Alternative Character Interpretation: Was Mr G's one-man strike for real or just a publicity stunt to sell more tickets and be taken seriously by the headmistress?
Awesome Ego: Say what you will about Mr G, but the man can put on one hell of a performance.
Designated Villain: The headmistress is portrayed as a bit of a killjoy, but when you take into account the egos of the main characters (and that those three might just be the tip of the iceberg) and it seems like maybe she has to be stern to show them they're not the centre of the universe.
Funny Moments: Jonah's farewell "gift" to the school where he graffitis his "dick"tation tag on numerous property, such as the teachers' cars and on the school roof.
Harsher in Hindsight: After the ecstasy overdose of a student named Annabelle, Mr. G writes a musical supposedly in her honour. Unfortunately, eleven days after that episode was shot an actual girl named Annabelle died of an ecstasy overdose. There was no time to re-shoot the scenes with a different name, so many people thought this was a deliberate reference. This may not seem too bad unless you've actually heard the musical which has the lyrics: "She's a naughty girl/ with a bad habit/ Bad habit for drugs." and "She can't help being a slut/ on a Saturday night." The real Annabelle's parents were not amused, and the ABC had to apologise and put one of those "any similarity between actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental" disclaimers on the start of every episode. It ended up being a case of Life Imitates Art, because in the show, Annabelle's parents are upset with Mr. G's portrayal of their dead daughter, and he is forced to quickly change it to Mr. G: The Musical (though he's not happy about it).
Heartwarming Moments: In the final episode when Jonah comes Gumnut College to read out a thank you message to Miss Palmer, the special needs English teacher: "All... of... the teachers... here... are... gay. Except... [his teacher]... who is... mad... for wh... wast... ing... her time... on me."
Jerkass Woobie: Jonah. Despite being a bully, Jonah has a lot of personal problems that make him somewhat sympathetic. His mother's dead and his father has a very short fuse, implying on several occasions that he hits Jonah for the smallest slip-up. It doesn't help that a few of the Year 7 kids are Asshole Victims who provoke him when they find out he's on thin ice with the teachers.
With Jonah's new spinoff series Jonah From Tonga, the Woobie aspect has more or less diminished:
Jonah was sent to Tonga but was sent back to Australia after the locals couldn't take anymore of his attitude. For instance he would bully younger children hurling coconuts at them.
He hugs his art teacher whenever he sees her so he can grind up against her breasts.
Ja'mie flirting with a Year 7 student. Remember that she's portrayed by a 30-something man.
Jonah coming to school with semen stains on his pants
Mr G demonstrates how not to hug a student by touching the student's posterior repeatedly.
Unintentionally Sympathetic: Jonah's English teacher comes across as a rather shrewish, bitchy, impatient woman - however, any teacher who has ever had a student like Jonah will find her completely and utterly sympathetic.
Values Dissonance: Lilley, who is white, uses blackface to portray Jonah, a Tongan. While this may have been acceptable in the 2009, this was a source of complaints during the airing of the Spin-OffJonah From Tonga in 2014.
