Remember when "The Shell" came out and that was the pinnacle? That episode became the instant favorite almost unanimously, a testament to the sheer power of the show to conjure up something both comedic and sweet.
Granted, "The Matchmaker" will probably never hold the same captivating grasp as "The Shell" did, not on the fans and certainly not on the show, where Darwin's sidelined already, but here's the thing: I found this episode to be better.
Allow me to explain.
My main issue with "The Shell" was its sheer simplicity in the narrative. Don't get me wrong- that's one of the most powerful things you can possibly do if done properly, and the writers certainly knocked that episode out of the park. For me, though, "The Matchmaker" was even more effective because it saved the emotional closer for the end- it didn't have the intense build-up, sure, but the fact of the matter is that there were effectively two conflicts going on throughout the episode instead of one major concept - in this case, Darwin's forced love for Teri and Carrie's true, unrequited love for Darwin (which has been up in the air for a really long time) - and in finding the proper balance between the two, the show was able to execute something both emotionally and comedically strong.
Admittedly, there wasn't a moment capable of topping Banana Joe watching fruit porn, okay? That remains the high mark of the entire series. At the same time, though, that's really the only shockingly funny thing about "The Shell," which shifts focus more on story. This episode was consistently hilarious, and I actually mean that. The sheer amount of inventive and weird twists the writers were able to put into the episode is remarkable.
Now, the jokes. While the new edition of Gumball overracting a painful death is kind of worn out at this point, the desired effect - to lure Teri into a quarantine room- is a complete disaster once she realizes that the waste Gumball is in is actually soda. We then cut to the quarantine room, with Darwin taped to the wall, rose in his mouth, with that freaking R&B music in the background. Then, the school nurse, the most underrated character in the whole series, walks in and deadpans, "I don't think there's a cure for that." That's a long set-up but Christ, that's impeccable stuff, especially for the sheer brevity of the actual scene. And it completely worked.Other then that, the show kicked into its real victory lap when Carrie and Gumball fail to separate the two new lovebirds, and the ways that the two attempt to sabotage are downright inspired. At one point, Gumball rubs Alan all over the place, causing the static to stick to Teri's face, making them kiss. Darwin, blatantly entranced, is fine, because she's too good not to be shared. All of these jokes are great because they require two components to effectively hit - a smart visual gag and a humorous way for Darwin or Teri to dismiss it.
Another moment really stood out to me as well- when Teri asks Darwin how many people he's kissed: "Rachel? Carrie? Gumball? Gumball? Gumball? Okay, what's up with you guys? Penny? Sussie? Alan's balloon knot? Chris Morris?" First of all, because I'm a complete idiot, that stupid Sussie cutaway kills me every single time. But secondly, the fact that even Teri addressed how weird it is that Gumball and Darwin kiss so frequently was a surprisingly smart joke. It's the show admitting how lazy the whole concept is as to elicit humor, especially in regards to entire episodes in the first season being framed around it ("The Dress," "The Pressure"). There's a bit of risk in the writers slyly admitting how tripe the idea is, fully aware of how glaringly obvious the gimmick will be from now on, but it pays off amazingly well.
Cantu and Hansley Jr. Updates:Nicolas sounded great and all, but this wasn't about him. This was about Hansley Jr. being able to perform every stupid lovey thing his character had to, and he did great! And to think I dismissed these guys as amateurs.
Probably the biggest moment was Darwin's whole song at the beginning, which, aside from being a great entrance for the episode (abrupt ending and all), is a great showcase for Hansley Jr.'s singing talents. For him to voice Darwin already requires an artificially higher pitch, but to take that and go even higher and more rhythmically is astonishingly impressive. (Even Boakye had to Autotune the crap out of his voice a couple of times.)
Lesson is, never underestimate people. Heck, this column will probably be gone for good about halfway through the season.
Takeaway:
-I have no idea why R&B music is so freaking hilarious, but the fact that they undercut Carrie crying into a love potion with "OOOOOH YEAH" is amazing. Nobody gives these moments enough credit. GIVE THEM CREDIT,
-"SHE WANTS ME TO EXPOSE MYSELF? THEN I'LL EXPOSE MYSELF!" "What?" "...Verbally."
-"Why did you have to drag me into this? You know very well that I like Darwin. It's written all over my face!" "Your face is literally two dots and a line. It's like Morse Code."
-This episode is so good that I can't even fill this portion up with much that hasn't already been discussed. I believe that should be a testament to how tight everything about this episode was. It's definitely not because I'm lazy.... uh....
Final Grade: A+. I get it, "The Shell" is precious, but from a sheer comedic standpoint, when "The Matchmaker" strikes, it strikes harder with a line-up of jokes nothing short of remarkable and impeccably executed. It doesn't set out to be a blatantly emotional episode, but there's enough tinges of heart throughout to ultimately win you over.I remember when Season 5 started, I thought it was the shakiest since Season 1, and to be fair, it had a couple of middling episodes at launch ("The Guy," "The Boredom," "The Slide"), but with almost recent episode being hit after hit, it might just raise the bar to a new high. Perhaps the new voice actors allowed the seasoned writers to find new inspiration, but this season has proven adept at pumping some new blood in after a slightly reheated Season 4.
For the last Gumball review of "The Vase," CLICK HERE.
"I can still see. But I don't mind."
What I like the most about The Matchmaker is that it starts off with a whole minute of taking Darwin seriously. The starting song is anguished and emotional, the speakers are crying, and everything plays off like a music video. I think it would have been very easy for the writers to insert jokes, to make the lyrics sound weird, or to exaggerate the situation into ridiculousness. But instead, for almost a whole minute, the show lets Darwin just be sad. It remains one of the most powerful scenes in the franchise because everything is played straight, and it just fits so well - Darwin is allowed to be an angsty teenager, without having any laughing fingers pointed at him. It also means that when Gumball shows up and breaks the tension, it breaks naturally, and the humour comes less from the situation and more from the visual playing around. The episode stops showing Darwin's angst because Darwin stops putting it on show.
ReplyDeleteI thought the rest of the episode was good, too. The absence of Richard being Captain Obvious definitely helped it for me, and the R&B jokes definitely struck a chord (pun not intended). And even though the show makes fun of Darwin after that first minute, including that emo fringe joke, I did not mind them - to me, the episode had already proved its dedication to Darwin. I had seen enough to know that the writers, too, cared for him, poor little thing.
Having said that, there were two things I minded about the episode. The first one was the joke where Gumball talks about Darwin needing help badly - I felt like it robbed the episode of its focus on Darwin. It was a complete non sequitur, and not in a good way.
The second was, unfortunately, the resolution. The spell was broken by Carrie's tear, which would have been fair enough, but it played into several clichés - and Gumball even brings one of them up as it happens ("True love broke the spell"). It felt less like magic and more like the show having to quickly resolve the plot before the eleven minutes were up. On the whole, though, I loved the episode - and I particularly loved the introduction. There was just something about how it played as a homage to teen emo pop in general, and Darwin in specific, without making fun of either of them.
There's definitely power to when the show plays a moment with the right amount of seriousness, especially considering how rare the show does it - they create a scarcity to make those moments all the more powerful. The only other recent instance I can think of as the moment between Gumball and Penny in "The Petals" - the rawness of both this and that helped elevate the scenes as stand-outs. (As a sidenote, the show sometimes wields a serious conviction for the sake of humor, like the raw, emotional output of "My Lonely Backside and I" from "The Slap.")
DeleteI do agree with you on the issues with Darwin's character here, though: that's been a consistent issue throughout the series, especially in later seasons. Even Darwin-centric episodes like this, which is literally his version of "The Shell," brush him aside and put Gumball in charge. I didn't have that large of an issue here because his larger presence was required for the episode to play out as it did, but still... even in some of the series' better episodes, the issue persists. Pointing that issue out, too, as the writers seem so intent to do for the sake of a quick joke, is frustrating in how they recognize the issue without doing anything about it, but such is the nature of the show.
That being said, I didn't mind the cliches all too much. Heck, "The Shell" is the most cliched episode out there, but it happily embraces that. I can see why you think the ending uses the cliche as a crutch, but there was at least enough cautious foreshadowing to make it work for me instead of simply being tacked on as an easy out.
To clarify, my issue with the ending is less that they used a cliché and more that the cliché felt tacked on because they could find no other resolution. Like you said, the conclusion here felt less predictable - but that means that employing a cliché to get to that point feels a bit like cheating. Maybe I just have overly high expectations, though.
ReplyDeleteI think that lets the ending feel fairly organic, though. Sometimes the show should just be allowed to cherish the moment, regardless of if that moment is formulaic or not, because it makes for proper story-telling I get that TAWOG is a show that loves to defy convention, and its endings love to abide by that, but there's nothing wrong with simplicity.
Deletei am still wondering how Hansley jr hit those notes.
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