Hooked on Sonics. Go Watch it, then Discuss it here.
I would need to say, those Shredder Robots really do it for me. Makes you kinda wonder why Robotink just did'nt build more.
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April 2008's Episode - Hooked on Sonics
Started by
Guest_RockyRaccoon_*
, Apr 17 2008 09:40 AM
18 replies to this topic
#3
Tristan Palmgren
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Posted 17 April 2008 - 05:23 PM
That was a really, really deep kiss for Saturday morning television.
#4
Guest_Red Sonic_*
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Posted 18 April 2008 - 02:42 PM
I have a somewhat strange affection for this episode. Throughout my life, there were certain episodes of certian shows that I wanted to see badly and through some mishap or incident, I missed that episode...and the not only missed it, but ended up never seeing it. There's an episode of the Simpsons, DBZ, and Gargoyles that I missed once and never saw it again.
Hooked on Sonics was just about one of those. A saturday detention ensured that I missed it, and for some reason I missed it's repeats for near a year until I managed to catch it. I was blown away, to say the least. The full lip-on-lip contact was NOT DONE on cartoons. In fact, I still have yet to see a toon that matches Satam in terms of the showing of affection between the main guy and his love interest.
This episode was simply, utterly classic. It featured the great dynamic between Sonic's bravado and somewhat contemptuous relationship with the jealous and English-butchering Antoine. The adventure was fun, as it was the second episode to make Sonic not use his speed. Their banter was funny, and by the end of the episode you almost felt Antoine had the same potential as Sonic, albiet in his own way.
Hooked on Sonics was just about one of those. A saturday detention ensured that I missed it, and for some reason I missed it's repeats for near a year until I managed to catch it. I was blown away, to say the least. The full lip-on-lip contact was NOT DONE on cartoons. In fact, I still have yet to see a toon that matches Satam in terms of the showing of affection between the main guy and his love interest.
This episode was simply, utterly classic. It featured the great dynamic between Sonic's bravado and somewhat contemptuous relationship with the jealous and English-butchering Antoine. The adventure was fun, as it was the second episode to make Sonic not use his speed. Their banter was funny, and by the end of the episode you almost felt Antoine had the same potential as Sonic, albiet in his own way.
#5
Lord Exor
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Posted 19 April 2008 - 01:18 AM
"A nice dream, but dreams are meant to be... broken!"
Indeed, Robotnik was nothing short of superb in this installment. He was a truly menacing presence throughout the entire episode, especially during his initial encounter with Antoine.
Indeed, Robotnik was nothing short of superb in this installment. He was a truly menacing presence throughout the entire episode, especially during his initial encounter with Antoine.
#6
Kain Blackwood
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Posted 19 April 2008 - 01:32 PM
I tend to forget how long and deep that kiss really was, but I do always remember Sonic and Sal's back-and-forth about it (I always like those moments between them).
Still, there are two words that my friend and remember this episode for: "Laser rifle." Robotnik is Cold. As. Ice. when he says that. The fact that he doesn't care about roboticizing Sonic or catching him in some complex trap that he can take pride in later is a bit of testament to how far the good doctor's been pushed; he wants nothing more than to end Sonic right damn now. Anyways, I'm with Exor: this is Robotnik at his best/worst.
Still, there are two words that my friend and remember this episode for: "Laser rifle." Robotnik is Cold. As. Ice. when he says that. The fact that he doesn't care about roboticizing Sonic or catching him in some complex trap that he can take pride in later is a bit of testament to how far the good doctor's been pushed; he wants nothing more than to end Sonic right damn now. Anyways, I'm with Exor: this is Robotnik at his best/worst.
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#7
BigWigRah
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Posted 19 April 2008 - 05:44 PM
this episode did stick with me quite a bit. I kind of felt for Antoine quite a bit during the scene at the power ring pool. I think we have all been there at some point. It's easy to miss the teardrop that hits the surface of the lake.
I think this episode showed me that Antoine and Sonic are really very similar characters. Both of them can be arrogant and stubborn at times, making rash decisions without using their heads. Sonic is just lucky enough to have the speed to escape bad situations while Antoine is powerless. Antoine and Sonic were put on level playing fields in a way here.
I think this episode showed me that Antoine and Sonic are really very similar characters. Both of them can be arrogant and stubborn at times, making rash decisions without using their heads. Sonic is just lucky enough to have the speed to escape bad situations while Antoine is powerless. Antoine and Sonic were put on level playing fields in a way here.
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#8
salamander
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Posted 19 April 2008 - 06:14 PM
This is my favorite episode of the series!
I guess I like it because it's probably the only ep in the series where Ant gets a semi-serious role. He's funny in this ep too, but he also lets down his guard and allows us to sympathise.
I could talk about this ep forever but I'll try to keep it short..
-I really like the atmosphere, how time is given to establish the scaryness of Robotropolis. Just seeing Robotnik's hovercraft slowly landing is pretty intimidating. The music is cool too.
-As was said, Robotnik is awesome in this ep. I like how offhandedly he orders Ant to be robotisized, not even learning his name. Of course, he's gotta show Antoine just what he's gonna do with the power ring before sending him to his doom.
-Just the brief bit where we see Ant in his prison cell. Just face down, fists clenched. And when he looks up to see the SWATbots there, he looks so ruined. He knows he's messed up big, and the guilt is just killing him.
-When Ant's thrown into the Robotisizer. One second he's making adorable malapropisms and the next you can't hear him under the glass before he's being zapped. It's so cold and quick, no big speeches or evil laughter or anything. (He was zapped by the robotisizer, if only for a second.. Did that have any effect on him, even small?)
-Even after that, the first thing Ant does when he meets Sonic is warn him about the Shredder, and owns up to his guilt. For all that they've fought, Ant and Sonic are able to put that behind them and get along, for the greater good. Well duh, they should, but the pure fact that Ant is capable of clear thought and acts like an adult- THANK YOU! Not to harp on this, but no way would this happen in s2.
-Also liked Rotor and Tails in this ep. Rotor because he was quite sweet in trying to help Antoine out, and Tails because it was cute how he was the only one who wanted to listen to him
Anyway, when I think of Antoine I am thinking of this episode. It annoyed me that in later eps Ant had to flap around like Jar Jar Binks and be totally annoying all the time he was on screen, trying way too hard to be funny. S1 Ant was much more low-key and actually got more laughs from me than s2 Ant ever did.
"Why is this world so difficulting to understand?"
I dunno, Antoine. I just don't know
I guess I like it because it's probably the only ep in the series where Ant gets a semi-serious role. He's funny in this ep too, but he also lets down his guard and allows us to sympathise.
I could talk about this ep forever but I'll try to keep it short..
-I really like the atmosphere, how time is given to establish the scaryness of Robotropolis. Just seeing Robotnik's hovercraft slowly landing is pretty intimidating. The music is cool too.
-As was said, Robotnik is awesome in this ep. I like how offhandedly he orders Ant to be robotisized, not even learning his name. Of course, he's gotta show Antoine just what he's gonna do with the power ring before sending him to his doom.
-Just the brief bit where we see Ant in his prison cell. Just face down, fists clenched. And when he looks up to see the SWATbots there, he looks so ruined. He knows he's messed up big, and the guilt is just killing him.
-When Ant's thrown into the Robotisizer. One second he's making adorable malapropisms and the next you can't hear him under the glass before he's being zapped. It's so cold and quick, no big speeches or evil laughter or anything. (He was zapped by the robotisizer, if only for a second.. Did that have any effect on him, even small?)
-Even after that, the first thing Ant does when he meets Sonic is warn him about the Shredder, and owns up to his guilt. For all that they've fought, Ant and Sonic are able to put that behind them and get along, for the greater good. Well duh, they should, but the pure fact that Ant is capable of clear thought and acts like an adult- THANK YOU! Not to harp on this, but no way would this happen in s2.
-Also liked Rotor and Tails in this ep. Rotor because he was quite sweet in trying to help Antoine out, and Tails because it was cute how he was the only one who wanted to listen to him
Anyway, when I think of Antoine I am thinking of this episode. It annoyed me that in later eps Ant had to flap around like Jar Jar Binks and be totally annoying all the time he was on screen, trying way too hard to be funny. S1 Ant was much more low-key and actually got more laughs from me than s2 Ant ever did.
"Why is this world so difficulting to understand?"
I dunno, Antoine. I just don't know
#9
Velvet D'Coolette
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Posted 23 April 2008 - 06:59 AM
SoulTenor, I've mildly wondered about that drop - I would have called it a tear, except Antoine doesn't seem to be crying. I thought it was just a sort of metaphorical 'penny drop' that makes him click and go, 'ah! I can use a power ring!'
Are you sure that wasn't 'word'. Rotor had just misunderstood him calling Sonic a 'fuel' after all.
That said, "Why is this world so difficulting to understand?" would be brilliantly philosophical in a bitterly French kind of way.
QUOTE ("salamander":2ytjcfqn)
"Why is this world so difficulting to understand?"
Are you sure that wasn't 'word'. Rotor had just misunderstood him calling Sonic a 'fuel' after all.
That said, "Why is this world so difficulting to understand?" would be brilliantly philosophical in a bitterly French kind of way.
Why not check out my fanfiction?
Antoine's Adventure
http://www.fanfictio...ine-s-Adventure
Psychological adventure in which Antoine gets therapy.
Sonic and the Deliberate Mary Sue
http://www.fanfictio...rate-Mary-Sue-1 (approx. age 13 and up)
Mary Sue parody with an actual storyline.
Psychological original character reference sheets available from my DeviantArt account: http://palantean.deviantart.com/
#10
Guest_Elisto Dragonwings_*
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Posted 24 April 2008 - 01:13 PM
I think I can recite this episode word for word, including Ant's butchered sentences. The fact that it's one of the few episodes I've had on tape since 95 probably contributes to that.
It's one of my favorites of the series for all the reason's mentioned, but I also really think the relationship between Antione and Sonic is made very clear. They obviously don't like each other, but there's not really this complete hatred of, or at least disregard for, each other that I think shows up more in Season 2. Even knowing Ant would never rescue him if the situation were reversed, Sonic not only saves him but forgives him, maybe even feels sorry for him. It really reminds you that they're not just two teens who met and can't get along; they've spent their whole lives together and experienced the same things.
It's one of my favorites of the series for all the reason's mentioned, but I also really think the relationship between Antione and Sonic is made very clear. They obviously don't like each other, but there's not really this complete hatred of, or at least disregard for, each other that I think shows up more in Season 2. Even knowing Ant would never rescue him if the situation were reversed, Sonic not only saves him but forgives him, maybe even feels sorry for him. It really reminds you that they're not just two teens who met and can't get along; they've spent their whole lives together and experienced the same things.
#11
Guest_Merlin_*
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Posted 24 April 2008 - 08:57 PM
This was definitely a very good episode, with some of Antoine's best acting shown here. You cannot leave out the kiss, which still sticks out in my mind because I've seen very few Saturday Morning cartoons where the main guy kisses his love interest like that. Of course you can't forget Robotnik's quote "Dreams are meant to be... broken!" and how he stops Antoine and grabs the power ring. Classic episode.
I'm looking forward to next month's.
I'm looking forward to next month's.
#12
Velvet D'Coolette
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Posted 25 April 2008 - 01:12 AM
QUOTE ("Elisto Dragonwings":3lv84yyi)
...I also really think the relationship between Antione and Sonic is made very clear. They obviously don't like each other, but there's not really this complete hatred of, or at least disregard for, each other that I think shows up more in Season 2. Even knowing Ant would never rescue him if the situation were reversed...
Perhaps not rescue, but in Ultra Sonic after Uncle Chuck has turned back, Antoine does chip in with a comment to tell Sonic he did well in shattering the crystal. He has enough regard for the hedgehog that he won't leave him out in the cold completely.
I second the idea that he woudn't rescue Sonic but that's got more to do with his cowardice than any wish to see Sonic dead, I think.
Why not check out my fanfiction?
Antoine's Adventure
http://www.fanfictio...ine-s-Adventure
Psychological adventure in which Antoine gets therapy.
Sonic and the Deliberate Mary Sue
http://www.fanfictio...rate-Mary-Sue-1 (approx. age 13 and up)
Mary Sue parody with an actual storyline.
Psychological original character reference sheets available from my DeviantArt account: http://palantean.deviantart.com/
#13
Guest_Afgncaap5_*
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Posted 26 April 2008 - 07:00 PM
See, a lot of people call Antoine a coward, but I don't agree with that, and this episode is one of the reasons for why.
A coward is a person who won't do what needs to be done when the going gets tough, and bravery is doing anything that needs doing even when you're scared.
The fact that Antoine is scared a lot is forgiveable. For the past decade he's been living in a forest, hiding from an ever-expanding robotic shadow that they've had to learn to avoid or die (or worse.)
Now, it's true, he's the only one who's openly scared nearly all the time, but consider the others: a hedgehog who can outrun any danger that comes along, a rabbit that's just as (or more) dangerous and strong as nearly any other robot they'll meet, a squirrel who's a tactical genius, and a fox that can fly away from anything. Even Rotor knows how to reprogram or deactivate machinery, and so arguably would have knowledge going into it that could help him.
As such, Antoine is the only one of the core group of Freedom Fighters without any special skills custom-fit to surviving in this environment (apart from his training as a squire, which he must've had when he was around 5 or so.)
Watching Antoine in action here, though, we see him concoct a plan that involves him single-handedly going off to confront Robotnik. He not only plans and executes this mission, but he nearly succeeds and comes alarmingly close to ending the war. Who knows, if he'd thought to plan it with Sally instead of on his own, the plan might've had just the extra push it needed to really succeed.
And as other people've pointed out, he totally owns up to everything when he meets Sonic near the end. No attempts to shift the blame or diminish how at fault he is, he just lays it all out there. He may not be as cool as Sonic, but he's certainly just as much of a hero, in my opinion. If only he had as sparkling a success record...
A coward is a person who won't do what needs to be done when the going gets tough, and bravery is doing anything that needs doing even when you're scared.
The fact that Antoine is scared a lot is forgiveable. For the past decade he's been living in a forest, hiding from an ever-expanding robotic shadow that they've had to learn to avoid or die (or worse.)
Now, it's true, he's the only one who's openly scared nearly all the time, but consider the others: a hedgehog who can outrun any danger that comes along, a rabbit that's just as (or more) dangerous and strong as nearly any other robot they'll meet, a squirrel who's a tactical genius, and a fox that can fly away from anything. Even Rotor knows how to reprogram or deactivate machinery, and so arguably would have knowledge going into it that could help him.
As such, Antoine is the only one of the core group of Freedom Fighters without any special skills custom-fit to surviving in this environment (apart from his training as a squire, which he must've had when he was around 5 or so.)
Watching Antoine in action here, though, we see him concoct a plan that involves him single-handedly going off to confront Robotnik. He not only plans and executes this mission, but he nearly succeeds and comes alarmingly close to ending the war. Who knows, if he'd thought to plan it with Sally instead of on his own, the plan might've had just the extra push it needed to really succeed.
And as other people've pointed out, he totally owns up to everything when he meets Sonic near the end. No attempts to shift the blame or diminish how at fault he is, he just lays it all out there. He may not be as cool as Sonic, but he's certainly just as much of a hero, in my opinion. If only he had as sparkling a success record...
#14
MistressAli
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Posted 01 May 2008 - 07:43 PM
I like this episode quite a bit. I'm pretty sure it was the first episode of SatAM I ever saw (it was either this one or Sonic Racer). I remember thinking Snively was some one-shot idiot Robotnik had hired, and I was SO sure he was going to die at the 'drop the SWATbot' through the trapdoor scene 
!
-Anyway...I like the opening... I mean, Sniv's there! And he's being all wickedly gleeful. I also like when he makes that 'oh fuck' face right before his hovercraft gets totaled.
-I love Antoine's plot to capture Robotnik. Seeing the fat bastard fall into the trap makes me giggle everytime. I like his cool, collected conversation after falling into said hole. And of course, the 'dreams are meant to be broken' line is sooo seXy ;P
-Sonic comes across like such an asshat when he looks for Antoine. 'Under a rock, shedding your skin? hahhaha, too cool, too cool.' Even though he's NOT acting cool at all. He sounds like a bully. O>O But this is redeemed when he rescues Ant and actually -doesn't- rub Ant's failed plan into his face.
-I also love the line 'laser rifle.' SO badass. Robotnik is such a seXy mother...
!-Anyway...I like the opening... I mean, Sniv's there! And he's being all wickedly gleeful. I also like when he makes that 'oh fuck' face right before his hovercraft gets totaled.
-I love Antoine's plot to capture Robotnik. Seeing the fat bastard fall into the trap makes me giggle everytime. I like his cool, collected conversation after falling into said hole. And of course, the 'dreams are meant to be broken' line is sooo seXy ;P
-Sonic comes across like such an asshat when he looks for Antoine. 'Under a rock, shedding your skin? hahhaha, too cool, too cool.' Even though he's NOT acting cool at all. He sounds like a bully. O>O But this is redeemed when he rescues Ant and actually -doesn't- rub Ant's failed plan into his face.
-I also love the line 'laser rifle.' SO badass. Robotnik is such a seXy mother...
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#15
Velvet D'Coolette
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Posted 02 May 2008 - 01:08 AM
Yeah, there is that matter of Sonic being unpleasant about Antoine behind his back. I suppose they had to put that in because usually, Sonic sees such little threat in Antoine that the animosity seems one-sided. So the writers are kind of obliged to show that Sonic thinks Ant's a waste of space occasionally, too.
But yes, Sonic's quite aware that he has the upper hand at that moment and is gloating about it.
But again to back you up Ali, at least he relents when Sally tells him he's out of order for leaving Ant to face Robotnik by himself and treats the guy okay when he finally catches up with him.
The twist is pretty good in this plot as well: all the time Ant's been convinced that he wants to win Sally, but when you get to the end, he doesn't even monitor her reaction enough to see that she leaves the crowd. All he wanted all along was the spotlight for a while.
It leaves the whole story in quite a positive light, I think.
But yes, Sonic's quite aware that he has the upper hand at that moment and is gloating about it.
But again to back you up Ali, at least he relents when Sally tells him he's out of order for leaving Ant to face Robotnik by himself and treats the guy okay when he finally catches up with him.
The twist is pretty good in this plot as well: all the time Ant's been convinced that he wants to win Sally, but when you get to the end, he doesn't even monitor her reaction enough to see that she leaves the crowd. All he wanted all along was the spotlight for a while.
It leaves the whole story in quite a positive light, I think.
Why not check out my fanfiction?
Antoine's Adventure
http://www.fanfictio...ine-s-Adventure
Psychological adventure in which Antoine gets therapy.
Sonic and the Deliberate Mary Sue
http://www.fanfictio...rate-Mary-Sue-1 (approx. age 13 and up)
Mary Sue parody with an actual storyline.
Psychological original character reference sheets available from my DeviantArt account: http://palantean.deviantart.com/
#16
btstlouis
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Posted 22 June 2008 - 01:41 PM
First episode I ever saw. Its a great one!
Never lose hope! SATam will be resurrected!
#17
Guest_Dominic Smith_*
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Posted 30 June 2008 - 05:55 PM
Although 'Cry of the Wolf' has now just been selected as the new episode I felt the need to go back and write an essay for each of the other episodes first before joining the current discussion. Fortunately Rocky had had the good sense to allow people to reply to the older topics, meaning you my fellow FUSers are not deprived of my inane rantings!
So 'Hooked on Sonics' then, unlike some of the other episodes, as I recently commented on in another topic, had a very powerful impact on me and I remember many details clearly. For that reason I'm going to break up this overview into two parts, firstly I'll relate my own found memories off watching in and then go into more detailed comments about the episode itself, including replies to some of the excellent comments already made by some FUSers. If this means I'll go over the same things more than once, I'm sorry and I'll do my best to keep it interesting.
Looking back then, wow how this episode rocked, there are some episodes that contain only one truly memorable moment and others that, while OK, don't have any, this one however had them by the barrel.
I remember being impressed by the sheer size and power of the shredder back then I was and still am although to a lesser degree, very fond of trees and seeing the shredder effortlessly cut them down was very impressionable. Remember I was of the generation who grew up with Captain Planet, a environmentalist propaganda cartoon that attempted to brainwash a whole generation of young impressionable minds with eco-friendly messages.
Anyway I digress, I must confess to being somewhat blurry about what happened next for a while, although I remembered Sonic did 'somehow' total the shredder, until the infamous kiss scene. I was, to say the least, a little wide eyed watching that, my mouth perhaps hanging open and a line of drawl trailing towards the floor. Although I had not yet experienced snogging or french kissing at that age I had done plenty of regular kissing and for much longer periods than that I might add when I was much younger, when I was 7 me and a girl from my class used to go off into the bushes together and make out for up to 20-minutes! But wait, no one wants to hear about that!
So let me just finish the subject by saying that I knew that it was 'something more' than I had seen in other cartoons.
Moving on, we had the whole Antoine/powering thing happen. I must confess to being somewhat confused about this at the time, having re-watched the episode I don't know how it was possible but for some reason, at the time, I thought that Ant had actually decided to betray the Freedom Fighters. Like I said, having seen it again I can't understand why as it's pretty clear what Ant intends to do, maybe something happened at the time and I did not pay attention to the TV during the proceeding scene?
Anyway with my false conception I remember him holding up the powering to the spyeye and calling Robotnik out and thinking, 'you little bastard.' Then, unlike the other cartons at the time when similar situations arise, Robotnik snapped into action with brutal efficiency,
"Get his position." I remember thinking, 'whoa, Robotnik doesn't fuck around.' Continuing to think Ant had turned traitor I smiled evilly at that point, hoping Robotnik would robotises his worthless hide.
Robtonik later meets Ant and the confrontation occurs, due to the already mentioned error on my part I was then utterly surprised when Robotnik fell through the hole. Then of course there is the line, one of the greatest lines in SatAM, I know it's already been quoted by our own dark Lord Exor and again by Merlin and then Ali but I just have to do it again,
"A nice dream, bur dreams are meant to be...broken."
Incidentally Exor given this is your favourite episode I wonder why you didn't write a post that was a little longer?
Sonic being unable to run also got me thinking, although this had already happened in 'Super Sonic' and I'll comment more on that later, in this case the impact of him being unable to run was drummed in with far more impact than before and Sonic seemed genuinely concerned.
As has been commented on, the bit where Robotnik just decided to shoot Sonic on the spot was actually very cold and, from a psychological perspective quite dark, at that point Saturday morning villains never just asked for a gun to execute hero's they had cornered or captured. In doing so it brings the issue of 'guns' into a far more lethal and realistic appraisal than in other cartoons. So yes, it left an impression alright.
So now that I've finished what are my impressions if I look back without the aid of my rose tinted nostalgic glasses?
Well first and foremost I believe the episode still stands up very well and of the 12-episodes in season 1 I believe that, along with another 3 it is a definite contender for best episode of the series.
Firstly we have the battle scene between Sonic and the shredder, as had been said the shredder looks bad-ass, I mean see for yourselves,
http://www.artline.ro/admin/_files/news ... redder.png
Wait! That's the wrong shredder! Oh well the 'robot' shredder looks bad-ass too, I'm in agreement with Rocky on it blowing the doomsday pods out of the water, it's a shame they didn't look more menacing. The other thing about the fight scene that stands out is just how much happens, there is plenty of moving around and other elements come into play.
This also introduces us to the concept of advanced AI swat-bot commanders that are able to act, obviously within limits and parameters, on their own initiative. We see him, for example, analyse the situation after Snively had told him not to order the hover unit to fire and let the shredder handle it. Once it became clear that the shredder was getting the stuffing beaten out of it, he ordered the hover unit to fire instead of just mindlessly continuing to obey Snively's last order, which events had superseded.
Unfortunately, to my knowledge we don't see any other swat-bot commanders of this kind appear in the series, which is a real shame because the concept of the robotic command structure was worthy of exploring but the writers decided not to go with it. From a story perspective I guess you can argue that Robotnik was so disgusted with the performance of the swat-bot commander in question (even though the events were well beyond his control) that he decided to abandon the whole idea.
Mentioning Snively briefly I could not help but be utterly shocked reading part of Ali's post,
The thought of Ali thinking of Snively in such dismissive terms, well the words, 'does not compute' spring to mind. I know logically that Snively's character wasn't really fleshed out until season 2 and most of his season 1 appearances are fairly short and unremarkable, but still part of me always had this strange idea of Ali falling in love with Snively at first site. You know, when your gaze becomes fixed, everything slows down and Barry White music suddenly starts playing from nowhere. Of course deep down I know that didn't happen!
Anyway, I have to say that the lack of development shows in Snively at this point, I don't think the voice actor Charlie Adler had really 'found' the character yet because, frankly, there was little too find at that point. Although hats off to the guy, even with a somewhat undeveloped character he still acts his bloody socks off during the bridge scene when Snively is trembling before Robotnik.
I think I've already said all that needs to be said about the kiss, one thing I will add though is the even more sexual undertone that immediately follows it. After the kiss you see Sonic and Sally head off together, alone, two horny teenagers who had just been playing tennis with each others tonsil's...what do you think they were going off to do?
Another really strange thing about that scene, something I had not picked up on until before, all the 'extra' Freedom Fighters look like cardboard cutouts! Seriously go back and watch the scene, at no point do any of them move an inch, even when the main characters are cheering Sonic for taking out the shredder they still don't move a muscle. True enough we're used to the soulless extras not saying anything but at least they bloody move! It got me thinking though about them actually being cardboard cut outs, what if it really was just the 6 of them, would they make up some other Freedom fighters to try to pretend to and convince themselves that there are more of them, so as not to over overwhelmed by the dire situation they are in with there being so few of them?
It reminds me of a real life incident during the Cuba revolution, which, with a bunch of rebels hiding out in the countryside and waging a guerrilla war on the city's, bares some resemblance to SatAM. During the early days of Fidel's guerrilla campaign they were visited up in their mountain stronghold by a US reporter, at that stage that had barley a few dozen men, hardly the 20,000 they would a have a year later. Having the urban population know this would have been a devastating blow to moral and confidence and a tactical advantage to Batista who would have milked it for all it was worth. So in a stroke of tactical genius of misinformation, Fidel ordered his men to keep walking past the camp over and over again, changing their appearances slightly and even swapping cloths so that the reporter ended up claiming in the papers the next day that by his estimate Fidel had, perhaps up to a thousand guerrillas under his command!
Getting back to SatAM, one final comment I'll make on that scene, remember the bit where Sonic fakes passing out after Sally kisses him, well I hate to be all smug again but I must confess to being able to relate. I too have done that, it was on a school field trip, I was 15 and one of the young female teachers in her 20's kissed me. Maybe it was from watching that episode that the idea came to me locked away in my subconscious where I was not aware of it?
Taking things forward, after Ant's dumb idea we get to see Robotropolis to quote Salamander,
On this I am in full agreement, Robotropolis was, in my opinion, one of the finniest locations ever created in fiction. A dark, bleak, depressing city of the future that is in such a state of filth and decay that it also feels like a city of the past. Not to mention the relentlessly oppressive feeling that dominates, it after all being a totalitarian police state. Granted some people have grounds to claim that it is a little SF clique, your typical cyber punk distopian future. But I always felt that SatAM was still able to put a bit of a stamp of originality on it, for me the biggest difference from the other similar ones is that this is city devoid of life with Robotnik and Snively literally being the only living organic things left, I think the poisons in the air and ground would even kill incests. Every time an episode took a little time to show this vision of hell was time well spent in my opinion.
The Ant and Robotnik scene has been talked to death so again I'll add nothing more, following that though we have Robotnik trying to blast Sonic with the sonic radar and Sonic being unable to use his speed as a result. As I've already said, it has more of an emotional impact on Sonic that in Super Sonic, before he just seemed a little annoyed while this time he's aware of just how vulnerable he is without it. The problem is that what Super Sonic does do better is show Sonic being resourceful and able bodied without it, hiding under the hover unit and using an explosive etc. In this, sadly, nothing really comes of it and later there is something of a contradiction in that he appears able to avoid the blasts from the sonic radar with comparative ease.
Now with regard to this, again to quote salamander who does have a good grip on this episode,
With modern high-sight, I was struck by the Nazi element of dissociation that they used towards the Jews, not seeing them as real people in the same way that Robotnik does not see people as living, thinking beings like himself but only as items of property to be put in order. If you ever get the chance check out the film 'Conspiracy' staring British acting legend Kenneth Branagh as Nazi second in command of the SS Reinhard Heydrich. The film is chilling, it involves the real life meeting of several leading Nazi's at a county house to calmly and coldly discuss the 'final solution' with the dialogue based on the real notes taken at the meeting what comes across is the way in which the subject mater is talked about in a detached frankness, lacking any objective sense of morality, again much like Robotnik is here.
So I guess that short way of saying that would be, Robotnik acts like a total Nazi...but then when have I ever chosen the short way!
As we reach the ending, lose ends need to be tied up and it is pretty obvious that Sonic is going to use the sonic radar against Robotnik to destroy the shredder. A minor point, I felt Robotnik waiting all that time to fire was unrealistic as it was just a necessary plot device to get him to blow up the shredder.
Still at the end of the episode one is left feeling good inside and that it was a 25-minutes well spent.
But hang on a minute! Sonic and Sally are running off together again! Damn Sonic sure got a lot of action in this episode! I guess it should come as no surprise the writers name is after all Randy!
In conclusion then I give this excellent episode a Dominic rating of 4 out of 5.
So 'Hooked on Sonics' then, unlike some of the other episodes, as I recently commented on in another topic, had a very powerful impact on me and I remember many details clearly. For that reason I'm going to break up this overview into two parts, firstly I'll relate my own found memories off watching in and then go into more detailed comments about the episode itself, including replies to some of the excellent comments already made by some FUSers. If this means I'll go over the same things more than once, I'm sorry and I'll do my best to keep it interesting.
Looking back then, wow how this episode rocked, there are some episodes that contain only one truly memorable moment and others that, while OK, don't have any, this one however had them by the barrel.
I remember being impressed by the sheer size and power of the shredder back then I was and still am although to a lesser degree, very fond of trees and seeing the shredder effortlessly cut them down was very impressionable. Remember I was of the generation who grew up with Captain Planet, a environmentalist propaganda cartoon that attempted to brainwash a whole generation of young impressionable minds with eco-friendly messages.
Anyway I digress, I must confess to being somewhat blurry about what happened next for a while, although I remembered Sonic did 'somehow' total the shredder, until the infamous kiss scene. I was, to say the least, a little wide eyed watching that, my mouth perhaps hanging open and a line of drawl trailing towards the floor. Although I had not yet experienced snogging or french kissing at that age I had done plenty of regular kissing and for much longer periods than that I might add when I was much younger, when I was 7 me and a girl from my class used to go off into the bushes together and make out for up to 20-minutes! But wait, no one wants to hear about that!
So let me just finish the subject by saying that I knew that it was 'something more' than I had seen in other cartoons.
Moving on, we had the whole Antoine/powering thing happen. I must confess to being somewhat confused about this at the time, having re-watched the episode I don't know how it was possible but for some reason, at the time, I thought that Ant had actually decided to betray the Freedom Fighters. Like I said, having seen it again I can't understand why as it's pretty clear what Ant intends to do, maybe something happened at the time and I did not pay attention to the TV during the proceeding scene?
Anyway with my false conception I remember him holding up the powering to the spyeye and calling Robotnik out and thinking, 'you little bastard.' Then, unlike the other cartons at the time when similar situations arise, Robotnik snapped into action with brutal efficiency,
"Get his position." I remember thinking, 'whoa, Robotnik doesn't fuck around.' Continuing to think Ant had turned traitor I smiled evilly at that point, hoping Robotnik would robotises his worthless hide.
Robtonik later meets Ant and the confrontation occurs, due to the already mentioned error on my part I was then utterly surprised when Robotnik fell through the hole. Then of course there is the line, one of the greatest lines in SatAM, I know it's already been quoted by our own dark Lord Exor and again by Merlin and then Ali but I just have to do it again,
"A nice dream, bur dreams are meant to be...broken."
Incidentally Exor given this is your favourite episode I wonder why you didn't write a post that was a little longer?
Sonic being unable to run also got me thinking, although this had already happened in 'Super Sonic' and I'll comment more on that later, in this case the impact of him being unable to run was drummed in with far more impact than before and Sonic seemed genuinely concerned.
As has been commented on, the bit where Robotnik just decided to shoot Sonic on the spot was actually very cold and, from a psychological perspective quite dark, at that point Saturday morning villains never just asked for a gun to execute hero's they had cornered or captured. In doing so it brings the issue of 'guns' into a far more lethal and realistic appraisal than in other cartoons. So yes, it left an impression alright.
So now that I've finished what are my impressions if I look back without the aid of my rose tinted nostalgic glasses?
Well first and foremost I believe the episode still stands up very well and of the 12-episodes in season 1 I believe that, along with another 3 it is a definite contender for best episode of the series.
Firstly we have the battle scene between Sonic and the shredder, as had been said the shredder looks bad-ass, I mean see for yourselves,
http://www.artline.ro/admin/_files/news ... redder.png
Wait! That's the wrong shredder! Oh well the 'robot' shredder looks bad-ass too, I'm in agreement with Rocky on it blowing the doomsday pods out of the water, it's a shame they didn't look more menacing. The other thing about the fight scene that stands out is just how much happens, there is plenty of moving around and other elements come into play.
This also introduces us to the concept of advanced AI swat-bot commanders that are able to act, obviously within limits and parameters, on their own initiative. We see him, for example, analyse the situation after Snively had told him not to order the hover unit to fire and let the shredder handle it. Once it became clear that the shredder was getting the stuffing beaten out of it, he ordered the hover unit to fire instead of just mindlessly continuing to obey Snively's last order, which events had superseded.
Unfortunately, to my knowledge we don't see any other swat-bot commanders of this kind appear in the series, which is a real shame because the concept of the robotic command structure was worthy of exploring but the writers decided not to go with it. From a story perspective I guess you can argue that Robotnik was so disgusted with the performance of the swat-bot commander in question (even though the events were well beyond his control) that he decided to abandon the whole idea.
Mentioning Snively briefly I could not help but be utterly shocked reading part of Ali's post,
QUOTE ("MistressAli":1tlrx2pm)
I remember thinking Snively was some one-shot idiot Robotnik had hired
The thought of Ali thinking of Snively in such dismissive terms, well the words, 'does not compute' spring to mind. I know logically that Snively's character wasn't really fleshed out until season 2 and most of his season 1 appearances are fairly short and unremarkable, but still part of me always had this strange idea of Ali falling in love with Snively at first site. You know, when your gaze becomes fixed, everything slows down and Barry White music suddenly starts playing from nowhere. Of course deep down I know that didn't happen!
Anyway, I have to say that the lack of development shows in Snively at this point, I don't think the voice actor Charlie Adler had really 'found' the character yet because, frankly, there was little too find at that point. Although hats off to the guy, even with a somewhat undeveloped character he still acts his bloody socks off during the bridge scene when Snively is trembling before Robotnik.
I think I've already said all that needs to be said about the kiss, one thing I will add though is the even more sexual undertone that immediately follows it. After the kiss you see Sonic and Sally head off together, alone, two horny teenagers who had just been playing tennis with each others tonsil's...what do you think they were going off to do?
Another really strange thing about that scene, something I had not picked up on until before, all the 'extra' Freedom Fighters look like cardboard cutouts! Seriously go back and watch the scene, at no point do any of them move an inch, even when the main characters are cheering Sonic for taking out the shredder they still don't move a muscle. True enough we're used to the soulless extras not saying anything but at least they bloody move! It got me thinking though about them actually being cardboard cut outs, what if it really was just the 6 of them, would they make up some other Freedom fighters to try to pretend to and convince themselves that there are more of them, so as not to over overwhelmed by the dire situation they are in with there being so few of them?
It reminds me of a real life incident during the Cuba revolution, which, with a bunch of rebels hiding out in the countryside and waging a guerrilla war on the city's, bares some resemblance to SatAM. During the early days of Fidel's guerrilla campaign they were visited up in their mountain stronghold by a US reporter, at that stage that had barley a few dozen men, hardly the 20,000 they would a have a year later. Having the urban population know this would have been a devastating blow to moral and confidence and a tactical advantage to Batista who would have milked it for all it was worth. So in a stroke of tactical genius of misinformation, Fidel ordered his men to keep walking past the camp over and over again, changing their appearances slightly and even swapping cloths so that the reporter ended up claiming in the papers the next day that by his estimate Fidel had, perhaps up to a thousand guerrillas under his command!
Getting back to SatAM, one final comment I'll make on that scene, remember the bit where Sonic fakes passing out after Sally kisses him, well I hate to be all smug again but I must confess to being able to relate. I too have done that, it was on a school field trip, I was 15 and one of the young female teachers in her 20's kissed me. Maybe it was from watching that episode that the idea came to me locked away in my subconscious where I was not aware of it?
Taking things forward, after Ant's dumb idea we get to see Robotropolis to quote Salamander,
QUOTE ("salamander":1tlrx2pm)
I really like the atmosphere, how time is given to establish the scaryness of Robotropolis. Just seeing Robotnik's hovercraft slowly landing is pretty intimidating. The music is cool too.
On this I am in full agreement, Robotropolis was, in my opinion, one of the finniest locations ever created in fiction. A dark, bleak, depressing city of the future that is in such a state of filth and decay that it also feels like a city of the past. Not to mention the relentlessly oppressive feeling that dominates, it after all being a totalitarian police state. Granted some people have grounds to claim that it is a little SF clique, your typical cyber punk distopian future. But I always felt that SatAM was still able to put a bit of a stamp of originality on it, for me the biggest difference from the other similar ones is that this is city devoid of life with Robotnik and Snively literally being the only living organic things left, I think the poisons in the air and ground would even kill incests. Every time an episode took a little time to show this vision of hell was time well spent in my opinion.
The Ant and Robotnik scene has been talked to death so again I'll add nothing more, following that though we have Robotnik trying to blast Sonic with the sonic radar and Sonic being unable to use his speed as a result. As I've already said, it has more of an emotional impact on Sonic that in Super Sonic, before he just seemed a little annoyed while this time he's aware of just how vulnerable he is without it. The problem is that what Super Sonic does do better is show Sonic being resourceful and able bodied without it, hiding under the hover unit and using an explosive etc. In this, sadly, nothing really comes of it and later there is something of a contradiction in that he appears able to avoid the blasts from the sonic radar with comparative ease.
Now with regard to this, again to quote salamander who does have a good grip on this episode,
QUOTE ("salamander":1tlrx2pm)
As was said, Robotnik is awesome in this ep. I like how offhandedly he orders Ant to be robotisized, not even learning his name.
With modern high-sight, I was struck by the Nazi element of dissociation that they used towards the Jews, not seeing them as real people in the same way that Robotnik does not see people as living, thinking beings like himself but only as items of property to be put in order. If you ever get the chance check out the film 'Conspiracy' staring British acting legend Kenneth Branagh as Nazi second in command of the SS Reinhard Heydrich. The film is chilling, it involves the real life meeting of several leading Nazi's at a county house to calmly and coldly discuss the 'final solution' with the dialogue based on the real notes taken at the meeting what comes across is the way in which the subject mater is talked about in a detached frankness, lacking any objective sense of morality, again much like Robotnik is here.
So I guess that short way of saying that would be, Robotnik acts like a total Nazi...but then when have I ever chosen the short way!
As we reach the ending, lose ends need to be tied up and it is pretty obvious that Sonic is going to use the sonic radar against Robotnik to destroy the shredder. A minor point, I felt Robotnik waiting all that time to fire was unrealistic as it was just a necessary plot device to get him to blow up the shredder.
Still at the end of the episode one is left feeling good inside and that it was a 25-minutes well spent.
But hang on a minute! Sonic and Sally are running off together again! Damn Sonic sure got a lot of action in this episode! I guess it should come as no surprise the writers name is after all Randy!
In conclusion then I give this excellent episode a Dominic rating of 4 out of 5.
#18
The Man
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- B&'ed
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Mind Bullets a.k.a. Telekinesis
- Gender:Male
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Posted 21 December 2008 - 02:21 AM
*Trying to squeeze out an opinion from being crushed under Dominic's heapload of a post*
..it..was...great..
But to add my personal thoughts I don't really like the shredder because it doesn't look futuristic enough and I don't know how Robotnik wasn't catching onto Sonic's attraction techniques? I guess this episode is a blessing in disguise and I was really scared when Antoine failed to catch Robotnik.
One of those great episodes I didn't understand at first.
..it..was...great..
But to add my personal thoughts I don't really like the shredder because it doesn't look futuristic enough and I don't know how Robotnik wasn't catching onto Sonic's attraction techniques? I guess this episode is a blessing in disguise and I was really scared when Antoine failed to catch Robotnik.
One of those great episodes I didn't understand at first.
#19
Whammy
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- Fellow FUSer
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- 34 posts
Fellow FUSer
- Gender:Male
- Location:New Jersey
Posted 23 February 2009 - 07:13 PM
Finally, I return. And given that I signed up for the SatAM Wiki and have NO clue how to create a new page (only edit them like on the regular Wiki), I'll just post my rating comments here for now.
(PS: Rocky, please e-mail me to educate.)
RATING: *** 1/2 out of 5
This was one of the few episodes that showed Antoine's attempts to impress Sally. It also shows his personality to the fullest extent: his love for Sally, his jealousy of Sonic and disgust of his attitude, and of course, his classic sense of cowardice whenever he has been pinned with his back against the wall. All in all, one of Antoine’s best performances, even in spite of the fact that his attempt to be hero for the day goes by with little care from anyone. Just another day for the French fox.
I'll save my favorite moments of dialogue from the show when I finally get to create a page on the Wiki. I'll just say for now that you can find them on my own page.
(PS: Rocky, please e-mail me to educate.)
RATING: *** 1/2 out of 5
This was one of the few episodes that showed Antoine's attempts to impress Sally. It also shows his personality to the fullest extent: his love for Sally, his jealousy of Sonic and disgust of his attitude, and of course, his classic sense of cowardice whenever he has been pinned with his back against the wall. All in all, one of Antoine’s best performances, even in spite of the fact that his attempt to be hero for the day goes by with little care from anyone. Just another day for the French fox.
I'll save my favorite moments of dialogue from the show when I finally get to create a page on the Wiki. I'll just say for now that you can find them on my own page.
Stay Way Past Cool!
Brian "Sonic Whammy" Sapinski
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Brian "Sonic Whammy" Sapinski
Sonic Whammy Enterprises (Take our Card Sharks survey!)
Host of Anime Game Show Super Show
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