The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Potion

"Sorry, it's my turn to be depressed? Thanks."

Welcome back! That's all I really have an idea of in terms of an introduction, because there's so many of these pesky episode bombs that trying to think of something new every time is a waste of mental exertion. So let's just get into it: "The Potion." It was... alright. That's about as good of a one-word summary as I can get.

Hector has always been interesting for the show to work with. His character is defined by his height, with his other only major role, in "The Colossus," turning into an awesome, adrenaline-packed Shadow of the Colossus tribute, and his more recently memorable stint in "The Night" exploring how his life would be different if he were smaller. Both of those episodes, though, more importantly, examined how his height influenced his personality, with both signifying its dangers, but the latter especially hammering in his yearnings to be just like everybody else. "The Potion" just comes across as an elaboration on that, and while it tries to become more of a close examination, it feels more like a general rehash.

I'm not saying it's bad by any means, because there's plenty here to enjoy. The issue is that the framework has such a lukewarm feel to its execution without ever trailing off on its own accord into something more surprising. "The Potion," instead, treats itself like any other episode, albeit with Hector thrown into the formula, virtually a third wheel to Gumball and Darwin's antics without really standing up on his own, which is unfortunate. For a season that's been interested in new takes on oft-overlooked characters, "The Potion" feels eerily run-of-the-mill.

At the same time, though, if there's one thing here that really deserves praise, it's the dynamic on display between Gumball and Darwin. It's strange how much Darwin tends to get pushed aside throughout the series, but "The Potion," surprisingly, manages to utilize the duo in equal parts. Darwin isn't just being Gumball's moral compass, and he's not just doing his bidding; there's a special camaraderie, with both landing great lines and actively shaping how the story plays out, most enjoyably as victims of Hector's slapstick antics.

That's what the episode is particularly bent on pulling out, too; while there's plenty of subtler moments throughout, the game of "The Potion" is physical comedy and visual humor. While, for the most part, this tends to follow a strict "show, then viciously explain" format (see: Orangutan, or Hector's varied transformations), making the jokes more routinely overt, there's an undeniable smoothness to the second act, with Gumball and Darwin trying to sneak a size-shifting Hector into Mrs. Jötunheim's cave. The whole sequence has a lot of fun, inventive coordination and escalates nicely, most notably between Darwin and Hector (who, among other things, is set on fire, submerged in spit, and gets accidentally swallowed).

The biggest issues with the episode, thus, are just how... uniformly average and predictable things feel. Everything about "The Potion" feels heavily calculated, moving along just to cover the loose base it needs to tell its story; the sequence with Hector frolicking through Elmore and repeatedly getting beat up or subject to ungodly fates, for instance, doesn't quite hammer in the point hard enough to make his depressed swinging register to any meaningful capacity. It simply exists to subvert, which is fine, but as the episode's turning point, it plays itself off a bit too quickly and stiffly. We're supposed to at least somewhat resonate with Hector, or emotionally take away something from it (nothing strong, necessarily, but just something), but the sequence doesn't offer us the chance.

Ultimately, then, "The Potion" is nothing more than another episode where Gumball and Darwin bite off more than they can chew in trying to help someone. It's a standard model, and it works well, but with how rarely Hector gets utilized, one wishes for just a bit more insight. Instead, he just gets relegated to a position more as an obstacle, and it never lets itself take off.
Notes and Quotes:
-"I swallowed the last girl I kissed. She broke up with me immediately... well, a bit later."
-"Man, it was hard enough milking all those wolves." "You only had to milk one." "But the others looked so left out."
-Richard's incredibly enthusiastic gym membership photo, equipped with two thumbs up, was such a hilariously depressing little gag. It's not gonna work out, Rich.
-Poor Larry is consistently the victim of Gumball and Darwin's weird antics. The guy was just trying to drive...
-"AHH! He looks like a blanket made out of Greek grandpas' tummy tucks!"

FINAL GRADE: C+. As fine as it is, it's just difficult to justify why "The Potion" really exists. Because of that, its greatest sin is just how much untapped potential it feels like there is, with the show instead taking a safer route to victory as opposed to branching out in pursuit of greater rewards, even if that means taking greater risks. I can get that this is just an episode shooting for being pleasant—all shows have a clear priority set on certain episodes more than others—but when you pull out a character like Hector, it's a bit frustrating to stick to your guns instead of be more opportunistic.

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