Darwin: What part of 'we're not hardcore' did you not understand?
Gumball and Darwin befriend a new girl — a living ice cream cone named Sarah G. Lato, and kids from her old school demand a tennis match against Gumball and Darwin. Despite refusing to go along with it (as they can predict what's going to happen), everyone else becomes uncharacteristically competitive and pushes them to do it.
Tropes:
- Art Shift: In contrast to the show's usual live action backdrops, the tennis match in the second half (which takes place in a different school) is fully animated in the same style as the human characters (in that flat, brightly-colored, stiff 1970s-1980s stylenote ) — right down to the sky.Darwin: This school's weird.
Gumball: Yeah, I can sorta see why Sarah didn't fit in. - "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Hilariously subverted, as Gumball and Darwin repeatedly try to avoid conflict in the most direct way possible (letting the other kids think they're better and refusing to fight). Everyone continues as if they hadn't.
- Could Say It, But...: Mr. Small and Principal Brown both given token disapproving comments on the fight, while actually supporting it by giving them advice on how to win—even though Gumball and Darwin came to them so they would stop it.
- Description Cut: Penny tries to talk Gumball out of the fight, but actually convinces him to do it because she mentions finding it attractive.Penny: Listen to your heart. What does it say?
Gumball's heart: GET A RESTRAINING ORDER ON THOSE GUYS AND LIVE HAPPILY IN SHAAAAAME!
Gumball: It says I have to fight. - Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Mr. Kreese thinks Gumball and Darwin are planning something, so he tells Carlton to injure Gumball even though they're one serve away from winning while the other team has not scored a single point and is not trying to win or even play at all. Technically subverted in that they win anyway.
- Dressed in Layers: Carlton gives Gumball one of his sweaters as a sign of respect, but not before taking off all the ones he has over it on his body, shoulders, and waist—nine in total.Gumball: Dude, do you actually start dressing in the morning by tying a sweater around your shoulders? Like, do you wear one as your underpants as well?
- Faceless Masses: The crowd at Richwood High are faceless mobs of color in long shots. Though they have faces in closer shots, they never move and are revealed by a stray tennis ball to actually be flat cutouts.Gumball: How do they clap without moving?
- Limited Animation: The human characters movements are jerky and stiff.
- Losing a Shoe in the Struggle: Principal Brown suggests that if you're grabbed by someone in a fight, you should grab the other guy's shoe and throw it across the room, so that they will release you to retrieve it.
- Mistaken Confession: The episode begins with Darwin and Gumball being called to the principal's office for unknown reasons. Darwin suggests fessing up immediately, which Gumball does while adding a massive dose of Playing the Victim Card, but they weren't even in trouble in the first place.Gumball: Yes! Yes it was us! But before you judge think about this! Video games! Rap music! Television! The internet! Advertising making us want something your generation shoves down our throats so you can get even richer! Who's the real victim here!? And while you're at it, think about this! Who is the real culprit; the victim of your corrupt society, or the man that could've done something, but let it happen?
Principal Brown: (nearly falling out of his seat) Uh... I-I called you in because I thought you wouldn't mind showing Sarah around the school.
(Darwin and Gumball turn and notice Sarah sitting next to them)
Gumball: Gah, dag nabbit man. I just wasted the best excuse material I've ever had. - Mundane Made Awesome: The tennis match is played up by the camera and music as some epic confrontation; Carlton and Troy even enthusiastically shout the name of their shots. Gumball and Darwin care so little that they are doing literally nothing to stop the other team from scoring.
- Nonstandard Character Design: As mentioned below, human characters appeared in the show where everything literally comes to life.
- Only Sane Man: For this episode, Gumball and Darwin immediately see how insane everything Carlton and Troy are trying is, in contrast to everyone else.
- Pain to the Ass: Carlton sends a tennis ball to hit Gumball, while crying a Single Tear because he doesn't want to. Gumball, ignoring the match to mess around with Darwin, was facing the other way and gets hit in the rear end ("Aaaaah! Right in the glute."), taking him out of the match. Mr. Small claims he can heal Gumball, but when he spits on his hands and reaches for Gumball's buttocks, Gumball decides to just walk it off.
- Parody Episode: The episode parodies '80s sports movies, especially The Karate Kid.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Darwin and Gumball originally planned to leave when everyone expects them to fight, but Gumball decides to stay to impress Penny.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: When Mr Kreese tells Carlton and Troy to cheat, Carlton argues that he could make the winning score, ignoring that they are far ahead and Gumball and Darwin aren't even taking the game seriously.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Carlton and Troy appear to disappear when Gumball had his eyes closed, but Darwin saw they just climbed up a tree.
- Stylistic Suck: The humans manage to stick out of the rest of the cast like sore thumbs — an impressive feat for a show with as much Medium Blending as it has. Their animation is deliberately very stiff and jerky, and their designs look like they were taken from late-70s to mid-80s era cartoons (think something out of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero or anything made by Filmation). To make this more obvious, during their match with Gumball and Darwin the crowd members seem to be something like cardboard cutouts, with one of them falling over like one after being hit.
- They Just Dont Get It: Darwin and Gumball deny Sarah, Carlton, Troy, or Mr. Kreese's claims to them thinking they are "more hardcore", yet are always treated as if they do.Darwin: What part of "we're not hard core" did you not understand?
Carlton: If you're so hardcore—
Gumball: We just said we weren't.
Carlton: —then what are you going to do about this (flicks Gumball), face-ache?
Gumball: Absolutely nothing, dude.
Carlton: Sounds to me like you want to fight, dweebazoid!
Gumball: OK, I don't know what kind of movie you're living in, but I don't want to be in it.
Carlton: That's right! Walk away before it gets ugly.
Darwin: What do you think we're doing with our legs right now? - Trivial Title: The episode's antagonists all wear sweaters, but those sweaters just make them look even weirder than they would otherwise; they aren't important to the plot in any way.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: The coach of the rival team incessantly taunts Gumball and Darwin.
- "YEAH!" Shot: The episode ends with everyone laughing at Gumball's question about Carlton's sweater, then freeze-framing on Carlton in mid-air... but Gumball and Darwin are still moving.(halfway through the episode)
Gumball: We'll freeze-frame in some kind of high-five, mega-happy-ending cheese pose.
(end of the episode)
Gumball: (points to Carlton) Told you it would end like that.
