Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Episode 1.61: Fast and Easy

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Episode 1.61: Fast and Easy

Original Air Date: November 30th, 1993

We are fast approaching the end of "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog," as I have all of three episodes left to review after this one. And, as the final episode draws nearer, I’m almost impressed with how little this show changed over the course of its run. The overwhelming majority of "AoStH" episodes did not play off the interaction between Sonic, Tails, and Robotnik's gang so much. Instead, most episodes introduced some random character into the mix, building the story around their problems or flaws. This is probably the reason why, despite taking far more elements from the early games than "SatAM" did, "AoStH" feels so disconnected from its source material. The writers were still doing this exact same set-up until nearly the end, as it evident with episode sixty-one, "Fast and Easy." 

While wandering the countryside, Sonic and Tails come upon Scratch and Grounder setting up a new trap. They are shocked to discover the trap isn't for them. Instead, Robotnik intends to capture Easy Eddie, a pickpocket and all-around dirt bag. Eddie has a ring stuck in his finger that contains a Chaos Emerald. If he gets his hand on the Emerald, Robotnik can start sinking continents into the ocean. Sonic decide the ring has to come off Eddie's finger, recruiting Professor Von Schlemmer to help. Yet, when the time comes, is a petty crook like Easy Eddie going to do the right thing? 

"Fast and Easy," at least in the abstract, has a pretty funny premise: What if Sonic had to rescue the worst person in the world? Easy Eddie isn't a supervillain but he is a massive asshole. He complains about Sonic rescuing him. He steals something from everyone he encounters. He's always rude, insulting Tails upon meeting him, and is nothing but self-interested in his actions. As if he couldn't be more of Sonic's diametric opposite, he also hates chili dogs and going fast. Yet being a hero means rescuing everyone, even people who are terrible. Forcing Sonic to continuously protect someone who always makes him regret it is a pretty amusing set-up for jokes, albeit darker ones than this series usually specializes in. 

Sonic griping about Eddie's unavoidable bad behavior is played for laughs throughout "Fast and Easy." Most of the episode is still devoted to pedestrian slapstick. However, I could've forgiven a lot if the episode did one thing. As soon as the ring is unstuck, Eddie runs off to Robotnik. He gives the supervillain the world-threatening ring in exchange for a massive payoff, which is totally in keeping with Eddie's personality. If the show had stuck with this idea, that some people are always terrible, it would've at least committed to its main joke. Instead, Eddie has the most unconvincing change of heart at the last minute. At the end of the episode, he shows back up, says he's changed, and gives back everything he stole. Literally nothing happens to prompt this change. Eddie's entire personality shifts just because this is a kids show and it would be uncharacteristic of the genre to have someone not learn their lesson. (Even though, I'd argue, "some people never change" is a moral kids probably could stand to learn.)

For "Sonic" lore nerds, this episode is notable for featuring a Chaos Emerald. It's the only time the show acknowledged the game's favorite MacGuffin outside of the Quest for the Chaos Emeralds four-parter. It's certainly inconsistent that this Chaos Emerald doesn't grant its wearer a god-like ability, like the other four. In fact, this Emerald has almost the opposite purpose of the game's Master Emerald. When placed upon a special pedestal, contained within a "Secret Zone," it causes islands to sink into the ocean. As opposed to the Master Emerald causing an island to float up into the sky. The show does not clarify how any of this works, where the Secret Zone is, how Robotnik found out about this, or any of that stuff. There was no time for actual plot points, when the episode had to squeeze in dumb jokes instead. But it is interesting that, probably by coincidence, this episode parallels some of the game series' most famous plot points about a year before it went down. 

Since I'm almost done with my watch-through of this show, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to see Professor Von Schlemmer again. It had been a while since he showed up. The series seemed to utilize the less horrifying Dr. Caninestein more as it went on. Nope! Not only goes the obnoxiously accented mad scientist appear in this episode, he's showing up two more times before the end. Presumably because the universe has a cruel sense of humor. Anyway, Von Schlemmer does his usual annoying bullshit. He performs absent-minded word play, builds bizarre and impractical inventions, and just annoys the hell out of me every second he's on-screen. He actually makes things worst for Sonic too. After accidentally zapping the ring off Eddie's finger, he insists on continuing with his ridiculous machine solutions, trying to solve a problem that's already been resolved. This allows Eddie to get away and endanger all of Mobius. Jesus... Von Schlemmer is like the Elon Musk of Mobius or some shit. 

How many times throughout this retrospective have I said that an episode could've been good if a little more thought or care had been taken with the premise? It seems like it's been a lot. Here's yet another example. A character like Easy Eddie, whose whole purpose is to always be terrible, had some comedic potential. Instead, "AoStH" falls back on what it always does. [5/10]