Episode 29 - Where No Sprite Has Gone Before

It's pretty obvious based on the various references scattered throughout the series so far that the creators of ReBoot are pretty big Star Trek fans, so it was only a matter of time for them to get around to making a full blown Star Trek parody episode. Having already collaborated with comic book writers Marv Wolfman and Len Wein on several episodes this season, for this episode, they worked alongside D.C. Fontana, who was best known for her work writing episodes of the original Star Trek.

The episode begins with the same shot that starts the opening credits that pans over a tall building surrounded by a futuristic city. It seems the majority of this world is comprised of rock, but there is another civilisation similar to this one in the distance. As the camera pans round the building, we see that a game is in progress within the system, which then leaves soon after with Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket emerging in the system as it leaves. We hear AndrAIa narrating over the next sequence in a manner similar to the 'Captain's Log' from Star Trek. Matrix is clearly frustrated that this system is not Mainframe to the extent that he throws Glitch to the ground.

As soon as AndrAIa finishes recording her log, there's an explosion behind them. We then see some orb like beings being pursued by a team of sprites, some of whom are able to fly without the use of zip boards. Matrix draws his weapon, and prepares to join in the skirmish, but AndrAIa tells him to wait so they can see which side they're on. We see one of the sprites has Bob's hairstyle, and some of these orbs are coming up behind him, prompting one of his teammates to shout 'Rob, look out!', which leads Matrix into thinking that this is in fact, Bob.

Rob orders two of his teammates, Gigagirl and Email to perform a net manoeuvre. Gigagirl then throws Email, who's a stretchy sprite with spiky hair. Email then turns himself into a net and then a giant ball in order to contain the orbs, known as spectrals. Rob lands, and then Matrix gets involved. Rob initially seems hostile, drawing his lightsaber and questioning Matrix on what he's doing. However, upon realising that Matrix isn't one of them, he becomes more friendly and introduces himself as 'Captain Robert Cursor, leader of the Heroes Selective'. Matrix then introduces himself and AndrAIa, saying they entered their system via the last game. This angers Powerlock, an overly muscular sprite with lots of guns who says no one should play the games since that's the only way the spectrals will listen to them, which perplexes AndrAIa based on the damage that losing games causes. Cursor calms down Powerlock, telling him that Matrix and AndrAIa are visitors to the system, and should be treated with respect. Pixel, a green sprite with long pointy ears points out to Cursor that the spectrals will shortly return in force. Cursor then tells Matrix and AndrAIa to follow them to the hard drive where he'll explain everything. Matrix enquires with Cursor if their system has a Guardian, but Cursor claims to not be familiar with the term.

The heroes all arrive in the hard drive, which is a high tech base filled with several computer monitors. Upon arrival, Email deposits the captured spectrals within a containment system. Here, Cursor explains that while he agrees that not playing games is damaging the system, it's the only way they can get the spectrals can listen to their demands. It turns out that the Heroes Selective were once spectrals themselves, but since spectrals can't ReBoot, there was no defence from the games when they first arrived. After a method to convert spectrals into sprites was found, the heroes volunteered, with their mission being to seek out new game cubes and new applications, boldly going where no spectral has gone before. Gigagirl, who has now reverted to a more slender form, rants about how that was five cycles ago, and now they want to return to being spectrals. However, they are very reluctant to do so.

After this heated discussion, the heroes go over to a bar which is manned by a sprite with a strong Scottish accent. Matrix tries to sit down, but nearly sits on Email who has turned himself into a chair. He then nearly walks into Gigagirl, who transforms herself into her more muscular form, joking that she should call Matrix 'Slim'. Soon after this, Copy Girl, the sprite manning the computer systems, points out the spectrals are gone. This confuses the heroes since there's no way they could have escaped, but then AndrAIa admits to letting them free since no one deserves to be hunted and caged. Powerlock threatens to cage AndrAIa instead, but she goes to leave only to be surrounded by Copy Girl who has created a circle of duplicates of herself. However, AndrAIa strikes something with her trident and suddenly vanishes. A sprite who appears to be a female, more feline inspired Wolverine suggests that they go on a hunt. Cursor agrees, so the heroes all suit up and prepare to leave. Cursor asks Matrix if he's with them or against them, and he replies saying that while he's with them, he's against the hunt.

After the heroes leave, AndrAIa comes out of hiding. When Matrix asks her why she freed the spectrals, she says she wasn't taking sides. Matrix refers to Cursor as Bob, but AndrAIa corrects him. This starts an argument between the two, culminating in AndrAIa leaving the hard drive. Outside, AndrAIa runs into the spectrals. Soon after this, an alarm sounds off, meaning that there's a tear within the system. The spectrals seem to believe that the heroes have caused this, and AndrAIa offers to help them mend the tear.

Back in the hard drive, Matrix is rejoined by the heroes, who are also aware of the tear. Matrix sarcastically remarks that it will solve all their problems. Powerlock points out that if the system goes down, he goes with it, including his 'little witch'. Matrix then grabs Powerlock by the throat and holds his gun to his head. This situation is dispelled by Copy Girl and then Cursor reminding them not to fight amongst themselves. Matrix asks why they don't just mend the tear, but Cursor says he's unable to do so in this form. Matrix enquires whether Guardian is the form he's referring to, but Cursor says it was spectral that he was referring to.

At the Principle Office, AndrAIa is working on a computer system attempting to fix the tears. One of the spectrals seems incredibly paranoid, trying to tell everyone that she's going to destroy them all. AndrAIa is able to route a path around the sector in order for the spectrals to repair it. However, soon after, an alarms sounds and AndrAIa points out that tears have begun to open all over the system. The paranoid spectral flees, blaming AndrAIa for the tears. When AndrAIa asks, the lead spectral tells her that the tears began after their first game. AndrAIa points out one of the tears on the holographic globe in the room, and one of the spectrals asks if he wants them to take her there, to which she responds 'make it so'.

At the Hard Drive, Cursor asks Matrix why he keeps referring to him as 'Guardian', so Matrix tells him that Cursor reminds him of someone he once knew and trusted that he has since lost. Cursor says while he may not be the friend he lost, he's someone who can be trusted. Matrix then asks if the tears were caused by them deliberately losing games. Cursor says that while they're angry at the spectrals, they wouldn't purposefully damage the system. Matrix then uses Glitch to scan the system, then tells Cursor to get the troops together for a hunt, but for something worse than spectrals.

AndrAIa and the spectrals are heading for the tear, and the lead spectral enquire about why AndrAIa is helping them since she isn't from their system. She says that preserving her lives and systems is what Matrix does best. The spectral then asks what she will do now she's no longer with Matrix, but AndrAIa simply explains that they've been through much worse than that, that love and respect is what binds them together and nothing can keep them apart. Soon after, they reach the tear, and the spectrals quickly mend it. AndrAIa then says that while this tear has been mended, hundreds of tears are opening throughout the system, but they all start here since these tears are unnatural, being created by someone else. The paranoid spectral believes that the heroes created them, and she's trying to destroy them all. The spectrals then begin attacking AndrAIa, but she says that the tears are neither spectral or hero in nature. This is when they're joined by Matrix, who says that these tears are viral.

Matrix believes that the virus entered the system via a download, which AndrAIa agrees with since the tears began after the system's first game. Both the spectrals and heroes swear that they have no viruses within their ranks, with one spectral enquiring why no viruses has been detected by the system's virus checks. Matrix theorises that the virus is using a cloaking device, but Glitch might be able to detect it at close range. However, the paranoid spectral believes this is a weapon, and flies at Matrix before he can use it, starting a skirmish between the two sides.

We then get a quick montage showcasing all the different heroes battling the spectrals with their powers. Matrix and AndrAIa reconcile in the midst of the battle, and Cursor meets with the head spectral to call a truce in order to defend the system from the virus. The paranoid spectral feels that they've been doomed, but Matrix checks Glitch and finds out that this spectral is a virus. The spectral attempts to flee, but he is crystallised by the ice powers of Booty, the barman sprite from eariler. In this form, he begins ranting, but is soon silenced by Pixel using a vulcan nerve grip. The head spectral says he sent a team of spectrals to the Principle Office to oversee all repairs to the system. Then a small earthquake begins, signalling another tear. AndrAIa tells Matrix that the program for the tears originates from the Principle Office, so the team heads there immediately.

The Principle Office is in ruin, with the spectrals sent to the Principle Office lying lifeless on the floor. Powerlock is trying to hold off Frisket, who is barking at him aggressively. They are soon joined by Matrix knocking down the doors, allowing the heroes to enter. Matrix calls of Frisket, and Powerlock explains that he followed the spectrals to the Principle Office, and caught them trying to open a tear. The head spectral theorises that they were viruses, too. Matrix isn't convinced, so gets Frisket to sniff the dead spectrals. After doing so, Frisket growls at Powerlock, revealing that Powerlock is the virus. Powerlock then threatens to press a button that will cause the entire system to crash.

One of the spectrals flies straight at Powerlock, causing him to shoot the support above the entrance to the room, which then falls on and crushes Cursor, who was pushing Matrix out of the way. Matrix then shoots Powerlock, deleting him. He then goes over to Cursor, who asks if the system is out of danger. Once Matrix tells him yes, his body fades away, and Gigagirl tells Matrix 'He's deleted, Slim'. AndrAIa reminds Matrix that Cursor wasn't Bob, and Matrix says that while he wasn't Bob, he was a friend. The system voice then announces an Incoming Game. The head spectral tells Matrix and AndrAIa to take the game in order to find their way home. AndrAIa feels they can do more to help the system, but Pixel says that thanks to them, they've made great strides forward, and will continue to do so in Cursor's name. Matrix tells them they need to work together to mend and defend, or all this will be for nothing. The head spectral assures Matrix that there will be peace, if not now, then by 'The Next Generation' as we see a game cube land on Matrix and AndrAIa.

This is quite a hard episode for me to explain my thoughts on. It's easily my least favourite episode of this season, but not because it's a bad episode. It's simply just not as good as the rest of the season. There is certainly a lot to like about this episode, which I will explain in the paragraphs below, but it doesn't quite hit the highs that other episodes do this season.

The biggest point of this episode is that's a reference to the original Star Trek series, with the characters of Cursor, Pixel, and Gigagirl being parodies of the trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy from Star Trek. Cursor is obviously Captain Kirk, with voice actor Ian James Corlett giving him speech mannerisms similar to those of William Shatner. Pixel is Spock, having large ears and acting a lot like Spock, even using a vulcan nerve grip to subdue the viral spectral. Gigagirl as McCoy is a bit more of a stretch since she mainly just paraphrases some of McCoy's dialogue, notably at the end when she says 'He's deleted, Slim', obviously a play on McCoy's phrase 'He's dead, Jim'. It's a little contrived how this is a reference to a joke earlier in the episode where she jokes about calling Matrix 'Slim'.

There is other small references to Trek in the episode, with AndrAIa giving a log similar to a 'Captain's Log' at the beginning of the episode, Booty the barman being a parody of Scotty, and the spectrals being floating orbs being similar to some of the alien beings encountered by the crew of The Enterprise. Of course, me being a casual Trekkie, there's probably a lot more references to Star Trek that I haven't quite picked up on. As well as Star Trek, there's also references to several super heroes. Powerlock is a parody of The Punisher and the overly muscular and violent anti heroes seen in comics at the time and the feline character being similar to Wolverine.

One of the best things about this arc is how it gives us a look at systems outside of Mainframe where we spent most of the series up until the previous episode. This system has an interesting aesthetic of various futuristic looking cities scattered around a rocky landscape. What interests me is that the area of the system where the episode takes place is only a portion of the system, and that there's similar settlements elsewhere in the system. The heroes' headquarters at the hard drive seems like a perfect superhero lair, much like the batcave. If the Heroes Selective was it's own show with an action figure line, I can imagine the hard drive headquarters would make for a really cool playset.

Having Matrix and AndrAIa argue and take sides in this conflict they've found themselves in is a good way to get us to spend equal amounts of time with the heroes and the spectrals, allowing us to see both sides of the conflict and that neither side is good or evil. Of course, the purpose of the episode is for both sides to see the error of their ways and stop fighting each other. This is achieved through the presence of viruses hiding on each side forcing them to work together to stop this threat.

Cursor having a passing resemblance to Bob is an interesting idea, but it doesn't really amount to much asides from Matrix having to realise that he wasn't Bob but that he can be trusted, and for starting the initial friction between Matrix and AndrAIa over his identity.

This is probably the only episode of the season that can be considered as 'filler'. Some might argue that the previous episode and the next episode could also be considered as such, but I disagree. The previous episode establishes how Matrix and AndrAIa have changed since losing the Mortal Kombat game in Game Over, and I'll make the case for the next episode next week. This episode, however, can be skipped and you'll still be able to follow the plot since this episode is never referred to again. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can make this episode feel a little pointless in the context of the rest of the season. However, this episode still has plenty to enjoy in it (especially if you're a Star Trek fan) making it a worthy watch.

Next week: We take a look into Matrix's psyche in 'Number 7'

Episode 28 - Icons

The previous episode of ReBoot ended on a fairly uncertain note with Enzo, forced into the role of the show's protagonist so far this season, being defeated by The User with no hints as to whether or not him, AndrAIa, or Frisket survived the ideal. Where would the show go from here? Did Enzo survive? If so, would the show follow him, or remain in Mainframe with Dot?

Any of this potential suspense is dispelled by the opening sequence for this arc. We begin with a shot panning over a tower as an unfamiliar adult voice tells us that he lives in the games, and he's searching through systems, people's, and cities for his home: Mainframe. Following several shots taken from upcoming episodes (including one featuring Bob), the voice comes back to tell us he has no format, and is a renegade lost in the net (exactly where the name for this blog came from to address the elephant in the room). Obviously, this narrator is a grown up Enzo, suggesting that some time has passed since this episode and the previous one. While this is a great title sequence (complete with a slightly darker and more foreboding sounding rendition of the ReBoot theme tune), it does lessen the effect of this particular episode as a whole (which I will get into when we get to my analysis at the end).

Following this intro, we begin the episode in space. The camera focuses on a planet that isn't too dissimilar to Saturn, eventually reaching an asteroid belt. In the asteroid belt, we see a UFO that is piloted by aliens similar to those from Mars Attacks (complete with their signature 'Ack Ack!' dialogue). These aliens turn out to be Enzo and AndrAIa, and they're being pursued by a space shuttle - the user for this game. The shuttle chases the UFO through a canyon on an asteroid, and eventually, AndrAIa tells Enzo to finish off the User. Enzo asks if they'll be staying or leaving, with AndrAIa specifying that they'll be saying, and to change their icons. AndrAIa double taps her icon, changing it from the triangle shape to the usual circle shape. Enzo does the same, and double taps Frisket's as well. Here we can see Enzo has a golden rotating eye (replacing the one he lost in the previous episode), which then locks onto the user, allowing Enzo to successfully hit the shuttle and send it crashing into an asteroid, ending the game. 

Following the end of the game, we find ourselves in a system that's in complete ruin. The camera initially focuses on Frisket but then we slowly pan back to reveal Enzo and AndrAIa, who are now fully grown adults. Enzo comments how they aren't in Mainframe, and AndrAIa replies that it's a good thing since this is the most devastated system they've appeared in. A couple of binomes are hiding in fear of the new arrivals, but AndrAIa says it's okay and they can come out. They slowly submerge and begin discussing with themselves that 'no one comes from the cube', with one binome saying that they must be Users. A shy, nerdy looking binome asks if they're good users or bad users. AndrAIa says they aren't users, but sprites, and introduces herself as AndrAIa. She introduces Enzo, but he simply tells them to call him 'Matrix'. One binome is slowly stepping backwards, and steps on a horn. Matrix quickly turns round and shoots his gun at the horn, causing the binome that stepped on it to faint out of shock and the remaining binomes to hide. AndrAIa tells Matrix that he needs to work on his social skills, and Matrix remarks that he'll get over it, saying that he'll go and see what repairs he can make to the system, with AndrAIa taking Frisket to find the system's Command.Com to see if he can explain what happened in this system. Matrix tells Frisket to not eat anyone as he walks off. Frisket growls, causing the binomes curiously peering out behind rubble to hide. AndrAIa tells them not to pay any attention to Matrix, since him and Frisket are really just pussycats once you get to know them.

Matrix uses Glitch to scan for errors, with multiple tears popping up on screen. However, a big blip pops up on Glitch, which means that there's a virus within the system, leading to Matrix quickly running to it's location. Meanwhile, AndrAIa enters the Principle Office of this system, where she's met by a number 1 called 'Wise One', who claims to be all that's left of the command system. AndrAIa introduces herself and Frisket, and Wise One asks where her 'other friend' is, referring to Matrix. AndrAIa says that, knowing him, he's knee deep in trouble. 

Elsewhere, we see a young sprite fending off against a giant purple preying mantis looking virus. He's able to quickly avoid his attacks, but eventually, a blast hits one of the virus's arms, causing him to look up where the blast came from. The camera pans up to reveal Matrix, who jumps down onto the virus, pinning him down. He identifies Matrix as a Guardian, but Matrix says he isn't a Guardian, but is a renegade. The virus begs for mercy, but Matrix shoots him, saying that he'd never allow mercy to a virus. The young sprite says that Matrix's actions weren't necessary as he had the virus right where he wanted him. Matrix replies sarcastically that he had complete control of the situation. The sprite says that he's been on his own for 'seconds' and doesn't need anybody. Matrix walks away, saying that he guesses the sprite doesn't need him, either.

Back at the Principle Office, Wise One asks how it's possible for Matrix and AndrAIa come from 'the cubes'. AndrAIa explains that they don't come from the games, but use them as a method of transportation. She continues to explain that they ended up trapped in a game when they were small sprites, and became part of the game to survive, demonstrating how she changes her icon from regular sprite to game sprite, and then saying that now they're just trying to find a way back to Mainframe. Wise One says that it's sad that they're lost and far away, and AndrAIa replies by saying Mainframe is Matrix's home, and her place is by his side. Wise One says that's similar to how their place is this system, and while it's not much, it's all they have. This is when they're joined by Matrix, who says that they won't have anything if they keep loosing games. AndrAIa asks how bad this system really is, and Matrix says that while he's patched it up as best as he can, one more lost game will cause the system to crash.

Outside, Wise One offers a stack of crates to Matrix and AndrAIa as payment to stay and protect their system. AndrAIa is grateful for the offer, but says that they need to find their own home, although they could possibly stay for long enough to train others to combat the games. When no one volunteers, Matrix rants that if they aren't volunteering, why should they, and that they'll be leaving the system once the next game comes before storming off. Soon after, AndrAIa joins him as he plays with his yo yo. Matrix asks how many they were able to recruit, and AndrAIA says four. This surprises Matrix, since he thought his act would get him at least a dozen. AndrAIa simply remarks that Matrix isn't that good an actor, leading to him bringing up the time that he managed to convince over two dozen to join him, and the two go off outside to meet their recruits.

Outside, Matrix meets the binomes, and they introduce themselves one by one. The first one is Barry, who claims to be able to lap the system before Matrix can process a word. The next is Gabby, a writer who wishes to chronicle the adventures of AndrAIa, the 'greatest warrior this system has ever seen'. Then we have Hardboot, a zero binome who says his name says it all, and Jeff, the nerdy binome from before, who says that he's not sure why he's here, but wants to help nonetheless. Matrix then goes onto explain that he doesn't like losing, and that in the Games, losing is not an option. As if on queue, the system voice announces an incoming game. Wise One wishes them luck, and tells them not to worry that the six of them are all that stands between the system and total destruction. The sprite from earlier then attempts to knock over Matrix in a similar way to Enzo used to do to Bob, but he simply gets knocked down. This then brings the total number of heroes in the game to seven.

Matrix enquires what the sprite is doing here, since he thought he didn't need anybody. The sprite says he doesn't, but he figured that Matrix could use some help. Matrix simply tells him to stay out of his way since 'games aren't for small sprites'. Matrix then uses Glitch to get the stats for the game, which turns out to be 'Kron the Destroyer', and their goal is to stop the user from stealing 'The Gold Tooth of Syssop', which is kept in a castle known as 'The Tower of Despair'. This clearly spooks the binomes, something which AndrAIa notices and points out to Matrix, suggesting that he gives the 'team speech', something which Matrix notes has worked before. Matrix tells them that since they are now a team, it's time to give them team names. Barry is now 'Overdrive', Gabby is 'Tweak', Hardboot is, well, Hardboot (he wasn't lying when he said his name said it all), and Jeff is Tactic. The sprite enquires what his name will be, and Matrix tells him to be quiet as he's really starting to get his back up. The sprite then takes this and uses it for his team name, 'Backup'. After getting their names, the team ReBoots after AndrAIa explains to the new recruits how to do so. AndrAIa becomes Xena Warrior Princess, Matrix becomes a cross between Conan the Barbarian and William Wallace from Braveheart, Frisket simply becomes a black dog, Overdrive/Barry becomes a Native American warrior, Gabby/Tweak becomes Gabrielle from Xena, Backup becomes a Scottish warrior, Hardboot gains some armour and a mace, and Jeff/Tactic becomes a wizard.

Now they're ReBooted, the characters head off towards the castle. Backup gets distracted by something, and then gets abducted by a crow. The crow drops a feather which Tactic goes back to pick up. The party eventually reaches a swamp with a boat chained up that they can potentially use to get across. Overdrive jumps in the boat and attempts to cut the chain with his axe. AndrAIa spots something in the water, and dives in. Whatever this is ends up coming up behind Overdrive, and once he's aware of it, he screams in terror as we see that it's a giant sea serpent.

Outside of the game, Wise One comments that while he's a patient number, he can't stand all the waiting. A binome asks what will happen to them if they fail, and he explains that it will be total deletion, but not to worry as he's sure that everything will be fine. Back in the game, AndrAIa appears on the back of the sea serpent and digs her claws into it, subduing the creature and allowing the rest of the party to climb on. Matrix realises that Backup isn't with them, telling AndrAIa to go on ahead as he'll catch up to them once he's found Backup. Inside the castle, Backup is hanging for dear life off of a grate over a bottomless pit which appears to be slowly breaking. He calls out for help, and Matrix eventually pulls him up. He thanks Matrix, saying that it was 'Pixelatious'. Matrix sarcastically responds that it was 'real alphanumeric'. Backup likes the sound of that phrase, and decides to adopt it into his vocabulary.

At the steps to the castle, Tweak narrates the adventure, wondering what AndrAIa will do next. AndrAIa tells her that she needs to put down her file folder and stop looking to AndrAIa for answers, reminding the party that Matrix and her are leaving with this game, meaning that they need to win on their own since they're the only hope the system has. Outside of the game, we see that the system has begun to crash, so Wise One begins evacuating everyone inside the Principle Office.

At the foot of the tower, the party needs to find a way to lower the drawbridge. Tactic pulls the feather from earlier out of his bag, and then uses it to fly up to the mechanism that lowers the drawbridge, activating it once his spell wares off. Hardboot then pulls the drawbridge down and Tactic slides down the chain. The door then opens, letting the party into the castle. Elsewhere, Matrix and Backup are battling stone gargoyles. The one Matrix is battling begins flying at him, so Matrix jumps at it, cutting off his head once they're parallel. Backup dealt with his off screen, and Matrix says they need to get to the next level.

The rest of the party reach the final chamber where the tooth is in the mouth of a gargoyle. It's jaw ends up shutting once Hardboot ends up triggering a booby trap activated by a tile. Tactic suggests that Hardboot supports Tweak while she uses her staff to open the mouth. As she reopens it, the user appears, demanding that he wants the tooth. Matrix and Backup enter from a secret passage, and they go to join the battle. AndrAIa holds Matrix back, however, since the rest of them need to win the game without their help. 

Overdrive throws skulls at the User to knock him to the ground. However, he soon gets back up again so Gabby throws the gargoyle's large tongue at him, knocking him out for good. Tactic asks Backup if he'd like to do the honour of taking the tooth to end the game. Backup asks Matrix where he's going, and he says that Backup has now found his family, but he needs to find his and this game might be his only chance to get home. After changing his and Frisket's icons, he throws Backup his yo yo. Backup then takes the tooth to end the game. AndrAIa asks Matrix if Backup reminded him of anybody, to which he says 'not particularly', and she then asks if she's told him lately how wonderful he is as the game leaves for good. Back in the system, Backup is met by a binome who looks like Young Enzo. Wise One wishes Matrix and AndrAIa luck on their journey home, and thanks them for their help. As he lays out plans to rebuild the system, we pan to the sky of the system as it changes from the miserable brown to a bright blue.

This episode has a pretty big job to do; it needs to establish the characters of Matrix and AndrAIa, showing how they have changed in the time between this episode and the previous one. Since there's such a big time jump between the two episodes, we are essentially met with two new characters, and they need to be established to the audience. Overall, I feel that this episode does a great job of giving us an idea of how these characters operate as well as telling a story which establishes what this second arc is going to be about.

To start with, let's talk about Matrix. While the show establishes this more in a couple of weeks time, we can see that he has clearly been affected by his defeat at the end of the previous episode to the extent that he refuses to be referred to as 'Enzo', instead wanting to be called 'Matrix'. We also see that he has a particular disdain for being called a 'Guardian', and also has a hatred of viruses, the latter stemming from how he blames Megabyte for ruining his life, feeling that viruses are not worthy of mercy and better off being deleted. While he's certainly more aggressive and cynical, he's somewhat grounded by AndrAIa stopping him from going too far over the edge, suggesting that some of this anger is somewhat of an act.

This was something spotted by Season 3's story editor, Dan DiDio. Initially, Matrix was going to be a lot more aggressive, with the scene where he aggressively shouts at the binomes for not wanting to volunteer to help save the system being 100% straight rather than Matrix putting on an act. He felt that if someone was provided with the love and affection that AndrAIa was giving Matrix, they wouldn't be that grim and bitter and angry. This lead to a tweaking to Matrix's character which I feel pays off in the long run.

Speaking of AndrAIa, she doesn't seem to be as affected by what happened in Game Over. Obviously, she must have found it traumatic, but as she says in this episode, 'Mainframe is Matrix's home, my place is with him'. Obviously, she originally came from the games, so she's used to living in them, meaning it's not as big a deal to her as it is to Matrix being away from Mainframe as she's happy being in his company whereas Matrix feels somewhat responsible for what happened and has allowed that to shape his worldview.

The reveal of Matrix and AndrAIa in this episode was pretty well done, as well. When we first meet them in this episode, they are taking the form of aliens in a game, leaving it a mystery how much time has passed since the previous episode. It's not until we leave the game and the camera pans that we see what they look like now and how much they've aged in the time since the previous episode. Unfortunately, this reveal is ruined by the title sequence already revealing this information. This is something the episode's director, Zeke Norton has acknowledged, and he fought with Ian Pearson over not including the title sequence for this episode (or at least, using the title sequence for the previous arc), but Ian ended up winning and the episode ended up with the title sequence used for the rest of this arc. 

This episode's story is a play on the 'Seven Samurai'/'Magnificent Seven' idea of heroes/warriors coming to a town and training the residents to defend themselves against a threat. This is of course somewhat referenced when Backup joins the party entering the game and says 'make that seven' with Matrix replying 'magnificent'. This is a pretty good take on that story with the binomes all having interesting and distinctive personalities which make them entertaining to watch. Backup is also an interesting character since he's obviously supposed to be similar to young Enzo. His purpose here is to contrast with Matrix and show us how much he has changed. Whereas Backup is more optimistic and enthusiastic, Matrix is much more bitter, cynical, sarcastic, and pessimistic. 

This week, we're treated to two game cubes. The first is a fun sequence which serves it's purpose of parodying Mars Attacks and hiding what Matrix and AndrAIa now look like, whereas the other is a sword and sorcery sequence which also makes for a great environment for the guest characters to find their feet, giving them the skills to fend off the user without Matrix and AndrAIa's help. As well as this, it's got some really awesome imagery even if the User looks more like a villain than a protagonist.

Overall, this is a great episode to start off this arc, establishing the new status quo and telling a great story that could potentially serve as a decent entry point for new viewers. With Matrix and AndrAIa now hopping from game to game and ending up in different systems, there's quite a few possibilities for where things could go from here...

Next week: Matrix and AndrAIa meet superheroes who like to act like Star Trek characters in 'Where No Sprite Has Gone Before'

Episode 27 - Game Over

We now reach the end of the first of the four story arcs that make up ReBoot's third season. So far, Enzo has managed to win the trust of those he's sworn to protect and also managed to capture Megabyte by sealing him in a Firewall. The big questions going into this episode are 'How long can we keep Megabyte caged up?' and 'What's the next step now that Megabyte has been dealt with for the time being?'

We begin inside the Firewall where we see Megabyte's ABC's getting into formation for something. Megabyte frees Hexadecimal's arms and tells her that they'll begin when she's ready. Hex is obviously not willing to help, so Megabyte activates her shock collar. This initially hurts her, but after the shock has worn off, she begins laughing. She tells Megabyte that this is because she was picturing what she will do to him once she's free of his contraption, telling Megabyte he has no idea of the power he's attempting to control and that chaos will always triumph over order. Megabyte simply tells her to use her power to breach the Firewall or suffer.

Cutting to the Principle Office, Dot notes that the motion sensors focused on Ghetty Prime have just gone off the scale. Specky reports that there's a build up of forces at the Firewall. Dot gives the order to prepare auto defence mode, and that she needs to know where the breach will be before it happens. Meanwhile, Hex has successfully generated a small breach in the Firewall. Megabyte then orders his lieutenant to mount an all out attack on the Principle Office, taking no prisoners and showing no mercy.

In the Principle Office, Dot is waiting for Megabyte to leave the Firewall before launching an attack. Phong points out that Megabyte isn't with the incoming viral forces, which angers Dot. Enzo tells Dot that they need to activate the defences, so Dot tells Mouse to 'hit em hard'. Mouse then commands the CPU's to deploy the smart cannons with the safeties off. The cannons then activate and instantly start destroying the ABC's. Megabyte orders Hex to close the rift, and the remaining ABC's head back to the Firewall. However, they don't make it back in time before the rift closes so end up crashing into the Firewall.

At the Principle Office, the CPU's are celebrating their victory while Dot slowly slips away, which goes unnoticed by everyone other than Phong. Dot sits down and starts sobbing, but quickly wipes her tears away once Phong enters, claiming to be going through some intelligence reports. She then explains that while they won and she knows she should be happy, she just feels empty, as if part of her died along with the virals. She asks Phong how many more need to suffer before Megabyte is stopped. Phong tells her that while she mourns the loss of innocence, that hope still lives within her, and that she needs to be strong, not just for the sake of Mainframe, but for Bob, too. He continues by saying that since the virals have been contained, they are now free to search for a way to rescue Bob. This cheers Dot up a little, so she goes off to celebrate with her troops.

Within the lab of Silicon Tor, Megabyte asks Herr Doktor how long he estimates that they can maintain control over Hexadecimal. He explains that it's a complicated issue since they have no idea how they have managed to keep her under control for so long, theorising that she's possibly faking and enjoys being tied up (something that Megabyte doesn't want to think about). Megabyte then asks where Hack and Slash are, but Herr Doktor sighs and says they haven't yet returned. This angers Megabyte, who tells Herr Doktor to remind him that Hack and Slash are to 'take point' the next time they breach the Firewall as he's grown weary of their incompetence.

Down in the dungeon, Cyrus is hanging over a pit of molten magma. Hack and Slash are nearby arguing about over who presses the button that will lead Cyrus to his death. Hack is urging Slash to press it, but he is reluctant to do so since something horrible happens every time he pushes a button. Eventually, Hack presses it, which pulls Cyrus along towards a wall that is constantly raising and lowering. Just before it can crush him, Slash saves him, which angers Hack. Slash tells Cyrus to run along, and once he's gone, Hack says that Megabyte is going to be mad. Slash simply says that he misses Bob. Hack is confused by this, but Slash points out that Bob always stopped them before they could do anything truly bad, but now he's not around, no one can. The two head off back to Silicon Tor, but Slash stops dead in his tracks as soon as Hack says that he's going to tell Megabyte what he did.

Back at the Principle Office, Enzo, Dot, and AndrAIa are laughing amongst themselves when an alarm suddenly sounds. Specky reports that Mouse's new long range sensors have picked up a large energy reading above the city, which turns out to be a Game. Enzo goes to head off, but as he goes to leave, Dot tells him that he's all she has left and to be careful. Enzo reassures her that him and AndrAIa can take on any user before he leaves with AndrAIa and Frisket. Once they're gone, Mouse tells Dot that they'll be okay. Dot confides in Mouse that she still isn't used to letting Enzo go into games, feeling that it's too much responsibility for a little sprite. Mouse reminds her that Enzo is a young Guardian now, and that Bob knew what he was doing when he chose him. Dot says that Bob was supposed to be here to train him, and Mouse replies and says that if the ports to the net were open, Enzo would be downloaded to the Guardian Academy. Mouse says that things didn't turn out that way, but they need to make do.

As Enzo heads towards the game, Megabyte is observing on his vid window. He monologues about how Enzo is simply 'putting on a show for the masses' by entering the games, asking 'who will defend you the next time we meet?'. Elsewhere within the Firewall, Cyrus is desperately trying to escape, but finds he is unable to get out. He crosses paths with Scuzzy, who is the other side of the Firewall. He suggests to Scuzzy that they should help each other out.

Inside the game, Enzo gets the stats for the game, finding out that it's a tournament styled fighting game between Gods, Mortals, and Demons. The playable characters load in the form of stained glass windows. Enzo then points out a problem; The User only needs to beat five opponents in order to win the game, and with twelve players to choose from, there's a chance that they'll ReBoot and not get picked to battle The User, meaning they aren't in control.

Outside the game, Dot is getting impatient that the game isn't over yet. Phong points out that the game has barely begun, and that even when allowing for the time difference between their time and game time, there is still a finite time they have to wait, reminding Dot to be patient (before getting aggressive about not having his coco). Back in the game, The User chooses his character, picking a large red demon character called 'Zaytan'. Enzo tells AndrAIa to choose a character and ReBoot with Frisket so that Frisket can take care of The User if they're chosen while Enzo attempts to second guess the user, providing them with two chances of being picked. AndrAIa ReBoots as a four armed goddess while Frisket is her animal companion.

Shortly after AndrAIa and Frisket ReBoot, the game begins selecting the opponent for the first level. Enzo attempts to catch up to the selected fighter and ReBoot, but misses, and the opponent, an angel, materialises in the arena, beginning the first level. The first round ends pretty quickly with Zaytan winning. The second round concludes with the opponent yet again being defeated, and Zaytan performs his brutal finishing move - ripping off the downed opponent's head (off screen, of course). Enzo says that now he's aware of his finishing move, he'll be ready for it.

In her confinement in Silicon Tor, Hexadecimal is met by Scuzzy who enters through a vent. Hex is initially happy to see him, but then scolds him for taking so long to get to her, asking where he's been. He simply shows her a picture of a Firewall, but Hex doesn't think that's an acceptable excuse. Back in the game, the fourth level is in progress with Zaytan now taking on a muscular man with a large knife. Zaytan makes quick work of him and proceeds to perform his finishing move on him, ending the level.

The game then transitions to the final level, and the game begins to select the final opponent. It initially selects AndrAIa, but Enzo shouts for it to choose the fighter he's standing in front of, prompting the stained glass window behind him to be highlighted. Enzo then ReBoots into a yellow ninja outfit before ripping the mask off, claiming that 'you can't speak in these things'.

The first round then begins, and Enzo manages to hold his own against Zaytan, winning the round. In the second round, Zaytan puts up a bit more of a fight, ending up winning the round, putting the two at one all. Enzo gives himself a pep talk before the fighting begins. Enzo struggles to hit Zaytan, who then manages to overpower him, eventually taking out Enzo's eye. Enzo then lands a kick on Zaytan's claw, shattering part of it, but he then immediately knocks Enzo to the ground, ready for his finishing move. As Enzo sees Zaytan slowly approach him, he taps his icon, which alter's it's shape to a triangle just before Zaytan's hand reaches for his head. AndrAIa is pretty shocked at this, and then console's Frisket while she changes their icons.

Back in the Principle Office, Specky reports an energy buildup, confirming that the game is about to leave. Dot begins giving orders, saying she wants med teams at the area immediately and to put everyone on full security alert, instructing them to keep scanning Ghetty Prime since this is when Megabyte could possibly try something. The system voice then announces 'Game Over... The User Wins'. The room is then met with a stunned silence for a while as everyone looks around in disbelief. This silence is eventually broken by Dot crying. We then cut away to the Game Cube leaving as we see Megabyte laughing to himself.

While this episode is a slight step down from the glorious Firewall that proceeded it, this is still a great episode and a very important one in terms of the overall story arc of the season. As a conclusion to the first arc of this season, it rounds off the arc's plot of Enzo's attempts at defending the system in the absence of Bob. So far this season, while he's certainly not Bob and lacks his experience, he's managed to not only convince the citizens of Mainframe of his ability to protect them from The User, but he's also managed to capture Megabyte, giving them the upper hand in the battle against the virals. But of course, pride comes before a fall, and in this episode, Enzo is faced with a foe that he couldn't possibly defeat, and he ends up paying the price for it.

One interesting thing I noticed about Enzo's arc is how it has parallels to early adult life. As a child, you're constantly waiting to grow up and expect to suddenly be filled with all kinds of wisdom once you become an adult. However, once you reach adulthood you find that isn't the case at all as you're thrust with all kinds of responsibilities that you aren't ready for, and you have to improvise and learn through failure. I feel this is similar to how Enzo was forced into being a Guardian without any training through no fault of his own, having to take on adult responsibilities he wasn't prepared for while still being a literal child. Enzo shouldn't have been expected to fill Bob's shoes, but he had no choice after Megabyte launched Bob into The Web. At the end of this episode, you can't help but blame Megabyte for what's happened to Enzo. Sure, he wasn't the one who defeated Enzo, but if it wasn't for him, Enzo wouldn't have had to battle that user.

While she's in command of the system at this point, Dot hasn't had too much focus so far this season. This episode, we get to see a more vulnerable side of her character, one who is trying to stay strong for the sake of those around her, but also has a lot of pent up emotions about the current situation. Considering how passionate she was about freeing those controlled by Megabyte from his control in Identity Crisis, it's understandable that she'd be upset about killing the viral forces at the start of the episode. After all, they are only acting this way since they've been infected by Megabyte, and the preferable solution would be to free them from his control. We also see how she's still concerned for Enzo's safety, which is understandable since she lost her father when the Twin City was destroyed, and has also recently lost Bob, so it's natural that she'd be cautious about him taking on games without her. The end of the episode when she hears that Enzo lost is one of the best scenes in the entire show. The incredibly sombre silence really helps to show how Dot's world has completely shattered around her, making her utter devastation all the more heartbreaking.

Surprisingly, Hack and Slash also get some development this time around as they begin to question their place within Megabyte's forces. While Hack is happy to go along with Megabyte's plans, Slash seems to be having second thoughts about the whole thing. This stems from the fact that they were never able to do anything truly evil when Bob was around since he was always able to stop them before things escalated too far. However, with him gone, no one can stop them. Could this mean that the two are beginning to learn the error of their ways, potentially leading to them breaking away from Megabyte?

Likewise, we can see that Megabyte is growing tired of the two's incompetence. In Season One, most of his failures were down to him getting his bumbling minions to do his dirty work, with him only becoming a truly credible threat once he started taking matters into his own hands, leading to him eventually getting rid of Bob. He now sees no use for Hack and Slash, and him ordering them to 'take point' the next time they attempt to breach the Firewall is essentially sending them to their deaths.

An interesting question is raised about Hexadecimal this episode - is she really under Megabyte's control, or is she simply playing along? As Herr Doktor said, 'I think she likes being tied up', that kind of implies that Hexadecimal is into BDSM to some degree. Her outfit that she's been placed in by Megabyte kind of reflects this, as well. It does make you think that once Hex gets bored of playing Megabyte's prisoner, she'll manage to escape, and who knows what she plans to do once she escapes.

The game this time around is a parody of fighting games, specifically Mortal Kombat. This is mostly felt through the music used for the character select in the episode being fairly similar to the Mortal Kombat theme song and the character Enzo ReBoots as being similar to Scorpion from Mortal Kombat. Out of all the games featured in ReBoot, this one could possibly be my favourite. I'm not sure what it is, but I love the aesthetic feel of the arenas and the characters which, while clearly having similar vibes to Mortal Kombat, has enough of it's own individuality to make it distinct enough. This episode is the main reason why Scorpion is my favourite character in Mortal Kombat (who I since found out is the most popular character in the series, although I'm not sure how many of these fans have also seen ReBoot). The User character being a literal demon (despite that fact that he feels more like a final boss character than a playable character in context of actual video games) is something that will have a great payoff towards the end of the season.

This episode is quite possibly the darkest episode of the entire series. While it's got some humour sprinkled throughout, the ending is incredibly dark and leaves you with very little hope. However, it's a brilliant episode with some high stakes and a shocking ending which, while pretty heavily foreshadowed beforehand, still feels incredibly shocking when the moment hits. The end of the episode also leaves things a bit up in the air as to where the show will go from here, which won't be answered until the next episode...

Next week: We get our first real glimpse of life outside of Mainframe in 'Icons'.

Intermission - ReBoot's 25th Anniversary

I'm a little behind with this post since I wasn't sure how to tackle it. I was thinking of briefly mentioning it at the start of my post on Sunday about 'Game Over'. However, I felt that wouldn't really do it much justice, so I've decided to write a one off post ahead of Sunday's entry in this retrospective series to celebrate an important milestone of this show that's incredibly near and dear to my heart.

Two days ago, the 10th September, was the 25th Anniversary of ReBoot's debut. This means that the show is almost as old as I am (I'm 26 in October). In case it isn't obvious from this blog, I adore this show. I wouldn't be dedicating an entire blog to discussing every episode if I didn't, of course. In order to commemorate this milestone, I feel I should go into detail about why I love this show so much (I'll possibly be hitting some of the same beats as I did in my introductory post at the start of this blog, but in a little more detail).

I was a bit late to the boat on ReBoot, being a bit too young to watch it when it premiered on CITV in January 1995. I consider myself getting into the show a complete accident, but one I'm incredibly thankful for. My first encounter with the show was sometime in early 1997, when I was three years old (cannot give an exact timeframe on this one given how young I was). I remember browsing my local Woolworths in Bexleyheath for the various toys until I happened upon a micro playset that came with two 'bouncy spacemen' alongside a green skinned boy with a red baseball cap and a red and yellow dog. As someone who was obsessed with space and spaceships at that young age, I was drawn to the toy and ended up buying it. Again, while my memory of this period is hazy, I definitely got a lot of play value from this purchase.

A few months later in early August, me and my mum were channel surfing (this was back in the days when digital/satellite/cable TV was incredibly rare in the UK, so most people only had five channels, and even then, very few areas were lucky to get good reception on Channel 5) and we stumbled across a program that featured the 'bouncy spacemen' from the playset. I believe it was my mum who pointed them out, but I wanted to watch the program, so we watched the rest of the episode. That episode happened to be Game Over, the episode I'm going to be discussing in depth on Sunday (believe me when I say that I have quite a lot to talk about with that episode). 

From that point on, I was hooked, even if I didn't really 100% comprehend the plots at that age. I stuck with the show from that point on, videotaping every episode that aired from that point (which ended up being mostly repeat screenings of episodes I missed, which was beneficial to me as not only did it help me understand the story, but it allowed me to re record episodes that I had accidentally taped over through my childhood antics and unintentionally stepping on the record button on the remote) until the show ended up vanishing from UK airwaves in April 1998. Around this time, the toys were pretty easy to come by, so I ended up collecting the action figures and creating my own ReBoot adventures. 

Even though the show was gone, that didn't mean I forgot about it. I found myself going back to the tape I had recorded off of the TV every so often, and as I got older, I began to appreciate the show more, picking up on the storyline that carried through from episode to episode (something that was a new concept for myself). Eventually, when I reached the age of 13, I ended up finding the episodes the UK was deprived of on YouTube, and watching the end of Season 3 made me fall in love and appreciate the show on a whole different level. 

Sometime when I was 14, I was delighted to discover there was a whole community of ReBoot fans online, particularly on an online forum called 'The Java Hut'. Desperate to discuss the show with people since practically no one I knew was aware of it's existence, I signed myself up, making it the first online fandom that I interacted with. As someone who didn't have a lot of friends at school, being apart of this fandom really helped on some days when things got a bit much for me. The show itself was also a source of light during some dark times, a show I could always dive into and forget all the negativity I was dealing with.

Now, as an adult in my mid 20's, my love for the show has only grown with time. In fact, the only show that has surpassed ReBoot in my list of favourite TV shows is Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although Avatar The Last Airbender came pretty close when I finally got around to watching it all the way through last year, I still prefer ReBoot a little bit more than Avatar). I adore the characters, the worldbuilding, the universe, and the impeccable storytelling. I also admire how the animation evolved from the slightly dated but charming animation of the first two seasons to the animation from the third season which I feel still holds up pretty well today for the most part. 

Now, to sign off, I'd like to give my thanks to those who helped to make this show so special. Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, and Phil Mitchell for creating this incredible universe and the memorable storylines to go along with it. Brendan McCarthy for the stylish designs that he provided for the world and it's inhabitants. The incredible voice cast who breathed life into these characters and made them feel so real. Bob Buckley for his incredibly memorable music score that really helped to accentuate the action on screen. The animation team responsible for pushing this state of the art animation and everyone else who helped make this incredible show happen. I know that you enjoyed making the show as much as we all enjoyed watching it.

Stay Frosty.

Episode 26 - Firewall

Last episode, Enzo managed to begin proving to the citizens of Mainframe that he was capable of defending Mainframe and a worthy Guardian to fill the void left by Bob. However, Cyrus is still out there plastering anti Enzo propaganda throughout the city in order to turn the uninitiated against the new Guardian. In this episode, Enzo needs to not only prove that he can take on the User, but also that he's capable of stopping Megabyte.

Instead of the usual intro, we begin with a black screen with a circle showing a snowy mountain. The circle moves around until it focuses on Santa skiing down the mountain, and then the scene becomes full screen. Santa passes two snowmen, who's faces watch Santa as he rides down, smiling before they begin giving chase. One of the snowmen throws a snowball that hits Santa straight in the face. We then hear Enzo's voice say 'Go right and cut him off, AndrAIa!', revealing that these snowmen are in fact Enzo and AndrAIa, and we're currently in a game. Eventually, the three reach the edge of a cliff, and Enzo morphs into a slope made of ice, causing Santa to fly right off the edge of the cliff. However, Santa manages to break his fall by activating a parachute shaped like a bauble. This is then punctured by Enzo launching an icicle at it, destroying the parachute and sending Santa hurtling down to his death.

We then cut to the opening sequence for this episode, which is a glorious intro similar to the title sequences used in the James Bond films. Not only is this one of the most memorable sequences in the entire show, but it is testament to how much effort Mainframe put into their shows that they'd make a credits sequence exclusively for this episode that didn't utilise clips from already completed episodes.

After this sequence, we see the game leave. Enzo and AndrAIa cheerfully reminisce about how fun the game was, with Enzo remarking how stupid the user was. 'Ho ho ho! What sort of a catchphrase is that?!' AndrAIa says they should go an tell Dot and Mouse. However, Enzo notes that the recovery teams are absent as they should have been picked up by now. This is when Megabyte makes his appearance known by telling the two that the recovery team has been 'delayed'. AndrAIa immediately aims her wrist dart at him, but Megabyte says there's no need for that since he only wishes to talk to Enzo, saying he has a message for his sister. When Enzo declares that he's a Guardian, and not his messenger, Megabyte picks Enzo up by the throat, telling him he's just a mere delivery boy and that it is through his will alone that Enzo survives this encounter before throwing Enzo to the floor.

At the Principle Office, AndrAIa is relaying Megabyte's message to Dot. He said that while they may be safe behind the Principle Office shields, the citizens of Mainframe are helpless. Megabyte claimed that they were 'hiding while others suffer', and he will ensure that they suffer a lot. Dot asks Enzo what they think they should do, but Enzo tells her not to humour him since he's not a Guardian, and just a little sprite, a delivery boy, Megabyte's messenger. AndrAIa points out to Enzo that Megabyte could have deleted them, but didn't, saying that she now understands what propaganda is. She urges Enzo to not give up, but Enzo points to a vid window of Megabyte's forces, telling them that they have no chance of winning. Phong heads over to Enzo, but Mouse stops him, saying that Megabyte's won, defeating the system's defender with words, and that she's glad that Bob isn't here to see this. This is enough to snap Enzo out of his funk, saying that Bob wouldn't hide in here while Megabyte took over, and that a Guardian would find a way to stop him and lock him up. Continuing on from his Tiger metaphor from last episode, Phong says if you cage the tiger, you can then walk the forest freely. This confuses everyone, but then Mouse suggests using an Inverted Firewall, something that Phong says that Enzo thought of. This comes as a surprise to Enzo, but he plays along with the idea.

In his lab at Silicon Tor, Megabyte is overseeing Hexadecimal, who is currently chained up in a sphere with a forcefield surrounding it. He asks his sister how she's feeling, and she tells him that she's feeling 'very weak'. However, she snaps out of this funk once Megabyte activates her shock collar. Hex declares that she will tear Megabyte apart once she is free of his 'infernal collar', and that thought alone is enough to keep her well. Herr Doktor tells Megabyte that Hexadecimal is prepared, fully charged, and totally under his control. Megabyte orders Herr Doktor to transport Hexadecimal to the stasis chamber since it's time for him to put his new 'toy' to use.

We then cut to some kind of laboratory where we see Dot, Mouse, and Phong exit a lift. They are soon greeted by a binome named 'Hugh Branch', who Phong says has been working on the Firewall problem. Hugh then begins explaining how this Firewall will work; it uses a device they've created called a 'sender' that redirects energy between sources. The plan is to place these around Ghetty Prime in precise locations in order to generate the Firewall. The presentation is interrupted by the announcement of an Incoming Game. Dot and Mouse immediately exclaim that Enzo will be heading for the Game. Hugh scolds them for not paying attention.

This game appears to take place in a child's bedroom, with Enzo and AndrAIa being toy sized. Enzo uses Glitch to find out that they're in the final level of a race game where the user needs to escape from the bedroom to win. The two then get spooked by a giant toy snake. Just as Enzo begins recovering from this shock, they are met by an angry mob lead by none other than Cyrus. Several binomes are holding anti Enzo signs. Cyrus tells the mob that, much like he said, the Guardian is merely a boy, and no defender of the system. A baby binome then throws their Bob teddy at Enzo, who remarks that 'everyone's a critic'.

Back at the Principle Office, we see the senders being loaded into Mouse's ship. Dot tells Mouse that Hugh and his boys are nearly finished and asks Mouse how she's getting on. Mouse replies saying that she's programmed her flight path and rigged an autotrigger, reassuring Dot that they'll get Enzo and AndrAIa back safe and sound. When Dot points out that the viral forces will blow her out of the sky if they spot her, Mouse says that they won't spot her until it's too late.

Back in the game, Frisket arrives, evening the score between Enzo and AndrAIa and the mob. The mob then runs in terror once the user appears, taking on the form of Penelope Pitstop from Wacky Races. Cyrus tries to sneak away, but AndrAIa corners him, telling him that they're aware that he's been working for Megabyte and trying to turn everyone in Mainframe against Enzo. Enzo tells him that if they don't work together, The User will win, and they'll all be nullified. Enzo and AndrAIa then proceed to ReBoot. AndrAIa becomes Halo Jones, and much like last week, has a motorbike. Enzo remarks 'what is it with you and motorbikes?!', and we then see that Enzo is now James Bond. He scowls at Cyrus who hasn't ReBoot yet. Cyrus says he doesn't know how to, so Enzo explains how. Cyrus then ReBoots into Dick Dastardly from Wacky Races with Frisket becoming Mutley (complete with his signature laugh).

Outside of the Game, we see Mouse's ship leaving the Principle Office as she activates her autotrigger that begins launching the senders. Back in the game, we can see that the race is in full swing. The racers have several obstacles to avoid such as falling darts, traffic, and a sentient wooden dinosaur sculpture. AndrAIa uses the latter as a ramp to launch herself over the traffic and head towards the User, but it then heads straight for Cyrus's car, knocking it over and trapping Cyrus underneath as he urges for Enzo to help him.

At the Principle Office, Hugh is particularly excited that they're getting to test this invention under real field conditions. Dot clarifies what he means by this, and Hugh says that all the work he's done is theory, and that it should work if his calculations are correct. This worries Phong, since if this doesn't work, the Principle Office shields will be disabled, rendering the city defenceless.

Back in the game, Enzo distracts the dinosaur his way. Just as it's about to get him, Frisket grabs his tail, holding him back. Enzo then grabs Cyrus from underneath his vehicle, who is confused that Enzo does this out of choice. Enzo says he can't go against his code, and Cyrus then gets visibly worried by something. We see that the User is now in a jet plane, and is going to escape through an open window as AndrAIa gets trapped by a hopping lamp (much like the Pixar logo). Frisket is preoccupied with chasing the dinosaur, so Enzo turns to Cyrus for help. Cyrus is unsure as to why Enzo would want his help after all that he has done to him, but after Enzo says he can't go against his programming, Cyrus asks Enzo what he wants him to do, referring to him as Guardian.

Outside the game, Megabyte tells Herr Doktor that with luck, the User will dispose of Enzo for them, but if not, he shall be the first to fall under his new order. He then tells Herr Doktor to 'prepare the troops', so Herr Doktor orders his assistant to 'throw ze switch', which then prepares Hexadecimal for combat.

Back in the game, Cyrus is driving Enzo's car with Enzo in the passenger seat. Enzo's aim is to get onto the wing of the plane. Just as Cyrus is able to get to the wing, the plane's thruster's activate, so Cyrus activate's the car's ejector seat to launch Enzo onto the plane. Cyrus stops the car, and the camera pans over to Little Nellie, the helicopter from the 1967 Bond film, 'You Only Live Twice'. Enzo shuffle's along the plane's hull, grabbing into his tuxedo to pull out a gun, but only has the Guardian plush toy from earlier. Initially, he feels that this won't help him, but then thinks of a use for him; he uses the bear to jam the tail fins at the back of the wing. The user then does a corkscrew which throws Enzo off the plane. As he falls, he says that he supposes this is where he says 'Ho Ho Ho!', a callback to the game at the start of the episode. However, he's saved by Cyrus piloting Little Nellie just as the user crashes straight into the bedroom's dartboard, ending the game.

Outside the game, the angry mob has been won over by Enzo. AndrAIa thanks Cyrus for saving Enzo and helping to defeat The User, declaring that he's a 'true hero'. The crowd then begins to shake Cyrus's hand, but then begins to disperse once Megabyte appears. He orders Hack and Slash to take him away, saying that he'll 'deal with him later'. Frisket then growls at Hack and Slash, causing them to back off a little. Megabyte tells Enzo to call of his dog, since now he controls Hexadecimal's power, none can stand against him. Enzo is shocked that Megabyte would do that to his own sister, but Megabyte simply says 'Yes yes yes, it's rather good, isn't it?'. Enzo declares to Megabyte that he won't rest until he's stopped him. Megabyte isn't phased by this, viewing it as an idle threat, declaring that it ends now before extruding his claws from his knuckles. This situation is then slightly dispersed through the arrival of Mouse's ship dropping the last few senders around the sector. Dot then pops up on Glitch to tell Enzo that the Firewall is ready and awaiting his command. Enzo orders Glitch to activate the Firewall. This causes the Principle Office shields to offline, and Megabyte gives Enzo a grin as if he doesn't expect this to work. However, the senders activate and the Firewall begins to form. Enzo commands the crowd to stand back, but this doesn't stop Hack and Slash from grabbing Cyrus before the Firewall finishes forming around Ghetty Prime. Hexadecimal laughs, finding it amusing that Megabyte is now jailed. The other side of the Firewall, the crowd begins cheering 'Guardian! Guardian!', ending the episode.

This episode is potentially my favourite episode of the entire series. I say potentially since there's a couple of episodes coming up later this season that I might enjoy more, and considering how many great episodes there are in this season, choosing a favourite episode is a task comparable to a parent having to pick a favourite child. However, when I think about my favourite episodes of the show, this one is one of the first that springs to my mind as well as normally being my first choice when I decide to watch an episode of ReBoot. What makes this particular episode so great? I'll get into that in the paragraphs below.

This episode see's Megabyte's scheme to turn Mainframe against Enzo and undermine his confidence really begin to get to Enzo. At this episode's start, he's made to realise just how ineffective he has been so far. Sure, he's managed to win a handful of games, but Megabyte still effectively has the upper hand as shown in his encounter with him at the start of the episode. Megabyte easily and unsurprisingly overpowers Enzo in strength, and the only reason Enzo is still alive at this point is because Megabyte has allowed him to live. This is a point that Megabyte makes to Enzo in this encounter, and it really gets to him to the extent that he's ready to give up since he feels like fighting a losing battle would be futile. It's only through Mouse's comments about Bob that Enzo realises that his hero wouldn't have let Megabyte walk over Mainframe, and would instead find a way to stop him.

In a contrast to this, Megabyte is now ready to put his plan to use Hexadecimal's power to take over the system into full effect. At the start of the episode, he allows Enzo to live as he wants to let the Mainframer's know how ineffective they have been so far hiding in the Principle Office while he is still at large. Once he knows that Hexadecimal is prepared, he's done with stalling and is fully prepared to kill Enzo and anyone else who stands in his way. As soon as the game ends, he taunts Enzo a little, and then prepares his claws to kill him. It's only through the implementation of the Firewall that Megabyte is stopped in his tracks. When Enzo gives the command to activate the Firewall, Megabyte still believes he has the upper hand; he's not worried that it might work since so far this season, he's had the upper hand. However, he doesn't act since he wants the satisfaction of seeing Enzo's final failure as a Guardian by securing his victory through the deactivation of the shields around the Principle Office. His pride ends up being his downfall once the Firewall does work and he ends up sealed inside it for the time being.

Cyrus ends up getting some development this episode, as well. At the start of the episode, he is simply doing Megabyte's bidding by turning the binomes against Enzo. However, he finds himself being forced to work alongside the young Guardian since it's either work together or get nullified if the User wins. Through this, he begins to realise the error of his ways after Enzo saves him from the dinosaur and decides to directly help Enzo to stop the User. By the end of the game, he is hailed as a hero by AndrAIa. Of course, he pays for his betrayal of Megabyte by being grabbed by Hack and Slash before the Firewall seals them in Ghetty Prime, making him Megabyte's prisoner.

Now we get to the game for this episode, which is a mixture of different elements. Obviously, the key one is Enzo as James Bond. This is a big contrast to last week's game when Enzo ended up being stuck as the buffonish Elmer Fudd. This week, however, he's a cool super spy, complete with a hairstyle not too dissimilar to Sean Connery's hair from his time as Bond. This persona helps him to regain the confidence needed to stop The User. The James Bond theme is obviously prevalent throughout the episode with the music giving off similar vibes to John Barry's scores to the Bond films. The opening sequence with Santa in the game is a homage to the opening of 1977's 'The Spy Who Loved Me', Hugh Branch is an obvious parody of Desmond Llewellyn's 'Q', and within the game, the helicopter piloted by Cyrus is Little Nellie from 'You Only Live Twice'.

As well as the Bond references, the fact that the race takes place in a bedroom is a homage to Toy Story, but there's also references to Wacky Races (The User being Penelope Pitstop, Cyrus and Frisket becoming Dick Dastardly and Mutley), Halo Jones (AndrAIa's persona within the game), and even The Indian In The Cupboard making a brief cameo appearance near the end of the game.  This particular episode was of interest to my father, who grew up during the 60's and 70's (born in 1966) and still has a fondness for the old Hanna Barbara cartoons like Wacky Races as well as the old Bond films. This is normally an episode he remembers on the odd occurrence that the show gets brought up in a family discussion (leading to him pondering why the show hasn't been released on DVD in the UK).

As usual, these references aren't cheap references thrown in as a crutch as the episode's story stands up really well with some great character development and helping to move the story forward. The game sequence allows Enzo to put an end to Megabyte's propaganda campaign for good by winning over Cyrus, the perpetrator behind the campaign, showing him and the masses that he is a capable defender of the system. It of course pays off at the end, since he's able to contain Megabyte within the Firewall, giving him his first major victory against the virus. However, how long will Megabyte stay trapped?

Next week: Enzo ends up facing his toughest challenge yet when he ends up in a 'Mortal Kombat' styled game in 'Game Over'.