The Question

"The Question" is the twenty-eighth episode of Season 3 of The Amazing World of Gumball and the 104th overall.

Synopsis
Gumball and Darwin try to find the answer to the meaning of life.

Plot
At the beginning, Gumball and Darwin demand their breakfast. Nicole gives it to them, but they complain when they see that they were given a new brand of natural cereal, with Gumball remarking that it looks like medieval prison food. Nicole counters this by saying that it is real, and says that she will be throwing away their old favorite brand of cereals because they're very unhealthy. The three of them soon start arguing, but this ends when Gumball and Darwin thank Nicole for having the courage to say "no" to their wants. When Nicole leaves, Gumball and Darwin reveal that they already took their favorite cereal, with Gumball hiding them in his sweater. They try to make the most out of their cereal, and attempt to get an instant sugar rush. The two try many methods, and finally succeed when they eat the cereals with their eyes.

As they become very hyper, they start flying through the universe, thinking about many things (like the guy who invented mustaches, and how pigeons don't do anything). They then come to a big question: what's the point of their life? Gumball and Darwin come back to reality (finding themselves in a far away location from where eating). Gumball declares that he will find out the meaning of life, and Darwin says he'll be helping as well - as soon as he gets a pair of handcuffs, and a tattoo on his butt off of him.

Gumball and Darwin start their quest for the answer, and inadvertently cause Mr. Small (who claims to have the answer) to run after them. The brothers first ask Larry what life might mean. Larry eagerly responds that his life is all work, and that it is very important. Then after he recites his daily routines repeatedly, he realizes that all he does is work. Distressed and shocked, Larry kisses his fiancee goodbye, throws his manager away, steals Mrs. Robinson's car, and (with Gumball and Darwin), drives to the beach. Still reciting his monotonous routines, he swims off into the sea.

Not satisfied with Larry's answer, they go to Alan. Alan says that his meaning of life is to be good to others which will make them help you in exchange, and make the world a better place. But when Bomb Boy and Pink Bear trash Alan's stuff and prepare to beat him up, Gumball and Darwin are not persuaded by Alan's answer, and run off to home.

At home, the boys ask their mother what she thinks of life's meaning. Nicole scares her children by saying that life is either (with her demonic voice, and setting the background on fire) "crushing your enemies," or (saying this gently) having a family. The brothers go to Richard who tells them that his life is all about the "indulgence of the senses" (which Gumball simply takes as "stuffing [his] face"). Anais's answer is to learn as much as you can. When her brothers ask her nonsensical questions she cannot answer, Anais abandons her quest for knowledge, and follows her father's quest for "blissful ignorance."

In the forest of doom, the creatures respond to the boy's question by singing while eating each other, all the time telling Gumball and Darwin that their life is to eat. The two escape after the largest creature decides to have them for dessert, but instead decides to dine on Mr. Small when he arrives in the scene. The brothers run to the nearby graveyard, where a ghost emerges. He tells them that they should live life to the fullest, also telling them about how he did that by jumping out of a plane several times. When he asks the Watterson brothers if they would prefer 70 seconds of living life to the fullest, or 70 years of living life boringly, Gumball and Darwin prefer the last options, and leave.

In the gym, Coach confronts the duo after Gumball unintentionally hits Rocky with a skipping stone. After they ask her, Coach says that life's meaning is finding yourself. She exaggerates the challenges it will take to achieve this (like climbing the highest mountain), and unfortunately Mr. Small takes this literally. Desperate for an answer, Gumball asks the whole universe. The planets answer with a really long song (long to Gumball and everyone else on Earth since the planets are so slow). The song ends 4.75 billion years later as The Sun explodes.

When Gumball and Darwin give up and sit beside Sussie on a bench, Sussie surprises them by giving them a satisfying answer to the meaning of life: "life is about the journey, and making friends along the way," and that "the true meaning of life is finding your own way to enjoy it." The episode ends with Sussie throwing pigeon mayo around, and the brothers laughing at Mr. Small (who slipped on the mayo earlier).

Main Characters

 * Gumball
 * Darwin

Supporting Characters

 * Mr. Small

Minor Characters

 * Nicole
 * Richard
 * Anais
 * Daisy the Donkey (on a flyer)
 * Gary
 * Marvin
 * Cyclops Dog
 * Larry
 * Karen
 * Ripley 2000 Manager
 * Mrs. Robinson
 * Alan
 * Bomb Guy
 * Pink Bear
 * Purple Squirrel
 * Snake
 * The Creatures
 * Ghost
 * Rocky
 * Coach
 * Earth
 * The Moon
 * Saturn
 * Planet Cosmos
 * The Sun
 * Sussie
 * Pigeons

Trivia

 * This episode aired on the same day as "The Butterfly."
 * Music from "The Bumpkin" and "Halloween" are reused.
 * This episode confirms Elmore is situated in California because when the transition to space is shown, the camera can be seen zooming out of the Vallejo area.
 * The Ripley 2000 Manager sounds different than he did in "The Refund." He might have gotten a new voice actor.
 * This episode was originally titled "The Answer."

Continuity

 * Mr. Small's van Janice reappears in this episode. It first appeared in "The Void," and made a subsequent cameo in "The Mothers."
 * The Ripley 2000 Manager appears for the first time since Season 1 with "The Refund."
 * This is the ninth time we see Darwin's butt (tenth time if you count the trailer).
 * Music from "The Secret" and "Halloween" is reused.
 * This is the fourth time where Gumball can be seen wearing girl clothes. The first three were "The Dress," "The Meddler," and "The Tape."
 * This is the second time Darwin can be seen communicating with animals. The first time was in "The Burden."
 * It's shown the Gumball's cereals collection from "The Poltergeist."

Cultural References

 * Nicole's quote regarding the meaning of life is a reference to Conan the Barbarian's thoughts on what is "best in life."
 * The planet's song is similar to Monty Python's "Galaxy Song."
 * The logo of Natura Cereals bears some resemblance to the "Quaker Man" logo.

Goofs

 * When the Ripley 2000 Manager says "Needlemeyer, what do you think you are--," the captions state that he said "Needelemeyer, buddy, I think you are--".
 * When Larry drives to the ocean, two humans can be seen in the background near the boat.
 * When Richard leaves, the stick of butter that he just ate reappears on the table. It suddenly disappears in the next scene, as well.
 * When the bird eats the snake, the big lump in the snake's stomach disappears.
 * Two versions of Mars can be seen at one point during the "Your Life Doesn't Count" musical number.