Gumball's Saddest Episode And Letting Go Of The Past

Gumball is like the only show where the workaholic mom and the lazy lay-about slob dad being together actually makes sense.

I like how Richard is portrayed as dumb and stupid but he's always there for his wife and is definitely emotionally smart at times. Nicole is the logical leader and Richard is the emotional supporter which is why they get along very well together

There's a hidden detail about this episode- it's implied if Nicole's parents didn't hit the brakes, they would have DIED. The episode goes out of its way to show a truck was coming at the intersection, and Nicole's parents were distracted looking back and/or crying to notice the oncoming traffic. If her father hadn't hit the brakes to come back, it would've been too late to make up- forever.

Something to give a REALLY BIG mention is that "Hit the Brakes" was not only a expression in the song but visually too as a giant truck was going to the same intersection that Nicole's parents car, as they decided their lives were not worthy as they screw up their chance to have a family back At other words, if it wasn't for Nicole stopping them, those roads would have been tainted red It's so crazy how that scene was passed by CN as it is something really hard to watch as an adult or in a age that you can understand this kind of stuffs, but honestly i'm thankful for that scene and it's meaning

my favourite emotional moment in gumball has to be how nicole met richard and how she accepts that her family life isnt perfect but she wouldent change that for the world

Nicole has every right to hate her parents for how they treated her.

10:41 The metaphor here is that the mug is the relationship, it's not broken or cracked, it's oblitterated. And like a smashed mug, sometimes it's so broken it's beyond repair.

6:45 “Didn’t want anything” Correction. He wanted out of that tree stump

'' it's because you tried to ship Richard to Guatemala'' that line never failed to make me laugh 😅

When Mary opens her phone and it's revealed that she has Gumball, Darwin, and Anais on her phone and cares about Nicole's children is shocking I thought she didn't want nothing to do with them

I dont know, I do like the episode, but I do kind of hate the message of "just move on and forgive", not because thats not important, but because its not always as simple as that. It didnt happen that way for Nicole luckily, but just moving on and forgiving someone whose not even sorry, and letting them back into your life can just open your life back up to people who will continuously cause you pain, and never be sorry for anything. Whose to say in a few years, that her parents dont start doing the same things to her kids as they did to her? Whose to say they dont get worse? Forgiveness and moving on are both important lessons, but I think its also important to know your worth, and know when youre owed an apology, or a show of behavior improvement.

Okay that last bit with the breathe in and out made me cry. I’ve been trapped in the past for so long, hating who I was, hating that I’m not who I want to be, and so on that I never really gave a second thought of who I am now. Thank you.

Nicole has ALWAYS reminded me of my own mom. She grew up in a strict Korean-American family where she was always forced to overachieve. She ended up taking a vacation to Australia, meeting my dad, and getting married all within a few months without telling her parents anything.

That last bit with the breathing in and out was honestly really sweet and useful. It's so easy to get caught up in everything going on around you and how difficult things are, you forget how reliving it is to just...breathe. It doesn't change your problems, but gosh darn it does it help you relax, even if it's for only a second.

I like and agree with everything in this video, but I hate how it kinda says that Nicole is the reason her childhood sucked and/or didnt have a right to eventually fight what she dealt with in her childhood. Im sure thats not at all what you mean or think, but idk if her wanting independence or to form her own happiness was a “mistake.” Her parents, however good their intentions were for her, were ultimately in the wrong. Their mistakes were withholding love, putting the weight of the world on her shoulders and then blaming her for being a child (finger painting Mary mentioned). Nicole “mistake” was her not being okay with suffocating anymore. imo its amazing she was even able to get out. Still, its beautiful she was willing to try to ‘give’ them 💀

It's crazy how the show can go from Gumball and Darwin trying to return a DVD and going to school, to loving someone for who they are and reuniting a daughter and her parents.

That last line about breathing in and out made me tear up wtf

I appreciate the nuance of this video but one thing you said I think summarizes the conflict. 12:25 “It all led up to—that she came out of it okay happy and successful. But also a mother and a father never getting to see their child become a happy adult” Uh.. but Nicole is a happy adult..? She has her problems and personality but in general she appreciates the life she has. She went beyond reasonable effort to show that to her parents, but it didn’t work All her parents have to do is open their eyes and not be morons. They were written to provide conflict obviously, but you did a great job breaking down the details of their relationships

7:18 sometimes you just need a Richard.

I remember not liking this episode as a kid, but now seeing it again, it really is one of the best.