Sonic Prime, Episode 3.06: The Devil is in the Tails

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.06: The Devil is in the Tails

Original Release Date: January 11th, 2024

As "Sonic Prime" heads into its final act, the story remains more-or-less in the same place. Sonic's friends and enemies-turned-temporary-allies continue to fight off Nine's army of Grim robots. The ShatterVerse continues to teeter on the edge of total annihilation. Nine remains single-minded in his goal of capturing Sonic and draining the last bit of Paradox Prism energy from him, even as his own resilience and supply of magical power begins to run out. Sonic continues to hold out hope he can reason with Nine. The episode ends in basically the same spot it begins, with Sonic and Nine dueling for the fate of the multi-verse. 

Nine's character arc had a lot of potential. The idea of an alternate universe version of Tails that isn't Sonic's friend but his enemy is loaded with possibilities. Nine progressing from teaming up with the hedgehog to standing against him, due to irreconcilable goals, could've been – and rarely was – compelling. Sadly, "Prime" has reduced Nine more and more to a shallow bad guy. All he cares about is protecting the Grim and making it his perfect world. His character development has essentially stagnated all throughout season three of "Prime." And as the show speed towards its end point, it's becoming increasingly clear that the writers really don't have anything else planned for Nine. A potentially promising character has been reduced to an ultimately quite boring adversary. 

This speaks to a flaw that's become abundantly apparent as the last third of "Prime" has gone on. There's really not much story left at this point, is there? The War of the Grim and the final battle for the ShatterVerse has gone on for the last three episodes. In that time, we've seen the good guys fall and get back up again, as they fight off and wreck endless waves of Grin robots. And this episode just keeps doing that! You know a show has gone astray when the villain's forces regroup and march forward again and your response isn't "Oh no!" But "Oh for fuck's sake, not this again!" "The Devil is in the Tails" tries to add some novelty to its increasingly repetitive action scenes. Sonic discovers he has a unique ability in the Grim, his shoes able to generate little platforms that can act as shields as well. Commander Knocks and Shadow both get big damn hero moments, leaping from the sky to provide powerful blows against the enemy. Yet it's all really just the same thing happening again and again, with minor variations. 

In fact, this entire episode is very repetitive. Nine says the word "energy" so often that I could mistake him for a new age pseudo-scientist on "Ancient Aliens." The fox absorbs more power from the Prism and blasts it into his robot minions, until the forces are exhausted and he has to do it again. Sonic tries to reach out to his former friend to no avail, before finally realizing he's beyond hope. The dome around Nine's Citadel shrinks but never seems to close in. Once again, I'll draw a comparison to a video game. This feels like playing the last level of a game, getting close to completing it, only to get killed and start back over at the checkpoint. And anybody who has done that knows this is usually the point where a video game goes from being fun to being monotonous and frustrating. You keep playing more because you just want to get this over with, not because you're enjoying the experience anymore. Not a great feeling for a TV show to invoke! 

In-between these repetitive sequences, the show attempts to wrap up character arcs. In the middle of the fight, Jack SepticEye's O.C. points out to Dread that they can swoop in and grab the Paradox Prism while everyone is fighting. Since his obsession with that rock is Dread's only real personality trait, he goes along with it. That's until he sees Black Rose struggling on the battle field and decides to help her instead. It seems Dread has learned the value of friendship, instead of being driven by his greed and lust for power alone. He even gives Rose his hat. In a show that actually spent some time showing Dread growing closer to his crew while fighting beside them, this would've been a powerful and earned moment. In "Prime," it just feels like the show deciding Dread should learn this lesson and going ahead with it, without really setting up any growth or change for him. You know, it's like the writers realized they couldn't devoted these last two episodes just with fight scenes, so they decided to throw this in to fill time. The conclusion to a character's arc feeling more like something the show throws in to pad out the run time, and less like an organic pay-off to everything we've seen with this guy up to now, is not a good thing. 

This episode does something similar with Rusty Rose, to slightly better results. She has a stand-off with the Grim robot version of Amy Rose, revealing before the struggle that she has a pink Flicky inside her like all of Eggman's other badniks. Rusty fighting off her fully robotic copy represents her self-actualizing as a fully independent being, not a machine that only takes orders. (Like the entity she fights off.) Unlike Dread, Rusty actually has shown gradual growth over the series. She's clearly a character that "Prime's" team was more invested in and that showed. Having her fight off a Grim Amy feels sort of random. The Grim Amy Roses are just drones, with no purpose or personality of their own. If Rusty had some sort of on-going rivalry with Grim Amy Alpha, this fight would've had more meaning. It does feel like the show randomly deciding to give this fight more importance than all the other times Rusty trashed a robotic copy of herself. But, because we care more about her, this moment is still the highlight of the episode.

It's clear that "Prime" is trying to generate moments that will make fans cheer here. Knocks punching Nine or Shadow decimating Grim Sonic Alpha are treated like pay-offs we've been waiting ages for, even though these characters barely have any sort of pre-existing animosity. Another such moment doesn't lack oomph but instead backfires fully. When the enormous Big the Cat tank-hover thing gets back up, it's eventually reveal that the machine is being piloted by... Drum roll, please! ...Mangey and Sails. Yes, the two other versions of Tails survived and have been bidding their time the last two episodes. I'm not shocked that this kids' show undid the apparent death of two characters. I've been waiting for that reveal, honestly. It still feels like "Prime" lacking any scruples, the same way pretty much any death cheat does. Considering I wasn't all that attached to those two, their death meant little to me and their survival means much the same. I'm sure there are Tails superfans out there who love these two, just because they are Tails. That were upset by their apparent demise and cheered at their survival. I guess that's "Prime's" target audience. 

With one more episode to go, this show continues to underwhelm me. This last set of "Prime" episodes have especially been a bummer, because it's clear now that things aren't going to get any better. There's simply no time for any potential the earlier episodes set up to be paid off now. Even worse, the last few installments have felt like a brief amount of narrative being stretched out to fill more episodes. Only that scene with Rusty keeps me from rating "The Devil is in the Tails" even lower and even that sequence could've been a lot better. [5/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.04: Nine's Lives

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.04: Nine's Lives

Original Release Date: January 11th, 2024

"Sonic Prime" is a show seemingly built around ending each episode on a cliffhanger, in order to keep people from moving their finger off Netflix's "Watch Next Episode" button. This has led to an occasionally odd structure though. Such as in "Nine's Lives." The previous episode suggested Sonic's friends might be turning on him, due to his attempt to reach out to Nine. Instead, this episode reveals they are here to rescue Sonic, refusing to accept his plan to sacrifice himself. Their presence enrages Nine. Soon, a massive battle begins between Sonic and the heroes of the ShatterVerse and Nine and his endless army of Grim robots. As the good guys fight to break into Nine's fortress, the battle grows more desperate than ever before. 

I have gave the last episode of "Prime" some faint praise, as it was the most character-focused installment of the show yet. Instead of building on the conversation that Sonic and Nine had last time, where Sonic told Nine that he's still his friend and that they can work it out, we immediately back track. Minutes after the cavalry arrives, Nine is determined to destroy the good guys if they stand in his way of making the Grim into his ideal world. This is so frustrating. "Prime" walked right up to giving its antagonist some complexity, of delving into the idea that there's hope for him and that Sonic could reach it, and walks it right back the next episode. Nine is a bad guy now, a fairly simple one with laser focused on his dastardly goal, and there doesn't seem to be any plan to subvert that. So much for depth...

"No Escape" made the point of emphasizing that Sonic's bonds with his friends is his primary, motivating characteristic. "Nine's Lives" shows that his devotion to the ShatterVerse gang convinced them to stand up for him too. Yet I guess that moral can only go so far. There's some brief – very brief – conflict on the battlefield here, where the various factions and the Chaos Council can't work together. I guess this is introduced to up the stakes a little, since the heroes don't seem to have much trouble defeating Nine's Grim robots. (A very typical action cartoon rule is in effect here: The villain's minions are more effective the fewer of them there are and tend to become disposable the minute they multiply.) In practice, it makes the script feel like it's stopping for a lesson about how team work makes the dream work. 

Truthfully, "Nine's Lives" feels like a largely shapeless episode, focused on extended battle scenes, until about half way through. That's when Sonic realizes that maybe some strategy is needed. Rebel Rouge is recruited to cook up a game plan. And moments like this is when I realize that, being a writer who understands some of the mechanical aspects of building a narrative, has actually made some movies and TV shows less entertaining for me. Rebel lays out how they are going to distract Nine's forces so a portion of their squad can make it into his citadel. The episode even shows us how this would play out. And if a script takes the time to explain exactly how a plan is going to go down, you can be certain that it won't work out that way. Why would a writer tell us what they were going to do and then just do that? Our expectations are being subverted. If you're a kid or someone who has never seen a heist movie before, this would probably be an exciting development. If you're a jaded old nerd like me, it's setting up a swerve that can be seen coming a mile away. 

Yet even this is not the main complaint I have about "Nine's Lives." Instead, I think the episode features some really weird tonal shifts. There's comic relief here, about Nine defying Sonic by saying he hates chili dogs. (A good joke, honestly.) Or the very final moment of the episode featuring, of all characters, Froggy. These moments coexist alongside probably the darkest moment in "Prime" so far. While fighting off more of Nine's Grim robots, Mangey Tails and Sails Tails fashion a bomb out of the machine's parts. They then activate the bomb... Without making any attempt to escape its blast radius. Yes, Mangey and Sails seemingly blew themselves up. That's, uh, pretty severe! I wouldn't be shocked if this kid show subsequently reveals that it didn't just kill off two of its cutest characters... Yet Sonic and the others react to this event with utmost sincerity. Sonic falls to his knees in shock and blames himself for the apparent death of his friends. 

I have some thoughts about this. First off, if this show was going to kill some one off for dramatic effect, Mangey and Sails were probably the easiest choices to make. We don't really know much about these characters, other than them being a primitive version and a pirate version of Tails. Mangey had one or two funny moments but Sails hasn't done much of anything in his prior appearances. Any chance we would have to get attached to them is entirely based on whatever fondness we already have for Tails, based on his appearances in every other corner of the "Sonic" franchise. Are we losing anything by killing these two? Are we expected to feel anything about them dying, when they aren't much more than vague concepts to us? 

Even if Mangey and Sails actually had some depth, the impact of their death is undermined by what the episode does next. Namely, it just keeps going, like two children didn't just blow themselves up in some sort of suicide attack. Sonic then turns towards making that plan with Rebel to get into Nine's base. It says a lot about how disposable this show considers its cast that it moves on so quickly from two of them being annihilated. I get this is a kids show. We can't really expect Sonic to break down on tears and cradle Mangey's charred remains. And I understand that our heroes are on a battlefield right now, when there's no time to mourn the dead. But, if you're going to throw around big, dramatic moments like this, you actually have to commit to them. You can't have silly jokes a few minutes later. You can't just move on like it's a meaningless event. Because then, uh, it does become meaningless. Get what I'm saying here? "Prime" is not doing a lot to make me care about whether Mangey or Sails are really dead or making me feel the loss, if they are. It's kind of like the writers themselves aren't that concerned about! 

Moving on from that, "Nine's Lives" makes another gross miscalculation. It greatly overestimates the importance of Big the Cat. Okay, I know me being a hater about Big makes me unusual for the "Sonic" fandom at this point. I think most fans have come around to genuinely liking Big by now. However, even if you are a Big fan, you probably don't think of the guy as a big action hero. He's a dimwitted fisherman, who only really wants to hang out with his amphibious buddy and catch fish. Even though the Boscage Maze, New Yoke City, and No Place versions of Big aren't technically the same characters as the Big we know, seeing the tubby cat body slam some evil robots is still weird. Moreover, the episode tries to mine some tension out of Catfish taking a Grim Sonic spin dash to the gut. (And immediately undermines it with another goofy joke.) The most dramatic moments of the episode – which, somehow, is not the two kid sidekicks exploding themselves – is based around the Grim robotic version of Big appearing. Ya know, even when Big showed up in the old Archie comics as a Freedom Fighter, there was this understanding that he was mostly comic relief. His appearance on the battle field is incongruous, to say the least. It seems the "Prime" writers thought Big the Cat was just another member of Sonic's evil-fighting gang. Which I guess he is but it's still an off-putting choice. 

It's clear that "Prime" is heading into its final stretch here. This episode takes great pains to draw attention to how this is a pivotal moment in the battle for the ShatterVerse. The heroes are outnumbered by Nine's seemingly endless supply of robotic minions. There's lots of those elaborate action scenes that "Prime" specializes in, swooping across the area as Sonic and the gang battle more and more of Nine's forces. Clearly, this is supposed to feel epic, the "Lord of the Rings" Helm's Deep sequence of this corner of the "Sonic" franchise. However, I've become increasingly numb to "Prime's" action theatrics. You can only watch the good guys wreck the same set of robotic mooks before you crave something else. 

My frustration with "Prime's" loose approach to its characters and need to always keep its story as action-packed and forward-moving as possible is reaching its peak. After "No Escape" suggested maybe this cartoon could be more, "Nine's Lives" rolls back into the familiar pattern in the bluntest way possible. I hate to say it but "Sonic Prime" is increasingly feeling like the first time with a "Sonic" cartoon where, if I just dropped the show and never went back to it, I don't think I'd feel like I was missing anything. [5/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.02: Dome Sweet Dome

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.02: Dome Sweet Dome

Original Release Date: January 11th, 2024

"Dome Sweet Dome" begins with Shadow launching Sonic into the void between realms, Nine's giant robotic birds quickly taking chase. The hedgehog soon ducks into the New Yolk City portal. There, he finds that every realm in the ShatterVerse is breaking apart... And that Nine's nearly complete Paradox Prism has given him God-like powers. Luckily, two unexpected parties appear to help Sonic. The alternate versions of his friends from across the ShatterVerse show up, each coming through the doorways the Chaos Council have opened. Secondly, the Council itself decides to help the heroes, realizing they can't conquer a multiverse that doesn't exist. A plan is quickly formulated to protect the worlds and drain the last remnant of Prism energy from Sonic, which has unforeseen consequences for the hedgehog. 

I suspect a redemption arc will come eventually but, at this moment, "Prime" is playing Nine as a full-on supervillain. Power corrupts but it seems to have corrupted the angsty fox very quickly. "Dome Sweet Dome" sees the alternate Tails appear as a floating, holographic head over the city that appears primarily to gloat at and taunt Sonic. Once he starts showing off his ability to change the nature of reality itself, it seems to me that None is ready to graduate to Evil God status. Once again, I feel the need to point out that, in-universe, all of these changes occurred over the course of a few hours. I guess Sonic didn't know Nine nearly as well as he thought – and still seems to be confusing him with the Prime version of Tails – but all of these changes still strike me as happening very suddenly. 

If nothing else, the show continues to sharply depict the difference in philosophies between Sonic and Nine. Nine's isolationist beliefs have him tearing the universe apart to create a perfect world. Sonic, meanwhile, has friends come to his aide when all hope seems lost. That Sonic's pals are all from different realities shows how far they are willing to go to help him out. This moment would mean a lot more if the alternate versions of the team, and their relationship with Sonic, were more fleshed-out... But it's the closest this episode of "Prime" comes to actually having a moment of meaning. 

This structure of a greater threat to everyone emerging does present what is always a solid narrative hook: The good guys and the bad guys putting aside their differences and forming a temporary truce. The Chaos Council appearing to back Sonic up is another solid moment, if only because it's fairly unexpected. From everything we know about the greedy and single-minded Eggmen, we certainly don't expect them to ever help out the hedgehog. Whether "Prime" will play up on the natural tension that emerges from such a temporary truce – will the Council betray the heroes when an opportunistic moment presents itself? – can't be said right now. Yet it is a good idea to introduce. 

Throwing so many different groups together allows for something else: Some fun bickering between these opposing parties. A repeated highlight of this episode is Renegade Knucks – who continues to give me extremely strong Raphael vibes – threatens to start fights with the Council. Later, Mangy Tails pokes at a computer console and ends up improving some readings somewhere, a cute joke about how all versions of Tails are apparently naturally technological whizzes. If there continues to be lots of interplay between the different parties as "Prime" heads towards its finale, that would certainly be a good thing. 

There's a moment in this episode that, perhaps, crystalizes why this show's approach to it's characters and world has constantly disappointed me. While Sonic is running through New Yolk City, Nine uses his near omnipotence to turn the entire city sideways. Now, Sonic has to run across the sides of the buildings and grab innocent bystanders as they fall from their homes. While watching this, my main thought was "This would be a cool moment in a video game." It would subvert expectations for a level and present new challenges for the player. But the disconnect here should be obvious. Yes, "Sonic Prime" is inspired by video games but it's not a video game. Is this why this show seems to constantly foreground action scenes over anything else? Is that what WildBrains and Man of Action and the rest of the production crew thought "Sonic" fans wanted? I don't know but it definitely presents a problem when you wish you could pick up a controller when watching a TV show. 

"Dome Sweet Dome" ends with a barrage of technobabble, all about energy and domes. Several minutes are devoted to figuring out how to protect the variants of Sonic's friends from the continuing effects of the ShatterVerse breaking up. As well as extracting the last bit of Prism energy from Sonic. And, I don't know about you guys, but I don't give a shit about any of this stuff. The rules guiding "Prime's" comic book-y science already seem to vary with the needs of the story, making me wonder why the writers felt the need to justify them. If you look at all of "Prime" as one big, long movie – which is how most modern, serialized TV shows are written, much to my annoyance – we are currently in the last half of the second act. The heroes' situation is getting to maximum hopelessness, in order to make their eventual triumph all the more meaningful. So that's all this, Sonic collapsing and the rest of the good guys being endangered by some bullshit, is. I can see the machinery and that's never a good thing. 

Still, I guess I would rate "Dome Sweet Dome" – they didn't put any effort into those titles, did they? – slightly higher than the first episode of "Prime's" third season. Mostly because I like Knuckles shit talking the Eggmen. More of that next time, please! [6/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 2.07: Cracking Down

Sonic Prime, Episode 2.07: Cracking Down

Original Release Date: July 13th, 2023

The seventh episode of “Sonic Prime's” second season begins by immediately dismissing the cliffhanger from the previous episode. It turns out Sonic and Nine were never in any danger from the Chaos Council barging in. The fox and hedgehog throw the Paradox Prism shards into super special garbage bins before running out of the building. Being heavily pursued, Sonic isn't able to use his special shoes to open a portal himself. Instead, he leaps through the portals the Chaos Council have already opened, landing in No Place. He does this again, running through Boscage Maze. Both worlds are under attack. There, Sonic is finally able to get up enough speed to take Nine to the Void, meet up with Shadow, and arrive in Ghost Hill – the strangely empty recreation of Green Hills. There, Nine goes about reassembling the Paradox Prism... But the danger isn't over yet.

The structure of “Sonic Prime” over the course of its two seasons – which has really been one season split in two, no matter what anyone says – has been clear for quite a while. The first eight episodes were devoted to setting up the multi-verse premise and showing us the different worlds we'd be jumping between. The second season has been devoted to actually playing off all that set-up, having Sonic jump between the worlds while looking for a while to fix up the ShatterVerse. And now that Sonic and Nine have all the shards back in their position, the story is clearly moving towards a climax of sorts. Getting to this point has sometimes – frequently – been tedious. Seeing the story start to actually move in a big way towards a destination does feel nice.

Sadly, “Prime” is not the kind of show that differs from expectations. Even this close to the finish line, when the show is clearly preparing to wrap up its first big arc, it can't help but be limply repetitive. Most of “Cracking Down” is devoted to Sonic taking Nine on a little tour of the ShatterVerse. At this point in the series, what is the purpose of a scene like that? The audience already knows all of these places by now. Nine has never been to these alternate universes. Yet he's very familiar with the multi-verse idea. The very first scene of this episode shows him landing in the Grim for the first time. It feels a little bit like “Prime” spinning its wheels, revisiting these locations just to check in on everybody and what's happening there. It's not necessary. 

Even though “Prime” has had plenty of time to resolve all its lingering plot points, “Cracking Down” still has to nervously rush through a few unresolved story elements. While racing through New Yolk City to a portal, Sonic and Nine run into Dread. As I predicted last time, the pirate echidna has moved into an antagonistic role. He wants his treasure above everything else, obviously putting him into conflict with Sonic and Nine. If you're hoping that particular plot point is going to be resolved here, don't get your hopes up. Our heroes have to rush off to other parts before that can happen, leaving Knocks to deal with his double. Meanwhile, the Chaos Council's invasions of different realms go on, though not in any particularly active way. 

There's one element to the multi-verse premise that isn't addressed too often. As Nine is whisked between worlds, he catches a peek at other versions of himself. He stops and stares in confused awe at Sails, who returns a similar dumbstruck glare. In Boscage Maze, he has a similar interaction with Mangey. Once he lands in Ghost Hill, he takes a long look at the ghostly image of Tails. Here's the thing: In every alternate universe, there are many different aspects between all the versions of Tails... But there are many similarities too. This suggest that certain things about our personalities are preordained. That we have no control over some elements of our lives. That's, ya know, kind of terrifying. Knowing that free will is an illusion, up to a certain point, would send anyone into an existential freefall.

Of course, “Sonic Prime” is a children's cartoon. It doesn't touch on that. When even multi-verse stories for adults, like “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” can barely be asked to commit on this issue, I wouldn't expect a kid's show to do it. Yet that meaningful look between Nine and all his counterparts suggests something of this nature. When he comes face-to-face with the repeating spectre of Sonic's best pal, he comments how they don't look that similar. The very first scene of this episode shows Nine arriving in the Grim and planning something. In the final scene, Shadow asks Sonic how he knows he can trust this guy. That's an interesting idea. That the little guy Sonic thought he could trust turns out to be one of the bad guys. Because he assumed every version of Tails was just like his Tails. He even introduces Nine to Thorn Rose as “Tails Nine,” only for the fox to correct him. I have no idea if this is going anywhere. I doubt it is. Yet this is probably the closest “Prime” is going to get to any of the points I raised above.

Now, we already know that Nine and Sonic don't exactly have the same goals in mind. Nine wants to create a perfect world, start over from scratch. Sonic wants to restore what once was lost. If this becomes an actual plot point, it could speak to the different ways people deal with grief. Are these opposing objectives going to run into each other? Or is this going to become another one of “Prime's” dangling plot points that will be pushed further down the line? I guess we'll see in the last episode of “Prime's” first or second season. Assuming “Prime” isn't going to once again completely waste all the potential it seems to have.

Taken on its own, I guess “Cracking Down” is an okay episode. It moves at a fast clip, the action is strong and constant. Interesting ideas are presented. Yet I can't escape this feeling that the show is going to drop all the balls it is juggling. Because it hasn't caught a one yet. I know there are people out there who have enjoyed “Sonic Prime.” As the show moves towards the climax of its first proper story arc, I don't have much hope that'll reach any sort of satisfying ending. Excuse my pessimism. Maybe I'll be wrong and it'll stick the landing. Sure. [6/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 1.5: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Sonic Prime, Episode 1.5: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Original Release Date: December 15th, 2022

Picking up where “Sonic Prime” left off, “Barking Up the Wrong Tree” begins with Thorn and Sonic battling it out. Now gifted with the ability to grown huge trees whenever she wants, thanks to the Prism Shard bonding to her hammer, Thorn goes about her quest of restoring the forest. Through this conflict, Sonic learns how the Scavenger and Rose first went from friends to enemies and how she turned so suddenly on them. Sonic helps them talk it out, after the required amount of fighting and arguing. Yet Sonic’s multiversal adventures are far from over… 

They say that “power corrupts” and everything I’ve learned about human nature and history has taught me this is true. Yet it still amuses me that, the minute Thorn Rose develops a new ability, she immediately goes full supervillain. She does everything but cackle wickedly while running through the forest and spouting new trees wherever she wants. Her laser-focused intensity on this one goal, of protecting Nan's restoring trees, really makes her look like a total fanatic that was just waiting for an excuse to go nuts like this. 

This is questionable writing, which is not helped by the general rushed, shallow quality of the scripts here. (Rose keeps referencing protecting "The Green," like she's Swamp Thing or some shit, and what this means exactly is kept frustratingly vague.) Yet it does lead to some fun action sequences. Thorn's ability to instantly generate an obstacle in his path is a good way to counter Sonic's speed. Scenes of him getting tossed into the air by a tree sprouting under his feet or being imprisoned in a circle of roots are clever. Inventively designed action sequences continue to be the main draw of "Sonic Prime."

"Barking Up the Wrong Tree" does represent the closest "Prime" has come thus far to really winning me over. After a brief refresher of last episode's cliffhanger, Sonic recalls a memory. Playing out as a flashback, we see a time Amy threw a party for the hedgehog. A palm tree becomes a symbol of all the memories of good times he's had with his friends. Of the connection he's made with this found family. It's a little goofy and heavy handed but it's still the closest the show has come yet to actually making me feel anything for these characters. Sonic loves his friends. Seeing incredibly strange, mixed-up versions of them causes him distress and he's eager to get back to his home dimension. It really shouldn't have taken until the fifth episode to get to this point but, well, here we are. 

The power of friendship will be, I suspect, the primary moral of this series. Amy Rose's hammer swinging abilities may be her flashiest superpower but her role as the feeling, empathetic center of five-man band is her greatest attribute. As a further example of how much his friends mean to him, of how much he's learned from them, he uses an Amy style powwow to talk out the problems Rose Thorn has with the Scavengers. Their conflict is founded in understandable feelings, that where just taken too far in the heat of the moment. It's a win for conversational de-escalation. I even like how Sonic admits that Amy's method is a lot harder than it looks. 

It's a good ending but it's also one that feels a little rushed. After fifteen minutes of running and fighting and arguing, Sonic resolves all of the problems between Thorn and the Scavengers within a few minutes. The moment where Thorn collapses to the ground, realizing her campaign has gone too far, definitely feels like it comes out of nowhere. Yet the writer's heart is in the right place. I continue to like how Thorn's issues with the others stems from environmental concerns, from human nature's tendency to take more than we need. Always good when the "Sonic" writers remember this franchise's "Save the Rainforest" roots. 

Another reason why that emotional climax seems rushed is because the show still has more stuff to do afterwards. Sonic still has to race off and find the Paradox Prism shard. He has to have a vague vision of Shadow, who seems to be stuck in the spaces between dimensions, and he has to get launched back to the New Yolk City setting we just left. I guess it's fitting that a "Sonic" cartoon just can't slow down and is always running forward. Yet "Prime" continues to be frustratingly premise-driven, even in an episode like this that actually takes a little time for the characters. 

The comic relief continues to suck ass too. There's way too many jokes about eating tree bark here. A moment of Sonic pantomiming a conversation with hand puppets is almost unbearable. Big the Cat's role in the flashback made me roll my eyes. I did like a joke about Mangy attempting to speak though. And Sonic's love of chili dogs being a universal constant. More shit like that. Less jokes built around people acting like dumb-asses for no reason. 

If "Sonic Prime" had this balance, of action, character development, and plot from the beginning, my reaction would've been "Hey, this might turn into a good show eventually." Instead, we're more than half-way through the first batch of episodes and "Prime" is only now getting here. It makes me pessimistic that this show will ever find a satisfying balance. Yet, for the time being, "Barking Up the Wrong Tree" is my favorite episode of this program. [6.5/10]