User blog:ThatGuy456/A Guy's Thoughts: Tobias Wilson - The Joke of a Jock

The Introduction
Hey, there! Thank you for stopping by and at least seeing what this whole thing is all about!

For the five of you out there that care, yes, I did actually manage to write a new article in less than a month’s time! Truly a record for the ages.

Tobias is a character I’ve wanted to do a piece on for a while, and at last, I’ve finally been able to realize that in this article! In this post, I will be discussing what I think makes Tobias such a great character and commentating on his progression throughout the series.

As always, I would like to warn that this is a little bit on the long side. It's shorter than my most recent endeavor, but those who aren’t the biggest on reading would be better spending their time elsewhere. Still, thanks for at least giving me a shot!

For everyone who is still around, thank you, and let us dwell into whatever I decided to spew out about this cartoon character.

The Analysis
Tobias Wilson is one of those characters who I learned to love by the end of the show’s run. And why not? The crew has struck gold with this character as he is one of the funniest members of the cast. Regardless of the episode he in which he is featured, he always manages to make the scene.

What makes Tobias such a great character is the faux jock persona he extrudes. He likes to think of himself as a jock, but in reality, he is a pitiful oaf who is clearly not at all what he makes himself out to be. That alone is already enough to make him a pretty amusing character, but the show takes it a step further and adds some intriguing wrinkles to his characterization. It is not just that he is this lacking jock character, it is that he also has this level of self-awareness. He has enough self-awareness to know subconsciously that he simply does not amount to this image he has made for himself, but not enough to really take any agency and work to fix that. His ego is large enough to ensure he leaves a lasting impression on his peers but fragile enough to be broken at the slightest hint of any of his inadequacies.

There is a tragic element to Tobias that really elevates him on a comedic level with how he is seemingly perpetually trapped. By grounding him in his contrasting egotism and insecurity, the writers have managed to create a character who is as believable with his layers as he is hilarious with his extravagant outburst. Although Tobias has been a part of the show since the very beginning with Season 1’s “The Third,” it was not until Season 2 in which the character really evolved into the dork we know him as today. His first post-Season 1 major role, “The Knights,” is not too heavy in regards to really fleshing him out, but it at least allows the writers to shift Tobias from the rich jock who does not like girls to the cowardly and feeble girl-chaser that has become the cornerstone of his personality with how he goes after Penny’s affection in some of the shabbiest of ways in his knight costume. It is “The Tape,” however, in which Tobias truly shines for the first time. In this inspired series of home videos by the Watterson brothers is a segment we will dub “How to Be Cool, But Not as Cool as Tobias,” a how-to-guide by Tobias Wilson in which he instructs his viewers how to become cooler than themselves, but not cooler than himself, since that is impossible. Tobias is doing everything he can to portray himself as a suave charmer who is the absolute peak of masculinity. The crème of the crop if you will. In actuality, he is nothing more than an awkward womanizer whose attempts to build himself up just tear him down in the long run. He is unable to lift barbells unless they are featherweight, and his endeavor to win over some of the girls with cash turns out to be an absolute bust when all he can provide is coins (not even actual bills, just coins), one of which actually chips Sarah’s teeth. This culminates in a botched pickup line in which he ultimately embarrasses himself and is faced with the uncomfortable reality that he is nothing more than a husk of the coolness he aspires to be. He cannot even commit to seeing his flirting through and instead calls for his mother because he has realized just how sad this whole shtick he is putting up is. Tobias returns in full force in Season 3’s “The Move.” If “The Tape” was amused in Tobias’ humiliation, then “The Move” just relishes in it. He continues to flirt with every girl he can find, but Tobias has been annoyingly persistent about it to the point that they are a lot more reactionary and downright dismissive towards him. His social standing is not the only thing that has made a turn for the worse, however. He has also become more emotionally fragile to the point of being prone to outbursts. When Masami swiftly rejects his advances once more, he is brought to tears, realizing that he will most likely remain dateless at this rate. When Gumball catches him crying, he snaps, yelling about how Gumball and Darwin are the real crybabies that ran away before proceeding to flee. He projects his frustration with himself onto the brothers before leaving to cry elsewhere. Despite the numerous signs Tobias has seen himself about how his behavior is regarded, Tobias chooses to ignore them and reinflates his ego as he continues to flirt with more girls. “The Mothers” is an episode more concerned with the Watterson brothers and Nicole than it is Tobias, but the episode still takes the time to illustrate some of the lows Tobias is willing to undergo to save face and remain at the top he has made for himself. He, alongside his mother (which says quite a bit about his upbringing), work together to cheat in the episode’s centerpiece Mom-Off. The two go through pretty arbitrary scheming for such a simple contest, and it really illuminates the desperate elements of Tobias’ personality. Of course, when their plans fall through and the duo are caught in the act, Tobias expresses his frustration towards the end of the episode by tearing the Mother’s Day card he made for Jackie in half, which only serves to enunciate his pettiness. “The Points” from Season 4 showcases the character at arguably one of his lowest points. With the microtransaction-littered Galatrack becoming popular within Elmore Junior High, Tobias is able to become a top player because of his ability to pay his way through it with his father's credit card. This especially piques the interest of the Watterson brothers. Given that it is rare that he is looked upon favorably, Tobias quickly capitalizes on this and has them fruitlessly complete chores for fraudulent “good points” so that he can continue to play the game, and in his mind, continue to ride the social wave. In truth, he has played to the point of deteriorating hygiene, and when Gumball and Darwin call him out for his scheme, he impulsively loses it and goes into an imaginative spat with the duo in which the weapons he “earned” from Galatrack are real and his to use against them. The one time he had any influence, gone in an instant, and all he can do is go into a bizarre rage. “The Slap” is really more about Gumball than it is Tobias, but Tobias and all of his cool factor is still well on display here. In another attempt to demonstrate his machoness, Tobias invents a new greeting that involves slapping the butts of his male peers (sans Gumball, of course). He is convinced that this invasive greeting is somehow establishing himself as the ultimate cool guy, but really, it is only further perpetuating his unpopularity. Even Gumball, who goes through insane lengths just to be included, immediately voices his disapproval of Tobias’ ridiculous gesture upon being on the receiving end. Yet another wasted attempt to be macho.

Once again, “The Test” is more about Gumball than Tobias, but it at least plays into the pathetic aspect of his personality, going as far to suggest that he is so pathetic that having him as the protagonist would be a major detriment to the show. Gumball may be a loser, but he at least has some wit to him, and more importantly agency, something “The Test” makes sure to further establish them as traits in which Tobias is lacking. Everything really comes together in Season 6’s “The One.” Arguably the quintessential episode in regards to his characterization, it is the ultimate juxtaposition of his egotism and his insecurities. The guy is so desperate to be noticed and be important that he forces an unnatural friendship with Gumball so that he can somehow take solace in being Gumball’s most important friend. He tries to make this dynamic seem as natural as he can and falsely establishes that he and Gumball go so far back to the point that a life without Tobias is presumably unimaginable (he even goes as far to try to insert himself into the events of “The Phone” of all things). When Gumball and Darwin try to take action in putting him down gently, his confident arrogance shatters and in its place comes a slew of anxious worries about how he feels unsure as to where he belongs in the universe. He tries to cope with this by, ironically, having delusions of grandiose in which he eliminates Gumball’s closest friends  except for Penny, of course  one by one in a Highlander-inspired fashion. The only way he can feel somewhat comfortable with himself is by pretending to get rid of everyone else.

When Gumball bursts his bubble and reveals Tobias has really just been going about making a fool of himself and has not really accomplished anything, it seems as if the character is at his lowest point. He just experienced his highest egotistical high, and now he is at his lowest insecure low. However, it is at this point that Gumball comes in and reassures him that he is a “good friend” and that “good” is “good.” For the first time, Tobias uses the self-awareness he has and actually accepts his inadequacies. Good is not great, but it is good, so it is something, and I think that is a very fitting note to end these Tobias-centric episodes. Tobias is such a great character because he has always been able to walk that line between self-importance and self-loathing. He knows he is not quite up to snuff, but would rather skirt around that fact than face it head-on, and that allows for a dynamic and extravagant character with a bombastic personality with his emotional range. He is a guy who so desperately wants to love himself, but does not know how to cope with the fact that he really cannot, and his misogynistic father and immoral mother certainly are not helping matters. Tobias truly is one of the most well-written to come out of the supporting cast, and the staff should be proud of creating such a realized and funny character.

The Closing Notes
Hey there! Thanks for sticking around until the end!

Anyways, what did you guys think of Tobias? Do you agree with me? Disagree with me? Please, share your thoughts. I very much do appreciate them!

I would like to once again thank my younger sister as well as Bocquelet-approved critic Mattalamode for reviewing this before publication.

I do have a bigger project planned for the blog spot. I don’t want to say too much about it yet, but hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, it should be a good means of reflection for everything the show has done as a whole. I don’t want to make any promises, but it looks like it should be coming together.

Something about nicole or whatever is supposed to fill this line

If everything turned out correctly, then this should have been posted around Christmas. For those that celebrate, I hope you have a good one, and for those who do not, I still hope the arrival of the Winter Solstice and the new year are still good for you! For those who are reading outside of the holiday season, I hope your day is going well.

That’s all I have for now. Until next time, take care of yourselves! :)