User blog comment:Nacho1804/Season 6 Expectations Analysis 4: I'm Running Out of Ideas/@comment-30307603-20180429173409

Okay, so I am late to the point that all of these episodes are now available in some form or another, so rather than sharing predictions, I wish to talk about the episodes themselves. Specifically, I would like your stance on the Penny debacle surrounding "The Pact" and the original character controversy in regards to "The Shippening."

Personally, I was okay with Penny having no lines in "The Pact." It was not an episode about Penny; it was an episode about Gumball and Principal Brown. Penny served her purpose as the catalyst to the plot; having her play a more active role would have taken away focus from Gumball's and Principal Brown's dispute. I will say that the lack of Penny as whole since Season 5 is somewhat concerning and warrants its own conversation as to how the show treats the character.

I never took "The Shippening" to be a mean-spirited jab at fans. Mr. Bocquelet and the crew have shown numerous occasions to be grateful for the fans and often thank them for allowing the show to prosper as much that it does. This episode was made so that the crew could laugh with the fans, not at them. No fact is more telling of this than the fact Mr. Bocquelet asked fans themselves about potential pairings and original characters to place in the episode. I do understand where some are coming from with their complaints, but I feel in this situation context is necessary and completely changes the narrative. I will say that I feel as the crew should have formally acknowledged the artists of the original characters in the opening credits as opposed to later crediting them in a tweet, but it is not an absolute must and they are not overstepping any legal boundaries by not doing so.

What do you think? I'm honestly interested in what you have to say.