Back in present day, Gamby tries to look for Robin (Alexandra McVicker), providing him with a special pass to avoid paying at the cafeteria.
After buying a cabin to settle a base for investigation, Gamby mentions to Ray (Shea Whigham) that he is following Brian as a possible suspect in his shooting, given that he often traveled to many dangerous areas.
Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "After catching up with Gamby's recovery and bringing him back to a school that looked very different under Principal Lee Russell, it seemed like all the pieces were in place for the show to get ludicrous again.
Unfortunately, 'The King' feels a lot like some of the placeholder episodes that defined the earliest parts of season one, never quite finding its footing or doing much to move the story along in any meaningful way.
"[4] Karen Han of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "It's an intrinsically dark tone to strike, and telling as to the long-term game that McBride & Co. were playing when they set Vice Principals up as a two-season arc.
"[5] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The unlikely pairing of Gamby and Amanda Snodgrass was both totally devoid of real-life logic but incredibly funny to watch evolve into an actual relationship.
However, season two of Vice Principals commits to its dark trajectory and breaks the pair up immediately, with Gamby leaning into the drama of his accident and petulantly dismissing his girlfriend.