13 replies to this topic

[chief]

Thats right! "The Void"...

"The Freedom Fighters find some unexpected surprises in the dimensional vortex known only as the Void."

So how about it? Discuss your favorite bits of this.. I'm sure this episode will have a good review as it was one of the better ones in my opinion.

[Gojira007]

This IS a pretty solid episode overall, although I found there were some weird pacing problems here and there, especially once King Acorn and Ari enter the story (then again, pacing problems seem to follow Ari around like a rain cloud, sooooooo...). Nevertheless, Naugus is a great addittion to the show and makes for an interesting character: not quite evil, not quite good, his shades of gray give him a lot of depth.

Sonic really shines in this episode, too. That little scene where he gives Sally the Giant's Ring is one of my favorites from the show, with a surprisingly bashful Sonic in it that makes it that perfect kind 'o' sweet. :3 I also like the way he and Nichole interact throughout the episode. The scene where Sonic lets himself get sucked into the Void is also great.

Robotnik's fear of Naugus, though...I'm not so sure. It always bugs me when a show has the Top Villain scared or defeated by a one-timer, and despite Ben Hurst's plans for him, that was all Naugus ended up being. Still, Naugus' tricks and Snivley's reactions are pretty much funny enough to make up for it.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

This episode probably had them most character development in Season 2 (aside from maybe "Drood Henge"), with moments like Sally meeting her Father for the first time since the take over (without having to go back in time to do it) and all of the "Sonic and Nichole" moments. But the beginning of the script seemed a little rushed (Sonic is just "kicking around" the Great Unknown for no known reason, whereas in earlier episodes situations like this always occurred while escaping Robotropolis after accomplishing a mission in the beginning of the episode [Season 1: "Ultra Sonic", "Warp Sonic", Season 2: "Sonic Convention", although even in that episode it wasn't clear why Sonic and Sally were in Robotropolis in the first place]). But there was a LOT of information that Ben Hurst needed to convey to introduce Naugus' character, so Sonic's reasons for "kicking around" are happily left un-explained. (It wasn't like it was NOT in Sonic's character to just do fun things just for the heck of it.)

Robotnik's fear of Naugus, though...I'm not so sure. It always bugs me when a show has the Top Villain scared or defeated by a one-timer, and despite Ben Hurst's plans for him, that was all Naugus ended up being. Still, Naugus' tricks and Snivley's reactions are pretty much funny enough to make up for it.

I think it would have been more clear what we were supposed to think of Robotnik's fear if Naugus would actually DO something to Robotnik.

Naugus just twists the plot on it's head in such an un-expected way, good and bad. Half way through Season 2 this new character just shows out of nowhere and throws both the villain AND the heroes' goals out of whack. And I LOVE twists like that.

BUT... it would have made more sense for Naugus to do some actual damage to Robotnik. That would actually make Naugus worthy of Robotnik's fear. But maybe in the end Naugus' personality is just like Robotnik's. They both like to play with their victums before actually dealing the death-blow, so we've yet to see Naugus' full evil potential that Robotnik may already know. But the humor of the scene does make up for this.

This IS a pretty solid episode overall, although I found there were some weird pacing problems here and there, especially once King Acorn and Ari enter the story

Agreed. The King and Arri showing up in the episode almost felt like Bun Hurst was just trying to remind the viewers those characters got sucked into the Void. Naugus is introduced living in the Void, and we already know that's where King Acorn and Arri are, so to NOT show them would be unforgivable. But since they REALLY didn't have anything more to do with the episode's plot then just the quick moments where Sally gets the Freedom Fighter's list and to give Arri screen time in coming "The Doomsday Project" episode (in which Arri still does nothing) it just gummed up the pacing.

This leads me to believe that Arri would be a part of the love triangle with Sally and Sonic in Season 3 that Ben Hurst mentioned in an interview for the DVD release of SatAM. This would explain Arri's tag-along existence in the series, but I'm just speculating with no actual data to back me up.

And one last bit of nit-picky-ness, Sonic did seem a little fatter than usual in a few shots in this episode. But, whatever.

[Vlad Yvhv]

I'm sure that without the crystalization problem, Naugus would have in fact done someting more serious to Robotnik. Maybe he was planning on turning the fat man into a complete pig and having a hog roast?

As a more self-serving character, it seems to open the possibility of Naugus occasionally helping either side, should he get free of the Void. This is different from most of the other characters the Freedom Fighters have helped. I think that's good.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

I'm sure that without the crystalization problem, Naugus would have in fact done someting more serious to Robotnik. Maybe he was planning on turning the fat man into a complete pig and having a hog roast?

Maybe. But since nothing previous to that was shown (other than Robotnik's head changing) all we can do is imagine.

And Naugus serving both side scares me a little! That would be cool to watch in Season 3!

[The Man]

Definately a solid episode. I found it wierd though that Sally was studying the place Sonic happend to be at. Simply overlooked at the time. Sally could have said 'did you find it out there.'

A small nitpic there that doesn't mean anything but Chuck made an appearance and he mentioned 'commanders involved' indicating there's more going on with Robotnik than we actually know unless you guys already know.

Naugus's magic could explain everything that didn't fit. Ari and the real King were probably frozen before Sally and Bunnie arrived and only came out of it when Naugus left the void.

I'm also surprised nobody missed Sally and Bunnie sooner because it turned to night when Sonic returned. Otherwise I like how Naugus's magic works instantly and is everything I remember half my age ago. I'd categorize this as a good episode right now.

[DCC]

I didn't really care that much for the character of Nagus. The highlight, or most emotional part(for me) was Sally's brief reunion with her father, them saying good-bye, and Sonic giving Sally a comfonting hug and talking to her after the King left.

[btstlouis]

This is a great episode overall. I really liked the reappearance of Ari and King Acorn, the complete list of freedom fighters that King Acorn gave Sally was a nice addition as well except I think it might contradict with the existence of lower mobius. It really would have bummed me out if Ben Hurst really would have made Naugus the prominent villain in season three though...

[BigWigRah]

ah yes, the void. I have very mixed feelings about this one

First off, the good points. Sonic is very funny in this one, with his interactions with Nicole. The scene at the end where the void closes was a fantastic emotional point for Sally. It was great to see that Ari got out ok, even if he did decide to go off and live by himself. I would like to see a few episodes that were just about him doing his thing. Loner hero's can be pretty cool if played right. As hard as it is for the Freedom fighters/wolf pack/lower mobians to survive in Robotnik's harsh war, imagine trying to survive alone. Ari's a pretty tough guy when you get down to it. I would imagine he's dealing with a lot of guilt over his friends being gone, and having betrayed the freedom fighers in desperation. At least we can see that he redeems himself by playing a part in doomsday.

The scene at the end by the ring pool was one of my favorites, as it is a lot like the scene from the end of Sonic Conversion, except the roles are reversed. Instead of Sally comforting Sonic, the roles are reversed, with Sally being comforted by Sonic. The two scenes do a good job at revealing their strong bond and willingness to always look out for each other, even in the worst situations.

Now the bad stuff

I have a lot of problems with the scene where Naugus impersonates the king. The timing was really fast, and it seemed a bit weird for Sally to react the same way twice. She get's excited to see her dad's imposter, then when she finds her real dad two minutes later, same reaction. I would expect her to be a bit more concerned with the situation. Sigh...just didn't feel natural.

I for one, am not a fan of Naugus at all. First of all, he's pretty annoying with his raspy voice, and his ridiculous "torture" game with Robotnik. I felt like Naugus was just one big comical joke character with no real purpose other than to allow characters to exit the void. Secondly, One of the most important themes in SatAm is the idea of Naturalism vs. Industrialism, Man vs. Machine, etc. Throwing magic into the series just seems out of place to me. I didn't like Lazarr in Super Sonic, and I don't like Naugus. When the void was first introduced in Game Guy, it was established as an invention by Robotnik, and not some bizarre magical land made of crystal.

oh yeah, and i found a weird plot hole. How the hell would King Acorn have a list of freedom fighers in the first place. If he was trapped in the void immediately after the coup, how would he know who the freedom fighters were, seeing as they didn't exist yet. I don't see how the freedom fighters could have possibly been established before the coup. Granted, there was some kind of "war" that happened before the events of the coup, but i would assume it was carried out by Julian's militia of robots. I assume they were robots, considering the king's orders for Robotnik to "dismantle" the military. If the list of Freedom Fighters was fully accurate, we would assume that his five year old daughter and the gang would be on it as well, sounds pretty sketchy to me.

[The Man]

Here's a counterspell. I put my text in your quote using >>> and/or <<<.

Now the bad stuff

I have a lot of problems with the scene where Naugus impersonates the king. The timing was really fast, and it seemed a bit weird for Sally to react the same way twice. She get's excited to see her dad's imposter, then when she finds her real dad two minutes later, same reaction. I would expect her to be a bit more concerned with the situation. Sigh...just didn't feel natural.

Me >>> React the same way twice. Well, with a wizard lightning strikes twice and is really fast so you don't know the full effect of the magic spell.

I for one, am not a fan of Naugus at all. First of all, he's pretty annoying with his raspy voice, and his ridiculous "torture" game with Robotnik.

Me >>> It brings a humorous balance to the episode. Naugus has succeed in many ways of spells.

I felt like Naugus was just one big comical joke character with no real purpose other than to allow characters to exit the void.>>>"Mainly"<<<, One of the most important themes in SatAm is the idea of Naturalism vs. Industrialism, Man vs. Machine, etc. Throwing magic into the series just seems out of place to me. I didn't like Lazarr in Super Sonic, and I don't like Naugus. When the void was first introduced in Game Guy, it was established as an invention by Robotnik, and not some bizarre magical land made of crystal.

Me >>> Robotnik did have to dump all that crysta met for the human soliders that don't exist anymore.

oh yeah, and i found a weird plot hole. How the hell would King Acorn have a list of freedom fighers in the first place. If he was trapped in the void immediately after the coup, how would he know who the freedom fighters were, seeing as they didn't exist yet. I don't see how the freedom fighters could have possibly been established before the coup. Granted, there was some kind of "war" that happened before the events of the coup, but i would assume it was carried out by Julian's militia of robots. I assume they were robots, considering the king's orders for Robotnik to "dismantle" the military. If the list of Freedom Fighters was fully accurate, we would assume that his five year old daughter and the gang would be on it as well, sounds pretty sketchy to me.

Me >>> Read Foreknowledge by Tristan. Considering we don't know much about the void it could alter time and space we don't know about. I'll put your first quote last.

ah yes, The Void. I have very mixed feelings about this one

>>> cause we're busy mixing the cauldron with special brew and stuff. It's magic!