User blog:Jamesgrout/Top 5 Worst and Best Amazing World of Gumball Season 3 Episodes

See my blog page for my top 5 worst and best season 1 and season 2 episodes, it would help greatly to read those before this one :)

Season 3; I found season 3 to be a bit mixed, a lot of the episodes had some good and some bad in them, but I've got to be honest, I feel this may shock a lot of you but in terms of episodes as wholes, for the most part, I was disappointed with them, although in some cases, the good points overshadowed the bad nicely or well enough, in other cases the bad points ruined the episodes, examples will be saved for the intermission to avoid giving anything away. A lot seemed to be changing about the show in terms of, but not limited to, the characters, vibes which I wasn't very happy with. Flaws truly were becoming evident that weren't before, I don't know if they were commonly noticed by fans of the show or not, or ex fans, I'm not kidding, I heard of at least one person stopping watching the show at some point during season 3, but I still wasn't so hasty. Anyway, just how bad did it get? At least to me, this:

Top 5 Worst
An introduction to the most hateable snobbish cartoon character imaginable, it was just spirit dropping seeing her talk down to the Wattersons like they were worthless. Gumball and Darwin are labeled as talentless even though they're not as we know from previous episodes; Gumball can act, cook, sing well, play ukulele, Darwin is good at plenty, so for some reason this was all dropped. Maybe Nicole gave her a good beating but this still doesn't satisfy as it doesn't really teach her the right lesson about judging people or treating them like nobodies because they aren't "classy" like them or whatever, or giving labels like talentless (this can be handled well: Teen Titans: 'Troq'). Billy's not much better in the episode, nor Anais because of what she says about her family, this could maybe work in other contexts, like in 'The Allergy', them thinking Darwin is allergic to dumbness, maybe, but not with Felicity or like this.
 * #5 Worst: The Egg-

Possible unpopular opinion but the fact is that during the first 2 seasons, I conceived the show as really feel good, and that's what I liked so much about it. In season 3 however, the feel good vibes began to fade away which is my biggest problem with season 3, and this is the episode where that started, so it had to be on the list. It's not so much the spooky tone of zombies, but the fact that there's no happy ending, nobody comes back to life. A recurring theme in my blogs has been people tell me that they like episodes on my worst lists because of how they parody, 'The Lesson'; prison, and 'The Internet'; well, peoples overdependence on internet and that's fine, but they only make me feel negatively, like this one which to me, was just "RIP feel good vibes, along with Gumball, Darwin and all their friends", I'm not even a fan of zombies in entertainment. What I loved about this show was shot dead, but I knew Gumball and Darwin had to be alive again for the next episode, so hopefully the feel good vibes could be as well?...
 * #4 Worst: The Joy-

My episode I hate but everybody else loves, I simply never like it when good characters are humiliated, I don't care for timeline paradoxes or whatever it is people like about this episode, I'm not even much of a time travel entertainment fan, I don't hate it, I'm just not so into it. The plot itself is just confusing, the way it seems like it wouldn't have happened if they hadn't found the painting and another destruction of the main characters dignity, the aim being nothing other than keeping his clothes on which is made to be a difficult task. When showing it on TV, they say he is a loser, not a poor or unfortunate kid or anything like that, and funny parts can't make any difference to this. Beforehand, I was interested to see how keeping your clothes on could be made difficult, then again, why not just get a full suit of armour? But that's about it.
 * #3 Worst: The Oracle-

The set up of this episode is Gumballs family upsetting him in ways which should be obvious but then not realizing why he is miserable, this is one of the if not the worst thing you could do to a loved one and it offends me greatly. They couldn't have at the very rock bottom least had him have a simple not over exaggerated miserable face. The episodes plot is then about everybody but him being gone, which turns out to be that he was hallucinating because of his bad mood, this concept is really too negative for my liking. Then once again, the embarrassment factor against Gumball.
 * #2 Worst: The Downer-


 * And #1 Worst is:

...

I truly thought I knew this show, for good reasons, it was spirit crushing how wrong I realized I was when I saw this abomination. Dogs aren't supposed to get along with cats, remember when Nicole said so in 'The Job', she and Gumball are cats, it doesn't work him wanting a puppy, Anais and Richard shouldn't either, dogs antagonize rabbits too. Yet however, the crew, for some reasons, decided to welcome in this plot hole on intention to tell us a beyond far too horrible, negative and miserable story. A horrifically hateful pet character which chooses to stay with them and terrorize them, which the kids lure back by tying Gumball to a tree and not even letting him wear clothes because the turtle might choke on them. Putting an evil creature before your own brother, that badly?... right, but even still, it could have been his swimming trunks. Then in the end the turtle wins, ending the episode on a tone of; they can't get rid of it, how much is it going to attack and terrorize Gumball in his own home? Giving him fear of arriving back home after school everyday. They'll have to keep it until it dies which will be a longer time than the rest of their lives. This is the episode which saw the absolute destruction of the feel good vibes that I previously liked this show for, just removed them and instead gave us one of the if not the most sickeningly negative waste of animation cells I have ever seen. It really seemed like anything that even remotely resembles those feel good vibes was dead.
 * The Puppy-

Intermission
It seemed so, but I'd come to love the early seasons so much that I had to see the show through, rather if it were that or that even though it seemed like a huge U turn I sensed there must have still been some good ones to come, I felt I should keep watching. But after seeing this episode, I had to check each following episode on Wikia if that turtle was going to appear before I could be happy watching it, that shouldn't happen to a show for a person who once loved it so. Through this, I discovered a past episode I hated, 'The Curse' was being referenced in 'The Name', so I never wanted to watch this episode, still haven't and never will. However small said reference might be, I just can't spend time on something that reminds me of it, I also read the transcript on this website to get a better picture and it is definitely also too negative and dramatic for me anyway.

The show was changing, 'The Kids' was a decent start to the season with all its fourth wall breaking, but it just gave a depressing perspective on growing up. Followed by 'The Fan', and Sara was always a pain in the... urr, neck since her first major role in 'The Sweaters' and while we're there, I'd say the same about Jamie with her first major role in the next episode, 'The Coach', she's as hateable as Felicity. But what's good about that episode is confirmation that Jamie can no longer bully anybody now that her mum works at the school, and I know what you're thinking, we're going to get there just wait.

'The Gripes' showed Gumballs change to a much more negative thinking character from such an optimist. This might be just personal as it came at a bad time for me, I was entering the 2nd year of a Foundation Degree and have learning difficulties, I was getting anxious and downhearted to the point of deciding to see a doctor, but the charity scenarios were fun.

They had their first reused plot that I noticed, 'The Password', from 'The Remote', worse than a reused plot is filler, which is most of if not all of 'The Procrastinators', it couldn't have been something harder or more complicated for them to put off than merely taking out the flipping trash? But even if you think it's good and funny filler, Nicole's terminator impersonations were embarrassing and out of place. Episodes can of course be allowed to have not so original plots, like by being parodies or homages, like 'The Friend' to The Iron Giant, and they're fine in case of TAWOG, but mostly forgettable that I found.

As you may or may not recall, I liked a lot of the early episodes mainly for Gumball's good-heartedness, and this seemed to be changing to nastiness or inconsiderateness for a couple too many episodes from season 3 onwards as well. Which brings us to 'The Saint', now, in 'The Voice' Gumball is understandably annoyed at Alan for being over apologetic, I like to think that episodes like this are just flanderization of that, but at least this episode had a good message in the end; it's better if there's something to complain about. However, in most other cases, they are actually thankfully small enough to ignore or dismiss, but then, sometimes even when Gumball did still do the right thing, it was at the wrong time and place, like in 'The Money', which he needs to be attacked by his own family for, I know lots of people like this episode but sadly that's the best I have to say about it, other than some really funny lines. Gumball wasn't the only one either, everybody else was inconsiderate in 'The Spoiler', it's not that hard to just not say what happens in a film.

'The Move' is an example of a good episode ruined by bad, with the roots of Clayton's lying and Tobias' constant failed attempts to get a girl, but in the last part when they try to get a lie from Clayton, they could have just told the truth, Principle Brown would have, or at least should so understand knowing Claytons lying habit, and it wasn't like Tobias wasn't going to have woken up.

With all of the above, I honestly thought that season 3 had the least in amount of really good episodes, but when they were, they were truly something more, they were some of the all time best of the series, and I don't just say things like that for the sake of it, they truly did take away the pain. Now, an example of an episode with good points overshadowing the bad is 'The Pizza', The Wattersons always knew Larry's name and never meant him pain before and now he's that unimportant? But it is cleverly written and excellently structured with a fun apocalypse setting.

Well, the bad has been given enough attention now, let's get into the good, this season really more than deserves it's recognition for what was done well :)

Top 5 Best
This episode has a lot of fun and well made scenarios and none are really ruined by anything bad. It's great seeing Tobias' hopeless feelings for Penny returning for her to reject yet again, as is some more Mr. Robinson karma trip, and this one didn't even need Gumball or Darwin, he's still one of my favourite characters. The Elmore helpdesk scene is great too and the way the tornado is built up but then is really created by the cloud on The Watterson's TV being knocked upside down from outside their house, very funny unexpected anti-climax followed by trolling XD or whatever it'd be called.
 * #5 Best: The Butterfly-

Gumball and Darwin try to find out what the meaning of life is, make things like Anais' quest for knowledge seem completely pointless, are told their life doesn't matter at the end of the day, all to come down to the answer being; to find your own way to enjoy it, while the meaning is really the quest for the meaning, *O* feel good vibes? Is that you?... YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!! XD This is how it is done. However, I can't say the same about 'The Lie', it falls dead flat at it's overall message; "when joy hard to come by, most people are happier believing a lie", as one of the most popular favourite episodes.
 * #4 Best: The Question-

There's Mr. Small every time he appears, chasing them with the supposed answer, he is always great and amusing, and the best of him in this episode is when he climbs the mountain and says "What? Wait, none of this was real?" XD. There's the fact that it's Sussie who gives them the answer and her changing to an intelligent voice and The planet's song, now, it not being a feel good song but called one ironically; here, it works. It would be a huge problem if it were Felicity again D: but it's comical from the planets point of view, them being greater is size and lifespan. But either way, the idea is that by the time they finish their song, the sun dies, since 100 years on Earth is a flash in space, so the joke's on them, exactly as Gumball says. An all round fantastic episode and what more could you want from an episode of Gumball? Except for, obviously... well...

I've seen people thinking Gumball's getting a bit too snobbish or annoying like in this episode, constantly going on about Penny, I have to politely disagree. I don't blame Gumball, it's not easy for an underdog to a get a girl like that, their kiss blowing scene, it doesn't get much better than that I nearly fell off my seat. I just love the charmingly spooky atmosphere and the suspense building up as Gumball and Darwin lose everything piece by piece and every spell they cast and the cost of each one. The idea of being made evil by loneliness, the revelation of Carries origin, her reuniting with her dad, which he has to die for, making a death more worth it than it has probably ever been, or rather would be if they were real but you get my point, don't you?
 * #3 Best: The Mirror-

Another of the best things about this show has always been the amount of supporting and minor characters that get a major role in at least one episode. It is great when we see their unique characteristics spawning episode premises, especially when it's ones specific to their species, not to mention this being a vast part off the shows originality. The discovery of how Anton keeps coming back to life is a top quality idea used to the best of its advantage, the "half baked" one XD, the sarcastic repeating one, making an army of Antons and showing the target in photo form to make them just attack each other, you get the idea. It makes me laugh so much and shows us just how much Gumball and Darwin care whatever trouble they cause, as after all, it's just out of dumbness, it's not like they ever mean any harm, all making for such a great fun, amusing and feel good adventure with everything that happens in it.
 * #2 Best: The Recipe-


 * And #1 Best is:

...

Uh, well... Gumball and Penny have kissed! This is just what I'd been waiting for since I first learnt about their mutual feelings, I wanted this so much and, it really happened, it just took my breathe away. I remember all the build up to this episode, people were commenting saying how much they wanted to see them kiss, people on YouTube showing how much they wanted it, and I was right along with them. I was also so excited to see Penny's true form, there were all the fans thinking she was going to be a deer, everyone else getting annoyed with them since Ben already confirmed she wasn't. I'll admit, I was warm to the idea with how popular it became, I also saw one commenter saying, "wait till you see how much time you wasted with those fan art pictures of her being a deer", time isn't wasted if it was spent doing something you enjoyed at the time! But it doesn't matter, because it wouldn't make sense for a beautiful deer to need to be hid by a peanut shell as nice of an idea as it may have been, and it's all to lead up to Gumball taming her beastly side and finally bringing himself to confirm his feelings to her. There are of course the funny parts in between as well, like walking in on Joe doing what is assumedly the fruit equivalent of what normal boys do XO
 * The Shell... (ha, no surprise there then? XD)-

When I started watching the show, Gumball became my new favourite cartoon character but I wasn't sure exactly why, then I saw him say that line "that's not what you are, it's just how you feel, and this is how I feel" and kissed her and then I realized why. These two obviously just have so much likeability as a couple with how many people wanted them to kiss so much, and it's no question why with everything they go through prior to this episode. Then there's Gumball standing up to Mr. Fitzgerald and making him see he was wrong to not have let her be herself, it really makes me wonder why some people would prefer Gumball's girlfriend to be Carrie... but at this point, they're only hurting their selves.

I also had a worry before seeing this episode that, even if Gumball and Penny did kiss, who's to say the status quo wouldn't just be reset again as demonstrated in 'The Finale'? Then when I saw that their relationship had become permanent for the series, I was SO ecstatic. I'm so proud that this was the first episode with the status quo not reset (recalls 'The Puppy'/ hesitates) yeah like I was saying, the first episode with the status quo not reset. Anyway, the first time I watched this episode, I was, for most of the time nervously anticipating whether or not they were going to kiss and a little worried at points that maybe not, otherwise, I loved this episode from the moment Penny improvised her and Gumball's kiss at the beginning. Never before had my heart been so melted by anything I'd ever seen on a screen.

My only complaint; I'd just like to have had more time to savour it, to be treated like it wasn't just any other episode, but the next week they went straight into releasing the next episodes weekly, following it up with mostly less than worthy episodes. Speaking of which, if anybody's wondering what I think of 'The Bros', it's far from bad but it's the episode that started the recurring theme of Gumball trying too hard for Penny and her getting the worst of it, which was never the easiest thing to watch.

But I couldn't have expected any subsequent episode to be as good as The Shell, an episode like this only comes round once in a lifetime, this isn't just my favourite TAWOG episode, this is my favourite episode of any cartoon ever, yep, even better than 'Not What He Seems' from Gravity Falls, it's great and heart racing but I would tend to take 2 hearts coming together over that, especially when said hearts belong to 2 people like Gumball and Penny. Well, what more could I say?

Don't forget to share your favourites, The Shell forever and Gumball and Penny until the end of time!