Gumball: Why does no one understand me today!?
Gumball has a misunderstanding with Penny over where to meet during a lunch date—and his rush to the mall leads to a chain of misunderstandings with everyone he encounters.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Penny can't help but laugh at all the awkward misunderstandings Gumball runs into.
- Black Comedy Burst: The Construction Guys are making sexual comments to a twelve year old cat-child, and it probably only works because Gumball is grossed out but they're not actually being malicious.
- Construction Catcalls: Hank, the gray construction man, and Steve appear to be hitting on any woman that passes by and mocking everyone else. In truth, they are so socially inept that their sincere compliments come off as lecherous or mean—for instance calling one woman "sweetie" and the cupcake woman "cupcake" because they were literally a lollipop and a cupcake respectively. When Gumball tries to give them tips on how to be friendlier in their approach, it turns into the kind of lewd street harassment associated with construction workers and gets worse from there. Only Banana Joe is oblivious enough to take them earnestly.
- Flipping the Bird: Inverted. When Gumball thinks the construction workers are harassing him, he responds by raising all of his fingers except for his middle fingers. The confused workers thought he presenting some sort of gang sign and Gumball admits he has no idea what he was doing with his hands.
- Gave Up Too Soon: Gumball accidentally buys an unknown prize in an auction. When Fenton, the auctioneer tells him it's a kiss, Gumball decides to forcibly kiss the man on the lips right then to get it over worth. The baffled auctioneer explains it was a kiss on the cheek from Ms. Elmore who is his wife Susan.
- How Is That Even Possible?: After Banana Joe follows Gumball by sliding around without walking, Gumball admits that he's too impressed to be mad.
- Hypocritical Humor: Gumball is upset over everyone misunderstanding him throughout the episode, but when Penny chokes on her food, he takes it as a sign that she wants to cut the date short and leaves, thereby misunderstanding her.
- Literal-Minded: Banana Joe takes Gumball's words too literally. When he tells him not to walk behind him, Joe just slides behind him without moving his legs. When Gumball tells him to just stay still and do nothing, he has to go back and tell Joe that he can breathe.
- Not So Above It All:
- Penny can't help but laugh at the chaos surrounding Gumball at the diner, and even has to stop herself when he shoots her an angry look for it.
- Despite Gumball being the Straight Man for most of the episode, getting mad at everyone misunderstanding him throughout the episode, he misunderstands Penny when she begins choking on her food.
- Reaching Between the Lines: When Gumball is calling Penny on the phone, he pretends to be a recorded message. She sticks her eye out through the receiver to see that this isn't the case, then when Gumball says that he'll see her in 10 minutes she sticks her lips through the mouthpiece and kisses him.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: After all that worrying over being late and all the misunderstandings Gumball goes through to have a date with Penny, he immediately leaves when he thinks Penny choking on her food is a sign that she wants to cut the date short because her parents are coming.
- Sustained Misunderstanding: The main source of comedic conflict of the episode is that none of Gumball's attempts to clarify himself ever work.
- Wet Cement Gag: After conversing with the construction workers, Gumball notices he'd been standing in wet cement long enough for it to dry. He's force to walk a short distance in concrete shoes before breaking them on a stoplight post (that falls and knocks some garbage bags in the air, which fall over on top of him).
- Who's on First?: Gumball agreed to meet Penny at "dinner", but she actually meant to have lunch at a restaurant named "Dinner".
