Knuckles Week 2024 Roundtable: Knuckles Episode 1 TSS Staff Reviews

[nuckles87]

The Knuckles 6-episode limited series finally debuted on Paramount+ yesterday, and much of our staff had a chance to watch at least some of it. Since not everyone has time to binge a series, thought we'd do a roundtable on what some of our staff thought about the show's first episode for Knuckles Week!

Nuckles87

I never feel entirely comfortable judging a show by it’s first episode, especially for one as short as this one. Shows can vary in quality drastically over the course of episodes. That said, first episodes are important, as far as Knuckles’ goes it’s…fine? My view on the Sonic movies has always been “surprisingly entertaining, but nothing remarkable,” and the first episode of Knuckles feels like maybe about a step below that, though largely in line with my expectations from the movie franchise. 

The opening scenes with Knuckles at the house are entertaining enough, demonstrating his difficulties adjusting to Earth life. It works well enough to set up the show’s central premise. But unfortunately, Wade’s scenes mostly fall flat, and when the episode kicks off their partnership halfway through, there is a distinct lack of chemistry between them.

If this show is going to work, Knuckles and Wade need to at least match the on-screen chemistry of Sonic and Tom, and give me a reason to care about them as a duo. At the very least, Wade needs to start carrying his own weight and be an engaging, or at least funny, character on his own.

Hopefully, the rest of the series will improve on what episode 1 establishes. 

Failinhearts

I've been a firm enjoyer of the Sonic Movies. They aren't what I call the ideal Sonic film, but they hit the spot for enjoyable family fun with my favorite blue dude. The second movie especially was a great step up in terms of an indication of what to expect going forward. That is, until we heard about the Knuckles show, and especially the synopsis.

Still. This first episode? Good. But that's cause it has a lot of things going for it right now that the future episodes seem to not have. First, it's the only episode directed by Jeff Fowler, who is behind the first two movies. And he has a strong understanding of not only these interpretation of the Sonic crew he helped create, but know how to properly display a cozy, family dynamic. How Knuckles blends into the Wachowski family almost made me wish the show is just this, life in Green Hills. A simple slice of life story of this family feeling like a family and understanding each other. Would be swell, no?

Once Wade shows up though, already the charm and humor takes a pretty noticable drop. Which is strange, I find Wade funny enough in the times we see him previously. I'm actually an easy person to amuse, but aside from the one unexpected bit with Jack Sinclair's business card, I could only let out a few chuckles intermittetly until Knuckles gets back into the fold. Still, a decent amount of heart is introduced with Wade and Knuckles to set up what is (probably) the real main plot of the show with Wade wanting to meet with his dad. But also around that point did I notice things starting to really feel... familiar.

Two villains, one being a lady with a British accent, one being a bit more bumbling. We have a main human protagonist who has a hobby in order to fill the void in his life due to Daddy issues, and has to regain his will and confidence back thanks to the help of a fish out of water alien. Paramount... are you making Bumblebee again but worse?

Still, it's a solid enough opener to a show where as far as I know, it's all downhill from here. But still, I'm gonna keep watching and see if things at the very least get funnier and more irreverant from here if I'm not getting much Knuckles after this.

 

Stricker

Going into the Knuckles show, I honestly didn't really have high expectations for it. The idea of movie Knuckles getting his own side series seemed... really odd. Just unnecessary for the kind of character he was in the second film and unneeded from a general perspective. Then learning that he'd be paired with Wade (a character I had honestly forgotten about up until now)? I won't lie, kind of a hard sell to me. That being said, with an idea like this I'd hope they would at least have something interesting to show. So, I went in with a relatively open mind.

Having just seen the first episode, it's pretty ok so far. Doesn't seem like that deep of a series on any level nor does it seem to be trying to shake anything up. So far there really isn't anything offensive here. You get a few nods to the actual game canon (hearing Idris Elba say Pachacamac out loud will never not be funny to me). Some jokes hit, a fair number miss. Won't go too into the plot seeing as it's still the first episode but I mean yeah... it certainly is a show based in the movie-verse with Knuckles in it. Can imagine fans of the movie will like it but don't see it winning over anyone who wasn't.

I will add that you can easily tell this wasn't given anywhere near the budget the movies got as the characters often don't blend well with their environments. Really takes you out of what's going on in some scenes. Also can already see the show starting to head off in a more Wade focused scenario which I am admittedly already weary of. Though, at least we got a Miku reference.

Ryannumber1gamer

The show dropped here at midnight, so I'm gonna pump out quick thoughts on Ep 1.

Having really enjoyed Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (the movie, that is), I was pretty excited for the Knuckles spinoff roughly when the trailer dropped, especially knowing that Idris Elba would be coming back to reprise the role, and the trailer showed awesome moments like the OVA hat making a comeback. When reviews came out however, that's when I started to worry, especially with Wade's focus becoming evident. 

 What is a good thing however is if like me - you enjoyed the Knuckles content in the second movie, the first episode of the show will be up your (bowling, eheh) alley. The majority of the episode focuses in on Knuckles attempting to adjust to a brand new life, without a purpose, and having become aimless. It's fun seeing him just *not* click with the family dynamic, and as always, Sonic and Tails bounces off him well. When we get the focus on Knuckles, I only like it all the more. From his training montage at the start, to his entire scene with Pachacmac (Who is played really damn well by Christopher Lloyd), this is easily the stuff I wanted from this show, and it's where I enjoyed myself the most.

Unfortunately, what I didn't enjoy was pretty much everything else. As soon as we jump to Wade's first scene, we take a abrupt tonial shift, not too unlike the bizarre bar scene from the second movie - where Wade's rival is a 8 year old girl scout, and a strange bounty hunter was taunting him about his warrior prowess. Not only did the jokes here not really land, but it felt bizarrely childish compared to the more overall family tone the movies, and even the prior scenes with Knuckles in the episode had. It reminded me more of a bad Diary of a Wimpy Kid skit rather than a actual character establishment moment.

It just goes on from there, unfortunately. When Wade is the focus, or the frankly - cartoonishly over the top and unfunny villains rear their heads, it takes me right out of the show, both because the tone feels off compared to previous portions, the jokes and callbacks is lame (Having a villain literally go "KNUCKLES HAS LEFT THE GREEN HILL ZONE!!!" is really bad), and the product placement is just bizarre. 

 Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned if it was at least balanced with the stuff involving Knuckles being the majority, but from all reviews - it *ain't*. Episode 1 is the most we get with Knuckles. While a fun episode and a great watch as a Knuckles fan, if this is setting the precedent for future episodes, and the cliffhanger certainly does, I honestly can't help but feel worried.

What About YOU?

So that's our thoughts on Knuckles episode 1, and you can expect a full review soon! But what did you think of episode 1? Or the series as a whole? Let us know in the comments section below - any interactions on our Knuckles Week content will receive Sonic Stadium Achievement rewards!

 

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[Ratchet25tx]

It was good

[Lytan]

I'm going to be honest...couldn't even bring myself to finish the first episode.

[Urban Burrow]

I had fun watching it, It wasn't what I expected/wanted, but was able to enjoy it for what it was. I'm not going to pretend it was perfect though.

I completely understand however if people feel more strongly against it, especially with more of the focus on wade in the latter half, plus the ending just being a lesser version of the first movies ending.

It was some silly fun, but here's to hoping the movie 3 follows through with more focus on the game characters, I don't have a problem with the humans, but they're not who I came to see.

Final note; would it kill paramount to put in some game music instead of all the 80s & 90s music. I enjoy it but it gets repetitive eventually, for goodness sake "I need a Hero" has been used way to many times over the past year and a bit. The Sonic games have great music, USE IT.

[ShadowXeldron]

I don't have Paramount+ so I'm never going to watch it unless I get falling-over-drunk and manage to purchase the physical steelbook version. I've been told it's actually the Wade show and is pretty dire so I'm most likely going to skip it.

[Polkadi~☆]

I have personally watched Ryan slowly devolve into madness as he continued to watch the rest of the series.

The future entries of these topics should be fun :D

[niaco]

I like the movies for what they are, and this show is really just more of that - so I'm plenty happy. Not speaking on later episodes, but I do think Wade's intro here is pretty weak. Still surprised people had such wild expectations for this show, but it was never gonna be anything crazy. Happy to be along for the ride!

[Maple Syrup]

Silly episode. I didn't have too much expectations for this show, and I really chuckled at Wade's silly antics!

[Cyb3rkn1ght]

Yeah, now that I think about it, the first episode felt like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid & Knuckes”. Also, where’s that Miku reference-

[CalmCha0s]

It was good. Wasn't expecting it to be great as we knew it was gonna be more of a silly series with doesn't fit Knuckles at all... so not perfect, but a fun watch nevertheless. Definitely going to finish the show but can't see it as something I'm gonna rewatch anytime soon. I'm only two episodes in so far and while the main story is focused on Wade, I'm hoping there's more focus on Knuckles because let's face it, that's why we're all watching haha!

[Gavvie]

I watched the whole series last night.

The first three episodes - very good, very enjoyable. The last three...not so much. The plot just derails itself far too quickly, leaving characters with nothing to do (one literally does NOTHING), and...yeah.

It's a shame because it really did feel like it was going to be a good little side story before Sonic 3 in December, but in the end I think it's going to end up being forgettable.

[Hypersonic55]

I watched it all on the day that it dropped and while my experience wasn't devoid of fun, it didn't leave me as entertained as I would've liked. Episode 1 was a good start and best episode. Episode 2 wasn't too bad and part 3 was decent, but it was also where the quality started to dip and went downhill from there. On paper, I could see what they were trying to do, but the execution wasn't good. Knuckles was great, the action was solid and a couple of the humans were fun. But the writing and humour were not good, Wade's take over in the latter half was not captivating and the overuse of licensed music was insufferable.

[Ghelatlishol]

Honestly, I went into the series knowing that the target audience was going to be young, very young. I teach elementary school kids, and what will make them laugh hysterically will confound you. :) e.g., talking to the dog about his toughness. I mean, come on. Perfect kid fare.

Sonic has always lasted the test of time for his ability to appeal mostly to a younger audience, and that became clear after the Dreamcast Era. Sonic X did that, why wouldn't the movies and TV shows that are coming out now?

At the same time, I don't think they've completely abandoned their adult audience...we're just not the priority anymore, and I'm ok with that. There's plenty of Easter eggs to keep me entertained, and it's interesting to see the take on certain characters (like Pachacamac.) 

Plus, having Christopher Lloyd (and another famous actress later in Episode 3) is a treat for us older folk. 

I waited since I was 5 to see Sonic take off like this. When the first movie came out, my 30 year old self went four times to see it before the lockdowns of 2020. Knowing there's a whole generation of younger children who love Sonic as much as I did and still do...I'll take a "poorly written" show any day of the week. Wade is an adorable character and if I knew him in real life, he'd be one of my best friends. 

I think the show is awesome.

 

 

 

[randompigion1]

Just wanted to point out, the first episode was posted by paramount on their youtube. you might want to leave this somewhere in the page