Interesting commentary on "The Saint." "The Saint" is an episode that has grew on me over time, and I think you do a great job articulating on its strengths. Yes, Gumball can be pretty bad at times, but at the end of the day, he is grounded in his persistence and drive to contribute in a positive light, and that is what ensures he is at least a decent person (most of the time, anyway.). For as stubborn, mean, pathetic, and even destructive he can be at times (much like Zach), there is a sincere tenacious drive to the character that elevates him beyond the obnoxious person that is Zach. In addition to everything that you have already addressed, I really like what it has to say about Gumball as a character. "The Name" is yet another episode I absolutely adore. I could go on and on about how much I adore this episode hilarious and brilliantly written all around. Corneille is stronger than he lets on and that his heart will save the day only for it to be revealed that he really is a smug fraud and that his one demonstration of strength was actually a result of the seemingly minor subplot is just excellent. The way the episode for a moment allows its viewers to believe maybe Mr. Corneille's faux overly relaxed main characterization, but the ingenious way the main plot and the prison subplot come together has to be one of the most brilliant and funniest writing moves the show has executed. Not only does it manage to really expand on Mr. I love "The Cage." At a point when I was skeptical of how the show was going to handle itself in its final season, this episode's release on On-Demand was what won me over and somewhat renewed my faith for a strong final season. Still, I think the way the writers played their cards decently enough, and I think the arc is better executed than the Penny arc or the travesty that's the Carwin arc. More jokes revolving around her such as the one in "The Name" could have helped to better justify her place in the show. I don't really think the writers could honestly dedicate another episode to her without it feeling too similar to "The Puppy," but they could have dedicated more gags to her that established her as a constant terror in the family's lives. Personally, I think Evil Turtle needed to be absent for a period of time throughout mid-Season 4 in order for this episode to land the way it did, but I can concede to the fact that the show could have at least afforded to do more throughout Season 3 and early Season 4 to really solidify Evil Turtle's presence on the show. I do think you raise an interesting issue regarding Evil Turtle, however. "The Nest" is easily a Top Ten episode for me, so it's always great to see others lavish praise onto it. Great to see you back on the grind! Great read as per usual. No amount of trying to outsmart the game is gonna change anything. Perhaps the most well-represented characters here, though, are Richard (whose attempts at ingenuity fail as expected) and Nicole, who ultimately loses her mind half-way through the episode and defaces an elderly man’s car only to pathetically sell it as a message of appreciation for diversity after Darwin calls her out, her attempts to maintain a higher ground falling apart at their seams. Anais’ observational skills and hyper-analysis fails her, as does Darwin’s belief in goodwill (an old lady tricks them into dropping her off at a bus stop) or Gumball doing… whatever he thinks is the best course of action, making a power-play that ends in him causing a toll-gate operator to bleed out to near-death. Most successfully, “The Parking” manages to reflect each of the characters perfectly (a theme that you’ll see a lot in my choices towards this portion of the list) in how none of them, even when functioning at full power, can land the family a parking spot.
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