Ghost Tale

Ghost Tale

Original Release Date: October 31st, 2023

We interrupt the meandering conclusion to an old cartoon show for a special holiday event! Yes, friends, it's Halloween season, the spookiest, happiest time of the year! I try and dig up something thematic, on my favorite of all holidays, to write about on my humble little Sonic the Hedgehog blog. It's not always easy though, as I've discussed most of the official altogether ooky "Sonic" content over the years. Luckily, last Halloween, we got a new spooky treat for us hedgehog fans to commemorate the season with. Unfortunately, last Halloweens, I was locked in the Labyrinth of Leviathan, having my flesh infinitely explored by the Order of the Gash, beyond the limits of human experience, where pain and pleasure become indistinguishable from each other. Accordingly, I was only able to post a review of an at least somewhat spooky "Sonic Boom" episode. Time to make up for missing out and take a look at "Ghost Tale."

That would be a 15 years later sequel to "Sonic: Night of the Werehog," dropping back into the haunted home of adorable ghost girl, Lah, and her two roommates/buddies/spouses(?), the rotund and bowtie sporting Su and the lanky and bandanaed Uh. While surrounded by a litter of ghostly babies, the two male spirits entertain their partner by levitating some plates. Impressed, Lah decides to give this telekinetic display a shot herself. She attempts to levitate a grand piano but has problems lifting it. After a short struggle, the piano does float into the air... Because her two boyfriends are raising it – with quite a lot of effort – behind their back. Awwww, ain't that cute?

"Ghost Tale" was a pleasant surprise last Halloween, dropped onto the internet with little teasing or prior announcement. "Night of the Werehog" might have been a one-off animated short released a decade and a half ago but, since "Sonic" fans never forget a character, its cast has maintained a cult following. Or, at least, Lah the Ghost Girl has. Which is hardly surprising, considering she's a cutesy anime character and, technically, part of that somewhat disreputable but widely beloved trope known as Monster Girls. Her more generic co-stars, Su and Uh, aren't seen nearly as much in fan art and the such. Like always, Sega has been reluctant to capitalize on the popularity of an obscure "Sonic" supporting cast member. Lah and the gang are the creation of Marza Animation Planet, a CGI animation studio. Now, Marza is owned by Sega, leading one to assume that Sonic's parent companies also own Lah and her hanger-ons. Perhaps there might still be some contractual red tape – or professional courtesy – preventing these guys from becoming regular members of the "Sonic" supporting cast. Outside of brief appearances on non-canon comic book covers or blink-and-miss-it cameos in the game, this cartoon marks only their second official appearance. 

It's also entirely possible that Sega considers Lah and company incidental characters made for a minor promotional cartoon for a video game that came out a decade and a half ago, with no need to promote them further. This would put them in the same limbo as Sally and the Freedom Fighters or Scratch and Grounder, much more significant characters that Sega technically owns but can't be arsed to include in anything as they are connected to long since deceased corners of the franchise. However, I do suspect there might be some, at the very least, legal separation between the rest of the "Sonic" cast and the "Night of the Werehog" gang. I say this because... Sonic doesn't actually appear in this short. It stars Lah, Su, and Uh alone. The Werehog has a cameo, of sorts, in a classic monster movie style poster glimpsed in the background. It looks different enough from Sonic that this could be considered legally distinct from the blue hedgehog, qualifying as more of a homage than a deliberate appearance. My point is: "Ghost Tale" is not that connected to the "Sonic" brand and could, possibly, be considered a mostly unrelated piece of media. I'm still fairly confident that Sega could use these guys if they want to but, with this review, I am straying slightly into "Lara-Su Chronicles" territory of "Sonic" material that is debatably not truly "Sonic" material. 

This may be like DiC producing a stand-alone short starring the kid from "Sonic Christmas Blast" in 2011 but, whatever, I'm writing about it. So let us actually discuss "Ghost Tale": It's cute! There's not too much to talk about with it. The character design of Lah remains adorable and lovable. Simply by looking at her dimpled face, you want to see her be happy. This means you are invested in her being satisfied with lifting that piano. The exact details of her relationship with the other ghosts may be ambiguous. Nevertheless, it's adorable that the guys want to make the cutie-pie smile without causing her to doubt her own ability. Also, it's funny because it causes men to suffer and who doesn't love to see that? Lah, Su, and Uh are not horribly deep characters. They are akin to Tom and Jerry and other classic cartoon figures, defined entirely by static characteristics. Lah will always want something special and shiny to amuse her. Su and Uh will always be competing with each other and any other vaguely male presences to impress her. Seemingly lacking the ability to speak in any thing but sighs, shouts, and other non-word vocalizations also limits the stories you can tell with this gang. That's okay though, as simplicity is the mode they are designed to work in. Hearing Lah do that breathy little Japanese girl yelp over and over again is a little annoying but, otherwise, this is cute. 

"Ghost Tale" is all of two minutes long. There's only so much to say about it. However, reading far too much into "Sonic" and "Sonic"-adjacent media is kind of my thing, if you hadn't noticed. And "Ghost Tales" does raise an interesting question. Throughout the short, Lah is surrounded by smaller phantasms, who have curly little unibrows, a single tooth in their mouths, and babble in incoherent baby noises. All of this suggests that these critters are... Baby ghosts. The Sonic Wiki refers to them by that name, suggesting this is their official designation. How are we to interrupt their presence in the mansion or how they came to be? First off... Is a baby ghost the ghost of a baby or the off-spring of a ghost? The former suggestion is rather morbid, implying infanticide and crib death exists in the "Sonic" universe. The latter raises some other disturbing quandaries though. If ghosts can have babies... Do ghosts, ya know, make woopie? Dead or immaterial things, which ghosts usually are considered, can't traditionally procreate. In the "Sonic" world however, spectres do seem to exist as separate species all of their own that merely resemble the earthly conception of a spirit. I don't know, maybe they bud off totally asexually via a process like mitosis. If that pushes the image of Lah getting yammed out of your brain and helps you sleep at night, sure, go with it. 

I'm a pervert however, so let's run with the assumption that ghosts get down and goopy in a spooky way reproduce via sexual intercourse in the "Sonic"-verse. That presents another mystery: Who are the Baby Ghosts' parents? Are they ghostly foundlings that have arrived at the haunted mansion via unknown means and become the non-biological wards of Lah and the others? Are these the, I don't know, kids of Lah's ghost sister? Her ghost nieces and nephews or cousins or something? Is she merely ghost-babysitting? Lah certainly seems rather child-like herself, which doesn't mean much to the moë obsessed Japanese. She is, at the very least, mature enough to have a split-second crush on Sonic the Werehog. Su and Uh seem romantically interested in her, obviously. The Ghost Babies stay close to her throughout the entirety of "Ghost Tale," certainly presenting the assumptions that she is their ghost-mother. 

I think you know what I'm implying here: Did Lah do the monster mash with Su and Uh? Did bustin' make anyone feel good? Did they take turns with Lah or haunt her creepy music box at the same time? Did Su watch while Uh placed a casket in her grave? Both guy-ghosts still seem like they are trying to win the affection of their favored girl-ghosts however, probably excluding the existence of ghost-polygamy or ghost-cuckoldry. Maybe some other handsome furry besides Sonic fell into this mansion and was happy to take Lah up on her romantic advances, the unfaithful harlot. Assuming any of these scenarios are plausible, that causes one to ponder extensively on ghost biology. Maybe they do it like fish, Lah plopping out some ghost-eggs that then get ghost-fertilized by the ectoplasm of whatever Class 5 Full Roaming Vapor that happens to be nearby. I'm sure there's plenty of extremely detailed fan art out there illustrating some of these what-if scenarios. All of this is utterly unfounded speculation and I'm sure Marza, Sega, and everyone involved didn't think about it that much. But I did. And now you have too. 

All of that aside, "Ghost Tale" is charming and amusing enough for all of the two minutes it takes to watch. It would be nice if we see these spooks again. Maybe Marza will make another short fifteen years from now. That seems more likely than Sega sneaking them into another game or comic book. Since IDW made a Halloween special, you kind of have to assume Lah was at least considered for a role in that story, if they can use her. Maybe nobody wants to figure out how this trio fits into the current "Sonic" universe. They at least appear to be human-like and Sega can't make up its mind about what role fleshy humanoids play in this setting these days. 

All of that aside, Im glad this exists. It's nice. I like these characters and the haunted home they inhabit. It's good to know that there's a spooky corner of the "Sonic" world out there somewhere and that these three exists somewhere besides the fevered imagination of fans. "Ghost Tale" is short and sweet, a fun little treat for our collective Halloween buckets. It brought a little bit of Samhain cheer into my life. I hope it does for you too and that you have a wonderfully creepy October 31st and that my disturbingly vivid ideas didn't send too big a shiver down your spine. Then again, everyone deserves a little scare, or at least an uncomfortable thought about non-corporeal porking, on Halloween! [7/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.52: Eggman the Video Game Part 2: The End of the World

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.52: Eggman the Video Game Part 2: The End of the World 

Original Air Date: November 11th, 2017

The first half of the season finale of "Sonic Boom: Season Two" – aired back-to-back with the second half – had the kind of silly premise you expect from this show. Eggman is trying to make his own video game and shit gets wacky. While Shadow showing up was enough for the season one finale, the show runners clearly wanted to escalate things for season two. As the subtitle makes apparent, season two wasn't ending with a mere supervillain royal rumble. Instead, the entire world was going to end. Or at least be brought to the edge of Armageddon. That ended up being a fitting choice for a season finale topic, as "The End of the World" was also destined to be the end of the show. I'm sure every TV crew writes a season finale with the hope that they might get to return to this setting but most programs have to write with the always-present threat of cancelation in mind. Considering how "Sonic Boom" had been jerked around in its second season, I'm sure Natalys Raut-Sieuzac and the talented team around her saw the writing on the wall. So, if you're gonna go out, might as well go out with a bang, baby. 

We pick up where we left off, with Shadow and Sonic beating the snot out of each other. During the fisticuffs, Sonic informs Shadow that Eggman mislead him. The so-called Ultimate Lifeform isn't going to allow such a betrayal to stand and he immediately turns his wrath on Eggman. Not wanting to get disremembered today, Eggman rushes into Mombot's hut and asks for Steve's help. He is given the dimensional portal gun, crossing over into the alternate world from "Where Have All the Sonics Gone?" and convincing the dictatorial Lord Eggman to crossover into the main "Boom"-verse. Sonic and Shadow, briefly united, go after their Eggman into the alternate universe. A duel with Metal Sonic, the result of Eggman's motion capture tech, ensues that stretches back into the original zone. While this is going on Shadow captured both Eggmen and hides them somewhere around here, causing the very fabric of the universe to start to break up. Now, Team Sonic has to locate Lord Eggman and send him back home before shit gets apocalyptic. 

If the unusually convoluted plot synopsis above didn't make it apparent, "Eggman the Video Game Part 2" properly raises the stakes for the season finale. In what is a real butterfly effect situation, Eggman getting splashed with mud escalates to the entire universe nearly shattering apart. (Actually, this started with Amy not having enough eggs for her baked Alaska, so it's her fault.) "Boom" goes for it too. In order to get the stakes as high as possible, as quickly as possible, the clouds darken and storms start to blow in immediately after Shadow announces his intentions. We are greeted to a cool montage of Team Sonic searching around the entire island, over land, sea, air, and lava flow. Vector gets a cameo. I have no doubt that the producers figured they might as well get their money's worth and pack this episode with as many pre-existing assets as possible. The Gogobas' response to the impending end times – "It's okay, we understand that you're too busy to save us..." – was presumably cut for time. 

What I truly like about this episode isn't merely that it goes as big as "Boom" probably could, in order to feel like a proper climax of all that has come before. It also, like much of season two has, organically builds on elements introduced in previous episodes. Here we have a story that smoothly combines Shadow, Mombot, Steve, the alternate universe from "Where Have All the Sonics Gone?," the premise of a dimension collapsing if two of the same people co-exist in from "Two Good to Be True," and Metal Sonic. Only the last of those seems like a bit of a reach. I'm sure if the writers could have thought of a way to do it, they would've thrown Dave, the Lightning Bolt Society, T.W. Barker, Charlie and Belinda, Og and the Froglodytes, Roboken, the Bike Chain Bandit and Muckfoot into the mix too. I never expected "Sonic Boom" to develop such a fleshed-out world. Seeing that come into being has been one of the unexpected delights of this season. 

Bringing Metal Sonic into this story clearly serves another purpose. Shadow appearing on this show was a big deal for "Sonic" fans, because Shadow is one of the most popular characters from this franchise. Metal Sonic, similarly, is another very popular established "Sonic" character. Though they've both been in "Boom," they've never been in an episode together. Cramming Sonic and two of his most frequently reoccurring enemies together was obviously an attempt to top the previous season finale. Better yet, it quickly ramps up into a three-way melee between Sonic, Shadow, and Metal. I'm not the biggest Metal fan but even I'll admit that the appeal of these three powerhouses wailing on each other isn't beyond me. Sometimes you just want to see the good guys and the bad guys punch it out. 

Moreover, the action scenes are quite well done. "Boom" has come a long way in that regard. From the utterly sluggish and graceless fights of the first season, we've arrived at this: a cool series of duels. The opening fight between Sonic and Shadow sees the asshole-ish hedgehog using his teleporting abilities offensively, something we really haven't seen Shadow do that often in his other appearances. The fight between them and Metal Sonic actually has some well done choreography, of punches and kicks interlacing. The sequence where all of Team Sonic works together to bring down Metal Sonic is even better. Honestly, it's probably the best action scene from the entire series. Even Lord Eggman from Dimension X gets a decent action beat, when he whips out an off-brand lightsaber. If you had gone back after I finished watching season one and told me this show was going to feature some genuinely decent fight scenes some day, I don't know if I would've believed you. 

Last time, I postulated why the "Boom" version of Shadow is a bigger asshole than his Sega counterpart, eventually concluding it's probably because he's bitter about living in a cave. "The End of the World" shows us that Shadow's rage extends much further than simply wanting to pound Sonic in a not-sexy way. Shadow intentionally captures the two Eggmen, knowing full well that their presence will lead to a cataclysm. His justification for this is simply to say "I want revenge on this whole pathetic universe." Revenge for what? What happened to Shadow that he has to kill every single living thing on this planet and any other ones in order to feel vindicated? Who hurt you, Shadow? What is your fucking problem, dude?! If this was all out of some deluded desire to do away with anything inferior to him, that might make sense... Except that an interdimensonal infarction that wipes the entire universe would presumably destroy Shadow as well.

We shall never know what could possibly motivate Shadow to do this. However, I think this definitely makes "Boom" Shadow the evilest version of this character. King Shadow from Archie's "25 Years Later" setting just subjugated the globe to his rule. The darkest pathways Sega Shadow takes in his own game only results in him destroying or conquering Earth. This Shadow is going to kill everyone on this world plus other potential beings living on other probable planets. Because, as far as I can tell, his feelings are hurt. Listen, man, I have grumpy days too but it doesn't make me want to commit universe-wide genocide. What a dick! At the end of the episode, after his plan has been foiled, he simply shrugs his shoulders and says he's "not thrilled with the results" but "impressed" that Sonic saved the universe. Is... Is this how Shadow the Hedgehog flirts? By nearly wiping out all of existence and all life within it, including his own? Truly, "Boom" Shadow is 2 edgy 4 me. 

The stakes are high and "The End of the World" plans them fairly straight. The big conclusion of the episode, where Sonic's speed saves everything, is about as iconic a moment as this version of the blue hedgehog could ask for. None of this prevents "Eggman The Video Game Part 2" from also being a funny eleven minutes. Natalys Raut-Sieuzac is credited with the script. I've come to believe that most of the "Boom" episodes had other writers inserting some jokes here and there. However, if Raut-Sieuzac truly did write this one all by herself, it's by far her funniest script. Volcano Wonderpants, the relative fastness of panthers, the difference between imply and infer, and whether Lord Eggman is "emo" all make for some fine comedic lines here. There's some wonderfully silly visual gags, in how Eggman abruptly leaves Orbot and Cubot to deal with Shadow or Steve's solution to hiding from the rampaging hedgehog. Probably the biggest laugh, for me, came when Eggman pops into the alternate world, the other Eggman immediately – and casually – accepting the rules of interdimensonal travel. Love that kind of shit, when characters dismiss science babble as another fact of life they deal with. 

"The End of the World" – and all of "Sonic Boom" – concludes with Eggman making a crack about how "There's always next season." If the cartoon had gotten a third season, this wouldn't have been anything more than another of the show's self-aware, fourth wall leaning gags. With this being the final episode of the entire series, that moment feels like a tactile admission that the show runners knew "Sonic Boom" had no future. Eggman losing all his research from these last two episodes, then hoping that he can make up for it next season – when there isn't a next season – feels like a fitting joke to wrap things up on. Right up until the end, Eggman simply can't catch a break. I've got more thoughts about "Sonic Boom" ending but I'll save those for next time. As for "The End of the World," it is a fine installment. [7/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.51: Eggman: The Video Game Part 1

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.51: Eggman: The Video Game Part 1

Original Air Date: November 11th, 2017

I don't know if the "Sonic Boom" production team had any idea that their show was not long for this world in 2017. An in-depth, trash talk filled, behind-the-scenes book about the entire fiasco-filled history of the "Boom" sub-series has yet to be written. I suspect the powers-that-be – whether that was Cartoon Network, some nebulous force within Sega, or the French – gave the show a two season order right from the get-go. Either way, the "Boom" staff had their ears in some corner of the fandom and knew that, to create a properly epic finale, they needed to bring back a much in-demand character. Why not stretch it out over two episodes, to truly deliver on that sense of grandness? Did anyone suspect that the "Eggman: The Video Game" two-parter would be the last episode of the show and, indeed, the last part of the entire "Boom" enterprise? I'm gonna guess no. Either way, the fact of the matter remains: Here we are at the penultimate episode of "Sonic Boom." The end is neigh. 

A series of incidents that start with Sonic getting a honey-do call from Amy while driving a race car ends with Eggman wondering why he's so unpopular. After spotting Tommy Thunder hocking his incredibly powerful new video game, Eggman decides some electronic entertainment starring him may boost his public image. When the village is disinterested in his Atari 2600-esque game, he engages Sonic and the others in a melee to motion-capture their moves. Underwhelmed with his own fighting abilities, Orbot gives Eggman the idea to paste his own graphics over motion capture of a foe powerful enough to thrash Sonic single-handedly. That means only one hedgehog: Shadow! Eggman does too good of a job of goading Shadow into wailing on Sonic and friends, the so-called Ultimate Lifeform going on a war march against the blue hedgehog and all his friends. 

In the past, when "Sonic Boom" has set out to emulate the gaming realm from which its cast emerged, the results have rarely satisfied. Natalys Raut-Sieuzac's "Nominatus" episodes seemed built around stodgy callbacks to ancient gaming memes. "Eggman: The Video Game" is slightly less antiquated than "Your princess is in another castle" jokes, despite including multiple shout-outs to Nintendo's beloved plumber. I say slightly because Eggman's first game is patterned after "Pitfall," a platformer older than both Sonic and Mario. The script, from Jean-Christophe Derrien, does include shout-outs to "Street Fighter," "Mortal Kombat," and "Super Smash Bros," which are slightly more contemporary references. If I wanted to read into things, perhaps you could interpret the main thrust of the episode – that Eggman has to be talked into using motion capture CGI graphics in his game – as an oblique reference to the "Sonic" series' own difficulties with piercing the polygon ceiling. That seems like a stretch, especially since the classic "Sonic" titles aren't recalled much here. Trying to understand why a TV show literally based on a classic game series would do a video game themed episode without referencing its own history is beyond me. 

Despite getting title billing, the video game premise is only an excuse to explore a richer vein of storytelling: "Boom" Eggman's continuous search for approval and praise. Every action of his that follows in this episode is motivated by a need to be respected, to dispel the blatant disrespect apparent in being splattered with mud. It sticks in Eggman's teeth that he's not popular or at least understood. (Counter to his line from the last episode about how he's "widely disliked.") The unavoidable fact that Sonic lives rent-free in his head stands in contrast to how much Sonic doesn't think about him at all. The hedgehog actually apologizes to Eggman for covering him in mud earlier! When the villain tries to get Sonic to shit talk Shadow on-camera, Sonic's response is unbothered. Eggman agonizes over his choices and interactions. Sonic simply does stuff. Is this the real reason Eggman hates Sonic? Because he has to work so hard to accomplish anything while everything seems effortless to the hedgehog? I'm going to miss thinking about this shit after my next review. 

All of this is truly beside the real purpose of this episode anyway: Showcasing beloved fan-favorite Shadow the Hedgehog. This is only Shadow's second real appearance in "Boom," showing the writing crew's complete willingness to fuck with fans. How many Shadow devotees where incensed that Comedy Chimp got more attention on this show than their edgy husbando? Shadow's rarely appearing on "Boom" might have something to do with how incompatible his established backstory is with this show. Knuckles has made an off-hand comment about Angel Island before yet we still don't know if Chaos Emeralds exists in "Boom's" world. Where the hell is Gerald Robotnik, the ARK, G.U.N., and the Black Arms going to fit in? Does anyone in Hedgehog Village know what a Biolizard is?! Like all the other Sega cast members before him, Shadow has his personality reduced to a few exaggerated details. He's an immensely powerful and incredibly crabby loner with some undefined beef towards Sonic in the past. Otherwise, what the hell is his deal? Eggman locates him running around a valley, suggesting Shadow has been hanging out off-screen since the season one finale. Later, Eggman finds him standing in a cave. Does he live there? Is that why Shadow hates Sonic so much? Because Sonic is a homeowner and he's out there habituating like a god forsaken neanderthal? 

We can only speculate, the backstory for the "Boom" version of Shadow residing solely within the realm of fanfiction now. However, I imagine Shadow fans were satisfied with this episode. Largely because the entire second half is devoted solely to watching him beat the shit out of our heroes. He punts Knuckles through a wall and swings Tails around by his tails. Amy and Sticks put up a little more of a fight but they don't last much longer. Sonic gets the dramatic image of being punch through a series of trees. All because Eggman presented him with a badly edited video of Sonic shit-talking him! It's a good thing Shadow doesn't eat fast food, because he'd rip Dave's heart out of he got pickles on his burger. I won't deny that seeing Shadow the Hedgehog kick the ever-loving shit out of the good guys isn't fun. However, it is a bit of a mood whiplash to go from Knuckles telling a horse in a bar joke to Shadow ready and willing to commit homicide. If this show had gotten a third season or the writers had simply used Shadow more, they probably could have mined some humor out of Shadow seemingly thinking he's in a normal action/adventure cartoon, instead of a wacky meta sitcom. 

I don't know if the producers squirreled away more time and money for event episodes like this. I don't have that much insight into the world of modern animation. However, the action here is probably the best out of all of "Boom." The three-way fight between Shadow, Amy, and Sticks features some surprisingly acrobatic kicks, flips, and slides. I'd go so far as to say these scenes look cool. The action actually seems to take priority over the comedy for once. There's plenty of gags. Knuckles suffers much slapstick abuse. The "emergency" Amy summons Sonic for at the beginning is a nice subversion. (He races right off to it as well, suggesting these two are in one of their dating periods again.) The reaction to Eggman trying to deploy some sick special moves is mildly funny. Yet there are surprisingly few gags once Shadow steals the spotlight. Which is a bummer! He would've made a good, overly serious straight man. His announcement that "This aggression shall not stand!" made me laugh harder than anything else in this eleven minutes... 

The result is a slightly weird episode tonally. Derrien has story credits on two season one episodes but this is the first script credited solely to him. Strange that someone like that handled the first half of the series finale, instead of one of the regular writers like Denton or Freiberger. Still, there is novelty in seeing Shadow thrash Sonic and the gang. There's enough insight into Eggman's neurosis to intrigue me. If the entire series has been more like this, I'm sure "Boom" would have been less divisive for so long. However, with the final episode looming, I'm grateful this series was allowed to be its own weird-ass thing for most of its existence. Will Sonic be able to defeat Shadow? Will Eggman finish his video game? Is Amy Rose's baked Alaska alright? How does Amy know what Alaska is? Will that teaser of Charlie building Belinda battle armor of her own ever be followed up on? Presumably some of these questions will be answered next time, in the very last episode of "Sonic Boom..." [7/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.50: Return to Beyond the Valley of the Cubots

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.50: Return to Beyond the Valley of the Cubots

Original Air Date: November 4th, 2017

The show is almost over but "Sonic Boom" wanted to check in with the Cubot prototypes and their little fledgling society one last time. How nice! I love those guys. Alright, so "Return to Beyond the Valley of the Cubots" begins with Tails working in his lab with D-Fekt and... Waitaminute... Who the fuck is D-Fekt? Oh, he's a little telepathic robot that communicates through emojis. Eggman built him but now he's living with Tails as his assistant. Okay, when the hell did that happen? Did I miss an episode? As previously mentioned, season two of "Sonic Boom" did not air in production order, which got me wondering if D-Fekt's origin story would be established in a future installment. But, heeeey, there's only two episodes of "Sonic Boom" left! Something funny is going on around here... Some sadistic, ominous, outside force is influencing this seven year old blue hedgehog cartoon...

That force, it should be obvious by now, is corporate marketing. Like all "Sonic the Hedgehog" media that isn't a video game, "Sonic Boom" was designed as part of a multifaceted commercial campaign to get people to buy "Sonic the Hedgehog" video games. Also like all "Sonic" media outside the games, this cartoon show quickly followed its own weird muse, establishing a wider world, cast, and tone outside the games that spawned it. With season two taking extensive steps towards a greater continuity, it's become easy to forget the simple fact that "Sonic Boom: The Cartoon" was always designed to sell "Sonic Boom: The Video Game." Sega was so confident in this plan that all corners of the "Boom" sub-series take place in a shared universe. We are not expected to ignore what happens in the games and the comic book when we are watching the animated series and vice versa. That master plan did not anticipate the "Boom" games being flops of such magnitude that they very nearly killed the entire enterprise. This is another probable reason why season two of the show, despite decent ratings, was shuttled off to Boomerang, where any signed contracts guaranteeing a second season had to be made could technically be fulfilled. By the time "Return to Beyond the Valley of the Cubots" aired in November of 2017, Sega and most everyone else involved had already decided that the "Sonic Boom" multi-media franchise was over. "Sonic Boom" was sonic doomed. 

It was truly through corporate inertia – and "Sonic" fans' obsessive dedication to the entire brand – that kept "Boom" from getting the Dark Universe treatment, unceremoniously executed after a single installment. "Rise of Lyric" was a creative and commercial failure. Its handheld companion title, "Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal," did slightly better. Probably because future titles were already in development, and Sega/Sanzaru Games hoped to salvage whatever they could from this boondoggle, the decision was made that all future "Sonic Boom" games would be made for the DS. This resulted in one more title, "Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice." "Fire and Ice" seems to be the best "Sonic Boom" video game. It wasn't enough to right a sinking ship though, thus "Fire and Ice" is also the last "Sonic Boom" video game. Despite that, this cartoon show – like the comic books before it, who had to pause their own going-ons to advertise whatever turd Sega had just squeezed out – was still obligated to promote the games. That's how we ended up with an episode, late in the series, that is functionally a sequel to a largely overlooked handheld title. "Return to Beyond the Valley of the Cubots" expects you to be familiar with what happened in "Fire and Ice." If not, I guess you'll have to do what I did and look that shit up, seven years after the fact, on a fan wiki. 

Which returns me to the question that kicked off this already rambling review: Who the fuck is D-Fekt? Eggman built him with magnetic powers to mine for a plot device called Ragnium. Rejected after a single failure, D-Fekt hopelessly sought his creator's approval. He mastered his abilities into a form of telekinesis, attacking Sonic and friends multiple times. A contrived plot involving ecological disaster, Sonic and friends gaining elemental superpowers, and an inexplicable racing side quest followed. Afterwards, D-Fekt was reprogrammed for good and adopted by Sticks who had developed a bond with the little guy. 

But Sticks isn't in this episode. That's why D-Fekt is hanging out with Tails at the start of "Return to Beyond the Valley of the Cubots." A series of mishaps in the shop, followed by more mishaps in the village, ends with D-Fekt gaining the power of speech. At which point he expresses a desire to find his special purpose in life. After a few failed jobs around town, ending in mockery and scorn each time, he is taken to the Valley of the Cubots. They are in need of a new protector, after FriendBot moved to Roboken. After immediately falling for the femme Cutebot, D-Fekt takes his role as guardian too far. He's soon seeking vengeance on all who have wronged him and his friends. This leads D-Fekt and the Cubots to Eggman's lair for a showdown with the creator who abandoned them all. Sonic and the gang intervene in hopes they can stop this before anyone is hurt but the power-mad little machine isn't willing to be reasoned with. 

Sticks' absence in this episode speaks to a larger issue. The "Boom" show and games are supposedly occurring side-by-side but the separate writing teams were clearly approaching these characters in different ways. It's become a running joke in "Boom" that Sticks is always paranoid about a robot uprising she believes is imminent. In this episode, that uprising basically occurs, D-Fekt acting as a mechanical Spartacus that leads his kind in a rebellion against their oppressors. You'd think that would allow for some ripe jokes about Sticks' delusional fears being justified. However, "Fire and Ice" had established it as canon that Sticks is one of D-Fekt's few friends. Rather than try and patch over this irregularity in some way, the episode excludes Sticks all together. Her absence is never addressed, despite her bond with D-Fekt clearly being the closest thing "Fire and Ice's" narrative had to an emotional heart. 

Maybe Sticks becoming besties with a weird little guy made sense early in the show, when she was bringing home strays like Buster. The character has evolved since then. "Return to Beyond..." is credited to a single entity known as Pontaff, a team made up of Ken Pontac and Warren Graff. These two wrote the English scripts for most of the "Sonic" games in the 2010s, their work eventually becoming quite divisive among the fandom. I don't have an opinion on that but it's clear that the two had a different approach to "Sonic Boom" than its regular writing team. This episode is more plot-heavy and less flippant than "Boom" usually is. There are jokes here. Pontac makes a go at the show's meta style of humor with an awkward gag about an inciting incident. The focus remains much more on action and story mechanics, moving towards a confrontation between Eggman and D-Fekt that Sonic has to stop before anyone gets hurt. 

That's a lot of story to squeeze into eleven minutes. Somewhat inevitably, this results in an episode that feels a bit rushed. D-Fekt goes from being seemingly harmless to being a megalomaniac within about one scene. When he turns against Team Sonic, it feels especially contrived. He falls in love with Cutebot upon first sight, that being nothing more than a plot device that can be deployed at the last minute to quickly wrap things up. The episode ends with Sonic trying to explain to Knuckles that D-Fekt is neither good nor bad, the script arguing for some level of ambiguity. However, D-Fekt's black-and-white attitude and disregard for the safety of organic life makes him seem soundly like a bad guy to me. 

Upon reading the plot synopsis for "Fire and Ice," the issue becomes apparent. D-Fekt was originally hopelessly eager to gain Eggman's approval, willing to kill Sonic and friends to get it. That is totally at odds with his depiction here, who regards Eggman solely with scorn. It's obvious that D-Fekt has no actual personality, his characterization shifting wildly with whatever needs the writers have for him. I think having him be mocked and mistreated by the people in town is meant to make him sympathetic, to convey the message that he's not all bad. That also jives with the show depicting the villagers as hateful towards everyone. Did Sonic and the gang expect these bigots to accept D-Fekt? It all represents a clear lack of vision or focus. The episode wraps up on a abrupt note, clearly hoping to establish D-Fekt as an additional antagonist that might appear in future stories. (Not that there are going to be any future stories in this setting but the writers didn't know that at the time.) A rogue group of robots, hiding out there and seemingly eager for vengeance, seems like it wouldn't mesh well with the usual sitcom antics of this show. 

That "Return to Beyond the Valley of the Cubots" doesn't work is a shame. I do think there's potential within D-Fekt. Upon floating the Cubots to Eggman's lair, he quickly subdued the villains. Despite acting like he wants justice for his bolted brethren, D-Fekt immediately puts Eggman to work as his slave. He forces him to sweep a self-sweeping floor and serve drinks to people. There's definitely truth to the idea that all rebellions are destined to become the thing they hate. History has shown that uprising made for the people against tyrannical regimes have a bad habit of ending up as new tyrannical regime. Power corrupts, if you don't die a hero, yada yada. The last twenty years of nerd culture toxicity has also taught us that those who have been bullied and rejected often wish to become bullies themselves. D-Fekt uses his powers to humiliate Comedy Chimp and Tommy Thunder after they hurt his feelings, which doesn't have anything to do with his stated goal of keeping robots safe. Portraying how a quest to repay grievances can often lead to unreasonable violence, especially when in the hands of fanatics, is a good story to tell. The idea of a bullied misfit striking out in anger at those that hurt him is especially relatable. This episode is simply far too rushed, with far too underdeveloped a character at its center, for that to work. 

I do think Pontac and Graff made an attempt to integrate the story they created for "Fire and Ice" with the show's established world. That they thought to get the colony of Cubot prototypes involved, remembering Cutebot's role as the sole gendered member, shows that. There are references to the wider world the "Boom," from the shout-out to Roboken to the various supporting characters maintaining their quirks. Tommy Thunder speaks in the third person, Dave is a pencil-necked geek, Comedy Chimp never misses a chance for a Rodney Dangerfield-esque one-liner. The Cubot rejects are introduced poking each other mindlessly with sticks. Pontac and Graff certainly include jokes too. Some of them whiff, like the repeated "Lassie" shout-outs. (Boomers love to make those jokes. Do kids know what a Lassie is today?) However, Eggman grumbling about how he always expects retribution or Amy considering a 24 hour period an anniversary made me chuckle. Still, it's hard to avoid the feeling that this episode feels like an unsteady fusion of two separate visions for this universe. 

This is also the only time Pontac and Graff stepped outside the video games to contribute to another branch of the "Sonic" empire. Considering that, maybe I should be thankful that this episode functions half as well as it does. Still, this is an off-center episode. Starting by dropping what amounts to a new character into the mix will leave everyone who didn't play "Fire and Ice" – presumably most people, judging from how rarely I see anyone discuss it – disorientated from the get-go. You would also expect a show as self-aware as "Boom" is to comment on this sudden appearance, the way "The Simpsons" or "Buffy" did. Instead, it leads towards an installment that never quite justifies its own existence. [6/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.49: Eggman Family Vacation

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.49: Eggman Family Vacation

Original Air Date: October 28th, 2017

"Eggman Family Vacation" begins like many "Sonic Boom" episodes: With the mad scientist suffering another crushing defeat. This time, Steve/Morpho changing into a giant rock monster proves ineffectual. The quasi-brothers bickering is broken up by Mombot announcing that she bought a timeshare in Roboken. A family trip to the floating city of machines ensues. While the others sightsee, Eggman is miserable... Until he thinks of an evil plan. Working with his "brother," he steals the microchip from Bolts that is responsible for his intelligence. He heads back to the surface world below and quickly installs the chip in his regular Badniks, which make them an extra formidable threat for Sonic and his pals. (Who have been experiencing their own miserable vacation while Eggman has been off on his trip.)

"Sonic Boom" has managed to spin so many episodes out of the inadequacies and insecurities Eggman feels, usually based in his need for a sense of belonging. Despite that, one of the funniest ideas season two has explored is giving the villain a family. I've noted before that the extended "Sonic" universe is full of Robotnik relatives, a mother, some brothers, the stray nephew or niece. That doesn't mean we saw the villain interacting with Snively or Dr. Warpnik in the way you and I typically interact with family. Because of its sitcom style though, Mombot and Steve have relationships with the doctor that are much more down-to-earth. Mombot splits time between encouraging and guilting her boys, equally proud and disappointed in them. Steve and Eggman are always getting into stupid arguments together but still insist on working together. Most refreshing of all is how this family has evolved organically out of otherwise standalone episodes of "Boom." It's like we've actually been seeing Eggman evolve as a character! What a concept! 

Now that Eggman has a very non-normal normal family, he can experience all the average difficulties and victories of existing in such a unit. I don't know about you guys but I've certainly been dragged along on a family trip where I end up being utterly miserable. Watching in dismay while everyone around me is having a good time. Perhaps I'm a miserable bastard in general. Nevertheless, I definitely relate to Eggman grumbling and slumping his shoulders while Steve, Mombot, Cubot and Orbot have a good time. They swap refrigerator magnets and all Eggman can do is sigh. When we are used to seeing the character scream at his minions and make pithy comments to his enemies, sticking him in a scenario that produces a totally different – yet still very true to the character – reaction makes for a good time. Honestly, "Eggman Family Vacation" probably could have gotten a whole episode out of Eggman merely feeling sorry for himself while Mombot and Steve enjoy their time together. 

As much fun as watching Eggman grousing on a vacation is, watching him and Steve actually bond is better. The brothers argue a lot, as brothers tend to do. The two Eggmen getting into slap fights has become a reliable running joke. The two seem to dislike each other so much that they repeatedly point out that they aren't actually brothers. When they successfully work together though, capturing Bolts and swiping his chip, high-fiving and doing a secret handshake, that feels earned. This is how it is when you have a siblings. They are, somehow, both your greatest rival that annoys the ever-loving shit out of you on a regular basis and also your best bud in the whole wide world. Seeing "Boom" capture that dynamic so accurately is refreshing. 

A whole episode devoted to Eggman and Steve learning how to bond on a family trip would've been fine with me. The setting of Roboken can still be explored. The flying city has its own version of Sonic too, the cyborg copy appearing in several scenes, fulfilling any obligation that "Boom" might have, where every episode must feature Sonic. However, writer Reid Harrison cooked up a funny way to keep Sonic and the usual band of heroes involved in this story. Namely, the heroes try to have their own vacation while Eggman is away but this immediately goes awry. Type-A Amy plots out a specific journey, which soon devolves into one exhausting detour after another. Rather than showing this series of unfortunate events, "Eggman Family Vacation" turns it into a collection of amusingly bafflingly non-sequiturs. What's funnier, depicting the events leading up to Sonic and the others being in the coils of an enormous snake or cutting right to that with zero explanation? The episode probably could have gone further with this. I want more inexplicable scenes of Sonic and friends trapped in bizarre encounters with no explanation! I suppose there's a ceiling to that kind of wackiness. It makes for good laughs here and I can't help but feel like that episode could have milked it a little more. 

One assumes that there are certain expectations for action scenes in this show. "Boom" has definitely done whole episodes without any robot smashing or high-speed pursuits. However, I wouldn't have been shocked if there was some sort of percentage the show runners had to meet for every half-hour. This means "Eggman Family Vacation" must end in a big action sequence. On paper, it's a good idea. Bolts' processor makes Eggman's normal minions smarter. This soon evolves into the strategy of the Badniks constantly tossing the chip back and forth, whenever its current "host" is about to get thrashed. The idea of an enemy that doesn't have a permanent body, that can toss its consciousness around different whatever able-bodied being it can fight, is not an unusual one in superhero comics or action/adventure settings. That's not exactly what this is – the chip contains no personality beyond being really, really smart – but that's how it plays out. That makes for a perfectly satisfying foe for an action scene, forcing our heroes to think outside the box a little bit. In execution, it needs some work. Namely because both of these supposedly super-smart Badniks do not seem all that more elaborate or thought-out than Eggman's typical approaches. "Boom's" animation being as sluggish as ever, the attacks don't seem smarter than usual. In effect, it seems like Sonic and the rest are sucking for no particular reason during this confrontation. 

Far more satisfying is how this big action scene concludes, with Eggman revealing that he's learned a lot about family. This is played as a joke, naturally, and a good one too. Unavoidably, we seek to protect the people we are bonded with and sometimes we don't know why. That's what unconditional love and all that shit is about, I guess. Hearing Eggman verbalize that, after an episode devoted to showing the agony and ecstasy of having a family, makes for a good laugh. Lots of chuckles in general in this one. Sonic's growing exhaustion with the increasingly unlikely events he's been forced into is a good gag. Sticks asking to bump the senseless violence up, Amy reflecting on the serenity of nature, and Knuckles admitting he misses Eggman all got a chuckle out of me. Surprisingly, the sound design and soundtrack produce some laughter too. While sneaking around Roboken, Eggman and Morpho walk around tippy-toes, the Hanna-Barbera dingly-ding sound effect going along with it. I did not expect that. Definitely a missed chance not to play some bongos when a person is attempting to run though...

A running joke throughout this episode is missiles or rockets repeatedly taking off, accompanied each time by a musical sting that sounds like "Another Part of Me" by Michael Jackson... But specifically the 16-bit version of that song from the Genesis port of "Moonwalker." That's such a specific reference that I have trouble believing that wasn't exactly what they were going for. A "Sonic" show containing a shout-out to another best-selling game from the same console he debuted on is not inconceivable. One imagines the "Boom" staff were aware of the weird connection the blue hedgehog and the Prince of Pop have had for decades. The thought that someone who worked on this show also got stuck on the graveyard level of "Moonwalker" as a kid, making sure that ten second riff is stuck in their head forever too, does give me the warm-and-fuzzies. A real brotherhood of man moment. Anyway, "Sonic Boom: Season Two" has continuously shown that its weirdo reoccurring cast was a real boon to this show, repeatedly resulting in fresh and funny episodes like this one. [7/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.48: Don't Make Me Angry

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.48: Don't Make Me Angry

Original Air Date: October 21st, 2017

Despite the enduring popularity of "Sonic the Hedgehog" as a brand, most of the cartoon shows starring the character have been fairly short-lived. The beloved Saturday morning cartoon only had two modest seasons to its name. "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Sonic Underground" had long runs in syndication, disguising the fact that both shows airing daily meant they ran through every episode in only a few months. More recently, "Sonic Prime" had one 23 episode production cycle that Netflix broke up into three artificial "seasons." Truthfully, "Sonic X" has been the only real unquantified success of the blue hedgehog's television career, getting three healthy seasons and being allowed to end on its own terms. "Sonic Boom," subject to timeslots shifts and network jumps by its apathetic corporate overlords, did achieve a landmark that no other "Sonic" show has yet reached: It ran for over one hundred episodes. 104 to be precise! Now, that too comes with a significant asterisk. The program has often been packaged as two episodes airing back-to-back, "Boom" being more honestly described as having 52 half-hours. Still, the show deserves kudos for managing to squeeze out as much stuff as it did. "Don't Make Me Angry" would be the 100th "Boom" installment to air, the show officially crossing over into the three digits club.

The episode begins with Eggman indulging in the budget-saving practice of watching recordings of his previous defeats. He realizes he needs a special physical ability in order to defeat Sonic. After trying to learn biotechnology proves daunting, he instead draws inspiration from comic books. Reading about Bruce Bandicoot becoming the Unenviable Clunk after exposure to "purple rays" inspires Eggman to intentionally bathe himself in similar radiation. Now, when the doctor gets angry, he transforms into... An adorable, pink, fuzzy little creature. Thoroughly embarrassed by these turn of events, Eggman learns anger management techniques in order to prevent changing for 48 hours, after which the ray's effects wear off. This is complicated by a number of factors. 

From the title on down through the first four minutes of this episode, I expected "Don't Make Me Angry" to be "Sonic Boom" devoting a whole episode to spoofing the Incredible Hulk. After all, the Hulk remains one of the most iconic superheroes in all of pop culture. The big green rage monster has been a regular presence in comics, cartoons, television, toy aisles and – thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – live action films for the last sixty-two years. Even if knowledge of the superhero's rogue gallery or typically convoluted backstory hasn't decimated widely outside comic nerd circles, everyone knows who the Hulk is. That's probably because we can all relate to the idea of our emotions getting the best of us. We may not morph into a mountain of emerald sinew but everyone has had an uncontrollable fit of anger or an explosive episode of crying in their lives. Emotions make a beast out of all of us from time to time. This certainly would have been sturdy ground for "Sonic Boom" to build eleven minutes of jokes on. 

After that comic book panel montage, depicting the origins of "Bruce Bandicoot" and "The Clunk," I expected a similar amount of uninspired wordplay and goofing on familiar comic book tropes here. Even the decision to make a Hulk parody purple is a reoccurring one. Instead, it's all misdirection for what might be the single best visual gag in the history of this entire show. Eggman starts to get pissed, the music mounts, he vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke... Only to transform into a soft, huggable, little Pokemon-looking kitty cat creature. Benoit Grenier's script has what the fan wiki calls "Furry Eggman" leave a trail of rainbows behind it and mew adorably. However, the episode isn't running with the easy joke of Eggman's tough exterior being threatened by such a cute transformation. Instead, it simply basks in the glorious, unexpected absurdity of a regular character turning into a NeoPet. I truly did not see that one coming. It's such a fantastically silly joke that the episode gets laughs every time it returns to it. The poof of smoke! The fuzzy layer of velvety felt on his fur! It's all so perfectly done. He goes on an adorably mischievous romp through the village while a song legally distinct from "Yakety Sax" plays. That's always funny! That's a scientific fact. 

Honestly, even if the rest of the episode sucked, I would still probably give it a positive score simply for the image of Eggman suddenly turning into NyanCat. "Don't Make Me Angry" does approach its premise cleverly though. Eggman going into anger management is a good joke on its own. Again, it's a relatable premise, at least for my emotionally dysregulated ass. I imagine those among you blessed with balanced brain chemistry know what it's like to bite your tongue and exhale slowly when you feel the fury of one thousand Xanax-addled chimpanzees hungry for face brewing inside. Funnily enough, therapy works for Eggman. The second half of the episode has the villain maintaining a serene tone even when stuff that obviously annoys the shit out of him is happening. Eggman zenly saying "Oh, good! A last minute complication!" as his forty-eight hours are almost up plays wonderfully on everything we know about this guy and all the expectations we have for a silly cartoon show like this. 

Grenier's script, however, isn't done tossing delightful curve balls at us. Throughout the episode, Beth the Shrew performs little acts of kindness for Eggman. Considering this an episode especially concerned with Sonic and friends childishly bullying the villain, you do feel sympathy for him long before the end. Naturally, Beth shows up at Eggman HQ and stumbles into a death trap due to the irrepressible need kids feel to press buttons. Only Furry Eggman is small enough to fit through the chute and rescue, meaning the doctor has to trigger a transformation. However, he's successfully mastered his anger and finds he can't become enraged! I suppose this structure is easy enough to predict. It remains a skillful falling of the dominos, a perfectly playful subversion of what was recently established. Seeing the pitcher throw the perfect curve ball doesn't make it any less satisfying to watch. Or whatever obtuse sports metaphor works best for you. 

Mike Pullock's delivery of Eggman's mad-but-totally-not-mad dialogue generates more laughs. There are a lot of solid gags here. Sonic's reaction to seeing Eggman's transmogrify is amusingly petty. As is Sticks' response when attempting to annoy Eggman. Amy gets a fantastic laugh too when the doctor sees her leading the anger management class. I suppose what I'm saying is, four episodes from the end, "Sonic Boom" has learned that its cast can be counted on to make any one-liner as zippy as possible. Cubot's big dumb square head manages to get a chuckle too. The required meta moment also made he gasps with joy, since it's a sideways acknowledgement of the Archie comics. Sonic tosses the Unenviable Clunk book away and promises that a comic starring him would never end on a cliffhanger. I don't know if this was "Boom" showing solidarity with Archie "Sonic" fans still pissed about issue 247 – and the entire original continuity of the comic – ending like that. This being a shout-out to the "Sonic Boom" comic ending abruptly strikes me as slightly more likely, since the show and the comic did share some staff. Most probably, this was simply a jokey nod at Sonic's long-running side-gig in comics. But I'll take whatever crumb I can get. 

Also, the handful of comic panels we see of the "Unenviable Clunk" book look neat. My criticism of the CGI animation of this show should be well known by now so, anytime we are treated to some more appealing looking traditional art, I applaud that. Also also, it's a bummer that this season of "Boom" didn't attract much attention at the time. Tomy made a bunch of toys for the show. If only "Don't Make Me Angry" had attracted enough buzz to make a plush toy of Eggman's adorably squishy little guy form a viable option. I bet a lot of people would buy that! All rambling aside, when I look back at this series, "Don't Make Me Angry" will surely rank in the upper tier of my personal favorite "Sonic Boom" episodes. [8/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.47: You and I Bee-come One

Sonic Boom, Episode 2.47: You and I Bee-come One

Original Air Date: October 14th, 2017

Considering how "Sonic Boom" started to bring back previously one-off characters, I expected an episode entitled "You and I Bee-come One" to bring back Amy's pet Beebot, Bea. Nope! Instead, this one starts with Eggman leaving on a vacation. Before he goes, he programs all his Beebots to automatically zero in on Sonic and his friends. The heroes quickly carole the bugs into a cave. While this is happening, Tails is testing his new matter transporter on himself. A Beebot swoops into the teleporter at the last second. The device acts as a gene-splicer, Tails and the robotic insect being Brundlefly'd into a freakish hybrid. At first, everyone is focused on reversing the transformation. However, Tails soon discovers he likes the added superpowers this new form has given him. Unfortunately, being half-Beebot also links him with the hive, causing the fox to soon turn on his buddies and unleashes the imprisoned swarm. Sonic and the others have to reluctantly team up with Eggman to unravel this mess. 

Much to my surprise and delight, "You and I Bee-come One" is an episode of "Sonic Boom" inspired by a classic horror film. In 1957, George Langelaan published the short story, "The Fly." The premise, of a scientist inventing a teleporter and unwittingly fusing himself with a common housefly, caught the attention of 20th Century Fox exec Kurt Neumann. He quickly adapted it into a film starring David Hedison and genre icon Vincent Price. The combination of sci-fi gadgetry, a committed cast, a tragic romance approach to the material, and lightly surreal horror made the film a hit. Two sequels of debatable merit followed. In the mid-eighties, Canadian master David Cronenberg was hired to put his own spin on "The Fly." The 1986 remake was a greater success than the original. (And got its own questionable sequel.) Thanks to star-making performances from Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, a thoughtful script, and utterly grotesque special effects, this "Fly" is now regarded as a classic too. Despite the graphic body horror of the film, homages to it have repeatedly popped up in kids cartoons. Split second gags in Disney cartoons, an entire episode of "Invader Zim," a whole-ass reoccurring character on the first "Ninja Turtles" series, and countless shout-outs to its often repeated tagline are only a few examples. This puts "Sonic Boom" in good company, even if this is yet another reference kids in 2017 were unlikely to understand. 

"You and I Bee-come One" keeps the cocoon-like design of the telepods from Cronenberg's film but its combination is closer to the '57 original, meaning we don't see Tails shedding body parts or vomiting acidic digestive fluid on people. However, the psychological effect the transformation has on Tails isn't unlike Cronenberg's vision. Being half-robobee causes Tails to loose touch with his humanity. (Fox-ity?) At first, he simply finds the upgrades, like mechanical bug wings or laser zapping stingers, useful for superhero-ing. However, he soon loses the ability to emphasize with organic beings before plotting a full-scale BeeBot invasion of the village. This is illustrated by Tails hearing echoing cries of "Jooooin us!" in his mind. (Itself a shout-out to another eighties horror flick.) "Sonic Boom" naturally plays all of this for comedy but it is a fairly involving narrative. A hero turning against his pals via an upgrade in ability is classic comic book shenanigans. Meanwhile, Tails seeking to leave the alienating individuality of autonomous personhood behind in order to join the conformity of bee life is an existential crisis we can all relate to. I mean, who among us hasn't longed to discard the drudgery of personal freedom and become one with the hive? We've all been there, folks. 

Benoit Grenier doesn't exactly probe this concept for any deep reflections on the human and/or robot insect existence. Nor does he resolve the inconsistency of how all this gene-splicing works with a robotic bee. Instead of being turned into a fox/insect hybrid, Tails probably should have had metal parts inserted throughout his body, a fate closer to "Crash" than "The Fly" on the Cronenberg body horror scale. Truthfully, "You and I Bee-come One" is plottier than you might expect from "Sonic Boom." Eggman spending the weekend at a retreat for supervillains isn't the inciting incident. It incites the inciting incident, Tails getting bug-spliced. A few more dominos have to fall before we get to the dramatic crux of the episode, which is Tails unleashing the captured robots and Sonic being forced to align himself with his greatest foe. It all flows relatively smoothly, for being shoved into an eleven minute cartoon. 

However, you can tell Grenier had to rush the ending. Every time a BeeBot is smashed, it causes Tails physical pain. The heroes also have to sever his connection with the hive in order to subdue him. The solution to this problem is... For Team Sonic to destroy all the BeeBots, presumably causing Tails far more agony. Eggman cooking up a brainwave dampener or Tails getting lured into an area where the psychic link to the other bees is weakened or something would've been better. Or, better yet, Sonic reminding him of his bond with his friends long enough to break through the influence of the bee mind. Kids cartoons love that shit. That would have been a good contrast to a nightmare Tails had earlier, of Sonic and friends rejecting him, the hive mind seemingly playing on some insecurities the fox has. Instead, there's not enough time to craft a proper ending so the solution is more violence, with no concern for the physical toll that might have on Tails' body or brain. 

Not to mention the psychological effect. This episode airing so close to "Give Bees a Chance" makes the ending seem more callous. Amy happily participates in the massacre of the hive, despite forming a loving bond with a BeeBot not that long ago. This would be kind of like going on a mad puppy stomping spree after receiving a beloved new pet. In a more dramatic setting, Tails betraying his friends would also result in more storytelling opportunities. I know all of this wasn't his fault. It was the psychic influence of the swarm, of course. Still, everyone's trust in Tails being left a little shaken would've been a good follow-up, necessitating him having to earn it back. Or, perhaps, his pals are eager to move on but Tails still remembers his time being part of a group consciousness, changing him for the better or worse in various ways. "Boom" picked a disappointing episode to relax on the continuity. More could have been done here, even within the context of a ten minute long comedy show. 

I do think the laughs and the concept of the episode could have been melded together more smoothly, rather than grotesquely warped together via teleporter mishap. Nevertheless, I did laugh a few times. The running joke of Eggman being at a vacation resort for bad guys provides amusing cutaways, to the villain limbo-ing or in a conga line. There's some decent physical comedy, such as when Sonic face-plants on a frozen lake or Knuckles decides to take a direct route to enjoying some pie. Sonic ends up in a humiliating flower costume in the last act, which leads to a running gag that is mildly amusing. I do wish the dialogue was a little sharper. Only a bit from Sticks about hearing voices made me laugh. 

Also, it's kind of strange that "Sonic" cartoons can't stop turning Tails into a villain, if only for a single episode. I suppose it goes hand-in-hand with his super-inventor status. I won't say "You and I Bee-come One" disappointed me. How can I be let down by a "Fly"-inspired episode, especially when I didn't see it coming at all? Still, more could have been done with concept. Once again, I yearn for a long-running comic book spin-off that could develop ideas introduced as a joke in more thoughtful ways down the line. As it is now, I can only give this episode half of a positive score, which will surely displease the hive. Luckily, I own a beekeeper suit and a smoke gun, so those stupid bees won't be able to outsmart me. [6/10]