the amazing world of gumball nicole scuba diving

While planting a cynical undercurrent to pulse throughout the episode isn't the worst idea, the inability of the show to subdue that makes the episode's big moment-Nicole and her parents forgiving one another-feel insincere, which is the last thing the episode needs. That 'The Parents' is so obsessed with trying to both convey emotion and refute that emotion as manufactured causes the entire piece to end up feeling severely conflicted.Īll of this, of course, is directly pinned to Gumball. that's where the episode stumbles around the most, with the ending demonstrating one of the show's greatest challenges-sometimes, the show, in embracing its cynicism and being winkingly self-aware, ends up hurting itself. (The back-and-forth between Nicole and her parents trying to trace the root of their feuding was a particular highlight.)Īt the same time, though. It's a grudge that feels realized and engraved with trauma and heartbreak, and that the show is able to handle concepts with that level of maturity without compromising its humor is one of the show's greatest strengths. The show, naturally, explores this to very silly degrees in how they demonstrate their refusal to reconcile, but that which they verbally express registers perfectly. Despite using a fair amount of comic exaggeration-this is Gumball after all-I appreciated how raw the relationship was between Nicole and her parents. That's a big deal! But marred with emotional contrivances and a self-congratulatory amount of self-awareness, 'The Parents' finds itself significantly damaged.īut before we dive into that, it's important to address what the episode did right.

this is Nicole reuniting with her parents. There's a lot of issues with 'The Parents.' And sure, while it ultimately remains likeable, something entirely by design for what it is, it's marred by its own unique set of issues that prevent it from being what it should theoretically be.

At the time I was ill-equipped to try to discuss the episode and decided the best option would be to dodge it altogether, but now, a little over a season later, I have to write about a heavy episode. Here's a fun fact for everybody out there: in my entire time writing for the show, I haven't covered a single episode that I would describe as 'monumental.' In fact, the first episode I wrote about was ' The Code,' coming directly after 'The Choices' very intentionally.

The amazing world of gumball nicole scuba diving