The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Founder

"I either need some food or some therapy... eh. Chips are cheaper."

Here's an interesting episode. Whereas "The Parents" struggled with its use of humor and "The Brain" struggled with its lack of realization, "The Founder," in its relative simplicity, is nothing but unbridled fun. And that's precisely why it works. It takes a simple premise that could've been attempted at any point in the show's run and imbues it with so much charm and ingenuity that it just left me feeling happy. And that's not usually something all of those other hard-edged critics (assuming the criteria is loose enough to include me) even like to acknowledge.

And strangely enough, the success of the episode, while certainly enhanced by Nicole's active role throughout, is almost entirely surrounding Richard. He's a character who, time and time again, has proven difficult to put in the spotlight; his moronic shtick, more often than not, tends to be a crutch at best or a detriment at worst. Yet what allowed him to work in "The Founder" was that even though he demonstrates that same stupidity, it comes across as utterly endearing. He's just a character trying to do his best in a preposterous situation significantly out of control, spiraling to the degree that the co-workers who crowned him as their long-awaited founder convinced him he was the actual founder.

That's what sets "The Founder" apart. The failure of other Richard-centric episodes stems from releasing the character and just watching him go. There's no denying that the same thing happens here to some degree—Richard reconstructs the entire business in pursuit of "Funfunctionality," a sly bit of satire aimed at meaningless workplace ergonomics (think those companies that have rock-climbing walls and ping-pong tables for no reason)—but he never feels grating in his miscalculation. Simply put, this is, all things considered, Richard's greatest venture as a leading character yet.

But there's a lot else to proceedings that stick, too. Nicole, in her relentless quest to get things done, offers the show a nice chance to shift gears before Richard's antics gets too overwhelming. And both characters have their own delightful foils—with Richard buddied with the CEO of Chanax and Nicole working alongside Phil, a deadpanning accountant—that add a nice bit of oomph, the former in his smug, elitist cynicism and the latter with some sweet dance moves.

The episode is also, to put it simply, chock full of inspired gags. Exploring Richard's rationale is always a lot of fun for the show to do, and here, taking a crack at it through an increasingly overwhelming amount of shoulder angels and devils, is a perfect way to elevate the cliche. There's also a lot of small touches throughout that work in their simplicity, like having Richard rest his hand on a keyboard and quietly unleash a torrent of pop-ups or having the building's ultimate design not only include the partially-raised bit of fabric, but also the desk it rests on.

Finally, as all strong episodes have, "The Founder" features a glorious success of a song. Admittedly I'm a sucker, for whatever reason, of theatrical ensemble musical numbers, and the triumphant "He's Back," with the news of Richard's arrival erupting across Chanax Inc. as co-workers spread rumors and fret small details hopes of impressing him, fulfills that itch perfectly. Look, it'll never be as popular as songs like "Goodbye" or "Life Ain't Perfect," but it's so writerly and joyfully-conceived that I adore it all the same.

Long review short: "The Founder" is a blast.

Notes and Quotes:
-I think what I enjoy most about the whole thing is just how simply "The Founder" starts off: all Nicole has to do is pay off a bill, and all Richard has to do is wait in a car, and by the end, with the exception of a destroyed building, Nicole's no better off than before.
-"You can't think of anything important to you that's not on the Internet? Something you've built your life around, giving you constant emotional support and joy through the years? I'll give you a clue: it begins with 'F.'" "Food!... family. Seamless." "Yeah. Nice save, honey."
-The bit where the Chanax receptionist accidentally scares his co-worker by calling Nicole a dinosaur was such a perfectly-executed little exchange.
-The hallucination joke may just be one of my new favorite gags that the show's ever done. It's just so dumb that it's beautiful; what do hallucinations even mean in a world inhabited by walking hot dogs?
-"I'm nervous, apprehensive! / Quick, which tie looks more expensive?"
-"Now, as you know, we've hired the most expensive architect money could buy! I tell you, I haven't seen so many zeroes since I walked through economy to get to first class, am I right?" "Ha, ha ha ha, we're rich!"
-"Since I've had my baby, can I switch to more flexible hours?" "That's right. The office chairs are boring."
-I know someone who will be very enthusiastic about the DDR reference.

FINAL GRADE: A+. I am absolutely fine with nobody else holding "The Founder" to the level that I do, but sometimes, the best episodes are the ones that don't have anything on their agenda at all; "The Founder" isn't trying to take a satirical angle, nor does it want to progress the show in any way at all, and its knowing insignificance frees the episode of the obligation to make itself anything more than what it is. This is just a silly little episode that does what it wants and there's never any harm in that.

For the last review of "The Parents," CLICK HERE.