Knuckles, Episode 1.05: Reno, Baby

Knuckles, Episode 1.05: Reno, Baby

Original Release Date: April 26th, 2024

As the title of the fifth episode of "Knuckles" indicates, Wade Whipple and his echidna pal have finally arrived in Reno for the bowling tournament. Wade's estranged father, "Pistol" Pete, is also there. The buffoonish deputy sees this as a chance to finally patch things up with dear old dad. After an assist from Knuckles doesn't go well, Wade seemingly does successfully reconnect with his father.... Despite his mother's warning that Pistol Pete only ever breaks people's hearts. Meanwhile, Agent Mason and Willoughby are dragged before the Buyer, who reveals himself as a former G.U.N. agent and a protegee of Robotnik's. He gives them another chance to bring Knuckles to him, sending the duo into their most villainous scheme yet. 

From the minute reactions to the "Knuckles" show started to appear, there was a reoccurring criticism: That Knuckles was barely in the show that bore his name. This is something that the Paramount's "Sonic" movies have flirted with before, pushing the CGI super-animals aside in favor of the continuing adventures of Tom Wachowski and his fam. At least the movies didn't totally do that, understanding Sonic and his friends are still the main attractions. (Even if the flesh bags took up far more screen time than most would like.) As I've watched my way through "Knuckles," Wade's story has definitely been the primary narrative... But at least Knuckles was still there. He's in a box for most of episode two but he's still there. Episode four barely featured the echidna but his backstory still took up a big chunk. I have a lot of valid criticism for "The Flames of Disaster" but having Wade flail around in a Knuckles costume was a clever way to keep the show centered on the echidna while saving money on expensive, computer generated effects. 

But episode five? Yeah, episode five barely features Knuckles at all. You can feel the writers struggling to involve the brawny monotreme here. He does a Cyrano de Bergerac thing with Wade, feeding honorable warrior lingo into his ear while he confronts his dad. Otherwise, Knuckles spends almost the entire episode chilling up in their hotel room. He rides into Reno on a motorcycle at the beginning, cracks a few lines about margaritas, and then steps into an elevator while wearing a hat at the end. It's frustrating, ya know? We were promised Knuckles the Echidna, kicking ass and taking names. Instead, we got a doughy nerd working through his Daddy issues. Not optimal! 

One feels that this Wade-heavy focus had to have been a budgetary decision, right? Or some hugely misguided attempt to attract non-"Sonic" fans to the show. Because, truly, can anyone say that they are invested in Wade being sad about his bad dad? Ya know, I can feel credited writer Brian Schacter trying. When Wade and his dad finally sit at the hotel bar, they have a surprisingly sincere conversation. There's almost no distracting jokes in this scene. Even the ridiculous running gag of Wade's "jammerz" mix tapes sets up something like a genuine moment. The scene where Wade's mom talks to him in a hallway, reminding her son that his father is good at making people like him and bad at actually sticking around, is... Effective drama?! It's certainly the first time I've felt Adam Pally actually doing any acting, instead of just mugging furiously. I probably shouldn't be surprised that Stockard Channing has wound up doing most of the emotional heavy lifting for this show. She's a fucking pro, so of course she brings her best, even to a silly children's TV show about a video game character. 

Wade rebuffs his mom, assuring her that she might feel negatively about his father but he wants this man in his life. A better series could have built some actual pathos out of this. Arrested man-child that he is, Wade Whipple is still waiting for Daddy to come home. He's ready to pick up where they left off, even though decades have passed and he's ostensibly grown up. This could've played like sad, inevitable tragedy. Because of course Pistol Pete is still a bastard. The moment he seems to start opening up and sincerely apologizing to his son, you can feel the weight of the anvil about to fall. Pete will let Wade down. Pete will make Wade hurt. Ya know, I've known middle-aged dudes that have never gotten over their dads walking out on them. Who have sought out father figures their whole lives, who have never given up hope that this hole in their heart might someday be filled. It's a sad, all-too-common tragedy. If this story arc could've tapped into just a smidge of that, maybe this could've been something...

Unfortunately, Wade Whipple is a shallow, ridiculous character that the audience tolerates more than they like. Pistol Pete, played by character actor extraordinaire Cary Elwes, is also a very silly character. He affects a British accent and clads himself in the Union Jack, even though he doesn't actually appear to be English. The whole time Pete and Wade are talking, I was waiting for him to do something asshole-ish. Throughout the whole episode, I kept waiting for Wade's dad to show his true colors again. Instead of feeling any suspense from this, I just got more and more annoyed. Kind of like the show was stretching out the inevitable reveal. Good screenwriting creates tension with the anticipation of events the audience imagines coming. Mediocre screenwriting makes me impatient. 

All of this results in an episode that is weirdly light on jokes. Maybe after the last one, the showrunners felt they had pushed it a bit too far. I'm picturing Jeff Fowler calling someone up in the middle of the night just to say "Dial it back for the next one, guys." Yet there's definitely some tonal whiplash here. The jokes that are present are weak. Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer are brought in as two passive-aggressive sports commentators, spouting backhanded compliments towards the bowling tournament. (One of the better jokes: They are broadcasting for ESPN Eight.) Wanda Whipple continues to establish her status as the most irritating character on this show. I gotta tell you, "Knuckles" writer's room: Wanda dripping commonplace FBI jargon and her own made-up slang into casual conversation is not a good joke! There's a really lame bit where Knuckles is mistaken for a mascot by someone dressed as what I believe is a Herpes sore. These gags would not be the best in any episode of this show but, in a weirdly maudlin one like this, they feel really limp. 

Despite the overwhelming focus on the ill-fated father/son bonding, "Reno, Baby" does move the actual plot forward. Five episodes into "Knuckles," one from the end, the show finally gets around to properly introducing its principal antagonist. He's still only known as The Buyer but he gets to do more than just bark orders at Mason and Willoughby. There's a cool moment where he blowtorches one of the egg-shaped Badniks in half. Rory McCann is intimidatingly burly in the part, I guess. 

This guy's connection to Robotnik and the lack of a real name makes me wonder if, at some point in "Knuckles" development, he wasn't going to be Snively or Grimer. Or Dr. Starline or, I don't know, Bokkun. Something like that. But Sega said no. The character feels like he's setting up an Easter egg, because would they be keeping his real name a mystery otherwise? As it is now, it's weird that the villain for this show is just Diet Eggman, Carrey Robotnik Without the Jokes. Are we sure they didn't want Agent Stone for this part but Lee Majdoub had some prior obligation? That would've forged a much stronger connection to the films and generally felt a lot less weird. But, ya know, actually developing this guy more before the penultimate half-hour of the series also would've been a lot less weird. If Knuckles smashes the Buyer's head open next episode and Metal Sonic flies out, I'll take back everything I said here. Until then, this entire development will continue to strike me as half-formed. 

Ya know, I can't decide if it would've been better or worse for "Knuckles," and the cinematic "Sonic" universe in general, to continue cooking up these original players nobody cares about or to make them into half-assed adaptations of established characters. Obviously, there is a precedence in the "Sonic" franchise for Robotnik to have two incompetent henchmen. Would I like Mason and Willoughby more if, in the last episode, their brains got sucked out of their bodies and put into robots shaped like a cube and an orb? If they somehow got turned into a robot chicken and a mini Moguera? Or would that just make them in-name-only takes on long-time "Sonic" characters? I mean, I hate it when comic book movies do that shit. I suppose making two forgettable secret agents is the preferable option. Even if this show really could've used some more throwbacks to established Sega lore. Either way, I do agree with Willoughby's line here about how it was irresponsible for G.U.N. to let Sonic just run around Montana when his cast-off quills have untested destructive capabilities. That does seem like it could cause some problems.

Anyway, are you ready for some bowling? Cause you're gonna get some fucking bowling. It feels like a cruel joke that an adaptation of a character whose life revolves around giant magical rocks, a floating island, and regular world-threatening crises would instead focusing so much time on a sport most known as a favorite pastime of slovenly, cartoon sitcom dads but... Well, here we are. "Reno, Baby" has a lengthy montage of Wade and his dad rising up the ranks of the tournament, full of flashy split screen effects and set to the "Scarface" theme song. I guess there are jokes here, in the form of punny bowling team names and people wearing goofy outfits. Or maybe the joke is that everyone is treating bowling – not exactly the most prestigious of sports – like it's that big of a deal. I just can't escape this feeling that it's weird that so much of the "Knuckles" show is about goddamn bowling! If Wade screams "Who do you think you are I AM!" after making the winning roll, maybe I'll get over that. Otherwise, I think I'll continue to be baffled by the creative choices made here. 

I sound like a broken record here but... Why couldn't the "Sonic" films be entirely animated and focus totally on the furries? At the very least, why couldn't a "Knuckles" streaming series be a prequel set on Sonic's home world? Would that not attract eyeballs to Paramount+? I know, I'm failing horribly at my stated goal of judging this show for what it is and not for what it could've been. For the most part, "Reno, Baby" – while not being the most wretched thing in the universe – left me feeling discouraged and depressed. Especially since it ends in a very downbeat place. Obviously, Wade and Knuckles will work it out and everything will be okay. Yet I left this episode disliking Whipple and the show he's inexplicably the star of more than ever before. Maybe they'll stick the landing? I guess we'll find out soon enough... [5/10]