History Recap / TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS4E20And21TheOrigins

** Richard tries to condole Gumball over Darwin's absence, and Nicole cuts him off because he thought he was going to say "[[InnocentlyInsensitive There's plenty more fish in the sea]]". When Richard explains he was going to say something else ("There's plenty more love in a heart for a new friend."), Nicole says it herself just to correct him [[OpenMouthInsertFoot and regrets it immediately]].

-->'''Gumball:''' Are you saying you replaced the fish because they croaked and then dad flushed them down the toilet?

* DumbassHasAPoint: Richard points out the whole "[[Film/{{Gremlins}} don't feed after midnight]]" concept doesn't make sense given it's ''always'' after midnight.

* ContinuityNod: Richard is confused by Gumball gesturing to his chest and thinks he's referring to his stomach. Nicole has to remind him that not everyone's stomach fills their whole chest, a detail established for Richard in FreezeFrameBonus in [[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS4E19TheTraitor The Traitor]]

* ShoutOut: The two warnings given by the Awesome Store owner to Richard ("don't get the fish wet" and "don't feed it after midnight") are taken from ''Film/{{Gremlins}}''.

** The many goldfish before Darwin die in sequence, punctuated by Richard singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" in a falsetto voice and flushing the toilet -- until Larry the clerk tells Richard he can't sell him anymore because [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere the last two escaped]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Richard tries to paint a black fish orange to keep Gumball from finding out that he has a replacement fish. When most cartoons would have the fish painted without any consequences, they immediately die because the paint dissolved into their water.
** Darwin's trip back to Elmore actually shows him the worse for wear from the elements and easy prey for an eagle.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The show's first two-part episode and a WholeEpisodeFlashback showing what Gumball was like when he was four, what Nicole and Richard were like when they were young parents, and how Darwin became Gumball's brother.

* RealityEnsues:
** Richard tries to paint a black fish orange to keep Gumball from finding out that he has a replacement fish. When most cartoons would have the fish painted without any consequences, they immediately die because the paint dissolved into their water.
** Darwin's trip back to Elmore actually shows him the worse for wear from the elements and easy prey for an eagle.

* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his fish, the boy being Gumball and the fish being Darwin. (Obviously)

* ABoyAndHisX: A boy and his fish, the boy being Gumball and the fish being Darwin

** Darwin startles Sussie's parents into dropping her, which turns her from a brainy, talkative child with dreams of being a lawyer to a barely coherent idiot.

* FromTheMouthsOfBabes: Nicole tries to explain to Gumball that the Darwin they recently brought wasn't his first fish, but backs off and claims the others fell asleep, were put in a [[FunWithFlushing "super fun water slide that goes round and round"]], [[ReleasedToElsewhere and are hanging out in an "magic place" together]]. Gumball, at 4 years old, not only figures out what actually happened to the other fish, but takes it in stride.

* SmashCut: Richard realizes the third replacement goldfish he bought [[WellIntentionedReplacement was the wrong color, so he tries to paint it orange]]. Just as the brush is about to reach the water, there's an abrupt cut to a shot of orange water being flushed down the toilet and Richard singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot".

** Richard tries to paint a black fish orange to keep Gumball from finding out that he has a replacement fish. When most cartoons would have the fish painted without any consequences, it immediately dies because the paint dissolved into its water.

* DeathMontage: A goldfish dies, Richard flushes it in the toilet while singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", and buys a new one without Gumball seeing it. This repeats up until the last two goldfish literally escape from his sight.

In this, the series' first half-hour length episode, Nicole and Richard -- young, married, and trying to care for their hyperactive toddler son, Gumball -- buy a goldfish named Darwin[[note]]after going through several that have died[[/note]] to keep young Gumball occupied, but when Darwin gets flushed down the toilet, Darwin must brave a scary new world (and go through years of evolution in a short amount of time) in order to return to his brother.

* TheJinx: The Wattersons have such bad luck with goldfish that the last two fish jump out of the tank when they see Richard coming.