Sonic Underground, Episode 1.34: Sonia's Choice

Sonic Underground, Episode 1.34: Sonia's Choice

Original Air Date: October 14th, 1999

"Sonia's Choice" begins with the royal triplets running through the woods from a laser-spewing flying drone. They eventually defeat it and meet up with Trevor (last seen in "Harmony or Something") and a woman named Renee. Renee is from the country of Annes, where Robotnik is about to auction off a number of priceless relics from the hedgehog royal family. Sonic, Sonia, and Manic sneak in and avoid several traps to grab the goblet... But this, itself, is a trap. The floors were laced with highly traceable Mega Muck. Soon, Sonic and Manic are captured. Robotnik places them in Roboticizers on opposite ends of the city, with both machines programmed to activate at the same time. Sonia is forced to choose between which of her brothers to rescue.

"Sonia's Choice" takes its inspiration from Alan J. Paluka's grim 1982 drama, "Sophie's Choice." If you don't know, that's the tale of a Holocaust survivor recalling the time the Nazis forced her to choose which one of her children would live and which would die. Not exactly light-hearted viewing and a weird thing to see referenced in a shitty children's cartoon. Nevertheless, the idea of Sonia having to choose between her brothers is one rich with drama. Siblings (and parents too) don't like to admit this but they usually have a "favorite." Being forced to choose, to tactilely admit that one is loved over another, is a horrible predicament. And exactly the kind of sadistic shit you'd expect a villain like Robotnik to pull. Beyond that, it's just good writing. The protagonist is pulled between two hard decisions, with a time limit in place no less. Will our hero find a way to save both before it's too late?

Unfortunately, "Sonia's Choice" does almost nothing with this dynamite set-up. The actual "choice" part doesn't occur until the last third of the episode. This gives the episode no time at all to focus on Sonia's angst over the choice. There's no chance to show how she deliberates over choosing, to see how this horrible game weighs on her. The plot immediately switches into problem solving, which is not that compelling. That's because "Sonia's Choice" is no choice at all. She simply goes to one location while Renee goes to the other, rescuing both brothers. Essentially, Sonia is presented with a choice and finds a way not to make it. Which kind of undermines everything that's interesting about this premise in the first place! (By the way, Sonia personally rescues Sonic and sends Renee to save Manic, which seems to give us an answer to the question of which of her brothers she prefers.)

The episode actually goes even further to deflate any tension or dramatic potential. Sonia releases some sort of electric pulse, which shorts out the machines around Sonic and allows her to rescue him. Renee tries the same thing with Manic and it doesn't exactly work, leaving him stuck in a tube. That's when an aircraft outfitted with lasers swoops in, blasts away all of Robotnik's troops, and saves Manic. Queen Alena, despite appearing nowhere else in this episode, is immediately revealed to be behind the wheel. This is not the first time Ben Hurst has used a shitty deus ex machina to get his heroes out of a climatic jam but it might be the most egregious. The implication that the Queen is always watching out for her kids, ready to jump into action whenever she's needed, really keeps this show from being exciting. (And draws attention to the times she chooses not to get involved.) 

Worst yet, it's a totally unneeded plot device. Renee could have successfully saved Manic on her own. The episode presented a totally normal solution to its own problem. There was no need to have the Queen rush in and dramatically save the day. It's a contrivance introduced for no reason other than to remind the viewer that Queen Alena is constantly monitoring her children... Which just furthers the impression that the Queen doesn't actually want to raise her fucking kids. She just wants to play hero to them. She wants the brownie points from rescuing her kids, to further this image that she's an infallible superhero that's always there for them. But she doesn't put in the actual day-to-day work of being reliable. Hey, mom, where the fuck were you when Sonia was learning to ride her bike or when Manic was forced to steal in order to survive? It's very similar to Penders' fixation on Locke. What the fuck is with boomer "Sonic" writers idolizing emotionally distant and manipulative parents that care about their children in broad terms but can't be brother to actually parent them? 

Uh, sorry, I kind of went on a rant there. You know another thing that sucks about this episode? Most of it is devoted to a very underwhelming heist. There's a long scene of the triplets breaking into the museum, avoiding the various traps Robotnik has set up, and getting the treasure. It unfolds in a shockingly dull manner, with little in the way of humor or excitement. We already know that Robotnik wants Sonic and the others to grab the goblet, so trying to turn this foregone scenario into an exciting action set piece is a serious miscalculation. It seems the focus was on some very odd elements, like a scene of Sonic walking on the ceiling with his magnet shoes while Sonia and Manic dangle from a harness. Or the reptilian gargoyle-like sentries guarding the vault. 

Before we go, I've got to comment on two trademark elements of this show. First off, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic spend the first eight minutes of this episode smeared with mud for absolutely no reason at all. So there's that. Secondly, there's the required song. It's a solo from Sonia, hilariously inserted right after she learns Robotnik has forced her into a sadistic game. I know I've said in the past that Sonia's singing voice is the most tolerable one on the show. But the vocals here quickly become whiny and annoying. It doesn't help that the main refrain of the song is "why is it never easy for us?" Which makes the number feel even more like a spoiled rich girl (which we can't forget Sonia basically is) complaining about the petty inconveniences in her life. The very cheap, tinny sounding instrumentation of the sing also furthers this feeling. 

Anyway, there's two points to this review: First off, I loved ya, Ben, but you had some very flawed quirks as a writer. (And, I know, he would not claim this show as his best work anyway.) Secondly, I fucking hate Queen Alena. Only six of these left, thank god. [4/10]