‘The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball’ Season 2 Review
After the revival’s premiere on Hulu back in July, The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball has returned for its second season in the midst of the holiday season. This latest batch of another 20 episodes has the common Gumball shenanigans we’ve come to know and love through its mixed media animation and wacky characters and in this overview of the season I’ll be going over the season’s best episodes, the show’s most creative moments, and of course a full review of season 2’s finale regarding the return of the character Rob, and the future of the void storyline the original show was so well known for.
It goes without saying that season 2 of The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball has more of what everyone has loved about this series, but it also improves in aspects of light hiccups from the first season, becoming more refined in its placement as a revival of the beloved original.
[Warning: Light spoilers ahead for episodes: “The Synthesis”, “The Cheapmas”, “The Fools” and “The Rewrite.”]
Season 2 episode 5: “The Synthesis”
“The Synthesis” is sure to be a major fan favorite out of this batch of episodes. It follows the brewing rivalry between Nicole Waterson (Teresa Gallagher) and Yuki Yoshida that started way back in the episode “The Fury” during the original show’s run.
The two moms are struggling to impress their respective children at Elmore Jr. High’s career day, so they literally join forces and combine their efforts to become the ultimate mom in what ends up as a cool, referential episode to Dragon Ball Z and anime.
Every episode of the show featuring Nicole and Yuki in the spotlight has always included anime fights and drawings throughout, forming a saga of sorts. It’s nice to see this revival take it to the next level with stunning visuals, culminating in one of the standout episodes of the season.
Season 2 episode 6: “The Cheapmas”
Everyone loves a good old-fashioned holiday special of their favorite show. “The Cheapmas” marks the Gumball franchise’s first Christmas special in years, and it’s utterly delightful.
“The Cheapmas” follows Gumball (Alkaio Thiele) and Darwin (Hero Hunter) getting ready to celebrate their favorite holiday, Christmas, and attempt to get everyone into the holiday spirit. When the boys discover that everyone in Elmore is too busy and broke to spend money on the holidays, they realize they’ll have to save Christmas themselves with a little help from The Awesome Store.
This episode offers a nice connection between the absurdist and cynical humor we’ve come to know from this series while also painting a wholesome moral about the true meaning of Christmas that makes for a cutesy 11-minute special. Aspects of Gumball’s world that longtime fans are familiar with, like the further utilization of The Awesome Store in this episode, are also appreciated, especially with the importance it plays in the season finale.
Season 2 episode 13: “The Fools”
Ironically enough, my third favorite of the season is another holiday-related episode, except this one is centered on April Fool’s Day. Gumball is enjoying pranking Darwin at the beginning of his day to celebrate the holiday, but he comes to realize that the people of Elmore aren’t exactly in the pranking spirit. He takes it upon himself to pull off all the pranks, which all come to a head when the town turns on him to pull their own pranks.
It makes perfect sense for an episode of Gumball to revolve around the escalation of a prank war. But it stands out in particular thanks to the insanity of the pranks themselves and the episode’s ending. The ending may arguably be predictable considering it’s an April Fools episode, but it provides a fun payoff regardless.
Season 2 episode 20: “The Rewrite”
At long last! After 6 years of waiting, The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball finally follows up on the original show’s cliffhanger in “The Inquisition.” It addresses more answers about the void and Gumball’s nemesis, Rob, with the season finale, “The Rewrite.” For years, Gumball and Darwin have been noticing the gaps in logic within their world, like how they never celebrate their birthdays, the designs of their bodies changing, and their voices seemingly shifting octaves out of the blue throughout every season of their lives.
The two are about to discover that they exist within a fictional world. Rob must get the help of his new boss, the owner of The Awesome Store, to rewrite the literal screenplay of the show, prevent Elmore from being swallowed up by the void, and stop the show’s impending cancellation.
Gumball has always been a meta show, being able to entertain with its array of characters while also making clever jabs at the 4th wall. This episode takes these concepts to one of the highest levels in the show’s history, providing backstory to the hidden lore while teasing future possibilities, and that’s mainly due to a nice closure of Rob’s character here.
Rob, throughout the original show’s run, was always left feeling like he had no purpose. As someone who was initially left behind in the void, he had to find his own way out. This is the main reason why he even wanted to be Gumball’s nemesis in the first place.
While this episode isn’t the ultimate conclusion to everything the Gumball franchise has been building up to, it brings Rob’s arc into a full circle. It makes for a surprisingly sympathetic path for this character to now go down.
This, topped off with some of the most ambitious visuals I’ve seen on the show and self-referential jokes about making stories within studio guidelines, makes “The Rewrite” a satisfying finale for this 2nd season. It’s a successful venture back into the lore of the void, leaving interesting threads hanging for future seasons.
Final thoughts on The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball season 2
Season 2 of The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball continues to carry on with what works so well about this series while playing with new concepts and jokes. With more delightfully chaotic moments than ever and a season finale that would satisfy any big Gumball fan, it’s safe to say many will be looking forward to what lies ahead for the series. The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball is already greenlit for seasons 3 and 4.
Also check out The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball: The Blue Cat is Back, and It’s Like He Never Left
