Sunday, June 9, 2019

Episode 15 - High Code


Last season, a lot of the action was centred around Mainframe with little glimpses here and there of the world outside through both the software pirates and Mouse. This episode continues that trend while also showing a more sinister side to the show's universe.

After an establishing shot of Mainframe, we start the episode at the top of the Principle Office where we see an insect like creature appear out of a portal as western themed music plays. We then cut to Bob's apartment where he and Dot are trying to fix his car to no avail. Dot suggests getting it looked at by a professional, but Bob scoffs at the idea due to the Guardian tradition being 'To Mend and Defend'. Cutting back to the stranger on top of the Principle Office, he jumps off into a small portal he created. Bob is clearly spooked by something, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Dot. Bob tells her that he feels 'something is here'.



Phong is in the read only room when the stranger appears in the room through the portal. He says that he’s seeking a Codemaster named Talon. After Phong tells him there’s no one in Mainframe with that name, the stranger gets aggressive, firing an energy blast out of his staff that encases Phong in a stasis field just before he can initiate safety procedures. At Old Man Pearson's Data Dump, Enzo and Frisket are searching for parts that Enzo can use for an air cart he’s building. Enzo eventually finds something that he feels would make a good stabiliser, but he’s interrupted by Old Man Pearson who scolds him for breaking and entering. Then the stranger makes a system wide announcement, which clearly disturbs Mr Pearson.



The Stranger announces that if Talon turns himself in, no harm will come to Mainframe. Bob and Dot show up, and Bob demands that he releases Phong. He does so, but comments on how Bob is not Talon, but is a Guardian. Bob recognises the stranger as a Codemaster, initially believing him to be somewhere called The Web (the mention of which scares the onlooking crowd). The Codemaster says that they are fortunate as he is from The Net. He attacks Bob and sends him into the air. While Bob is able to use Glitch to paraglide to safety, the Codemaster then fires another blast at Bob. Once Bob is free, he aims Glitch but then notices a strange forcefield surrounding it. The Codemaster then vows to find Talon himself even if it means tearing Mainframe apart sector by sector before teleporting away. After some brief respite from his attack, several explosions can be heard in the distance as buildings begin to topple.



Dot begins to evacuate the citizens of the city, and decides to ask Megabyte to loan some transports to assist with the effort. He refuses since Codemasters and Viruses have an unpleasant history. Back at the Principle Office, Phong diagnoses that Glitch has been time locked, but this can only be removed by a Codemaster. He then says that the Codemaster won’t stop until he has what he is looking for. After Bob accuses him of hiding something, Phong brings him into the Read Only Room. Here he explains that Codemasters are deadly eliminators who delete whoever or whatever they are contracted to. He says that a Codemaster named Talon came to Mainframe for refuge, changing his identity, although he won't reveal who Talon is due to being sworn to secrecy. We then see that Enzo was listening in, and he realises something after hearing Phong discuss the Codemaster's signature weapon: the Gibson Coil Pike.



Enzo goes back to the Data Dump and accuses Old Man Pearson of being Talon since he owns a Gibson Coil Pike. He then tries to persuade him to come and defeat the Codemaster and save Mainframe. He declines the request since he made a vow to never delete another living thing. Enzo eventually gives up, saying that Mr Pearson is just a cowardly old binome. Within the ruins of part of the city, the Codemaster is offlining more buildings before being interrupted by a vehicle with a large claw attached to the front being piloted by Bob. The Codemaster catches this with his pike, and threatens to delete Bob before getting interrupted by an incoming game. He asks Bob what this is, and Bob goes onto explain that it’s a power greater than a Codemaster. Calling his bluff, the Codemaster releases Bob and joins him as he pilots the vehicle into the game. This is being observed by Dot and Phong on a vid window. Dot is confused as to why Bob is taking him into the game, and Phong explains that he’s going to help the User win, nullifying the Codemaster as well as himself.

The game is a Wild West themed game. Bob asks the Codemaster to remove the time lock on Glitch, but he’s unable to as his weapon doesn’t function within the game. Bob then ReBoots into a cowboy. A train then drives past with the User riding it. The Codemaster grabs Bob and climbs onto the train. Bob explains the objective is to beat the User to the next station. The two race along the train, and eventually, Bob is able to prevent Lens from beating the User. Bob explains to the Codemaster that they will get nullified, but muses that he’ll miss the games as well as Mainframe and his friends. The Codemaster is intrigued that Bob would sacrifice himself for his friends. However, Bob soon hears Enzo shouting coming from the front of the train where the User is. He instantly springs into action, using his whip to swing to the front of the train, removing the User's scarf to end the game.



Outside Dot's Diner, Bob scolds Enzo for entering the Game, but Enzo points out the Codemaster appearing through the portal. Not long after, Old Man Pearson appears through another portal in Codemaster Gear. The new Codemaster refers to himself as Lens, and challenges Talon to High Spire. He declines and snaps his pike in two, declaring himself out of the guild. However, Lens won’t relent since tradition states 'once a Codemaster, always a Codemaster'. His limbs extrude, increasing him in size and he fires a beam of energy at the sky to cause a paradigm shift. He starts menacingly walking towards Talon, preparing to step on him. At he last moment, he’s prevented from doing so by Bob, Dot, and Enzo standing in his way. Amazed by this display of honour, Lens declares that he’ll tell the guild that Talon is no more, releasing Glitch from its time lock and leaving Mainframe, causing the paradigm shift to stop and ending the episode.



Much like the previous episode, this is a great episode with an interesting high stakes plot and some interesting ideas. The whole concept of the Codemasters is a really cool idea that there’s a sinister society of hired assassins within the show's universe. It’s another step that the show's taking towards darker, more sinister territory. There’s also a clear western influence to this episode, from the music to the theme of an old warrior coming out of retirement to defeat a foe threatening his home.

Much like last week, Glitch is incapacitated somehow, meaning that Bob has to use different strategies to defeat Lens. I get the feeling that Gavin and Ian might have realised that Glitch was essentially a dues ex machina device that allowed Bob to easily resolve conflict, so this season, they appear to be finding ways to temporarily offline Glitch in order for Bob to use his wits to save the day instead of relying on Glitch. It makes him a better character in the long run as it shows that he’s more than capable of saving the day without the use of Glitch.

The only real downside to this episode? While the Codemasters are a cool concept, unfortunately this is the only time they make an appearance. This episode gives us a great glimpse into this sinister society, and foreshadows that there’s two different types of Codemaster, those who operate in The Net and those who operate in The Web. We also get hints that there’s a history between Viruses and Codemasters, so it makes sense that Megabyte keeps silent throughout the episode since he doesn’t want to draw attention to the Codemaster. Given what we're going to be getting later, it’s not a massive downside, but if the show were to ever be revived properly (I.e. with Gavin and Ian onboard), I’d be happy if they revisited the Codemasters.

This is yet another great episode that builds a picture of the world outside of Mainframe, and much like with Mouse, shows that there’s a slightly shady side of this universe. One that the show is going to be diving headfirst into relatively soon. But much like the previous episode, there’s nothing really if note that’s going to be brought up late... wait, what the heck is The Web?

Next week: We witness an awesome combination of T-Rex and tank in 'When Games Collide'

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