Sonic Boom, Episode 1.22: The Curse of Buddy Buddy Temple

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.22: The Curse of Buddy Buddy Temple

Original Air Date: April 18th, 2015 

In my last “Sonic Boom” review, I talked a little about how the “Sonic” franchise is extremely fond of ancient ruins. It began in the very first game, where Sonic has to navigate Greco-Roman structures filled with lava and a water-clogged labyrinth occupied by mysterious statues. The second game had a stage actually called “Aquatic Ruin” while the Mystic Ruins were one of the major hub areas in “Sonic Adventure.” In fact, off the top of my head, I can only think of one major “Sonic” game — “Advance 2” — that doesn't have an ancient ruins-themed stage. Even the racing games usually feature them. And it looks like “Sonic Frontiers” is going to continue this tradition. 

It’s easy to see why this type of setting would become such a trademark of the series. “Indiana Jones” still had a very prominent presence in pop culture in the early 90s, doubtlessly influencing “Sonic.” A temple full of death traps and puzzles is perfect for a platformer game. A setting like this makes it easy to vaguely hint at some sort of history for the game’s story without actually having to devote an entire cutscene to it. (Which certainly wasn’t practically for the 16-bit games.) Plus, they look cool. Accordingly, they are very common in the comics and cartoons as well. Unsurprisingly, the “Sonic Boom” cartoon would build a whole episode around this idea too.

The episode begins with a typical situation. Eggman is chasing Sonic through the woods while his friends fight off some Badniks. The two chase one another into a mysterious temple, that locks behind them as they enter. Sonic twists his ankle and Eggman’s Egg-Mobile is destroyed, meaning they have to find their way out of this place naturally. Soon, they are tossed into one death trap after another, which can only be escaped if they work together. Will these two enemies learn to put aside their differences and escape the fearsome Buddy Buddy Temple? Or are they doomed to bicker endlessly until they're crushed by a boulder or whatever? 

Just like it did with the lumbering rock monster premise last time, “Sonic Boom” has a somewhat sarcastic take on the temple of doom concept. Who built Buddy Buddy Temple is unknown but the purpose behind it is clear. Hieroglyphs of beavers working together decorate each room, making it clear that people have to cooperate if they hope to escape the generic death traps. (Which include such stalwarts as spiked walls closing in, the floor turning to lava, and arrows shooting out of random places. The show even throws in a mine cart sequence.) This gives me the impression that Buddy Buddy Temple was the equivalent of a team-building workshop for whatever ancient civilization erected it. The show essentially dispenses with any deeper purpose and makes this setting the plot device it is, building the temple around its story purpose.

I figured the main joke to this episode was Sonic and Eggman, two characters intrinsically opposed to one another, stuck in a situation where they have to work together but then refuse to do so. That they would mock, belittle, and undermine one another and just survive through sheer luck. A total subversion of the Enemy Mine premise, in other words. Instead, "The Curse of Buddy Buddy Temple" plays that element kind of straight. Sonic and Eggman snipe at each other plenty and the doctor does attempt to betray the hedgehog eventually. Yet, in the end, they come out of temple with more respect for one another. The show leans into one of its more intriguing ideas here, something the "Sonic" franchise has suggested from time-to-time: Sonic is the closest thing Eggman has to a pal. Fighting each other is their bonding time. It's a funny idea and leads to an almost cute ending. I guess the real curse of the temple is the friends we made along the way.

While Sonic and Eggman unexpectedly find harmony inside the temple, the rest of the gang fall into disharmony outside it. Sonic's friends bicker amongst themselves as they try and decide who should lead in Sonic's absence. This is when "Sonic Boom's" embracing of stock sitcom archetypes becomes really funny. Everyone in this group has a single-minded role. Amy is the reasonable straight woman, so of course she believes she's the best choice to lead. Knuckles is a big dumb child with an inflated sense of self, so he wants to lead and is completely unwilling to listen to the reasons why he shouldn't. Tails wants to be the middle man between these two uncompromisable viewpoints, which just leads to him getting yelled at. Meanwhile, Sticks' paranoid mindset means she's suspicious of all authority and won't trust anyone who leads. Is this a political metaphor of some sort? Is Amy Hilary and Knuckles Trump? Probably not. Either way, it's funny and a good use of the characters. 

It’s a pretty funny episode, all things considered. Most of the bickering made me chuckle. There’s a pretty good gag where, after Eggman is trapped in the temple, Cubot and Orbot celebrate. Apparently Cubot’s greatest goal in life is to live on a houseboat, just because he thinks houseboats are cool. Inside the temple, there’s a moment where Eggman asks Sonic to wear a harass, the kind pets and unruly children were, and the hedgehog’s reaction to that got me to snort. There’s still a lot of the limp sitcom one liners here that I dislike. The opening scene where Eggman sings a laser themed song or complains about birds, or later when he explains a pun to Sonic, are the kind of painfully overdone snarkiness that this show really struggles with. “Boom” needs to be wackier and less snide, I think. That’s where its strength lie.

I probably would’ve made more of a deal out of Sonic twisting his ankle, a plot point that is dismissed pretty quickly after it’s first brought up. You’d think a constant runner like Sonic losing the ability to put any weight on his foot would be more of a hinderance for him. Maybe all that sports tape act as compression stockings. Anyway, this is still a good episode, with a surprising payoff and enough decent gags and lines to amuse me. [7/10]