User blog:Nacho1804/Season 6 Expectations Analysis

The Introduction     

After a break created by a mentality of "If no one else is doing stuff, why should I," I'm back and ready to... give my thoughts on the Season 6 episodes   announced thus far. Nope, no crazy theories here, just a harmless, non-threatening review of what's in store for us. (My intent is to build my self-esteem back up before I send it hurtling back down. You know, for fun. This is what I do in my spare time.) Anyway, let's get started. 

I'll simply be offering my thoughts on what I think these new episodes could be, or have been, [http://theamazingworldofgumball.wikia.com/wiki/The_Cage  in one case. ] Also, in an attempt to be in some way original, I've added an expectations rating system. Allow me to explain. 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">In the untamed wilderness of the  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">TAWOG<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> fandom, and in fandoms in general, the reception of new content is largely based on expectations. The fans' perception of what an episode could possibly be in relation to what it actually is determines to a certain extent how that episode is viewed. Something like this is hard to explain in simple terms, so I'll provide an example. As noted by many analysts,  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Puppets<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> had very mixed reception. Although it had its flaws, it was also a visually stunning and generally well-done collaboration with the creators of the web series Don't Hug Me I'm Scared. While the episode itself was not bad in any sense, it failed to live up to the expectations of many, not only as a highly anticipated collaboration but also as the penultimate season's finale. This works the other way too. Analysts (and I, for that matter) had rock-bottom expectations of  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Grades<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">, dismissing it as cliched mid-Season 5 shenanigans, but the actual episode used clever subversions and accurate jokes to cement its place in the "Not really that remarkable, but we can't find much to criticize it on" class of episodes. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">So, I'll be implementing a meter to show how much faith I have in the episode and what it could be. The ratings are as follows: <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Sky High: I expect it to be a shining example of TAWOG at its best. Prepare for a treat. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">High: It'll be no  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Choices<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">, but look forward to it anyway. Maybe grab a snack or something. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Average: Expect more or less a normal episode, or whatever counts as normal here. Nothing too great, but nothing too bad. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Low: Something about what we've seen of this episode seems a bit underwhelming. Don't prepare for disaster, but don't prepare for  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Disaster<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> either. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Rock Bottom: I, personally, have very little to no faith in this episode whatsoever. It's this episode's job to prove me wrong. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">So, let's begin.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">(Disclaimer: This was written before the preview of The Rival became available and before the first few minutes of The Lady were leaked. Hey, past me, you're getting things right for once. Maybe.)

<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">
====<span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Rival <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ==== <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Synopsis: When  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Anais<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> is a newborn baby,  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Gumball<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">and  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Darwin<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">become jealous of their new sibling, and spark a baby war. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Expectations: High <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">This episode seems to be about Anais, the mere fact of which is a departure from Season 5, of which one of the major complaints was a lack of major roles for her. It will be interesting to see if she gets an adequate role opposite her brothers, or if they hog the spotlight as they managed to do in  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">one of her few major roles<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> of the past season. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The other remarkable thing about this episode is that it appears to take place in the past, in a time period  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">shown<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> twice<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">but never explored. Although each foray into the past has been given some form of context up until now, there is no framework given in the synopsis as to why we're seeing this. (Note the use of the present tense in said synopsis.) This is just the synopsis, however, and the episode may turn out much different. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">I have high hopes for this episode, though, considering the incredible success of  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">attempts to<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">portray<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">the past<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> in the recent... well... past. However, this could really go either way, based on what exactly Bocquelet and friends decide to do with the episode.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;border-width:initial;border-style:none;padding:0in;"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Lady <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Synopsis: The children find out that  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Dad<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">has been dressing as a woman to make friends. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Expectations: Average <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">I'll be honest, my first reaction to this episode was probably something along the lines of "Ahh... what?" and with the unexplained release of a preview, the episode just seemed a bit... iffy. The notion of Richard dressing as a woman isn't anything new: he's done it several times. Making an entire episode out of this quirk, though, is an odd choice, as is making a preview of it our first look at Season 6. While the latter is most likely CN's fault, the former remains unexplained. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">A writer making an episode focusing on Richard must tread carefully: recent episodes centering on him have become notorious among fans for their  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">grossness<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">, or just  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">blandness<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">. (While The Cycle can also be blamed on  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Harold<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">, The Diet definitely cannot.) Thankfully, this particular episode also happens to feature his sons, and from what I've gathered from the preview, the episode will be focused more on their attempts to figure out the truth and/or accuse their dad of infidelity. You know, usual things. We'll just have to see what happens. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ==<span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Sucker <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> == <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Synopsis: Darwin ends up in detention with Bomb Guy, who decides to make Darwin his new target. However, it backfires when Darwin ruins his life. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Expectations: Average <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The first thing that strikes me as unusual in this synopsis is the utter lack of Gumball. In Season 5, most episodes featured him to some degree (with the notable exception of  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Singing<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">, which opted to sack the Watterson siblings entirely in favor of showcasing the side characters,) and I don't expect him to be completely absent from this episode, perhaps appearing at the beggining and/or the end, but he won't play a major role. No, the synopsis makes it clear: this episode is about Darwin. It features his name not once, not twice, but three times! <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">As with Anais, if to a lesser extent, Darwin has suffered from a tragic lack of major roles, possibly because the writers have had a hard time getting him to stand as a character on his own. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Matchmaker<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">, despite supposedly being all about him, used him as a plot device more than a character, his decisions, as always, ultimately made by his brother. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Potato<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> was slightly better, if in this regard only... until the second half, when Darwin left the picture and Gumball did the usual thing, with a suprisingly likable  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Sarah<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> replacing the fish as his foil. His other roles in the past season have been alongside his brother, and his importance in those episodes have ranged from "He has ideas and keeps Gumball from harming himself/others" to "He might as well not be there, for how much he contributes to the plot." Hopefully, with Gumball out of the picture (Darwin's been sent to detention presumably on his own,) Darwin will finally get a chance to shine, for better or for worse, as this episode's quality will largely depend on how well the writers can make Darwin work. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Then there's Bomb Guy (or Bomb Kid. On my T.V., the synopsis says Bomb Kid. Who knows.), who's been seen here and there but hasn't had a major role since Season 2's  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Lesson<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">. His inclusion in an episode caught me by surprise, but in context it's easy to see why he'd star in this particular episode: He's the head honcho in detention, and would feasibly pick on Darwin, isolated from his brother. Personality-wise, Bomb Guy and Darwin are polar opposites, the former being a hotheaded, arrogant bully, a seasoned veteran of detention, the latter being a sweet and caring little kid, optimistic bordering on naive. The combination of the two will be very interesting to see. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ==<span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Vegging <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> == <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Synopsis: Gumball and Darwin want to veg out all day, but their plans go awry and they have to save the rest of the family. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Expectations: Low <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Now, as soon as many fans saw the words "save the rest of the family" they thought  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Rob<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">. For their sake more than mine, I've given this episode a low expectations rating. I'm not implying I expect this episode to be worse than, say, The Sucker, but I'm just telling y'all to keep your expectations at a reasonable level. Put simply: stop freaking out, guys. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The main issue I see with this synopsis is that it just sounds like  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Procrastinators<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> given a new ending. While I don't doubt the ability of the TAWOG team to think up something new, this plot is in danger of stepping over ground covered before. Even beyond that, the premise seems like two completely separate plots smushed together; "Gumball and Darwin want to veg out all day" and "Gumball and Darwin have to save the rest of the family." Although I'm skeptical of its plot, I'm still looking forward to what looks to be an otherwise average episode. I'll be happy to be proven wrong. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ==<span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The One <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> == <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Synopsis:  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Tobias<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> tries to be Gumball's best friend. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Expectations: Low <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Of all the recently announced episodes, this one is by far the most open-ended. Its plot could go in nearly any direction, and fans' opinions of what this episode could be have varied widely. Simply based on the synopsis and the title, fans have seen it as a sort of reverse  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Third<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> or even  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Slap<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">, with Tobias going to ridiculous extents to be Gumball's friend. While this plot makes sense as the kind of thing the writers would do, I do have a few questions about it. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">1. Why, exactly, does Tobias want to be Gumball's friend? <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The two have had an icy relationship from the very beginning, and Tobias has been cast as a potential replacement for Gumball (in The Third all the way up to last season's  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Test<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">) several times. It's hard to find a point in time in which they've been genuinely friendly towards one another. Just in the last two seasons, among other things, Tobias has tricked Gumball into working for him, (The Points) while Gumball has, in turn, melted Tobias's face (The Test). Again, normal things. The warmest they've gotten, that I can recall, was in The Slap, (!) whose plot was kicked off by Tobias refusing to slap Gumball's posterior because the former thought the latter would "hate that." Presumably, the episode will retcon an explaination, but that won't stop me from calling this out. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">2. Where does this leave Darwin? <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">This might not end up being relevant to the episode at all, but what happens to Darwin? And yes, I know what you're thinking, the episode synopsis doesn't mention Darwin at all, but read the metaphorical small print. The synopsis mentions Tobias wanting to be Gumball's "best friend." Best friend. That is currently Darwin. Also note 'friend' in the singular. One friend. The episode is called The One. It's starting to make sense now, isn't it? Could the episode not only depict Tobias's sudden friendship with Gumball, but also a displaced and dejected Darwin, drawing further parallels to The Third? Though I'm fairly certain it won't, this would be an interesting angle to see.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;border-width:initial;border-style:none;padding:0in;"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">The Cage <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:4.8pt0in0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Synposis: The kids convince  [http://theamazingworldofgumball.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Corneille <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">Mr. Corneille ]<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;"> to become a cage fighter and set up a fight against a  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">fearsome Russian fighter<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;border-width:1pt;border-style:none;border-color:windowtext;padding:0in;">As this episode has already come out in full, I can't really give it an expectations rating, since, well, I've already seen it. And I'm no analyst, and a very poor judge of what's good. (I thought Season 1 was pretty good until I was told otherwise. Going off on a little tangent here, there's one exception, one episode that I cannot defend.  I watched The Diet once. Once. Then I stowed it away in the darkest corners of my mind and vowed never to watch it again. It's the one episode that, if you asked me to give you a basic play-by-play based solely on my memory, I cannot recount. Hmm, maybe one of these days I'll let people submit suggestions of episodes they thought were bad and I'll defend them. Like a shoddy knock-off Second Opinion, now that it ended. I miss it already.) I'll save myself the embarrassment of attempting a review for this reason. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> Anyway, this concludes my little bout of speculation. Please keep in mind that this was meant to be posted before Christmas, but took longer than anticipated to write. Fun fact, this is the first of my blog posts that wasn't written all at once. If it looks a little messed up, blame Microsoft Word, not me.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;"> Happy holidays, everyone. And let's have a very happy Season 6.