User blog:ThatGuy456/A Guy's Thoughts: (15-11) My 15 Favorite Season 4 Episode

Now, for those of you who have decided to read some of my past work, you might be aware I made a post titled A Blog With Wrong Opinions in which I discussed some of my favorite Season 4 episodes. Upon reexamining, however, I thought I could do a better job on elaborating the episodes, so that is why I deiced to create this three part series in which I discuss my favorite Season 4 episodes. Hopefully, I give much better insight and better captioned photos as well (don't bet on the captions, though; they're never good). This post will be dedicated to discussing spots 15 through 11, consisting of "The Upgrade", "The Roots", "The Slap", "The Wicked", and "The Signature".

Please note that the order is kind of arbitrary as several of these episodes could be swapped on the list and it would still line up with my opinions.

However, before I begin, I would like to bring light to a recent collab between me and Matt. We spent weeks preparing a post in which we debate our thoughts on "The Hero"; said post can be read right here. Both Matt and I would appreciate if you took the time to read this if you have some to spare.

Now, time for some wrong opinions!

Honorable Mentions
Before I start these reviews, I'm just going to list some episodes that are Honorable mentions. If you have further questions on why I hold them to such high esteem, please ask in the comments because I'm not listing reasons here [lazy]. Note that these are in no particular order.


 * "The Advice"
 * "The Detective"
 * "The Misunderstandings
 * "The Love"
 * "The Uploads
 * "The Gift"

15. "The Upgrade"
"The Upgrade" is an episode that is often overlooked in this community, and I fail to understand why. "The Upgrade" is another attempt from Gumball to satirize modern society, this time taking a stab the hype culture for new technology and the disappointment that comes with it. Despite it being a little unconventional for the typical Gumball episode, I feel that "The Upgrade" exceeded with its given formula.

The premise of the episode is that Gumball and Darwin apply a new upgrade to Bobert after learning of the advantages in a hype-worthy trailer. Now, Bobert is an interesting character as in that he is very static, so to speak. Plots involving Bobert typically circle back to one basic idea: he lacks common sense and misinterprets human (animal?, anthro?, toon?) customs (which I'm sure my buddy Matt will be going more in-depth into in his post later this week). Although I feel that there is plenty of mileage one can reap out of the concept and that the writers have done an amazing job keeping things fresh ("The Bet", "The Love" and "The Loophole"), I respect the episode for going out of its way and trying something new with the character. Instead of Bobert attempting to terminate an object out of pure naivety, the episode instead sheds light on Bobert's more technical aspect and the idea of potentially being replaced. The jokes for this episode are also executed brilliantly. The absurd parody of Apple commercials at the beginning of the episode was just perfect, and the excitement of the brothers that quickly follows only helps to better cement the comedy of it all. The visual gags told when Bobert is malfunctioning are also hilarious. Gumball's struggle to decide between New Bobert and regular Bobert was relatable yet comical. Of course, some of the best gags come from Gumball's and Darwin's interactions with the salesmen at the Bobert store; whether it be from the way they blend in the background or their diabolical plan to rip people off, every scene with them managed to make me laugh. The climax is beautiful; the show once again takes advantage of its mixed-medium nature to create something visually appealing. Seeing all the furniture descend down in very unique camera angles really emphasized the visual capabilities of the show. It's no "The Money" or "The Fury", but regardless, it's a delight to see.

"The Upgrade" is a strong episode that deserves more attention for what it is.

14. "The Roots"
Upon the initial airing of "The Roots", the general fanbase thought "The Roots" to be a disappointment of sorts. Fans wanted to see an episode with more drama: an episode in which Darwin would really question his upbringing. I, for one, did not want to see that. I felt as if such a plot would be contradictory to the character that is Darwin. Needless to say, I was part of the 5% that was not disappointed by the episode. Heck, I loved it. "The Roots" is an episode that put comedy first before anything else, and in turn, what viewers got was an absolutely hilarious episode.

Upon finding out that Darwin may potentially be unhappy with his current place in the Watterson household, the rest of the family does everything in its power to make him feel more at home. Right off the bat, the episode delivers some solid jokes such as Gumball's and Nicole's encounter with a real-life cat and Richard's interactions with the store's display parrot. The episode continues to string out some great jokes, even throwing some darker jokes in there, namely the internet history gag, Gumball trying to feed his brother mercury, and my personal favorite, the whale joke (it gets me every time). Heck, even the puns are funny. The climax of the episode in itself is comedy gold; as Nicole explains to her family the motive behind ditching Darwin, Darwin endures some ironic pain that corresponds to Nicole's words: it's a perfect visual gag. The Wattersons are the heart of the episode, and once again, their interactions with each other are well-done. Although the focus is on the comedy, there still is a genuine heart to what the Wattersons hope to accomplish. Silliness in their antics aside, they're only doing it all because of their love for Darwin, and among all the insanity, it's always nice to know there's some heart to it.

Speaking of the Wattersons, the way they conduct themselves in the episode is akin to a family that tries to hard be inoffensive that they come across as super offensive, and I love it. Some of the darker humor comes from their terrible misunderstanding of fish culture, and Darwin's position in the whole fiasco is definitely something I can relate to. My one gripe with the episode is the exchange revealing that the Wattersons are okay with blackmail. Something about the line rubs me the wrong way.

Nitpick aside, "The Roots" is an amazing episode if one views from a different perspective.

13. "The Slap"
I have a confession: when I first read the premise for this episode, I was dead-set that this episode was going to be terrible. The synopsis sounded so idiotic and juvenile, and it steered me away from the episode. The same could be said for many people at the time. However, once I sat down and watched the episode, I was genuinely impressed. The more and more I watched the episode, the more it grew on me until I realized I loved the episode.

The premise: Gumball needs an [REDACTED] slap from Tobias. Simplicity aside, the episode makes up for it by creating an entertaining rising action and climax that not only push some new boundaries, but take a surprising and unexpected twist. One of the episode's strengths is just how far it wants to push the boundary with some of its jokes. The way the episode portrays Gumball puts him in such a light that he comes off as kid who "needs his satisfaction" and is willing to do anything for it. His facial expressions, his dialogue, and his actions help to emphasize this point. His creepy and possessive behavior of Tobias in the lunchroom is probably the best part to come out of this new characterization. His song about getting Tobias to slap his butt also runs for a close second. The unexpected turn helps to keep the episode fresh so that it's just not innuendos for eleven minutes. Not only was this plot twist fresh and interesting, but it was legitimately good, and it was where the episode really shined. It's where we see the meat of the episode: Tobias and Gumball interacting with each other as they struggle for survival. Not only does the episode produce one of the best songs in the entire series, but the episode really allows the clashing-yet-similar personalities of Gumball and Tobias to really gel with each other. The dialogue the two share with each other is near perfection, and it helps to make this episode really stand out. Heck, there's even a small heartfelt scene between the two boys before they die (except not).

"The Slap" is an episode that ends up exceeding expectations and creates another homerun for an already strong season.

12. "The Wicked"
"The Wicked" seems to be a fairly controversial episode among the community: some people were not the biggest fans of it while others seemed to get a real kick out of it. After watching the episode, I came to the verdict that I loved the episode and that it was a joy from start to finish.

"The Wicked" is about Darwin proving to Gumball that evil is a fictitious idea by observing Mrs. Robinson's behavior and trying to find a semblance of goodness to it. What I believe to be one of the episode's strongest aspects is the characterization; the episode really emphasizes the contrasting nature between Gumball and Darwin and how they view the world. Darwin sees the world from an optimistic viewpoint and believes that evil is nothing more than a mere myth. Gumball, however, displays his cynicism, claiming that evil is a thing and Darwin is being silly for pretending it's not. Seeing the two debate this concept in a fairly civilized manner was entertaining to me, especially when it turned out that neither was right nor wrong in the end: the ending proposed that although evil may exist, the forces of karma will always come back to bite. Mrs. Robinson herself is also one of the strongest parts to the episode. Often, it seems as if fans compare her to Harold Wilson in terms of how unlikable she is. However, I very much disagree with this assessment. Harold is a terrible character because his jerkish antics are so grounded in reality; there's no "oomph" to them nor any comedic value to them. Harold is just a run-of-the-mill jerk lacking a sympathetic edge. Mrs. Robinson, however, is so cartoonishly over-the-top, that she ends up becoming hilarious and to a degree, it becomes exciting to see what she is cooking up next. Another good point brought up in this discussion between /u/Maniafig, Matt, and me is that it's less about Mrs. Robinson being a "character" (hence her lack of a backstory), and more about her being this pure force of evil. When looking at the episode from this perspective, one can rationalize Mrs. Robinson's actions much easier; she's not a "person", she's just a hole of darkness. Although it leaves her not very versatile for future episodes, it makes her especially enjoyable in this one. That aside, the episode is still very funny. As somebody who has watched The Sound of Music several times before, the parody to the movie had me laughing at how well they managed to turn such a lighthearted song into something so dark-yet-so-lighthearted. The visual jokes the crew tells with Mrs. Robinson also really hit home, with my favorite being Mrs. Robinson drinking the tears of Billy. Heck, the photos of Mrs. Robinson's sadistic acts as child gets to me every time, especially the burning of Santa Claus (I have no idea on what that says about me as a person).

The climax was very well-executed. Everything was fast-paced in typical Gumball style, delivering gag after gag. From the unexpected robbery to the crashing through the GMOs. everything gels quite nicely to make a highly entertaining climax. It's only a little over a minute, but it's worth every second. In addition, Mrs. Robinson is finally hit by the karma button, giving those wanting to pulverize her for her actions the satisfying conclusion they want.

"The Wicked" is a more twisted episode of Gumball, but the episode manages to remain entertaining throughout making it a must-see, in my opinion.

11. The Signature
"The Signature" is a continuation of the story arcs first established by "The Authority" and "The Man", serving to provide closure by finally revealing Richard's father and marrying off Jojo and Louie. The episode manages to provide the perfect blend of heartwarming moments and comedy that make for an enjoyable episode overall.

Although the episode is tackling a fairly serious subject matter, that being a father abandoning his son for really, really, selfish reasons, the tone manages to not become too heavy, maintaining the staple The Amazing World of Gumball absurdity. The rising action involves Richard setting off a chain reaction of adoptions left and right across the household. It's over-the-top and completely ridiculous, and the show makes it work. The episode takes time to poke fun at the tangled family tree and the questionable connotations that come with it. One of the episode's best scenes come from Nicole and Louie questioning the logic behind their new mother-son relation, respectively. The awkward air that surrounds the two in that scene just brings a smile to one's face in the same way "The Hug" does. Of course, the highlight for most people is the reveal of Frankie Watterson and the race against him to repossess the house. After all the teasing that dates back to "The Watch", it was nice to finally see Frankie's face and it was definitely worth the wait. In addition, the climax was well-done if for anything to see the interactions between Richard, Jojo, Louie, and Frankie, and how each of them evolve from the resolution, specifically Richard and Frankie. To see Richard accept Frankie as his father after all those years of betrayal is a surprisingly mature thing for the character and was sweet to watch the first time. Witnessing Frankie actually reclaim his role as father was also some decent evolution for him after not only seeing him try to steal the house but also after his prolonged absence.

"The Signature" is the perfect blend of "feels" and comedy that weld together to not only quench fan theories, but give one of the show's story arcs the closure it deserves. It's an episode of highest recommendation.

That should conclude part one to this three part series. In the next post, I will be discussing "The Night", "The Scam", "The Bus", "The Romantic", and whatever I can decide for a sixth place (still internally debating).

As always, I'm open to any discussion.