Tuesday, September 26, 2017

The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Nuisance

"Bet you guys feel really big, don't ya? Picking on the poor, defenseless billionaires."

"The Nuisance" is an incredibly difficult episode to talk about when it really, really shouldn't be, and I think everybody knows why. But to sum up the extent of the episode's issues with a singular sentence, the extent of which this review will simply hammer in very angrily:

I really wish they stuck to a less loud design choice because the sheer amount of unnecessary, misconstrued attention the episode is getting was inevitable when it really shouldn't have been.

In the same way that "The Best" will forever be immortalized for making fun of SJWs, "The Nuisance" will henceforth, for the rest of time, be the "Oh my God, they made a joke about Trump deporting the Wattersons :3" episode. The issue is that pigeonholing "The Nuisance" as some cold-blooded jab is both blatantly wrong and obstructs the point of the whole episode. For Christ's sake, this one is about freaking economics more than anything else.

Further, the angle the show is going for isn't guided by some political agenda, even if a bit of knife-twisting finds its way in. The whole message behind the episode is that the Wattersons are the Wattersons, and they play on their own terms. First, they're faced with pressures to conform or else face being moved across the country, the result of which is a horrific homogenization of their family as a poster 1960s suburban family with a few too many "How-dee-doodle-a-doos" in their lexicon.

It's after all of that, though, that the reason for their proposed removal is actually brought to light by the mayor - they were dragging house prices in the area down, and with them fixed, the mayor will be able to maintain his monopoly over everybody else. In a swift move of heroic justice, the Wattersons decide to undo their progress and wreck havoc for the good of the common people, which works theoretically until you factor in that (A) nobody else knew of the mayor's manipulation, making it seem like the Wattersons just did a crapton of property damage, and (B) the Wattersons did end up doing a crapton of property damage. So it's straight back to the bottom of the ladder for them.

See? Framing the episode as some sinister knock on deportation is blatantly wrong because that's not the core meaning of the show.

But hold up, show writers, this isn't exclusively the fault of the politically-oversensitive viewers gleefully masturbating all over a nonexistent message - you still let all of this happen. Your entire decision to make the mayor a caricature of Trump was wholly unnecessary, presenting itself as more important than it actually is. The result is that, regardless of best intentions, the design choices add so much bitterness for the sake of being topical and draw in the worst type of attention.

How could you possibly believe this wasn't going to occur, show? What you pulled was an ill-advised feat that contributes nothing at all to the episode's core, but taints everything at its wayside.

I say this because we all know that you're better than this, that you don't have to pull all of these ridiculous stunts. Literally every other component of the episode worked swimmingly - all of which I'll leave in "Takeaway" as to not distract from my little tirade going on right now - and, if it wasn't for the more questionable decisions, the episode would've been far more impactful and effective. Instead, everything is murky, and people are using that to unrealistically project onto the show, with encouragement for these types of stunts only steering you to employ them more in the future. Don't listen.

Notes and Quotes:
-"They want us to move to Ohio? The home state of eight people who became president just they didn't have to stay living there?!"
-For a solid ten seconds, the episode was in art history heaven. I would've never thought the show would have Gumball peeing in Duchamp's Fountain, rinsing his hands off in a Damien Hirst, commentating on Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds, and shattering a Duane Hanson sculpture, but here we are. That whole scene was amazing and I doubt anybody else had any idea what was happening in it. Honestly, every scene of the Wattersons' misdemeanors were golden.
-Also worth noting: Richard's glorious QVC endorsement on the multiple uses of paper. This episode killed it in the random off-shoot scene department.
-The whole scene of the Wattersons wrecking havoc across Elmore was also golden. Gah, why was so much golden?! I'm so freaking torn on this episode because it did infinitely so much right yet so much wrong...
-Yeah, no, not touching the "Darwin's a dog" controversy. Though in all honesty, I'd much prefer that being this episode's legacy.
-Poor Mr. Small is literally always getting drugged to some capacity. He probably loves it anyway.
-I can't be the only one who was really into the new background music from this episode, right? Keep it up, Mr. Locket.

FINAL GRADE: B. This episode should've been so much better than it was. I already funneled all of my frustration out above, so I don't think compounding upon that will really make much of an impact.

I think the issue, show, is that you're so much better than this. You don't have to pull off all of these stunts for the sake of attention, because it's detracting from what makes the show actually work. "The Nuisance" is a startling confirmation of that notion; it's great on paper - I'd go so far as to say it plays off as some of the series' best episodes do - but by virtue of the thirst for topicality, the outcome is far more frustrating than it should be.

And Cassuto and crew, don't hate me if you're reading this, you're all lovely, brilliant people! This is, uh, just what I do, I guess. I yell. So if that offers some sort of morbid curiosity to y'all, you guys have my deepest respect. (Y'all always do, though.) Enough aimless pandering, sorry.

So.

Uh.













For the last Gumball review of "The Line," CLICK HERE.

10 comments:

  1. Hm. Personally, I failed to notice that the Mayor looked like Trump until people pointed it out. I get that he has the same hair colour and is a real estate magnate, but those are the main points of resemblance - the voice and dialect and speech patterns are different, the hair style is different, and his reasons for being there are different.

    I definitely see that he could be taken as a Trump analogy, but its presence - to me - is a very minor detriment. Perhaps that is mostly because I avoid making the mental link while watching the episode - I just see him as a sleazy billionaire type, rather than a direct equivalent to a real life figure. Or it might be that I, as a non-American, lack the connection that a US audience will have - Trump is often present in the media, sure, but he is eclipsed very often by more locally important matters. Either way, The Nuisance is easily one of my favourite season five episodes, because the humour just sticks and the concept feels like a better execution of The Finale. The ending makes sense and is more subtle, for one thing, and the Wattersons themselves are more... believable, if I can use so jarringly misplaced a term.

    Essentially, I can understand the frustration you have when it comes from seeing the Mayor as a Trump expy. I personally did not do so, and I still have to force the connection in my head, so my experience seems to have been very different from yours in that regard.

    On a side note, when you mention Darwin as a dog - what is the associated controversy? It seems only natural to me that if the family is turning "normal", then Darwin would turn into the most normal family pet there is.

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    1. Going off of what you said regarding the Mayor's mannerisms not being all too Trump-esque... that pretty much just plays off of my assumptions that the decision to turn him into a caricature came later in the episode's development. The episode isn't all that politically-inclined, so it just comes across as a Trump joke for the sake of there being a Trump joke, which is frustratingly lazy, in my eyes. Perhaps it's because I live in the US, but Trump is such an omnipresent figure here that it's just... all boring now. However funny Trump jokes may have been, he's already so much of a character that he's impossible to incisively satirize, yet the oversaturation continues, and now it's reached a point where he exists as a visual gag where it wasn't even remotely necessary. Trump's just not funny anymore - he's frustrating. Stuffing him into the equation didn't help and, as we've seen played out, all it does is provoke the worst type of attention for the show.

      But yeah, everything else about the episode is spotless. That's why the grade doesn't really match the extent of my criticisms - I just don't know how to feel about it as a whole.

      As for the whole "Darwin is a dog" thing... it's an incredibly minor thing that people are taking offense to for the sole fact that Darwin turns into the ideal family pet as opposed to a model human character because some people think it devalues him. The issue occurs in the fact that (A) he fundamentally IS the Wattersons' pet, and (B) their further insistence he should've turned into a black kid ruins the whole "1960s model citizens" pastiche of being very suburban and white. Basically, it's people feeling insulted by everything as usual.

      Also, a new face! Nice to met you, I hope you're enjoying your stay here.

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    2. I am! You have some very incisive points, and most of your reviews give me cause to think over an episode at least one more time. I do not always agree with your points, but that is besides the point - they are intelligent and well made nonetheless.

      In the case of this episode, it might be worth noting that most of the creators (and the studio itself) are located in Europe, and not the US? The saturation is lesser over here, so it might just be that they see it differently. Then again, that does not answer the question of the awkward attention it affords the episode...

      Also, I will admit that I could personally forgive the episode for... a lot. The scene where the Wattersons turned into a normal suburban family was deliciously absurd, deeply funny, and just the right amount of disturbing. At least to me.

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    3. Oh, I honestly think "The Nuisance" is one of the most well-written episodes of the past-season, with every bit offering something interesting and refreshing, but that whole... design choice... it didn't have any purpose in existing aside from hounding attention, which shouldn't be something the show deliberately works to ensure.

      Either way, thank you for all the kind words, Amanda! I look forward to seeing you around in the future - your comments offer up a nice perspective.

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    4. Honestly, I think the episode is enhanced by Darwin turning into a dog...if it's racist for him to become a dog instead of a black kid, then, well, the episode is about gentrification anyway--the fact that a dog is the closest thing to what Darwin is to the Wattersons that fits in stereotypical '50s white suburbia is a pretty biting commentary on stereotypical '50s white suburbia.

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    5. I mean, I can respect what you're thinking along the lines of, but sometimes a dog is just a dog. I don't think the show was leaning towards commentary in that aspect.

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  2. I really liked the Mayor to be honest, because he pulled off 'that' character so very well. I'm indifferent to his design being similar to Trump, and I see no reason why it would matter to me. Probably because I'm used to dealing with eisegetes.

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    1. Oh, I didn't mind the Mayor's characterization, it's simply that whole association that falls so flat. Like I've said, if I saw only the script, I'd declare the episode a masterpiece, but seeing everything play out as it did just doesn't work for the unintentional openness it creates and the resentment it stirs.

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  3. The unwise decision to use an American political figure at a time like this aside (because I've griped enough regarding the topic), I found this to be a great episode. The writing is just so on-point, and even if I find the unwarranted controversy jarring and unnecessary, I don't want to bash on it too much.

    I think the Wattersons and the amount of damage they tend to inflict has always been an interesting concept to me, mainly because the show never writes them off as bad people but rather fundamentally good people who can get a bit hectic. It is somewhat hard to explain, but given how few shows would acknowledge such nuance when creating characters such as the Wattersons, it's something I have come to admire. This episode is no exception to this. Sure, the Wattersons bring about millions of dollars in property damage, but it all comes from the fact they genuinely love their town and legitimately believe they are doing that right thing. It is probably just a "me" thing to notice such a thing, though.

    The climax and the model citizens gag are easily the best portions of the episode. Whether it be Gumball putting legitimate "bath salts" in the town's water supply or the brilliant silliness of the Wattersons becoming a generic "perfect" family, everything about those scenes work. Both scenes help to make this episode a standout for this season.

    I do not understand why Darwin transforming into a dog caused such a ruckus. At the end of the day, Darwin's origins are as a pet goldfish, so it would make sense he is the "ideal dog" in this scenario. It is not some subtle statement about how the Wattersons view Darwin or anything. The show has made it clear Darwin is an equal and is loved as a son and brother buy his family, so it seems silly to complain about this morbidly hilarious gag. Still, I would much rather this episode be known as the "gasp Darwin is a dog. O U T R A G E O U S" episode as well. At least there is some evidence to build an argument, as flimsy as it may be.

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    1. I'm honestly hoping this article will be one of the last times I have to argue about the episode's design choices, because it's honestly exhausting. But yeah, everything else about the episode is perfect - I realize that the review comes across as overwhelmingly hostile, but to discount the episode wholly based off of the whole "Mayor" thing is a bit unfair considering that everything else clicked better than a lot of the other recent episodes. That being said, it's a shame that such a minor decision can provoke this much.

      I like the way that the Wattersons are conducted, too, and how the show in general always follows some underlying sense of justification and purpose. Nothing in the show ever happens just because, which really sets its writing apart from a lot of other shows that don't quite understand that, throwing around jokes moreso for their comedic weight rather than their cohesion. (You could argue that the Season 2 characterizations of the Wattersons neglected justification, but there, it's more self-centered than objective.) Obviously, what they end up doing borders on the insane, but their intention manages to justify it, however jarringly at times. (Also, if you think picking up on minor mechanics of the show's and its characters' is exclusively your domain... back down.)

      I honestly think it's hilarious that Darwin being turned into a dog could even be brought under fire like that, but considering the audience that the show has been pulling closer to it with episodes like "The Worst" and this one... I probably shouldn't find it surprising. People just love to pick up on cues that don't even exist; it makes them feel smarter in spite of them appearing all the dumber. But having been so exhausted by the endless stream of Trump arguments, I'm so desensitized to caring about people getting outraged about this or that that I really don't care anymore. Let's just sit back and watch everybody fight instead of dragging ourselves in.

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