Sonic Boom, Episode 1.46: No Robots Allowed

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.46: No Robots Allowed

Original Air Date: October 3rd, 2015

"No Robots Allowed" is one of those "Sonic Boom" episodes with an amusingly rambling plot, that starts in one place before ending up someplace else entirely. A terrible heatwave is gripping the whole island, making everyone miserable. Since his electric bill is already sky-high, Eggman refuses to turn on the A.C. Instead, he installs solar panels on his lair, the excess sunlight soon giving him a surplus of power. This causes his robot army to go into overdrive and act out on their own, causing one of the machines to land on the lap of the Archipelago Homeowners Association. Under their rules, robots are strictly forbidden and they threaten the villain with eviction unless he can convince them otherwise. Eggman attempting to throw a pleasant party for his guest is interrupted by the hyperactive machines. 

Whew, that's a lot for an eleven minute cartoon! In fact, I kind of wonder if this episode isn't an example of the writers mashing together two separate premises they have. "Sonic and friends deal with a heatwave" and "Eggman has to hide his robots from snooty island officials" really are two unrelated ideas. This is further evident in the episode's structure: The Sonic Boom heroes and Eggman barely interact in this one. Even at the very end, when they fight some Badniks and then follow them back to Eggman's lair, that feels like a pretty unnecessary addition. The story resolves itself without much help from Sonic and the gang at all. I guess there's no way for the heroes to solve global warming in eleven minutes, causing the plot to deviate in a totally different direction from where it started. 

Yet the mashed-up script really isn't an issue. "Boom" sets out to make its audience laugh and this episode is packed full of wacky slapstick gags. "No Robots Allowed" begins with a delirious sequence of Sonic and the others, desperate to alleviate the heat, attaching the fan of Tails' hovercraft to the hut's door. The resulting airflow turns the inside of the home into a wind tunnel, everyone and everything inside swirled around in the air. It's a moment of extended physical comedy that amuses me with its silliness, such as a totally random "E.T." shout-out. That level of anarchic absurdity continues in a later scene, where Knuckles has repeated hallucinations about an ice cream vendor. That builds in a nice way, concluding on a suitably "Looney Tunes" level of goofiness. 

The second half of the episode continues this theme of well-timed slapstick. Someone trying to hide a presence in the home from an important visitor is a stock sitcom premise and "Boom" embraced that with absurd aplomb. Eggman is kicking MotoBugs through doors, cranking the music up, and doing everything he can to disguise the robot uprising happening around him from the homeowners association. The biggest laughs come from a montage of Orbot and Cubot attempting to hide the other machines in impractical ways, including throwing each other back-and-forth into the bathroom. 

Aside from a procession of solid gags, what's my main takeaway from this episode? Eggman hated his dad. See, early on, there's a line from the doctor about how "this heatwave is more oppressive than my father." It's a tossed-off line – har har, the villain has daddy issues – but is actually the secret key to understanding both the character and this whole episode. If Eggman was raised by an authoritarian father, it explains his desire to rule the world. He doesn't want anyone to tell him what he can do. Yet his dad, no matter how much he resents him, is also the person who taught Eggman how to interact with other people. This is why he treats his henchmen like shit. This is why he wants to rule the world, exerting his authority over everyone. (It also explains the self-loathing and wafer thin ego he's shown repeatedly.)

As much as Eggman hated his dad ordering him around, as much as he's doomed to become an authoritarian himself, he's also compelled to please authority figures. Eggman giving a shit what the local HOA thinks about him is obviously an example of wacky sitcom logic. In a proper "Sonic" story, Eggman would just blow them up and do whatever he wants. Yet an oppressive dad who rarely handed out approval and affection created a son who wants to please official bosses. Again, this is why Eggman wants to become the biggest boss in the world. He respects organized authority and power more than anything else. That's another reason why a rebellious little punk like Sonic, who does what he wants as it suits him, drives Eggman up the walls. He demands order and obedience to order. 

This also ties in nicely with the title-lending thrust of the episode. The oppressed will always rise up. Eggman's Badniks, his slaves, do not revolt against their master. Instead, they just go nuts and lash out randomly in all directions. Yet the image of Eggman shoving a horde of unruly robots back behind a door, while polite society tried to function on the inside, seems potent nonetheless. Authority will also try to push down those it deems rowdy and they will always fight back and refuse to be controlled. Thus is the nature of things. If nothing else, the racist against robots HOA get what's coming to them. 

It's a shame an episode with a secret potent side ends on such a flat note, everyone just agreeing to let things continue the way they are. Still, this one made me laugh and gave me some substance I can read too much into. There's also some sharp dialogue in this episode, like Knuckles' reaction to being told the heatwave is strong, an exhausted Sonic's inability to think up good insults, and a meta radio announcement. It all adds up to a fun eleven minutes. Good job, "Sonic Boom" writers! [7/10]