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Sonic the Hedgehog: The Doomsday Project (1994)
Divide and Conquer
This is it, ladies and gentlemen. End of the line. The last round-up. The freedom fighters' last stand against the evil Dr. Robotnik. He was about to take the final step in ensuring all of Mobius was under his control, and anyone standing in his way were going to be wiped out. It's been a terrific run up until now. We were there at the beginning, and now, we see how it all ends. Now you're probably wondering just what does that giant Doomsday device of Robotnik's do anyway? It dispatches hundreds of pods. Remember the test pod from "Cry of the Wolf?" Well, Botsy has more, and he can dispatch them anywhere at any time. Sonic and his gang find out about them the hard way, just after the hedgehog caught Antoine the lookout asleep at his post. Typical. The ground opened up and the Doomsday pod burst out, shooting lasers and destroying everything in its path. Luckily, they have a new weapon at their disposal: balloons filled with nitroglycerin, courtesy of Rotor, who was able to whip up twenty-five. Sonic used one to atomized the pod. Unfortunately, there's plenty more where it came from. According to the plans Sally got, he's got the power to dispatch hundreds of pods every hour to every corner of Mobius. The time to act was now! Sally introduces Sonic to Pollo and Dirk, a bear and a rhino, members of the southern and eastern freedom fighters. Since Ari pointed out that a head-on assault would be futile, Sally switches to Plan B... huh, if you ask me, going right at it should've been Plan B, as that sounds like the kind of thing to do if all else fails. So, with Ari and Lupe riding in on Dulcy, and Pollo and Dirk following in the hovercraft, what's their brilliant strategy of even getting near the Doomsday Machine? They drop dozens of teddy bears with parachutes as a diversion. Sounds adorable. While Sonic, Sally, Bunny, and Monsieur L'idiot sneak in via cargo truck, and gain entrance to the D-Day machine by blowing a hole in the side. Botsy was on to their scheme, but allowed them to proceed, just knowing that they were heading for their doom. As for the others, Ari, Lupe, Pollo, and Dirk are almost instantly captured. Was that in the plan too? Guess they were meant to be part of the diversion. Maybe not, as when Sally tries to contact them, they don't respond. Well, so much for those characters contributing anything to the plot. Man, why couldn't Antoine have been captured instead? Realizing that the four were now on their own, Sonic tells the others to beat it and that he'll go on alone. Robotnik and Snively hear the whole thing. So, do they seal them in as Snively suggests? Naw, overconfident Robotnik says to let the others go, as he just wants Sonic, and prepares to go and face him by way of his rocket powered boots. Back in the D-day, Sally, Bunny, and Antoine board an outgoing pod, leaving Sonic to be a possible martyr to the cause. Sally leaves Sonic with Nicole, who will come in very handy, if the hedgehog doesn't constantly get impatient with her as he's prone to do. Nicole shows him the way to the main control room, displaying the works of the device, sealed behind a glass dome. Planting some charges, Sonic steps back and gets ready to shut it down... only to find the charges didn't even smudge the glass. Uh oh, here comes Robotnik! He says the dome is made of diamond-glass, which is impenetrable, and then, just as quickly, he has Sonic sucked down a tube and right into the Roboticizer! Thinking quick, he busts out a power ring, but even that wasn't strong enough to stop the Roboticizer's ray. Oh yeah, well what about three power rings? It pays to save those babies. Their power is greater than the machine's, allowing the hedgehog to make a swift get away.
The gang regroups, along with Uncle Chuck and Tails, just as Sonic arrives and has to deliver the unfortunate news that their efforts failed. However, Uncle Chuck suggests they use the Deep Power Stones. But when Sonic points out they only have one and Botsy has the other, Chuck tells him to simply go and take it from him. Guess it's a good thing Sonic spoke up about keeping their stone in "Drood Henge." Yeah, sure, just barge into Robotnik's fortress and steal the stone. That place is probably locked down tight and he's hidden it a dark, secret place where no one would ever find it. Huh, well, guess what? Robotropolis was all but deserted as Botsy diverted all forces to the Doomsday machine, and as far as that stone, ha, after breaking into a safe, Sonic discovers it just sitting on a table out in the open. Nice one, Botsy. That's the kind of mistake your Adventures counterpart would make, and he has on several occasions. Guess he figured one stone wouldn't get him anywhere, but you'd think he'd still keep it locked away for further experimentation. Whatever. So, with the power stones and one last explosive balloon, it was time to go back to the Doomsday Machine, and finish what they started. They weren't even fully aware of the stones' true power. There could be no coming back from this. Sonic and Sally go inside to do the job, even taking out a pod with their last balloon. As they reach the main control room, they're spotted by Robotnik who, when he discovers they have both deep power stones, furiously orders them to be captured. According to Nicole, when the stones are combined, they give off power equal to that of ten thousand power rings. Man, there aren't even ten thousand rings in the four classic Sonic the Hedgehog Sega games combined. Anything could happen. So, faster than you can say "Wonder Twin powers activate!" Sonic and Sally put the stones together, and become immersed in their fantastic power. With a legion of Swat Bots on their tail, Sonic and Sally race around the entire place at unbelievably high speed, taking out every area of Doomsday as they go. Knowing that total destruction and defeat were imminent, Robotnik retreats to an escape pod, ready to leave Snively behind, and takes off, while his grumbling nephew boards an elevator to get away. All the captured freedom fighters race away as we're treated to an awesome light show of Sonic and Sally zipping to and fro, causing that enormous Doomsday Machine to completely explode, seemingly taking out Dr. Robotnik with it, as he screams out his hatred of a certain blue hedgehog for the last time. Back at Knothole, our heroes rejoice. Doomsday was gone, Robotropolis was gone, and Dr. Julian Robotnik, that evil tyrant who hurt, captured, and conquered, was now just a memory. Sonic and Sally share a smooch, which gives off an effervescent light, possibly leftover from the deep power stones, while Antoine watches glumly. Ha ha, you don't get the girl, Ant. She never liked you anyway. So that was it. Evil had fallen and freedom reigned, at last. But our story doesn't quite have a happy ending, as emerging from the elevator in the smoldering remains of Doomsday, we see Snively in a new change of duds, saying that with Robotnik gone, he would be taking over as the show's new baddie, and he's got an accomplice, as a sinister pair of glowing red eyes appear in the darkness behind him.
Just to clarify, as it's already been revealed several times, those red eyes belong to Naugus. The sorcerer from the Void. You can even hear his wheezing. Apparently Snively's reign of terror would've been short-lived and Naugus would've become the show's new main villain. According to Ben Hurst, had we gotten a third season, Naugus would've been somehow freed from the Void, and even King Acorn could've been rescued too. Interesting idea, but haven't we forgotten that back in "The Void", Naugus and the king started turning to crystal when they tried to leave? Maybe a solution was found somewhere, but what it is isn't very clear. Yeah, this episode wasn't meant to be the series finale, but the show got unfairly canceled. This is why you never end a season on a cliffhanger unless a renewal is dyed in the wool, etched in stone, and ready to go. However, if we take it as the final episode, then it was a very good note to go out on. The animation, writing, and voice acting were fantastic! Shame we didn't get to see Ari, Lupe, and the two new guys put to better use, but I guess they got their times to shine in their own episodes... except Pollo and Dirk, as we don't even know which is which. I also wish Tails could've done something as he's proven himself back in "Drood Henge." But if you can overlook that, this episode was well done. In fact, this whole series was well done. It was made by people who actually cared about what they did, and it's reflected in the writing, animation, and acting. It wasn't anything super special, but Sonic the Hedgehog, or Saturday Sonic, or Sonic SatAM-whatever you call it, was a great show. I didn't watch it much as a kid as I gravitated more toward the Adventures series. I'm very glad I chose to go back and watch the whole series from beginning to end, as it surprised me by how creative and even how edgy it was. Sure, there are some things I would've changed, but for what it is, it's a very good show. I agree with what the Nostalgia Critic said about it in his review, and I share his frustrations about it being unfairly canceled. As I alluded to in my "Spyhog" review, Sonic and his friends did get defeated, and it was by a foe more powerful than Robotnik: the president of ABC. He didn't like the show and wanted it gone, then ABC and even Sega turned their backs on it. Talk about a raw deal. In closing, I recommend "The Doomsday Project" and I recommend the rest of the series. All the episodes were very good and well made... except for "Sonic and the Secret Scrolls", "Fed Up With Antoine/Ghost Busted", and "The Odd Couple/Ro-Becca", because they sucked. Give this series another look if you grew up with it, or watch it for the first time. You won't be disappointed. Creative premise, clever storylines, and characters who are all very memorable and likeable... except for Antoine.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Drood Henge (1994)
Botsy Was a Rolling Stone
Dr. Robotnik is up to something, and you better believe it isn't good. He will squander every last resource on Mobius, he will steal every alternate power source he can, he will stop at nothing until he achieves total global domination, though if he takes all its natural resources and destroys any alternate powers, then he won't have much of a world to conquer, will he? Eh, it's the principle that counts. As we've seen throughout this series, Botsy will go out and take whatever he likes, and no matter what it is, he always wants more. We've also learned that he's got something called the "Doomsday Project", which will more than likely spell the end of all life on Mobius. Guess since he's pretty much destroyed the planet and turned it into a wasteland, it stands to reason he'd obliterate it and move on. However, in order to get this foreboding project off the ground, he's looking for something that contains a great power source. Uncle Chuck was able to intercept a conversation between he and Snively, which he turned over to Sally and Dulcy when they flew into town, and if you thought Dulcy couldn't fly in normal weather, well, she can't fly in the rain either. When they learn Robotnik is searching for something called the Drood Henge Scroll, Sally thought it sounded familiar, so Uncle Chuck filled her in on it being a royal family secret. Sally says she never heard about it before. Er, hence the "secret" part, Princess. Since she was only five-years-old when Botsy threw his morbidly obese weight around and dethroned the king, she wasn't made privy to it. These scrolls lead to the legendy Deep Power Stones, which are capable of incredible power or incredible destruction. Wanting to know more, Sally asks Nicole, but unfortunately, the files are locked and time coded, not to be accessed until Sally comes of age. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails were chilling out in a hot spring near some volcanoes. Nice to see the two of them together for a change. Their little relaxing getaway doesn't last long as they spy several of Robotnik's ships flying overhead. Going to investigate, they come upon a dig site. Snively had already found one of the secret scrolls, and Botsy was quickly translating their ancient language. Won't be long before he gets his greasy paws on those stones. Oh, I like when Tails manages to break one of Botsy's surveillance orbs and instead of congratulating him, Sonic chides him for not telling him of the plan first and that teamwork is a big part of being a freedom fighter. Oh, don't be bitter because you didn't think of it first, Sonic, let someone else have the credit for once. After that, Sonic goes in for a closer look, telling Tails to stay behind and adds that freedom fighters always follow orders. You mean like you do? Every time Sally tries to tell you how to do something, you don't listen and just run off. But then you think you're the exception to every rule and are always right, you even said as much, you little blue hypocrite you. Oh, and guess what? He's not gone a minute before Tails is captured. Sure didn't see that coming. So now, Sonic's gotta save his buddy. He manages to grab Snively and hold him, not pointing a weapon at his head or anything, and forces him to make the Swat Bots release Tails and back off. As for shutting down the drilling machines, Tails figures it out instantly as it turns out he's a very skilled code cracker.
Despite the heroes' intervention, Snively still managed to find the second scroll. Now with two in his possession and fully translating the language, Robotnik headed out to personally oversee the retrieval of the Deep Power Stones. Back at Knothole, Sonic hears about the time coded files and uses logic to help Nicole work around them. Simply put, he says that if Botsy finds the stones and uses them to power his Doomsday Device, life as they know it would cease, therefore Sally would not live until she came of age, so the restriction was useless. I'm surprised Sally didn't figure that out herself. With the files now accessed, they see a holographic image of the stones and hear a recording from King Acorn himself, showing how if the stones are joined together one way, they become a source of limitless energy, but joined the other way... total destruction. There were a total of three scrolls, and Botsy has two, he's also found one of the stones! They better get there quick before he completes his Drood Henge collection. Sonic and Sally board Dulcy, with Tails asking to come too. Sally tries to dissuade him, saying it's too dangerous. Yeah, when she isn't being leader of the freedom fighters, she's Tails' overprotective mother and Sonic's nagging wife. The hedgehog vouches for Tails, saying he'll look after him. Dulcy starts to get emotional at the prospect of Tails growing up. I mean, yeah, it's high time he started earning his keep. After all, he, unlike most of the characters on this show, originated from the source material. Now if you think they're just flying off into enemy territory halfcocked, you'd be wrong. These critters have got a plan. One more brilliant than Robotnik could ever come up with. As Tails emerges behind a rock, carrying the box that contains the third scroll, he's caught on Robotnik candid camera. The evil doc knows that following the fox will lead him to the hedgehog. Tails gives Sonic the scroll, and both speak loudly so Robotnik could hear them. Angrily, Botsy watches as Sonic uses the "scroll" to dig up the second "stone". Yes, there's a reason I put quotes around those words, and you may have already figured out their plan, but it's still gonna be fun to watch Botsy pop a vein in his head over it. He orders all Swat Bots to surround the hedgehog, who then uses his power ring to haul ass away from them. He leads the whole armada to a dead-end, where Robotnik himself confronts him and orders him to surrender the stone. In response, Sonic chucks it into the nearest pool of lava. Dulcy then swoops in and takes them all to safety, leaving Robotnik to shout and scream in defeat below. Why he's so angry, his robotic arm briefly changed sides. Back at the dig site with Robotnik's equipment now gone, our heroes find the real third scroll and, subsequently, find the real second stone. Sally thinks they should destroy it as having that much power could be dangerous, however Sonic feels it will help them even the odds against the Doomsday Project. That's right, folks, they pulled a fast one on Robotnik. That stone Sonic threw to the lava was a fake. So, they created a fake box, fake scroll, and fake stone? They must have a 3D printer at their disposal. I know Nicole had the specs on the Drood Henge scrolls and stones, but... yeah, that's very ingenious. And who did they have to thank for bamboozling Botsy with the Old Fake Deep Power Stone trick? None other than Miles "Tails" Prower, the mastermind behind their deception. The gang gives him three cheers, with Sally telling him he's graduated to official freedom fighter.
This episode was pretty good. I liked that Tails finally got to be included in on the action. I know he had a substantially larger role in "Sonic Past Cool", but for the most part, he's been under-utilized and downplayed in this series, and I can't figure out why. I know I'm beating a dead horse by complaining about the people who made this show and Adventures having an unexplained problem with the little two-tailed fox. But since he's proven his usefulness here, maybe this means he'll finally get to do more in the show? Eh, he's absent in the next episode, and then we've got the finale, so really, it's now or never time. I liked the scenes of Sonic and Tails together, as we didn't see that enough on this show, and I'm also glad Tails wasn't just a wimpy damsel, as he managed things alright, he just needed a little help. This also gives us a glimpse of what Tails' role would have been had we gotten a third season, as they said he definitely would've been more involved with freedom fighter activities. Also, are they not worried that Botsy still has the first stone? I know you need both to activate the power within, but knowing Robotnik, couldn't he still find a way? After all, Sonic insisted on keeping the other stone to use against Robotnik, so if they can figure out how to use it, so can he. By the way, with Uncle Chuck mentioning events seen in "Blast to the Past Part 2", that reminded me of Rosie, the gang's nanny. I thought they prevented her from leaving Knothole and getting roboticized. So, where is she? She just disappeared without a trace. Well, good to know their time travel escapade really was all for nothing. Anyway, in closing, I recommend "Drood Henge." Great writing, animation, and voice acting. We're really getting down to the wire, as there are only two episodes of the series left, and I can't wait to see what happens next, as we come to the inevitable finish line where Botsy reveals his dreaded "Doomsday Project."
Sonic the Hedgehog: Spyhog (1994)
Spies in Their Eyes
Sir Charles, a.k.a. Uncle Chuck is a vital member of the freedom fighters, being their man on the inside and feeding them intel on Robotnik and his latest schemes. He was almost lost forever when he was roboticized, but through love and devotion, Sonic was able to reach him and help Chuck regain control of his mind and his actions. So far, he's managed to stay under the radar and avoid suspicion of the doc and his forces, always delivering important pieces of information to his allies. But what would happen if he were discovered? Why if Dr. Robotnik ever found out that one of his own was betraying him... well, let's just say it wouldn't be good. It was only a matter of time before Uncle Chuck was discovered, and it almost quashed the freedom fighters' entire mission. It all began when Chuck was downloading the specifications of Robotnik's fuel convoy to relay to Sonic and the gang, but Snively caught him sneaking off the line to use the computer. Luckily he was able to fool the imp by saying a circuit breaker tripped and he had to reset it. That was close. After giving the specs to Sonic, he rejected his nephew's invitation to come back to Knothole, saying he was needed in Robotropolis, and with Botsy only days away from bringing his Doomsday Project online, his presence would be even more vital. As Robotnik and Snively discuss the upcoming Doomsday engine tests and the fuel convoy, Uncle Chuck had secretly bugged the room, by way of planting an actual robot bug to record their conversation. He learns that the convoy was set to move out at dawn, and wastes no time in alerting his allies. Their plan was simple: Sonic creates a diversion to move the Swat Bots guarding the fuel trucks away, while Sally, Bunny, and Antoine sneak aboard and cling to the bottom by way of magnetic belts to siphon the fuel. You know, I recall in the last episode that Tails proved himself and graduated to freedom fighter, so where the hell is he? He isn't in this episode at all. Why instead are they bringing along Antoine who's just going to bungle this like he does everything else?! Whatever. As they're hanging onto the bottom of the vessel, Sally's magnetic belt suddenly loses power and she almost falls off, but she's saved by Antoine of all people until she gets it working again. She thanks the nimrod who says he'd gladly sacrifice his life for her. Can he? Please?! As for Sonic, it doesn't take Robotnik long to realize he's just creating a diversion and orders all Swat Bots to return to the convoy. Our heroes manage to escape before they're captured. Botsy is enraged that the freedom fighters have managed to foil his plans four times in four weeks, as if they know his every move. Either he's becoming extremely predictable, or... there's a spy in his midst. But before we can delve into that possibility, we have to see Antoine brag about their near brush with death, annoying Sonic and us. Sally even thanks him for his bravery and kisses him on the cheek. Yeah, keep stroking his ego there, Sally, it's not like he'll do anything foolish to satisfy his own delusions of grandeur. As for the others, they're waiting on Rotor to unveil his latest array of gadgets necessary in gathering intel on Doomsday. This must be why he was absent from the show for the past few weeks, he was working on all this stuff. He's their very own Q. He's got a souped up hovercraft, formerly one of Botsy's that he found in the swamp, a robotic carrier pigeon, and a security transponder, giving them unfettered access around Robotropolis. Well, they'd better hurry, because Robotnik just found Uncle Chuck's bug, meaning he was one step closer to finding his spy.
Sally and Bunny take the hovercraft to the construction site of the Doomsday Project: a sinister looking machine the size of a skyscraper, while Sonic and Uncle Chuck monitor chatter. Unfortunately for them, the bug malfunctioned and so they would have to replace it... exactly as Botsy anticipated. They'd be walking right into a trap. As for the girls, they set to work downloading the plans for the D-Day contraption and even get access to Robotnik's daily operations files, where they discover that a certain evil madman is on to a certain spy. And here's where we have a strange editing goof, as it freezes on Sally and Bunny for a few seconds, then we transition back to Knothole where someone is screaming "Antoine!" while the dope is retelling his act of bravery back on the convoy. What happened? Was that supposed to be Rotor screaming his name? His mouth doesn't move. That was weird. Anyway, the girls send a message via robotic carrier pigeon saying that Uncle Chuck's goose was about to be cooked, and since Antoine is now convinced that he's brave and fearless, he decrees that he will go and warn the old man about his impending danger. Long story short, the dumbbell crawls through an air duct in Botsy's warehouse, where he falls out a vent shaft and is caught by Snively. He looks into Antoine's history, when we all know he's just a geek who cosplays as a royal guard, and seeks a way to break him. Seeing as how he's just a French stereotype, that shouldn't be too hard. So what does Snively do to torture Antoine into revealing all his knows? Waterboarding? Fire pokers? I wish. Instead, he improperly prepares famous French dishes, which makes Antoine go nuts. This would make more sense if he were a chef, but it's never been confirmed that he is, so this scene just comes off as... weird. Uncle Chuck had witnessed the capturing and tells Sonic, who isn't very concerned about Antoine being a prisoner, however the idea that this little coward will spill his guts at the drop of a hat gives him the incentive to save him. All the more reason to banish Antoine because he is a huge liability! Sonic saves Antoine and has Dulcy fly him back to Knothole... and it's okay if you drop him on the way, Dulcy, we'll just say he jumped, alright? As for Uncle Chuck, now it was his turn to get captured! His hideout was infiltrated and he was quickly arrested. When Botsy learns that the traitor in his midst was Sir Charles, he was only mildly surprised. Tying him up and plugging him in, Robotnik tries to regain control over his roboticized foe, and was almost about to force him to reveal the location of Knothole when Sonic burst in to save the day, with help from his trusty power ring. Well, that was a close one. Sonic tries yet again to ask Uncle Chuck to accompany them back to Knothole, however he asserts that he must remain in Robotropolis until Botsy and his evil forces were no more. As for his hideout being discovered, Chuck had a spare, and as a disguise, he's dress up as a patrol bot. A robot disguised as a robot. Pretty clever. Sonic, Sally, and Bunny bid a reluctant farewell to Uncle Chuck before departing. As he watches them leave, a graphic appears on screen saying "next week, Doomsday." In the context of the show, that's very exciting, but if it were real life, it would be horrifying.
So that was "Spyhog", and it was really good. Great animation, great writing, and fantastic voice acting. I guess Uncle Chuck's cover was destined to blown eventually, and we're nearing the finish line of this series, just one more episode to go. It's the beginning of the end... for Robotnik. Now, I want to address something about Rotor and why he's such a controversial character in this series. He's the only one to undergo a dramatic change in appearance and the only one to be voiced by two actors. Mark Ballou in Season 1 and Cam Brainard in Season 2. He's also the one character Len Janson disliked for unknown reasons, and on the Blu-Ray release, they don't even get his name right. The episode descriptions call him Robot instead of Rotor. What is it about this guy that makes him so unmemorable and unlikeable? Me, I just think he's dull and underwritten, that's it. If anything, Antoine should be the character nobody likes, but he's more memorable, so... eh anyway, it just seems strange that Rotor received that kind of a reputation. Not much else I can say, except I recommend "Spyhog". A great episode with plenty of heart, plenty of suspense, some twists and some turns. Next time, our heroes will have to face down Dr. Robotnik once and for all. They'll all have to be at their best to beat him. But they've got other freedom fighters from all corners of Mobius, and they've still got Uncle Chuck on the inside. I can't wait to see what happens next, this has been an exciting ride these past few weeks, but no matter how they achieve victory in the final episode, we all know, those who grew up watching this series and those who only just discovered it, we all know that Sonic and his band of freedom fighters do get defeated by their greatest enemy... and I'm not talking about Robotnik.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Cry of the Wolf (1994)
Wolves of a Pack Fight Back
The only way to accomplish any goal is teamwork, combining your strengths to achieve a common goal. No man is an island, and especially no hedgehog is an island, as Sonic likes to think he can accomplish things on his own, but as we've seen, even he needs help sometimes. The freedom fighters are that much closer to finally stopping Dr. Robotnik and his nefarious schemes, but they still need a few extra hands on deck, and in today's episode, they're going to seek out those mentioned on King Acorn's list Sally acquired before he had to go back into The Void. However, finding these tribes won't be so easy, because Botsy's got a new toy to play with which nearly brought about the end of their plan. What's this new toy, you ask? A test pod, shaped like a flying saucer. It bursts out of the ground and fires frickin' laser beams. However, a plucky gang of wolves were ready for it, as they chucked explosives at it, bringing it down. Oh, when Botsy heard about this, he was livid. Actually, it took a while for Snively to get his attention as the big man was focusing on an image of his upcoming "Doomsday Project", something to finish what he started after overthrowing the king. When hearing that the Wolf Pack sabotaged his test pod, Robotnik orders Snively to personally oversee its repair. Meanwhile, Sonic, Sally, Dulcy, and Monsieur L'idiot were in the "great unknown" to search for the freedom fighters on the king's list, but out here, the only ones around were the Wolf Pack, a primitive tribe of wolves who lived off the land, but were subsequently driven off it by Botsy and his forces. They would not be easy to find. Given the circumstances, I guess that makes sense. Nicole maps out five possible routes, but we only have time to see two. Sonic tries out the first against advice and is nearly zapped to death by a freak lightning storm. Serves you right. The next route takes them down a canyon, where they come across a rock wall with an ancient language written on it. Sally asks Nicole to translate it, while Sonic starts to get impatient. Dude, could you please just shut up for 5 seconds? You're making Antoine look far less annoying by comparison. Anyway, she says it indicates a curse that stops all intruders. Hearing this makes superstitious Antoine freak out and pound on the wall, which activates a hidden door leading into a dark, spooky cave. Sonic and Sally go in, but Dulcy refuses as she claims claustrophobia, but really it's because she's too fat to fit. Antoine is too much of a coward and I'd like to say he goes back to Knothole with Dulcy, but for some inexplicable reason, he stays behind, bumbling and stumbling his way into the cave. Okay, I take it back, Antoine is just as annoying as Sonic. Now that they're in the cave, Sonic still refuses the idea of staying together by going off on his own, and narrowly getting killed, at which point he relents and accepts the idea of teamwork. They meet a member of the wolf pack, who takes them for trespassers, then leads them to the rest of the group via trapdoor. They are introduced to Lupe, leader of the pack, who shows them a recording of how her tribe was nearly wiped out by Robotnik, who also kidnapped her father and roboticized every wolf he could get his hands on. With a mutual understanding, the Knothole freedom fighters and the Wolf Pack join forces.
Now that an alliance was reached, they had to work together to take down that test pod. Luckily, Lupe's forces have stolen various tech from Botsy over the years, and have a decent sized arsenal. It needed a little work, but luckily Sally can fix anything. Unfortunately, so can Robotnik's robo engineers, as the test pod was back up and running. So now they've got that thing, and Snively personally looking for them under strict instructions from his livid uncle. The time for action was now. As Sonic plants charges on the upper walls of the canyon, Sally and the wolves a-fire their laser canon at the test pod, sending it to the ground, while Sonic blows the charges, creating a rockslide and burying it. Score one for the good guys! Uh oh, hold the champagne, the test pod bursts out of the rocks with nary a dent. Sonic feels the need for speed, so he busts out the power ring and creates a super sonic tornado, which brings down both the test pod and Snively's hovercraft. Dr. Robotnik picks that moment to call in demanding an update. When he hears that Sonic is in cahoots with the Wolf Pack, he's even more furious. Through the surveillance footage, Botsy notices cave entrances above the canyon walls. I actually thought those were left over from when Sonic detonated the explosives. I guess they're cave entrances, which the doc deduces are used to distract from the lower entrances, which must be hidden. Feeling around, Snively manages to find one. Meanwhile, the gang has regrouped back in the wolf base, with Antoine still cowering over the "curse", which Lupe tells him isn't real and is just a ruse to deter intruders. Oh no, Lupe, there very much is a curse, and his name is Antoine Depardieu, a cowardly French coyote with delusions of grandeur. He's a curse on the freedom fighters and on US. That's when they get word that Swat Bots are in the caves. Lupe says to lead them to the cave of "no return", but Sally has a better idea. Actually, I want to know more about this cave of no return. What is it exactly? A bottomless pit, like the one Sonic almost fell in earlier? A pool of lava? They never say. So, alright, what's Sally's brilliant plan? Letting she and Sonic get captured, of course. Why would I expect anything less? As Snively gloats about capturing his enemies, they instantly break free and tie him up. So, why exactly did Sally allow herself and Sonic to be captured? Why to get intel off the pod from the computer of course. She discovers the test pod's one weakness, and it's electrifying. Remember that freak lightning storm that almost cooked Sonic's goose? They make a plan to have him lead that hunk of junk right into the storm, and after several precision lightning bolts, it gets zapped into dust. The wolves' pod problems were over. And now, with Lupe and her wolf pack, along with Ari, and the other freedom fighters on the king's list all joining Sonic and his band, their numbers were greater and Robotnik's days would be fewer.
So that was "Cry of the Wolf", and while I liked the story, the animation was really good, and the voice acting was really good, as always, I can't help but feel this episode suffered due to the constant whining of Antoine and by Sonic being a constant cocky showoff. I know this is standard for these characters, but I think Pat Allee liked it a bit too much, so he threw as much into his script as he could. I like Lupe and the wolf pack, and I wish we could've learned more about them. If Ben Hurst had written this episode, he would've focused more on her and he would've downplayed Sonic and Antoine. Allee isn't a bad writer, I think he just got carried away. Not to mention, this one took its time getting where it needed to be. Too much of Sonic running into areas that nearly got him killed against Sally's advice. I guess in a way that's also a good thing, as I previously stated that this series was too good and there wasn't enough for me to complain about, so here's more Antoine and more Sonic being a pain in the butt, so I guess I got what I wanted... yay me? In closing, while this episode had its ups and downs... with Antoine being a big down. I was really enjoying the break we got from him, and now suddenly, he's back... I still recommend "Cry of the Wolf", as it's another link in the ever-growing chain that will one day be wrapped around Botsy's waist. It's all building up to one terrific showdown. I'm also wondering what happened to Rotor and Tails, as they've been absent for the past few episodes. I know the showrunners had a problem with both characters, but here we're talking about teamwork and they don't even show up at the end, nor did Bunny. Oh well, nitpicks aside, check this one out.
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Void (1994)
Avoid the Void!
Everyone is afraid of something. Everyone. Including Dr. Robotnik, for as big, mean and ruthless as he is, even he's afraid of something, and very soon, he's going to have to face his greatest fear. Who or what could possibly frighten such a evil, cold-hearted man as him? We'll find out in today's episode of Sonic the Hedgehog. We open on Sonic running around in parts unknown, when suddenly a giant vortex opens up and nearly sucks him in. He barely escapes with help from his power ring, then the Void quickly dissipates. Chalking it up to another of Robotnik's traps, Sonic prepares to leave when he discovers a golden Millennium Falcon shaped ring on the ground. Knowing Sally could find out what it is, he makes tracks, unknowing that he was being watched. That Void leads into another dimension in which a deformed sorcerer named Naugus has been imprisoned. He watched with intrigue as Sonic ran off, and somehow he can even see Sally back at Knothole. Has he been watching them for very long? When the hedgehog gets back, he tells the girls of his brush with the Void and shows them the weird artifact, and as it just so happens, Sally had been conveniently researching the ancient tribe to which it belongs: The Mandaras, a legendary race of giants. Before that can go anywhere, Sonic receives a special delivery message from Uncle Chuck, beckoning him to Robotropolis with all speed, which of course, Sonic gives without hesitation. While he's gone, Sally and Bunny study the artifact, and as the former recites the ancient language printed on it, it somehow causes the thing to zap them, place them in a trance, and fly them right out of the room. Just goes to show, if you find an ancient artifact with a strange language written on it, don't recite it out loud as you could trigger a dangerous spell. Speaking of dangerous, Uncle Chuck's message was indeed of the utmost importance. He overheard Dr. Robotnik talking about something codenamed "The Doomsday Project." Anything with 'Doomsday' in the title can't be good. What is he up to? Well, it'll have to wait because when Snively informs him of recent "Void activity", the doc gets a little worried. Yeah, you remember Naugus? The guy I mentioned a few sentences ago? Well, it seems Botsy did him dirty when he attempted to enter the Void many years ago. Must be shortly after he conquered Robotropolis because Snively still had hair, as the flashback indicates. Before going in Naugus warns Robotnik to let him out upon giving the signal and not to double-cross him, for Naugus has the power to give Robotnik a bird's head. Well, Naugus checked in to the Void, but Botsy made sure he wouldn't check out by sealing it off and disabling all retrieval programs. "Rule number one, Naugus, never trust anyone. Especially me." Some very, very good advice, as Naugus, much like King Acorn, was a fool trusted this obviously untrustworthy man. But now it seems Naugus may very well have his revenge, which has Botsy very worried.
Sonic returns to Knothole to find Bunny and Sally gone, and I guess the rest of the freedom fighters were on vacation, as they're not around at all. He finds Nicole, and since Sally is never without her personal computer, he deduces something is up. Unfortunately when it comes to Nicole's techno-babbel, Sonic is disfluent and very impatient. He starts shaking her and getting violent, yeah that's right, Sonic, destroy the most valuable piece of equipment you have in keeping tabs on Botsy and learning valuable intel. You fool. Luckily, Nicole was able to display what happened before Sally and Bunny vanished. They head back to where Sonic first discovered the Void, while inside the alternate dimension, Sally and Bunny come face to face with Naugus, who explains how he was imprisoned there and that although his magic can do anything, it can't help him escape. Seeing Sonic and his super speed showed him the possibility of a way out, so he freezes the girls and awaits their knight in spiny armor to come to their rescue. Back in the regular world, Robotnik catches a glimpse of Sonic nearing the Void and figures he must somehow be in cahoots with Naugus, so he dispatches a squadron of Swat Bots to his location. The Void tries hard to suck Sonic in, while the Bots create a laser barrier that begins to force the hedgehog toward it. That's when Nicole points out that they're supposed to go in the Void to save the girls in the first place, so Sonic gives up and sails right in. Why are they making Sonic so stupid in this episode? I mean I'm glad he's not a Mary Sue who figures everything out on his own, but don't make him a clueless idiot. Anyway, he arrives in the sanctuary, as Naugus calls it, and frees the hostages. The sorcerer requests Sonic's help in giving him a speedy exit, but he refuses and tries to escape, only to have the vortex shut down. They go another way and wind up in a palace made of crystal, which Sally remarks to be similar in appearance to her father's. Upon going inside, they find King Acorn himself, sickly and in bed. He requests Sonic's help in escaping the Void, which the hedgehog is only too glad to offer. Sonic and the king race through the vortex, and then not a minute later, Ari appears and tells Sally they've been tricked, for you see, the real King Acorn was still in the room. Where was he this whole time? He just appears, standing behind Ari. Was he hiding or something? Well, it's great that Sally was reunited with her father again, but it looks like Sonic's got some big problems, for as soon as he comes out of the Void, he discovers that the king was Naugus in disguise. To quote Dark Helmet: "Fooled you!" However, Naugus is really after Robotnik, so he won't be a threat to Sonic and the freedom fighters. As the hedgehog goes back into the Void, Naugus gets some much deserved revenge on Dr. Robotnik, who cowers at his former associate's feet. Ooh, what's Naugus gonna do to him? For starters, he gives him several different animal heads, before deciding on a pig. All the while, Snively was watching and laughing like a hyena. Good that he's finally getting some joy in his work, as having to assist Botsy must be the most depressing job in the world. Well, when Sonic gets everyone out of the Void, it looks like their problems are over. Sadly, that's not the case, for you see, both Naugus and King Acorn were starting to turn to crystal. They'd been in the Void for so long that they can't exist outside of it, so it seems they had to go back. The king tells Sally to look in his pocket, and there she found a list of other freedom fighters. The one Ari told them about back in "Game Guy." Sally has to bid a tearful goodbye to her father, before he and Naugus return to the Void. Well, the king couldn't be saved, but at least they got Ari back and they have a list of more animals ready to rally to their cause. Then Sonic and Nicole help to cheer up Sally with some playful banter.
So that was "The Void", and it was really good. The writing, animation, and voice acting were fantastic. That's a problem I'm having with this series, if that makes any sense. It's too good! There's not enough for me to complain about. With Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, there was all kinds of things to point out, from animation goofs to bad voice acting to ridiculous stories, but Saturday Sonic excels in every category. I like this series, and it's really good. The second season is definitely better than the first, and had we gotten a third, it probably would've been even better. Ah, well, I'll go ahead and say Sonic's lack of understanding Nicole's terminology gets pretty annoying. It's a classic trope of someone intelligent explaining something in big words, and someone not as intelligent asking for it in English, like Gilligan and The Professor. But other than that, this episode was flawless. Nice to see Botsy grovel in the presence of someone more powerful than him for a change, and sadly, this was Naugus' only appearance in the series... more or less, but that's another story. I'm still wondering how the king accessed that computer in Iron Lock Prison back in "Sonic Boom." When Robotnik took over, he was almost immediately banished into the Void, and until now, Naugus couldn't find a way out. I don't think that's a plot thread that is ever fully explained, but there are a few more episodes to go so maybe an explanation will be found. In closing, I recommend "The Void." It gets high marks across the board and it shows Botsy in a state of vulnerability. Too bad Sonic wasn't around to see it.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Dulcy (1994)
Stop Dragon My Heart Around
Dulcy the Dragon has more than proven herself as the newest member of the freedom fighters. How she came to join their band was never made clear, but she's useful to have around when the gang needs a little air support. I mean, I know of another freedom fighter who can fly but they don't give him much to do in this series, but Dulcy can also breathe fire and ice, so in addition to strength, she also has super powers. A creature with such powers might prove useful to Dr. Robotnik if he ever got his hands on one. I think it's safe to say Sonic and pals are lucky Dulcy is on their side. However, there was one time when she started acting a little strange. Well, stranger than usual, as if some kind of outside force was beckoning her to a place far away, and it led to an escapade that nearly saw the dragons go extinct. It all began one night during a mission to Robotropolis. After meeting with Uncle Chuck, Sonic was spotted by Swat Bots. After his usual tactics of warding them off, one of them sprayed him with some thick, green gunk. He's been slimed! Worse yet, he can't move. And here comes Dr. Robotnik to claim his prize, looking dignified as ever in his purple, frilly robe. I'm surprised it doesn't come with a matching pair of bunny slippers. The whole time, Dulcy was meant to be playing lookout, but her wings kept flapping uncontrollably. Just as Botsy was gloating about his capture, Dulcy swoops in and literally puts him on ice with her super freeze breath, then just as quickly, rescues Sonic and flies out of there. So after the frozen doc thaws out, he becomes intrigued at the appearance of a dragon and wonders if there are more. It would appear he's already got one that he roboticized and has working in his mines. He's going to mind probe it to get information. You know, rather than just ask, because Botsy never talks to his machines. This scene is a bit confusing, because for starters, who is that dragon he's got? Is that supposed to be Dulcy's mom, Sabina? They never say what happened to her, and no one actually "dies" on this show, as characters are usually just captured by Robotnik and roboticized, so I'm going to go ahead and assume that robot dragon is Sabina. While that's going on, Dulcy's friends back at Knothole realize she isn't all there as she experiences weird spells where she can't control her wings. Late one night, they see her flying through the sky, somewhat uncontrollably. Now as you may have noticed, every time Dulcy crashes or hits her head, she talks to her mother. It's not done as a joke, I think she still sees visions of her, as she must have been very young when Sabina was taken. This isn't given any explanation in this episode, but I'm hoping it will somewhere down the line. Anyway, Sonic and Sally manage to wrangle in Dulcy and bring her back to base before Botsy can snare himself a dragon. Back safe and sound, Dulcy tells her friends about her vision: her mother was telling her to go a place called Dragon's Nest. Sally does a little digging into this strange phenomenon and as Nicole displays, when dragons enter adolescence, they experience weird trances and whatnot. Located in Deep Canyon, Dragon's Nest is sort of a nesting place for female dragons who would one day lay eggs and become mothers. Interesting bit of information which, unfortunately, Dr. Robotnik and Snively have also discovered. Good thing Uncle Chuck had the place bugged, or Dulcy and her friends would be royally screwed.
In addition to being the smartest handheld computer in the world, it seems Nicole can also visualize others' dreams, because she shows the gang Dulcy's dream about her mother teaching her how to fly. Ooh boy, I hope she doesn't monitor Sonic's dreams, because I'll bet you they're not just about chili dogs and running. Anyway, in the dream, Sabina tells Dulcy to just be herself, then we see dragons flocking to the Dragon's Nest before Dulcy wakes up and falls on her ass. Wasting no time, she flies away, bound for the Nest, just as a message from Uncle Chuck arrives, warning that Robotnik is heading there too. So after Sonic packs a power ring, he and Sally race off to the Canyon. They arrive at dawn, just in time to see Botsy carrying off a dragon. At first they think it's Dulcy, but then they see their clumsy friend sailing through the air. She's alright... physically. Finding herself the only dragon there, Dulcy also notices an abandoned egg. She looks at it and says, "is this my egg? What am I supposed to do, fry it?" Ugh, don't an idiot, Dulcy. That job is reserved for Antoine, and don't make up for it because he isn't in this episode! Sonic and Sally deduce that this egg belonged to the dragon Robotnik snatched. Oh, they gotta do something before that egg hatches, or worse yet, before Botsy does something to the mother. Fortunately she remained tight-lipped during his questioning, even denying that she was aware of Dulcy. She tells Robotnik to get stuffed, so he orders her to be roboticized. As for our heroes, they take the egg back to Knothole where Bunny is given literal babysitting duties, like sit on that egg that jumps around like a Mexican jumping bean, while Sonic, Sally, and Dulcy head to Robotropolis. The girls commandeer a hovercraft by freezing the bots inside, while Sonic whips out the power ring and has a little fun with the ground units. Working together, they stop the whole fleet. Then they rescue the dragon mother and beat it, leaving Botsy surrounded by his trashed, slimed forces. Never underestimate the power of dragons, my friend. The heroes arrive back at Knothole just in time to witness the miracle of birth. That egg hatches and out comes an adorable baby dragon... and right here is where we have a glitch of some sort, because right after the baby hatches, we cut to the field where the mother is about to take off, however the audio of everyone cooing over the little dragon is still playing. Either they didn't animate the entire scene, or the editor cut too soon. Either way, that really sticks out. Anyway, the mother says that the fate of all dragons rests on her infant. So no pressure then? Wow, just hatched and the fate of their species rests on her shoulders? She thanks the crew, with Dulcy getting the biggest kudos, then they fly away to parts unknown. We close on Rotor gifting Dulcy a pair of knee pads, as those hard landings are brutal to her knees. Aw, I think a certain walrus is sweet on a certain dragon.
So that was "Dulcy", and it was pretty good. Nice character builder and we got to know Dulcy a little more, even though it was never explained how she came to join the freedom fighters. I know the network wanted her so the show could have more "girl power". What, Sally and Bunny weren't enough? If anything, this show needs more "man power", because besides Sonic, there aren't any real men in the cast. Rotor doesn't do anything, Tails is too young, and Antoine... ha, goes without saying. Ah well, when you're fighting the forces of evil, justice knows no gender. I'm guessing the gang wasn't aware of Dulcy's mother being roboticized and slaving in his crystal mines like Uncle Chuck was. They obviously didn't see her when they were there during "Ultra Sonic". Hopefully this will be resolved in a future episode. For now, I recommend "Dulcy", as while it does have dramatic moments, it's mostly light-hearted and funny, given Dulcy's spirited personality. It's a shame we never get to see her reach her full power status, as now she can only breathe fire and ice. Imagine what she could do at full capacity. Ah well, that's on the laundry list of cool things we would've gotten in the third season had this show not been unfairly canceled. So check this episode out, and remember, try not to judge those around you, no matter how weird they may seem, because their hidden abilities may very well save your bacon one day.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Blast to the Past: Part 2 (1994)
Race Against Time
Previously on Sonic the Hedgehog (or Saturday Sonic or Sonic SatAM if you prefer), the freedom fighters were getting fed up with Robotnik and his evil, world conquering, red shirt roboticizing ways and tried to find a way stop him. Using the mystical time stones, Sonic and Sally ventured back in time to before the doc conquered Mobotropolis, but because a certain someone had chili dogs on the brain, they arrived just in time to see warlord Julian Kintobor (nice one, Botsy, did you get your name disguising techniques from Dracula) overthrow the king, dispatch dozens of robots into the city, and dub himself Robotnik! Instead of arriving before the coup d'etat, they got to witness it happen before their eyes, like if you tried going back to stop Lincoln's assassination, only to arrive at Ford's Theater just in time to see Abe's brains get splattered all over the balcony. But I digest. As we resume our story, Uncle Chuck distracts Botsy and his robotic minions while Sonic and Sally race off to rescue their younger selves and friends, only to find that they were gone. Luckily they didn't have to go far to find them, as they get arrested by Swat Bots and are taken to the dungeon, where they find the kids imprisoned. They have to do something fast, because if the kids get roboticized, then it will start a chain reaction that will wipe out the elder versions' existence, as is traditional with these time travel stories. As for Botsy, he wastes no time in launching his giant ship that will transform the one lush, peaceful utopian Mobotropolis into the dark, dismal, dystopian Robotropolis. Like in the show's intro, the giant ship flies over the city and instantly transforms it into its darker state. Same with the palace, presto changeo. The air is filled with pollution as Robotnik and Snively, who has a full head of hair, look on. Yeah, that evil fat man is relishing every moment of this, imprisoning 85% of the population to be roboticized and turned into his slaves. However, Snively reports that two prisoners have escaped, one being a fast blue hedgehog, however Dr. Robotnik isn't too worried about the prospect of a blue hedgehog. They escaped thanks to the blueprints King Acorn somehow left on that computer they found back in "Sonic Boom," which revealed a service tunnel just under their cell. They race to rescue the kids, but uh oh, they're gone! In the lab, the roboticizer is fully functional and about to be used on a frightened little Bunny! Robotnik, you're scum. Fortunately, Sally discovered a way to shut down that horrible machine for at least two hours. More than enough time to rescue the little tykes and vamoose. As an added bonus, Sally locates the full plans to the roboticizer! With that on their side, the freedom fighters can figure out how it works and fully reverse its effects... that is, if they don't accidentally blink out of existence because of this time travel fiasco.
Sonic and Sally's run of luck just got worse, because that giant pollution ship of Robotnik's was heading toward the Great Forest. If the forest goes, so does Knothole and the freedom fighters' only refuge, and so on and so on. But before they can deal with it, they're caught by Snively. Oh, and in case you were wondering how that little imp went bald, his hair pulled off when Sonic raced away from him. Either he has very weak roots and follicles, or they were just hair plugs. I'm leaning toward the latter. As they race through Robotropolis, Sonic sees his beloved chili dog stand abandoned... oh sheesh, even when his own existence is on the line, he can't stop thinking about his favorite food. Mario's love of pasta and Michaelangelo's love of pizza have nothing on this guy. However, maybe it's good they stopped, because they witness a poor dragon being waylaid by Swat Bots. Sally recognizes her as Sabina, Dulcy's mother, and aw, there's baby Dulcy in her pouch. Dragons are like kangaroos, they have pouches, I guess. Sonic spins away the bots, letting Sabina fly away. As for King Acorn, he was about to pay the ultimate price for trusting such an obviously evil man as Robotnik, for Botsy opens The Void, previously seen in "Game Guy" where poor Ari was banished, and now, so was the king. This makes me wonder why Sonic didn't grab the king back when he and Sally escaped. Guess he decided to leave him to pay for the mess he made. As the king is helplessly sucked into the vortex, Botsy tells him to give regards to Naugus, the sorcerer who invented the Void and will now be the king's neighbor. Oh, we'll be meeting him soon enough. So long, King Acorn, thanks for letting a madman conquer your kingdom and roboticize your subjects. Dope. Back with Sonic and Sally, they try to find a way to stop that ship from decimating the Great Forest. Luckily, help comes in the form of Dulcy's mama. Using her super, duper dragon breath, Sabina blows away the Swat Bots guarding the ship, causing that monstrosity to crash and burn. See what happens when you stop to lend a hand? Well, with the forest safe, now they've gotta get back and rescue the kids. Unfortunately, the roboticizer was back online and guess who gets to be the first contestant? Uncle Chuck. Poor 5-year-old Sonic is forced to watch his uncle get turned into a robot. That's when the older version pops in, whooping like Bruce Lee, while Sally and Rosie, who they met on the way in, get the kids to safety. Sonic has to see Uncle Chuck as a robot, which never gets any easier, and finally "meets" Robotnik face to face. As he races off, Botsy's arm gets caught in the roboticizer beam, which explains how he got his robotic left arm. You know, I thought we were going to see how Bunny got partially roboticized too, but I guess that happened some other time. Sonic assures his younger self that Uncle Chuck will be okay, then they race off to deal with Swat Bots, while grown up Sally gets little Sally, Bunny, Antoine, and Rotor out. Before parting ways, Sally makes Rosie swear that she will never leave Knothole, ever. Apparently at one point, Rosie was captured and roboticized, so hopefully this time she'll stay put. With Robotnik and his robotic armada closing in, Sonic and Sally whip out the time stones, ready to go back to the future. You know, they could just go back in time a week, arriving at the correct point, and then stop this whole mess. But I guess they figured the series needed to move on to other stories, rather than giving this a part 3. Back in the present, Sonic feels their whole time travel adventure was a waste, however Sally points out they have the roboticizer plans and that they'll keep trying to stop Botsy until they succeed. Gotta love that optimism. However, there's an added bonus: Tails comes in saying Rosie's looking for them. Looks like she listened to Sally and stayed in Knothole, so it wasn't entirely for nothing... that is if we see her in any future episodes.
Part 2 was just as good as Part 1, if not better. The animation, writing, and voice acting were superb. Though it was a bummer Sonic and Sally had to experience the fall of the kingdom, Uncle Chuck being roboticized, and the king being banished to the Void, but at least they saved the nanny's life, and got their little selves to safety. As far as Sonic time travel stories, I'm reminded of the 4-part Adventures episodes where Robotnik went back to several different points in history to acquire four Chaos Emeralds, with Sonic having to stop him. Needless to say, Saturday Sonic's time travel episodes were much better. Ben Hurst was a good writer, and I read a piece of trivia that states he and Pat Allee tried writing episodes for the Adventures series, only they were rejected by Bruce and Reed Shelly. I'm thinking maybe their ideas were too cerebral, like the Shellys said, "Ben, Pat, this show is just noisy fun for the kids, they don't need anything deep or thought provoking." At least, that's my theory. The Adventures series was good, but when it comes to character depth and story structure, the Saturday show wins by a wide margin. As for voice acting, if King Acorn sounded familiar, that's because he was played by the one and only Tim Curry. We'll be seeing the king in a couple episodes from now, and we'll get to meet Naugus. Lots more fun coming up. In the meantime, I definitely recommend "Blast to the Past Part 2", as well as Part 1. You'll get to see how Dr. Robotnik rose to power, and see him as probably the most evil this character has ever been in this entire franchise. Ordinarily he's sort of a funny, over the top villain, but this series made him ruthless and sadistic, and you can tell Jim Cummings was having the time of his life voicing him.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Blast to the Past: Part 1 (1994)
The Way We Were
If you've ever made a terrible mistake, wouldn't you like to go back in time and correct it if you could? Many of us have been there, wishing we could just go back in time and do things differently. Unfortunately, as every movie and TV episode about time travel teaches us, you will always find some way of royally screwing it up. In stopping one disaster, you end up starting another, and it creates this whole domino effect and those pieces just keep getting bigger and bigger, like starting with one the size of a pea and ending with the one the size of the Empire State Building. Now, in the case of Sonic the Hedgehog and his band of freedom fighters, they'd relish the opportunity to go back in time to the day Dr. Robotnik conquered most of the planet, and stop him. Sounds easy, right? Well, in doing so, they hit one or two snags which only made things worse instead of better. It was a valiant effort, but unforeseen circumstances arose that halted their success. What got them driven on this quest was a mission to Robotropolis that did not end well. One night Sonic, Sally, and two red shirts ventured into the city. I'm guessing they were new hires, and part of the training process includes surviving a mission to Robotropolis. Anyway, Sonic keeps the Swat Bots busy while Sally sends the red shirts in to do... something. As expected, they're captured almost immediately, and then, just as quickly, they're roboticized. Guess they failed the test. Back at Knothole, Sally blames herself for the two no-names being caught. Jeez, even Cat got a name, but not these two? Sally says the plan wasn't a good one and she should've posted guards. No, what you should've done was sent Antoine instead, at least one problem would've solved. Sonic says they should've stopped Robotnik way back when he took over, back when he and Sally were only 5. Dulcy suggests they just go back in time, using the time stones... as you do. Deciding what the hey, Sonic and Sally fly over to the Floating Island where Dulcy says the time stones are kept. I'm very sure this place was inspired by Angel Island from Sonic 3. So after being chased by sentient gargoyles and nearly falling to their deaths, they go inside the temple, which resembles an Escher painting. Going up, down, and sideways, they come upon the keeper of the time stones, which resembles an ancient owl. He poses to them a riddle, with Sonic giving a bunch of smart-allecky answers. Dude, can you just try taking this a little seriously? Sally easily solves the riddle (answer being 'time') and they are given the stones. To use them, their minds had to be in sync. They had to concentrate on the palace fountain in the year 3224, roughly eleven years prior. Unfortunately, as they repeat the location and time, Sonic accidentally says "32 chili dogs." Sheesh, you know, the Ninja Turtles didn't talk about pizza half as much as Sonic the Hedgehog talks about chili dogs! They're teleported back into time and arrive in Mobotropolis, a serene, immaculate, utopian city. First thing Sonic wants to do is stop at a chili dog stand. You know, I wish someone would shove a nice, spicy chili dog right up his... oh, what's this? The younger versions of Sonic and Sally show up, and they exchange playful banter like they do as grown-ups. Aw, they look so cute as 5-year-olds. After that, they all go to the palace, where Uncle Chuck, pre-robotization works in the lab, and luckily, meeting the older versions of his nephew and Princess Sally didn't give him a heart attack.
Meanwhile, King Acorn was speaking with a man who won the "Great War," dubbed Julian. He was to be named the king's head of the ministry of science, and he's even received royal approval to dismantle Mobotropolis' military. My, this Julian sounds like quite a guy, but... I dunno, his voice sounds familiar. Well, if it wasn't obvious right away, Julian is Dr. Robotnik! The king must be a complete fool to trust this obviously evil man. Dismantling the military and closing the war ministry was all part of Botsy's plan, now there's be nothing to stop him from total domination. I mean, this place seems easy enough to conquer with an oblivious fool like King Acorn in charge. Back at Uncle Chuck's lab, Sonic and Sally tell him of Julian's treachery, and even mention the roboticizer, which to their shock, Chuck admits to being the inventor of. He wanted a way to prolong the lives of the elderly, but it stole their free will so he deleted the plans... and then discovered they'd been stolen and sent the war ministry. This is why you need to format your hard drive after deleting files. Simply dragging them to the trash doesn't erase them. Ah well, they've got a whole week to stop him, as they made sure to arrive before Robotnik took over. I mean, they didn't specify a month or day, just year, so how do they know it's a week? No matter, Sonic and Sally get to meet their 5-year-old selves, and thankfully the universe doesn't implode on itself. Sally introduces herself as Alicia, while Sonic calls himself Juice... luckily this was before the O. J. incident. Sonic and Young Sonic race each other to the chili dog stand, being just in time to see a whole fleet of menacing looking tanks and hover crafts moving into the city. He reports back to Sally and Chuck, and the former makes a horrible discovery: they didn't arrive a week before, they arrived on the day of! In other words, they were just in time to witness Dr. Robotnik rise to power and bring an end to civilization as they knew it. Oh noes! Sally goes to speak to the king, while Sonic is introduced to younger versions of his pals Bunny, Rotor, and Antoine. Tails wasn't born yet. They also meet the children's nanny, Rosie. Chuck tells her that if anything unusual happens, you know, like a fat, evil-looking, tyrant overthrowing the king and conquering the city, that she is to take the children to a secret hiding place in the forest called Knothole. Unfortunately, Sonic was just as reckless as a child and says they should sneak out and see what's up, as Rosie isn't a very attentive babysitter. Naturally, they don't get far before they're captured. As for Sally, she has an emotional reunion with her father, not having seen him in so long. They tell him that Julian is a no-good meany-pants who's plotting against him. Unfortunately, they were too late, as Botsy literally crashes the party and has the king, Sonic, Sally, and Uncle Chuck arrested, then he decrees that Mobotropolis is now Robotropolis, to be ruled with an iron fist. Will Robotnik succeed in his plan to take over the city? Well, duh. But will Sonic and Sally be able to break free and save the king and his kingdom? Why bother asking, you already know they won't. What of the child versions of the freedom fighters, will they be set free? Obviously. But how will this all play out? And has their travel through time created more chaos than what would've been had they left well enough alone? Tune in next time, same Sonic time, same Sonic channel.
This episode was really good. The writing, animation, and voice acting were outstanding. I liked that we got to see Uncle Chuck before he was roboticized, and we got to see Sonic and the gang as kids. I guess this means they're all the same age, and that they're all orphans. Well, except for Sally, though she sadly becomes one. Also, I recall Antoine saying in past episodes that he was a member of the royal guard, but since the king was dethroned when he was 5, and obviously Robotnik would have no use for a royal guard, especially a cowardly French coyote, then at what point was he a guard? Maybe he really wasn't and only masquerades as one to feel important. It was a foregone conclusion that Sonic and Sally wouldn't be able to stop Robotnik from conquering the world, as that would've pretty much undone the whole series, though I like how we get an insight as to how Robotnik took over: pure manipulation. Dismantle Mobotropolis' forces, so they would have no protection. When looking at the relationship between King Acorn and "Julian", I thought to myself, would this have happened to the Tsar's Russia had Rasputin not been killed? Maybe. In closing, I recommend "Blast to the Past: Part 1", as it's a gripping thrill ride that's both funny and dramatic. So far, I think I'm enjoying Season 2 much more than Season 1, as the first season was a bunch of stand-alone episodes that all had a big environmental message, whereas the sophomore season feels more serialized, like they're building to a big conclusion, and it's really getting me invested. So check this one out and realize that time travel will not solve your problems.
Sonic the Hedgehog: No Brainer (1994)
Snively the Great
We've seen what happens when he's lost his speed, but I'm wondering what it would be like if Sonic the Hedgehog lost his mind. I don't mean if he went crazy, I mean like if he actually forgot who he was and to whom he was affiliated. This will be the show's designated "amnesia" episode, as most series have them. Luckily they don't resort to any tired old cliches. That's one thing I like about this series: its originality. But anyway, how did Sonic temporarily lose his mind and fall under the control of the bad guys who nearly had him reveal their location and would've ceased all their efforts and made their sacrifices all for naught? Let's find out, shall we? We open on Uncle Chuck leaving a message for the freedom fighters to find, and instead of retrieving it, Sonic draws the attention of laser-firing Swat Bots, all because he stopped for a chili dog. Sally is none too pleased that he forgot, so she sends him back. When they finally get the message, it tells them that Dr. Robotnik has relocated the roboticizer to an unknown location, so they would have to abort their mission and go home, however Sonic wasn't full from the last chili dog he ate and decides to go back for seconds. Since everything in Robotropolis is a machine, it makes no sense why they would serve food, unless of course it was being used as a trap. Guess this version of Robotnik didn't think to poison the chili dogs either. Speaking of that rotund malefactor, he's going out to personally deal with a freedom fighter uprising and thus has placed Snively in charge, and he better not screw it up or he'll be turned into a paperweight. Yeah, I can't imagine this going very well. One day with Snively at the helm and the whole place will fall apart. Ah, but let's not count the little dweeb out just yet, as he might surprise us. So as Sonic gets another chili dog out of the machine, yes a vending machine that vends dogs, even cooks them, he spots a group of animals being led to the roboticizer. He follows, then gives a workout to the Swat Bots on duty and frees the captured animals. Unfortunately, one of the bots pulls out a special new toy and zaps the hedgehog! It was a memory scrambler, and what it does, the name says it all. Sonic wanders around in a daze, and he's got purple eyes for some reason. In fact, they look like giant purple contact lenses. He doesn't get far before he's found by Snively. First he tells Sonic his real name, and that he's Snively the Great, and as he's telling his new slave that Sally and the others are troublemakers, we see she and Bunny as holographic projections, or rather, it was done as some kind of scene transition going from the scene of them back at Knothole to Sonic and Snively in Robotropolis. So does this mean they have a view to the heroes' hideout? If so, they already know where it is! Instead of using the previous scene of Sally and Bunny, why not just use their model sheets or something? That's a blunder by the animators. They get word to Uncle Chuck that Sonic's missing, then they go to investigate. They discover Sonic has been brainwashed somehow, and that he and Snively are talking like they're old friends, even sharing a few bad jokes. That's when Snively orders him to go forth and find the freedom fighters. In addition to forgetting who he is, Sonic also forgot how to use his super speed and squawks like a monkey every time he stops and starts.
Sally tells the others at Knothole what happened and that they've got a super fast, brainwashed hedgehog heading their way. They've got Tails keeping look out, and oh, guess what? Sally forgot to tell him one, crucial piece of information: that Sonic is not himself today. How could you possibly screw that up? Idiot. So when Tails sees his big buddy racing down the way, he's quick to greet him and agrees to race him back to base. Well, it's after they arrive that Tails notices that something's off about his favorite blue hedgehog. He's usually not so clumsy with his running and that he's suddenly tired and wants to take a nap, but he can't even locate his own hut. He doesn't question his big, purple eyes though. Anyway, once he's shown to his own living quarters, Sonic contacts Snively, and Sally overhears their conversation. The little badnik is en route. Wasting no time, she rounds up everyone and they go into the shelter, with Antoine complaining and blaming Sonic, prompting everyone to tell him to "shut up", and like before, I uttered a big "thank you!" As Snively flies toward the Great Forest patting himself on the back, he fortunately didn't realize he had a stowaway: Uncle Chuck. So, while Snively and the Swat Bots are chasing their tails, Chuck reports to the others, telling them that they're all due for a memory scrambling once they're caught, but Sonic can be brought out of it with a power ring. The next one was about to appear, so Tails volunteers to get it. No sooner goes that glowing ring of power emerge from the pond does Tails grab it, and get kissed by Sally, which disgusts him. Huh, looking back at "Sonic and Sally", I thought he liked being kissed by her, even that "special" way she did... er, moving on. Well, it looks like it's curtains for the freedom fighters, as Snively and the Bots discover their hiding place! Naturally, Antoine is the first to surrender. As for Tails, he manages to lure Sonic back to the pond where Sally and Chuck were waiting. Trying to reach him verbally does nothing, so they bust out the power ring. In a flash, he's fully restored! With one problem down, it was time to solve the other: a whole fleet of missile-launching steal bots were en route. Sally and Uncle Chuck get to work reprogramming them. Unfortunately, just turning them around wouldn't be easy, because they needed a code word. Gee, it could be anything, but luckily they happened to try the name Robotnik was always calling Sonic: "rodent", and luckily, that was the correct answer. The stealth bots turn back, and they erased Knothole's coordinates from the computer, replacing it with directions to the Great Swamp. As for Snively the Not So Great, they used the memory scrambler on him and tried to turn him against Robotnik. That doesn't last long once Botsy returns, and the fear of him snaps the nimrod out of it. Looks like someone's gonna get turned into a paperweight. However, Snively informs him that they found Knothole, so he agrees to prolong his nephew's life a little longer as they fly to the swamp and wade around in mud, while Robotnik has to contend with the pestering and plentiful insect population.
Well, it looks like Snively's reign of terror was short-lived, and I'm sure Robotnik will never trust him to be in charge again. But what if something happened to the doc and Snively was to take full command? Ha, like that would ever happen. Anyway, "No Brainer" was a really good episode. Great writing, great animation, and great voice acting. The concept was a good idea: Sonic being stricken with amnesia and it being used to the villains' advantage. Guess it was good Robotnik was away, because if he'd gotten his hands on a mind scrambled hedgehog, he would've won instantly. However, it's important to note that Snively isn't a complete idiot. Like he is meant to be the stereotypical bumbling assistant, but he's not stupid, just not as smart or ruthless as Robotnik. He isn't annoying either, I mean, he's not like Scratch and Grounder from the Adventures series. They could've gone that route and made him an annoying moron, but I like that they made him as an underling who means well, but can't seem to do anything right. I mean, he almost succeeded in capturing our heroes. Good thing Uncle Chuck returned to the good side, or all would've been lost. This was one of many close calls the freedom fighters have had throughout the series. I also liked how every time Antoine talked, they told him to shut up. Like he was constantly blaming Sonic for being brainwashed. Bet he'd blame Sonic if he stubbed his own toe, the little toad. I liked that Tails got to do more in this episode, and one thing I noticed about him in this series, he knows his place. Like I've never see him complain about not being able to go on missions. I mean, I'd like to see him be utilized as something other than a background character, 'cause you know, he was in the games, and these other characters weren't. Not much else I can say, except I recommend "No Brainer." It's a great episode that had me on the edge of my seat.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Game Guy (1994)
The Game is Rigged
We've all heard the expression "don't judge a book by its cover," like don't be so quick to judge someone or something by their outward appearance, because deep down, they could be a friend... or an enemy. Sonic and his wacky bunch of freedom fighters discover that looks can be deceiving when they come across a stranger on the run from Robotnik and his band of bots. He may seem like another freedom fighter, but it's possible he could have ulterior motives. When encountering someone like that, you can't be too trusting, but you can't be too doubtful either, as our friends will find out the hard way. Our story begins with a ram named Ari, who's running from Swat Bots. They chased him through the swamp, where at that moment Sonic and Sally are salvaging parts from a crashed ship, hoping to find anything useful for the de-roboticizer. Sonic finds a disc-shaped apparatus and assumes it's a toaster, yet Sally identifies it as a magnetic field generator. I mean, does that look like a toaster to you, Sonic?! It's an ultra-powerful magnet. You never know when something like that might come in handy. Meanwhile, Dulcy and Tails are keeping a lookout, while Antoine is wasting time writing terrible love poems for Sally. As he tries to recite one to her, the dumbkopf trips, releasing the rope that was holding the ship and almost crushed both Sally and that magnetic generator had Sonic not gotten them out of the way in time. Ugh, why do you guys keep bringing... nevermind, they can't answer me anyway. The lookouts spy Swat Bots chasing some guy and inform Sonic, while Sally tells him to lead the bots back to them so she can try out that nifty new magnetic generator. Fortunately, it worked. It drew those bots like moths to a flame and shut them down, allowing the freedom fighters to salvage them for parts, so all in all, this was a successful mission. That night around the campfire, Ari tells the gang his story: he was out to rescue his friends, who were freedom fighters much like Sonic and his friends, despite Sally saying they never heard of any other freedom fighters. What about those poor folks in Lower Mobius you all met in "Warp Sonic"? I can't understand why they retconned that story. Anyway, Sal is very skeptical of their new friend and doesn't fully buy his story, however Sonic trusts him completely, so when Ari decides to return to his mission, Sonic offers to go with him. However, what nobody seemed to notice was that they were being watched via Robotnik candid camera. He was having Ari followed, but it seems it might not just the ram he's after. While the hedgehog goes with his new friend, the rest fly their newfound treasures to Knothole, and like all good characters, Dulcy the dragon has a gimmick. Know what it is? She's a clumsy flier and crashes. Never seen that before. Back at HQ, they uncover the Swat Bots' orders: pursue Ari, but do not capture, as apparently this so-called freedom fighter was being used to lure Sonic into a trap. Uh oh, looks like Sally was right and Sonic didn't listen, as usual. Luckily that bucket of bolts also had the coordinates to this trap, located in an Egyptian temple, which resembles Sandopolis from Sonic & Knuckles. Sonic and Ari easily avoid the boobytraps, thanks to the latter's swift navigation, and even getting inside is no trouble, as he happened to have the remote. Sally and Dulcy race to warn Sonic about the impending danger, but Ari shuts the door, locking them out, causing Dulcy to crash again. Well, it's a kids show and we need someone to entertain the little ones. God knows they're not laughing at Antoine.
Inside the temple, Sonic doesn't find it at all strange that Ari seems to know his way around. The hedgehog is far too impatient and high spirited to not take anything beyond face value, and that's soon going to cost him. They make it to a room where Ari's freedom fighters were being held hostage. But suddenly, they just vanished. Holograms! Worse yet, Ari apologizes before shutting the door, trapping Sonic inside. He used him like a kleenex. The hedgehog now finds himself at the mercy of Dr. Robotnik, and we all know he has none to offer. Meanwhile outside, Sally and Dulcy try in vain to break through the front door of the temple, when suddenly they catch a glimpse of Ari flying out in his ship. They follow him to Robotropolis, where Botsy was presently having some fun with his prisoner. I mean, he could just kill Sonic right now, he has him right where he wants him. Even Snively points that out. However, the doc wants to take his time and truly make the hedgehog suffer. Oh, and he keeps calling him a rodent. Hedgehogs are not rodents! If you're calling him that as an insult, it's not working. Anyhow, what's his brilliant plan now that he has his archnemesis dead to rights? Why he's going to play life-sized pinball with him. That's right, Botsy rigged up a giant pinball game in that chamber, even encasing Sonic in a clear ball. The rules are simple: every time he hits one of Robotnik's bumpers, a portal opens to send the hedgehog on a one-way trip to the unknown, but if he hits his own bumpers, it closes. He's sure gone to a lot of trouble to rig this up. The game begins as Sonic finds himself bumped, biffed, and bopped around the arena, but he soon gets the hang of it and starts driving up his own score. Yep, Botsy is even keeping score for the hell of it. While that's going on, Sally and Dulcy are right over Robotnik's head as they witness Ari coming in, saying he did as instructed, now he demands the release of his comrades. The doc is happy to oblige, but oh no, he went and had them roboticized! Why that dirty, lowdown... he cheated, who'd a thunk it? Botsy says Ari will soon join them, however thanks to Dulcy's super dragon breath, they burst through the ceiling and she puts Robotnik on ice. Huh, dragons usually breathe fire, but she breathes ice. I mean, dragons can also fly and she... whatever, I'm sure this will be explained later. The three then hurry off to save Sonic, with Sally bringing along the magnetic generator. Ari takes it and goes in alone... something tells me we're not going to see him again. As for Sonic, he's still being knocked around Botsy's giant pinball game, as even being half encased in ice hasn't dissuaded that diabolical madman. That's when Sonic busts out the ol' power ring, only to drop it as a bumper nearly knocked him into the portal, but he's saved just in the nick of time by Ari and the super magnet. Sonic uses the Force, I guess, to reclaim his ring and lays waste to the giant pinball game, while Robotnik launches the self destruct mode, causing everything to be sucked into the portal. As Sonic tries to save Ari, the ram apologizes for causing so much trouble, then he says that other freedom fighters are out there, and they're looking for Sally, as they have a list compiled by her father. Then he's sucked into the portal and disappears, and Sonic manages to get out before the entire place implodes and disappears into the vortex. Sally is certain they can figure out a way to eventually rescue Ari, in the meantime she and Sonic ponder what he meant by the list. They then have some pointless playful banter, like they totally forgot seven innocent souls were just lost.
So that was "Game Guy", a very good episode. The writing, animation, and voice acting were very good, and Ari was a likeable character. It's a shame he got sucked into that portal, as he would've made a good addition to the freedom fighters. He could've replaced Antoine. Also, I'm going to mention the Lower Mobius citizens again, because I'm still not sure why they were forgotten. You remember, Griff the goat, the boar, and... the rest. It sounds like the arc of the second season is building up to a big showdown with Robotnik, pitting him against all the freedom fighters scattered around the planet, and from the plotlines I've read for upcoming episodes, it sounds like we'll be meeting more people like Ari and Griff. As for "Game Guy", we truly get another reminder that this Dr. Robotnik is evil and sadistic, as he went and roboticized Ari's friends and reneged on his promise. Yeah, this villain is truly a force to be reckoned with. The giant pinball game reminds me of an Adventures episode called "Robotnikland" in which Botsy takes over an amusement park and makes it one big trap for Sonic, and one of them was a giant pinball game. Not much else I can say, except I recommend "Game Guy." It seems that Season 2 has an arc, unlike the first season where nothing was really followed up on, but here, they were already preparing to fix the de-roboticizer and help Uncle Chuck and the others, following what happened in the previous episode. Personally, I'd like to see the mystery of Sally's father elaborated on some more, and you know, I'm still thinking about Cat from "Sonic Boom." It makes no sense why we never saw him again, not even roboticized. How did he just disappear? So many questions that may or may not ever be answered. Either way, check out "Game Guy", and remember, appearances can be deceiving.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Conversion (1994)
The Cure
The robotization process works by way of replacing one's organic components with those of machines, whether it's the host's entire body, or just an appendage or two. Until now, there seemed to be no way of reversing the process and making someone half robot into a whole organic being again, like Bunny, with her robotic arm and legs, or even Dr. Robotnik with his robotic arm, or lest we forget dear Uncle Chuck, who was turned into a worker bot to slave away in Botsy's mines, but it looks as if the freedom fighters may have found a way of undoing the effects of robotization, maybe even restoring Bunny's natural appendages, and maybe, just maybe, they can return Chuck back to normal. It's a lot to hope for, but it's worth the effort, so let's see how our heroes get down to business in this week's episode, which begins Saturday Sonic's second season. It opens with Robotnik trying out his latest creation: a virtual reality shriek-bot, and how it works is that Botsy can just sit in his chair and let the shriek-bot flying around Robotropolis, perfect for the lazy, morbidly obese man who has everything. Why this thing's jet propulsion system is so advanced, it might even be faster than Sonic. Speaking of the hedgehog, he and Sally just happened to be creeping around the doc's lab at that exact moment on a mission of some sort. Before departing, Sonic sees Uncle Chuck among the workers and goes in for a closer look, but he's spotted by Robotnik, who's just itching to take the shriek-bot on a test run. Sonic and Sally haul ass right out of there with the shriek-bot hot in their tails, and it seems Sally was right in her suggestion that it could be faster than the hedgehog, because it was gaining fast. That's when he busts out the ol' power ring and they boost outta there at lightspeed, nearly breaking Botsy's new toy. He's incensed at Snively, whom he forces to look in his grotesque mouth complete with rotting teeth in a scene out of Ren and Stimpy, asking him to look down his throat identify the color of his heart, but Snively cannot locate it. So while Snively is deep-throating his uncle, we travel back to Knothole Village, where we see Tails flying by, and I do believe this is the first time we've seen him fly in this show. We also get introduced to a new character, Dulcy the dragon, however her more formal introduction will have to wait, for you see, they've developed a de-roboticizer which can hopefully undo the effects of robotization, and in this case, Bunny gets to be the guinea pig. They throw the switch, there's a flash of light, and quicker than you can say "Trix are for kids," Bunny seems to be back to her 100% organic self. With the de-roboticizer a success, Sonic takes another power ring and races to Robotropolis to find Uncle Chuck and make him normal again, despite Sally's warnings that the effects may only be temporary, however Sonic has no time to consider ramifications. He places the power ring where Chuck can grab it, and like before, it restores his memory. Sonic brings him back to Knothole and they put him in the machine, but uh oh, it blows a fuse, reverting Uncle Chuck back to his evil robo-self, and I like how this time he isn't growling and snarling like a rottweiler, but rather tries to catch the freedom fighters, so they lock him in a wooden cage- yeah, no way he'd be able to break out of that. You should've listened, Sonic.
The only way to fix the de-roboticizer is to get parts from Robotnik's roboticizer, so Sonic goes back to Robotropolis, pretends to turn himself in, then gets what he needs, despite Robotnik and his useless Swat Bots trying to stop him. It makes the doc look real undignified being spun around in his own chair like that. Anyway, now that they've got the parts, they give the de-roboticizer another go, and this time it works. Uncle Chuck is back! Well, with this new scientific breakthrough at their disposal, our heroes get to work planning to rescue the next group of roboticized critters and turn them back to normal, all thanks to Uncle Chuck rigging up a virtual map of Robotropolis. However, it isn't long before misfortune rears its ugly head, when Bunny is inexplicably turned back into a half robot. Just like that, a flash, then she's got her robotic arm and feet back, and did she just say "what the hell happened?" If so, it's a perfectly logical question. And if Bunny can revert back, so can a certain hedgehog's uncle. Just out of nowhere, Chuck turns back into a robot, like that infamous sequence in Superman III, but not quite as nightmare inducing. Oh, and he's evil again too. He captures Antoine and Tails and takes them to the swamp, and once another power ring became available, Sonic raced to the rescue. Robo-Chuck was waiting for him, as he converted the swamp into a trap that stops him dead in his tracks and buries him up to his neck in sticky green goo. Sonic has to watch helplessly as Uncle Chuck takes his hostages away in a hovercraft. He's eventually rescued by the girls, then makes tracks to Robotropolis and there, he confronts his uncle and pleads with him to fight against Robotnik's control, and this time, it works. Maybe it was his brief reversion back to his normal state and being reacquainted with the other freedom fighters that made him fight harder. He managed to break free of his programming and was his old self again, just with the body of a robot. His memories were still in there, as he said earlier that when one is roboticized, they still have their memories, they just can't do anything about it. That's beyond cruel of Robotnik to do, making these animals live a fate worse than death. Sonic wants to take Chuck back, but he says he has to stay behind. This way, he can act as their man on the inside, feeding the freedom fighters intel on Botsy and what he's up to. Sonic hated to say goodbye to his uncle again, but this was more of a "see you later." This touching scene is cut short by the arrival of Swat Bots, and when Botsy sees that his archnemesis is once again in his crosshairs, he sends his shriek-bot out for its second... and final flight, as although the afterburners make it go faster, Sonic can still get into areas that this overgrown buzzard can't, and thus it crashes and burns, and once again, Robotnik blames Snively for his own dumbassery. Well, the day was saved, but Sonic was still blaming himself for jumping the gun, however Sally assures him that in time, they can help those who were roboticized, and points out that they have the ability to fight back, and that Uncle Chuck is now their spy on the inside, so while they still have a long way to go, they were that much closer to victory.
The second season of Saturday Sonic brought a few subtle changes here and there, including the new character of Dulcy, and making some characters look brighter and cuter, except in Antoine's case where he looks even more like a flamboyant cartoon. Rotor has the biggest changes, as now he looks more like a child, and he's got a new voice actor. I believe they were trying to dial back the darkness seen in the first season, which really gave this series its edge. However, it's still dark where appropriate and they didn't go too far into the realm of wackiness, except in some upcoming minisodes centered on Antoine, but that's thankfully another story. As for "Sonic Conversion", it was pretty good. The voice acting, animation, and writing were all very good. It was nice seeing Uncle Chuck again, and he will be making more appearances in this, the second and final season. We'll see more of Dulcy too, and a few more surprises. The whole de-roboticizer angle was good, but it felt too abrupt when the effects wore off. That just felt like a tired cliche from these types of stories: make someone look different, then the effect inevitably wears off for no clear reason, and they're back to the way they were. I mean, would it have been so bad to have permanently undone Bunny and Chuck's robotization? Okay, Chuck I can understand as they wanted to utilize him as a spy, but why not let Bunny keep her organic parts? I know status quo is king with these types of shows, but still, would it have been a big deal? Also, this one has a lot of heart, and strong character building scenes that set it apart from the action-packed cartoons it was competing with. So in closing, I recommend "Sonic Conversion", as while it's no masterpiece, its heart is definitely in the right place. Finally, what was Botsy hoping to achieve with that VR shriek-bot? He really was too lazy to just get in a real hovercraft and go flying, wasn't he? If so, it served him right he was made to look like a fool.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sub-Sonic (1993)
Oils Well That Ends Well
Since he has conquered the better part of Mobius, Dr. Robotnik feels that anything he wants is ripe for the taking. No matter what dwindling natural resource he wants, he can just dig it up or chop it down with impunity, and of course, it's his fault that natural resources are dwindling because he's constantly using them up to power his machines. He would never entertain the fact that his actions are disrupting the planet's ecosystem. Of course he wouldn't, why would he? This is where Sonic and the freedom fighters have to step in and right his wrongs, as this affects them the most. So what's ol' Botsy after this week? Oil. He's digging under the surface to find another oil lake, and he doesn't care that he has to overwork both his machines and Snively, he will have that precious black gold all to himself. And just how is he going about locating it? With a robotic, laser shooting snake, of course. It burrows all the way down, even through the lair of a... big, purple squid-octopus thing. Then, through a process of blasting through a wall and blocking an underground river, the green liquid starts rising to the surface and runs right into the aboveground lake. Weird. Speaking of water, our heroes' trees sure could use some, as Sally and Rotor notice the baby trees aren't growing and the tall ones are drying out, thanks in large to Botsy's pollution and a lack of rain. As for Sonic, he's gone fishing, while jamming out a tune on his electric guitar, which would actually scare the fish away. Heck, the way he sings, he'll scare us away. Suddenly, he lands a fish. A big one! So big and strong it pulls Sonic right into the water after him. It eventually gets away, pole and all. As he regales his fishy story to the others, he pauses to knock some water out of his ears, which douses a sickly sprout and instantly makes it grow into a healthy flower. Doing it again grows a tiny sapling into a fifty foot tree. Looks like Sonic's got magic in his head. Deciding to see where this water came from, Sonic, Sally, Antoine, and Rotor take a motorboat personally rigged up by the handy walrus himself, however he's pretty down on just being a handyman and would rather be a hero. Yeah, well, be careful what you wish for, buddy. As they look at all the dead trees around them, which pose as a warning for the forest's inevitable fate if Botsy keeps getting his way, the gang suddenly gets swept away by a furious current and float right into a whirlpool. They end up in an eerie underground lake polluted with junk, and worse yet, their motor went AWOL, so they have to row, which Antoine states that as a royal guard, such work is beneath him. Oh, if he was a royal guard then it's no wonder the king got overthrown. Musta been hiding in the john when it happened. I wouldn't trust this idiot to guard my bicycle. Well, we won't have to worry about Antoine for long, because suddenly, he goes missing. Hooray! As if that weren't strange enough, the lake apparently took LSD and is now a bunch of psychadelic colors. Then it turns pink and starts boiling and their boat starts to go bye-bye. Using some overhead vines to their advantage, Sonic, Sally, and Rotor climb out and continue on their way through an underground jungle. They keep calling Antoine's name and asking where he went. Here's a better question: who cares?
After they tangle with some carnivorous flowers, they discover that Sally has mysteriously disappeared too. As Sonic and Rotor go to look for her, they end up in the ruins of the palace of that purple monster from earlier. Just as Rotor finds Sonic's fishing pole, the giant monster has the hedgehog in his clutches. He tells Rotor to bail, only the walrus pulls an Antoine by tripping and falling down a hole. Guess he had to compensate for the loss of the real one. He ends up at the green lake, where he clears the blockage caused by Robotnik's snake, allowing the water to flow freely again, and takes some of it in a canteen to be studied later. Guess it's up to him to save the others, and well, he wanted to be a hero, so here's your shot. Sonic was placed with Sally and Antoine, who were up to their necks in a pool of sludge. True to form, Antoine blames Sonic for their predicament and chides him for not getting them out of it. Hey, I don't see you lifting a finger to help, you bumbling, cowardly, disfluent pansy you! As for Rotor, he wanders into the cave, only to discover it's full of oil, and here comes Robotnik's robo snake! He runs away, and thankfully comes across the captives. But before he can rescue them, a giant green tentacle pops out of the liquid and grabs his leg. Fortunately, Rotor wins this game of tug-a-war, and manages to reach into Sonic's knapsack to produce his power ring! It enables him to free himself from the oil and the rescue Sally, while Rotor saves Antoine. Once free, they all sing the walrus' praises, then he tells them about Robotnik and his snake. But before they can do anything, they're cornered by the giant monster. See, he blames them for the disruption of his underground world. He knew the disturbances were caused by someone on the surface, and because the freedom fighters are from the surface, he blames them. He's the last of his kind, as they were all wiped out by the pollution that leaked into their world. They convince the big guy that it isn't their fault, but in fact, the fault of one very nasty baddie named Dr. Robotnik. And then, who should crash the party but his snakes: a lot of them. They're coming from Botsy's drilling platform, so Sonic heads up there to put the kibosh on their operation. Luckily Robotnik and Snively were flying overhead at that moment, so they're just in time to see their oil business crash and burn. After dealing with some pushover Swat Bots, Sonic gets into the control room and commands the snake probes to self destruct, and, get this, he plays the computer console like its a keyboard and jams that "Way Past Cool" song he was singing at the lake. Oh, so it's a musical now. The circuits overload and the whole place blows up. So, Botsy's oil drilling was no more, and the big purple guy's world was safe once again. Rotor pours the sample of green water he collected earlier into the oil, which turns it into water... did he just perform a miracle? As a way of saying thank you, the big guy gives them a bag of the stuff to use in their forest back home. It regrows all the trees, so now all was well, and Rotor was content with just being a handyman.
So that was "Sub Sonic" and it was very interesting, with a decent message about the dangers of pollution. See, Dr. Robotnik represents the industrial revolution, making all things mechanical, powered by chemicals that pollute the environment, like taking from nature and then slowly killing it in the name of "progress", while Sonic et al represent nature and preserving resources, thus helping the planet to grow and thrive. In some cases, Robotnik's side is useful as we people get many useful goods from factories that end up polluting the world, while at the same time, we also need to preserve nature, because once it's gone, then we're all royally screwed. People don't seem to realize that and thus are very wasteful with resources, like chopping down trees to turn into junk mail that people will just throw in the trash. That's at least one example. So yeah, the whole episode was one big environmental message, but it's one that doesn't hit you over the head repeatedly. As for writing, animation, and voice acting, they were all very good. This seems like their chance to try and make Rotor a hero for once and, well, he stepped up to the task. He's still somewhat of a dull character, but his heart is in the right place and he's quick to lend a hand when needed. Not much else I can say, except I recommend "Sub Sonic". A well made episode with a very good message.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic's Nightmare (1993)
Have You Ever Seen a Dream Running?
Weird dreams, we all have them. Sometimes they mean something, other times it could just be your subconscious playing tricks on you. Sometimes a dream can seem so realistic, it's almost as if we can see the future. Such a concept makes for very interesting plots for TV shows, and this is one of them. Sonic the Hedgehog has one whopper of a nightmare that he's scared may very well become a reality, or a self-fulfilling prophecy. His dream began with him running along, minding his own business, then he hears a childish insult from Sally. Suddenly, she's on the other side of a bridge, being loaded into a roboticizer pod with Dr. Robotnik standing right next to her. Sonic tries to race over to her, but alas, he gets caught in a freak rainfall and his feet become stuck in mud. The kind of mud that works like fly paper. He arrives too late as Sally is roboticized and Sonic falls over the bridge to his death. He awakens in a cold sweat, passing it off as a bad dream brought on by his own homemade chili dogs. Next day, he asks Rotor what he knows what dreams, which of course isn't much, then Sally presents them with an intercepted transmission from Dr. Robotnik, which Sonic assumes is bad news. Naww, really? Why you gotta be such a pessimist, dude? But yeah, it's bad news, bordering on horrible. See, Botsy has taken up cloud seeding, but instead of making normal rain, he's gonna make acid rain. Gonna load them up with chemicals and douse the Island of Nimbus. The freedom fighters decide to head over there and give him a rain dance he won't soon forget. They're going to go incognito, and Rotor just happens to have three Swat Bot suits handy. I'm guessing they weren't for Halloween. Sally puts on the helmet, wondering if she makes a convincing Swat Bot. Tails sees her and runs away in fear, without anyone telling him it was just a disguise. Sheesh, you know it really offends me that they made Tails a dumb, wimpy kid in this series. Like seriously, what was DiC's problem with the character? Why did he have to be like this on both Sonic shows? If I ever meet Andy Heyward or Robby London, I hope to ask them and get an answer. Anyway, Sally, Bunny, and Antoine are going to dress up as Swat Bots... and I hope Rotor's got some stilts, because those bots are twice as big as the animals. So they don the disguises and witness Robotnik's Cloudburster blimp being driven down the road via convoy. Getting them to stop via smoke bomb, the three seamlessly blend in with the other Swat Bots, which is giving me collective Wizard of Oz flashbacks. Sally infiltrates the blimp and tries to hack into the systems, but I have a sneaking suspicion this little infiltration plan of theirs will go belly up at any second. How do I know? Easy, they brought along Antoine. Every time they bring along that fumbling frog, he fouls things up. Look, I called it: he trips and falls, knocking off his helmet and causing he, Bunny, and Sally to be captured.
Meanwhile, Sonic races to the island of Nimbus, which is just an abandoned oil refinery left to rot. With no one around to warn about the impending doom, Sonic races back to Knothole and finds his friends hadn't returned. When investigating where the convoy had been, he finds Antoine's Swat Bot helmet. Guess he deduced who it belonged to as it reeked of the Frenchman's cologne. Following the treadmarks, he's led back to Nimbus, where he discovers that not only is the Cloudburster already airborne, but Sally, Bunny, and Antoine are being held hostage. As he races through the glass transport tube to get to the other side of the chemical river (I wonder if they were inspired by Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic 2. Shame none of the games' zones made it into this series), Botsy launches a fireball to chase after him. Oh no, fire above water, what's he going to do? He jumps in the water, the fire follows him and is no more. Looks like someone paid attention in first grade science class. Then, after sending a few more Swat Bots into the drink, Sonic goes to save his friends, who are now imprisoned in a pod with laser beams for bars. Sally tells him to leave them for now, as Robotnik's acid rain is the priority. What to do, what to do? Suddenly, Sonic has an attack of PTSD as his nightmare comes back to haunt him. He has to watch helplessly as Sally gets roboticized. He's stuck in the mud and the rain, constantly hearing Sally's echoing insult of "where were you when the brains were handed out?" You need some new lines, Sal. Finally, Sonic overcomes his slight mental breakdown, and tries to come up with a way of really raining on Robotnik's parade. Since he's attacking from above, perhaps they could attack him from below. Far below. Can you dig it? What I'm trying to say is he burrows deep, deep underground to the old pump station. There's sludge in them thar wells, and it's about to see daylight again. Sonic races on the turbines, which gets the pumps working, and voila, a jet of sludge comes shooting up the well and douses Botsy's blimp in brown gold, Mobius tea. It gets filled with that gunk, which is making it lose altitude. Robotnik and Snively retreat to the escape pod and set it to stealth mode, as the Cloudburster reenacts the Hindenburg and crashes, making the freedom fighters think Robotnik is dead. However, the bad doctor is alive and fuming, intending to reduce a certain hedgehog and his goody-good friends into ashes. Unfortunately, the escape pod sustained damage, and Snively points out they have to return to base, lest they crash and burn. His hatred of the heroes made him willing to take that risk as he tried to fire the missiles, but alas, they were also damaged in the sludge bath. I gotta hand it to Robotnik, as his hate and bloodlust were so strong and intense, he was willing to sacrifice himself and Snively if it meant killing the hedgehog. One thing about this portrayal of Robotnik is just how passionate he is about causing death and destruction, I bet he even gets off in his pantaloons about it. He's evil to the core and he loves it, but I digress. But no matter, they must retreat. Til next time, Botsy. As for the captives, they now have a big problem: the island was sinking! They had one chance to get out, so Sonic produces a power ring and tells them to hold it against the bars, thus shorting them out. It was a long shot, but with Sally, Bunny, and Antoine holding on tight, it worked. The bars deactivated. Then they joined via Conga line and made tracks as Nimbus fell apart and sank into the Abyss, reenacting Atlantis. So now, all was well, and Sonic went back to having dreams about the love of his life... chili dogs. Ha ha, that's our Sonic!
I have to say "Sonic's Nightmare" was pretty good. The story was well-written, there was plenty of suspense, the voice acting was really good... except for Mark Ballou as Rotor. It's time I called this guy out and say he puts very little life into that character. If he's supposed to be the brainy mechanic of the bunch, why does he sound like he's always half asleep? You can act, man, and you're surrounded by tremendous vocal talent! Guess that's why he left the show after Season 1 and Len Janson resigned to disliking the character. It's not that I have a dislike for Rotor, I just think he's just dull. At least with Antoine, as unlikeable as he is, Rob Paulsen is giving 110%. Okay, enough of my voice acting gripes, moving on. The animation was good, even if at times they accidentally gave Sally and Bunny pupils. I liked the idea of Sonic being haunted by a nightmare and showing that he isn't infallible, he has a weakness, and he's afraid of letting his friends down. Very deep and psychological, even for a video game based property. Like I said earlier, Nimbus seems to be based off Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic 2, and it would've been nice if they utilized other zones from the games, like the Adventures series did, except there it was in name only. The only thing from the games they adapted for this series were the rings. It actually makes me wonder if the producers of the Sonic shows ever even played the games, and I offer their portrayals of Tails as evidence. I don't want to keep beating a dead horse, but look, Tails is not a dumb, wimpy kid! But in closing, I recommend "Sonic's Nightmare" as it's got suspense, it's got a good environmental message, and a few laughs here and there.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Hooked on Sonics (1993)
Antoine, Don't Be a Hero
If you can't stand Antoine, then I'm afraid I have some bad news: this episode centers around him. That cowardly Frenchman is going to attempt heroics in order to build himself up to the other freedom fighters and win the heart of Princess Sally. That's a fallacy if ever I heard one, because that dope doesn't have one heroic bone in his scrawny body. He's always been a little jealous of Sonic, so this was his attempt to get one up on his speedy blue comrade, and in so doing, he nearly put everyone in serious danger, as Dr. Robotnik was very close to winning this time. He had a machine that could track Sonic's speed and halt him in his place, but it looks like I'm getting ahead of myself. It all started when Snively was demonstrating his uncle's latest creation, The Shredder, and no, it doesn't shred paper or terrorize mutant turtles, it's a giant machine with saw blade hands that cuts down trees by the second. It's doing this so he can study the lifeforce energy from the living tissue. Why is he doing that? Let's just say that Botsy doesn't need firewood. He needs it to power his new Sonic Radar, a machine that can track a certain pesky hedgehog and stop him in his tracks. Speaking of Sonic, here he comes. Snively attempts to have the Shredder absorb his life force... yeah, to power the radar that will be used to track him, but if you destroy Sonic, you won't need the radar. This is why you never put Snively in charge. I mean, that overgrown waffle iron must not be up to snuff if it falls for a "look over there" trick from Sonic. Long story short, he tricks the Swat Bots into shooting at the Shredder, before the hedgehog wraps its legs in its own tentacles and sends it face planting in the dirt. The freedom fighters wait until nightfall to congratulate Sonic and sing his praises. He and Sally even have a few rounds of who's the better kisser. Sheesh, get a room, you two. All the while, Antoine is feeling jelly and he wonders aloud, while addressing the audience, what Sonic has that he doesn't. Well, since you asked, I'll tell you: speed, charm, wit, courage, marketability, and people actually like him. Antoine goes to pout by the river, talking about his woes to Rotor, who tells him Sonic is a tough act to follow and he'd have to do something big to impress Sally. Like, say, capture Robotnik and bring him back to the freedom fighters. Ha, like Antoine would be stupid enough... he's gonna do it. And as bait, he's going to steal a power ring from the pond. Oh good job, Rotor, your so-called advice could very well get Antoine killed... and I thank you for that! So he fishes a ring out of the pond and ventures into Robotropolis alone, where almost immediately he's spotted by Botsy's security. The little nimrod requests an audience with the doctor, provided he meet him outside of town, alone. He shows him the power ring to prove he means business. Looking to get an edge in the competition any way he can, Robotnik agrees to the meeting. Antoine's foolish plan of capturing him almost works, Botsy falls into a covered hole, the ultimate rookie mistake, but as Antoine goes over how he plans to arrest him, bring him before the freedom fighters to stand trial, and win the hand of the princess, his captive activates his rocket boots and leaps out of the hole and steals the power ring. Uh oh Spaghetti-O's!
Back at Knothole, Sonic finds a glowing stick beside the pond and deduces Antoine fished out a power ring. Rotor confesses the whole thing is fault, then Sally presses Sonic to go save him, even though the hedgehog would rather let him be doomed. As for the ring, its power is temporary and only he can use it. It's too bad Antoine wasn't made aware of that fact before he carried out his braindead scheme. Since he can't get another ring for 24 hours, Sonic will just have to take on Botsy without it. Should be easy. But what's this? He's using that ring to power his new Sonic radar, which can track the hedgehog's speed at a moment's notice and fires right at him, preventing him from making progress. Looks like he can't use his speed, so he'll have to walk the rest of the way. While sneaking into Robotropolis, Sonic catches a glimpse of the newly rebuilt Shredder, which is being airlifted back to the forest, with Robotnik going along personally. As for Antoine, he was going to be turned into a worker bot. Yes, he'll finally be useful! Of course, moments away from being roboticized, Sonic comes in and saves his worthless hide. Antoine tells him about the Shredder and the radar, and he also apologizes for his actions, which Sonic is quick to forgive. You're too nice, hedgehog. They return to the Great Forest, just as Botsy is watching the Shredder do its thing, and when he spots his nemesis, he's ready for him, as the Sonic radar also comes equipped with a missile launcher. Using that to his advantage, Sonic tricks them into firing those missiles at the Shredder, taking it out for good. Well, one problem is down, but here's another one: Robotnik and his army of Swat Bots have them surrounded. Suddenly, in a rare bout of usefulness, Antoine discovers the power ring inside the radar, which gives Sonic super speed. Since this trick has worked before, Sonic stands in front of the radar and moves just as they open fire and destroy it. So, Botsy's deforestation efforts were put on an indefinite hold, and our heroes are safe once again. Sonic and Antoine tell their tale around the campfire, with Monsieur L'idiot taking most of the credit, and as he stands there bragging like the bumbling braggart he is, everyone slowly walks away, except Tails, who I guess either the animators forgot about or because he's depicted as a dumb kid in this series, he's probably hanging on Antoine's every false word. Why didn't they just leave him to be roboticized?
If their aim was to try and make Antoine seem slightly heroic or the least bit useful, then they failed, because he only made things worse. Had he not stolen that power ring, Robotnik couldn't have used his radar, nor could he have gotten the Shredder back on its feet. Antoine should've been banished for that, but instead they're quick to forgive him because deep down, they don't take him seriously. Neither do we, he's a terrible character. But as for "Hooked on Sonics", it's not bad. The story is decent, the animation is good, and the voice acting is really good. They could've tried to make Antoine somewhat sympathetic, like deep down, he wants to be liked and appreciated, but he's just too incompetent and stubborn for anyone to feel the slightest amount of sympathy for. As for Robotnik, he's really gotta stop programming his machines to fall for the "look over there" trick. Oh, and let's say he wasn't wearing his rocket boots when he fell into Antoine's trap. It would've been really funny to see him attempt to tie him up and try to bring him back to Knothole. But you know, let's say he wasn't alone. Let's say everyone pitched in and tried to capture Robotnik that way, and they put him on trial, declared him guilty, and locked him in a cage, would that solve their problem, or does he have a dozen backups as a contingency? I'm probably overthinking this too much. In closing, I recommend "Hooked on Sonics", to see how Antoine tried to be a hero, and fumbled it up like he does everything else. I'd love to know why this character exists and who exactly likes him, besides Len Janson.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Super Sonic (1993)
Off to See the Wizard
It comes as no surprise that Dr. Robotnik is a master of technology, machines that can accomplish any specific task are at his disposal. But what would happen if this technological madman ever got his hands on magic? Ordinarily, someone like Robotnik would sneer at the very idea of magic, since that concept goes against science as one tends to cancel the other out. I recall an Adventures episode where Robotnik used magic, but I dare not venture down that road again, so let's see how the considerably better Sonic series would handle that concept, and without fairy tales coming to life. It all began when the freedom fighters were repairing their waterwheel, which is their only source of electricity. All this hard work was giving Bunny a... bad hare day. LOL. Worse yet, Sally finds that Nicole is malfunctioning. Musta forgotten to download those latest updates. She's blown a microchip, and in this case, they can't simply go to the corner store and buy one, which means a trip to Robotropolis to steal one from Botsy was in order. Sonic keeps the Swat Bots busy while Sally goes to get that coveted chip. After easily grabbing one off an assembly line, she gets spotted. As they sound the alarm, Sally waste no time and hauls ass right out of there. Trying to evade the bots as they chase her down the street, she comes to place with the sign "Forbidden Zone" over it, so naturally, she went in. Yeah, I don't think this is the adult section of the video store, it's called Forbidden Zone for a reason. So what's in FZ? At first, it looks like just another section of Robotropolis, when suddenly, some creepy ghoul shows up and zaps the Swat Bot that was chasing Sally. Who... or what was that guy? Dr. Robotnik wants to know too, as he had witnessed the whole thing. As for our heroes, once safely back at Knothole, it seems Sally was familiar with this being, dubbed The Guardian, who watches over the resting place of the wizard Lazaar, who holds a computer filled with vast magic spells, like we're talking 100 terabytes, maybe more. Many have tried to claim it, but all have failed. When doing some research on the wizard, Robotnik and Snively discover that Lazaar awaits one vile enough to awaken him. Sounds like an invitation to me. I guess Botsy jumps at the chance to do anything if it makes him seem vile. In that case, all he has to do is smile. As for Sonic, he's intrigued at the idea of having the wizard's computer of spells to finally stop Robotnik. What about those secret scrolls you risked your lives to get in the previous episode? Not gonna mention those again? Despite Sally's warnings that he might awaken Lazaar, the hedgehog is confident he can be in and out without the wizard even knowing he was there. He's just asking for trouble, but I think he's secretly a masochist who likes putting himself in danger just so he can get himself out. Well, Robotnik makes contact with the Guardian, requesting an audience with Lazaar and is shown where to find his lair. He practically just strolls on in to the resting place of the Grand Wizard... er, no, I probably shouldn't call him that. He swipes the coveted computer with no resistance and just walks on out. He got lucky. As for Sonic, he arrives just after Botsy was there, easily avoiding all the deadly booby traps and reaching the lair just in time to greet the ancient one himself: old Lazaar appears human, but he talks like Yoda. He takes Sonic for a thief and encases him in a magic bubble.
Robotnik makes quick work of the magic computer's teleportation spell by trying to bring in Sonic, but finds he's out of range, so he goes with Sally instead. Like magic, well obviously, she's beamed right in. Botsy has her secured, then he teleports in Bunny. Okay, now just bring in Rotor, Antoine, and Tails, and you'll have the full set. I guess he isn't familiar with them yet. Will Sonic have any luck convincing the evil wizard to show him mercy? Well, it seems old Laz has grown weary and wise in his later years, looking back on all the evil he'd done and was feeling regret. Dr. Robotnik is far more evil than he was, and Sonic convinces him that he must be stopped, lest he use that magic computer for evil purposes... like it already was, but, y'know like, eviler. Lazaar makes Sonic promise to bring the computer back to him, then releases him from the bubble. However, so things aren't too easy for him, Laz magically strips the hedgehog of his speed, so it looks like he's going to have to rely on his wits. Sonic walks away, wondering why everything has to be so difficult. Hey, it's your own fault, you got yourself into this, you little blue smartass. Well, I'd say the freedom fighters were in a real pickle this time. Sally and Bunny are at Botsy's mercy, and Sonic has to cruise at normal speed. I mean, Robotnik could just kill his hostages right now, or force them to reveal the location of Knothole, but because he likes playing with his new toy so much, he uses it's submission spell to turn the girls into his servants. Meanwhile, Sonic manages to get inside the fortress, even taking out the staircase so the Swat Bots can't follow him. Even at normal speed, those things still can't catch him. Suddenly, Sonic is teleported into the control room and is captured by Sally and Bunny. Wasting no time, Robotnik orders all three to be roboticized, and so they drag Sonic over to the roboticizer, despite his futile attempts to reach his brainwashed friends. This was a desperate situation and the hedgehog had one chance, so he kicks Bunny aside and dashes for Lazaar's computer. Once in his possession, he manages to turn Bunny and Sally back to normal, then they make their escape. They're very slowly getting away. Sonic without his speed would be very easy to catch and I'm sure Botsy has security up the yin-yang at this place... but you know what he does? He just gives up, saying he despises that hedgehog with all his metallic heart. No, no, you say it like this: "I hate that hedgehog!!" So, Laz is returned his computer, and he declines their invitation to join the freedom fighters as he must remain in his lair and guard the magic computer, for the evil within must never be released. Oh, and he gives Sonic his speed back. Then he and the Guardian go back inside the temple and it shrinks into nonexistence. Upon returning to Knothole, they discover that the waterwheel works and now they have power! Victory all around.
So that was "Super Sonic", and despite the title, the hedgehog doesn't become a superhero. This was a trend in the first season to put Sonic's name in the title in some form without really telling much of the plot, similar to how Family Guy's first few episodes were pun titles that included the word "death", for no real reason. I liked this episode, the animation was decent, the voice acting was really good, and the writing was good too. I'm not sure who was voicing Lazaar, as IMDb claims it's Dan Castellaneta, however he sounds nothing like him. It was interesting seeing Sonic stripped of his speed and having to rely on his wits to get him out of trouble, and seeing Sally and Bunny hypnotized and turning against him was a nice touch. The ending felt a little too abrupt, like everyone just gets away and Robotnik gives up. Again, I want to mention the secret scrolls they found in the previous episode: they were never put to any use. If they wanted to use magic to stop Botsy, they could've used them and not risked their lives awakening an ancient wizard. No matter, it was still a good episode, as again, animation, writing, and voice work were good, and even better: Antoine wasn't in it. In closing, I recommend "Super Sonic." Watch what happens when science and magic clash in a battle between good and evil.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Racer (1993)
Power Failure
Whenever you see an episode of a Sonic show where he enters a race or some kind of sporting event, it's a foregone conclusion that he's going to win. Sonic's speed and wits are put to the test against either Dr. Robotnik or a robotic opponent of his design, and he always emerges the victor, so there's no tension or any doubt. Sonic and speed go to together like Superman and flight. Therefore, would Sonic Racer even be worth watching? I would say yes, because believe it or not, there's an unexpected twist. So how does Sonic the Hedgehog end up entering a race and what's at stake? Well, it all began one night when Sonic, Sally, and Bunny were on a mission in Robotropolis to give Dr. Robotnik a serious blackout. No power, no machines, and since the sun never shines on this place, you can bet that Botsy hasn't gone solar. So while Sonic keeps the Swat Bots distracted, Sally and Bunny go about their task of overloading the generators, and faster than you can say "lights out", the machine blows out and leaves Robotropolis in the dark. Hurrah, mission accomplished. But uh oh, Sally mentions the possibility of a back-up generator, which, surprise surprise, he's got, and now all the lights are back on. D'oh! Not a very well thought out plan. I like how they think of these things AFTER they've accomplished their objective and are about to leave. Botsy is beginning to lose patience with a certain hedgehog, and so Snively comes up with a plan: appeal to Sonic's ego, which is as big as Robotnik's gut. So, here's the idea: they invite Sonic to compete in a race, to determine the fastest on Mobius, and the winner will receive a trophy. Yep, that's it, nothing at stake, just a trophy and a boost to his ego. Well, Sonic would be either extremely gullible or profoundly stupid to agree to this contest. Well, take your pick, because he accepts. Despite Sally pointing out that it's an obvious trap, Sonic claims he'll be a diversion while the others go and disable the back-up generator. Sounds like a decent enough plan, but who's Botsy going to get to race him? Why he's built himself a robot cheetah that clocks in at 500mph, only going at half speed. This is going to be very interesting... to see how Sonic will beat him, because we know he's going to win! Anyway, let's get on with this charade, shall we? Next day, the streets of Robotropolis are prepared for the big race, lines of Swat Bots stood in attendance, which would leave the main facilities unguarded, so Sally, Bunny, and... Antoine can sneak in. Why did they bring Antoine? Why not Rotor or Tails? This bumbling idiot will only create more work for them. Oh, and Bunny becomes a ventriloquist as she says "no Swat Bots", but Sally's mouth is moving. Good one, animators. Back at the race, Sonic now shows up dressed as Little Red Riding Hood for some reason. Is this because Bunny was reading Tails the story in the last scene? Robotnik even comes on and calls him Little Red Rodent Hood. Yeah, thanks, Botsy, we got the reference, and by the way, hedgehogs are NOT rodents. Sonic's competitors are the robot cheetah, and some Swat Bots in hover crafts. The only rule is that they have to stay on the course. So this means Robotnik has free reign to cheat, as he has a few traps hidden along the way. First up is a laser beam fence, which Sonic simply jumps over. Well, really, what were you expecting? How about make it ten feet tall so he can't do that?
Meanwhile, Sally, Bunny, and Monsieur L'idiot locate the building that houses the back-up generator, where they find some bots standing guard. How to lose them without Sonic? Easy, send Antoine. No, instead they decide to go through the skylight. Too bad, one problem was almost permanently solved. Speaking of problems, the hedgehog isn't having any in this charade of a race, as despite the hover bots' best efforts to stop him, he turns them into roadkill. But uh oh, what's this? A robotic claw pops out of the toxic swamp and grabs him, preparing to pull him down under the poisonous goo. Looks like he's in deep trouble... no, wait, he easily broke out, then called Robotnik a chump and said he's winning that race no matter what. Yeah, he really wants that trophy. Well, I know where he can stick it. All the while, Botsy is angry at Snively, when in fact they were his machines, it's not his fault they aren't working right. However, they aren't done yet, as they've saved the best for last: as Sonic catches up to the robot cheetah, it produces a robotic claw that grabs Sonic by the head and throws him up in the air... only for him to land gracefully. Yep, instead of just electrocuting him, it simply threw him in the air and allowed him to land. In order to catch up to his opponent, Sonic busts out a power ring. He's gonna win, who cares? How are their friends doing? Well, Antoine tries to be a hero and get to the back-up generator's controls himself, only he trips and falls on a conveyor belt and turns it on, which sends him toward a bunch of gears. He's not stuck to the conveyor belt, why doesn't he just jump off? Bunny even tries to hold back the belt, y'know, rather than just turn it off or just tell the idiot to jump, he even nearly falls off once, but he holds on. What is this? Well, since she can't figure out what to do on her own, Sally shoots up a Sonic flare. Seeing this causes something miraculous to happen: the hedgehog foregoes the race and comes to their rescue, just as Antoine is about to be flattened. Eh, I say let him die. Sonic jams up the works with his power ring and saves the little nimrod, then they book it as the ring creates a literal meltdown. The whole place blows up, once again leaving Botsy in the dark. Back at Knothole, our heroes rejoice. Robotropolis is experiencing a prolonged blackout, which means Robotnik won't be able to power his machines for quite some time, so they're another step closer to liberating Mobius from that technologically crazed madman. This victory was worth much more than just a silly trophy.
That was "Sonic Racer", and it was not bad. The animation was decent, despite a few hiccups. The voice acting was good, and the story was good too. Like I said earlier, there was a twist where Sonic throws the race instead of winning. When he saw that his pals were in trouble, suddenly winning the race meant nothing to him as he goes to their rescue. He didn't even try to go back and claim victory after he'd saved everybody, and I thought that was a very good touch. Now, I don't know why Sally and Bunny brought along Antoine when trying for the back-up generator. Why him? He was just there to cause trouble, and to stammer and babble incoherently to entertain the small children in the audience. It's no secret that Antoine was Len Janson's favorite character, which is why his episodes seem to feature him in abundance. Funnily enough, he didn't like Rotor. Okay, he liked Antoine, but he didn't like Rotor. Fine, but if I had to choose one to aid me in a dangerous mission, I'll choose the dorky walrus over the cowardly Frenchman any day. Yeah, I know I complain about Antoine all the time, but really, he is incredibly unlikeable and has almost no redeeming qualities. I like how in one scene, Bunny called him a muffin. No, honey, that guy's definitely a cupcake. As for Robotnik, it shows that he doesn't always think of everything, and he likes to take his anger and frustrations out on Snively, when really he has nobody to blame but himself. In closing, I recommend "Sonic Racer", as it shows that winning isn't everything, and that in this instance, cheetahs really do prosper. Also, did you know there were a few Sonic racing video games? I guess to compete with Nintendo's Mario Kart. We had Sonic R on the Dreamcast in 1997, it was nothing special. Then in 2010 there was Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, with Sonic driving a racecar.. You guys just can't compete with Mario Kart, and the concept of Sonic the Hedgehog entering a race is a foregone conclusion, as realistically, he will always win... except when his friends are in danger and need his help.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic and the Secret Scrolls (1993)
So it is Written
Sometimes things are not always what they seem, and one should always be aware of their own limitations, as even Sonic the Hedgehog has limitations, even if he chooses not to admit it. Today's adventure will test the spirit and the courage of the freedom fighters, and you know, it's odd that they call themselves that. Let me refer to a stand-up bit by George Carlin, where he pointed that since firefighters fight fire and crime fighters fight crime, what do freedom fighters fight? I mean, these guys are fighting for freedom, not against it. The name just sounds cool, I guess. Anyway, it all started when Bunny and Tails led Sonic to the field, blindfolded, saying they had a surprise for him. With this setup, I thought it was going to reveal that it's his birthday and they were throwing him a party. Unfortunately, it's not a party and it's not his birthday, but if it were, they would be giving him one crappy gift: a homemade airplane that Sally has affectionately dubbed "The Freedom Stormer." She goes on to state that they're using it to fly to Maga to find the secret scrolls. Maga? Make America Great Again? No, on Mobius, it's an ancient city hidden deep in the mountains. The scrolls are believed to hold great mystical powers, but no one has ever found them. And you're planning to just go over there and hope you come across them? Gotta love that vain optimism, Sally. Sonic is convinced that not only will their homemade plane not even get off the ground, but that Robotnik's stealth bots will detect them instantly, however Sally is confident they can fly under the radar and remain undetected. The hedgehog doesn't want to go, but since he knows Sally is deadset on doing this crazy mission and risking not only her life, but those of her comrades, he gives in, on condition that he keeps his feet on the ground and run after them. Good, with that all settled, let's get going, shall we? Under the cover of darkness, Sally, Bunny, Rotor and... ugh, Antoine set off on their adventure. You guys should've really test flown that jalopy before going somewhere with passengers, as it nearly goes into a fatal nosedive upon its first takeoff. Great plan, idiots. Finally, they arrive at the not-so-hidden temple of Maga, but uh oh, they can't stop the plane once they've landed, and to make matters worse, Antoine the coward howls the whole time, like being stuck on a plane with a baby. I like when everyone tells him to shut up, I uttered a big "thank you." Fortunately, the gang had flight insurance: STH (Sonic the Hedgehog), who grabs the tailing rope and manages to save them from going over a cliff. Again, great plan, idiots. Instead of thanking Sonic, Sally says they would've simply continued flying had they gone off the cliff, but what about landing? For that, she doesn't have an answer. You know, I can't decide who's more annoying in this episode, Antoine, Sonic, or Sally. Eh, I'll call it a tie.
They come across a large, stone marker with some ancient language written on it. With Nicole's help, Sally translates it as saying: "we do not see things as they are, we see them as we are." So, the ancient language of Mobius is just fortune cookie sayings? Cutting through a giant hedge maze, which magically heals itself once they're through, they hit a wall. They're meant to find a chair. And all the while a rushing wind keeps blowing in every few minutes. They avoid the wind by hiding behind a pillar whose... shadow makes them seem invisible. I thought at first this was an animation glitch, as that's a pretty weak explanation for why they suddenly move in and out of thin air, and it's never explained why. Anyway, the next translated message says: "what one cannot achieve by learning, one will achieve by the light of day." Fascinating. It seems these markers all represents tests: intelligence, spirit, and courage. Well, then we know Antoine's a goner. Oh, and they're still looking for that chair. Suddenly, the light shines through, literally, and there's their chair. What next, sit on it? Yep, they sit on it! Never woulda guessed. The chair propels them high into the air and lands right at the entrance to the temple where the scrolls are located. They find two sets of scrolls under small pylons, one was on fire and one wasn't. It was all a test. One set was bogus, and if that one is chosen, the temple will explode. Sally recalls all the messages Nicole translated, and how they overcame the intelligence test, since Sonic was the one who figured out they needed to sit on a chair, and now was the test of spirit. Since they were freedom fighters and survivors, they choose the scrolls that were not on fire. Correct answer! Hurrah! Now they have the secret scrolls and can add a little magic in the fight against Dr. Robotnik and his evil machinery. The last test was courage, and unfortunately, they have some uninvited guests: Robotnik, Snively, and a group of Swat Bots! Uh huh, looks like Sonic was right again, Botsy did indeed track them. You're three for three, Sally! Without time to come up with a plan, the others run off while Sonic keeps Botsy distracted, teasing him and showing off. Aren't you just adorable? He runs off, but Robotnik sends a stealth orb after him, and at first, it's a lame piece of equipment as it falls for a "look over there" trick. REALLY? But that was only a temporary solution, as it follows Sonic very closely, and now he can't shake it. Nice how these bots only work when the plot says so. However, there was a hiding place. Remember that wind from earlier? It was from a wind tunnel dubbed the Breath of Mobius. Sonic ducks down the tunnel as Robotnik stands over it, thinking he's trapped, but luckily, he was right where the hedgehog wanted him. Thar she blows! The Breath of Mobius blasts through the tunnel, sending Botsy, Snively, and their Swat Bots flying off the edge of the platform and down below to their supposed deaths. Huh, fourth episode and they already killed off Robotnik? So with the big bad gone, and some new magic scrolls at their disposal, the freedom fighters decide they had enough temple exploring for one day and head for home, with Sonic flying the plane, and showing off as only he can. But guess what, boys and girls, Robotnik isn't dead. Big surprise. He and Snively climb up back to the platform, with Botsy swearing he'll get you next time, Hedgehog. Next time! That's right, Robotnik won't give up. He'll fail 800 times before he gives up catching these animals who dare oppose him.
So that was "Sonic and the Secret Scrolls", and I felt it was a step backwards from the previous three episodes in terms of quality. Here I was thinking that this series was just too good and there wasn't anything for me to complain about, but luckily this episode provided. I mean, I don't hate it. The animation and voice acting were really good, but some characters got annoying after a while, and I don't just mean Antoine. Sonic never shuts up, he has to have a quip for every occasion and has to have a witty one-liner before performing a feat, acting like he's all that and a bag of chips. Sally had her share of bonehead plays in this one too, as despite Sonic's warnings, she goes through with their ill-advised plan , and if the hedgehog hadn't stopped their plane, they would've all fallen to their deaths. The story also felt weak, like they just wanted to do an episode about ancient temples. Some things are left unexplained, the history of Maga is practically glanced over, and the whole thing was just contrived. It's also the first time we see Robotnik bumble and stumble his way through trying to catch the freedom fighters, making him look very ineffectual. He didn't even notice the others ran away, he could've caught them and forced Sonic to surrender. Weak story and plot aside, this episode wasn't too bad, so I'd recommend "Sonic and the Secret Scrolls" as it's entertaining, but still, a step back from what we've seen so far.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Ultra Sonic (1993)
Blood is Thicker Than Metal
Another day, another dangerous mission in Robotropolis. The freedom fighters are going to dismantle Dr. Robotnik's network of robots and killing machines one way or another, as in addition to the deadly machines he builds, he has a machine that specifically turns living organisms into robots called the Roboticizer. It's similar to the machine in Superman III, but much less mentally scarring. On this night... or is it day? You can never tell in Robotropolis, as the sky is usually either red or gray... on this, let's say evening, Sonic and Sally infiltrate Robotnik's base, and I must have a dirty mind because at first, we hear them panting, and I'm thinking they're, er, engaged in intimacy, but no, they're only running. How would Sonic get that winded after a minor jaunt? Guess they needed to throw in something to entertain the parents. So here they are in an air vent directly above the Roboticizer, with Snively on guard. After disabling the alarm, Sonic and Sally begin bantering back and forth. Alright, you two, you're on a mission, stop breaking each others' chops and get this done already! Sonic is the most vain and narcissistic hedgehog I've ever seen. Uh oh, looks like they've been spotted. See, Botsy equipped the Roboticizer with a sabotage mode, and with an infrared scan of the air duct, they discovered a pair of intruders. First, they fill the ducts with monoammonium phosphate (the chemical inside fire extinguishers), then they dispatch an army of Swat Bots, who fire their frickin' laser beams at them. The bots chase Sonic and Sally on their hover board throughout the city. As they go, Sally notices the bots aren't shooting at them and deduce it's because they are wanted alive for the Roboticizer. True, but couldn't they fire stun beams? Doesn't matter anyway, these hunks of junk are as accurate as Stormtroopers. Eventually, they make it to the subway station where they would rendezvous with the others. They're just in time to see some worker bots loaded onto the train, and among them is none other than Sonic's Uncle Chuck! They watch as the train pulls away, bound for the Crystal Mines. So once they're reunited with Rotor, Bunny, and Antoine, that's where they go. Apparently the others were at the dump looking for old Roboticizer parts, but came up empty. Seems both teams didn't accomplish their objective, but Sonic was more concerned about Uncle Chuck. Once they all arrive at the mines, Sonic makes an immediate dash for his uncle, but of course, being a brainwashed, roboticized being with his free will stolen, he doesn't recognize his nephew. In fact, Robo-Chuck starts snarling and growling at him like a pitbull. Is that a side effect of being roboticized? It makes you act like a ferocious beast? Sonic's pleading does very little to reach Uncle Chuck, who seems ready to take a big bite out of his jugular vein. In an effort to reach him, Sally whips out a power ring from Sonic's knapsack. It should work, as Chuck invented them. Sure enough, it jogs his memory! He and Sonic have a tearful reunion, as luckily the robotization process still allows the once living beings to cry.
Uncle Chuck remembers everyone... even Antoine, unfortunately. But you know what, it's a good thing our heroes stumbled upon ol' Charles the Hedgehog, as they're just in time to uncover Dr. Robotnik's latest plan of mining what little resources still exist on Mobius, and causing further damage to the ecosystem. He takes them all further down into the mine and shows them a jumbo sized energy crystal that Botsy is looking to dig up to replace his dwindling oil supply. Looking for an alternative to fossilized fuels, eh? I guess even clean energy has its drawbacks. If he were unearth that thing, life as they knew it would be history. Luckily, Uncle Chuck has a plan to shut it down. This makes me wonder if he had this plan all along, or getting his memory jogged with a power ring made him think it up on the fly. Maybe he already knew how the mining operation worked, but if so, how? I doubt Dr. Robotnik would show even his own worker drones every, single part of an operation. Anyway, they split into two teams: Sally and Rotor go in to dismantle the main controls, while Antoine stands around and does nothing, and Sonic, Bunny, and Chuck head down and deal with the one that guards the crystal. It's a very large, very powerful dinobot, and I don't mean the ones in the Transformers universe. Did Robotnik build that thing just to guard his large crystal? You'd think he'd be putting it to good use topside... well, if he ever figured out where Knothole Village was... anyway, how will they render that prehistoric toaster oven harmless? Simple, let it devour them so they can reach the control center. Once inside, ol' Chucky has a little trouble throwing the switch as it seems to be too heavy for him, so Bunny has to help. Really? She's only half robot, while Chuck is 99% bot. I know he's old, but still, he should be stronger than her. Enough nitpicking, they have to act fast, because that giant crystal is being hoisted out! Since they can't find a way to deactivate the cranes, they try to use the dinobot's claw arm to break the ropes, but what's this? The Swat Bots are on to them and fire grappling hooks over the claw, impeding their progress. They shoot ropes over the whole thing, holding them in place. Oh, so now these buckets of bolts get smart? Only thing to do is a-fire their laser. Hey, watch your shooting, Uncle Chuck, if that crystal is as unstable as they make it sound, you'll all be royally screwed if you blow it up or, heaven forbid, drop it. Luckily, just as the crystal reached the top of the mine, they shoot another of the ropes, the grip breaks, and down it comes. Luckily it crashing into the ground doesn't make it detonate. They regroup with the others and make tracks as an army of Swat Bots give chase, lasers firing away. Once back at the subway, they make for the train when suddenly... Uncle Chuck collapses. Sadly, it seems the effects of the power ring have worn off. He's back to being a growling, snarling monster bot. Again, how does that work? They had to retreat, but Sonic couldn't bear to leave his uncle, not like this, but there was nothing they could do, so they reluctantly took off. Sonic was heartbroken, but his friends pointed out the good they did on this adventure: destroyed Robotnik's mining operation and rendered that giant crystal useless, and Sally downloaded some of the Roboticizer software so they can study it and one day find a way to turn back Uncle Chuck and all the other loved ones they lost to Botsy and his quest for world domination. By hook or by crook, Sonic would return for his beloved uncle some day.
"Ultra Sonic" was a very good episode. The banter between Sonic and Sally at the beginning gets a little old, but I like how heartfelt and dramatic things get when they find Uncle Chuck. I can't imagine what it must feel like for Sonic to see one of his relatives turned into a robot. Imagine if you came across an old family member who had been completely transformed into a machine. That would be unsettling to say the least. I'm happy to say that this isn't the last time we see Uncle Chuck, as he will eventually be the man on the inside, feeding the freedom fighters intel on Robotnik and his machines. Now, as far as writing, animation, and voice acting, they were all very good. It was interesting to see that Sonic the Hedgehog has family members, as if you come off the Adventures series, he's the only one of his kind, and with Sonic Underground, they gave him siblings, but the less said about that show, the better. Now as good as this episode was, I kinda wish they'd brought along Tails instead of Antoine. I know there wouldn't be much for him to do, but then Antoine didn't do anything either. Why is he even there? He's completely useless. Also, he wasn't in the video games, but Sonic and Tails were. That's a pet peeve of mine with this series, they utilize all the new characters who, despite all being likeable... except Antoine, and no, I will not stop picking on him because he's a total dweeb, were not in the games, but not use someone who was there and who is just as capable as Sonic, just not as fast. Anyway, in closing, I recommend "Ultra Sonic." Great episode, plenty of heartfelt moments, plenty of drama, dark subject matter, though it's not without some elements of fun. Check it out, and remember, blood is thicker than metal... metaphorically speaking.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic and Sally (1993)
Sally to the Second Power
Sometimes things don't go quite according to plan, as there are a few missteps, unexpected surprises, twists and turns that can happen at any time. No matter how much you prepare in advance, you're never truly ready for what lies ahead. Take the time Sonic and company went on a mission to blow up the Swat Bot factory, when they lost one of their own and not only was their cover nearly blown, but they came very close to being discovered by Dr. Robotnik and vanquished once and for all. Of course, it helped to have a little luck on their side. That's the gist of what happens in this week's episode of Sonic the Hedgehog, though sometimes I call it Saturday Sonic. I will never call it Sonic SatAM, because that is a stupid title. Anyway, one fateful evening, Sonic, Sally, and Bunny ventured into Robotropolis to destroy one of Botsy's Swat Bot plants and thin out his numbers. For the most part, their mission went along smoothly. I mean, Sonic almost fell into a smelting pot and Bunny was narrowly detected by security bots, but the hedgehog was able to plant the explosives, despite swift resistance. I like how these machines specifically designed for shooting can't hit their target. It's one thing if a living being can't aim, but what about robots that are programmed to do it? Sonic escapes the factory with help from a power ring, so all that was left to do was blow that place sky high... but uh oh, Sally gets captured. Third time's the charm, I guess. Sonic and Bunny rendevouz at Knothole, only to find Sally was missing. Knowing she'd been captured, the hedgehog wants to go back for her, but he needs a power ring, and they only come out once a day. Oh man, what's Robotnik going to do with Sally? The most important member of the freedom fighters and the last link to the previous ruler before Botsy overthrew him. He could just kill her right now, but instead he's going to create himself a robot clone of her, so when Sonic comes for the inevitable rescue, he'll end up taking Robo-Sally, and their allies will be doomed. Twenty four hours pass and Sonic is able to collect another power ring, now to go back to Robotropolis and rescue Sally, who Botsy has seamlessly replaced with her robot double. With only minor resistance, Sonic rescues the hostage and makes tracks with help from his ring power-up. What about the real Sally? She's going to be roboticized. Well, looks like this is it. The freedom fighters are doomed, as that robot will give away their location, and Princess Sally is going to become an evil robot to do Robotnik's bidding. Huh, but what's this? The machines conveniently overload and blow up, shutting down the roboticizer and taking out Robo-Sally's video feed. Yeah, whenever you write yourself into a corner, just blow something up. Works every time. The sound feed still works, so at least Robotnik can hear them talk about him behind his back.
The rest of Knothole is pleased to see Sally, especially Tails, however he notices something's wrong when Sally doesn't give him the "funny kiss." This is a very awkward scene that ranges on being uncomfortable, but we can just chalk it up to Tails having a big crush on Sally too. Sonic can't be the only one who wants a piece of that piece... moving on. That night, after Sally unenthusiastically reads Tails a bedtime story, she awkwardly goes outside to talk to herself and look around with her red laser-beam eyes, the little fox realizes that isn't Sally! Of course, instead of telling someone, he just hides under his covers. After that, Sonic meets up with Bunny and "Sally", saying he heard the Swat Bot factory was still online. Really? I thought you said it was blown up when you returned to Knothole, Sonic. Didn't want to stick around to see the fruits of your labor? With his miniscule attention span and anorexically thin patience, I guess not. So it looks like they gotta go back to Robotropolis and do it again. As they leave in the morning, Tails catches up with Sonic and tells him something wasn't quite right with Sally. Of course, the hedgehog chalks it up to Tails having a bad dream and leaves with the others. Yeah, I guess you'll have to find out for yourself, numbnuts. Sonic, Robo-Sally, Bunny, and Rotor enter the dark, automated city, and are instantly spotted by Swat Bots. That's not all, when Sonic notices that Sally doesn't know their secret handshake, he deduces that Tails was right and this wasn't Sally! The robot clone runs away, firing frickin' laser beams, and she almost obliterated Sonic, but he was thankfully saved by Bunny just in time. They manage to short out Robo-Sally, and with Rotor's help, it tells them where to find the real Sally, and how high the security is. The hedgehog sends the others to destroy the factory, while he and Robo-Sally head on their rescue mission. He manages to liberate the genuine article and swap her out for the robot while Botsy was watching his precious Swat-Bot factory go up in smoke. Sonic and Sally taunt the doc and head off, while Robotnik and Snively have to deal with Robo-Sally a-firin' her lasers. So all was well, Sally was reunited with the folks at Knothole, and even gives Tails his funny kiss, which of course makes Sonic want in on the action too.
This was a good episode. Well written, if not a bit cliche here and there, good animation, and great voice acting. Dark and atmospheric, it's a very good looking show. It's not just all action like a lot of shows were at the time, as we have some nice character moments, like Sally reading Tails a bedtime story, and the scene at the end was sweet, showing that these guys aren't just allies in a war against Dr. Robotnik, they're a family. I also like how Sonic isn't entirely infallible and invincible, like when he was rescued by Bunny. The other characters do serve a purpose, which is something else I give them credit for. It's just very well done. Oh, and I'm glad there wasn't a moment where Sonic had to "choose the real Sally." You know how it goes when the friend of a hero is cloned, particularly if its his girlfriend or love interest, and he has to choose between the real and the fake. It's an overdone cliche and I'm happy to report they don't do that here. So the next time you're in a Sonic mood, I recommend "Sonic and Sally." It's dark, but fun. There's suspense, there's triumph, and best of all, very little Antoine.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Boom (1993)
The Princess and the Bean
Robotnik Reigns. He rules Mobius with an iron fist, thousands of robots at his command, he roboticizes any living creature he gets his hands on. He has turned this once great and prosperous world into a mechanical hellhole. The only hope of preserving what's good and pure in the world lies in the hands of a group of freedom fighters, led by Princess Sally Acorn, and with her friend Sonic the Hedgehog watching her back, they set off on their quest to slowly dismantle Robotnik's army of evil robots and restore freedom to Mobius. However, this quest would not be easy, as Robotropolis is huge, with many underground tunnels that lead all over the place, and without proper guidance, they would get lost before they got anywhere near Botsy. That won't hold them back, however. One way or another, they'll take him down. On this evening, Sonic and Sally, accompanied by Antoine and a red-shirt named Cat (he's not wearing any clothes, but if he did, he'd be wearing a red shirt), infiltrate the base and attempt to hack into Botsy's stealth bots to take them offline. No more spying on them in the woods. The hacking process takes a while and Sonic gets impatient. You know how he is. Oh, but what's this? As Sally has Nicole (her personal AI computer) hack the systems, she receives a one-word message: Bean. Mr. Bean? No, and it's not Orson Bean either. This was a nickname given to Sally by her father, King Acorn, who was believed to be dead. This message originated from the Dark Swamp, where Sally was sure her father was located. But before they can plan a reunion, a legion of swat-bots show up, and thanks to Antoine being a klutz, he gives away their position. Why did they bring him? Our heroes book it and meet outside, only they discover Dead-Meat, er, I mean Cat is missing. Figuring he was captured, Sonic goes back for him, while Sally decides to follow up on that lead possibly from her father. She's going off to the swamp, and taking Antoine with her. Unless she plans on using him for gator bait or sacrificing him to some witch doctor, I don't see what use he would be. As for Cat, he's taken before Robotnik, who orders him to tell about the freedom fighters, but he refuses. Good man. Had they captured Antoine, he would've spilled his guts in five seconds. Cat's put in a cell, where Sonic eventually finds him, but ever the selfless being, he tells him that Robotnik knows where Sally is going and insists Sonic save her. The hedgehog juices away before he's spotted, promising he'd be back. Meanwhile, Sally and Antoine are trudging through the swamp with the latter being terrified of his own shadow. Again, why did you bring him along? I want an answer! So determined was she to find any clue of her father's whereabouts, Sally has Nicole search for any structures, and one is discovered: Iron Lock Prison, long since abandoned.
Sonic was making his way through the Dark Swamp, following Sally and Antoine's footprints, when suddenly he's spotted by a stealth bot that launches a hedgehog-seeking missile. However, a trip through a dead tree reroutes the missile back to the bot and destroys it. Very resourceful. As for his friends, they're presently making their way through the spooky abandoned prison, when suddenly, they discover a cloth on the ground. A piece of King Acorn's cloak. Proof positive that he was there... at some point. Sonic catches up to them, and thinks this is a fine time for pranks as he scares Antoine half to death sneaking up behind him. He's so immature. They even find an old computer, which Sally is sure the king used to send her that message. Checking the ancient machine, they discover part of a cryptic message, which proves to Sally that her father is indeed alive. They also discover schematics to every location under Robotropolis! Very nice. While Sally starts downloading the data to Nicole, Sonic starts getting impatient again. Dude, you are being a real S. O. B. Sally just discovered her father is still alive and is getting information you need to take down Robotnik, can you just please keep your shoes on?! As he drums his big fingers on the wall, a stone falls out of place, hits the computer and opens a trap door beneath them, sending Sonic, Sally, and Antoine to the basement. Now look what you've done, Sonic. If you all get eaten by giant rats or some kind of slug monster, it's all your fault! Their only way out is down a long, dark tunnel, and at the end of it was a glowing red light. Spooky. Sonic goes to investigate the red light, and discovers it to be a giant slug monster. Um, eat Antoine! However, Sonic runs through the monster like chili runs through him and bursts out the back, revealing it to be a robot. Once that's done, Sally brings up the schematics left by the king, while Sonic... ugh, taps his feet and says, "I'm waiting." In the words of Walter Peck: "if he does that again, you can shoot him." They follow a series of underground caves until they return to Robotnik's base where the whole adventure started. Once there, they hack all of the stealth bots, while Sonic goes back to rescue Cat. Upon returning to his cell, he discovers that, alas, Cat was gone. Worse yet, he's spotted by Botsy, who activates his stealth bots. Oh, is he in for a surprise. They launch and subsequently explode, as Sonic shows Robotnik via his own robo-cam, saying, "that was for Cat." I guess we have to assume the worst as Cat is never seen or heard from again. It's a real shame. Why couldn't it have been Antoine?
So that was "Sonic Boom", and it was really good. The writing, the animation, and the voice acting were all superb, even if the dialogue came off as corny now and then. I really wish this episode had gotten a Part 2, where we find out Cat's fate, like did Robotnik kill him, or roboticize him? Maybe see Cat turned into a robot and be forced to hunt down Sonic and his friends, as he was once their ally but was now their enemy. And what of Sally's father? We know he was in Iron Lock, but where did he go? I'm sure we'll find out the answer to that one later on, but aside from that, this episode was well-done. It had plenty of suspense and it was also quite dark. A huge departure from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Speaking of whom, he was very annoying in this one, making wisecracks and acting impatient, especially when Sally was finding that information left by her father. His cocky attitude gets under your skin now and then, and here he really overdid it. He was more annoying than Antoine, who was his usual cowardly self. But anyway, if you can stand Sonic being a pain in the butt and Antoine being a sniveling coward, then I recommend "Sonic Boom." There was a Sonic show of the same name that came out ten years ago, with Roger Craig Smith as the voice of Sonic, and that show spun off from a video game of the same name, which accidentally colored Sonic's arms blue, and someone who shall remain nameless threw a huge fit over that.
Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Past Cool (1993)
Talk to Me
When it comes to any battle against nature and technology, nature almost always wins in the end, even if technology puts up a very good fight. Sometimes, however, their efforts can be combined and put to a particular use, whether it be good or bad, and as Sonic and his freedom fighter friends learn in this week's episode, it's not the weapon, it's the wielder. Our little bout of nature versus technology began one fine day when Bunny's go-go-gadget legs were acting up, literally sending her through the roof. Tails comes by and asks if anyone wants to play, but they're too busy dealing with Bunny's ups and downs, so the little fox goes off to play by himself. While in the woods, he amuses himself with a game of dirt hockey, until he comes upon a baby terrapod. It's like a triceratops, only without the horns. Tails teaches him the finer points of the game, and the little guy picks it up right away. When they're done with that, they find that they're hungry and sneak back into Knothole to get some chow. Yeah, don't bother sneaking around, they can spot that creature from miles away. Tails and his new buddy, whom he's affectionately named Baby T, raid the cupboards for food, and I'm surprised that their only source of food isn't chili dogs. Either way, Baby T has a big appetite and scarfs down all the cookies, for which Tails scolds him. Ah, you would've done it yourself anyway. This causes this little guy to run off, so Tails goes to find Sonic and then introduces he, Sally, Bunny, and Rotor to his new friend. With her vast knowledge of woodland creatures great and small, Sally immediately identified the creature as a baby terrapod, and suspects it broke away from its herd, which was supposed to be migrating to Boulder Bay. Since none of them speak terrapod, this finally gives Sally an excuse to use her terrapod translator she'd invented years before, but had never used. How convenient. Even more convenient is that the herd of terrapods was passing them by at that moment. There were tons of them. Oh, I like how Tails falls over and is nearly crushed by the stampede before Sonic runs in to save him. What, did he forget he could fly? Yeah, just lay there and let them stomp on you, you little nimrod. Anyway, it seems this herd is going the wrong way. Something, or someone had spooked them. Sonic diverts them to a dead-end while Sally slips on her nifty terrapod translator, so they could finally communicate with these beasts. They discover that, for unknown reasons, they want to traverse through the Great Jungle, which is dark, dangerous, and uncharted. To go that way, they must be desperate. Oh, and in case you haven't guessed, Dr. Robotnik is behind this. He's out to capture the terrapods, as once they're roboticized, he'll control every living thing on Mobius, except his most-hated freedom fighters. With the stealth bots losing the terrapods' signal, Botsy decides he'll have to do the job himself.
Navigating inside their hovercraft, Robotnik and Snively find not only the terrapods, but Sonic and his friends. Wasting no time, they hurry into the Great Jungle, into uncharted territory. Who knows what sorts of terrors await them? Well, for starters, they see a plant that dissolves metal and rocks with a single touch. Next, a sentient vine wraps itself around Sonic and lifts him into the air. Couldn't he just cut himself out of it? I've seen him buzz his way out of bondage before. But this time, for whatever reason, he can't, so Tails instructs Baby T and his mother, Mama T (though who we really need is Mr. T) to push over a dead tree to help Sonic. They push it over, just as Sonic's vines break away, and success, he's free. Nice job, group. After dealing with homicidal flora, Sonic, Sally, Bunny, Tails, Rotor, and the T's have a break, but they're not safe for long. Mama T's terrapod sense is tingling. Uh oh, here comes a trio of stealth bots. Our heroes hop on the T's and gallop away, avoiding laser fire. And here comes Botsy, activating a giant, impenetrable forcefield around them, then he drops a giant cage on Mama T, looking to take her back to his headquarters to run experiments. He would make a baby terrapod an orphan, the crumb. Sonic jumps on top of the cage to override it, and by the way, have you noticed who suddenly disappeared from the group? Where'd Bunny go? She disappeared when the others ran away from the stealth bots. Anyway, Sonic stops them from reeling in the cage, but is nearly knocked off by stealth bot laser fire, and only now, here comes Bunny to the rescue. What a time for a bathroom break. Her gadget legs come in handy as she goes up to save Sonic and opens the cage... Um, you should probably do that when you're back on the ground. If Mama T falls, she'll make one heck of a crater. Anyway, Sonic brings the cage down, and Bunny is nearly crushed to death. I like how Rotor just runs away to save himself and probably would've let Bunny be squashed. However, he does help when her leg temporarily malfunctions, so... kudos? They've rescued the terrapods, but there's no way to get out of the forcefield. Couldn't Sonic just tunnel underneath it? Nope, he goes one better and plans to run through it. Like Popeye and his spinach can, Sonic pulls from his knapsack a power ring! Harnessing its immense energy, Sonic bolts through those beams like a rock through wet tissue paper and the others haul ass out of there before the hole seals up. Now to get those bothersome bots off their backs. Sonic remembers the plants they encountered in the forest, the ones that eat metal, and realize that's their only chance. Sonic lures Robotnik's steal boths into chasing him toward a whole field of those wicked "scorch" plants. The stealth bots are reduced to junk, and Robotnik has lost his prey. That's what you get for underestimating Mother Nature, Botsy. With the bad guys out of the way, the gang finally makes it to Boulder Bay. Tails and Baby T share a tearful goodbye, while Sonic wishes they could have some of those scorch plants back at Knothole. Sally is one step ahead, as she gathered some of their seeds to plant, which Sonic declares way past cool, then goes on to state that when it comes to coolness, he's way past, and she's only past. Sonic... stop talking.
So that was "Sonic Past Cool", and it was pretty good. The voice acting was good, the animation and writing were good, it was an entertaining episode. Another plus is that Antoine wasn't in it. So, Robotnik's plan was to have all creatures on Mobius roboticized, and the terrapods were the last ones to add to his collection. Good to know it remained incomplete. The message of this episode was a good one: if we all learn to communicate, we can all learn a great deal about each other, even if we can't always understand. At least, that's what I got from it. Sally's translator didn't always work right, but it seemed to me that Sonic and Tails were able to talk to those creatures just fine without it. I'm sure that with all the time they spent together, they could learn to read and understand one another. Anyway, not much else I can say except I recommend "Sonic Past Cool." This is indeed a well made show with good messages and take-away truths.
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Pilot (1993)
Getting the Ball Rolling
Here is the pilot episode for what would soon be Sonic the Hedgehog's television debut. You loved him in those awesome Sega games, so how well does a team of animators and producers bring him to your television every weekday afternoon? Ha, well, obviously on a very thin budget and a very tight schedule. This pilot episode sums up the series in seven minutes: Dr. Robotnik is trying to take over the world, and Sonic the Hedgehog is all that stands in his way. Robotnik may be a cruel and cunning adversary, but beneath it all, he's a bumbling idiot. No matter what the trap, what the device, Sonic always finds a way to outsmart the doc and leave him a blubbering mess. That's about it. I could just stop talking about it right here, however I do feel compelled to go on. A huge inspiration for this series is obviously the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons of yesteryear: a very fast creature outwits an enemy, who is a self-proclaimed genius but is really a clumsy imbecile, with an arsenal at his disposal, and it ends up backfiring on him. I can imagine that being what the pitch was for this series: "Mr. Network President, remember the Roadrunner? Well, we're basically doing the same thing, except with Sonic and, er, that fat guy who's always attacking him." Of course I don't know exactly how the pitch went, but I guarantee Roadrunner and Coyote were mentioned once or twice. How does our pilot open? Curiously with narration from Gary Owens, introducing us to the planet Mobius, and calling Robotnik a pirate. He's more of a mad scientist bent on world domination, but I guess you could call him a pirate too. The first scene was reused in the series' first proper episode "The Super 'Special' Sonic Search and Smash Squad", as Botsy is holding a meeting of robot bounty hunters, saying whoever catches the hedgehog can claim his own reward. Long story short, Sonic outwits them all, even making them crash into a mechanical bull. Now, it's Robotnik's turn, going at Sonic with a cannon into which he loads a cactus. What's wrong, too cheap to pay for a cannonball? He fires it and the cactus goes flying, with Sonic using one of its needles to pick his teeth. Eventually, the cactus gives up, flies back into the cannon, explodes, and embeds its stickers into Robotnik. I should like to add that this is a show that thumbs its nose at logic and physics. Then Sonic defaces a poster of Botsy. Yeah, so far this guy doesn't seem like much of a threat, I think Mobius is pretty safe.
What happens next is something frequent viewers of the series will recognize, as this clip plays during the end credits of every episode. Robotnik's got a metal weight hanging over an archway, ready to squash Sonic into a blue pancake once he runs underneath it. He sees Sonic coming and drops the weight, but when he lifts it up, the hedgehog is gone. While he stands around like a fool wondering what happened, Sonic emerges from a manhole with the remote, hits the button, and Botsy is flattened. Sonic races off as the squashed Robotnik lands on the remote, crushing him again. It's at this point Robotnik should just give up, but he's very determined. He'll fail a thousand times before he gives up trying to destroy a certain hedgehog and conquer a certain planet. His next big idea is to steal a village's water supply, so down into the depths Sonic goes, being chased by familiar robot fish from the video games, getting them all tangled in seaweed. He goes through the pipe, out to the machine, and simply reverses it, while Robotnik, Scratch, and Grounder fail to stop him. When that plan blew chunks, Botsy tunnels under the beach where Sonic was catching some rays and successfully nabs him with his robot pod, however Tails flies up behind him, causing them to drill further and further until they shoot out the side of hill, Tails saves Sonic and they let Robotnik plummet to his death. We then transition to Sonic agreeing to help a lion king and his gorilla fighters, just as Robotnik comes in driving an enormous machine that pulls out trees, saying this will be the location of his new air base. Oh gee, this looks serious. I wonder what's gonna happen. Did you guess that Sonic would make a fool out of Robotnik once again? He orders Coconuts to pull him out of this jam, which he does by pulling his mustache. Once free, he gets into his Egg-o-Matic and goes at Sonic with a swinging ball, just like the boss battle in level 1 of the first game. However, I didn't know there was a cheat where Sonic wraps Botsy and his hovercraft up like a mummy and makes him crash into a hillside. That's all this is, Robotnik trying to catch Sonic, and failing every time because he's very ineffectual, and Sonic is written like a world-class Mary Sue. Now believe it or not, the pilot has a Sonic Says, and it's about crossing the street. Dummy Tails is nearly wiped out by a truck because he wasn't watching where he was going, but luckily Sonic rescued him in time, even though Tails can fly and could've easily avoided danger. The hedgehog says he doesn't want his pals turned into road pizza. But road chili dogs on the other hand... eh, whatever.
So that was the pilot to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. It has an excuse for there being no story or plot, as it was just to sell the show to the networks. This thing was never meant to air, and the only copy of it available is a workprint, complete with number counter, and even some scenes have sounds and dialogue missing. As for voice acting, we got Jaleel White as Sonic, and this was a big thing: hearing Sonic the Hedgehog talk for the very first time. We had no idea what he would sound like, much like when Mario first spoke in The Super Mario Bros Super Show, giving him a Brooklyn accent, which I think much better suits him than the stereotypical Italian voice he has now. No disrespect to Charles Martinet, but I think Lou Albano and Walker Boone (from Super Mario 3 and World) voiced him better. As for Jaleel's take, yes, I can buy that Sonic would talk like that, so he's not a bad casting decision. As for Robotnik, that's the one and only Jim Cummings playing him here, and it's a good thing he didn't sign on to do the rest of the series, or else we might not have gotten him to play the much darker and nastier Robotnik in the Saturday morning series. He would be replaced in Adventures by Long John Baldry. As for Tails, that's Russi Taylor voicing him here, and child actor Christopher Evan Welch would play him on the show. Gary Owens only narrates this pilot, as the series doesn't have narration. Wish it did, because half the time I can't figure out what's going on. The characters were designed by Milton Knight, who was obviously paid minimum wage to do so. While this pilot is forgettable, the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog series is pretty good. Most episodes are entertaining, while some are kinda bad, but all in all, it was a good effort. If you've watched it before, I recommend going back and watching it again, and if you've never seen it before, I say approach it carefully. If you start out with the wrong episode, it can alienate you from seeing the rest of the series. Also, if you're the type who binge watches, this is not the kind of show you want to sit and watch in is entirety all at once. It will annoy you and drive you nuts, so take it in small doses. Here are my favorite episodes, and ones that would be good to start out watching the show with: Mass Transit Trouble, Spaceman Sonic, MacHopper, Babysitter Jitters, Musta Been a Beautiful Baby, The Robotnik Express, Tails Prevails, Tails' Tale, Big Daddy, The Little Merhog, Close Encounter of the Sonic Kind, Mad Mike Da Bear Warrior, Untouchable Sonic, and Magnificent Sonic. Here are some of my least favorites: The Coachnik, Robolympics, Lovesick Sonic, Magic Hassle, Birth of a Salesman, Robo-Ninjas, Super Robotnik, Momma Robotnik Returns, Robotnik's Rival, Zoobotnik, Attack on Pinball Fortress, and Fast and Easy. Finally, these are ones I absolutely hate and should be avoided at ALL costs: Trail of Missing Tails, Tails' New Home, and Sonically Ever After. In closing, if you can find the pilot, it's worth checking out, and I also recommend Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Go on back and relive the memories. It's been fun rewatching this series again, revisiting old favorites, finding new ones, and bringing back bad memories of ones I hate. No matter, it's still a fun show and holds a special place in our hearts. Gotta buzz, cuz.
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1993)
Bean There, Done That
Since I'm in the mood to talk about all things Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, I thought I would take a look at the video game tie-in. Kinda funny, the franchise started out as a video game, then spun off into a cartoon (or two) and now it's come full circle back to games. But this time, Dr. Robotnik takes center stage as this game is all about him. See, he's invented a mean bean steaming machine which he intends to use to transform those jolly, fun-loving beans of Beanville into robot slaves to serve his evil purposes. He'll rid Mobius of music and fun forever. Looks like we need a hero, but Sonic the Hedgehog is nowhere to be found in this game, he's not even mentioned. Therefore, it's up to us, the players, to help the beans escape, pitting our skills against 12 of Robotnik's henchbots. Scratch and Grounder you're already familiar with, as well as Coconuts, but the others are characters only those who paid attention to the very first episode "The Super 'Special' Sonic Search and Smash Squad" will recognize. They are as follows: Arms, Frankly, Humpty, Davy Sprocket, Skweel, Dynamight, Spike, Sir Ffuzzy-Logik, and Dragon Breath. Some of these guys were just background players and contributed nothing but just easy bots for Sonic to dispatch. After the developers of this game gave them personalities, it made me want to see them highlighted on the show. Especially Sir Ffuzzy-Logik, now that's a foe to be reckoned with. He's certainly among the hardest opponents in this game, and he looks terrifying. Sure, Sonic would've made short work of him, but it still would've been cool to see. Now as for the game, there are 12 levels. Beat those, and you get to face off against Dr. Robotnik himself. But it will not be easy. This is a puzzle game in the tradition of Tetris. In fact, it's an American port of Puyo Puyo, a Tetris-like puzzle game that Sega decided to use to promote the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, rebranding it and using characters from that show. It's a match-four game, match four like-colored beans and they disappear, which will add a clear bean to your opponent's stack, however they can do the same to you. The trick is to clear multiple rows, one after the other, so you can bury your opponent, but this must be accomplished before they can bury you. Like most games, it starts out easy enough, but then it picks up speed so you have to think faster. Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts may be bumbling hedgehog nappers, but they're pretty skilled at puzzle games, so don't underestimate them.
Keep clearing as many rows at a time as you can, because if your side gets too full, the beans all fall out the trap door to their deaths and the game is over, however the developers thankfully toss you a bone as this game has unlimited continues, unlimited lives, and an easy-to-remember password, so you can keep playing forever. Once you've defeated all your opponents from Arms to Scratch, Botsy flies in, angry that his duncebots screwed up yet again, so he has to take matters into his own hands. He's a very worthy adversary, but when you defeat him, his mean bean steaming machine gets destroyed and he flies away in his Egg-o-Matic as his fortress burns. I first played this game as a kid, being a fan of Sonic and a frequent watcher of the Adventures series, so I was curious about this game and wanted to try it out. Unfortunately, puzzle games are not my strong suit, much like fighting games, but it's challenging enough to where you don't want to give up. You want to keep going, if anything to wipe that smirk off your opponent's face. And when your beans are piling up, panic music starts to play, similar to the drowning music in the Sonic games, like find a bubble soon or Sonic's dead. Same here, match up the beans in a hurry, or they're goners. Overall, I think Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a good game. The graphics are decent, and ironically they look better than the series it's based on. The music is really good. It has a fair challenge. It even has a versus mode and an exercise mode to practice before beginning the story. It's included with most Sonic the Hedgehog game compilations, even though Sonic isn't in it. However, in Sonic Mania, one of the boss battles is Sonic playing this game opposite Dr. Robotnik. That was a nice touch. So the next time you whip out that old school Sega Genesis game collection and you play it on your seventh or eighth generation consoles, and you're playing some classic Sonic games, I recommend revisiting Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. If you like puzzle games, it's your forte. Also, I think someone at Rockstar is a fan, because in Grand Theft Auto V they named the Coffee Bean equivalent Bean Machine, and I believe the name even found its way into the live action Sonic movies. Shows that the love is still there. Not much else I can say, except give the game a try, and catch some reruns of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. The characters from this game all appear in the first episode, and after seeing them get personalities here, you'll wish they'd stayed on.
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Pseudo Sonic (1993)
Will the Real Sonic Please Slow Down?
A certain hedgehog has been a thorn in Dr. Robotnik's side for far too long, and since the doc has been unable to successfully capture and end him, he's going to go a step further and sully his good image. For you see, Botsy has invented a robot that looks like Sonic, though not a perfect replica, and to operate it, he's using his lab rat Lawrence. Ordinarily Robotnik's robots operate on their own, but this time, for whatever reason, they're taking a page from the video games. You know, Robotnik's robots are powered by an animal's life force, and when Sonic or Tails defeat them, the animal is set free. At first Lawrence refuses to take part in this evil scheme, but for insurance, Robotnik says that unless he does as ordered, he'll use his parents as test targets for his new Surface to Sonic Missile, at which point Lawrence agrees. Robotnik is one nasty S. O. B. However, before Pseudo Sonic can be put to good use, Scratch and Grounder see him and think he's the real Sonic, so they burst into the lab and prove that even against a lab rat in a Sonic robot suit they're completely useless. With that pointless set piece out of the way, Botsy sends his robot Sonic out into the world to commit crimes for which the real Sonic would be blamed. What does he do? He robs a museum of a priceless artifact, robs an armored car- looks like Robotnik even included Sonic's penchant for wearing disguises. Good touch. In addition, he also commits mean-spirited pranks, like going into a guy's house in the dead of night and replacing a lightbulb with a hand grenade. Luckily it's only a cartoon or he would've killed that guy. Then he walks an old lady into coming traffic, steals candy from a baby, steals a bone from a dog. So far, everything is going according to plan as the real Sonic is blamed for all this mischief. He and Tails watch the news report from a store window, with Tails even being fooled, asking Sonic how he did all that when he'd been standing there the whole time. Never mind that, what would possibly make Tails think that Sonic would commit such heinous and downright rude crimes? The old lady who got turned to road pizza even shows up and spouts stereotypical old lady lines at him before he leaves, and luckily it isn't long before Sonic runs into his imposter. When Lawrence sees the genuine article, he makes Pseudo Sonic takes off in a flash, with the maligned hedgehog right on his tail. He chases him to a steep cliff where neither can stop in time and go flying into Poison Flower Valley. Once they land, Lawrence comes out of the robot and apologizes, saying Robotnik was behind it all, but right now they've got bigger problems, as they're standing in a field of poison flowers, which make them start itching something awful, and worse yet, they both blow up like balloons.
Unfortunately, poisoned, puffed up Sonic would be no match against Robotnik, so it seems he's down for the count. With he and Lawrence fast asleep and knowing that the rat's mom and dad were still in danger, Tails decides to take matters into his own hands, and luckily, there's a Sonic robot at his disposal. And here is where we get a serious size discrepancy of that thing, as before it was only big enough for Lawrence to fit, but when Tails goes inside, it's twice as big, even though on the outside, he's the same size as it. No matter, Tails always wanted to be inside Sonic... er, um, I mean wanted be Sonic, and here's his chance. Excuse the Freudian slip. At first the controls are a bit confusing, but before long he figures it out and races off toward Robotnik's fortress. Almost instantly he finds Lawrence's parents, but before he can free them, a giant cage falls on him. It was Scratch and Grounder and... that's right, they were fooled AGAIN by this fake Sonic. That's when Tails abandons ship, er, robot body and flies off. Robotnik sees him and deduces the real Sonic must be close by, knowing he'd be coming for Lawrence's parents, so time for Plan B. Turns out Botsy was right, as the still puffed up Sonic noticed Tails was gone and had come to help him. And what brilliant plan will the doc use to capture himself a hedgehog, since the last one seemed to work out oh-so-well? He's using Lawrence's parents for bait, and when Sonic shows up, his Super "Special" Stupid Stumbling Sucker Squad will fire his Surface to Sonic Missile and blow all three of them to kingdom come. Okay, with that house of cards built, let's see it all come crashing down. Tails distracts Botsy by pouring a bucket of ice water on his pointed head, and Sonic, who luckily packed an extra large costume, poses as a military general and selects Grounder and Scratch to be test pilots aboard the S. S. M., even giving them the launch button for when they see a certain pesky hedgehog, and at that moment, Tails parked the Pseudo Sonic at the fortress window and... oh no, seriously? They're fooled a third time?! Good lord above! They fire the missile and take off toward the imposter, while Sonic and Tails rescue Lawrence's parents. Well, I'm sorry to say that Dr. Robotnik and his henchbots... survived the explosion, and as Botsy lays back in his hospital bed, he laments that Sonic's good name was restored and that his lab rats were free, but at least he still has Grounder and Scratch. Upon that realization, Botsy throws a fit. Hey, that's nothing, wait 'til you get the bill. Our Sonic Says is about what to do in case you come across poison ivy, as this relates to the scene where Sonic and Lawrence fell into those poison flowers. Don't just scratch, get some lotion. It's a good message. In fact, all the Sonic Says segments are good messages, even if some are delivered a bit more clunky than others. It makes me wonder what they would've done had the Adventures series been picked up for another reason. They covered pretty much every possible topic in the first 65 episodes: strangers, fire, babysitting, crossing the street, nutrition, exercise, poison ivy, stealing, vandalism, graffiti, smoking, drinking, I mean what would be left except drugs? But then, I think the makers of this show were on drugs, so they didn't want to be seem like hypocrites.
"Pseudo Sonic" was a good episode. It had a good story, decent plot, decent animation, and the voicework... eh, still subpar. It's clear that they took inspiration from the Sonic games in this one, as Pseudo Sonic is based off Metal Sonic, as seen in Sonic 2, Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. In fact, when I play those games, I call him Pseudo Sonic instead of Metal. Strange that they went with having a live animal operate the robot in this episode, and even the only time in the series where that happens. Maybe if animals controlled Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts, they wouldn't screw up so much, as I think Robotnik's AI program is shoddy to say the least. This episode is a classic example of "Double Trouble", in which a clone of a hero who doesn't look very much like him goes out and causes mischief, while the hero blamed. DiC must like this plot, as it's been lifted right from an episode of Inspector Gadget. In that one, Dr. Claw made a robot clone of Gadget, framing him for bank robberies and getting the genuine article arrested. That was also one of Claw's dumbest moments, but that's another story. For now, if you're a fan of the Sonic games, you like seeing episodes where heroes are framed by poor imitations, then I recommend "Pseudo Sonic." Not among the series' best, but it's still entertaining.
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Breakout (1993)
Dr. Robotnik Invents Cancel Culture
Being the one and only evildoer on Mobius, Dr. Robotnik likes to strike fear and intimidation into the hearts of all around him, making them too afraid to try and oppose him. In fact, only one being truly dares to stand up to him and make him look like the bumbling fool he is, and as we all know, that's Sonic the Hedgehog, with Tails at his back. But suppose someone else had the gall to stand up to Robotnik and poke fun at him? Someone who didn't have the power of super speed to fight back? Why it would be curtains for him. Well, let's take a look at how Robotnik was made a figure of ridicule in "Sonic Breakout." It all started when the latest issue of Crack-Ups hit the newsstands. It's the Mobius equivalent of Mad Magazine. Sonic, Tails, and all the weird alien children line up to get a copy, as you see, this isn't any ordinary comic book. It's a futuristic one with animated panels and recorded sounds. This issue even comes with a free poster of Sonic, which the genuine article mentions being taller than his likeness. Scratch and Grounder are also frequent readers of this periodical, which they amuse themselves with as Dr. Robotnik goes on about the new super prison he'd built. He calls it Robotnik's Wretched Life Away Dungeons, but I'm just going to call it Robotnitraz for short. However, his dumbots were too distracted by the comic, which features a Humpty Dumpty parody with Robotnik. His morbidly obese carcass falls off a wall and breaks in two, while everyone around him, including a small pink Mike Wazowski just laughed. Look at that fat, egg-shaped blob flailing around. Oh, when Robotnik saw that, he was livid. How dare anyone make a mockery of him, even when he's such an easy target. Incensed that everyone on Mobius was laughing at him behind his back, and even more angry that he's just now catching on, he orders Scratch and Grounder to kidnap the one responsible, as he would be the first prisoner of Robotnitraz. The artist was a kooky yellow bird named Sketch Lampoon, and he's easily apprehended. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails are still having a huge laugh at Robotnik's expense, when they hear that International Lampoon was kidnapped. Seeing that his arch nemesis has no respect for the First Amendment, Sonic and Tails head off to commence the Jailbreak Jam. Once he sees where Lampoon is being held, in Botsy's new maximum security prison with every bell and whistle security system conceivable, Sonic hatches a plan to free the cocky cartoonist by way of allowing himself to be captured. Of course, he can't make it too easy, and we're very light on plot so we have to pad it out a bit. Once alerted to the hedgehog's presence, Robotnik dispatches his Super "Special" goon squad to apprehend him, and the chase begins. They wind up on the beach, with Sonic tricking Scratch and Grounder with various items built from sand, and while the first two don't fool them, the metal anchor disguised as a sand castle knocked the juice out of them. As they pull themselves together, Scratch calls Grounder a mutant chicken. What? You're the chicken, you lanky idiot. However, it's at this point Sonic decides to stop screwing around and let the two bumbling bags of bolts to capture him.
Upon being taken into Robotnitraz, Sonic meets Sketch Lampoon, saying he's his biggest fan and compliments him on the Robotnik Dumpty gag. When asked about the poster, Sonic says he's taller than that. You know, it wasn't funny the first time! After that, Botsy takes the hedgehog to his own personal cell, in his own personal, inescapable wing. This one's got everything: forged nuclear steel, laser and missile cannons programmed to shoot at anything blue, and a big spike ball to finish the job. He throws Sonic in his cell and locks the door. Now that he has Sonic right where he wants him, what's Robotnik going to do next? Why, he's going to force Sketch Lampoon to make a more "accurate" comic portrayal of him. You might be scratching your head wondering how in the world is Sonic going to get out of this trap? His arms and legs are chained together and he can't cut out of his cell, so for once, he has to rely on his intelligence, and thankfully, Botsy left two very unintelligent guards. It's also a good thing he doesn't search his prisoners before locking them up, as Sonic managed to smuggle in the Crack Ups magazine that started this whole mess. He tricks Scratch and Grounder into thinking he has the next issue and dares them to come inside and get it. I mean, Grounder could easily reach in with his robot arm and get it, but because these two are as stupid as dust vapor, they unlock the cell and go in, allowing Sonic to secretly stick his poster on Grounder's back. Just as the two dunces realize they'd been duped, the lasers and spike ball do their thing, and I guess the laser cannon was only good for one shot, as Sonic strolls out freely and finagles the keys to his shackles. Lucky. Nice, impenetrable prison you got there, Botsy, as Tails manages to fly in to meet Sonic without any trouble, then they run roughshod around the place, tripping every sensor and alarm, driving the computer up the wall. I guess it was loadbaring, as the whole place begins to fall apart. Sonic rescues Sketch, who was moments away from going nuts after having to illustrate Robotnik's life story, then the three make a beeline for the exit. Robotnitraz is completely destroyed, and our heroes look on in amusement as life imitated art: there lay Botsy in the crumbling remains of his super prison, flailing around, saying he's fallen and can't get up. Our Sonic Says is about graffiti and how it isn't art. Any kind of artistic painting should be restricted to a canvas, as Sonic paints a crappy picture of a foot, while Tails paints a delicious rendering of a chili dog. He's right about graffiti, keep it off the sides of buildings, and especially freight trains.
So that was "Sonic Breakout." The story and plot are decent, but the animation is a bit sloppy, and the voice acting is terrible. This one seemed to jump on the bandwagon of making fun of that old lady on TV back in the day, you know, "I've fallen and I can't get up" that was quoted everywhere, even in Ninja Turtles III. Seeing Botsy as a cracked egg flailing around while everyone laughs at him was pretty funny, even if evildoers have feelings too. Robotnik does a great impression of someone on social media and calls for the one responsible for making jokes to be shut up. Now adays, I think people would take his side, sadly. Just shows how the world has changed, and not for the better. We need to be able to laugh at ourselves, as having a sense of humor separates us from other creatures. Sure Robotnik has no sense of humor and is unable to laugh at himself, and we the audience are always laughing at him because he's such an inept and ineffectual villain, or at least he is whenever he faces Sonic. In closing, I recommend "Sonic Breakout", as it has some gags that are funny, the story and plot are amusing, and it has a good message, and shows that if you don't like what someone says about you, ignore them, don't shut them out or incarcerate them in a flamboyant super max prison. At least, that's what I got from it.