User blog:ThatGuy456/A Guy's Thoughts: (Week 2) "New Amazing World of Gumball in February!"

Week 2 of this lovely event to rush through these episodes spoil Gumball fans rotten has brought about some very interesting episodes. With 4 down, 12 more to go, this post will tackle the 4 episodes for this week. As always with my posts, this one will include analysis, photos, and my terrible attempt to be funny (my captions).

For those curious, here's a link to my thoughts on the previous batch of episodes for this event.

Spoiler warning:

The Vase
"The Vase" was a relatively simple episode. The premise was that the Watterson children had to destroy a voice gifted upon their family by their grandmother. Although the very simplistic plot may turn some people away, I feel as if the episode uses its simplicity as one of its strengths making for an enjoyable 11 minutes. The episode used its simple premise and squeezed as much creative juice out of it possible.

The dynamic between the Watterson children when destroying the vase works, as per usual. Seeing all of the children incorporating their personalities into destroying the vase in the montage was quite entertaining. How they exaggerate the problem, complete with fantasies and the reverence of the vase also made for some good laughs. I especially love their attempt to destroy the vase via postal mail services; it was perfect. Nicole also manages to get some shine in this episode, and she manages to be a captivating character. Her cynical philosophy on how to channel one's inner feelings was humorous as well as her ironic interactions with her children; her strained relationship with Granny Jojo is also funny. She also get her own action sequence when trying to retrieve the vase was a joy to watch, and it really emphasized how far the animation has come. Sometimes, it's good for the show to just take a step back and do these simplistic episodes; it adds a sense of variety. "The Vase" was that simple episode, but it was a simple episode that worked with its premise to the fullest. "The Vase" isn't the best episode in my opinion, but it's worth a watch.

Also, that commercial is probably one of the funniest segments in this episode batch.

The Matchmaker
Now, "The Matchmaker" was a very interesting episode. Not only did it suffice the desires of Darwin/Carrie fans, but it may also potentially a game changer for both characters, provided they're utilized well. Needless to say, "The Matchmaker" proved to be an amazing episode and a personal favorite of mine.

The episode's basic premise is that Gumball and Carrie work together to hook Darwin and Teri up using "the dark arts and a dangerous weapon", the catch being that Darwin never liked Teri, but rather Carrie. It's no surprise Darwin has a crush on Carrie; it's been hinted in previous episodes ("Halloween", "The Oracle", "The Scam"). However, outside of a little bit of focus in "The Scam", this is really the first time the viewers get to see Carrie's requited feelings and how they influence her choices. Witnessing Carrie and her emotional coaster from jealousy to disappointment really helped to better flesh-out this proposed pairing of Darwin/Carrie, and made for some good heartfelt character interactions. This episode also manages to deliver some solid jokes. The relativity bleak view Gumball has on school romances (ironic, considering he's with Penny, though) and the subtle drug joke were a nice touch. Gumball's and Carrie's (half-hearted) attempt to scare Teri into the quarantine room was quite delightful; the joke that immediately followed revealing Darwin "supposedly" ready to romance the nurse just had the comedic timing down to a tee that really made it work. Gumball's and Carrie's reaction to Darwin's and Teri's questionable behavior when they're first injected with the love potion is also perfect, especially Gumball. The "match-breaking" segment had the montage that exposed Darwin for all of his kisses, and this hands down, was one of the funniest things the crew has ever done. This episode also left viewers with a satisfying, heart warming, and absolutely adorable ending; hopefully, the writers will follow suit with Darwin and Carrie taking it to the next level. They're contrasting natures in personality could make for some good stories and interactions as a couple, and I hope the writers plan to take advantage of these potential scenarios.

"The Matchmaker" is a feel-good love story that any Gumball fan should take a look into. It's no "The Shell", but sometimes, such grandiose isn't needed to make a satisfying love story.

The Box
"The Box" seems to be a spiritual successor to "The Check", with the Wattersons fantasizing about the package's contents, and while I don't think it's as good "The Check", I find that "The Box" is still a very enjoyable episode that makes the most of the different Wattersons' personalities.

The episode utilizes the fact that all of these events are occurring in the Wattersons' head, and it utilizes that fact well. Gumball screwing around with his portal gun and slowly de-evolving into a monstrous creature really captured how well this series can do disturbing humor without coming off as too "edgy", for a lack of a better term. Nicole imagining a life of adventure and money made for a very fun segment. Richard and his dream to become a super-intelligent bio-weapon and even have some time with the president was awesome and funny at the same time, and although short, Darwin's attempt to have a musical number before Gumball grabs the camera made me laugh harder than it probably should have. Heck, even Mr. Robinson gets some time to shine towards the end with his long monologue about his disease; the speech is long enough that it squeezes every ounce of comedic juice it can get but not too long that it overstays its welcome given its substance.

The only segment I didn't really like was Anais's; I found her little tirade about how the box could lead to a zombie apocalypse to be slightly generic, especially when compared to the much superior "The Joy". The section just lacked that Gumball charm, and the fact that most of the zombies were standard zombies as opposed to Elmore residents doesn't really help. It's especially a bummer that Anais's section wasn't all that good because I felt as if her fantasy was the best part of "The Check". "The Box" is another solid episode worth taking a look into; also, it's a small detail, but I really like the rain effects in this episode. Something about them looks really nice and authentic.

The Console
"The Console" is a parody of the RPG genre of gaming, and it's safe to say that it's a very well-done parody. Just like "The Blame", it really shows that the writers know their gaming tropes and how to properly use them.

The episode follows the Watterson children and their journey across Elmore after a gaming portable transforms real life into an RPG video game, complete with tedious side quests, grinding, and bosses. "The Console" takes even the smallest of non-nonsensical RPG elements, such as ALL CAPS and "invisible walls" and makes it hilarious. The portion of the episode in which Gumball loots Mr. Robinson of practically everything he has ever had pride was just perfectly on-point, and the children grinding was also quite humorous, especially when they resorted to taking out other residents. However, the best part has to be when Gumball wastes hours finding an elderly woman's pigeons in a long and boring side quest due to his compulsion to 100% complete the game (it's quite relatable). This episode does not feel half-baked or made to fill a "quota"; it genuinely knows what its doing. Unlike most video-game-like episodes simply written by people who don't have a full understanding of the genre, Mr. Bocquelet and his crew really are fans of the genre, with Mr. Bocquelet even stating Final Fantasy VII was an inspiration for this episode (https://twitter.com/benbocquelet/status/832234603268206593). Even some of the aspects that aren't comedically called out have ample attention put into them. The looping animations on the characters, the lovely pixel art, and the battle sequences (especially the final battle with Gumball's friends and family coming together) really emphasize this. "The Console" is a good example of what Gumball can do with its medium when given the chance; the episode really does feel like a well-put together video game. Also, it's a small detail, but I do like how Gumball legitimately didn't want to fight Penny and how he felt guilty after the battle; minute details like this are always nice and do show a good deal of care for how the characters conduct themselves.

Overall, "The Console" is one of Season 5's best episode thus far and it really emphasizes the care the crew pours into the episodes.

Closing Thoughts
Like last week, here's a summarized version of my thoughts on Season 5 thus far:

Loved: "The Rerun", "The Stories", "The Vision", "The Choices", "The Test", "The Copycats", "The Fuss", "The Matchmaker", "The Console"

Liked: "The Slide", "The Loophole", "The Potato", "The Outside", "The Vase", "The Box"

Okay: "The Guy", "The Code"

Meh: "The Boredom"

Next week, I'll be discussing my thoughts on "The Ollie", "The Catfish", "The Cycle", and "The Stars". I have some not-too-nice things to say about "The Stars", so next week's post should be interesting, to say the least.

Shout-out to Matt
Matt is also a user here, and he too writes some Gumball analysis content. On this site specifically, he tries to give often hated episodes a second chance. He does a legitimately good job on it, but he doesn't get enough attention for it, sadly, so I'm linking to it here (the link is in the heading). This week's post is about "The Extras", so give it a look if you have the time.