria is loose enough to include me) even like to acknowledge.

And strangely enough, the success of the episode, while certainly enhanced by Nicole's active role throughout, is almost entirely surrounding Richard. He's a character who, time and time again, has proven difficult to put in the spotlight; his moronic shtick, more often than not, tends to be a crutch at best or a detriment at worst. Yet what allowed him to work in "The Founder" was that even though he demonstrates that same stupidity, it comes across as utterly endearing. He's just a character trying to do his best in a preposterous situation significantly out of control, spiraling to the degree that the co-workers who crowned him as their long-awaited founder convinced him he was the actual founder.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Parents

"I don't want to hear your excuses. I just want you guys back."

Here's a fun fact for everybody out there: in my entire time writing for the show, I haven't covered a single episode that I would describe as "monumental." In fact, the first episode I wrote about was "The Code," coming directly after "The Choices" very intentionally. At the time I was ill-equipped to try to discuss the episode and decided the best option would be to dodge it altogether, but now, a little over a season later, I have to write about a heavy episode. And it won't be the most fun thing ever.

There's a lot of issues with "The Parents." And sure, while it ultimately remains likeable, something entirely by design for what it is, it's marred by its own unique set of issues that prevent it from being what it should theoretically be. I mean... this is Nicole reuniting with her parents. That's a big deal! But marred with emotional contrivances and a self-congratulatory amount of self-awareness, "The Parents" finds itself significantly damaged.

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Brain

"Now is probably the time to drain ourselves." "What do you mean?" "Well, I feel like a giant udder of stupidity, bloated and bursting, waiting for someone, anyone, to milk me." "I agree with Gumball... on the content rather than the form."

We did it, guys: we survived yet another two month long hiatus, and for now, we have five new episodes, followed by another month-long hiatus! I'll be running down each episode over the next five days, so be sure to come back every day as much as possible because I'm desperate for attention. Anyway:

I want to say upfront that, perhaps due to the complete absence of episodes, I appreciated "The Brain" far more than I probably should have; for what it is, it does a good job. That's not to say, though, that it's without its own set of flaws, and it struggles with a lot of issues concurrent with Season 6's more breezy episodes, namely a lack of focus.

First of all, though, it's worth noting that "The Brain," for the most part, plays out precisely as you would expect, for better or for worse. It's another premise bent around the Wattersons attempting to fix up their general stupidity, so we know what we're gonna get: a mish-mash of sight gags and character moments that undermine their effort to wane off of it. It's certainly fun to watch, but throughout the first few minutes, "The Brain" doesn't take many interesting angles.