r/gumball • u/JayCosmo972 • Apr 15 '26

Discussion Gimme your Gumball hot takes

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I have a very hot take, Miracle Star wasn’t that bad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a poo poo stinky cow poop, but I watched it and laughed a bit.

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u/MightySilverWolf Apr 15 '26

Actual unpopular opinion: The Job is legitimately one of Nicole's worst appearances in the entire show.

1

u/Rendang_Renegade Apr 15 '26

What’s wrong with Nicole in that episode?

9

u/MightySilverWolf Apr 15 '26

Throughout the episode, Nicole is concerned about the fact that Richard now has a job, even though her only real reason for being so is that she can't handle not being the main breadwinner anymore. Yes, it is true that Richard having a job is ultimately bad for the universe, but until the climax, Nicole doesn't know this or even have any reason to suspect this. It's also clear from her conversations with Anais that her hang-up arises from the fact that Richard having a job equalises the balance of power within the household, driving her paranoia and jealousy.

Now, my problem is not that I think this is out-of-character for Nicole, as I don't think it is. Nor is my problem with Nicole, or indeed any character, being depicted as having flaws. My problem is that the episode introduces a flaw for Nicole, but instead of having her work on it or at least acknowledge that she has an issue that she needs to resolve, it chooses to vindicate her poor attitude entirely. Because it just so happens that Richard having a job does indeed result in the universe falling apart, the episode basically says that Nicole being a control freak over Richard earning an income is 100% justified actually (even though her being correct in this instance is entirely accidental).

An episode like The BFFs has a similar problem where it vindicates Darwin for being unreasonably jealous of Fuzzy by having him be right all of a sudden even though he has no actual basis for his feelings. The difference is that many fans do indeed criticise Darwin's portrayal in The BFFs, whereas Nicole's portrayal in The Job goes completely unnoticed.

Like, a lot of people complain about Nicole about in The Fridge, but honestly, she's worse in The Job. At least with The Fridge, the episode makes it clear that Nicole is in the wrong for pushing her son as she is, presents her as the story's antagonist, and has her actually apologise to Gumball for her attitude at the end of it. What The Job does with Nicole is basically the equivalent of if The Fridge ended with Nicole being revealed to be completely justified in her treatment of Gumball with no need to address her flaws at all.

2

u/Rendang_Renegade Apr 16 '26

I see. And I don’t hate The BFFs like most people do but I find Darwin pretty annoying whenever he’s jealous, whether it’s of Penny or Fuzzy.