All of this mayhem over a chewed pen...
Gumball: You just don't chew other people's pens! It's the principle! This is what society is built upon, respect!
Gumball tries to get back at Banana Joe for chewing on Darwin's pen.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: It’s better to analyze a situation first rather than diving head first into a feud.
- Alternatively, it’s better to peacefully defuse a feud rather than to escalate it.
- Art Evolution: This being their first appearances of the season, Banana Joe and Mr. Small get their designs updated, with both of them now having cleaner looks and eyebrows.
- Ass Shove: Implied when Banana Joe is describing the pen, which Darwin had recently chewed on behind his back, that his grandfather smuggled into the country during immigration. He says You Do Not Want To Know where he had to hide it, and Darwin frantically tries wiping his tongue off after picking up on the obvious implication.
- The Blank: Banana Joe's face and mouth are temporarily removed for the sake of medical treatment, causing him to wordlessly scream until they're stuck back on.
- Bowdlerization: On the Cartoon Network Arabia version of this episode, the part where Gumball and Darwin beat each other up so they can make it look like Banana Joe did it was cut to remove Gumball asking Darwin to pull out one of his teeth and Darwin objecting.
- Chekhov's Gun: The episode starts with Gumball in a boring lecture which he comments his brain is actively keeping him from remembering. Which is why he forgets the pen he was using isn't his and that he chewed on it.
- Cassandra Truth: Banana Joe says he never chewed on Darwin's pen, but Gumball refuses to believe him. It's only at the end that he realizes Joe was telling the truth.
- Cycle of Revenge: Gumball, on Darwin's behalf, seeks revenge against Banana Joe and vandalizes his tube of glue. This causes Banana Joe to suffer a mishap that causes him harm and destroys the things around him, including Darwin's stuff. Gumball and Darwin presume that Joe destroyed his stuff on purpose, and while Gumball concedes it isn't worth it to continue, Darwin feels very differently. After Joe discovers what they did, he furiously seeks them out to beat them up.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Banana Joe.
- Deteriorates Into Gibberish: If you listen closely when Mr. Small's dialogue starts to fade out and become background hum, he's only saying nonsense roughly translated as "hortnenarble farblenerble".
- Disproportionate Retribution: Gumball decides to get back at Banana Joe for chewing on Darwin's pen. When he finds out what Banana Joe accidentally did to Darwin's stuff, he starts to realize that this is getting out of hand, but Darwin takes it a step further and vandalizes Joe's locker. In the end, a "huge" fight goes on between the three of them and it turns out the chewed pen was actually Gumball's and he actually chews on it all the time.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Under Mr. Small's direction, Joe makes up with Gumball and Darwin by gifting them a new pen. He goes on to explain he understands the sentimental value they feel toward a pen, as he has his own heirloom pen in his locker passed down from his grandfather when he immigrated to America, which he would lose his mind over if it ever got damaged. Darwin and Gumball both realize that this is the same pen that Darwin just chewed up, and both whimper in shame.
- Hit Me, Dammit!: Gumball tries to demonstrate his idea of "justice" to Darwin by hitting him with a ruler and expecting Darwin to hit back. When Darwin doesn't, Gumball grabs Darwin's hand and slaps himself in the face with it.Gumball: This is justice! This is justice! This! Is! Justice!
- Hourglass Plot: The plot is kicked off by Gumball getting furious on Darwin's behalf towards Banana Joe and seeking retribution in spite with Darwin trying to get him to calm down. Then, because of Gumball's actions, Joe ends up accidentally ruining Darwin's homework, which enrages Darwin so much that now Gumball is the one wanting to hold him back from going overboard chewing on all of Joe's thing.
- Hypocritical Humor: Darwin begins the episode preaching Turn the Other Cheek and just giving others love, but when Banana Joe accidentally destroys his homework as a result of Gumball's glue prank, he completely disregards his own advice, vandalizes Joe's locker, and when Mr. Small calls them into his office, has to be physically restrained from attacking Joe by Gumball.
- I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin!: Mr. Small is mentioned to be really tired and disoriented from drinking too much herbal tea. Taking some also results in him freezing in place with a weird look on his face then his pupils dilating as he laughs.Mr. Small: Class disbluffed.
- It's the Principle of the Thing: Darwin doesn't care if Banana Joe chewed up his pen, but Gumball is still furious at him and pressures Darwin into getting revenge.
- Kicking My Own Butt: Banana Joe tries to beat up Darwin and Gumball, but trips and knocks himself out without even touching them. To avoid being seen as bullies, the two of them beat themselves up and convince Banana Joe he was responsible, making them even. Gumball even asks Darwin to pull one of his teeth out before realizing that would be going much too far.
- Never My Fault: Gumball only realizes at the episode's end that the pen was his, which he chewed up himself.
- Revenge: A major theme throughout the episode.
- Sticky Situation: Gumball pokes a bunch of holes in Banana Joe's tube of glue, getting some of it on his hands. His hand sticks to the floor, Darwin's homework, and eventually his eye, then he accidentally tears it off.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In their rush to get to Banana Joe before he finds out his pen is destroyed, Darwin and Gumball cause a bunch of other disasters like pushing Rocky off his ladder, Miss Simian dropping her "I [Heart] Myself" mug, and causing Alan to collide into Carmen's needles.
