Sonic Underground, Episode 1.01: Beginnings

Sonic Underground, Episode 1.01: Beginnings

Original Air Date: August 30th, 1999

I've begun each of these "Sonic" cartoon retrospectives by talking about the show's opening theme, a tradition I shall continue here. "Sonic Underground's" theme song is the type that explains the show's premise. Through music and images, it explains how Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are children of a queen, who put them in hiding after a prophecy of dreadful events. Once this – Robotnik taking over the world – came to past, the Queen vanished. Sonic and his siblings are taught from a young age to battle Robotnik's regime, while also seeking their missing mother. It's a theme designed to set up the series every episode, since this show aired in syndication in a really fucked-up order. (I'm watching the show in the "DVD order," the only one that makes any sense.)

More important than that, "Sonic Underground's" opening is the only time I can recall its fusion of hedgehog hero antics and music actually working. This, unironically, rocks. The singer is pouring every fucking drop of emotion he has into the ridiculous lyrics. The guitars are wailing. The images, of Sonic and siblings crushing robots with motorcycles or the pure power of rock, is the closest to genuine heavy metal thunder this show would ever get. It's also insanely catchy, insuring you the viewer will remember the goddamn name and premise of this cartoon. I don't think I've ever thought about a single episode of "Sonic Underground" in the last twenty-two years but I think about this theme song at least once a month.

The opening minutes of "Beginnings" further elaborates on the back story the theme song presents. We see the Oracle of Delphius warn Queen Alena about Robotnik's impending coup and what to do with her triplets. We see Sonic adopted by a red headed couple that live in the woods, Sonia delivered to a noble lady, and Manic stolen by street urchins from the prosperous family he was intended for. After a raid by Robotnik, Sonic goes to live with his Uncle Chuck. He's been using his super speed to sabotage Robotnik's resources, much to the tyrant's frustration. After a visit from the Oracle, Sonic is instructed to listen to his "heart's song." This musical moment alerts the siblings to each other and they soon meet for the first time in a club. Yet Robotnik, with help from two bounty hunters, has also determined who the royal triplets are. (The prophecy also foretells that the siblings' bond will be Robotnik's downfall.) He captures their guardians. Now, Sonic, Sonia and Manic are on-the-run and only have each other to depend on. 

What strikes me the most about the first episode of "Sonic Underground," which I don't think I've ever seen before, is how much it resembles "SatAM." Elements like Mobotropolis becoming Robotropolis are maintained, as is the threat of Roboticization. We even get a shot of Robotnik's warship passing over the city, immediately draping it in smog, similar to the "SatAM" opening. A shot of a fountain drying up after the coup is, I'm pretty sure, taken directly from "Blast to the Past, Part 2." Even some of the design work is exactly the same. Such as the egg-shaped tower Robotnik operates out of or the hidden door in a pile of junkyard scrap Uncle Chuck lives behind. Even though Sally is nowhere to be seen, there's a puzzling shot of a statue of King Acorn – seemingly wearing his armor from the comic??? – crumbling apart. Indeed, the royal triplets trying to find their missing parent recalls Sally's search for her dad.

And yet, for all the ways "Underground's" set-up is derived from "SatAM," it's also completely different. I'm not even talking about Sonic having siblings or the absence of the Freedom Fighters. Surprisingly, in some ways, "Underground" is more dystopian than "SatAM." Roboticization doesn't just turn you into a fully functional robot. It makes people into painful looking cyborgs, mechanical parts jutting out of their fleshy bodies. In a sadly realistic touch, the noblemen class of Mobius are left untouched by Robotnik's reign. While "SatAM" did this too, "Underground" forefronts this world's mixture of magic and science. The Oracle teleports all over the place, spouting his prophecy and performing spells. The triplets are linked by their magical medallions. All of this co-exists alongside robots and force fields.

The scenes I like in "Beginnings" are the ones focused largely on an origin story. The scenes where Uncle Chuck instructs Sonic on how to sneak into Robotnik's new facility, where Sonic pushes himself to new speed levels in order to break through the force field, are actually pretty neat. The idea that Robotnik doesn't even realize Sonic is a living thing at first, assuming this tremendously fast blue blur must be a machine, is a nice touch. And while we never get a chance to know the triplet's guardians before they are captured, I do like the moment where Manic shows Ferral, his weird bug-looking dad figure, how good of a pickpocket he's become. Uncle Chuck also cries when talking about Sonic, suggesting a molecule of emotion was invested in this story.

Even though there's positive elements here, there's something about "Sonic Underground" – this first episode and, as I recall, the whole series – I just can't shake: It feels so fucking corny. SWATBots capturing Sonic's foster parents and burning their house down should be harrowing but the emotion in their departure is so overwrought. Especially in the use of silly, kiddy language like "rev" in such a serious moment. The idea of a magical prophecy directing the whole story, delivered by a Yoda-like wizard figure, feels utterly routine. As do the platitudes about "listening to your song's heart." Moreover, it just bugs me that Sonic is actually a prince here. Sonic hanging out with royalty is one thing. Sonic being royalty is against his ethos of freedom and scrappy determination in the face of authority. How can you fight tyranny when you're descended from fucking tyrants? 

Nothing sums up the episode's corniness like two things: The show's guitar logo spinning on-screen during scene transition, a hoary visual cliché that was discredited even by 1999. And, of course, the fucking song. Compared to the swaggering, wailing butt-rock of the opening, the show's musical number is wimpy as shit. "Someday" is a low-key, vaguely synth-y ballad about being with the people you love and everything working out at some undetermined point in the future. It's a nice sentiment but the lyrics are maudlin, the melody is forgettable, and the delivery is both lazy and overwrought. (Sonic develops a throaty rock-dad voice when singing.) I feel like these are criticisms I'll be giving about the songs every episode. 

While the show has shallow similarities to "SatAM," it's just simply not as charming. It's nice to have Uncle Chuck back but Maurice LaMarche adopts a hokey country bumpkin/grandpapppy voice when playing him. LaMarche voices multiple characters in this show, including Robotnik's robotic assistant and Sleet, the dingo bounty hunter who Robotnik calls in. (Sleet gets a Peter Lorre-style voice.) None of these toadies are as interesting or memorable as Snively. Garry Chalk graduates from Grounder to Robotnik here, providing a bellowing growl for the villain that lacks the sinister intent of Jim Cummings' Robotnik. It is interesting that Jaleel White sounds noticeably different here as Sonic. His voice is deeper and a bit huskier, which actually works just fine. Yet letting Urkel play two separate characters pushes Jaleel's talent to the breaking point. The high-pitch, wilting tone he adopts as Sonia is annoying and I don't know what the hell he's going for as Manic. 

Lastly, "Underground" simply doesn't look as good as "SatAM." The character designs are ugly. Mobius seems to be populated largely by weird looking aliens. Ferral is an oddball bug thing and the creatures in the bar the triplets play in are similarly grotesque. The more furry residents of Mobius are usually depicted as indeterminable animals of some sort, like Sonic's foster parents or the weird dog/cow lady Sonia lives with. But even the main character look unappealing. Sonia's mini-skirt/Starfleet uniform outfit is a cramped, busy design. Manic being bright green with spiky hair is awkward too. The dingoes are, by far, the ugliest characters. Sleet wears a gaudy cape and some sort of weird robot armor, his exaggerated dog head not matching his body. Dingo, his dim-witted sidekick, is this bright orange mash of muscles, yellow hair, bandages, green shorts, and tiny sunglasses. Nothing coheres. It's all an ugly mishmash of parts that don't go together. 

That may prove to be an accurate description of the entire series but we'll see, I guess. "Beginnings" isn't the worst thing I've ever seen but it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. The show is off to a very awkward start. Am I sure I want to do this? The thought of hearing 39 more of those songs is really crushing my spirits. [5/10]