Sonic Underground, Episode 1.06: Tangled Webs

Sonic Underground, Episode 1.06: Tangled Webs

Original Air Date: September 6th, 1999

"Tangled Webs" begins with Sonia and Manic testing a new weapon – a remote piloted drone with a built-in laser cannon – on a SWATBot factory. Sonic is supposed to assist but he gets distracted when a friend named Cyrus asks for some help. Sonia and Manic are almost captured but Sonic still arrives in time and destroys the factory. Afterwards, while chilling at a rebellion hideout, they learn that Cyrus' dad is a prisoner of Robotnik's. The audience learns that Cyrus is a spy, being blackmailed to help the enemy in hopes he'll lead Robotnik to Sanctuary, the rebellion's most secret base. When Cyrus learns kids are hidden there, he backs out. He reveals his treachery when he almost leads Sonic into a trap. 

"Tangled Web" was written by Ben Hurst and Pat Allee. The sight of their names gave me some hope, which wasn't totally unfounded. "Tangled Web" is the "Sonic Underground" episode that feels the most like "SatAM" so far. The opening set-up, of Sonic and a bickering princess planning to sabotage a factory, feels right out of the classic series. About the first ten minutes are devoted to this sequence and it's... Not bad. Sonia is way more annoying than Sally on her worst day but this feels like "Sonic" in a tolerable way. Robotnik has a far bigger role here than in the last few installments, Sleet and Dingo delegated to minion roles. The remote control drones even feel a little like a homage to the series' video game roots, with their VR headset and handheld control. 

This episode even maintains "SatAM's" most important rule: There will always be losses. The heroes ultimately can't rescue Cyrus' dad, who is Roboticized. (An irreversible condition in this show.) Yet Cyrus' character arc still could've used another polish. He's so obviously a spy, turning on his listening device the minute the good guys start talking about stuff, that it makes the siblings look like fools for not noticing. When he learns children are kept at Sanctuary, he has a sudden change of heart. I wish a little more time could've been devoted to that, to Cyrus' good heart and the circumstances that made him a spy. Further more, we never see the heroes confront Cyrus for being a traitor. Considering the time restraints they were working under, Hurst and Allee probably did the best they could. 

Another way this is an improvement over your typical "Underground" episode is that it's not as preachy. The moral of the episode seems to be that you should be dependable. Sonic slacks off, doesn't pay attention to time, and Manic and Sonia are nearly captured because of it. In the second half of the episode, Sonic diverts from the plan again and also almost gets snatched because of it. Yet Sonia ultimately shrugs it off, saying Sonic's style works for him so it's no big deal. It's not an overstated moral imposed on the viewer. It's just a regular character beat, brother and sister arguing a little but ultimately coming to appreciate each other. 

If I'm giving you the impression that "Tangled Web" is a pretty good half-hour of animation, just wait. Once they arrive in Sanctuary, the children implore the royal triplets to perform for them. The musical number that follows, "Teach the Children, Light the Way," is the most painful sort of sappy bullshit. The melody - which, again, does not feature guitar - is the dopiest kind of elevator music bullshit. The lyrics are empty platitudes about teaching children to be strong and caring and all that shit. It's another one of those musical numbers that left me with an ugly, cringing expression on my face for its duration. 

Also, unfortunately, "Tangled Webs" looks really bad. The animation pauses on several truly unfortunate sights, like Sonic stuffing his face with a tofu dog, which he then spits out. (Sonic looks overly chubby in several scenes.) Or SWATBots being washed away by bright yellow molten oar, which more resembles pee than anything else. Sonic turns into the same spinning blue tornado several times. Shots of Cyrus shooting a machine-stopping ray are repeated. Sonia's face remains locked in a smile during several distressing moments. The character designs continue to be underwhelming. Cyrus is supposed to be a lion but looks more like a hedgehog than Sonic does. I also continue to dislike the weird, alien-slug creatures mixed in with the typical furry animal Mobians. 

Yet, by the standards of this particular cartoon, "Tangled Webs" is something of an improvement. It's good to know that Hurst and Allee could do semi-decent work even under the constraints of this production. Still, the typically putrid quality of the song and animation keeps me from giving this one too high of a score. Even in its best moments, "Sonic Underground" is still "Sonic Underground." [5.5/10]