Sonic the Hedgehog (1994) Reviews: Conclusion

Here's an obvious statement. It takes a lot less time to review a 26 episode TV show than it does to review a comic book series that ran for 24 years across multiple titles. Even with numerous setbacks and a month-long hiatus, watching and reviewing “SatAM” took a mere fraction of the amount of time it took me to read and review all of Archie's “Sonic” comic. While I had four whole years to gather my thoughts about Archie's iteration of Sega's super-fast blue hedgehog, I've been provided with considerably less time to figure out and sum up exactly how I feel about the Saturday morning cartoon version that inspired my beloved comic book.

Here's the truth: This was only the second time I've really seen “SatAM” in its entirety. Despite the prominent place it holds in my childhood memory, I don't think I saw every single episode when it originally aired on ABC. (At least, I don't have memories of seeing every episode in its original time slot.) The first time I experienced the show as a whole was when it was released on DVD in 2007, watching not as a wide-eyed child but a cynical high school graduate. At that time, I went in with measured, somewhat anxious expectations. I was all too aware of the role nostalgia can play in scenarios like this. I half-expected this thing I adored as a kid to, when looked upon with adult eyes, be revealed as god awful garbage. Instead, I was shocked and impressed that “SatAM” was nearly as good as I remembered it. This confirmed in my mind that this show was genuinely an unappreciated masterpiece of '90s animation.

That was, somehow, almost thirteen years ago. I guess I've changed some in the decade-and-change that has passed since the first time I revisited “SatAM.” Upon this watch-through, the flaws of 1993's “Sonic the Hedgehog” became far more apparent. At least as far as production values go, this was not a program that rose above the pack very often. For every well animated moment, there was another that was stiff, awkward, or half-finished. The surprisingly good score of the first season was replaced in the second with a far cheesier synth score. The comic relief was frequently annoying and became almost unbearable in the episodes that focused on it. The writing staff were not above lazy narrative shortcuts. Ben Hurst, Pat Allee, and the show's other best writers were good at their job but they were still operating under the budget and time crunch inherent to making a cheap, quick cartoon in the early nineties.

While I love the show's characters, I was disappointed to see that few of them were ever given the chance to really shine. Honestly, outside of Sonic, Sally, Robotnik, Snively, and sometimes Uncle Chuck, we never really learn much about any of the central characters. Bunnie, Rotor, and Tails never evolve pass vague archetypes. Antoine and Dulcy are characterized more by their annoying quasi-comedic quirks than their actual histories or personalities. Could it be that my love of Archie's “Sonic” comic, where characters like Bunnie and Rotor were truly allowed to grow and evolve, had reflected on the relatively shallow original cartoon?

I guess your thirties is when you truly realize the shit you loved as a kid was actually not that good.

Still, it's possibly my glowing childhood and mid-teen-hood memories are betraying me a bit. Because “SatAM” is a good show. The emotion it built into its characters was truly something special. When the series was allowed to really take advantage of that, which wasn't nearly often enough, it showed everything a cartoon about a blue hedgehog that runs fast and fights robots can be. Consider most merchandise driven children's programs of the time. You can't really compare “SatAM” to contemporary programs like “Batman: The Animated Series” or “Gargoyles.” Those had the production values and resources of Warner Brothers and Disney behind it. You have to look at the other show DiC was producing at the time. When stacked up against shit like “Captain Planet,” “Street Sharks” or “Double Dragon,” “SatAM” really does seem like an exceptional program willing to tackle unusually deep themes and ideas.

So, here's the truth, the true truth: 1993's “Sonic the Hedgehog” was a cheaply produced kid's cartoon totally typical of its time and place and an unusually well-written show that was far better than it had any right to be. Let us never forget that “SatAM” was created primarily to promote a still young video game franchise. Video games were still being treated largely as a fad at the time. Which is what the mainstream popularity of the “Sonic” series would essentially prove to be, as the franchise never regained the acceptance and wide-spread success it had in the nineties. Considering that, “SatAM” is way weirder, much more interesting, and has far more depth than should've been reasonably expected. It was stuck in the same box as a lot of other mediocre product but a talented group of passionate people were determined to make it something more.

Ultimately, my feelings towards “SatAM” remain far too loaded for me to even be close to objective about it. Yes, this latest re-watch has revealed it as a program with plenty of flaws. At the same time, I can't deny the influence, the power, this silly little cartoon show still shows all these years later. Indeed, I do think there is something special about this particular iteration of “Sonic the Hedgehog.” The characters, the setting, and the themes – nature vs. industry, freedom vs. tyranny, friends vs. conformity – have reverberated through my mind, and even my goddamn soul, more-or-less my entire life. Does the comic series that spawned from “SatAM” truly deserve the credit for this? Maybe. But obviously I wouldn't be writing these words, and you wouldn't be reading them, if “SatAM” hadn't come first.

It's even more obvious that I am not alone in these feelings. Despite the evident limitations the cartoon show has, you don't have to look any further for evidence of its uniqueness than the fandom. Listen, read that list of other DiC programs again. When people remember those shows – or “The Super Mario Bros Supershow,” “Captain N,” even bigger hits like “Inspector Gadget” – it's mostly as a source of cheap nostalgia. You can mentioned those programs or hum the theme songs and you'll get a response of “Hey, I remember that.” But you don't see too many people arguing for the artistic merits of “Hulk Hogan's Rock n' Wrestling” or “Extreme Dinosaurs.”

And, yeah, you can find fan fiction and fan art for almost anything, no matter how dumb, weird, or old it is. Yet the passion with which “SatAM” fans have kept the torch burning is truly impressive. Several fan comics, movie pitches, and even a fan-produced third season require the kind of long-term devotion that is not usually reserved for a two season tie-in from practically 26 years ago. Truly, this boils down to the question of why “Sonic” fans are so uniquely passionate. Autism and furry perversion can only account for so much. The quality of “SatAM” must have something special about it. Reviewing the show for this blog, even if it made me newly aware of its flaws, also reminded me of that too.

So, farewell and adieu “SatAM.” You were a good show. Maybe not the great one I remember but certainly a good one. Moreover, your legacy – at least as far as the overall “Sonic” universe is concerned – is significant. You made me a “Sonic” fan and, well, I guess that obviously counts for something. As for me, dear readers, come back soon as I begin a journey to talk about that other DiC Entertainment blue hedgehog show...

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.13: The Doomsday Project

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.13: The Doomsday Project
Original Air Date: December 3, 1994

Here we are, you guys: The very last episode of “SatAM.” As production rolled through on season two of “Sonic,” the production team seemed pretty confident in the show's success. After all, the “Sonic” property was red hot at the time and “SatAM's” die hard fan following must have already been apparent, even back in 1994. Ben Hurst and the gang optimistically planned out for a third season. It was not to be, of course, and the show's abrupt conclusion – as much the fault of executive change-overs as middling ratings – has become part of the “SatAM” legend over the years. After all, something becomes a cult classic precisely because it's ahead of its time, too hip for the mainstream, and destined to resonate most with a small group of exceptionally passionate weirdos.

But I'm definitely getting ahead of myself. Let's talk about the actual plot of “The Doomsday Project.” After talking about it for most of the season, Robotnik is finally ready to launch his ultimate weapon, a week ahead of schedule. As foliage-exterminating Doomsday Pods filter out all over the planet, the Freedom Fighters go into emergency mode. Sally quickly brings together as many of the other groups as possible – including Ari's gang and Lupe's Wolf Pack – while attempting to infiltrate the Doomsday Project's central hub. Robotnik is ready for them though and most get captured. Sonic manages to escape but things still look grim for our heroes... Until they remember the Deep Power Stones.

Throughout my “SatAM” reviews, I've often commented on how often Ben Hurst's ambitions outstripped his resources. This is definitely evident in “The Doomsday Project.” You can tell Ben really wanted this to be a movie, or at least a two-parter. (There even seems to be a clear dividing point in the episode here, where Sonic escapes the Doomsday Project but the threat is still far from over.) A lot is squeezed into this twenty minute cartoon. New characters and weapons are introduced. Plot points that the show has been building on all season are paid off. So much is happening that it's a little hard to keep track of. I'm still not entirely certain what the purpose of a sequence where the Freedom Fighters drop little teddy bears in parachutes over the Doomsday Project is.

The use of the cast is a big cause of disappointment in “The Doomsday Project.” Most of the Freedom Fighters don't get much to do in the show's epic conclusion. Dulcy and Tails are only on-screen for a few minutes. Bunnie and Antoine go on the first mission into the Doomsday Project but sit out most of the episode, with Antoine mostly providing comic relief. The new and almost new additions get it even worst. Considering how beloved she is by the “Sonic” fandom, it's surprising Lupe has so little to do in “SatAM.” She's only in a few scenes here, which can also be said of Ari. We meet Polo and Dirk, the leaders of the Southern Freedom Fighters, but I'm not sure they even get any dialogue. For a show that was so much about being a team, it seems Sonic and Sally were repeatedly placed as the most important Freedom Fighters.

However, “The Doomsday Project” does bring many of the show's themes full circle in a satisfying way. The ecological subtext of “SatAM,” which largely took a backseat through the second season, makes a strong comeback in the finale. We finally find out what exactly the Doomsday Project does: It distributes pods all throughout the globe which fire beams that cause any living matter to immediately wither and die. It would seem Robotnik intends to destroy the entirety of the natural world, which he presumably plans to then replace with cold, heartless machinery. In turn, Rotor has designed water balloons that immediately eat through most metal or steel. (Don't think about the science behind that too much.) I don't know if the theme of “nature = good, industry = bad” could be anymore explicit than that. The bad guy wants to kill everything green and organic, the good guys want to get rid of everything cold and factory-made.

This episode also focuses in on why Robotnik so often grabs the Villain Ball. At one point, Sonic, Sally, Bunnie and Antoine – a good chunk of the main Freedom Fighters – are within the Doomsday building. Capturing and crushing all of these guys would be a huge win for Robotnik. Instead, he lets every one go except for Sonic. But there's actually a good reason for this. Robotnik is so obsessed with personally defeating Sonic, that it blinds him to anything else. He drops everything to capture the hedgehog and sticks him in a Roboticizer designed specifically to roboticize him. That's actually a good reason to explain why Robotnik, supposed genius, did so much dumb shit throughout this show. Sonic enters the picture and he just looses all sense of reason.

Another element that suggests “The Doomsday Project” was somewhat rushed in its writing is how sloppy the resolution is. Twice in this episode, what is meant to be the grand finale, characters whip out a magical object that quickly gets them out of their jam. First, Sonic produces three Power Rings to let him escape the supposedly Sonic-proof Roboticizer. Secondly, Sonic and Sally use the Deep Power Stones to destroy the Doosmday Project. What makes that last one especially insulting is that Sonic easily sneaks into Robotropolis to nab the second stone, which Robotnik just has lying around, totally unguarded.

See, wouldn't it have been a lot more interesting if sneaking in and nabbing that stone was the focal point of a second episode? I guess that is what happens when the higher-ups demand you start inserting stupid bullshit like “Ro-Becca” into a season. Your master plan for a satisfying season-long arc gets interrupted. Still, it is seriously disappointing that, after two seasons of watching the heroes struggle against Robotnik, he is defeated with a magical relic that was introduced literally the episode before. It rings of a phony deus ex machina and that is something from the show's earlier episodes that I really wish it hadn't returned to here. I would much rather have seen the Freedom Fighters put their heads together and think of some non-magical way to defeat their adversary's greatest weapon.

That is not the only way the episode's big finale is disappointing. Once again, “SatAM” is let down by DiC's limited animation budget. The action throughout this episode is a bit odd looking. After Sonic activates the three Power Rings to escape his personal Roboticizer, the glass tube levitates up into the air. That was... Weird. Also weird: The glowing red drones, that resembles both bullets and Robotnik's head, that chase Sonic not long after he enters the Doomsday building.

Weirder yet is how the climatic sequence is animated. After activating the Power Stones, Sonic and Sally rush around the Doomsday Project. What follows is a very repetitive and jarringly edited series of flashing images. We cut quickly between Sonic and Sally flying around, people fleeing the building, Robotnik screaming in defeat, and some explosions. This was definitely an example of DiC just not having the money needed to pull off a properly thrilling big finish. Once again, you get the feeling that Ben Hurst was writing an epic “Sonic” motion picture here, not an extremely humble made-for-television cartoon.

With all the bullshit I'm giving it, you probably think I don't like “The Doomsday Project.” It's still not a bad episode because, even with all the double-stuffed plotting and underwhelming resolutions, it still remembers the reason why fans love this show so much: The characters and their interactions. In particular, “The Doomsday Project” focuses in on Sonic and Sally's romance in a very funny, amusingly horny way. Sally seems to get a real thrill out of going Super Saiyan with the Deep Power Stones. She is visibly buzzed afterwards and, with Kath Soucie doing her most seductive voice, goes in for a kiss. She's so obviously aroused that it even freaks Sonic out a little, who has to flee before this kid's cartoon gets decidedly not-PG rated. They still smooch before the episode ends, the event causing literal sparks.

Even with everything that happens in this episode, even with it being the unintended finale for the entire series, that is not what people remember the most about “The Doomsday Project.” No, it's that cliffhanger ending that drove fandom speculation and obsession for years to come. Nowadays, we all know who those starring red eyes where meant to belong to. It's pretty obviously Naugus – even as a kid, I assumed as much – though that didn't stop overeager “Sonic” nerds from hoping it was Metal Sonic or Knuckles. Yet there's no denying that it is one hell of image to go out on. Robotnik is seemingly dead, Snively has finally usurped his throne, but something more dangerous glares from the darkness, with sinister red eyes... Yeah, that's definitely a moment people are going to remember.

Combined with the show's subsequent cancellation, I sometimes wonder if the intrigue of that final image isn't more responsible for the cult of “SatAM” than anything else. After all, if the show had ended with Robotnik defeated and the Freedom Fighters victorious, fans would have a far more definite sense of closure. Yes, there were always going to be people who wanted more and the show certainly left plenty of questions to answer. Yet the series ending on such an intentionally vague and mysterious point, that was bound to drive conversation for years to come. Which, of course, it did. Would we even be talking about “SatAM” without that cliffhanger? Well, yeah, I would, because I'm a huge fucking nerd. But I think the mystery of that final shot kept the fire burning for a lot longer than it otherwise would have.

I still have  a lot more thoughts about “SatAM” as an overall entity but I'll save those for another day. Just for right now, I'll say that “The Doomsday Project” is a somewhat disappointing final episode that is still so deeply emblematic of the crazy ambition, drive, and depth of personality that made this show so special in the first place. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.12: Spyhog

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.12: Spyhog
Original Air Date: November 26, 1994

As I've referenced before, for so long “SatAM” felt like this unobtainable thing from way back in my memory, a show that I remembered more than I actually watched. Nowadays, I can stumble upon the show in the middle of the day. Not long after starting this retrospective, I was channel surfing and came upon “Sonic the Hedgehog” airing on Starz Family, during one of its random midday showings of the program. It happened to be this episode. I watched about fifteen minutes before I got pulled away to something else but it sure was an interesting coincidence. That I hadn't caught “SatAM” in the wild for years before coming across it not long after deciding to rewatch and write about the entire series.

Anyway, that's not really that relevant. “Spyhog” begins with Uncle Chuck sending information to the Freedom Fighters. After they successfully disrupt some oil tankers headed to the Doomsday Project, Robotnik figures out that there is a spy in his midst. With some deduction, and a false alarm where Snively captures Antoine, Uncle Chuck is tracked down. Sonic, Sally, and Bunnie – using a Robotropolis shuttle that Rotor has reverse-engineered – have to get to Chuck first before it's too late.

Though “SatAM” was doubtlessly pretty well written for a nineties Saturday morning cartoon, as I've observed many times, it still had to follow many of the cliches of the time. As intimidating as Robotnik could be, he was still kind of an idiot that let Sonic and the others slip through his fingers on more than one occasion. It's only now, on literally the second-to-last episode of the entire series, that he's realizes that the Freedom Fighters have a spy in Robotropolis. You know, for a genius mad scientist that can build all sorts of robots and successfully planned a coup of an expansive kingdom, he probably should've figured that out a lot sooner.

Nevertheless, “Spyhog” does have a strong narrative thrust. Uncle Chuck is a character we really care about, at the center of some of the show's most emotional moments. So putting him directly in danger is a good way to generate suspense. The climax of the episode has Chuck being captured, reprogrammed by Robotnik – a serious downside to your mole being a robot – and coming very close to revealing the location of Knothole. In fact, I wish the episode focused a little more on this. It takes about ten minutes, within a twenty-five minute cartoon, for Robotnik to discover there's a spy in the city. Snively mistakenly grabbing Antoine takes up another chunk of the runtime. I guess this was another example of Ben Hurst trying to, perhaps, squeeze a little too much within a single episode of children's programming.

It definitely feels like we haven't seen an episode featuring the entirety of the Freedom Fighter team in a while. As the show veer towards its ending, perhaps Ben Hurst wanted to make sure everyone got something to do. (I guess Tails still gets left out but he did get a spotlight episode just last time, so it's alright.) Bunnie accompanies Sally and Sonic on the initial mission to spoil the oil tanker, with the Rabbot showing up a few times throughout the episode. Rotor builds the shuttle, providing the ride needed to save Chuck at the end. Dulcy shows up to get Antoine's butt out of danger. 'Twain himself actually gets to be useful here too, in a nice change of pace from season two mostly treating him like a total joke. After Sally's magnetic pack malfunctions, Antoine re-plugs a wire and saves her life.

If the episode had left it at that, a simple reminder that Antoine is occasionally useful and that's why they keep him around, that would have been just swell. Instead, helping save Sally's life causes Antoine's ego to swell considerably. That would've been a cute moment and totally in-character for the guy. Instead, the episode still has to utilize Antoine as the wacky comic relief. When he gets captured, thanks to his own incompetence, Snively interrogates him. Not with jumper cables or thumb-screws but by taking minor shortcuts when cooking traditional French cuisine. Now, this moment definitely breaks up the seriousness of what is otherwise a fairly tense episode. However, hearing Robert Paulson and Charlie Adler scream manically about margarine is pretty funny. So I'll give it a pass.

If you're in the game for action though, “Spyhog” might be slightly disappointing. The only really notable action beat occurs when Sonic swoops in to rescue Uncle Chuck, spinning into a tornado that throws Robotnik, Snively, and all the SWATBots away. Not only is the science behind this stunt dubious at best – think of how fast the wind Sonic generates would have to be going to throw a big metal robot across the room – it's also not a very exciting visual. No, “Spyhog” is focused more on suspense then anything else. We get a peek of that during that earlier infiltration sequence, where Sally nearly falls from the tanker ship. This is certainly far from the first time “SatAM” was more effective when focusing on sneaking than on Sonic's crazy action hero theatrics.

Of course, what made “SatAM” good is, more than anything else, the strength of its characters and the depth of its emotions. Several times in this episode, Sonic begs Uncle Chuck to come back to Knothole with him. At the episode's end, with Chuck's cover being blown, Sonic implores his uncle to come with him again. Both times, Chuck declines, saying he needs to stay in the city where the conflict is. After a tearful hug, Chuck asks Sally and Bunnie to watch after her nephew. Which takes a meaningful moment and makes it even sweeter and more touching.

That scene is what really pushes “Spyhog” from being a merely decent episode to a really quite good one. I wish the script was a little tighter and the use of comic relief was a little more conservative yet I can't deny that this one works for me pretty well. The episode ends with the text “Next Week: Doomsday” popping up on the screen, which meant Ben Hurst and his team were ready for an end, which they probably didn't know would be the end. However, that text can't come off as somewhat prophetic. The end is neigh. But more on that next time. For now, “Spyhog” gets a strong [7/10.]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.11: Drood Henge

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.11: Drood Henge
Original Air Date: November 19th, 1994

Welcome back, Hedgehogs Can't Swim readers! First off, I want to thank you for sticking with my humble “Sonic” blog through this latest delay. I'm sure some of you know what's it's like when life changes and you find yourself with less time than you use to have to devote to your various hobbies. Hopefully, there will be no further delays for the time being. At the very least, I'm fairly confident I can get through the rest of my “SatAM” reviews without any issue, seeing as how there's only three episodes left at this point. Let's get back to business as usual and start talking about “Drood Henge.”

Now, you might be asking: What the hell is a Drood Henge? Let me illuminate. Drood Henge is an ancient relic site that is the mythical home of the Deep Power Stones, magical objects that are a source of great power or destruction. Robotnik seeks the Stones to power his Doomsday Project. And he's dangerously close to locating them, after tracking down the various scrolls that point towards Drood Henge. Uncle Chuck warns Sally about this. After picking up Sonic and Tails, previously on a training mission, the group heads off to stop the bad guy.

“Drood Henge” is another “SatAM” episode that seamlessly mixes science fiction and fantasy concepts. Much like “Sonic and the Secret Scrolls” or the first half of “Blast to the Past,” we have an ancient ruin of indeterminate origins that houses a magical relic of some sort. I guess the world of “SatAM” is just riddled with this stuff. Of course, randomly mixing robots and magic is totally typical of the “Sonic” franchise. After all, the Chaos Emeralds – which the Deep Power Stones bare more than a passing resemblance too, which may or may not be a coincidence – have been around since the very first “Sonic” game. Unlike those two earlier episodes, the fantasy elements here are really just a MacGuffin, as the magical properties of these objects don't actually affect the plot much.

We are two episodes away from “SatAM's” grand finale and the plot is relatively serialized by this point. The Doomsday Project, Robotnik's much-referenced but vaguely defined machine that ensures total catastrophe for the planet, is the main driving point of the story. Snively's simmering resentment, and plotting betrayal, of his uncle continues to be hinted at in passing dialogue exchanges. Yet the show and Ben Hurst's script, even this late in the game, continues to pull off a pretty good balancing act. A newcomer could leap in here and not be too lost. Those twin attributes of building plot momentum and accessibility is actually tricky to achieve, if the increasingly number of shows that require you to watch everything from the beginning are any indication.

It's clear the reoccurring plot point closest to Ben Hurst's heart is Tails' growing maturity as a Freedom Fighter. Tails shows his growing cunning by out-thinking a surveillance drone. Later, he talks Sally into paling along for the big mission. There, the speed he's learned from Sonic and the technical know-how he's learned from Sally come in handy. On one hand, it's very satisfying to watch Tails come into his own as a Freedom Fighter.  On the other hand, Tails has not entirely overcome his status as an annoying kid sidekick. At one point, he gets briefly captured by Robotnik, leading to some whining from the two-tailed fox. He similarly whines when begging Sally to join them on the mission. I'm glad Tails is a useful, contributing member of the team but I wish he still wasn't so petulant.

An issue all throughout season two of “SatAM” has been the role comic relief has played. “Drood Hedge” is light on the obnoxious slapstick, thankfully. Early on, Dulcy has a crash-landing in Uncle Chuck's junkyard. That's about it. Otherwise, the humor here is actually fairly cute. Dulcy gets a little teary-eyed when she sees how far Tails has come. Which is adorable and maybe the most amusing element of character development the dragon has gotten thus far. Later, while badgering Nicole for exposition about the Deep Power Stones, Sonic gets the computer to speak in his hip surfer bro slang. This is not the first time the show has used that gag but it always makes me chuckle. (Though maybe we could've done without Sonic's fourth wall breaking gags and a random Robert DeNiro impersonation.)

“Drood Henge” also has Sonic and Robotnik directly interacting. It feels like that's something we haven't really seen in a while, since at least “The Void.” The egg-shaped dictator and the super-fast blue hedgehog come face-to-face here, Sonic easily outmaneuvering the bad guy, much to his frustration. As always, Jim Cummings' performance is a great benefit. When bested by Sonic, Robotnik screams like a lunatic in wild, anguished defeat. Cummings is extremely good at that, if you hadn't noticed yet. In fact, Robotnik is delightfully villainous all throughout the episode. He feels his victory is near-by, which makes him even more slithering and wicked than usual.

Generally speaking, “Drood Henge” is a standard MacGuffin chase plot. Both the good guys and the bad guys are after the same plot device, with the decorating details not really being that important. The sole swerve in the story is how Sonic and the gang outsmart Robotnik, which is also fairly easy to predict. Yet there's nothing wrong with a standard story being told in a  satisfying fashion sometimes. “Drood Henge” moves along at a steady pace, never feeling too long or too short. The action is exciting. The animation is decent, save one or two jerky moment. Even the corny moments – Sonic using his anti-gravity shoes to get out of yet another scrap, the episode ending by irising out on Tails' smiling face – are kind of charming.

What really seals the deal is, even in a boilerplate episode like this, Hurst still finds some time for character development and emotion. I'm not only talking about Tails' growth. The information about the Deep Power Stones is delivered via a recording of King Acorn. Simply hearing her father's voice is enough to make Sally's heart catch in her throat. That is a surprisingly poignant way to make what would otherwise just be some awkward exposition actually meaningful. See, it doesn't take a lot to remind the viewer that these characters have inner lives, thoughts and feelings. But those little moments count for an awful lot.

“Drood Henge” is unlikely to be any “Sonic” fan's all-time favorite episode of “SatAM.” Yet this is exactly the kind of episode that made me fall in love with this show. It's lively, smoothly executed, with just enough heart to make it special. Sometimes that's all you need, man. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.10: Cry of the Wolf

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.10: Cry of the Wolf
Original Air Date: November 12th, 1994

Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic and “SatAM” were conceived at the same time, utilizing the same base cast and premise. Yet the comic took a long time to start picking up plot threads and ideas from the show. Even though “SatAM” was talking about Naugus and the Void and crystallization all the way back in 1994, the comic wouldn’t run with those ideas until issue 53, three years later. Similarly, Lupe and the Wolf Pack would first appear a few episodes after Naugus. The comic wouldn’t get around to adding her to the cast until 1997 as well. Sort of weird how that worked but I guess it wouldn’t be the “Sonic” franchise if everything wasn’t done in as ass-backwards, digression-filled a manner as possible.

Which brings us to “Cry of the Wolf.” In the desert-like region of Mobius known as the Great Unknown, Robotnik is testing the Doomsday Pods, the nearly indestructible war machines that will become part of his Doomsday Machine, his ultimate weapon. These tests are interrupted by the local Freedom Fighter chapter, the Wolf Pack. This is one of the same groups King Acorn’s list of Freedom Fighters point towards. Sally, Sonic, and Antoine head into the Great Unknown to find the mysterious Wolf Pack. Soon, after much sneaking around underground tunnels and rumors of a curse, an alliance will be formed. Which comes in handy, when Snively is ordered to personally pilot the Doomsday Pod and wipe out the Pack.

I've always liked the Wolf Pack. Though “SatAM” has its share of canines, with Tails and Antoine technically qualifying, it's hard to beat the primal cool factor of the wolf. While the comic would certainly expand on her personality over the years, we still get a good sense of who Lupe is in this first appearance. She is characterized by her loyalty to her pack and her inventiveness in fighting her enemy. Shari Belafonte's vocal performance is similarly strong, making an impression on the viewer just with the way she intones her dialogue.

There's something else to consider about the Wolf Pack. Even though Mobius is either an alien world or a post-apocalyptic Earth, they are patterned after Native Americans. Lupe repeatedly talks about how the Wolf Pack lived in harmony with nature. Lupe has a mohawk, they gather around a fire to have powwows, live in caves carved into the side of a canyon, and all wear sandals. (Their fashion – Lupe wears a blue one-piece and the others all wear shoulder-padded vests – doesn't seem inspired by anything in particular.) Of course, associating Native Americans with wolves is a common move too. This is somewhat dismissive, as Native American culture is more complex than “they think nature is awesome.” As in questionable taste as this choice is,  this portrayal is also pretty fair for its time, as at least there's no Indian mysticism or proud savage vibes.

In addition to introducing a likable new group of characters, “Cry of the Wolves” is also a pretty strong action episode. The neigh-indestructible Doomsday Pod leads to lots of high-stakes action, such as when our heroes blast it with a cannon the Wolf Pack stole from Robotnik. A really fun action beat involves Sonic and Sally intentionally getting caught by Snively, just so they can break out and whip his ass. Also, Nicole can shoot lasers now, which is kind of cool. There's some fun spookiness too, when the gang is exploring the Wolf Pack's cave and are being watched by yellow eyes in the shadow.

Granted, there's one or two little issues I have with this episode. When Lupe first presents that cannon, it doesn't work. Sally repairs it immediately. Even though Rotor has always been the mechanic, with Sally's intelligence being more tactical. That's kind of sloppy writing. For the first time in a while, this is an episode that concludes with a Power Ring saving the day. Sonic grabs one, boosts his speed, and leads the Doomsday Pod into a lightning storm. We haven't seen that particular deus ex machina in a while and I can't say I missed it either.

With only three episodes left to go, “SatAM” is pretty deep into its serialized elements. Snively's hatred of Robotnik is now a fore-fronted personality trait. And who can blame the guy, with the abuse his boss heaps on him and the humiliation he suffers at the hands of Sonic? (Charlie Adler's delivery of Snively's anguished wails of defeat are effectively pathetic.) The Doomsday Device, with its impending activation, is a big part of the story. As are Sally's attempt to unite the various Freedom Fighter teams. It's definitely neat how the show has slowly built up these elements, leading towards a bigger event soon enough.

The weakest element of  “Cry of the Wolf” is its comic relief. Once again, Antoine is reduced to being a blubbering coward. He spends the entire episode freaking out about the non-existent curse on the region, repeatedly mispronouncing words. It's probably the most annoying Antoine has ever been, to the point where I actively wonder why he was brought along on this mission at all. There's exactly one moment where we get a peek at the character's deeper depths. When Sonic and Sally descend into the cave, Antoine doesn't want to go, as he's terrified. However, he decides the safety of his princess, his honor as a royal guard, is more important than his fears, so he ventures forward. Why can't he be written that way all the time, instead of being an increasingly obnoxious wiener?

Occasionally flaws aside, this is still a strong one. It totally works as a stand-alone adventure while building atop all the story that has come before. If it wasn't for Antoine remaining stuck in “Ro-Becca” mode and a few inconsistent plot turns, this would easily be among “SatAM's” best moments. It makes me really wish Lupe had a bigger role on the cartoon, though at least she would become a semi-regular player in the comics. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.09: The Odd Couple / Ro-Becca

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.09: The Odd Couple / Ro-Becca
Original Air Date: November 5th, 1994

“Sonic SatAM” only ran for two short seasons, which you wouldn’t think would produce enough episodes for a consensus to emerge, as far as best and worst installments goes. Yet one episode is generally agreed upon as the worst of the installment. As is often the case, we have executive meddling to thank for this. Following “Fed Up with Antoine / Ghost Busted,” another two-in-one comedic episode would be produced in a continued effort to lighten up the show’s supposedly dark tone. While I can’t say I’ve ever heard much good about the first time “SatAM” tried this, fans are definitely united on hating “The Odd Couple / Ro-Becca.”

The comedic device of two people with opposing personalities being forced to co-habituate is a well worn one. So the “Odd Couple” premise is a common one and Len Jansen didn’t even feel the need to think of a new title for the segment detailing this scenario. So who are our odd couple? Why, Antoine and Sonic, of course. Yes, both segments in this “funny” episode also revolve around Antoine as, I guess, the “SatAM” writer’s room couldn’t think of any funny ideas that didn’t involve the cowardly coyote.

Long story short: During a blizzard, Dulcy makes a rough landing and smashes through Sonic’s hut. (This is partially Antoine’s fault, as he was watching Dulcy and directing Sonic on how to direct her.) Since Antoine has the biggest house in Knothole apparently, Sonic moves in with him. Neat freak Antoine doesn’t respond well to Sonic’s slovenly habits. Soon, the two are driving each other absolutely nuts.

Since this is suppose to be a funny episode, the question must be asked: Did I laugh? No but there are one or two mildly amusing gags here. Let’s consider Antoine’s interior decorating skills. While he does have a portrait of Sally on the wall — let’s not think about the things he’s done in front of that portrait — the painting above his bed is of... Himself! At one point, we also see he has a bed full of stuff animals, which was cute. We also learn in this episode that Sonic’s socks are the same red and white color as his sneakers. Rob Paulsen in general has a good time goofing it up as Antoine. The song he sings while polishing his boots is mildly amusing.

However, this episode is mostly devoted to some truly pedestrian slapstick. Antoine being a neat freak is new information, though hardly out-of-character for him considering his general prissiness. We also learn Sonic sleep-runs, which leads to predictably zany results. Considering how irritating Sonic has always found Antoine, it’s mildly clever that Sonic ends up being the annoying one. Yet it’s hard to get too much joy out of the eventual mental breakdown Antoine suffers or the massive mess Sonic somehow manages to create in his kitchen. The episode hits its nadir with the scene of Antoine being splattered with chili, after it bounces around the room. That was just too wacky for me.

And that raises another point. And this is truly the nerdiest of nitpicks. Antoine’s kitchen includes a fully functioning stove and a wide collection of pots and pans. While making himself chili dogs, which leaves a disproportionately large mess behind, Sonic opens a can of pre-packaged chili. So is Mobius a post-industrial country or what? Was that chili cooked up with ingredients that came from a farm somewhere? Which was then preserved, sealed, and packaged? And then sent somewhere where Sonic could purchase it? Are we to assume this is what happened? Because where does a Freedom Fighting waging a terrorist campaign against an insane dictator buy his groceries? I’m overthinking things again, aren’t I?

So “The Odd Couple” isn’t really good. Yet this two-fer is widely disliked more for its second segment, “Ro-Becca.” It seems adverse weather is the other theme that links these two segments. During a thunderstorm, Rotor assembles a vaguely feline robotic assistant. Antoine is trying to help him but, being a huge klutz, that’s when he drops some nuts, bolts, and screws into the robot. That’s when Ro-Becca springs to life and immediately falls in love with Antoine. It’s the obsessive, smothering, crazy type of love. Antoine is basically tortured for a while by Ro-Becca before Rotor intervenes... Which still doesn’t stop the machine’s uncontrollable passion.

It’s easy to see why “Ro-Becca” is so disliked. The titular robot has to be among the most unappealing characters across the entire “Sonic” franchise. Visually speaking, she’s hideous. She speaks through a radio grate, which is made further uncanny by the addition of lips around it. She has a plume or white-streaked “Bride of Frankenstein” hair atop her head. (That, along with Rotor’s castle-like lab and the thunderstorm, suggest a classic horror atmosphere that I would’ve loved if the rest of the segment wasn’t so bad.) Her body was seemingly made up of junk Rotor had around his workshop, so her left foot is a tricycle wheel and her torso resembles a purple trash can. Add the cat-like face and tail for an all-together unpleasant. And then she speaks in a nasally, obnoxious, Fran Drescher-like voice.

Not to mention her behavior, which is deeply comfortable. Antoine’s unwanted robot girlfriend is, essentially, abusive. She flattens a door atop him during a manic chase. Later, she force-feeds him a grey slop with more nuts and bolts inside it. This leads to Ro-Becca attempting to massage Antoine’s sore body, which feels like it’s seconds away from escalating to something much more assault-y. Heaping abuse on Antoine is the primary gag here. He’s also struck by lighting at one point. Yeah, sure, Antoine is a weenie and somewhat annoying... But this quickly starts to feel cruel. The combination of a relentlessly wacky tone, with the horribly obnoxious Ro-Becca, results in a painful ten minutes.

I want to give writer Pat Allee some credit. The conclusion is so bizarre, it borders full-blown absurdity. Antoine deduces that his suave French style is what makes him so irresistible to Ro-Becca. So he adopts a Schwarzneggerian accent, which succeeds in driving the robot away. When Sonic mockingly imitates Antoine’s natural voice, he becomes the new object of her obsession. This could’ve been spun into some sort of moral, if Sonic getting some of his own medicine after picking on Antoine so much, but the episode’s comedic sadism and questionable gender politics makes that hard to assume.

Thankfully, Ro-Becca did not become a regular cast member of “SatAM.” In fact, outside of Archie’s slapdash “Ghost Busted” adaptation years later, none of the jokey “SatAM” episodes had any lasting effect on the overall “Sonic” franchise. I’ll admit, when I use to daydream about stealing Ian Flynn’s job, I thought about trying to redeem Ro-Becca. Even then, I dropped the creepy Antoine obsession in favor of the idea of a newly created robot learning to experience the intricacies of the world for the first time. But that’s all besides the point. “The Odd Couple” gets maybe a [5/10], if I’m being nice, while I must shame “Ro-Becca” with a [4/10].

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.08: The Void

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.08: The Void
Original Air Date: October 29th, 1994

As I’ve already talked about, season two of “SatAM” had a structure that was rare in children’s television at the time but is more common now. The individual episodes were relatively stand-alone but several arcs ran throughout the season. (This is a structure “SatAM” shared with contemporary shows like “Batman: The Animated Series,” “X-Men,” and “Gargoyles” but, because it lacked the really nice animation and design work of those shows, no mainstream critics noticed.) Several of those plot points would come to the front in “The Void,” the eighth episode of the season. While I watched those other shows too, “SatAM” bringing back one-off characters and reoccurring concepts really impressed me as a young kid.

“The Void” begins with Sonic running through the Great Unknown, the blasted-out hellscape around Robotropolis. (The comic would take this same concept and call it the Forbidden Zone, which was something slightly different in the show.) That’s when a huge psychedelic portal to the Void opens under him, which he barely escapes. He retrieves an arcane ring from the area. He brings this back to Sally, who assumes it’s from an ancient culture she is studying. A strange trance is then cast over Sally and Bunnie who are drawn back to the Void. Within dwells Naugus, a sinister sorcerer Robotnik banished to the Void in the early days of the war. Though he’s all-powerful in the Void, he can not escape. Which is what he needs Sonic for, hence the kidnapping of Sally and Bunnie. Also, King Acorn is there too. When everyone escapes, complications ensue.

When it comes to Sonic’s rogue gallery, at this point in time, there wasn't much. Sure, “SatAM” had stand alone quasi-adversaries like Lazaar and Griff. And there were henchmen like Metal Sonic, Scratch and Grounder, and Snively around. But, mostly, Robotnik was the only “Sonic” baddie that mattered at the time. Which is why it was cool when “SatAM” introduced Naugus. While he’s probably Sonic’s second most important villain in the comics, Naugus is actually something of an ally in this first appearance. He’s only interested in escaping the Void and torturing Robotnik here.

Yet the dude is obviously a creep. Michael Bell’s voice performance is raspy and conceited. The pure glee he takes with humiliating Robotnik, morphing his head into various animals and making him debase himself, is a little unnerving. (Which pulls off the unusual feat of making the audience feel bad for the show’s primary villain.) And he clearly has no respect for other people’s boundaries, with the way he manipulates Sonic, Sally and Bunnie both through subterfuge and flat-out mind control. Not to mention his tendency to crystallize people at the drop of a hat. While “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is a valid principal, it’s clear Naugus is nobody’s friends. He can't be trusted, is openly sadistic, and clearly has no problem hurting others to further his own plans. I honestly wish comic book Naugus had been as creepy as his SatAM counterpart more often.

While that stuff is really cool and fun, “The Void” is most valuable because of its emotional aspect. Halfway through the episode, Sally is reunited with her father within the Void. While the reunion during the “Blast to the Past” two-parter was disappointingly cut short, here it forms a crucial part of the episode. Sally is brought to tears when she sees her dad, the two hugging each other for a while. Kath Soucie continues to summon a great deal of heartbreaking sincerity in her line-readings. It continues to amaze me that this cartoon targeted towards six year old boys made room for such vulnerability.

This is further built upon during the by-now customary “there must be losses” epilogue. Sally is crestfallen that she came so close to rescuing her dad, only to have him wretched away from her again. Sonic tells her to look on the bright side, as the King provided them a list of all the existent Freedom Fighter teams and they rescued Ari. This is obviously plot important information but the scenes of Sonic making Sally feel better are far more important from an emotional perspective.

Another surprise delight of “The Void” is the relationship that forms between Sonic and Nicole. Sonic and his girlfriend's personal handheld computer haven't interacted much before this point, since Nicole is more prop than character most of the time. After Naugus steals Sally and Bunnie, Sonic tries to get answers out of the computer, leading to him threatening her into speaking more clearly. This is more charming than it sounds. Nicole ends up acting like the straight-woman to Sonic's totally rad 'tude. This adds a lot of deadpan humor to the proceedings – Nicole's robot voice is perfect for delivering dryly humorous comebacks – and pays off fantastically in the final scene.

If “The Void” has a serious flaw, it's the somewhat shaky magic at its center. The episode concludes rather abruptly. After a few hours, Naugus and the King both begin to turn to crystal. An explanation – that they've been in the Void too long and can't exist outside it now – is quickly tossed out there. This feels rather anticlimatic, seemingly a way to keep the story arc of Sally searching for her Dad going. Really, the episode just comes to a stop, without much of a proper conclusion. If it seems the Void's effects are inescapable, that somehow also isn't the case. Sonic's speed is enough to for him to zip in and out of the other dimension. I guess the lesson here is... Magic can do anything but Sonic's speed can do more of anything.

“The Void” is an important episode for another reason. As far as “SatAM’s” relationship with the Archie “Sonic” comic goes, this is a very pivotal half-hour. The idea of King Acorn being held hostage in another dimension, turning into crystal when brought back to Mobius, and Naugus seeking revenge on those that banished him would form long-running story arcs in the comic. While most of the crazy bullshit the comic was built on came solely from the Archie staff’s deranged minds, “The Void” would provide material that the book would draw from for literal years. Which attest to the deep ideas contained here.

Even if the plot comes to a sudden halt, instead of a natural end, “The Void” is still easily among season two's strongest episodes. (It's probably no coincidence then that the wacky comic relief of Antoine and Dulcy is nowhere to be seen here.) Unlike “Dulcy,” where the creative ideas were out-of-control, the episode has enough interesting ideas to be fascinating without getting sloppy. As a long-time “Sonic” nerd, the amount of stuff this episode contributes to the overall lore makes it a high point too. Most importantly, the emotional core is never overlooked. For all these reasons and more, “The Void” is probably my favorite of the second season so far. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.07: Dulcy

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.07: Dulcy
Original Air Date: October 22, 1994

If a serious flaw can be leveraged against “SatAM,” it would be the show’s bizarre lack of background information on most of its characters. The series thrusts us into its premise without a concrete set-up, outside the opening theme song. Sonic, Sally, and Robotnik didn’t get anything like proper origins until early into season two. Even then, lots of questions were left unanswered. We never actually learn where Tails, Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor come from. (Perhaps this is why the comic was able to build up such an elaborate mythology, by filling in the blanks the cartoon left.) Some of this vagueness was a sign of the times. It wasn’t unheard of for kids cartoons to just throw in new characters, especially if they were toy-driven shows like “Transformers” or “Ninja Turtles.”

So, when Dulcy the Dragon was suddenly a member of the Freedom Fighters at the start of “SatAM’s” second season, with no explanation of who she was or where she came from... We just had to roll with it. Since Dulcy got an episode actually named after her, you’d expect this one to delve into her backstory a little right? Not really! Then again, it’s not like Sega has ever been especially forthcoming about its characters’ origins, so I guess the “SatAM” writers’ room was just following their lead.

So what is “Dulcy” — the episode, not the character — about? While in Robotropolis doing typical Freedom Fighter shit with Sonic and Sally, Dulcy notices her wings flapping out of control. Back in Knothole, the dragon’s wings start to flap again wildly on their own. She reveals that she has been dreaming about her mother and, while napping, begins to sleep-fly towards some destination. Robotnik, determined to capture the last of the dragons, goes after Dulcy. If not for Sonic and Sally’s intervention, he would have. Soon, the Freedom Fighters discover that Dulcy is undergoing a typical adolescent experience for dragons, where they are called back to their ancestral home of Dragon's Nest by instinct. Robotnik follows, grabs another dragon who has recently laid an egg. Sonic, Sally, and Dulcy head back into Robotropolis to rescue this other female dragon before her egg hatches.

Pat Allee and Ben Hurst were ambitious writers and “Dulcy” is absolutely bursting with ideas. In fact, there might be a few too many ideas in this one. This episode introduces a powerful new weapon against Sonic. Mega-Muck, which appeared in a lot of early “Sonic” media as everything from a generic pollutant to a fuel source, shows up here as a super-sticky substance that can stop Sonic in his tracks. But that’s not even the main conflict of this episode. Allee and Hurst’s script drops a lot of new information on dragon culture in us, including a few sequences where Nicole just flat-out explains stuff. Thrown in there out of the blue is a function of Nicole’s that allows her to project people’s memories and dreams. I know it would be uncharacteristic of a “Sonic” show to slow down but any one of these ideas could’ve supported an entire episode.

As a character, I’m fairly ambivalent towards Dulcy. Yes, the “SatAM” version has this more-than-slightly annoying habit of constantly crashing and referencing her “Ma,” a running gag that was drilled into the ground immediately. Yet my memory of Dulcy is more made up of the Archie version, who was a mildly pleasant occasional guest star. Maybe the writers were aware that Dulcy was a little irritating, so they make her super useful in this episode. She masters landing, rescues Sonic at least twice, and takes out quite a few baddies with her freeze breath and fire. Yet, by the end of her titular episode, Dulcy still feels underdeveloped. That dream Nicole projects hints at Dulcy’s relationship to her mom, which I think we’ll be learning more about soon. Otherwise, Dulcy is still this sweet, sincere, goofy character that lacks the psychological insight that make Sonic, Sally, or even Snively so compelling.

As underdeveloped as Dulcy is, at least she’s a character we know and are interested in learning more about. After focusing half the episode on her, “Dulcy: The Episode, Not the Dragon” takes a weird shift. After tracking her to Dragon’s Nest, Sonic and Sally see a dragon captured by Robotnik and assume it’s Dulcy. It’s not. Instead, it’s an unnamed Mother Dragon, whose egg the Freedom Fighters spend the rest of the episode defending. (Bunnie is given the job of sitting on it, presumably because she has the most matronly thighs.) I don’t really have an opinion about Mother Dragon, aside from thinking her red mohawk and weirdly humanoid lips are kind of ugly, and that’s precisely the problem. It should’ve been Dulcy in danger, to provide more tension for the narrative. It’s nice that everyone wants to save Dragon Mom but.. What exactly will be lost if she’s Robotized? It’s hard to care about someone we literally just met minutes ago.

In addition to everything else, “Dulcy” is also a pretty action heavy episode. There are several chase scenes here. Sonic and Dulcy have to outrun those red airborne SWATBots, Dulcy is chased through the canyon by Robotnik in a stealth ship, and our heroes are pursued while trying to rescue Dragon Mom. That opening chase, which features Sonic getting stuck in the Mega Muck, is pretty good. I like the idea of Sonic being put at a disadvantage and having to rely on someone else to save him. The canyon chase features some of the better animation in the episode. A shot of Dulcy swooping around towards the camera is very neat. The other scenes are more awkwardly composed. Sonic spinning a tornado to scatter some SWATBots is especially poorly done.

And has become totally expected by now, we also have some comic relief that sometimes feels slightly out of place. Probably the best gag occurs when we see Robotnik in his pajamas, which include an old-timey night cap on his head. That made me chuckle. (The episode later follows up on the implication of this moment, that all the characters wear similarly antiquated pajamas. Yep, if you were ever curious, Sally wears a purple nightgown to bed that covers more of her than her regular outfit.) The jokes involving the bouncing dragon egg are fairly lame though. And a gag in which Dulcy hides herself and her friends from Robotnik's drones by belching a cloud of gas was truly unnecessary. Also, Sonic's dialogue is especially rad-tacular this time around, leading to some unintentional laughs.

So it's an overstuffed and hurried episode. Hurst and Allee clearly considered the fate of Mobius' dragons one of the important through lines of season two. I wish I could be as interested in that as I am in the Void or the creation of the Doomsday Project. At the same time, it's also not an especially bad episode, lying somewhere in the middle. What could've been a chance to really build up Dulcy and turn audiences around on her is hassled with too many premises on its plate. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.06: Fed Up with Antoine \ Ghost Busted

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.06: Fed Up with Antoine \ Ghost Busted
Original Air Date: October 15th, 1994

As I’ve mentioned previously, the second season of “SatAM” — while perhaps stronger narratively than the first season — was hassled with some typically clueless executive meddling. At least speaking for myself, kid-me loved the show’s darker atmosphere. Watching this blue hedgehog cartoon made me feel all sophisticated and shit. However, I guess somebody in charge thought the first season was too dark. The second season introduced the frequently cutesy and comedic character of Dulcy. It also included two comedy-centric episodes, both containing two stories apiece. The first of which was “Fed Up with Antoine / Ghost Busted.”

Presumably because he already functioned as the show’s comic relief, both of these segments prominently feature Antoine. After reading the Archie “Sonic” comic for twenty years, where Antoine would grow into a very different character, it can be a bit of a culture shock to revisit “SatAM’s” Antoine. Archie’s Antoine started as a coward, who often covered up his insecurity around his own cowardice with a self-inflated ego. He got over that pretty quickly, growing into the actual brave soldier he always wanted to be. The original cartoon Antoine never got to that point. If anything, he lost ground in the second season. While season one Antoine was occasionally useful, when not being a buffoonish stuffed shirt for Sonic to riff at, season two Antoine is nothing but a grandstanding fool. (Or “fuel,” as he would say.) He’s pretty annoying, honestly.

Which means basing nearly an entire episode around him wasn’t a great idea! But here we are anyway. The first of episode 2.6’s segments, “Fed Up with Antoine,” begins with the coyote and Sonic on a mission into Robotropolis. After a stop by the anachronistic gothic cathedral where Uncle Chuck hangs out, Sonic gets so annoyed with Antoine’s bragging that’s he threatens to leave him there. Later, Antoine asks Bunnie to train him in self-defense. This ends so badly that the former royal guardsman leaves Knothole. He’s soon picked up by a motorcycle gang calling themselves the Nasty Hyenas, who start worshiping him as a king. Antoine, being a bit of an egomaniac, loves this. But the Freedom Fighters soon discover the Hyenas are actually cannibals that eat their kings. Meaning Antoine is soon to be on the menu.

There’s about one really good joke in “Fed Up with Antoine.” While the Hyenas are attempting to cook him, in one of those giant stew pots that seemingly only exist in cartoons like this, Antoine complains... Not about being eaten but about being cooked with a pedestrian spice like pepper, instead of something fancier like paprika. That made me chuckle. Otherwise, the humor is derived here from extremely frantic slapstick. We have a gag like Antoine flailing about ineffectively while attempting to do king-fu. Instead of leaving it at that, things quickly escalate to him tossing a dummy into Sonic’s hut, which gets tossed back out. This kind of manic physical comedy occurs again, when Dulcy ends up wrecking a bedroom at the end. Maybe it’s just because I’m old but I found this stuff a little too aggressively goofy.

And what’s further disappointing about Len Jansen’s script favoring this kind of humor is it would’ve been easy to make a funny episode of “SatAM.” The show has a wonderful cast of fleshed-out characters. Since trying to topple Robotnik can only take up so much of your day, the Freedom Fighters presumably have a lot of downtime. What’s life in Knothole like when there’s no freedom fighting to be done? There’s a lot of potential for slice-of-life comedy there. We even get a brief taste of that. When Bunnie is training Tails, and Antoine not-so-gingerly asks for the same treatment, it’s cute and amusing in a more low key manner than the rest of the episode. I guess asking a kids cartoon to do a funny episode based in character interaction and no-stakes hang-out humor would’ve been too much to ask.

So Antoine’s egomaniac bit grows tiresome pretty quickly and the slapstick is mediocre at best. “Fed Up with Antoine” leaves us with one thing of interest. And that would be the cannibalistic hyena motorcycle gang. Their designs are kind of ugly and uninspired. Their voices are indistinct. (One member seems to cycle from gruff to Australian and back again.) They also participate in the wacky slapstick, when one is knocked over by the odor of Antoine’s feet. Yet I feel like this group of characters had potential. A group of humanoid hyenas who wear leather, ride on hover-bikes, and eat people? Throw in some body modification/mutilation and you’ve got a Clive Barker creation there. While the comic book featured other animal hover bike gangs, they never featured the Nasty Hyenas. Which is a bummer because it would’ve easy to turn these mildly interesting enemies into something much creepier, weirder, and interesting.

The second segment is “Ghost Busted,” which I’ve already discussed a little in the context of its bad comic adaptation. The story concerns Sonic and Tails camping out in the Great Forest, as a teaching exercise for Tails and to facilitate some brotherly bonding. They discover Antoine, who has fallen into a pit of mud and is screaming his head off. They decide to let him tag along. That night, Sonic tells Tails some ghost stories. The first of which concerns an evil spirit that changes into a duck. The second is about a headless horseman/gopher with a glowing medallion. The stories clearly get to Tails, as he has nightmares that night. He wakes up and sees a strange glowing entity, convinced it’s a ghost. Turns out, it’s just Antoine covered in some glowing leaves, a thing that apparently exists on Mobius. But the story doesn’t quite end there either.

“Ghost Busted” features similar humor to “Fed Up with Antoine.” There’s a lot of pedestrian slapstick here, much of it centering on Antoine. There's a mildly funny gag, of Antoine dragging a canape bed on a camping trip and sleeping in footie pajamas. Otherwise, we are expected to laugh at sights like Antoine fumbling helplessly in mud, sucking his thumb, or his repeated mangling of the English language. Maybe this stuff would make a really young kid laugh but I'm betting, even back in 1994, “SatAM” was targeting slightly older kids than that.

The element of “Ghost Busted” that does work, sort of, is Tails being led on an adventure by Sonic. Even by this point in the series – there's all of seven episodes left – the two-tailed fox hasn't done much. So his little camping trip with Sonic allows Tails the chance to shine. The story of a kid getting a little overly excited by a campfire ghost tale, letting his imagination getting away from him and becoming scared by something that's not-so-frightening in the day light, is a classic one. Yet there's an important moment here. While flying around freaked-out, Tails pauses in a bush. He stops and considers the situation, gets his thinking straight. It shows the kid's growing bravery and forethought.

What's probably most memorable about “Ghost Busted” is its, well, ghosts. Or “ghosts,” as it were. Pat Allee cooks up some very goofy, odd ghost stories for Sonic to tell. (I like to think Sonic makes the stories up off the top of his head.) Tails imagines the sinister duck monster as a demonic figure forming in the moon. He next has a vivid imagining of the Headless Gopher, which easily ranks among the odder homages to Washington Irving's seminal ghost story. (And like Irving's story, this episode has an ambiguous ending that leaves the reality of the ghost up to the audience.) Yet neither are as odd or enduring as the image of Antoine, bathed totally in glittery leaves that look like both gold or like fire. Sonic describes these as from a Firefox Bush, presumably because this plant doubles as an adaptable internet browser.

As an experiment, I could sort of see the point of this farcical double feature. Taking a break after the fairly serious “Blast to the Past” two-parter with a breather like this wasn't a bad idea. Not that the show was ever so serious, even in its grimmest moments, that it needed a breather quite this... Breathy. I almost get enough out of 'Ghost Busted” to say I enjoy this episode – also, this episode aired a few weeks before Halloween, which is close enough for me to officially declare it a Halloween special, so therefore I have to at least partially love it  – but “Fed Up with Antoine” is pretty rough to get through at times, if only because it continually pushes that character's most irritating aspects.

And one last thing. The episode ends with a  dedication to Owen Fitzgerald. In the years before the internet came along, such a jovial episode concluding on a black notice of someone's death confused and baffled many a young viewer. Now that the entirety of human knowledge is at the tip of our fingers, we know that Owen Fitzgerald was an experienced layout and storyboard artist who had been working in the animation industry since the forties. He was most prolific at Hanna-Barbera in the seventies and early eighties. “SatAM” was his last credit before his death in 1994 – he also worked on “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog” and tons of other stuff – and clearly the creative team felt him worthy of a dedication. But, after a light-hearted episode about ghosts, it certainly ends things on a weirdly morbid note. Anyway, I just had to mention that as I know someone would have brought it up if I hadn't. [6/10]