The problem most people seem to have with "The Inquisition" is that it happens to be the finale of the beloved TV show "The Amazing World of Gumball". And not without reason either - the manner in which the episode wraps up everything is quite offensive to the typical moviegoer, due to a rather strange ending which leaves the viewer with a "what was that?" feeling. Nonetheless, I personally loved the way it ended, and for the exact same reason that people hated it - this may sound odd, but allow me to explain.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW. "The Inquisition" starts off like any regular episode would - Principal Brown is terrified that his overlord, the mysterious Superintendent Evil, is coming to make some changes to the school. What follows, though, is very odd - the Superintendent is actually a real human (played by Garrick Hagon) superimposed into the setting. His changes? To get rid of "cartoonish conduct" - turn all the strange creatures we know and love into humans also. This is all very unique and highly creative, but Gumball and Darwin aren't having it and rebel against the Superintendent, revealing him to actually be Rob - who actually has a reason for his actions. Unfortunately no one will listen, and the cause of Rob's plan is suddenly brought into context at the last minute - the world of Elmore and everyone in it is so irregularly and imperfectly designed, it is destined to fall into the Void. The ending is a cliff hanger, as the floor opens up and Rob falls into the Void, with a final striking of the Gumball music ending the episode.
There is no "To be continued..." text at all; this is all we get of the story, or of the series for that matter. Why did I think this conclusion was a masterpiece? Simply put, because it did NOT wrap up the series at all. It hints at a very dark backstory behind the entire world of Elmore, one which can only be speculated upon and never truly answered. Is the ending unsatisfying? Yes, but I loved it for this reason. It had the nerve to leave its audience guessing at the implications of how the world of Gumball was designed in the first place, and at why it was doomed to be swallowed up into the Void forever. These are questions never answered, and the beauty of the whole thing is that it leaves the viewer in suspense. Ben Bocquelet can say what he will about how he didn't intend for it to end this way, but there's no doubt he must have loved the idea of provoking a reaction by leaving the audience to speculate their own ending...and I love that he chose to go that path.
Isn't it obvious? Ben wanted to troll his audience when he made this one, because he knew the casual viewer would want a full blown answer. The implied is better than the overt many times, but he knew that no one would see it that way. Mr. Bocquelet, I get you entirely - and I know you must be laughing at how everyone is desperately hoping a movie will tie up the loose ends because they don't get it's up to them to do so. That's the genius of "The Inquisition" - it hints at a whole bunch of mysterious plot threads, but leaves the audience to speculate on where those plot threads could ultimately lead. It deliberately decides to frustrate the nearly unanimous viewers that want an overt explanation. People these days just can't seem to be satisfied using their imaginations, and this episode's entire goal is to laugh in the faces of everyone who feels this way. I just love how it does this - a masterpiece of an episode, story-wise and conceptually. Too bad most of it was already spoiled for me when I finally watched it - although if I hadn't already seen people's reactions before seeing it, I may never have realized what Ben was trying to do.
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