I figured I'd do this so I could decide on a list of personal favourites...

10. The Club.
This episode contained an enjoyable, engaging narrative focusing on the social problems relating to the protagonist. While the episode occasionally went a bit far with the idea that Gumball is a complete loser, this was easily forgivable as the main plot was executed so well with excellent pacing and enough time for each of the family members to be fully and directly involved. Each of the Watterson's received their moments in this one. Some effective characterisation definitions perfectly blended with essential inclusion of humour was enough to make this a great episode in its own terms.

9. The Ghost.
This one was funny for its stand alone moments (The Carrie eating scenes and the final fight particularly) as well as being the first episode to feature a lot of people's favourite character in her first large episodic role. This one had great dialogue, great action scenes and some funny moments from Gumball, the rest of the Wattersons, and the titular ghost. While I thought the conclusion felt a little forced, it doesn't stop this from being up there with the show's best so far...

8. The Banana.
First off, that Kill Bill reference was hilarious, and masterfully executed too. Overall, this one did so many things right. It recreated the character of Banana Joe to make him more likeable, it was the first episode to fully turn Darwin from a 'pacifish' to a violent badass, and the narrative was constructed very well with efficient pacing. The story is simple setup and payoff with effective characterisation in use to make the setup interesting, and the episode benefitted for using this simple though effective narrative structure. With funny jokes and epic moments, this deserves to be in the top 10.

7. The DVD.
The story that started it all. The DVD was a really great start to the series. Gumball, Darwin and Nicole received excellent character development here which was an essential because this had the responsibility of setting up the route of characterisation for... pretty much the rest of the show. Gumball and Darwin were hilarious for their many lines and actions in this episode. Nicole's rage made for a hilarious and engaging chase scene, but in terms of pure laughter, the grand prize has to go to the ending where Gumball and Darwin show Larry their poorly made remake of Alligators on a train. Priceless!

6. The Virus.
A well constructed narrative, hilarious moments from all 3 protagonists of the episode and an absolutely hilarious anti-climax made this one of the very best episodes of the show so far. Gumball and Darwin were funny as always, Teri made a surprisingly good impression, and the action sequence was creative, to say the least. The jokes were funny and the ending was pure gold.

5. The Party.
Perhaps the closest time Gumball and Penny have kissed so far, and the only appearance of Rachel Wilson to date, this episode in terms of its reputation has a lot on its shoulders. So thank god its a great story. The characters are all likeable and contribute to the humour of the episode. The stand alone moments are all memorable as well as funny, Darwin was absolutely hilarious and adorable throughout, and the party, as Tobias put it, was totally off the hook!

4. The Limit.
Nicole is one of those characters you just have to like. She's one of the those people who you actually want to see burst into an uncontrollable rage. That is the case in this episode, where you see the family and their rather selfish antics push Nicole over the limit, and she becomes even more violent and unstoppable than usual. While the kids and Richard are completely vile in this episode and it concludes with them receiving the reward they didn't deserve, I can forgive the episode for that because of its effective presentation, hilarious dialogue and various moments, and Nicole's efficient characterisation. Her development here almost makes up for her behaviour in the Fridge.

3. The Job.
Like the Limit, this story that deals with the plot that what if something fundamental within the show was subverted. Again, to say total chaos erupts in Elmore would be an understatement. This is what the Limit would be if that didn't have a flawed conclusion. The Job is really funny throughout, has effective character development all round, and takes advantage of this show's image of insanity to the fullest effect. This episode has a spectacular climax that makes you feel like you are watching a YouTube poop. (In context, that is a good thing) Overall, this random, over the top spectacle is one of my favourites so far.

2. The Words.
OMG! This is absolutely EPIC in every sense of the concept. Every moment is completely 100% hilarious. Plus, Darwin's finest hour (or 11 minutes) is certainly in here. While I could talk about the epicness of the songs and the final fight scene all day, I have to say that both Darwin and Gumball's characterisation here is masterfully well paced and well concluded. Darwin's psychological journey enables some amazing moments of humour and enjoyable dialogue, and what's more, practically every character in the show gets their moment in the spotlight in some shape or form. My only criticism with this episode is that it was too short. If any, this to me should have been the first episode to be a 20 minute long 2 parter. Think about the story and all of its epic moments, one after the other, that's an awful lot to fit into 11 minutes. The conclusion at the end, while heart warming, felt somewhat rushed. But with that being said, this episode is still pretty great the way it is. The 2nd best episode of the show in fact!

1. The Fight.
Season 1 ended with nothing short of brilliance in the form of the Fight. This story gave Gumball some great moments of comedy as well as the rest of the family. Richard's antics were funny as usual. Darwin, while not having a great presence, was funny when giving Gumball the suit of power. Anais being protective of Gumball was a nice piece of character development, and Nicole, well... lets just say she gave us the most epic climax ever. She beat a giant T Rex with here bare hands... all while giving Tina some major character development. It's hard to believe I could have such great sympathy for a giant antagonistic reptile, but that just shows the writing talent present. overall, a fantastic episode. The chase scene was funny and executed well, and the visuals, while occasionally flawed, were pretty solid throughout and managed to add to the humour of each scene. An almost perfect TV story and a crystal of quality!

Runners up: The Pressure, Halloween, The Flower...

What are your favourite episodes so far?