Sonic Boom, Episode 1.14: The Meteor

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.14: The Meteor

Original Air Date: February 21st, 2015

In my previous "Sonic Boom" review, I noted that Seaside Island seems unusually prone to astrological phenomenon. I guess the writers have officially decided to make this part of the series' premise. Episode 14, "The Meteor," begins with the gang watching a colorful meteor shower. After one space rock crashes near-by, they all race off to observe it. Eggman arrives too. Some petty squabbling causes the villain and Sonic to grab the strange glowing meteor at the same time. The next morning, the two rivals wake up in each other's bodies. While Sonic-in-Eggman's-body immediately wants to undo this switch, Eggman-in-Sonic's-body decides to use this switch for evil purposes. 

Literally just a couple of days ago, I was talking with other "Sonic" fans about the body swap premise. It's a classic idea in comedy, made most famous by "Freaky Friday" and its subsequent three remakes. That led to a number of less popular movies with similar set-ups, like "18 Again," "Vice Versa," "Like Father, Like Son," "All of Me," and definitely some others I'm forgetting. This has made it a stock comedy plot that has been reused by countless sitcoms and TV shows. Occasionally, you'll see genre riffs on the concept, like "Face/Off" or "Freaky." In superhero comics, it's not an uncommon plot either. Marvel's "Superior Spider-Man" story arc is an especially well regarded recent example. 

Archie's "Sonic" comic did their own riffs on the premise a few times, most notably during a one-shot where Sonic and Knuckles switched bodies. Surprisingly, they never did a story that had Sonic and Eggman switch places in the main book. It wasn't until the "Sonic X" tie-in was totally out of ideas that Sonic and Eggman swapped bodies. Considering how common a trope this is, I'm really surprised "Sonic Boom" is the first blue hedgehog cartoon to touch on this idea. It really seems like something "AoStH" or "Underground" would've done at some point. We all wonder sometimes what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes. (Which is presumably why writers keep returning to this idea.) Putting this dilemma to hero and villain has a lot of dramatic or comedic possibilities. 

Unsurprisingly, "Sonic Boom" exclusively focuses on the comedic potential of this idea. There's a lot of gags you see coming here. Like Sonic immediately discover how quickly Eggman's body gets winded. Or Eggman learning that Sonic's speed is not so easily controlled. Yet the really fruitful humor here lies in seeing how Eggman interprets Sonic. The doctor's style of speak definitely sounds unusual coming out of Sonic's mouth. Roger Craig Smith really has a ball hamming it up like this. His delivery is the highlight of the episode, The villain immediately thinks about using this switch to undermine his enemies but does a poor job of disguising himself. He can't remember Knuckles' name, in increasingly amusing ways. He acts weird around Amy. He doesn't get to interact with Sticks at all which is a bummer, as I bet that would've been funny. 

At one point, Eggman-in-Sonic's-body vocalizes the belief that Sonic and the others fight Eggman because they are envious of his genius. This gives you a good perspective on how the big guy sees himself. Eggman is an egomaniac. He's so consumed by his own superiority that he can't even imagine other people don't see it that way. It's funny but also sort of pathetic. When the heroes react to these proclamations with laughter, I felt kind of bad for Eggman. I doubt "Boom" will give Eggman a traumatic childhood the way "AoStH" did. Yet I'm starting to assume that his greatly inflated ego, as is usually the case, protects a fragile sense of self-worth. If he was ever forced to really confront the fact that he's not a super genius that deserves to rule the world, he'd probably have a full-blown mental breakdown. Which could also be funny, depending on how dark "Boom" would be willing to take things.

Obviously, "The Meteor" doesn't do that because it doesn't really have time to. This is another episode where "Boom's" potential is constrained by the eleven minute limit. It is implied that maybe Eggman likes being in Sonic's body. He has to repeatedly delay destroying the heroes because he keeps making social plans with them. Maybe if this switcharoo had gone on a little longer, Eggman would've discovered that doing good feels good. Stories like this allow simple good guys vs. bad guys shows like this to interrogate the polarity of their own premise. They suggest that maybe what makes a hero or villain is entirely environmental. Again: The doesn't happen here. Instead, "Boom" goes for the gags. The closest Sonic and Eggman come to understanding each other is the hero learning the villain's ego can be used against him, in the fairly amusing climax. But the potential is definitely there.

Even though "The Meteor" definitely could've been stronger, this is still a funny episode. Like I said, you really can't undersell the amusement factor of Eggman being a dick to Sonic's friends while in Sonic's body. The absurd dialogue provides some chuckles, like a debate on what "dibs" is. I'm even growing fond of the running gag of Cubot not understanding simple turns of phrase. There's also some weird moments here that made me chuckle. Such as the implication that Eggman roleplayed Sonic and Amy with Cubot, for reasons we can only speculate on. (But it feels like a weird sex thing!) Or a flashback to, apparently, a time when Eggman passed out on the beach. That's conveyed via 2-D still images, which are so much more appealing than the actual CGI animation this show uses. 

Though it must be said, the action scenes are a little better here than usual. The sequence where the heroes attack Sonic-in-Eggman's-body is well done. If only for the novelty of seeing the heroes give their adversary a hand-to-hand beatdown like that. There's also some goofy, dramatic slow-motion here, which the show seems to be using more and more to make its action scenes more dynamic and less awkward. Even if I would've much rather seen this set-up explored more via a comic book or longer TV episode, "The Meteor" is still a pretty funny episode of "Sonic Boom." They managed to have a good time with this worn-out premise, if nothing else. [7/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.08: Eggheads

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.08: Eggheads

Original Air Date: December 6th, 2014

Eggman is cooking up something evil in "Eggheads." Literally, as the first scene reveals his latest villainous scheme: Cookies. He leaves four specially engineered cookies on Sonic's doorstep but, before the hedgehog can eat them, he's called away to help Tails fight an out-of-control vacuum cleaner. In the interim, Amy, Knuckles, and Sticks eat the cookies instead and then Sonic willingly gives the last one to Tails. The sugary snacks immediately take effect. Sonic's friends all sprout mustaches and begin to act like Eggman. The doctor decides to give the newly villainous heroes a crash course in evil. Orbot alerts Sonic to what is happening before the plan can reach fruition, leading to our action-packed climax. 

In the previous episode, there was a neat little sequence where Orbot discovers Cubot's dismembered body in a darkened room. It was clearly a moment influenced by the horror genre and, as a lifelong monster movie fan, I appreciated that. "Eggheads" also begins with an even longer homage to the creepy, spooky genre. Before revealing that Eggman is baking cookies, we are greeted to an extended bit of mad sciencery. Lightning crashes repeatedly behind the fortress, as if it's Frankenstein's tower. The doctor cackles wickedly in a shadowy, foggy room while ranting about his creation. The henchmen cower amid shifting shadows. The melodramatic build-up to an oven beeping and a plate of baked goods popping out is amusing... Yet, honestly, I wish they had done a full episode devoted to riffing on classic horror imagery. I don't know if anyone else would love that but I would!

Honestly, the episode that follows that nice first scene is fairly underwhelming. I know this is a comedy show and we are not meant to think about these things that hard but... What exactly was Eggman's plan here? Originally, he had hoped Sonic would eat the cookie, presumably turning the hedgehog into an evil copy of him. Okay, so Eggman wants Sonic to be like him? I thought he wanted to defeat, if not destroy, him? Is Eggman actually lonely and wants someone of equal evil genius to assist him in conquering the world? If so, why make this companion out of his greatest enemy? And if he only wanted Sonic to eat the cookies, why did he bake four of them? Didn't he presume that his friends would come to Sonic's rescue? Or did he just assume that two Eggmen would crush all opponents? I guess it's clear that the villain – and the writers – didn't think this through. 

While I'm complaining about the script in a goofy eleven minute cartoon, I have another grievance. This is the second episode in a row where the entire last act happens because Orbot tattle-tales on Eggman to Sonic. Here, the minions get sick of being tortured by five evil geniuses and decide the hedgehog needs to intervene. If Eggman's lackey hadn't inform Sonic of what happened, the story never would've come to a head. I mean, presumably Sonic would eventually notice that his friends weren't around and figure out that his archenemy is responsible. Or the evildoers would attack. The episode should've just jumped to that point, instead of getting distracted by the subplot of Eggman training his little copies. Having two episodes in a row conclude with the hero being told by a henchman that he should resolve the plot is sloppy. I guess plot structure like this is inevitable when you stick action/adventure characters into a laidback comedy show.

I'm willing to excuse half-assed writing in a comedy show, if it's funny. Sadly, this episode is severely lacking in the jokes department. Aside from the reveal that Eggman is baking in the first scene, there's exactly one line that made me chuckle. That's when, during an argument between the mustachioed heroes, Knuckles shouts out that he's shouting. Otherwise, this episode leans a little too hard on the characters just acting the way you expect them too. Sticks is crazy and paranoid! Knuckles is dumb! Tails likes gadget! It results in some underwhelming gags, like Knuckles sitting in a cake or trying to impress Eggman. Or a random, non-anthropomorphic moose appearing. Where did that moose come from?! As always, the "funny" dialogue is "Boom's" weakest element. Eggman trying to shift blame or Cubot not knowing what "assistance" means is limp. 

I understand that reducing these characters to sitcom archetypes is the entire point of "Boom" but that strategy definitely led to a phoned-in episode here. Honestly, I think this premise would've worked better in service of a serious story. I don't mean the part about evil cookies or the heroes' brainwashing being signaled by them sprouting mustaches. (Where mustache jokes still considered funny in 2014? I feel like they definitely couldn't have been but the "Boom" writers certainly didn't get that memo.) instead, the idea of Sonic being forced to fight his friends after they temporarily turn evil would make for a strong issue of IDW or Archie. I mean, I guess Archie did stuff like that – via alternate universes or Sonic getting easy amnesia and turning bad for two issues – but it's a premise richer with dramatic potential than comedic potential.

Perhaps the opposite is true as well. The episode concludes with Sonic using Eggman's evil oven to bake cookies containing the essence of his own personalities and those of his friends. Force-feeding Amy, Tails, Knuckles, and Sticks these chocolate chip discs – via another stiffly animated action scene – is what returns them to normal. Eggman is given the Sonic flavored imbued cookie and temporary turns into a blue, fast, hyperactive, and do-good version of himself. Hey, that's a cute gag and seeing Sonic-style dialogue come out of Eggman's mouth is interesting, if nothing else. Sadly, this happens at the end of the episode and the status quo must be reinstated by the credits, so a potentially funny set-up doesn't get to stretch its legs any. 

Honestly, "Eggheads" is an episode that feels slapped together. I don't know much about "Sonic Boom's" production schedule. I've never heard any horror stories about it the way I have "Sonic Underground." (Most of the writers are on Twitter and seem to have nothing but good memories of their time on the series.) Yet one assumes that having to crank out 52 episodes, even if they were only eleven minutes long each, couldn't have been easy. All writers – to say nothing of children's television writers – are underpaid and out-of-time. I feel confident in saying that some of "Sonic Boom's" episodes must've been rush jobs and this definitely feels like one. It's an easily thought-of set-up and plays entirely off the characters' already established personas. You could write that in an afternoon and it feels that way. [5/10]