Patrick: I am not oppressing you! I'm just exercising my authority to force you to do something you don't want to do!
Penny: THAT'S THE EXACT DEFINITION OF OPPRESSION!
Penny: THAT'S THE EXACT DEFINITION OF OPPRESSION!
Gumball is thrusted headfirst into a heated Fitzgerald family arguement over Penny's decision to remain out of her shell. When the family asks Gumball to settle the dispute, he has no idea which side to pick.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: There are some choices you may never agree with, but it's best to just accept someone's choices rather than hopelessly argue with them.
- Art Shift: Gumball's story is depicted in a CGI animated, Stylistic Suck style, guest animated by Julian Glander.
- Bittersweet Ending: Gumball ends the arguement between Penny and her family but it's clear that his opinion of all of them has changed due to how they treated him and bolts out of their house the first chance they're distracted.
- Bottle Episode: Most of the episode takes place in the Fitzgerald household.
- Comically Missing the Point: Penny dishes out a scathing talk about how much of a backwards, close-minded Luddite who hates change her father is, transparently disguised as a story about a bird. Patrick says he likes the story as it reminds him of himself.
- Children Are Innocent: Compared to the rest of her family that argue and even threaten Gumball, Polly just talks about random cute things and doesn't understand that there is tension in the family.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Penny, Judith, Patrick, and Polly.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Lampshaded, When Penny accuses Patrick of oppressing his family, he insists that he isn't, that he's just exercising his authority to force Penny to do something she doesn't want to, she responds, "THAT'S THE EXACT DEFINITION OF OPPRESSION!"
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Patrick gets tired of Gumball's Nested Story and tells him that just saying the same story over and over will not change anyone's point of view. Then he realizes that he's been doing the same thing to Penny.
- Failed Attempt at Drama: Patrick tries to intimidate Gumball into agreeing with him by maintaining unbroken eye contact with a blankly frowning face while chopping wood with an axe. The intimidation breaks down when he goes so far as to carve the wood into a flute and play it.
- False Reassurance: Penny texts Gumball an encouragement and a thumbs up emoji, but then clarifies that it was the closest emoji to depicting a hand missing some fingers, in case he decides wrong.
- Frozen Face: Gumball can't tell that Judith is upset because of her completely blank expression. Patrick explains that it happens on the inside, and Judith leans over a bucket as a stream of tears pour from her eye holes. Penny then comments that if that weirds him out, imagine what it's like for her to go to the bathroom. Gumball has an Imagine Spot of Judith doing a handstand over the toilet before Penny pops the thought bubble and says "...or maybe not."
- Fun with Acronyms: Gumball's four-step plan for problem-solving is "T.O.O.T.". He explains that it means Trumpeting Attack, Offensive Acoustics, Optical Contact, and Toxic Final Charge, which Penny finds even worse than the acronym.
- Given Name Reveal: Mrs. Fitzgerald's first name is revealed to be Judith.
- Implied Death Threat:
- Judith gives Gumball a cookie in his likeness broken into pieces with crossed out eyes, explaining with a downright sinister rictus grin on her face it was an "accident in the kitchen" while also giving her confidence he'll make the right decision.
- Exaggerated and lampshaded with Patrick. While coercing Gumball to make the 'right' decision, Patrick from his shed stares directly at Gumball while holding an axe. Freaking Gumball out. He then uses the axe to chop wood while still staring at Gumball. Freaking the boy out further. He then starts whittling the wood. Confusing Gumball. He whittles the wood into a flute and plays the funeral march. Both of them admit that Patrick went past the point of his implied threat being scary, but Gumball got the message.
- Jerkass Ball: Penny of all people holds this. When she threatens to cut Gumball's fingers off if he doesn't pick her side.
- Mood Whiplash: The tension of Gumball mediating between Penny and her family is undercut by her baby sister sharing non sequiturs with everyone.
- Nested Story: Gumball tells Penny and her family the story of a king who locked everyone away, until her daughter rebelled and he called a handsome prince to settle the matter. The prince then tells a story that is similar, which also ends with a prince telling a story, and so on.
- Nonhumans Lack Attributes: Discussed by Penny. When Patrick says she's always walking around naked now that she doesn't have a shell, she points out Mowdown is not wearing pants, Anton only wears shoes and gloves, and Tina does not wear anything at all.
- Oblivious to His Own Description: Penny tells a story about a "bird" who is old-fashioned and completely out of touch with the modern world. When she describes the things the bird does, Patrick likes it and says it reminds him of himself, despite Penny's complaints being things that Patrick has (or would have) done.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Gumball's nested stories were him stalling for time because all the threats they made frightened him. When the Fitzgeralds inadvertently find a lesson in the act anyway, he bails as fast as he can when they're distracted reconciling with each other.
- Sequel Episode: To "The Shell"; Penny's family have started openly criticizing her for leaving her shell, while Penny herself thinks they should do the same.
- Spanner in the Works: Gumball's "stories" were actually just trying to bide time and avoid giving an answer, but he accidentally did help heal the anger in the Fitzgeralds by using them. By this point, he's been freaked out so much he just takes his chance to escape.
