Last week, I wrote that while watching the last season, I was worried about the possibility of creative fatigue. This episode might suggest that we're relapsing. And, for better or for worse, this episode will live on as the "I love cheese and Internet memes!" episode. Hmph.
That's not to say it was completely bad, but it felt like the show in its first season. I'll get back to that in a second. As for right now, the premise is simple - Rocky, the school janitor Muppet, is sad that he lost the girl of his dreams, and Gumball and Darwin seek to help him find her, and honestly, that's the entire plot. It's a barebones effort.
Even so, it still had its moments.
For instance, the process of trying to make Rocky inherently likable to the dating public was admittedly a bit cute, if not overdone. The trope of not looking good for a single photo except for the above angle was nicely subverted by the fact that no, that didn't work either, and yes, "You look like the kind of guy who likes taxidermy and long walks in the dark," is the kind of delightfully surreal line that I watch the show for. Also interesting is the application of flipping up for someone you don't like on a dating up, which sends the rejected characters hurled into the air in real life. Eventually, through using said app, they find the girl, but Rocky accidentally flips up, so they run through town trying to find her, knowing that she'll never pop up on the app again.The climax of the episode finds the gang running through town, and discovering that pushing people aside and knocking them over is instantly forgiven if the act was "in the name of love". This is a small sweet-spot for the episode, with Gumball and Darwin wreaking havoc to get answers or push onwards faster before getting gung ho and shoving everyone around anyway, eventually reaching the doorsteps of the dream girl's house... and running over her father and the front door. (See: opening exchange.)
Then, they confront her, and the girl is instantly freaked out, only shooting Rocky a hit via dating app because of a heavily-edited image (a call-back to earlier from the exchange on how Rocky couldn't look good in any picture - they edit it to death until he looks like a handsome human male) before flipping up and sending him through the roof. In the end, they're back where they started, and during a computer game, Darwin hands Rocky's character a flower.That's pretty bleak, and not in a sad way. Just really, really uninspired.
Here's the thing: for the past four years, Gumball has been one of the most inspired cartoons to exist. I'd go so far as to argue that it's better than some episodes of classic Spongebob (and almost all of modern Spongebob, though I do have a weird soft spot for Spongehenge, which everyone else hates). To see it go so broad on the ending, tying it up neatly but without a nice resolution just feels wrong.
Now, back to the Season 1 argument. Season 1 was not very good. It was aimed specifically at children, meaning the gags were simpler and clumsier, with most episodes having an everlasting sameness and following tropes. Meanwhile, one season later, the opposite was pursued, where the show goes for different angles almost every episode and, if using tropes, uses them deliberately to make a point. (Also worth noting is that Season 1's episodes endings were abrupt and typically a short scene serving to wrap up an episode as traditionally as possible, by providing some lame resolution. Here, the ending has a similar lack of punch.)Maybe my criticisms have to do with the fact that I've watched the show on-and-off since its conception and I know its highs and lows, but this episode is the most forgettable one in a long time. Even more lackluster efforts like The Boredom had smart components that built up to a lesser whole. Here, the issue is different: it's not a clip show like the former, but it has a similarly disappointing flow, going exactly as you expect, which from a show with as high prestige as Gumball, is frustrating.
Takeaway: -"A dwarf and an elf can't be in love... it goes against the lore."
-At the very least, "I like cheese and Internet memes" was nicely countered by a condescending, "That's gonna be a hard sell" from Gumball. At least that line wasn't left in the air as if smart, relatable writing, though it still felt really off.
-"Too tall. Too small. Too average-sized."
-The exchange with the Green Gummy Bear via pick-up lines went a bit long, though the repeated misinterpretations piling up and managing to get even worse was fair game. It just didn't need to be 1.5 minutes long.
-"Embellish the truth. 'I work for a nonprofit organization that saves children from squalor, disease, and starvation.'"
-In comparing dating to spray cheese: "It may taste like cheese, but it's really bad for your self-esteem."
-I will say that I did kind of like the touch of Rocky's CGI character chasing after a similar, albeit 2D one, as if they were never meant to be together in the first place. Or maybe I'm looking into it too much, CGI's hard stuff.
Final Grade: C-. Some parts worked, but they never amounted to anything. The end was something you'd expect from another show, and to see it come churned out of such an off-the-wall show feels wrong.
For the last Gumball review of The Test, CLICK HERE.
Lastly, regarding the presidency (which I'm sure we'll talk about a bit more on Saturday):
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