User blog:Mattalamode/A Second Opinion: The Banana / The Sidekick

Fish is bland. Don't get me wrong, I like fish. I genuinely, really like fish. But I think we all have to admit that it's exceptionally bland. That can be important - blandness is a flavor profile in and of itself - but it takes some ingenuity to actually make it exciting. I guess that was a long-winded metaphor for Darwin, right? Y'know, 'cuz he's, like, a fish? Why do I even try anymore...



But it's a good point: Darwin's boring. He's a necessary boring. I'm not saying he's not an interesting character, but the show constantly restrains him from being anything more than he already is or actually helping define the episodes he's involved in, more often than not. (I'm, uh, getting those Vanillagate chills.) Yes, we get it. Darwin's supposed to be the moral compass of the series, but that's simultaneously his greatest weakness. He's frequently tainted by the relegation of his duties to simple head-shaking and saying "Don't do this, dude" for a proverbial paycheck.

That's what makes "The Banana" and "The Sidekick" so exciting: the roles are reversed. We get to see Darwin at his worst to a point where even Gumball is reluctant to follow along or vocally rejects.

The Actual Start of the Article
"The Banana" is the much simpler episode of the two. The basic premise is that Banana Joe presumably chews on Darwin's pen (or, at least, that's what Gumball believes), and against Darwin's apathy towards the situation, Gumball attempts to exact revenge. However, through a series of elaborate miscommunications, by which Banana Joe accidentally rips up Darwin's homework, we get to see Darwin snap and reveal the darkest corners of his personality as he viscerally breaks into Joe's locker and chews up all of his possessions - all while Gumball stares on in complete disbelief. Of course, amends are made at the end, but it was a pretty eye-opening caper to get to that point.

While "The Banana" simply sought to reverse Gumball and Darwin's roles, "The Sidekick" practically encroaches on meta self-awareness, with the whole premise summarized by a single conversation in the middle of the episode:


 * Oh yeah? Then what about... The school yearbook!  That's your entry...and that's mine! It's not even me! It's a photo of your shadow! I'M. YOUR. SHADOW. And look! "Darwin Watterson. Age: two years younger than Gumball! Class: the same as Gumball! Most likely to be: standing next to Gumball!" Even my nickname is "Gumball's sidekick!"
 * I'm sure mine's probably "Darwin's sidekick"...
 * Uh, no dude. It's "DARWIN'S BOSS!"



...And that's just one of several excerpts that succinctly describes Gumball and Darwin's relationship to this day, but I'm sure I'll yell more about that in a second. Basically, though, Darwin is fed up with being shoved to the side and decides it's time for him to develop some initiative by taking the lead on Gumball's latest misadventure, and after a bit of fighting with Gumball, he does... but it quickly falls apart when realizes that his plan - kidnapping Tobias' mom in hopes of getting their video game back from Tobias - may not have been the best solution, and the two work together to both iron out the situation and their team dynamic. By the end of the episode, though, Darwin makes the realization that Gumball needs him as a guardian more so than a simple sidekick, and the status quo is restored.

Analysis
While both episodes take a similar route in giving Darwin almost an excessive sense of backbone, both have their own merits.

Darwin aside, "The Banana" was an exciting episode in that it showed a new side to Banana Joe. In Season 1, he was highly intolerable, a complete jerk with nothing going for him aside from fart noises and peel-whipping. "The Banana" made him a much more pitiful, almost sympathetic character (something that "The Promise" would go on to fully embody) and, in a shocking turn of events, he's almost the episode's straight man. (Almost. Gumball takes that position more firmly about midway through.)



Seriously, Banana Joe's essentially a success story. Give him a pin reading, "I SURVIVED SEASON 1," 'cuz the poor guy deserves it.

Also fascinating was the whole whistling sequence, if not entirely because it took a different angle. It wasn't particularly humorous; it won't make you laugh or anything like that. It's an exercise in dramatic tension, and the first time you watch it, it has on the edge of your seat. Even watching it again, though, it's almost unnerving - the outcome is obvious, but the cinematic build to it is a route that the show so seldom takes, making for a distinct, memorable moment. (Either way, it's fun to whistle.)

"The Sidekick" is probably the more exciting out of the two, though. I see it as almost an exercise in character-driven catharsis. There's a complete awareness to how frequently Darwin is sidelined, but at the same time, that stance isn't mocked so much as acknowledged and properly fulfilled. There's still a sense that the show recognizes how terribly Darwin gets treated from time to time, but the issue is in the fact that it makes a joke out of it without any satisfying outcome. Witnessing episodes like "The Ex," in how Darwin is both made to look as stupid as possible while emphasizing that Gumball neglects to notice him, and "The Box," which gave him a moment in the spotlight before ripping it out of his hands (fins?) is almost frustrating - it's the show winking at us without really getting anywhere further, and there's a sense that they're oblivious of how much of a butt monkey he's truly become.



Now, I suppose one of the more interesting questions is why "The Words," which works off of the same premise, gets more recognition than "The Banana" and "The Sidekick." It's merely a matter of substance, though: two good songs, amazing fighting sequence, interesting directions. It worked to set itself apart, whereas these two wanted to be nothing more than simple, enjoyable bits of comedy and nothing remotely revolutionary. In that mission, they succeeded. In a similar vein, though: why hasn't the show gone in a similar direction since? There's a lot of open-ended questions out there, but even I couldn't surmise an answer.

Lastly, as an unpopular opinion: thank God for Season 2, right? All you guys are like, "Oh, nooo, it sucked," but it was a distinctive time where the show showed some serious grit, sometimes to an extent that hasn't been rivaled since. There was such a willingness to just do whatever, and it was an exciting, reckless time. It took a heck of a lot of gall in making its characters as terrible and cynical as possible, and that's what makes it such an interesting period to watch. Nowadays, there's a lot of focus placed on making the characters at least vaguely justifiable in their actions, and while it's probably for the better in the long run, I'll miss the characters being drenched by blatant imperfections.



The show doesn't make things any more ideal nowadays, necessarily, but Season 2 actively found ways to make us uncomfortable with how the characters were acting while still retaining a sharply comedic edge. (I mean, in "The Sidekick," Gumball and Darwin literally disguised Tobias' mom as mentally-challenged - that's, like, a whole new level of effed up.) You may say it's a dangerous show now, but you can't discount the show back then. Good times. (To be honest, though, Season 5 is getting closer and closer and I'm really excited about it.)

Next week, we'll be wrapping up the series prematurely by looking at "The Detective." I'll be sure to explain the situation in a little bit, but I promise: just one more, and you'll never have to see another of these posts until September. So... just bear with me one more time. Godspeed.