The Stars

"The Stars" is the twenty-second episode of Season 5 of The Amazing World of Gumball. It is the 178th episode overall.

Synopsis
When Richard gives Larry’s hairdresser a bad review for saying he’s bald, he gets offered a free haircut. This inspires Gumball and Darwin to go on a reviewing spree across town, forcing Larry to give them stuff with the threat of a bad review. But, just because the customer is always right doesn’t mean that what they’re doing isn’t wrong.

Plot
The episode starts with Principal Brown getting another daily haircut from Larry. As Larry vacuums up the excess hair, he reveals Richard, seeking a trim. Larry tells Richard that he cannot do so because of Richard being bald, causing him to freak out and demand a haircut regardless. Reluctantly, Larry trims a single strand of hair, causing Richard to tear up and leave in embarassment.

Back at home, Richard is throwing a tantrum when Darwin interjects, asking why Richard did not simply tell Larry he was not happy with the haircut when he was there, though Richard refuses to do such a thing to such a lowlife. Gumball suggests that he instead write a mean review of Larry online as to ruin his life in complete anonymity. However, unable to operate his laptop, Gumball takes over, with his review causing Richard and Darwin to wince in its intensity. Larry calls almost immediately after, chagrined in admitting that the customer is always right and promising Richard and his family free haircuts. Recognizing their newfound power, Gumball and Darwin decide to terrorize Larry with scathing reviews to reap the benefits.

First, they manage to avoid paying for an expensive dinner and get free desserts out of Larry. Next, they force him to acquire a new animal for the Elmore Zoo. Then, at the cinema, they force Larry to create his own movie where he plays every single role as to make up for an otherwise boring one.

Outside the cinema, Tobias suddenly rides by on a one-wheel hoverboard, splashing water on Gumball and Darwin. Angry, Gumball attempts to give Tobias a one-star review, but because he is unable to, he confronts Larry at the shoe store to force him to design a review website. The two then go around town reviewing people, but it quickly spirals out of control as people become too afraid to do their jobs at the risk of dropping in ratings. They eventually meet up with Richard, who is too afraid to even move.

Realizing that they have gone too far, Gumball catches Larry's attention and, as the only person in Elmore with a high enough rating, beg him to give the website zero stars to kill it off. Larry agrees under one condition: Richard must admit that he is bald. Richard tearfully refuses, so Larry decides to instead give the website five stars so that it remains in power for eternity. Right as he is about to tap the five star rating, though, a beam of light shines off of Richard's head, blinding Larry and causing him to accidentally tap zero stars, instantly restoring Elmore to the way it was before.

Larry angrily yells at Richard that the light shining off of his forehead was definitive proof of Richard's baldness. Right as Richard is about to admit it, though, he and Larry are run over by a taxi, abruptly ending the episode.

Main Characters

 * Gumball
 * Darwin
 * Richard
 * Larry

Minor Characters

 * Principal Brown
 * Mr. Corneille
 * Jackie
 * Harold
 * Hot Dog Guy
 * Melted Cheese Guy
 * Pantsbully
 * Neck Beard
 * Goblin
 * Dolphin Man
 * Sailor
 * Hobo
 * Crocodile Woman
 * Mutant Animal
 * Felicity
 * Brown Oval
 * Exercise Bacon
 * Gary
 * Shape People
 * Librarian
 * Tobias
 * Billy
 * Mr. Small
 * The Sun
 * Bandage Paramedics
 * Mr. Robinson
 * Pest Controller
 * Mrs. Robinson
 * Termites
 * Pigeons
 * Cowboy
 * Cupcake Woman
 * Sausage Dog
 * Banana Barbara
 * Soulless Office Worker
 * Doughnut Sheriff

Continuity

 * This is Larry's fifth major role. The first four were "The DVD," "The Laziest," "The Refund," and "The Pizza."
 * This is the second time that Gumball and Darwin go on a reviewing spree. The first instance was in "The Code."
 * The thumb wrestlers (themselves cameos from James Lamont and Richard Overall) reappear on the television at the three-star restaurant. They first appeared in "The Laziest."
 * This episode marks the first physical appearance of Elmore Zoo.
 * Richard's laptop has the Electro Fat logo beneath the screen. The actual product previously made appearences in "The Car" and "The Poltergeist."
 * The woman from the shampoo commerical in "The Downer" and Daniel Lennard from "The Plan" appear on posters at the Elmore Barbershop.
 * The one-wheel hoverboard Tobias rides by on is the same one used by his father, Harold, in "The Cycle."
 * The movies that Principal Brown was peddling included "A Pony's Tail" from "The Pony."

Cultural References

 * Man Man is a parody of Superman. When Darwin explains Man Man's origin, that he was bitten by a man and given the powers of a man, this is a parody of the origin story of Spider-Man.
 * Ms. Plane is a parody of Lois Lane.
 * The movie poster of "From The Moment Our Eyes Met" bears a resemblance to How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.

Goofs/Errors

 * When Gumball points out that Darwin has no ears and Darwin realizes it, his right eyebrow disappears and reappears.
 * Since Darwin does not have a chest (as explicitly stated in "The Kids"), he should not have been able to "belly-five" Gumball at the restaurant.
 * There is a scene where Gary, Neck Beard, and Crocodile Woman are standing still with two-star ratings. When the scene zoomed in closely to Crocodile Woman, her two-star rating vanished.
 * When the rating website shut down, Crocodile Woman, Gary, and Neck Beard has a one-star rating. It's a possibility that someone has given them a one-star rating.
 * When Larry accidentally gives a zero star rating, Harold is first seen at the mall, Then he appears on the road, In both shots the stars are above him at first.
 * Neck Beard also appears in the mall in his tank top, and when he exclaims what he can do without a star rating, he's wearing his jogging suit.
 * Harold is seen riding a bike but also seen in the mall.