While Season 3 of ReBoot goes into some relatively dark territory (especially in comparison to what came before), there are certainly moments of light heartedness sprinkled throughout. For instance, last week's episode was a more light hearted heist/prison break adventure. I feel the purpose of that episode was to give the audience some respite from the darkness of the season as a whole before it goes into the abyss. Literally, of course, since our heroes are now venturing into The Web to find Bob.
We begin the episode with The Saucy Mare traversing through Hyperspace with Ray Tracer flying alongside them. Mr Christopher narrates this sequence with his 'first mate's log' to remind us of the premise and the events of the previous episode. As he finishes his entry, Capacitor calls him to the deck and informs him that they've reached The Edge of Beyond. The ship soon leaves Hyperspace and enters The Edge of Beyond - a dark, empty abyss with a giant tear surrounded by debris in the middle of it.
Ray says he can open the tear and create a portal to the Web, but they'll need to create some Web Shields to prevent them from degrading once in The Web. The crew gets to work immediately, gathering the remains of dead web creatures and attaching them to the outside of the ship. Ray offers to help AndrAIa in a flirtatious manner, which irks Matrix, causing him to storm off in a huff. Annoyed at this, AndrAIa gets on a zip board and flies off to find more web creature remains.
She eventually comes across an organic sculpture made up of spheres. Ray spots her, and informs Matrix that they need to get to her immediately. However, it's too late, as a baby web creature hatches out of the sculpture and grabs onto AndrAIa, biting her and draining her of her energy. Matrix prepares to shoot the web creature as it flies away, but is blocked by Ray before he can make his shot. Ray says that killing the web creature will also kill AndrAIa. As the Web Creature flies towards the tear, Matrix locks a target onto it just before it escapes into the Web.
Back on the deck, we can see that the Mare has now been fully coated in the remains of Web Creatures, giving it a more organic, alien look. Capacitor asks Ray if it's possible to save AndrAIa since it would break his heart if they lost her. Ray says he'll face any danger for AndrAIa, and then Capacitor asks him to fetch Matrix from below deck. Below deck, Matrix and Frisket are watching AndrAIa, who is fading in and out, becoming transparent (somewhat similar to Dot in The Quick and The Fed). It turns out the web creature did more than steal her energy; it also took part of her code.
Ray leaves the ship through the air lock, and double clicks the icon on his belt (which looks like the Motorola logo), causing him to become covered in grey scales. He goes up to the tear, and reaches into it, causing it to turn into a portal to The Web. He goes through, followed by the Saucy Mare. The ship enters The Web, which turns out to be made up of sinister red and blue clouds with no clear signs of land.
Gun soon picks up a lock on the web creature that attacked AndrAIa, and takes the wheel of the ship - following the creature's trail. This takes the ship through a data storm, which proves to be incredibly tough to traverse through. They eventually make it through, and Ray reunites with the crew on deck. He confronts Matrix about sailing the ship through a data storm. Matrix says he did it for AndrAIa since they need to capture the web creature to get her energy back. Ray points out he could have got everyone deleted, including AndrAIa. This angers Matrix, causing him to punch Ray. Ray gets up, and tells Matrix that the Web is his digital domain, and if he wants to survive, he needs to do what he says. Matrix pulls his gun on Ray only for Capacitor to lower it for him. Capacitor scolds both of them, telling Ray that there's only one captain on the ship, but he is open to taking Ray's advice. He then turns to Matrix, telling him that it's only for Dot's sake that he tolerates his behaviour. As Matrix sulks off, Ray says that Matrix's behaviour could kill them all if he keeps it up. Capacitor says that the Enzo he knew would have agreed with Ray, but that Enzo is long gone.
Some time passes, and Matrix is impatiently pacing the decks of the ship while Ray searches for the Web Creature. Eventually, Capacitor manages to locate a pack of the creatures, with the one they are searching for being amongst them. Matrix lends Ray AndrAIa's trident to use in an attempt to capture the creature. Ray goes to try and sneak up on the creature, and isn't able to spot the group of beasts being ridden by armoured humanoid creatures behind him. Just before Ray is about to strike the creature, he's ambushed by the battalion of creatures.
The crew of the Saucy Mare spot Ray's surf board (which has had a sizeable chunk bitten out of it), but Ray is nowhere to be seen. Inspired by Ray's sacrifice, Matrix decides to go after Ray in order to finish the job. Capacitor orders Bula to bring out a suit that they've made for him to protect him from being degraded in The Web. Just before he leaves, Matrix asks Capacitor to look after Gun, since it would degrade if he brought it with him outside. Shortly after he leaves, we see Ray's surfboard repair itself.
Matrix approaches the pod in a small lifeboat, where he's observed by two riders in the distance. They speak in dial up tones, and send some of their trained web creatures to ambush him. As the creatures he's hunting pass overhead, Matrix ends up knocking off the target he planted on the Web Creature. Shortly after, he's grabbed by another creature. Matrix attempts in vein to break free, and is eventually let go, and sent falling towards a swirling abyss. Ray then swoops in and saves him. Once back in the airlock, Matrix asks Ray what he is, and Ray tells him that he's a next generation search engine. Matrix reaches the conclusion that Ray is the surfboard. They join Capacitor on deck, and Matrix suggests to him that he orders battle stations. Outside the ship, we see a group of Web Riders watching the ship, preparing to attack, but their leader signals to them to hold their fire.
As our first proper glimpse at The Web, this episode does a great job of showing us what it's like after we saw what kind of beings live within near the end of Season 2. Visually, The Web looks stunning - the mixture of reds, blues and purples gives it a distinctly alien feel compared to everything else we've seen so far in the series, and really helps to sell the realms of The Web as a threatening realm that it's practically impossible to survive within.
The most interesting thing about this episode is Matrix's character arc. At the start of this episode, he has a somewhat irrational hatred for Ray thanks to the attention he is giving AndrAIa. His jealousy is the catalyst for the chain of events leading up to AndrAIa getting bitten by a web creature, potentially killing her. He spends this episode determined to bring her back and save her by any means necessary, putting everyone else in danger as a result.
This ties in with the idea that the reason that Matrix didn't go fully over the edge during his time in the games was thanks to the love he received from AndrAIa. With AndrAIa potentially gone in this instance, it makes sense that Matrix is going to be a little more on edge than usual as he's going to want to stop her from dying. This leads to him making an incredibly dangerous risk in order to try and save her by pursuing the web creature through a data storm.
By the end of this episode, Matrix learns to somewhat respect Ray after he 'sacrifices' his life for AndrAIa, inspiring him to go out and finish what he started and capture the web creature they're looking for and save AndrAIa. This respect increases once Ray saves him when things don't go to plan and he's ambushed by the same group of Web Riders that ambushed Ray. This ends up concluding this small character arc that began in the previous episode.
This episode also introduces us to the Web Riders. While we don't know much about them at this point, they have an interesting design which provokes a lot of mystery and intrigue surrounding them. Who are they? What is their motive? Why are they attacking the crew of the Saucy Mare? Has Bob encountered these mysterious warriors as well? We learn a bit more about them in the next episode, but for now, they are set up as a deadly new threat that is somewhat unknown.
One thing that slightly irks me about this episode is how AndrAIa is rendered comatose for the majority of it's runtime. Of course, it makes for great character moments with Matrix, but at the same time, the show has essentially written off it's female lead for the time being. This doesn't hurt the episode too much, and the same fate could have befallen another character in different circumstances, but seeing as this show has tended to treat it's female cast really well up until this point, it's just a little off that they would place their only main female character around at this point in the story in a coma (Princess Bula is still around, but she doesn't really contribute much to the plot).
Asides from this nitpick, this is still a really good episode that provides Matrix with some more development and is a great introduction to The Web and the danger that it poses to our characters. It seems that all other life here is hostile, and with one of their ranks down, the odds are definitely against the crew of the Saucy Mare.
Next week: The Web Riders begin their attack on the Saucy Mare in 'Web Riders on the Storm'
This episode is a notable one for UK fans of ReBoot. I imagine that for fans outside of the UK, this is simply the first episode of the third arc of the show's first season, dealing with the search for Bob in The Web. However, across the pond, this was the last episode of ReBoot that aired in the UK. I'll get more into this on my future post about ReBoot's UK broadcast and how the show was handled over here, but the reasoning given for this ranges from apparent low ratings and the show's content being deemed 'unsuitable'. This, of course, meant that UK fans such as myself had to wait several years for the internet to progress in order to see the rest of the series (not helped by the fact that the show has never had a home video release over here asides from VHS tapes of the first four Season 1 episodes).
With a new story arc, comes a new title sequence. This one is similar to the previous one in that Matrix is narrating, but instead of Mainframe, he says it's Bob he's looking for. The clips are mainly taken from this arc, although there's a few shots from The Episode With No Name in there as well.
Following the title sequence, this episode begins shortly after the end of the previous one in the desert port system, and we see a ship enter the system through the tear and dock at the ports. We then cut to outside the bar, where we see Captain Capacitor and his first mate, Mr Christopher, hiding from a CPU. A vid window pops up, announcing that there is a 10,000 unit reward for their capture, deleted or compiled. The two decide to enter the bar in order to blend in and avoid detection. However, the bar is empty asides from Matrix, AndrAIa and Frisket. Matrix recognises Capacitor, and walks up to him. Capacitor, of course, doesn't recognise Matrix, mistaking him for a bounty hunter aiming to capture him. Capacitor and Mr Christopher flee the bar with Matrix and AndrAIa leaving soon after. Matrix fills in AndrAIa on who Capacitor is, and then sends Frisket to pursue Capacitor and Mr Christopher.
At the prison at the top of the system, we see some prison guard binomes escorting a sprite sporting goggles and a shiny blue outfit to a room which features a machine that looks somewhat like a vending machine. The machine announces that this sprite, Ray Tracer, has been found guilty of unauthorised system travel, and is set to be deleted at 0800 in the name of the Guardians. The machine wishes for him to have a nice day as the binomes escort him and his surf board out of the room. Ray mentions that the guards look 'uptight', and recommends that they try 'logging off' as it relieves tension. This remark provokes one of the binomes to hit his surf board with his baton, causing Ray's suit to lose it's shine as he gets knocked out cold, and he's thrown into a cell. We pan over and see that Capacitor's crew are also being held in the prison. One of them remarks that it's not the Captain, but as long as he's free, there's hope for them.
Frisket manages to catch up to Capacitor, but ends up getting frozen in a cube by Capacitor's sword. Capacitor recognises Frisket, mainly through his teeth. Matrix and AndrAIa soon catch up, and Capactior prepares to strike Matrix as well, but stops when Matrix calls him by his true name, 'Gavin'. This causes the pirate to enquire how Matrix knows his name, and Matrix changes his icon to normal while telling Capacitor that he's Enzo, Dot's brother. Matrix asks Capacitor for help finding Bob in The Web and getting back to Mainframe, but Capacitor says he's unable to do so without his crew or his ship, both of which have been locked up by the Guardians. A blimp passes over head giving the same message about Capacitor as before. It turns out that once Mainframe shut down, Capacitor and crew attempted legitimate trade with other systems, but the Guardians took exception to that. Mr Christopher thinks there's no way of getting the crew out of the prison, but AndrAIa informs the two of a secret, unstoppable weapon that will allow them to free the crew from prison - Matrix.
Within the prison, the guards are monitoring the cells with CCTV. AndrAIa then comes in, asking the guards for help finding her missing dog. AndrAIa then invites Frisket into the room, and he proceeds to make quick work of the guards, allowing AndrAIa to disable the video consoles using her starfish as a throwing star. One of the guards sounds the alarm, which Matrix and Capacitor take as their cue to enter the prison. Matrix uses Gun to make a hole in the wall, allowing himself, Capacitor, and Mr Christopher to enter.
AndrAIa and Frisket eventually make it to the gates at the entrance to the prison only for them to close soon after they get there. This doesn't prove to be a massive obstacle as Frisket is able to destroy the gate with his jaw and throw it at the pursuing guards. AndrAIa asks Frisket to meet Matrix at the docks while she distracts the guards.
Within the prison, Matrix and Capacitor are blocked by a combination lock to the cells, but Matrix shoots the lock, and uses his strength to pull the doors open. Outside, AndrAIa attracts the attention of the CPU's, who begin to chase and fire at her. However, she manages to evade them by using her trident to pole vault over the wall of the prison.
Upon entering the cell room, Matrix blasts the bars of the cell Capacitor's crew are being held in, allowing them to escape. As the crew reclaim their weapons, they end up shaking the cage that Ray's surf board is kept in, causing him to regain consciousness. Ray calls out for Matrix to release him, as the Guardians want him deleted too. Matrix refuses, as he believes that Ray is of no use to him. However, he relents and agrees to release him after Capacitor points out that Dot wouldn't react well if she knew her brother was acting in such a churlish manner. Once Ray is released, he asks Matrix to fire another shot at the locker his surfboard is kept in. Matrix initially aims at Ray's head, but shoots the locker open, saying that next time, it'll be Ray's head he shoots. Ray then heads off on his surf board, suggesting that Capacitor and his crew head straight for 'The Edge of Beyond'.
As he flies out of the prison, Ray is spotted by three CPU's who immediately begin to chase him down, giving him the choice of surrendering or being deleted. Ray simply flies off with the CPU's in pursuit. Ray's quick manoeuvring proves to be too much for the CPU's, since they are unable to catch up and end up crashing into walls. At the docks, we see that the pirates have been able to free the Saucy Mare from the docks, and prepare to set sail out of the system and make their way into the web. However, there is trouble on the horizon as two ships are sailing towards the docked ship, and are preparing to attack.
In the city, AndrAIa has ended up in a dead end with three CPU's right behind her. They give her the choice of surrender or being deleted, but AndrAIa chooses to draw her trident. Meanwhile, she's spotted by Ray, who decides to help her. His surf board cuts the tips of the CPU's guns, rendering them useless as Ray drops down, picking up AndrAIa and flying away on his surfboard. More CPU's end up following them, so Ray quickly heads off. He asks AndrAIa if she'd like to join him as he catches the next system wave out of here, but AndrAIa asks him to drop her off at Dock 66 so she can meet up with Matrix and the crew of the Saucy Mare.
Back on the ship, Capacitor has called for battle stations, and is preparing to head off. Matrix insists that they don't leave without AndrAIa. Frisket then excitedly barks at the sky, and we pan over to see AndrAIa and Ray flying over to the ship. They land on the deck, and Matrix isn't exactly enthusiastic to see Ray again. However, this reunion is cut short by the approaching ships beginning to open fire. Matrix orders the gunners to 'fire at will' (causing one pirate to ask 'Who's Will?'). The ship then sets off, and begins firing on the approaching ships. While they are able to land a few hits on the Mare, the ships end up sinking as the Saucy Mare heads for the disk at the centre of the system's energy sea, allowing them to escape into the net.
Matrix gets angry at Ray, clearly jealous of the affection he appears to be showing AndrAIa. He asks Ray to stay out of his ray before storming off. The ship then leaves hyperspace and enters a space filled with spheres and various other 3D shapes. It turns out that the Mare's portal generator has been damaged, meaning they are stuck where they are. However, Ray reveals he's able to open portals to the Web. AndrAIa asks him if they'll help them get into the Web, and he replies with 'for you, pretty lady; anything', and we zoom in on Matrix's eye as he turns round, ending the episode.
As the end point for the series in the UK, this was a pretty bad place to end the show. Not just because the title sequence makes it clear that there are episodes that follow this one and this isn't the end of a season/series, but also because this episode was never intended to be the end of the show. However, as the first episode of this new arc, this episode does a pretty good job of setting up the dynamic of this arc with the Saucy Mare crew and Matrix and Ray Tracer's rivalry for AndrAIa's affections. As an episode, it's got some pretty fun action sequences and some really funny gags, but there's a couple of small nitpicks that stop the episode from being a truly great one.
The first of these is Matrix's attitude towards Ray when the two first meet each other in the prison. Matrix is antagonistic towards Ray from the get go, refusing to release him from prison as he feels he has no use for him. Then once he releases Ray, he nearly kills him for asking for help. This is a little out of character since Matrix doesn't really have a reason to dislike Ray, and in previous episodes, we've seen him willingly help those in need. In the end, Matrix is antagonistic towards Ray because of the affection that he's showing AndrAIa, but at this point, Ray hasn't even met AndrAIa. Of course, this doesn't affect my enjoyment of the season as a whole, but it feels a little bit off.
Another small nitpick I have is the character of Ray Tracer himself. In the almost 12 years that I've been part of the ReBoot fandom, I don't think I've seen anyone say that Ray is their favourite character. I imagine that's because, as a character, he's pretty bland. He's basically just a relatively carefree, living life on the edge thrill seeker kind of character and doesn't really have much of a personality outside of that. He feels somewhat like a character who's there more as a plot device than a character, since he's there to allow the Saucy Mare to enter The Web as well as being a foil for Matrix.
As for the rivalry between Matrix and Ray, it mainly comes across in this episode that Matrix is jealous of Ray and the attention that he's giving AndrAIa. This is something that has consequences in the next episode, so I'll get more into that next week, but as stated in my look on Icons, AndrAIa is the reason why Matrix hasn't gone 100% over the edge from his time in the games. Sure, he's incredibly hot headed and aggressive, but the love and affection that AndrAIa has provided him with has kept him somewhat stable, so it's somewhat understandable that Matrix would be a little bit on edge about potentially losing that to someone else. Even if it paints a picture that he's not 100% secure that AndrAIa would leave him, I imagine that Matrix hasn't had a rival for AndrAIa's affections until this point.
As teased at the end of the last episode, here we get the return of Captain Capacitor, a character who previously appeared in one episode of the first season. That episode was one of the highlights of the first season, and his return is more than welcome. Given that the show is going into some pretty dark territory in the coming episodes (or at least, somewhat darker than what we've had so far this season), the presence of him and his crew provides for some moments of levity amongst the darkness.
The action in this episode is well paced and enjoyable as well as well edited. It can sometimes feel like this episode is mainly chase sequences, but it makes for some exciting visual sequences and some great editing. One of my favourite moments is the part where Ray causes a CPU to crash, and just before we see the CPU make impact with the wall it's about to crash into, we cut to the pirates punching a computer console in order to release the Saucy Mare from the docks.
This episode also has some of the funniest moments this season. I find it somewhat funny (albeit also morbid) that, after sentencing him to death, the computer voice tells Ray to 'have a nice day'. I also like that Ray makes a subtle masturbation joke when he tells the guards they should try 'logging off' to 'relieve tension' (or at least, that's how I interpreted that particular line). Another of my favourite moments is a more subtle one where you faintly hear a pirate ask 'Who's Will?' after Matrix gives the command to fire at will.
While I do have a few nitpicks with this episode, overall, it's still a good episode. The writing and characterisation is still on top form for the most part. It's a little more lighthearted and not quite as dark as some of the episodes we've had so far this season, but I feel that it provides a little bit of levity just before our heroes enter the abyss next episode...
Next week: The search for Bob begins as the Saucy Mare enters The Web in 'The Edge of Beyond'.
We now reach the end of the second arc of ReBoot's third season. For the most part, this arc has been pretty episodic; featuring Matrix and AndrAIa entering new systems and having adventures in those systems before leaving at the end (I know that's a pretty big generalisation, but you know what I mean). That's not to say that this arc hasn't contributed to the storyline as a whole as we've been introduced to these essentially new characters as well as getting a glimpse into what drives this new, grown up version of Enzo. However, from this episode onwards, the rest of the season is going to be much more serialised with most episodes starting right after the previous episode ended. This episode not only starts this in a great way, but also plants seeds of a menace in the shadows pulling the strings since the end of last season.
We begin this episode in another new system. This one has a giant tear in the sky that is sending energy down to a giant disk in the centre of the sea and a small desert port surrounding the sea. We zoom across the city and see the game cube leave. Matrix and AndrAIa are in some kind of market square. While it's incredibly empty asides from them and Frisket when they arrive, not long after, the street is bustling with life with several binomes roaming the streets. Matrix uses Glitch to scan the system. Once the scan has finished, he suddenly gets very enthusiastic and picks up AndrAIa. It turns out they've finally found a system that has ports to the net, meaning that they will shortly be arriving back in Mainframe. The two attempt to kiss, but are interrupted by a binome walking into Matrix. He apologises for bumping into him, calling him a 'great and wise Guardian' before running off. AndrAIa asks how he knew Matrix was a Guardian, and Matrix assumes it was because he saw Glitch, suddenly learning that Glitch is now missing and this binome has stolen it. Matrix spots him in the crowd and begins running after him. AndrAIa decides to do some shopping before finding a transport back to Mainframe.
Matrix pursues the binome through the streets, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and watching him from above as he flees through the street. Eventually, Matrix reaches a rope reaching across two rooftops and attempts to slide along to reach the other building only for it to lower to the ground under his weight. Back at the market, AndrAIa is met by several vendors attempting to sell her goods, including 'files and data' (flopping disks), apples, fez buffers, and a wardrobe upgrade. AndrAIa turns these offers all down, and leaves the market with Frisket.
Later on, a beam of energy spurts out of the tear, heading towards the market. One binome shouts in terror 'The Guardians! The Guardians are coming!' before hiding in a vase. The beam lands on the ground, and vanishes as three Guardians emerge. Their leader, a yellowish green woman tells her two companions that they need to do the job then get out of this two bit system. What their job is remains to be seen, but at first, it appears to be general mayhem. Elsewhere, Matrix spots the binome who stole Glitch enter a bar.
We then pan across the system docks, eventually meeting Maxine, the search engine from ReBoot: The Ride, mopping the decks of her vehicle. She complains about the amount of vomit she has to clear up as AndrAIa approaches her, asking if she can book passage to Mainframe. However, Maxine is unable to allow them passage without authorisation codes since internet travel is restricted. AndrAIa is confused about this, and enquires who restricted travel. Maxine tells her that it was the Guardians.
Inside the bar, Matrix enters, causing the patrons to go silent. Matrix goes up to the barman, and orders an 'IO shot'. He spots the binome who took Glitch cowering in fear at a table. Matrix tells him he has something of his and he wants it back. The binome feigns innocence and claims he has no idea what Matrix is talking about, but Matrix activates Glitches homing signal, proving him wrong. However, this binome rallies up a gang of aggressive looking individuals to back him up. Matrix isn't too phased by this, and just orders gun to target everyone in the bar before giving the gun command 'death blossom mode'. Gun starts spinning around in circles, presumably before it shoots everyone with a target on their head. The binome, clearly fearing for his life, kicks Glitch across the floor to Matrix. Matrix then announces to the bar to leave if they want to live since he just wants a quiet drink. The patrons all leave in terror, and Matrix holsters Gun. However, one person hasn't left, a shadowy figure standing at the back of the bar. Matrix asks him if he's got a deletion wish, and the stranger replies that he's looking for Guardian 452. Matrix says he is as well, and the stranger asks Matrix what he's done with Bob. Matrix turns around and asks the stranger to identify themselves. He then steps out of the shadows and we can see that he's Turbo, the Prime Guardian.
Back at the docks, AndrAIa asks Maxine why the Guardians restricted travel. Maxine says that they apparently have their own agenda, and it's something about 'controlling the known net'. AndrAIa is still confused, and wonders if they're talking about the same Guardians. Maxine confirms that they are, although their stance has changed from 'To Mend and Defend' to 'Divide and Render'. AndrAIa asks if there's anyone who can possibly help them, and Maxine points to a prison at the top of the island. Everyone who can help them is there, locked up and awaiting deletion, courtesy of the Guardians.
At the bar, Matrix accuses Turbo of ruining his life, and prepares to draw his gun. Turbo prevents him from doing so by holding him in a containment field fired by Copeland, his keytool. He asks Matrix who he is, and what he's doing with Bob's Guardian Protocol. Matrix refuses to tell him anything, since Turbo tried to destroy Mainframe. Upon learning that Matrix is from Mainframe, Turbo asks for his name. Once he realises that it's Enzo, he releases the containment field. He asks Matrix where he's been, and Matrix explains how he became a Guardian, how he lost the game, and how he survived. Turbo reveals that Matrix hasn't been away for as long as he thinks and should only be 11, but has aged rapidly due to time in the games being accelerated in comparison to time outside of the games. Glitch and Copeland greet each other, and Turbo explains that keytools select their Guardians, and that he knew Glitch would never choose poorly. Matrix tells him that Glitch was broken when he got him thanks to Megabyte. Turbo is apologetic, then changes the subject; he came here to warn Matrix about something, thinking he was Bob. Before he can reveal what, however, the Guardians from earlier are outside the bar and begin firing their weapons.
At the docks, AndrAIa asks Maxine what her format is, and she tells AndrAIa that she's a search engine. She begins to explain her function, but is soon cut off by the sound of gunfire. AndrAIa rightfully assumes this is Matrix's doing, and runs off to join him. In the bar, Matrix and Turbo are pinned down by the gunfire. Turbo tells Matrix that he's not the only Guardian who know's he's in the system, and Matrix is surprised that it's Guardians shooting at them. The Guardians stop firing, and the lead Guardian tells them that they're after Bob, asking them to throw down their weapons and come out. Matrix asks if their drones have personality chips, and as soon as the lead Guardian tells them that they don't, Matrix and Turbo fire at the drones, destroying them all.
Following the commotion, Matrix and Turbo resume their conversation from earlier. Turbo shows Matrix that areas of his body are glowing a sinister looking green, which Turbo says is a viral infection, but he's strong enough to fight off it's effects. Matrix assumes that it's Megabyte, but Turbo tells him it's worse than that; a super virus going by the name of Daemon has infected all the Guardians apart from Matrix and Bob, and she arranged the web creature that ended up in Mainframe last season. Turbo apologises for his part in the events that have conspired, and Matrix forgives him. Turbo points out that the Guardians will always be able to track him as they have a lock on his icon. Matrix changes his icon to Game Sprite mode, which causes the Infected Guardians outside to lose their signal. They assume that he used a portal to escape. At this moment, the binome from earlier tries to sneak past them. The lead Guardian angrily berates him, since she thought the binome had taken care of his keytool. He explains that while he took Glitch, he reclaimed it, but it doesn't matter since it was already badly damaged. The Guardian picks him up, and asks where Matrix is. He says that he was accompanied by a female and a dog, and that capturing them will thaw out Matrix. Inside the bar, Turbo tells Matrix that he's their only hope since the only chance they have of defeating Daemon lies in Bob's protocol, and they need Bob's codes to get back into Mainframe. Matrix's mission is now set in motion; he needs to find Bob so he can save the entire net!
AndrAIa and Frisket find themselves back at the market which is now in ruins. Shortly after their arrival, they are joined by two of the Guardians from earlier, holding the pair up at gunpoint. A video monitor flies over the system, making the announcement 'Guardian 452, we have the female and the dog. Surrender or they will be deleted!'. Matrix seems somewhat amused by this, which confuses Turbo, but soon after, Frisket lunges at the screen and the picture cuts out.
At an alleyway near the bar, the lead Guardian is standing by. A flying insect lands in her hand, and she squashes it with her fingers. She peers behind her, and spots AndrAIa, asking what took her so long. AndrAIa says that she arrived as fast as she could, and the Guardian then asks what happened to her men, to which AndrAIa responds 'don't ask'. Frisket growls at her drone, and AndrAIa tells her that he's wondering if the drone has a personality chip, causing the drone to run off. AndrAIa then has a western styled stand off with the Guardian. We get several different shots of the two from different angles as they stand opposite each other, waiting to strike. Eventually, an alarm sounds on the Guardians gun, and she fires at AndrAIa. AndrAIa deflects the blast with one of the gills on her arm, and fires her nails right into the Guardian's neck, causing her to drop dead onto the ground.
Inside the bar, Turbo tells Matrix that he needs to leave as he's been away too long. Matrix creates a tear by shooting the coffee maker on the bar, which Turbo stabilises into a portal back to the Super Computer. Matrix asks Turbo to come with them to search for Bob, but Turbo says he's more valuable to Matrix where he is, as he'll always have a friend on the inside as long as he's able to fight off the infection. Not long after he leaves, AndrAIa enters the bar with Frisket. Matrix tells her about his encounter with Turbo, and asks if AndrAIa was able to get them a ship. When AndrAIa tells him about the Guardian's restrictions on net travel, Matrix says they'll still be able to get a ship as something will come up. He uses Glitch to scan for possible transport. Shortly after this, the doors to the bar open and Captain Capacitor and his first mate Mr Christopher enter the bar.
As well as Firewall, this is another episode that instantly comes to mind when I consider what my favourite episode of ReBoot is. Not only does it pick up the season's storyline in a big way, it also drops some big breadcrumbs for future stories and has some really great action set pieces along with a great story to back them up.
The system that this episode and the next one are set in is possibly my favourite system in the series. I really like the design of it with it's slightly Arabian aesthetic combined with elements of westerns and Mos Eisley from Star Wars. There's even a couple of Stormtrooper Binomes wandering around, and the bar is somewhat similar to the Mos Eisley cantina from A New Hope. The name of the episode somewhat ties into the western feel of this episode by being a reference to Clint Eastwood's 'The Man With No Name' from the Spaghetti Western series.
This episode also demonstrates the massive effort and attention to detail that Mainframe put into their shows. When we first meet Maxine at the docks, we can see The Saucy Mare, Captain Capacitor's ship, at the docks, which of course ties into Capacitor's appearance at the very end of the episode. Likewise, when we first enter the bar, Turbo can be spotted in the background. It's the subtlety of things like this that really show how much love was put into the show by the people making it.
Speaking of Turbo, we're finally reunited with him after his brief appearance in Trust No One last season. While we didn't know much about him then other than his reluctant decision to destroy Mainframe as well as him delaying the destruction timer to allow Bob time to get rid of the detonator, his presence was an interesting one as it introduced the idea that the Guardians aren't 100% good and have shades of grey. Matrix, of course, in part blames Turbo for everything that's happened to him so far since his choice to destroy Mainframe ended up creating the tear that allowed the Web Creature to generate the portal to web which set off the chain of events that have lead to this point.
I think this ties into why Matrix doesn't refer to himself as a Guardian. Part of it is due to him feeling he'd failed as a Guardian after being unable to defeat the user in Game Over, but him blaming Turbo for everything that's happened to him has caused Matrix to be somewhat resentful of the Guardians as a whole, refusing to be associated with them because of this. His encounter with Turbo in this episode allows him the chance to forgive Turbo for his part of what happened and gain an important ally.
This episode introduces us to the plot point of Daemon infecting the Guardians and getting them to do her bidding. What her agenda is remains unclear, but we also learn that she was responsible for the events leading up to this point all the way back in Season 2 since she was the one who arranged the web creature. My theory on what happened is she used the web creature as a distraction to keep the Guardians occupied while she finds her way into the Super Computer, and then she caught the Guardians off guard and infected them all.
While Daemon isn't going to be making an appearance until next season, her appearance her serves two purposes. The purpose in the long run is to plant the seeds for a future storyline in case the show got another season following Season 3, but in terms of this episode, the infected Guardians and their restrictions on net travel provide an obstacle to prevent Matrix and AndrAIa from getting back to Mainframe as well as directing them to search for Bob in the web before going back home since Bob has the codes the need to re enter the system.
The three infected Guardians in this episode also leave a pretty big impression. Design wise, they all have distinct looks and look pretty menacing (not what we'd expect Guardians to look like at this point), and they pose a pretty big threat throughout this episode. We also get what is potentially AndrAIa's finest moment in the entire series as she has a stand off with the lead Guardian, managing to defeat her in the process. It's moments like this which really show how well the show treated it's female characters rather than having them merely be pretty things for the male heroes to rescue every week.
Overall, this is by far one of the best episodes of the show (which is saying a lot considering how good a lot of the show's episodes are) which sews the seeds for things to come and wonderfully sets up the premise of the next arc: The Search For Bob!
Next week: Matrix and AndrAIa help Capacitor free his crew from prison so they can help them find Bob in 'Return of the Crimson Binome'.
When creating a film or television series, it's often the case that the initial ideas go through several different revisions before eventually reaching the finished product (for better or for worse). While the idea for ReBoot Season 3 was always for 16 episodes broken up into four episode arcs, the overall story was tweaked here and there between the initial idea and the finished episodes. Archived on this website is an early episode list for Season 3. While some of these episode names appear to be the same as the ones we got, there is a few differences, but the key one for today is the seventh episode which is titled 'Das ReBoot'.
While we don't know what the plot of this episode would have been, somepiecesofconcept art exist that suggest this episode would be somewhat nautical themed. At New York Comic Con in 2008 (skip to 9:21), Season 3's story editor Dan DiDio said that there was originally going to be a 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea styled episode that was thrown out because co creator Ian Pearson hated it. As a result of this, they needed to come up with a replacement episode, and budgetary reasons meant that it needed to be an episode that utilised the assets that they already had. However, this didn't really fit with the arc of Matrix and AndrAIa travelling through the games to try and find Mainframe, so they needed to find a way to work those assets into the story. The end result is one of the most memorable episodes of the entire show, and one that gives us a good insight into Matrix as a character.
The episode begins with a game landing on a system which looks like a planet filled with several satellite dishes. We zoom in on one of these until we get to an elevator which is being manned by Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket. AndrAIa points out that the game has almost landed, but Matrix is clearly fed up of this way of life. He reminds AndrAIa that this is the fifth game that they've played in this system, and they have no control over where they go when the game ends since that's determined by The User. AndrAIa is optimistic that this game will get them to a new system, but Matrix is losing hope of ever finding Mainframe since they've been through hundreds of systems at this point, and haven't even found a system with ports to the net.
The game eventually lands, and it appears to be a golf game. Matrix tries to get Glitch to provide him with the stats for the game, but it doesn't appear to be working at all. AndrAIa seems preoccupied with something else, however; they appear to be back in Mainframe. Matrix is happy to be home, but AndrAIa points out how impossible it is for it to be the real Mainframe since they are inside of a game cube. Matrix is disheartened by this, but knows that AndrAIa is right. While it looks like the place he knew, there's none of his friends or family or...
Overhead, the two hear Dot call out Bob's name, and look up to see Bob and Dot pursuing Hack and Slash. Dot calls out to Bob (clearly wanting Hack and Slash to hear) that she's never seen Bob this angry, and not to hurt Hack and Slash when he catches them. This causes Hack and Slash to stop in their tracks and begin bickering over which one made Bob mad at them to the extent that they fail to see Bob appear behind them. After reassuring them that he's not mad at either of them, he commands Glitch to turn into a golf club, and then hits them all the way back to Silicon Tor, landing a 'hole in one'. As Dot catches up with them, Phong contacts Bob on Glitch, telling the two of them to return to the Principle Office immediately since they have a problem.
After they've set off, AndrAIa ponders if they could have possibly managed to convert the entire city to Game Sprite mode, which Matrix says is impossible since the city is firmware, which wouldn't explain Bob or the fact that he has a functional Glitch. AndrAIa then suggests ReBooting and seeing what happens. Matrix is reluctant to do so as he's afraid of ReBooting into Little Enzo. AndrAIa reassures him that even if he does, it doesn't matter and she'll always love him. However, Matrix says he's worked hard to become what he is, and has put that 'weak little boy' behind him. AndrAIa says there's only way to find out, so Matrix agrees to ReBoot. The three then ReBoot, and become...
Megabyte, Hexadecimal, and Scuzzy. This of course rules out any planned family reunions. Matrix questions if it can get any worse, and then Hack and Slash appear in front of him, reporting for duty.
At the Principle Office, Phong tells Bob and Dot that surveillance reports indicate that Megabyte and Hexadecimal have teamed up, and are in the Tor together. Dot thinks that this means trouble, but Bob isn't too worried since when they normally team up, they're stopped by either Megabyte's greed or Hexadecimal's insanity. We then zoom out to see that Matrix and AndrAIa are watching this via Scuzzy, and Bob says that they need to prevent Megabyte and Hexadecimal from finding out about 'Number 1', getting Frisket to stop the replay. AndrAIa determines that Number 1 must be the objective of the game. but Matrix isn't sure it's even a game, and isn't sure of anything anymore. This prompts Hack and Slash to go back and forth, which annoys Matrix to the extent that he shouts at the two to be quiet, shouting in Megabyte's voice. This scares them, and seems to impress AndrAIa, who feels the voice is 'strong and demanding', and definitely not the voice of a little boy. Matrix feels this is worse, as it represents everything he hates. AndrAIa asks if it's everything he hates, or everything he's afraid of becoming, slipping into Hexadecimal's voice partway through. Matrix decides he needs to find Number 1 to get to the bottom of this, asking AndrAIa to pass him his legs.
Back at the Principle Office, Bob, Dot, and Phong are overlooking Silicon Tor on a vid window. Bob says he doesn't like this since it's too quiet, which Dot points out isn't like Megabyte at all. Phong feels that Megabyte is behaving out of character only for them to be interrupted by two binomes informing them of a bogey heading towards the Principle Office (although one of them thinks it might be a birdie). Bob asks if it's a birdie or a bogey, and Dot determines it's a bogey named Megabyte. Bob tells Phong this looks like the same Megabyte to him.
We then see Matrix riding Megabyte's bike to the Principle Office, walking down the corridor to the Principle Office's great hall and telling Bob they need to talk. Bob jumps right at Matrix, believing him to be Megabyte, but Matrix catches him in mid air. Matrix tells Bob if this was a game, he could end it right now, but he's not going to as he needs Bob to trust him. Dot asks Megabyte why they should trust him, and Matrix tells her that he's not Megabyte, but is actually Enzo. Dot of course doesn't believe him, but Matrix pleads for her to believe him, saying that if he finds Number 1, he can help him. Bob feels this is a trick to get to Number 1, and fires a particle beam from Glitch at Matrix, holding him back. Dot says that Megabyte could never be her brother since 'Enzo would never be so vicious'. Matrix insists that while he's changed, he's still Enzo. A large vid window of Megabyte's face pops up and red x's form a giant cross across his picture. Phong says that he needs to be filed and indexed, and as soon as Bob releases the particle beam, a giant claw picks him up, carrying Matrix over to a giant filing cabinet. Matrix declares that he will not be filed, stamped, briefed, debriefed or numbered, his life is his own, and they won't hold him. He then uses his viral powers to infect the claw, allowing it to release him before it can drop him into the filing cabinet.
Back at Silicon Tor, AndrAIa is changing her masks from happy to sad in front of her looking glass. She's amused by this, as she's never been so in touch with her emotions. Matrix then arrives on Megabyte's bike, and AndrAIa declares that it's a 'nice bike', causing Matrix to ask her what it is with her and bikes. He tells AndrAIa that they didn't believe him, and that he did nothing to prove he wasn't Megabyte to them. AndrAIa then asks what's wrong with being Megabyte, which angers Matrix, since he feels everything about Megabyte is wrong. AndrAIa asks if that's really the case, since Megabyte has strength, control and power, everything that Matrix wanted. Matrix says that while it is what he wanted, he didn't want it this way, and not at the expense of Bob and the others. He says he needs to make them see that he's Enzo, even if he has to delete them all to do so.
At the Principle Office, Phong tells Bob and Dot that he's decided that should meet with Number 1, telling them that the rendezvous point is still the same. As Bob and Dot leave, Phong is delivered a cup of cocoa by Number 9. Phong then asks him 'how's your back, 9?'. We then see Bob and Dot proceed through an alleyway. As they leave, Matrix and AndrAIa emerge out of a nearby warehouse and follow in pursuit. Bob and Dot enter Dot's Diner, and AndrAIa theorises that it looks like that's where they're hiding Number 1, which she feels is both predictable and unexpected. Matrix says that if this is game, he's going to go in and end it immediately, something which AndrAIa (speaking in Hex's voice) feels was 'spoken like a true virus'. Matrix accuses AndrAIa of taking her role a little too seriously, to which she tells him that she's just playing, and to 'lighten up, Megabyte'. Matrix corrects her, telling her his name is Matrix, and this insanity stops now.
Matrix enters the Diner, and finds himself in a bizarre courtroom. Mike the TV and Cecil are sitting on a See Saw, there's two firemans poles in the room, and the jury is made up of binomes wearing Hexadecimal masks which are half black, and half white. Matrix asks where Number 1 is, and the jury instantly begins chanting 'Here comes the judge! Here comes the judge! Everybody knows and here comes the judge!' as Bob arises from a platform, hitting his mallet to silence the court. Dot, the prosecution, reads out Matrix's charges, which are of feeling that the ends justify the means and of becoming everything he claims to hate. The court instantly declares him guilty, but Matrix points out that this is no trial as he has no defence. Bob then calls out Hack and Slash to act as his defence, who declare him as a 'very bad man'. Matrix again pleads with Dot to believe him when he says he's Enzo. Dot is angry about this, and tells Matrix to stop calling himself her brother, running up and hitting him on the chest. Matrix grabs her, but that causes her to shatter into pieces and vanish. Bob says that he's betrayed the memory of his sister, and the court again declares him as guilty. Bob then walks right up to Matrix, asking if he has anything to say before he passes sentence. Matrix then pleads with Bob to help him, saying he needs to end this and find out who Number 1 is. Bob then starts repeatedly saying the word guilty, with the crowd then joining him. This drives Matrix insane, who then extrudes his claws and strikes the crowd, causing everything around him to shatter and the room to go pitch black.
A spotlight then shines on Matrix as Hexadecimal appears behind him, saying that he's killed everyone. She then vanishes, only to appear as a giant mask in front of Matrix. She asks if he's figured out who Number 1 is, as she has. She then vanishes before turning into loads of masks who say they've all figured out who Number 1 is. Matrix angrily shouts at them to tell him who Number 1 is. The masks then vanish, and a vid window appears in front of Enzo which, at first, appears to be a mirror. Then, the reflection of Megabyte speaks, saying he is number 1, the driving force of Matrix's life, who drives him on and consumes him. This angers Matrix, who strikes the vid window, causing him to once again become Matrix and is met with another vid window. The reflection of himself says he is number 1, and cares for no one. Matrix says this isn't true as he loves AndrAIa, but the reflection says he doesn't, and only loves himself. Matrix doesn't want to hear this, so shoots the vid window.
Then, he's met by his younger self, who says he's Number 1, the original, asking Matrix if he thinks this is a game. Enzo feels that Matrix hates him based on what he's become. Matrix says that isn't the case, he just had to become bigger and tougher in order to be ready for Megabyte and survive the games. Enzo asks him if he liked the games more than Mainframe and his family. Matrix says he didn't and was trapped in the games. Enzo then accuses Matrix of forgetting his family and becoming a prisoner of the games, asking what Bob would think of him now. Enzo then says that there can be only one, and throws a golf ball which turns into a giant white opaque bubble that suffocates Matrix.
Matrix then wakes up and sees AndrAIa dressed in golf gear standing over him. When he asks what happened, AndrAIa says that Matrix was knocked out by a golf ball hitting him on the head. We then pan over to a tiger and a shark playing golf. Matrix asks what happened to Mainframe, to which AndrAIa says that he must have been dreaming, and they're on the final of a golf game, asking Matrix to sit back wait for her to win the game. Matrix says he's tired of waiting for things to happen, that he's fed up of the games, and that it's time for them to take control and truly begin searching for Mainframe and Bob. Matrix then asks who hit the golf ball, drawing gun and ordering it to begin targeting. This causes the tiger and shark to flee before we end the episode with Matrix saying 'be seeing you' before we zoom in on his cybernetic eye.
On the surface, this might seem like a filler episode since it doesn't really move the story forward too much. However, what prevents this episode from being a filler episode is that it helps us to understand Matrix as a character, and why he's turned out the way he has.
In 'Icons', we saw that Matrix views viruses as being undeserving of mercy, which we can assume stems from his hatred of Megabyte. In his dream in this episode, we see that Matrix feels Megabyte has become the driving force of his life, and has worries that his hatred of Megabyte will consume him. At the end of the episode in his conversation with his younger self, we find out why he's moulded himself into his current form;
In Firewall, Enzo ended up in a confrontation with Megabyte which left him feeling humiliated. The only reason he survived as long as he did against Megabyte was because Megabyte allowed him to live. Even then, the only way he could stop Megabyte was by trapping him in a Firewall (something which might not even be able to hold him permanently). Then, in Game Over, Enzo was bested by a User that outmatched him in size and physical strength. This obviously would have an effect on Enzo; if he couldn't beat this User, how could he even think about facing off against Megabyte?
So, of course, Matrix felt he needed to become stronger, not only so he could survive in the games, but so he could be prepared to defeat Megabyte once he returns to Mainframe. However, he also has some fears about what he's become, which is shown in the dream by him ReBooting into Megabyte; he fears that he might be just as bad as Megabyte now, and worries that his friends and family would be ashamed of what he's become. Of course, Bob and Dot refuse to even humour Matrix when he claims to be Enzo, since they see him as Megabyte. This is how Matrix feels they will see him if he gets the chance to reunite with them. This is reinforced at the end when Little Enzo asks Matrix what Bob will think of him now.
This episode also has what is most likely the most obscure pop culture reference of the entire show, with several references to the cult British 1960's TV show The Prisoner, something which I imagine went over the heads of the majority of children who watched this episode when it first aired (myself included). The sequence where Matrix heads to the Principle Office to meet Bob mirrors the opening sequence to The Prisoner, with Bob Buckley scoring the sequence with a music piece that has similar vibes to The Prisoner's opening theme. As well as this, the episode's title 'Number 7' is a reference to the name of The Prisoner's protagonist 'Number 6' (alongside referencing the fact that this is the seventh episode of the season), the characters keep saying 'be seeing you', a phrase often used in the series, the courtroom scene is similar to the ending of The Prisoner (complete with Number 6 finding Number 1 and seeing his own face), and the ball that Enzo throws at the end of the dream sequence becomes a Rover, the force that subdues anyone trying to escape The Village.
Of course, at 4 years old in 1998 when this episode aired in the UK, I had little to no idea what The Prisoner was (asides from hearing the theme song on a CD compilation of Cult TV theme tunes that my dad got free with Cult TV magazine and thinking it sounded a bit like the music in this episode), so all these references. When I was 11, I ended up watching a DVD of the first episode of The Prisoner (which came with the first issue of The Prisoner magazine where each issue came with a DVD with one episode of the show), and then a lot of these references in this episode of ReBoot made much more sense.
While the 'it was all a dream' is at times a bit of a lazy plot device when used in fiction, in this episode, I feel it works well since it was the only way that any of this episode was going to make sense (and even then, some still might be confused about what the heck this episode even was), and it allowed us to get a glimpse into Matrix's psyche, allowing us to fully understand what drives him as a character.
This is also the first episode of the show where Bob isn't voiced by Michael Benyaer, who voiced the character in the first two seasons. This time around, he was voiced by Ian James Corlett, who had previously worked with Mainframe Entertainment voicing Cheetor on Beast Wars: Transformers. Corlett does a pretty decent job of portraying Bob in this episode, and while he does get the characters mannerisms down, the change of voice can be a little jarring at times, especially if you're used to Benyaer voicing the character.
This is a very good episode of the show and while I wouldn't say it's one of my absolute favourites like Firewall, it's probably somewhere in my top 10-15 favourite episodes. The episode works best as a character study of the show's new protagonist, and this new understanding of this character's mindset has a benefit on the show going forward.
Next week: Matrix finds himself getting hunted by a trio of Guardians in 'The Episode With No Name'
