The Fraud

The Fraud is the eleventh episode of Season 3 of The Amazing World of Gumball.

Synopsis
Gumball and Darwin discover that Principal Brown’s diploma is a fake.

Plot
Principal Brown asks Gumball and Darwin to show up on his office because he has just been informed that they have neglected the school rules. He figures out they're naked and drew on their bodies to pretend they're wearing real clothes. However, that, obviously, doesn't work and denounces them. They explain him Richard, while they were at home, damaged their clothes and they had to improvise, by painting their bodies. While Principal Brown is reprimanding them for what they have done, Gumball starts checking on Principal's diploma on the wall and which attributes him the title of Principal of Elmore School. By analysing/analyzing* it cautiously, Gumball finds out it's fake, which means that Principal Brown is not a legitimised/legitimized* school principal. Gumball and Darwin, however, promise him that they won't denounce him. Neurotic about what Gumball and Darwin have just discoered, Principal Brown doesn't interpret their message correctly and assumes they are trying to manipulate him, by using their recent discovery as a "blackmail". They decide to go out, feeling that he still doesn't understand the message they were trying to send. Before leaving the office, Principal Brown takes them inside, where he suggests to provide them special treament if they don't denounce him. Gumball refuses his offering. They promise him again not to tell the truth and finally go out although it doesn't convince Principal Brown, who's not determined to observe the fall of his career.

He then decides to become a stereotyped "cool boy" to conquer Gumball and Darwin's trust. Nevertheless, he acts like a real jerk and Mr. Small, even defending peace and love, decides to hit him on his face, which immobilises/immobilizes* him. He rises up and Gumball and Darwin ask him why he is acting like that. He answers them he assumed that, if they considered him as cool, they would be friends with him and they wouldn't denounce him. Gumball and Darwin, to calm Principal Brown, decide to organise/organize* a camping trip (inside their house) and invite him. There, he doesn't integrate himself as easily as they assumed and he gets off by the window, falling on a dumpster.

In the next day, Principal Brown shows up and decides to manipulate them, by showing a humiliant picture that depicts them wearing stupid costumes. Gumball and Darwin point out that, although the picture is humiliant, they've already felt shame so many times in their lifes that they are unable to feel it now. If Principal Brown reveals the photo to everybody in the school, it won't make any difference to them. Principal Brown goes out, sad.

After that, Principal Brown tells them to show up in his office again, where he explains them he has just figured out he has been acting crazy. He explains them that he has lost his glasses and he can't find them anywhere, asking for their help to find them. He tells them to inspect his safe to check if they are inside it. Gumball manages to identify his plan by realising/realizing* Principal Brown is trying to trap them inside the safe so they won't tell anybody the truth. Gumball explains that if Principal Brown gets obsessed about that, school will start collapsing. Confirming his idea, the roof falls and Rocky shows up, going out then. However, Principal Brown, neurotic, doesn't understand his message and thus he thinks Gumball is trying to manipulate him again. On a neurotic moment, he decides to blow up the entire school.

Gumball and Darwin, when they realise/realize* everybody is in danger, decide to intercept him. Principal Brown warns everybody that school will blow up. The students hear his message and run away. He reaches the school boiler and programs it so it can provoke an explosion that will destroy the entire establishment. Gumball, Darwin, Miss Simian, Mr. Small, Rocky and Coach show up. Gumball begs him not to blow up the entire school and asks him to reveal the truth. Principal Brown then mentions he is not a real principal. Every teachers in school then decide to confess somenthing about themselves: Miss Simian lies about her age so she can remain at the charge; Mr. Small is not a US citizen and Coach is not a woman (which is obvious).

Principal Brown then decides to interrupt his plan but the school blows up anyway. Amazingly, everyone survives (although Rocky is not seen).


 * (Some words and expressions are signed with an * to emphasize/emphasise the grammar differences between US and UK english. We have decided to introduce the two versions of the linguistic varieties in the text so english and american editors don't interpret these expressions wrongly or assume they contain orthographic mistakes).

Characters

 * Gumball
 * Darwin
 * Principal Brown

Minor Characters

 * Richard
 * Nicole (mentioned)
 * Rocky
 * Mr. Small
 * Miss Simian
 * Coach
 * Tobias
 * Carmen
 * Eggheads
 * Penny
 * Sarah
 * Leslie
 * Gary
 * 8-Bit Dog

Trivia

 * The episode was originally titled "The Phoney."
 * This is Principal Brown's first major role.
 * This episode reveals 3 secrets:
 * Principal Brown's diploma is a fake.
 * Miss Simian faked her age for the job.
 * Mr. Small is not a US citizen.
 * Coach is not a woman.
 * Principal Brown breaks the fourth wall in this episode when he points out that Gumball and Darwin's privates are pixelated.
 * Gumball used to be a punk, as shown by the picture Principal Brown has.
 * Coach mentions that he isn't a woman. However, that makes us wonder how he can be Jamie's mother.

Continuity

 * This is the third time Gumball's butt is seen uncensored. The first time was in "The Wand," and the second time was in "The Fight."
 * This was the ninth time in the series we see Gumball naked.
 * This is the fourth time Darwin's bare feet are censored.
 * This is the sixth time we see Darwin's butt (seventh time if you count the trailer).
 * This is the second time Principal Brown's hair is on fire. The first time was in "The Sock."

Cultural References

 * The briefcase of confiscated items may be a reference to the movie Pulp Fiction, where the contents of a suitcase are never shown, but a bright light is emitted every time it is opened.
 * Mr. Small imitates the Chinese protestor "Tank Man" while trying to detain Principal Brown.
 * In the cafeteria, Principal Brown says the words "tweet," "hashtag," and "selfie," which are references to Twitter and Instagram.

El Farsante