The Roots

"The Roots" is the thirty-third episode of Season 4 of The Amazing World of Gumball. It is the 149th episode overall.

Synopsis
The family try to make Darwin connect with his fish roots.

Plot
The episode begins with the Wattersons driving to the mall. Darwin suggests that they should stop by the pet store, to which Nicole agrees. Once there, Nicole notices Darwin looking sadly at a group of fishes. Inquiring what is bothering him, Darwin only laments that he was looking at how happily the fishes are swimming in the tank before walking away as the whole family gives him a sad look.

Back home, Nicole browses through Darwin's internet history to find out what is troubling him. After seeing that he's been searching for a better fish environment, she concludes that Darwin is unhappy with his current environment. However, as the family does not want Darwin to leave them, they try to make their home more suitable for a fish. Such as eating worms and fish-hooks for dinner, wearing ocean-themed outfits and listening to whale sounds. All of which only makes Darwin disturbed and confused.

With Darwin appearing even more unhappy than before, the family reluctantly decides to release him back to his natural habitat. Later on, the Wattersons drive to a pond and sadly release him into the water and drive away. However, Darwin pursues them to an ice cream shop where he demands to know why they are acting like this. Gumball explains that they were trying to reconnect him to his roots in order to make him feel better after seeing him looking so sad at the fishes in the pet store. Darwin then explains that he wasn't looking at the fishes, but at the large fish tank and trying to guilt trip Nicole into buying a fish tank for him. Although the family appears to be shocked by this at first, they all conclude that Darwin truly is a Watterson and all hug him.

Darwin then asks Nicole if this means he'll get a new tank, to which she denies. Then Darwin attempts to guilt trip her by lamenting on that he never knew his birth parents or what his life in the ocean would have been. Nicole then guilt trips him back by lamenting how much the family owes him after adopting him, raising him and caring for him. Darwin then concedes and Nicole claims that no one can guilt trip like a mother, kissing Darwin on his forehead. Ending the episode.

Main Characters

 * Darwin
 * Gumball
 * Anais
 * Nicole
 * Richard

Minor Characters

 * Crocodile Woman
 * Brown Bear
 * Larry
 * Parrot
 * Banana Joe
 * Hot Dog Guy
 * Hank
 * Pantsbully
 * Banana Bob

Trivia

 * The Roots was the original name for "The Origins ".

Continuity

 * Richard's middle name, Buckley, is revealed.
 * This is the second time Darwin expresses his desire to get a new bigger fish tank. The first being in "The Night."

Cultural References

 * Gumball's mermaid outfit resembles that of Ariel's in Disney's The Little Mermaid.
 * "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy is played once again in the piano version.

Goofs/Errors

 * When Darwin says he was gone to go for a walk with the camera zoomed out, the electrical outlet behind him is missing, then when the camera zooms in, the electrical outlet is seen, then when the camera zooms back out, the outlet disappears again.