User blog:Mattalamode/A Second Opinion: Individual Appeals: Part I

Introduction
Alright, so here's what's happening. A week and a half ago, I asked /r/gumball what their least favorite episodes were. The gist is as follows: instead of doing standard articles, I'm doing slightly briefer individual appeals. Most of these episodes aren't universally hated: it's a matter of personal taste. I just think it's important to pump some more blood into this thing, y'know? Add interaction. It'll be fun.

Unfortunately, I severely underestimated how many people wanted to participate. As such, I'll be dividing the initial idea of a mega-article into two still-pretty-mega-articles. I don't know why that would make anybody particularly salty, but if it's rubbing anybody the wrong way, let me defend my actions.

If I were to 16-ish episodes from 12-ish people all in one article, it would grow not only tiresome to read but tiresome on myself. I want to be energetic and excited about writing this kind of stuff, but if I stack my workload up too high, the quality of the article would glaringly deterio-gen-aria-rate. (That was so forced.) By breaking it up, I can remain interested in what I'm doing, which is important! I'm doing this for fun, and when you take the fun out of the equation, it would be pointless.

With that out of the way, let's do this!

/r/Splurdge - "The Laziest"
''"I hated 'The Laziest' almost every main character is at their worst here." ''

For a while, I thought about making "The Laziest" its own article, but I opted not to, because as good of an idea as that theoretically is, I personally don't care for the episode that much. That being said, I do appreciate it a decent amount more than others.

The main issue is, of course, Richard, and I can't really defend him. The show just did a terrible job portraying him here: the idea that he's lazy isn't groundbreaking for the show, but they put it upfront as if it were a revelation worthy of its own storyline and it only serves to make Richard look like even worse of a character. Combine that with him throwing his kids under the bus at the end of the episode and it's really easy to dismiss this episode.

That being said, though, it's an episode a lot like "The Picnic" or even "The Cycle" in the sense that it has an awful plot but is deploys some excellent jokes along the way. Honestly, I think that "The Laziest" has some of the strongest singular moments in the first season.

The whole "Summer of '83' joke is one of the best of Season 1 because of how it starts as a stupid aside and the keeps evolving despite making no progress at all. It's the same joke over and over again but it works because of its increasing intensity. It's almost a prototype for the nonstarters that the show has come to embrace in that it sets you up for some trope to play out but immediately shuts it down which, while arguably a bit overused in recent seasons, is always a nice surprise.

Then there's also Gumball and Darwin annoying the crap out of poor Larry which is probably the definitive example of the episode's humor code during the time: it's all about taking a simple concept and just running with it into points of insanity without a logically-sound reason. Seriously, they did at least 5 episodes centered around that general concept in Season 1 and this is the only time they were truly able to grasp the concept and just let it flow. Sure, the outcome was a bit cruel in the sense that they ruined Larry's life for the sake of self-gain (which didn't even end up panning out), but I still think it worked. It's slim pickings, okay? Morality should only really be an issue from Season 2 onwards when all the writers knew what they were working with. Insulting their writing skills in Season 1 is like yelling at me for being a terrible artist based on the macaroni picture frame I made when I was 4.

I will admit that I'm not entirely sure if the isolated jokes really make up for how frustrating the characterization was for Richard in the episode, but the episode isn't just a thorough waste of time. Like, it's not a great episode by any means, but there's enough good about it to put it in a different class from "The Genius." Sure, if it was any other season this episode would be even more unforgiving, but thankfully they finally found out how to use Richard, right? Uhh

/u/Maniafig: "The Skull / The Move"
''"You'd think the show would be able to get more humour out of a piece of clay who can knead himself into all sorts of forms but his whole shtick just winds up being an unlikable uninteresting compulsive liar." ''

To clear the air: I think that Clayton is the worst supporting character on the show. Some characters are boring, but Clayton is in a different stratum all together: he's tedious. The only thing Clayton has going for him is, again, that he's a compulsive liar. If you're going to make a one-joke character, that's fine, but you can't rely on them to carry entire plotlines without any other aspects to their personality.

I will also say that I do not enjoy "The Skull" at all. The episode never worked for me because of how boring the whole thing is which, naturally, circles back to Clayton. There's just no variance to how the character is used, leaving the first half of the episode completely aimless to a point where I don't even know which parts actually happened and which parts didn't. Even the second half didn't work for me because, as interesting of a fight sequence as it should have been, Razor's not an interesting character, Clayton's not an interesting character, and Gumball and Darwin contributed so little to the rest of it that there wasn't anything particularly enjoyable. It was long, bland, and again, a complete lie meaning that none of the characters developed at all.

However, on the other hand, I actually quite enjoyed "The Move" because there was a different angle to explore. Instead of having the main joke be that Clayton lies, it's about trying to curb the habit. Basically, that means that Gumball and Darwin become the engine of the episode with Clayton to the side which just works much better. There's another dimension, and it allows more interesting things to happen. Again though, you really can't accredit the quality of the episode to Clayton, who instead serves to instigate instead of take the lead, and realistically speaking, he doesn't bring anything to the episode himself. If anything, the always-amazing Tobias is the reals saving grace of the episode, which takes a great turn when the gang knocks him out and tries to Weekend-at-Bernie's him around. That's the only part of the episode where Clayton actually becomes a part of the issue, and it's a smart decision that puts him into conflict: should he lie for the greater good for Gumball and Darwin or work on improving himself? Even if it led to a fairly lame ending (in which the episode just kind of stopped at its height), the episode actually decided to work with Clayton in a more interesting way, which I appreciated.

/u/Taliats: "The Ape"
"the only Episode i truly hate is the Ape, like, in my personal opinion, it is just downright boring to me, the only good part is the chase at the end."

Miss Simian has always been a character that I have some issues with. She's not necessarily a bad character, and she works well in small doses, but I always found the episodes that she takes the lead in to be a bit lackluster because, by design, she's irritating and abysmal. The only times that the show could properly elevate the character into solid episodes- "The Joy" and "The Grades"- involved either the character changing or a new context. "The Ape" doesn't really have either of those aspects. (Also worth noting, in both episodes she was a foil to Principal Brown, who tends to provide a nice sense of calm over her inhibitions.)

Even so, the episode is particularly well-conceived coming from the show at that point. For instance, the pacing of the episode was really good which, despite seeming like it should be a given, is a pleasant surprise even for the series in its current form. The series in Season 1 tended to either have no plot all in favor of cartoony antics or ditch the antics altogether for plot, so this episode is an especially exceptional blend.

Speaking of, I thought a lot of the individual gags worked great, but my favorite has to be the botched high-five, especially because the joke is circled back to while also serving a purpose. It's like a more delicate version of the Anais joke in "The Copycats," where it starts off as a deceptive throwaway before attaining higher relevancy further down the line. Granted, the joke didn't hold the crucial significance of Anais, but the fact that Miss Simian turned something as innocuous as a friendly high-five into a weapon against the Wattersons was a smart way to show her rejection of their affection.

I guess the largest complaint is the complete anticlimax of an ending, wherein Miss Simian brutally injures herself just to get the trophy, declaring it "worth it" and dismissing Gumball's offer to remain friends regardless of everything that just happened. It's a bit frustrating if you want character development, but like "The Ex," it's necessary for the character's longevity. I'll talk more about that particular episode next week, but to summarize: if a character undergoes a major revelation, they're stuck with it for the rest of the series. The reversion is necessary for the character to continue to function in the same way, and while it does feel lazy, seeing Miss Simian and Gumball on more mutual terms would definitely limit future plot opportunities.

As uneventful as the episode ultimately turned out, it definitely stood out by Season 1 standards. You might've found it boring considering that it meanders along, but I thought it hit enough strong moments along the way to make it relatively painless.

/u/CaptainJZH: "The Bros"
''"Darwin being jealous isn't all that funny, and I get a lot of second-hand embarrassment from Gumball trying to romance Penny." ''

Again, I never thought too much of the episode. It serves more as a way to get over the early hurdles associated with Penny's elevated status in the series- with Gumball now focusing more attention on his new relationship, Darwin feels the urge to reassert his dominance, fearing his place in Gumball's heart to be contestable. It's not a particularly necessary plot, but it helps reinforce Gumball's relationship with Penny and address how that changes that which has already been established.

First of all: Darwin's possessiveness. I didn't mind it, if not just because it's nice to actually see him doing something on his own completely separate from Gumball. That's why I like episodes like "The Sidekick," "The Words," and "The Banana"- Darwin becomes the source of conflict and instigates instead of delivering a funny line on the side or serving as Gumball's step-stool. They gave Darwin legs, but it wasn't until Season 2 that he used them to stand on his own. (That's the best thing I've ever typed. I should just stop right here and never come back.) I will concede in saying that I thought that Darwin's pent-up anger against Penny was explored to much greater effect in "The Burden," but that's a simple aside- this episode has to put the concept front and foremost, meaning that they had to sustain it for much longer and have it actually lead to something.

Second, I never really found Gumball's botched attempts to impress Penny to be groan-worthy, but I will admit that I thought the whole bro ceremony thing was pretty rough. Forgetting the fact that I'm pretty sure that, per the Bro Code, being Darwin's bro would mean that the "bros before hoes" principle would apply, reinstate the bro-lationship and kick Penny out of the picture for not being a bro whereas Gumball and Darwin are bros in broly matribroly for broternity. Secondly, did you not just realize, my bro, how much it just hurt to see me say "bro" ten times in the last two sentences? Exactly.

That was a tangent. I'm sorry if I'm venting, but that seriously just irritates me to no end.

What I meant to say was that I did find it funny how irrationally infatuated with Penny Gumball was to a point of literally wanting to propose to her (which even Darwin admitted is a bad move). The 'cabin' scene (which I assume you're most directly referring to), by design, tried to incorporate some cringe comedy in, and I can't really defend it if you don't like it. Finding humor in the awkwardness of a situation is incredibly hard to pull off, on top of being almost an acquired taste. It's the same reason that "The Hug" is so divisive: we either find how discomforting the situation gets as hilarious or we get empathetic with the situation and feel uncomfortable ourselves.

Karymme123: "The Boss"
"I don't like it because Gumball and Darwin help Rocky find a job to impress his dad but doesn't really work. Mr. Robinson kept getting hurt in this episode also by losing all his stuffing, also Mrs. Robinson didn't even care for him either. Then at the end Mr. Robinson just explodes again getting mad at Rocky. Sorry I'm not that good at describing things."

Don't worry, I've gotten worse descriptions.

I always found this episode to be a great example of the show's twisted look at the tragic realities of the real world, and I enjoy it when the show outwardly shows that Elmore isn't a magical place. Cartoons are, by design, incredibly escapist, so to see Rocky literally giving up his soul and working to near-death is really fascinating to me. It's not a particularly controversial message, sure, but it was executed with a delightful amount of macabre and some hard-hitting satire.

I guess the big issue people have is the sheer amount of Mr. Robinson torture porn, though I don't think it hinders anything too much. Yes, it's unnecessary to see the character get perpetually beaten up, but for the most part, the injuries are Gaylord's fault due to his own unreasonably high levels of stress. While you can pinpoint that on Gumball and Darwin accidentally destroying his lawn and Rocky dropping the job, they were trying to do the greater good- it's the fact that Mr. Robinson is so inept at viewing the issues from another perspective that ultimately weighs him down. (For what it's worth though, he did show clear concern for Rocky at one point, which was sweet.)

Meanwhile, the complaint of Mrs. Robinson not caring about Mr. Robinson doesn't really bother me too much. Don't get me wrong, I've never been a fan of the character by virtue of how one-dimensional she is ("The Wicked" literally said that she's a terrible person for no reason at all- great way to cover all the bases, team), but she always works great in small doses. The fact that the two have an unhappy marriage (or at the very least enjoy tormenting one another) isn't a new revelation, so this was really just a nail in the coffin, with Margaret ditching her dying husband in favor of a conga line of eligible bachelors. It's not necessary, but it's a nice throwaway gag compared to the rest of the episode.

/u/GumWatters: "The Saint"
''"Gumball's too unlikable to root for." ''

I disagree. If anything, the sheer ridiculousness of everything that Gumball is doing makes us want that victory even more. Even if you don't feel what he's doing is morally proper by any stretch of the term, he's pushing it so far that there's always a sense of excitement to see what convoluted approach he takes next.

I also appreciated how much it was actually acknowledged that Gumball was going too far. It's not like the show is unaware that its main character can be a real pain to everybody else involved, so seeing Darwin as the sound of reason (even if neglected as per usual) nicely balanced everything out. Even more important, though, is that the subject of Gumball's torturing, Alan, didn't respond aggressively to Gumball or ever look like he was being pitifully victimized. If we perceived Alan as actually being frustrated by him, the episode wouldn't be enjoyable in the slightest, but its Alan's optimism and ignorance that propel the episode and make sure that Gumball, while wrong, doesn't come out of the situation looking sadistic.

I wouldn't say we're rooting for Alan's defeat and Gumball's victory so much as we want to see how insane Gumball becomes with each botched attempt to make Alan crack. The episode is designed to be more draining on Gumball, and even though he perceives a personal victory at the end, Alan still comes out on top as the true victor.

/u/tacomasterstudios: "The Triangle"
"The Triangle. The freaking Triangle."

"Gumball is convicted for the STUPIDEST reason(the gum. I mean, BY JEEZ, just because his name is Gumball doesn't mean he planted the gum! For all I know, he could be ALLERGIC to that flavor!) and Darwin forgot that Gumball wouldn't hurt him(Darwin), so yeah."

I don't have too much to work with in terms of tackling, but I will say that this, to me, is an incredibly important episode in Gumball's character development with an almost-complete reversal of his Season 2 mannerisms on full display here.

Think about it. For the first half of the episode, Gumball is pretty much at Season 2 standards, trying to guilt-trip or otherwise throw off Darwin for the sole purpose of him wanting both of them to be losers (because, when it's just him, it's kinda sad). Then, as problems unfurl for Darwin and it becomes more and more clear that Gumball isn't the culprit (though he is repeatedly blamed regardless), we see Gumball try to become more apologetic, and by the end, when he's trying to talk sense into Leslie for actively attempting to sabotage Darwin's solo, he says, "Dude, you're supposed to be happy for your friend's success! This isn't about Darwin being good at something, it's about you refusing to make the effort to better yourself." It's a lesson learnt for Gumball through him stepping back and reexamining himself, being able to recognize that there are more important things aside from ruining everybody else's lives.

In other words, he literally went from thinking, "I HOPE YOU CRASH AND BURN, DARWIN WATTERSON," to "Why don't we just enjoy the success of our friend, even if it means we get left behind?" That's evolution, and even if it's not as abundantly clear in other episodes that Gumball's developing some self-awareness and restraint, there are more and more moments that seem to reflect that notion as the series progresses.

That's not to say that there aren't episodes where he relapses (which he does with so much frequency that it honestly might discredit all of my claims), but this at least shows that the writers are able to imbue the character with something distinct and make him a true protagonist.

(Also, for what it's worth, the 'gum' joke was nothing more than a simple aside. It's more the fact that up until that point, Gumball was trying to throw off Darwin, so the wordplay only served to make the connection seem more airtight. Oh yeah, and that not-actually-a-montage was brilliant.)

Well, my hands hurt like crazy, but I'm pretty sure I just typed the longest (coherent, at least) blog ever conceived on this website, and I'm only halfway through the intended article. Good luck topping that, [expletive].

Next week's article will include /u/ChristopherMartin92, /u/The CoolKat1995, /u/funwiththoughts, and two special guests, Guy (wow, Matt, that's so surprising) and PhoenixKenny (okay, that kind of is)! Until then, I'm signing off.

For the last installment regarding "The Picnic," CLICK HERE.

(For my personal blog full of comprehensive reviews, CLICK HERE .)