Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 1.10: Warp Sonic

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 1.10: Warp Sonic
Original Air Date; November 20th, 1993

“Warp Sonic” is the episode of “SatAM” I’ve maybe seen more than any other. Unlike most of the other series’ episodes, I can vividly recall seeing this one on TV as a kid. “Warp Sonic” was the second episode included on the “Hooked on Sonics” VHS tape I had as a kid. I was lying earlier when I said “Sonic Racer” was my favorite of the batch of episodes DiC released on that format back in the day, because it’s actually this one. I watched that tape over and over again and this is the episode that got burned into my brain. And it continues to resonate with me. I mean, shit, when I happened to catch a random episode of “SatAM” on Starz a few years back, it ended up being this one. So, even though it’s a fairly minor episode that doesn’t seem to be a particular fan favorite, “Warp Sonic” can't help but stand in my mind as one of the most iconic “Sonic the Hedgehog” stories.

So what is it actually about? As you might’ve guessed by now, the episode has nothing to do with Sonic going faster than light, as the title is yet another catchy but meaningless pun. Instead, we begin — once again — with Sonic, Sally, and Antoine sneaking into Robotropolis to sabotage a massive new computer of Robotnik’s. Afterwards, they are cornered by SWATBots and only rescued when a mysterious goat-like creature named Griff pulls them to safety. Griff lives in Lower Mobius, a subterranean community of Mobians. Their peaceful existence is threatened by Ratbots, abandoned creations of Robotnik that roam the underground tunnels, and their finite power source. When Griff gets a look at Sonic’s Power Ring, he realizes he might’ve solved his city’s energy crisis. And that means trouble for the Freedom Fighters.

“Warp Sonic” comes to us from Matt Uitz, his only “SatAM” credit. Uitz probably got hired because of his work on other video game-based cartoons, like “Saturday SuperCade,” “Captain N,” and “The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.” (And he would go on to “Mega Man” and “Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?,” so I guess this was his niche.) Yet Uitz’ work here suggest he was better than shows he previously worked on, like “Mister T,” “Turbo Teen” and “Lazer Tag Academy.” There’s a nice amount of moral ambiguity to “Warp Sonic.” Griff is a somewhat shifty figure from early on, as he clearly has a talent for manipulation. I mean, it’s right there in his name. Yet his community is full of innocent people, that deserve to be safe, making his theft of the Power Ring Generator somewhat justifiable. Sonic realizes this too, gifting him a piece of the core at the end of the episode. A character that probably would’ve been a simple villain in another series is more complex here, as is our hero’s reaction to his betrayal. It’s a little more sophisticated than the “good guys vs. bad guys” writing you’d expect to see on a kids’ cartoon.

Moreover, I think the idea of Lower Mobius is pretty cool. As a sun-hating vampire who has always related to the Morlocks a little too much, I’ve always been fond of the idea of subterranean living. I find it kind of cozy, ya know? And aside from the threat of attack by giant robot rats, the writers seem to agree with that. Though we don’t see much of Lower Mobius, the residents there seem to look out for each other. There’s even small businesses, in the form of a small dinner Sonic gets a heaping helping of chili dogs from. (Though never mind the question of how there’s any money to exchange for goods down there. Or where a restaurateur would get ingredients for his food. Or what hot dogs and chili sauce are even made from on a planet occupied by anthromorphic animals...)

I like the Rat Bots too. It’s notable that Robotnik and Snively never actually appear in this episode. (Neither do most of the Freedom Fighters for that matter.) So the Rat Bots are our primary threat, outside of the SWATBots at the beginning. Making rats the size of Volkswagen would be enough to make some people squirm, even if the creep factor is lessened somewhat by them being robots. The way they corner our heroes in a tunnel in one scene, before infiltrating Lower Mobius in the last act, is fairly intimidating. They have electrified tails that they use as whips, which is a nice touch. Weirdly, Griff refers to the largest Rat Bot as a “mutant,” which is not a quality one really associates with robotics. But let's just assume the goat guy doesn't know much about robots and not that Robotnik is engineering bio-mechanical rat monsters.

And what of Griff? While “Sonic” fans never forget, it would seem Griff is not especially popular. When I see the character mentioned at all, which isn't often, it's usually in a negative context. And maybe that's because his character design is rather awkward, with his camel-like snout, weirdly humanoid face, hooves, and multiple segmented legs. Personality wise though, I think Griff is interesting. You can never totally trust the guy, which is fun from a perspective of generating narrative tension. When his loyalties are revealed as ultimately kind, and he proves his courage by fighting back the Rat Bots at the end of the episode, it's a satisfying turn of events. Like I said, it would've been so easy to write him as just a villain. He has a little more depth than that.

(If Griff is a forgotten character, his buddy Dirk is even more overlooked. A warthog and the only other resident of Lower Mobius we truly meet, he wears a uniform that is similar to Antoine's. This is in no way commented on, even if it suggest something interesting about both characters' past. Since he looks older and more serious, you'd expect Dirk to have a grizzled or deeper voice. Instead, he's voiced by the youthful-sounding Jason Marsden, a face/voice actor who would play well-known characters like Goofy's son Max, “Young Justice's” Impulse, and the talking cat from “Hocus Pocus.” He also sounds rather similar to Charlie Schlatter, the voice of Griff. Schlatter also has a number of notable voice and face roles, including also playing an iteration of the Flash. At the time this episode aired, he was probably best known for starring in the short-lived “Ferris Bueller” TV show.)

Maybe another reason fans dislike Griff is that he's yet another romantic prospect for Sally. As soon as he realizes the potential of the Power Rings, he starts to aggressively flirt with Sally. She seemingly returns his flirtiness, even inviting him to stay the night in Knothole. (Which has connotations that probably were not intentional.) However, it's pretty clear no serious romance was in the air. Griff is simply after the Power Rings. Sally, meanwhile, enjoys making Sonic and Antoine jealous. The scene where Griff brings Sally some flowers leads to an amusing interaction where Sonic and Antoine attempt to one-up him unsuccessfully. Sonic's attempt at romantic poetry is all about himself, while Antoine is only slightly better.

I would even argue this sequence taught me, as a child, about how women do not appreciate egotistical guys, though I doubt that was anything the writers intended. See, I'm not kidding when I say what a profound effect this show had on me as a child... By the way, there's a later scene where Antoine is mumbling and stirring in his sleep about Sally. That probably wasn't intended to come off as suggestive either but my perverse adult eyes can't help but wonder about the details of Antoine's dream... I guess what I'm saying is “Warp Sonic” is, mostly accidentally, one of the horniest episodes of “SatAM.”

In general, this episode has several moments of dialogue and character interaction that I found charming, cute, or funny. Antoine's tendency to mispronounce words  - I'm genuinely starting to think it's not Antoine's accent but some chronic form of aphasia or something – is played for goofy laughs a few times. Quick lines of dialogue about where bears go in the woods, Sonic asking for a “square” of applaud, or some confusion over going right are quick-witted and made me chuckle. In general, I would Matt Uitz' dialogue is a little more quippy than usual and that's appreciated.

This is one of the better animated episodes of “SatAM” recently, with more fluidness and fewer animation errors than in the past few episodes. Though the action scenes are slightly underwhelming. Sonic takes a dive through a force field early on, leaping through various square shaped openings, another scene likely meant to invoke the video games. Once again, Sonic defeats his enemy, the Rat Bots this time, simply by letting them attack and then diving out of the way, the rats shocking themselves. I'm getting a little tired of seeing that trick.

All things considered, it's a strong episode. It's fair to say I have more affection for this than perhaps most. I do wish the show, or the comics, had explored the Lower Mobius again or brought back Griff at a different time... Especially since another goat-like Freedom Fighter with uncertain loyalties would be introduced in the second season. I guess that was just the nature of the beast, before serialization came to most TV shows, much less children's animation. Anyway, I'm giving this one an [8/10].