Knuckles, Episode 1.06: What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno

Knuckles, Episode 1.06: What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno

Original Release Date: April 26th, 2024

In the final episode of "Knuckles," our favorite spiny anteater and Wade Whipple face their mutual enemies. Knuckles and Wade trick Agent Mason and Willoughby, before rescuing Wade's mom and sister. Next, it's time for Wade to match-up against his dad on the lanes in the final round of the bowling tournament. While this is going on, the Buyer takes to the streets of Reno in a fearsome mech with the ability to directly drain Knuckles' special energy. The weakened echidna comes crashing through the walls of the bowling alley, forcing Wade to stand up not just against his father but for the life of his best friend and mentor. 

I found myself annoyed with the cliffhanger of the previous episode of "Knuckles." One could assume that Wade hadn't actually betrayed his best friend. That he would find some way to turn the tables on the rogue G.U.N. agents. Yet Wade Whipple is such a feckless schlub of a protagonist – and Adam Pally is so much better at playing a defeated sad sack than a clever schemer – that it really felt like Wade might have sold Knux out. Of course, this is not the case. Yet the solution that is cooked up isn't really satisfying either. Turns out Knuckles had his ear piece in, listening to the conversation with the agents the whole time. I guess Wade and Knuckles figured this out off-screen or something? It feels like a cheat. Wade couldn't have slipped a note into Knuckles' hat or whatever? I guess this development is still less of a cheat than Knuckles using the big red mascot outfit briefly introduced last time as a decoy. Now how the hell did he lug that up there in time? Moments like that make me feel as if the writers of this show – John Whittington is credited with the screenplay of this one – don't respect our intelligence. 

As unbalanced as "Knuckles" approach to its characters has been, at least the show knows which side its bread is buttered on. The final episode does feature its fair share of action featuring Knuckles. The opening battle with the agents is pretty good, with lots of laser beams getting tossed around and people thrown through stuff. By this point, it's clear that Mason and Willoughby have personal grudges against Knuckles, explaining why they run into hand-to-hand combat with someone that outmatches them. If nothing else, this sequence does feature Knuckles actually using his gliding and hand spikes, two of his trademark abilities that have been mostly ignored in this show. The climax of the fight, involving two Warp Rings being opened right next to each other, was kind of cool too. 

However, there is a moment during this penthouse pummeling that really speaks to the entire problem with the "Knuckles" show. When Knuckles is wailing on the henchmen, something we've been waiting to see again since the first episode... The scene cuts away to Wade trying to save his mom and sister. What follows is another very dumb series of jokes about Wanda Whipple grossly overestimating her FBI training and bickering with her brother. It feels as if we're finally getting some satisfying pay-off when the show decides it's time for Stupid Whipple Tricks again. What Wade and Knuckles are doing never feel connected. Knuckles does the cool stuff, the Whipples do the schtick, but the two never truly meet. For what was supposed to be a buddy show between these mismatched characters, it feels very strange. 

This frustrating separation is present all throughout this last episode. Ya know, when I was in screenwriting class, I was taught that something a properly structured script should always try and do is integrate its main story line and any subplots by the finale. I don't think this is a rule you have to follow and there's plenty of great films that don't. However, it's also not a bad piece of advice. Generally leads to a more even-handed, smoothly flowing narrative. I kept waiting for Knuckles' final fight with the Buyer to connect with Wade and his dad's bowling match. Maybe the big scary mech smashes through the alley right as Wade is waiting for the last line to fall over. He'd rush to Knuckles' rescue, realizing that his bond with his new friend is more important than any lingering issues he has with his dad. Or maybe Pistol Pete would attempt to sell his boy out to the final boss, proving to Wade definitively that his father isn't someone he needs in his life. And maybe something Wade taught Knuckles would help him defeat this new adversary, really bringing everything together. 

Instead... These two plot threads simply never meet. Wade and Pete have their bowling match, with son defeating father. Knuckles is then tossed through the wall, causing our chubby hero to rush outside and help in the fight against the Buyer. After the big, action packed, special effects filled final fight, the show gets back to re-emphasizing what a – to burrow the term Little Susie uses to describe him – "turd bucket" Pistol Pete is. It's like a really hacky comedy about a clumsy man-child confronting his shitty dad on the bowling lanes and the "Knuckles the Echidna" solo movie are randomly cut together. 

The bowling match is played pretty straight, all things considered. Yeah, there are awkward jokes. Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel deliver some underwhelming banter as the sports commentators, those two truly having a thankless job. Pete and Wade snipe at each other before the younger Whipple rips his pants off, male stripper style. (Don't worry, he has bowling shirts on underneath.) Yet the typical sports movie melodrama – Pete scoring a spare and Wade waiting for the last pin on his throw to slowly tumble over – is fully intact. This is the kind of shit that turns me off so many sports movies. It's especially out of place in a show that has treated the sport of bowling so derisively up to now. And, ya know, what the fuck is any of this shit doing in a "Knuckles the Echidna" show... But I think we're past the point of asking that question being a fruitful practice. 

I spent a big chunk of the previous review complaining about how the Buyer was, thus far, not an especially compelling villain. Mostly because he's barely been in the fucking show. Obviously, the idea was for this guy to be the ominous Man Behind the Man, the one pulling the strings of the secondary villains that keep mucking things up for Knuckles and Wade. The Thanos to the show's Loki, who decides "Fine, I'll do it myself" after Mason and Willoughby are defeated. That should be a big deal, this super powerful baddie who presumably has more important fish to fry stepping up to get his hands dirty, going fist-to-fist with Knuckles. Yet this guy has been such a consistent non-entity, that it's hard to get too hyped about the final boss battle. We know almost nothing about the Buyer, not even his name! His motive never developed beyond wanting Knuckles' power for his own. He simply has no personality, being nothing but a blustering generic bad guy who doesn't do much. This is the first time he's even interacted with Knuckles! So much for a big, meaningful clash between hero and villain. Wade's shitty dad was a more prominent antagonist than this guy! 

So, yes, the Buyer – arrgh, why couldn't he have had an actual name?! – sucks. I didn't hate the climatic showdown though. The live action "Sonic" franchise focusing so much on the game cast gaining their abilities from a nebulous, mysterious "power" within them continues to strike me as odd. Yet Mr. Buyer's mech having the ability to drain this electric strength from Knuckles' body at least raises the stakes for the final fight. If he could do that all along, I don't know why Mr. Alonzo Buyer was depending on his two chumps to bring Knuckles in. Why he didn't just attack with his big smashy robot – Wade calls it a "metal onesie" and I’m going with that as the official name until something better is announced – to begin with. But that's a pretty standard action trope. 

Knuckles' defeat of Sir Alonzo Lancelot Buyer isn't the most satisfying duel in the world. After grabbing a hold of the Metal Onesie's whip/tentacle accessories, Knuckles just takes The Glow back. He boots up the Flames of Disaster and that's about it. Yeah, Knux saves the day by deploying a special ability that he's never mentioned before. Wade and Michael Bolton did all the foreshadowing for this particular super move. That's not the most suspenseful, dramatically sound pay-off... But, ya know, it's still a cool fight scene. The whippy waldo thingydos are dynamic weapons. Knuckles is given enough of a challenge that it's not a totally inert climax. This actually feels like something you'd expect to see in a "Knuckles" TV show. Could've been a lot better! But I didn't hate it. 

Wade does get involved in the final fight. As is all too often the case with the live action "Sonic" stuff, the human co-star mostly stands around and watches before contributing in some way. Wade trash-talks Sir Alonzo Lancelot Buyer, DDS long enough for Knuckles to recoup. His mom swings by in a bowling pin shaped go-cart – not set up by any previous scene, by the way – and hands Wade the rocket glove he previously failed to master in episode two. He then uses that to help Knux win the battle. (Though you get the impression that he probably could've handled it on his own, at that point.) This, I guess, is the real conclusion to Wade's character arc. The realization that his mom and sister, no matter how much they annoy him, have been here for him in a way his dad never was. Yet it is not, ya know, an elegant merging of these two story threads. 

The final shot of "What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno" before the credits roll is a freeze frame of Knuckles and Wade doing an enthusiastic high-five. This really clarifies that the entire show was something of a gag, not to be taken too seriously. I'm fine with comedy in the "Sonic" franchise. I'm a certified "Boom" defender, after all. Yet Paramount+'s "Knuckles" definitely felt too flippant overall. The aggressive wackiness of its first four episodes sour most of the attempts at sincerity in the last two. The first episode promises a story about Knuckles training Wade to be a warrior. Yet that's not really what we got, is it? Whipple completes his training in episode four, via a magical dream sequence, and spends the rest of the show bowling and putting his Daddy Issues to bed. Wade is still, at the end of the day, not a character I have any desire to spend more time with. Yet the scenes of him interacting with Knuckles were still the best moments of the show. It's so odd that their banter is sidelined so often to focus on – and I cannot stress the randomness of this enough – motherfucking bowling. 

Ultimately, it's hard to escape the impression that the "Knuckles" series was a rush job. Paramount's attempts to relaunch the "Transformers" film franchise, building a shared cinematic universe with their "G.I. Joe" series, flopped. (Though they are still trying, apparently.) The "Sonic" movie, meanwhile, was a surprise hit and its sequel was even bigger. A rush happened to prioritize this one I.P. over the other ones. The producers looked around at what they had easy access to, realized Adam Pally's phone probably wasn't ringing off the hook, and conceived of The Wade and Knuckles Show. The connection to the game was loose. Fusing the demands of a big budget streaming show, with enough special effects spectacle to draw more eyeballs to Paramount+, with lowbrow comedy and half-ass family drama never truly gelled. The excessively wacky splurging of the third and fourth episodes felt like desperate attempts by writers given very little to work with trying to cook up something interesting. I don't know if this speaks to regarding the source material with a certain degree of contempt or simply a lack of time and money. I can't say. But that's my theory. 

Despite the boatload of reservations I have about this show, I also didn't hate "Knuckles." Idris Elba's take on Knuckles still feels a little unfinished. A "why are you punching yourself?" joke in this episode struck me as out-of-character. Yet I still enjoyed spending time with him. Hell, as utterly unnecessary as I think elevating Wade Whipple to co-lead status was, I didn't even hate him either. The action is solid. Stockard Channing was an unexpected highlight. We got a little more expansion on the universe's mythos. Basically, a show that ends with Knuckles developing a love of Challah bread can't help but charm me a little. That musical was, ya know, bold. Some big swings were taken here. Is it "Knuckles?" I don't know. It's certainly not any version of "Knuckles" that I would've expected. But at least it wasn't six hours long. 

Initially, the "Knuckles" show was referred to as a mini-series. Suggesting this was a one-and-done deal. There's since been a little bit of chatter that a second season isn't impossible. Considering this show couldn't have been cheap to produce, and the complexities of your star being a CGI cartoon character, I'm not expecting a season two anytime soon. Considering Paramount's commitment to making "Sonic" an actual cinematic universe, and their continued quest to make Paramount+ successful, I think we probably will see another "Sonic"-adjacent streaming event. Maybe Tails and Crazy Carl can go looking for Bigfoot together. Or perhaps Shadow will latch onto Jojo as a Maria surrogate in the third movie, setting up a cross-country adventure to a sneaker designing contest. Or, ya know, maybe Paramount will get a fucking clue and just greenlight an animated series set in this universe, finally dispensing with the meat bags. Kind of doubt that though... 

In conclusion, "Knuckles" was a not entirely unsuccessful attempt to weave something entertaining out of unpromising ingredients. I don't know if the live action "Sonic" series will ever stop feeling like there's a serious disconnect in it, between what fans want to see and what the producers want this franchise to be. The second movie proved a smoother blending of these attitudes is possible. Hopefully the third movie will continue down that route. Because six episodes of Take the Echidna Bowling as another weird one-off in a multi-media franchise full of them is one thing. But I don't want it to be the future of the series. Anyway, "What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno" gets a [6/10]. The title probably refers to Knuckles and Wade definitely committing a crime in the final act, which they don't seem to face any consequences for. There's a post-credits scene but it's another dumb joke, not these two consulting a lawyer and Knuckles struggling to understand the legal definition of manslaughter. Just one missed opportunity after another with this show, let me tell you. 

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]