Sonic Underground, Episode 1.25: Flying Fortress

Sonic Underground, Episode 1.25: Flying Fortress

Original Air Date: October 1st, 1999

I've talked before about how the sole novelty of "Sonic Underground" was Knuckles. Looking back, it's kind of crazy that the second most popular character in the franchise – evident by him supporting his own comic book at the time – was only making his second animated in this lousy cartoon. While Knuckles' first appearance on "Underground" was pretty bad, his second was in a three-parter commonly known as the "Chaos Emeralds Crisis." This trilogy of episodes is the only time I can remember being invested in "Sonic Underground" or following it with any real excitement. And that kicks off with "Flying Fortress." 

Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are enjoying some downtime on the beach when Robotnik's most fearsome weapon yet emerges: The Flying Fortress is a massive, floating warship armed to the teeth. When Sonic infiltrates it, he's almost zapped by a green force field. The triplets quickly connect this with the Chaos Emerald and decide to go ask Knuckles for help. He's reluctant at first – especially after a vision of his great grandfather Athair appears to him – but he decides to help out. After making it onto the Fortress, the heroes attempt to grab the ship's Chaos Emerald power source... Only to discover that Sleet and Dingo have stolen it for themselves. 

"Flying Fortress" represents "Sonic Underground" at its least bullshitty. There's very little of the dumbass nonsense I associate with this show. Dingo isn't horrifically turned into some object, there are no hideously designed new characters, and Queen Alena doesn't appear at all. Robotnik is the primary antagonist of the episode. The plot is pretty clearly inspired by the third and fourth Genesis games, with the Flying Fortress even resembling the Death Egg. The scene where Sonic has to outrun the incinerating force field – in addition to resembling the various Advancing Walls of Doom in the games – actually manages to generate some mild suspense. Sonic having to team up with Knuckles to stop Robotnik from powering a weapon of mass destruction with a Chaos Emerald actually feels like something that should happen in a "Sonic" cartoon. 

Which isn't to say the episode doesn't have some of "Underground's" trademark bullshit in it. The animation is still hilariously awkward. Any time the characters leap through the air or fly, it looks bad. When the Flying Fortress abruptly starts to fall at the end, Robotnik floats up into the air in a goofy fashion. Knuckles tunnels through the walls of the Fortress in a very silly looking way. Sonia wears a bikini for the entire first half of the episode, which only highlights how clumsy her design is. (Her neck is tan but the rest of her body is maroon, making it look like she's wearing fuzzy spandex.) The most egregious step of the episode involves Robotnik, after leveling a forest and pinning the hedgehogs down into a cave, just flying away. There was a number of ways to have the heroes escape that scenario that didn't make the villain look like a dumbass. 

If "Sonic Underground" endures in fans' minds solely because Knuckles is in a few episodes, the "Chaos Emerald Crisis" trilogy has an even greater novelty to a more niche "Sonic" sub-fandom. This storyline marks the only time a character exclusive to the Archie Comic continuity crossed over to another medium. And it's Knuckles' great-grandfather, Athair, who I am absolutely certain was no one's favorite character. He doesn't resemble his comic book counterpart much. Instead of the weird Indian shaman get-up comic book Athair wears, cartoon Athair has on a blue robe, tiny green glasses, and carries a gold staff. He's yet another bossy mentor, appearing in a vision to give a vague warning. Which is a dumb trademark of this cartoon but also pretty close to the comic book version. Regardless, it still gives me a thrill to see an animated Knuckles talk to his "great-grandfather Athair." 

Also, there's some delicious irony in another piece of "Sonic" pulling a member of Knuckles' vast extended family from the comic book and it's the only one Ken Penders didn't create. ALSO also, Maurice LaMarche voices Athair – because of course he does – with a mediocre Sean Connery impersonation, exaggerated "s" pronunciation included. Despite the obviousness of that, for years IMDb listed the actual Sean Connery as voicing this role. I want to blame pranksters for that but it was probably just some dumbass editor who didn't know better. Though I do kind of want to live in a universe where screen legend Sean Connery, still an in-demand A-lister at the time, decided to voice a bit part on a shitty "Sonic the Hedgehog" cartoon.

Anyway... As I mentioned earlier, this is one of the few episodes of "Underground" where Robotnik is both present and the primary threat. The scene where he destroys a forest with the Fortress' firepower really emphasizes that he's a serious villain. (While also, mildly, recalling "SatAM's" ecological themes.) This means Sleet and Dingo taking the backseat roles of scheming lackies. They steal the Chaos Emerald to insure their own survival, knowing Robotnik doesn't need them anymore and that Robotnik disposes of things he doesn't need. This role suits the duo much better and actually threatens to make them into interesting characters. If these goons are just as scared of Robotnik as everyone else, it makes them sort of sympathetic. Which makes them sort of compelling. Or at least more compelling than their usual role of bumbling bad guys. 

If this is a good episode of "Underground," "good" is still a relative word here. We still have to stop the story dead to make room for a song. That occurs when Sonic and the gang arrive on the Floating Island and convince Knuckles to help out with the power of music. "No One is an Island" is, regrettably, an attempt at a reggae number. This includes Sonic singing with a bad "mon" voice, which is unfortunate. (The colors of the Rastafarian flag also appear on-screen, which is probably coincidence and not a reference to Knux's Jamaican origins.) Aside from the dodgy optics of that voice and some typically lazy lyrics, the song is more forgettable than odiously bad. The song sequence also include Sonic and the gang refusing to leave Knuckles alone, a comedic element out of place in an otherwise serious episode. 

Like I said, this can probably only be considered a decent cartoon by the very particular standards of this series. Yet it does show that, if "Sonic Underground" had actually attempted to be a straight-ahead action cartoon that took real cues from the video games more often, instead of whatever the fuck it normally does, it would've been a far more tolerable show. Will the rest of the "Chaos Emerald Crisis" be up to the level of its first installment? I guess I'll find out soon enough. [6/10]