Sonic Underground, Episode 1.14: Bug!

Sonic Underground, Episode 1.14: Bug!

Original Air Date: September 16th, 1999

When the Saturn came out in America, Sega did everything they could to build hype for the new console. It didn't exactly work and the lack of a proper "Sonic the Hedgehog" game has long been considered a factor in the console's disappointing performance. What the Saturn did have was Bug. (Or "Bug!," if you must.) Bug wasn't that different from the "Mascot with 'Tude" Sonic rip-offs that flooded the nineties. He was a cartoon animal that starred in a mediocre platforming game and had a grating, sarcastic personality. However, "Bug!" was actually published by Sega. He was even being groomed as a mascot character for the Saturn.

Why do I bring this up? Because the Sonic News Network wiki informs me that DiC was supposedly developing a "Bug" cartoon, further cementing his status as the next Sonic. They say the cartoon never got out of development and the sole remnant of its existence is the title of this "Sonic Underground" episode. However, the wiki's claim isn't sourced and I can't find any other information about this supposed "Bug" animated series. I'm betting the entire thing is a big coincidence and I don't know why I brought it up at all!

So, no, this episode does not feature Sonic and his siblings teaming up with a green insect in red shoes. Instead, it concerns Sonic saving Manic from a new SWATBot. After wrecking it, they hear a message from the still active radio transmitter about Queen Alena being spotted in Quadrant 10. Quadrant 10 is a desert area with burning oil wells. They soon run into Rudy, a Freedom Fighter whose friends turned against him after being stung by robotic flies with brainwashing venom. After going off on his own, Manic is stung by one of these flies. Unaware that he's now a sleeper agent for Robotnik, Manic attempts to upset a scheme to destroy the fly-bots.

You can always tell when a "SatAM" veteran is the writer of a "Sonic Underground" episode. "Bug" comes to us from Len Janssen. Janssen and Ben Hurst's scripts always refer to the rebel forces against Robotnik as Freedom Fighters, while other episodes tend to favor "the resistance" or "the underground." The StealthBot that attacks Manic in the first scene resembles a "SatAM" SWATBot, with its gray color and dome-like head, more than the purple-and-red SWATBots usually seen in this episode. Robotnik's egg-shaped fortress and spinning throne, also holdovers from "SatAM," get prominent appearances in this episode too.

This episode also follows the "SatAM" house rule of "there must always be losses." Rudy has his village razed to the ground. At first, he's convinced that means all his friends and family are dead or Roboticized. At the episode's conclusion, he discovers everyone got out in the time. The village is gone but the Freedom Fighters survive. That's nice and all but we never really care about Rudy. We never learn much about his personality or history. He's just a laidback, dinosaur-looking dude dressed like a road warrior. (Maurice LaMarche gives him an Australian accent, seemingly confirming that connection.) The character is just a plot device, meant to introduce the fly-bots. He's no different than the report that the queen was spotted in the area, another contrivance meant to advance the story that never actually goes anywhere.

This is also one of the more moral-focused episodes of "Underground." Queen Alena's opening narration explicitly says that Manic has to learn a lesson about teamwork. In the very first scene, Sonic chastises him for surfing alone. He gets bitten by the robo-bugs when he impulsively goes into the desert in the middle of the night. Just to make sure the audience gets the point, the episode ends with Sonic and Sonia letting Manic how dumb he was to go off on his own. That last part is handled with some humor, so at least the Lesson of the Day isn't jackhammer obvious like some shows aimed at seven-year-olds. It's only sledgehammer obvious.

Otherwise, I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. There's some mildly disturbing close-ups on Sonic's ass. Manic's nose inflates after the bug bite. Sonia is still written as obnoxiously girly here, as she has a visceral disgust of insects. The song, "Never Give Up the Fight," is as generic as an "Underground" song can be. The highly repetitive lyrics don't touch on anything specific about the episode and the music is a mediocre rock beat. I've already forgotten everything about it. God help me, but I think a crossover with an annoying green bug would've been more memorable. [5/10]