Sonic Boom, Episode 1.10: Dude, Where’s My Eggman?

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.10: Dude, Where’s My Eggman?

Original Air Date: January 24th, 2015

Episode ten of "Sonic Boom" begins with Cubot and Orbot waking up in a situation that has befallen many hardcore alcoholics and overly enthusiastic college students: They wake up one morning with pounding headaches and no memory of what happened the night before. As they search the lair, they find no evidence of their master. They head to Sonic and Knuckles' head, wondering if maybe the heroes defeated Eggman in a fight the day before. They did but this information brings the robotic lackeys no closer to locating their boss. The two wander through town, follow a number of leads, and head off on some digressive adventures as they attempt to locate their creator. 

For the zoomers who might be reading this, "Dude, Where's My Eggman?" episode takes its title from a mostly forgotten 2000 comedy. That motion picture is about two imbecilic dude-bros attempting to locate their missing automobile after waking up with no memory of the day before. It's a terrible movie but an actually pretty funny premise, so I'm happy to say "Sonic Boom" makes better use of it. This story is a mystery, as absurd as that sounds, and it hands out clues in a compelling fashion. The robots go from lead to lead, like detectives, collecting evidence and coming to conclusions. Each clue leads them to the next step of the story, whether it be a tip from a shop owner, a confused reaction from a cop, or a hint from another criminal. I actually found myself genuinely invested in finding out what happened. That's the sign of a well-constructed mystery, even if this is an eleven minute cartoon that knowingly bends towards the ridiculous. 

It's also a testament to how surprisingly well written this one is that I was even compelled by the episode during its silly sidebar. As you'd probably expect from a story structured like this, Cubot and Orbot end up pursuing a number of dead ends. After becoming convinced that Eggman is in prison, they try a number of goofy schemes to rise bail money. The highlight of which is an attempt to sell the EggMobile, which doesn't go very well and comes back around nicely in the final scene. Cubot and Orbot are clueless dunces – they never guess that an obvious shyster, a P.T. Barnum-like wolf named T.W. Barker, would defraud them – but they are still compelling protagonists. You don't mind watching them go on this meandering adventure that, naturally, ends up being a big goofy shaggy dog story. The journey itself is the point, as the old saying goes.

Recently, I was critical of two episodes in a row involving Orbot and Cubot asking Sonic for help. I still think that's kind of a lazy solution and the robots do it again in this episode. But it kind of works for me here. If "Boom" is the sitcom version of "Sonic," and this version of Eggman is closer to Newman than Emperor Palpatine, it makes sense that his henchmen would be in friendly terms with Sonic and the gang. Moreover, this episode makes it abundantly clear that Cubot and Orbot are villains in-name-only. They are too incompetent to be dangerous and are even rather kind-hearted. They pose as a charity in order to fleece Amy out of some money. When she explains that she's raising money of her own, in order to send sweaters to baby penguins (a solid gag the episode runs with), the two robots are quickly moved to tears and gave her all their money. Their boss may be a would-be world conqueror but these guys are total softies. 

Having such goofy but ultimately sentimental machines as the lead characters creates a lot of opportunities for solid jokes here. There's a number of amusingly subtle physical comedy gags here. Such as Cubot attempting to kick over a trash can, despite his lack of feet. During a flashback, we see Eggman try and knock over a surprisingly sturdy display of canned tomatoes. A really funny bit has a crab-bot attempting to complete a party game but is far too short to do so. None of these bits are lingered on or commented upon, making them way funnier than they'd otherwise be. These quiet gags contrast nicely with some wackier bits of comedy, like a predictable conversation in a helium warehouse or the reveal of an unrelated criminal who just happens to have the same silhouette as Eggman. (And a passing resemblance to an old Archie/SatAM fave, though that was probably a coincidence.) The episode then ends on a note of mild existential dread, the robots understanding that their memories are totally unreliable, which blends well with this balance of the wacky and the subtle. 

By far the wackiest gag in the episode occurs when the bots ask Knuckles what happened to Eggman. The echidna proceeds to share a wild wish fulfillment fantasy, in which he has "Dragon Ball Z" like superpowers, is adored by women, is elected governor, and Sonic is the buffoon. I appreciate the show taking this joke – which may or may not be poking fun at the mainstream "Sonic" series' debt to "DBZ" – as far as they do. I like that it also gives us are most detailed look at Knuckles' personality thus far. He's not just a big dumdum. He has a child-like view of the world, imagining himself as a perfect superhero despite his obvious flaws, and seems maybe a little egotistical. (Also, he may or may not have a thing for Amy and Sticks.) It's hard to say if Knuckles actually believes this stuff, or simply wants to believe it, and I doubt "Boom" will ever get that deep into it. But I appreciate the effort nevertheless. Most amusingly, a later flashback to Eggman's situation implies that at least part of Knuckles' fantasy actually happened. 

Since Sonic and the gang take a backseat through most of this episode, it also gives us a deeper look at the community they call home. While it the village on Seaside Island seems idyllic, I'm starting to think it really isn't. It seems Eggman isn't the only supervillain threatening this small, seaside village. Apparently, crime is so out-of-control in this area that a large, castle-like prison had to be built. Maybe this is because the sole police officer Cubot and Orbot meet on their journey seems to be a sputtering incompetent, who repeatedly spits coffee everywhere. No wonder they have to rely on the skills of a bunch of outsiders, like Sonic and the others, to actually keep people safe! Considering what we saw in "My Fair Sticksy," I'm getting the creeping suspicion that Seaside Island is actually a terrible place to live. Whether this is just a result of interlocking gags or me reading too much into it, I guess we'll see as "Sonic Boom" evolves. 

As for "Dude, Where's My Eggman?," it's pretty funny! It mixes quiet absurdity with more exaggerated silliness, while relying less on worn-out one-liners and pithy asides. It's a surprisingly fully formed eleven minutes. Making Cubot and Orbot the protagonists ends up really working for this one, while allowing some of the main characters to shine in brief scenes. It's not as consistently hilarious as "Translate This" but it still proves to be one of the stronger episodes of "Boom" I've thus far seen. [7/10]