Sunday, February 9, 2020

Episode 45 - Life's A Glitch



Season 4 tends to get a somewhat mixed response from ReBoot fans. While some really enjoy it, there are some who really dislike the season for whatever reason. For the most part, I think the reason for the mixed response is this second arc. While I'm a little more forgiving of Season 4 because of all the behind the scenes issues that heavily impacted on the production of the season, this particular arc isn't as strong as anything we've had before, and as a whole, I feel that this episode is one of the weaker episodes of the entire series.

We begin with Dot and Phong discussing Welman, who has reverted back to his Nibbles persona following Hex's sacrifice. However, Nibbles becoming Welman proves that nulls retain the data of the sprite they used to be, and the 'tech boys' have made a device that can download their codes from the games and these codes could then be used in order to restore them back to their original form. While this wouldn't help Welman due to the fact he wasn't nullified by a game, it's a step in the right direction.



We then cut to Mike the TV making a report on Enzo and Hexadecimal's sacrifice, speculating what exactly Hex did to his icon, and whether or not the young sprite could suddenly turn viral. In the background, we see Bob, Enzo, AndrAIa, and Matrix in Dot's Diner, where Matrix eventually starts chasing Cecil round the Diner.

Back at the Principle Office, Dot is having a conversation with Mouse via Vid Window. It turns out she's still unsure of which Bob to marry. Mouse suggests that Dot chooses Bob only for Dot to counter with the fact that Glitch Bob saved them all from Megabyte. When Mouse suggests choosing Glitch Bob, Dot says that Bob 'looks like Bob'. The conversation is cut short by an alarm sounding.



Glitch Bob enters the lab to talk to Phong, saying that he wants to try and separate from Glitch because he feels that Dot likes the other Bob more, and that separating from Glitch could tilt things in his favour. Phong is somewhat reluctant to give him the access codes to the archives so he can research this, but this conversation is cut short by a klaxon. 

It turns out that the alarm means that a game is about to land - a perfect opportunity for them to test the new device. However, there is a slight problem - the device needs to be taken into a game. Therefore, Hack and Slash need to rush Phong to meet up with Bob, AndrAIa, and Matrix before the ygame lands. Matrix isn't particularly happy about them joining, sarcastically saying that 'the next thing they need is for Enzo to show up'. Phong asks where Enzo is, and Matrix reveals that Cecil's watching him. However, Cecil is more than happy to let Enzo leave to go for the game since he's 'not a nanny'.

In the Principle Office lab, Glitch Bob is talking with Mouse about his current predicament. Mouse feels it's a bad idea to separate from Glitch since 'you are what you are', but Glitch Bob is insistent on trying since he loves Dot. After Bob tells him that Phong wouldn't give him access to the archives, Mouse hacks into the archives for him, allowing him access before she signs off.

Inside the game, the Mainframers appear to be in some kind of giant kitchen. No one is familiar with the game, and then just as they try and figure out what the game is, Enzo runs up to join them, claiming the reason he joined the game was because being left with Cecil was boring. Shortly after this, The User appears in the window behind them, and it turns out to be a familiar face - Rocky the Rabid Raccoon. Enzo then ReBoot's much to Matrix, Bob, and AndrAIa's dismay.



At the Principle Office, Glitch Bob has rigged up some kind of machine with three silos. His plan is to enter one silo, then he will exit a different silo while Glitch ends up in the third silo. He sets a timer, then steps into the silo.

In the game, Enzo has ReBooted into a marionette version of Anakin Skywalker from The Phantom Menace, with speech emulating that of Jake Lloyd. Matrix, AndrAIa, and Bob ReBoot. Matrix becomes Darth Vader, AndrAIa becomes Barbie, and then Bob becomes GI Joe. Matrix questions where Phong and Hack and Slash are, and it turns out Phong has become a tub of yogurt (that talks like Yoda from Star Wars) and Hack and Slash are now knock off Coke and Pepsi cans.

Glitch Bob exits the silo, but the experiment didn't work and he is still merged with Glitch. In the game, Rocky makes his way into the kitchen only to be knocked straight out again by an elaborate trap set by the Mainframers - this causes him to lose one of his lives, leaving him with two left.

Glitch Bob has made another contraption that will hopefully separate him from Glitch. This one looks a lot like the teleportation rooms from Star Trek. The idea is that he will teleport, and then he will end up on one circle while Glitch ends up on another. This doesn't happen, and he ends up next to the Picard binome who's brushing his teeth.

AndrAIa carries Phong and the device to the edge of the game wall. AndrAIa activates the device, which causes several tubes to extrude from the device and connect themselves to the game. Phong says that this device is automatic, so they can leave it and go back to the game.

Glitch Bob is sitting at his desk in the Principle Office lab, and slams the keyboard in frustration at not being able to separate himself from Glitch. This ends up opening a vid window that shows Gigabyte being split into Megabyte, Hexadecimal, and the Web Creature. This gives Bob an idea. In the game, Enzo, Hack, and Slash are hunting for the user. Hack and Slash are worried that they are going to be nullified, which causes their cans to fizz up. This gives Enzo an idea. 

In the War Room, Dot and Specky are waiting for the game to leave when Glitch Bob rushes into the room and asks Dot to release a tear so he can turn it into a portal. Dot is confused and doesn't feel like it's the right time since there's a game in progress. Bob doesn't seem as concerned about the game, though, since he's confident that Matrix, AndrAIa, and other Bob will be able to defeat the User. He rushes off to the roof, asking Dot to release the tear once he gets up there. Specky and Dot find it odd that Bob didn't seem to care about a game.

Back in the game, Rocky climbs onto the table, but then gets knocked off by Enzo using his puppet strings attached to Hack and Slash's cans like a Podracer. This once again knocks him out of the kitchen, leaving him with one life left. However, Hack and Slash's cans are now completely empty. 



The top of the Principle Office opens up to reveal a tear, which Glitch Bob stabilises into a portal and then enters. Then in the game, Rocky ends up back on the table, and after several attempts to stop him from the Mainframers, he ends up by the cookie jar. AndrAIa is able to stop him eating a cookie by throwing her handbag into his throat, choking him and allowing Matrix piloting a chicken walker to knock him off the table. With the user temporarily downed, Bob spots some hot sauce. He tells Enzo 'Look, use the sauce!'. Enzo then knocks the sauce into Rocky's mouth, and it's so hot that it causes Rocky to explode, ending the game.



Bob is proud of Enzo for winning the game, and even Matrix is somewhat impressed. AndrAIa is happy that the game is over since she can now smile naturally. Matrix comments that he liked her hair in the game, but AndrAIa takes this to mean that he doesn't like how her hair is normally. Just before this spirals into a fiery argument, AndrAIa hears something in the distance, and feels that something isn't quite right.

Inside the portal, Bob gives the command 'Glitch, splitter', which causes the tear to morph and change, resulting in an explosion that sends Bob flying out of it, encasing him in a black, crystal like substance. Dot watches in horror via Vid Window in the War Room. AndrAIa hears Bob's scream, so those who were in the game come over to help.

Dot orders Bob to contact Turbo and get him to send a team of medics, and gets Phong to get something to stabilise Glitch Bob. AndrAIa attempts to crack the crystal with her nail, but it causes her nail to break. Turbo contacts Dot and Bob and tells them that he has his best men taking care of Glitch Bob, but has no idea what would have made him try such a thing. Dot says that he's been acting strange for a while, and Bob feels that his arrival didn't help matters. Dot tells him not to blame himself. Turbo signs off after Bob tells him to keep him informed on Bob's status.



Bob tells Dot that it's probably best that he leaves, but Dot tells him to stay and to never go away again. The two begin kissing and declare their love for each other, with Bob then asking Dot to marry her, to which she accepts.



This is probably the weakest episode we've had since Enzo the Smart in Season One. While I don't dislike this episode quite as much as Enzo the Smart, this episode is somewhat of a chore to watch. My main problem with this episode is that the plot is kind of a drag and there's a lack of any real stakes until the end of the episode when Glitch Bob tries to separate from Glitch. 

There are some interesting ideas in this episode, such as bringing back the character's plans to try and restore nulls back to their former selves and Enzo's icon. Sadly, these don't get much focus in the grand scheme of the plot with the whole 'which Bob is Dot going to marry' being the main plot point, and the storyline isn't as interesting.

One common complaint from fans regarding this arc is how out of character Dot seems in this arc. I see what the creators were going for with her character arc with her clearly having PTSD and that influencing her decision, but her decision seems somewhat shallow since the crux of her decision seems to be 'Bob looks like Bob, but Glitch Bob doesn't'. I imagine if there was more time to cover her emotional state, then maybe then the audience could have potentially got more on board with her seemingly shallow decision. As well as this, it seems like this is more of a pressing concern to her than her father being turned into a null and her brother potentially being infected with a virus.

The game cube this time around, while it provides for some great humour with a couple of great gags, mainly feels like filler as it doesn't really contribute much to the plot. Sure, it's relevant to the plot line involving the recompiling of nullified sprites, but this plot line is never brought up again after this point, which makes this sequence feel even more pointless in the grand scheme of the episode. Much like in Enzo the Smart, there is pretty much no tension within the game. The joke with Bob telling Enzo to 'use the sauce' is also very forced since the way Bob says 'look' sounds more like 'Luke', a reference to the 'Use the force, Luke' line in Star Wars, and it just feels too contrived to be funny.

Glitch Bob's arc continues in this arc, and he finally makes the decision to separate from Glitch. This is something which Phong isn't too happy about, which somewhat makes sense as it would just make Dot's decision even harder if he looks more like the other Bob. He comes across as somewhat irrational in this episode, but it shows how much that he loves Dot that he's willing to try this for her. 

Overall, this is a pretty weak episode, and while it has some interesting ideas, they aren't focused on enough to salvage the episode from it's flaws. However, Glitch Bob being out of action has presented this arc with stakes that it has been lacking up until now. Hopefully this means the plot will pick up in the next episode...

Next week: Everyone in Mainframe prepares for Dot's wedding and an old foe makes a reappearance in 'Null Bot of the Bride'.







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