The Amazing World of Gumball (season 2)

The Amazing World of Gumball (season 2)
Cover art for digital downloads
Country of origin	United Kingdom United States
No. of episodes	40
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network
Original release	August 7, 2012 – December 3, 2013

The second season of the British-American animated television series series The Amazing World of Gumball, created by Ben Bocquelet, originally aired on Cartoon Network in the United States. The season debuted on August 7, 2012 and ended on December 3, 2013. This season consists of 40 episodes. The season focuses on the misadventures of Gumball Watterson, a blue 12-year-old cat, along with his adopted brother, Darwin, a goldfish. Together, they cause mischief among their family, as well as with the wide array of students at Elmore Junior High.

Development

Concept

The season focuses on the misadventures of Gumball Watterson, a blue 12-year-old cat, along with his adopted brother, Darwin, a goldfish. Together, they cause mischief among their family, as well as with the wide array of students at Elmore Junior High, where they attend middle school. In a behind-the-scenes video documenting the production of the second season, creator Ben Bocquelet expanded on the development of some of the characters, and how they are based on interactions from his childhood.^[1]

Production

Before the series premiered on Cartoon Network, a second season was announced in March 2011, consisting of 40 11-minute episodes.^[2] Production for the season started in June of the same year.^[2] Executive producer and vice president of Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe, Daniel Lennard stated his enthusiasm in the series as "one of the most exciting animation shows to launch in recent years. Commissioning a second series before the first show has aired shows our absolute commitment and belief in the series and we're hoping audiences the world over will embrace this show as much as we have."^[2]

The season marks a visual change from the prior season; Bocquelet states that he and his production staff had to adapt the art style from the first season in order for more complex animations to work within the 2D and 3D environments.^[3] In a subsequent interview with World Screen, he retrospectively described the workflow of the season which proved just as difficult as the first for him and his team; he jokingly stated that he and his staff "went into the second series thinking that we were seasoned animation warriors. The second series proved to be quite hard."^[4]

Reception and release

Ratings

The season premiered with the episode "The Remote". The episode was watched by 1.805 million viewers,^[5] marking a decrease from the first season premiere, which had been viewed by 2.120 million viewers for its premiere.^[6] The episode with the highest reported viewers for the season was the medial episode, "The Virus", which was watched by 2.570 million viewers.^[7]

Reviews and accolades

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the season premiere "The Remote" a favorable review. In his article, he praised the visuals, namely "the sophisticated composition of the characters and the show's mastery of pop fun [appealing] to older viewers as well [as young viewers]."^[8]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date [9]	Prod. code [10]	U.S. viewers (millions)
37	1	"The Remote"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	August 7, 2012	GB202	1.81[5]
The family fights for control of the television remote when they realize everything each of them wants to watch comes on at the same time.
38	2	"The Colossus"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	August 14, 2012	GB208	1.59[11]
When Gumball and Darwin upset Hector, Elmore's resident giant, they must stop him from going on a rampage across the city.
39	3	"The Knights"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	August 21, 2012	GB201	N/A
Gumball and Tobias compete for Penny's affection by putting on a mock medieval duel.
40	4	"The Fridge"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	September 4, 2012	GB203	2.00[12]
Nicole discovers Gumball has no ambition, so she decides to turn him into a winner.
41	5	"The Flower"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	September 11, 2012	GB207	1.99[13]
When Gumball sees Leslie with Penny, he is overcome with uncontrollable jealousy.
42	6	"The Banana"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	September 11, 2012	GB209	1.99[13]
Darwin lends his pen to Banana Joe, but when it comes back chewed, Gumball's thoughts turn to revenge.
43	7	"The Phone"	Ben Bocquelet, Chris Garbutt, and Mic Graves	September 18, 2012	GB204	1.83[14]
When Gumball and Darwin get their first cellphone, they foolishly give out their number to their "intense" classmate Ocho. When Darwin gets addicted to the phone, Gumball takes the phone and accidentally sends the wrong message to Ocho, getting the two into a fight.
44	8	"The Job"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	September 18, 2012	GB206	1.83[14]
Richard gets a job as a pizza delivery man, which worries Nicole when, at the same time, strange things begin to occur around the neighborhood. When it becomes apparent that Richard has disrupted the balance of the universe by getting a job, his family desperately tries to get him fired.
45	9	"Halloween"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	October 23, 2012	GB205	1.71[15]
Carrie takes the Watterson siblings to a real haunted house party on Halloween.
46	10	"The Treasure"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	October 25, 2012	GB211	1.95[15]
Gumball, Darwin and Anais uncover a secret that they think will lead them to the Wattersons' hidden family treasure.
47	11	"The Apology"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	November 6, 2012	GB215	2.12[16]
Gumball and Darwin are owed apologies by Miss Simian, but she stubbornly refuses to give them and goes to great lengths to prove that they are misbehaved.
48	12	"The Words"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	November 13, 2012	GB214	1.83[17]
Darwin is too polite to speak his mind, so Gumball teaches him to be more direct.
49	13	"The Skull"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	November 20, 2012	GB212	1.86[18]
Clayton accidentally causes destruction in the men's locker room with Gumball and Darwin and lies about what happened to cover up for their deed. However, Gumball and Darwin soon begin to feel his influence.
50	14	"The Bet"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	November 27, 2012	GB220	1.62[19]
When Bobert becomes Gumball's servant for a day, Gumball uses the fact that robots obey every single command to his advantage.
51	15	"Christmas"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	December 4, 2012	GB217	1.70[20]
A homeless man (voiced by Brian Blessed), believed to be Santa Claus, gets run over by the Wattersons during a visit to Elmore, so it is up to them to save Christmas.
52	16	"The Watch"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	January 22, 2013	GB219	1.75[21]
Gumball and Darwin are forced to retrieve an old family watch from an elderly neighbor, Marvin Finklehimer.
53	17	"The Bumpkin"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	January 29, 2013	GB222	1.84[22]
Envious of his rustic lifestyle, Gumball invites Idaho over to teach the Wattersons how to live outside.
54	18	"The Flakers"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	February 5, 2013	GB218	1.65[23]
When Gumball is left by Darwin to get beaten up by Tina, Gumball decides to return the favor.
55	19	"The Authority"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	February 12, 2013	GB223	1.78[24]
After Richard is hospitalized from an accident, Granny JoJo becomes overprotective of the family, much to Nicole's disapproval. But the root of Richard's stupidity is revealed.
56	20	"The Virus"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	June 5, 2013	GB216	2.57[7]
An evil virus seeks vengeance on Gumball, Darwin, and Teri after they wipe out his army of bacteria.
57	21	"The Pony"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Mic Graves, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	June 12, 2013	GB225	1.95[25]
Gumball and Darwin rent a film to watch with Anais, but they keep running into distractions on their way home.
58	22	"The Hero"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Mic Graves	June 19, 2013	GB210	1.37[26]
Richard gets upset when he realizes his sons think of him as a laughing stock.
59	23	"The Dream"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	June 26, 2013	GB226	1.59[27]
Gumball holds a grudge against Darwin after seeing him kiss Penny in a dream.
60	24	"The Sidekick"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	July 3, 2013	GB229	1.76[28]
Gumball and Darwin's attempts to get a game back from Tobias are hampered when Darwin begins to feel like a mere sidekick to Gumball.
61	25	"The Photo"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	July 17, 2013	GB228	1.20[29]
Gumball tries to look good in the school photo.
62	26	"The Tag"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	July 24, 2013	GB230	1.42[30]
Gumball and Darwin get caught in the middle of a trash can feud between Richard and Mr. Robinson.
63	27	"The Storm"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	July 31, 2013	GB221	1.57[31]
A plot to improve Alan and Carmen's relationship backfires, and Gumball has to reunite them.
64	28	"The Lesson"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	August 7, 2013	GB227	1.42[32]
Gumball and Darwin cheat on their math test, which results in them getting detention for spring break.
65	29	"The Game"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	August 21, 2013	GB231	1.57[33]
In a parody of Jumanji, the Wattersons must survive a game of Dodj or Daar to the end.
66	30	"The Limit"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, Chris Garbutt, and James Lamont	August 28, 2013	GB213	1.41[34]
Nicole turns into a raging monster at the supermarket after being repeatedly pestered by her family to buy candy.
67	31	"The Voice"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	September 10, 2013	GB224	1.96[35]
When Gumball and Darwin receive a threatening e-mail, everyone is a suspect—including themselves.
68	32	"The Promise"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	September 17, 2013	GB232	1.46[36]
Darwin wants to delay a promise to play video games with Gumball in order to ease tensions with Banana Joe.
69	33	"The Castle"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	October 1, 2013	GB235	1.65[37]
Richard takes charge of the house in Nicole's absence, but his lack of rules soon attracts unwelcome guests.
70	34	"The Boombox"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	October 8, 2013	GB234	1.46[38]
Gumball and Darwin try to understand Juke's urgent beatbox message.
71	35	"The Tape"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	October 15, 2013	GB238	1.44[39]
Gumball and Darwin film a series of skits with their video camera.
72	36	"The Sweaters"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, and James Lamont	November 5, 2013	GB237	1.58[40]
To their uninterest, Gumball and Darwin's reputations are challenged by two human students from a neighboring high school, Richwood High.
73	37	"The Internet"	Yann Benedi, Ben Bocquelet, Guillaume Cassuto, and Antoine Perez	November 12, 2013	GB239	1.50[41]
Gumball accidentally uploads a video of himself to Elmore Stream which goes viral, and he is forced to personally confront the Internet to have it taken down.
74	38	"The Plan"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	November 19, 2013	GB240	1.53[42]
Thinking that their mother is being courted by a man named "Daniel Lennard", the Watterson siblings come up with a plan to save her.
75	39	"The World"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	November 26, 2013	GB236	1.88[43]
The lives of the "inanimate" objects of Elmore are shown in a series of short skits.
76	40	"The Finale"	Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, James Lamont, and Tobi Wilson	December 3, 2013	GB233	1.63[44]
The Wattersons discover that their past actions have consequences.

DVD releases

Region	Set title	Season(s)	Aspect ratio	Episode count	Time length	Release date
1	The Amazing World of Gumball: Volume 4[45]	2	16:9	12	144 minutes	November 4, 2014

References

1. Behind the Scenes of Season 2. London: Cartoon Network. July 16, 2012.
2. Grice, Morgan (March 17, 2011). "Turner Greenlights 'Gumballs Second Season". World Screen (London). Retrieved November 16, 2013. (Subscription required.)
3. Cartoon Network 2012, 5:44–6:34.
4. Daswani, Mansha (October 2013). "Ben Bocquelet & 'The Amazing World of Gumball'". TV Kids (Mipcom): 370–71. (Subscription required.)
5. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: 'Storage Wars' Claims Top Honors for A&E". The Futon Critic. August 8, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
6. "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: TNT Rides NBA Doubleheader". The Futon Critic. May 4, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
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8. Tucker, Ken (15 August 2012). "'The Amazing World of Gumball' season premiere review: Wildly imaginative, with tantrums and giggles". Entertainment Weekly (Time Inc.).
9. "The Amazing World of Gumball Season 2 episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
10. References for season 2 production codes:
    • Benedi, Yann (November 2012). "The Amazing World of Gumball" (Mouse over individual images for production codes.). Blogger. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
    • Chabassol, Raphaël (March 27, 2013). "Animation Design" (Production codes are located in the "episode" field of each character model sheet.). Casamokë. Blogger. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
    • Laborie, William (January 8, 2013). "[no title available]" (Production codes are located in the "episode" field of each character model sheet.). Johnny Boulgour. Blogger. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
    • Nicholson, Paul (animator, editor) (July 7, 2014). 'The Amazing World Of Gumball' 2D Key Animation Showreel (short film). Vimeo. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
    • Petrov, Dimitar (animator, editor) (January 24, 2013). LayoutsAndBackgroundsPortfolio2013 (short film). Vimeo. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
    • Thorn, Tina Lykke (animator, editor) (February 26, 2013). Showreel 2013 (short film). Vimeo. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
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