The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Intelligence

"Good morrow, sweet imp!"

Somehow, this onslaught of episodes teemed with diversity, and I'm not talking about subject matter: they all had very different strengths, and sometimes, very different weaknesses. Of the episodes that tried to take satirical angles, though—the others being "The Founder" and "The Schooling"—"The Intelligence" found itself struggling with, surprisingly, finding a way not to package its message, but to tell it. It's a peculiar case of the show emphasizing style over substance, and while the end result is no doubt enjoyable, its message is as straightforward as ever.

This certainly isn't the first time that Gumball has toyed with our fascination with technology and how it distorts our reality ("The Stars" is a particularly infamous example), but there's just not much that "The Intelligence" is actually trying to say. A lot of people are calling it surface-level, but it's not even that, in my opinion; it's flat-out the sense that we need technology and would take it over anything else, regardless of if that alternate reality is better or worse. It barely registers to the point where the meaning comes across almost as lukewarm intention in its lack of sophistication. Naturally, it's a bit unfair to criticize a show for going with a generic idea, but for Gumball, a show that takes joy in its merciless incisiveness, "The Intelligence" just falls short.

At the same time, though, it's an episode far from unrealized, laying out a surprisingly distinctive tone. Once the Internet accidentally malfunctions in an attempt to wipe out humanity, Elmore, stripped of technology, reverts into the Dark Ages, and it becomes Gumball and Darwin's mission to find him and bring him back. It's a simple, silly idea, and certainly not one that hasn't been touched on before, but as always, the show pulls it off with admirable charm.

I'd like to especially point out that, even though the townsfolk have gone insanely medieval, they still are who they are, which is a lot of fun to watch: Principal Brown is still a well-intentioned goof, for instance, and the Robinsons explore their antagonistic relationship through a witch-hunt. It's how the show finds ways to humorously deploy its supporting cast that it succeeds the most, especially with Gumball and Darwin shoved into straight-man duties trying to make sense of the world around them.

Special points in that region especially for casting the Senior Citizens as the antagonists. It's such an obvious move to make, but that's because it's just the perfect choice; they are, at this point, people left behind by the rise of technology, and thus the only ones still capable of functioning without it. Their existence, too, is the only part of the episode that really has much punch to it, presenting Brown and his gangling hunting party with the harmonious prospects of the world without the Internet. Immediately once Gumball and Darwin track the Internet, though, it's back to the world as before, and while the overall takeaway is very basic, I at least appreciate the show cynically twisting the knife a bit.

And honestly... that's kind of it. There's just not much to "The Intelligence." It's in a strange bit of, let's say, creative stasis, taking a half-formed idea and decorating it to a marginally satisfying degree. With a weak center, though, the fun is in the details, and it's not quite enough to pull everything across the finish line.

Notes and Quotes:
-"Looks like you guys are having enough fun combining cosplay and concussion without us."
-Jeff was very proud of his ownership of a kitchen towel. I've liked how he's being used in these past few episodes, and if he's not exactly approaching legendary status any time soon, he always contributes some goofy one-liners. I like him.
-Mrs. Jötunheim chanting "Dump the witch!" while inconspicuously hiding her broom was the episode's best little detail.
-"You must take me! I need to know why doctors hate a single mom who discovered one weird trick!"
-Who doesn't love a good Bayeux Tapestry nod? It was both inspired and visually-stunning, even if, symptomatic of the episode, it wasn't communicating much.
-"Any final words?" "YOLO..." "Thanks for making this easier for me."

FINAL GRADE: B-. "The Intelligence" is all in good fun, but it never really finds a grasp on what it's trying to say, and though it finds an exciting way to tell its narrative, it's the lack of a strong backbone that ultimately leaves me with very little to say. It's, simply-put, a likable but entirely dispensable episode that gets the job done but ultimately won't leave much of an impression, and that's alright. This isn't the show running itself dry, by any means, and it still oozes with creativity, but it just doesn't feel worthily channeled.

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

See y'all in a month.