User blog comment:Jamesgrout/Top 5 Worst and Best Amazing World of Gumball Season 4 Episodes/@comment-30307603-20170318220042/@comment-31194372-20170319002506

I'm right next to you with "The Roots." It's kind of a bait-and-switch, not unlike in "The Apprentice," but it was a bait-and-switch done right. You don't feel betrayed by the episode because it's not mean-spirited. That's not to say it's particularly feel-good, but there's at least intent for all the madness, with the Wattersons only trying to do their best for Darwin. There's also the fact that Darwin actually gets to do something interesting for once because he hasn't had a meaningful role since "The Sidekick." (Even other Darwin-based episodes, such as "The Triangle" or "The Safety" usually have Gumball absorbing all of the energy.) To see that the writers could actually find a good use for him makes me very optimistic that the show will find more ways to employ him in the future.

"The Scam" was pretty good too, though I think that Gumball's pettiness over the candy got dragged out a bit too long to the point that he was still complaining about it past the climax. He's too stagnant, which is kind of surprising because that's usually not an issue for me.

Then there's "The Girlfriend," which isn't amazing by any means, but it had enough going on that it didn't feel like a complete waste of time. Jamie's a one-trick pony, sure, but they delved in it enough that smart little moments shined through, what with the rapper smirk and Jamie's blown kiss becoming a weapon. I will say that the fart was a lowbrow joke, but the character's on a low enough level that it at least sort of works.