Someone very big and powerful has stars in their eyes this week, as that world-renowned baron of badness, Dr. Robotnik, wants a shot at getting on a certain TV show, and when he doesn't get his way, he resorts to kidnapping and blackmail. What a diva. So, what television show was he hoping would invite him on as a guest? A little program called Lifestyles of the Very Good, hosted by Throbbin Screech, an obvious parody of the late Robin Leach. Okay, so why does Robotnik want to be on a show called Lifestyles of the Very GOOD? Did he forget he was a bad guy, or like most bad guys, maybe he doesn't see himself as bad? Yeah, the rest of the world is bad, and he's the only good one. No, he's pure evil and he loves it. Anyway, Botsy gets all excited when he receives a letter from Throbbin himself, basically telling him to take his request and stick it in his ear. Robotnik throws a tantrum and vows never to watch his show again, though out of sheer curiosity, he switches it on anyway to see who Screech could've possibly picked instead of him. Gee, it could be anybody. The possibilities are endless. Yep, it's Sonic, and for our viewing pleasure, Screech plays a clip of a Roadrunner cartoon... oops, I mean, Sonic foiling Scratch and Grounder as they attempt trap #201 of the Wile E. Coyote handbook, and get seriously stoned. Screech concludes by saying, "speed always wins against stupidity." Truer words were never spoken. Out of rage, Robotnik formulates a fiendishly diabolical scheme: he's going to get on the show regardless and capture Sonic live on the air. I'm still baffled as to why he wants to be on Throbbin Screech's show. It's for good guys, not bad guys. I'm sure there are hundreds of other talk shows that he could get on, or he could even make his own show. I mean, these were the days before internet, or else, Botsy could be on TikTok, twerking that massive arse and rapping about how he hates Sonic, and he'd be an overnight sensation. Ah, well, in those dark days before the world wide web, one had to resort to far crazier measures to get the world to notice them, so how will Robotnik make Screech reconsider making him a guest? He kidnaps his niece and chains her above a pot of boiling lava. An enraged Screech appears at the fortress and demands his niece back, and Robotnik is agreeable only if he can be on his show. Screech actually pauses to consider sacrificing his own flesh and blood to keep a big-bellied bully off his show. Wow, what a jerk. However, he relents and grants the bad man's request. With Robotnik giving himself full creative control and appointing Scratch and Grounder as crew members, they begin filming the show right then and there, with Botsy making a few adjustments, such as renaming it Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted. Well, that will definitely boost their ratings. A reluctant Screech introduces his "lovely" guest, and we learn that his full name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik. I swear, when I was a kid and first saw this, I thought he said Eyeball, and thought that was a very unusual name. As he goes on about himself, Sonic and Tails watch the show at a storefront window, listening to how he plans to capture the hedgehog on TV. They laugh and think he's full of hooey, until they see what he does next. Along with Scratch, Grounder, and Screech, Robotnik flies over to a lake in his Eggo-o-Matic and instantly evaporates it, really steaming the poor fish who lived there. He's confident he'll catch Sonic this time, even though he admitted on TV that while he has captured him before, he never kept him. Yeah, because you and your robots are idiots. Anyhoo, Sonic places the fish in glass bowls until he can somehow refill the lake, just as Robotnik flies out of the clouds and tries to grab him with a giant claw, and misses, as usual. Now, he said beforehand that his plan had two parts, and if Part 1 was to nab Sonic, what was Part 2? Botsy then says if he can't catch Sonic, he'll catch Tails instead. Yeah, much easier to catch, especially when Robotnik announces his intention right on television and dummy Tails just stands there watching. He's predictably captured, big surprise.
So after Sonic buzzes the ice off a mountain top and has it flow to the lake, filling it back with water, he realizes that Tails was kidnapped amidst his showing off. He races to Robotnik's fortress and demands the immediate release of Tails and Screech's niece. He then makes a deal, saying he'll surrender if Robotnik lets the hostages go. Oh come on, you know this guy is gonna welch on any deal you make with him, and guess what? That's exactly what he does. After cuffing Sonic, he says he's going to keep all of them, and chains him above boiling lava beside Tails and the princess of the Bronx cheer. He's going to exterminate the hedgehog on national television, then he can take over the world. However, he isn't entirely heartless, so he asks Sonic for any last requests, and what does the wily hedgehog request? A makeup person. Guess a guy's gotta look good for his own on-air execution. Robotnik then changes the show's title again to Lifestyles of Robotnik Only, and promises his viewing audience that tonight, he will finally rid himself of a certain pesky hedgehog. You know, he could just set up a camera in the dungeon, cut Sonic's chain and let him fall to a boiling, hot death right now. Like the true kids cartoon villain that he is, he completely overthinks his plans. But first, before the execution, Robotnik sings a very bad song, though it's not so much singing as it is him reciting a poem he made up on the fly while tapping his feet. Sheesh, Botsy, are you trying to make everyone tune out before you execute Sonic? Certainly not going to win any Emmys with that performance. Now, how is Sonic going to get everyone out of this jam? Well, remember the makeup person he requested? She drops by following Robotnik's death to singing schtick, she's a homely poodle named Hecuba, but she's apparently the best in the business, and also a locksmith, as she picks Sonic's lock and gets him free. So, what was his brilliant plan? The old switcheroo, by way of making up Sonic to look like Hecuba, and visa versa. Okay, you still look like Sonic. Thank heavens Robotnik and is robots are idiots, or they wouldn't be fooled one bit. With Hecuba taking Sonic's place, the show goes live, with cocky Robotnik giving "Sonic" a pinch, pulling off his fake nose. Gross. That's when Sonic reveals himself and ties up Robotnik, Grounder, and Scratch, then Tails and the niece reveal they'd been freed too, so Robotnik's bargaining chip is gone. With the camera still on and all of Mobius watching, Sonic uses tickle torture to force Botsy into admitting that he likes him, which he very reluctantly does, uttering a, "sometimes Sonic is good and sometimes the word very comes to mind." Eh, good enough. So, Lifestyles of Robotnik Only was canceled, and so was Lifestyles of the Very Good, as nobody cared about good guys anymore, and I'm very sure Screech was not allowed to see niece anymore. Our Sonic Says is about graffiti, with Sonic hosting a segment of Lifestyles of the Very Stupid, showcasing Scratch and Grounder vandalizing a playground, so if you don't want to end up on that show, you may not want to emulate their behavior.
This was a pretty funny episode, even if a few parts feel a bit convoluted. I like how they portrayed Screech as being an apathetic jerk who cares more about his show than his unnamed niece, just shows what years of fame and fortune can do. I'm sure Robin Leach wasn't like that. About Robotnik's singing, it's a recurring gag on this series that he's a terrible singer, but his voice actor, the late Long John Baldry, was anything but. Check out some of his songs sometime, he sounds nothing like Robotnik. As for the doc's plan in this episode, it seemed like he just wanted something because Sonic had it. I know he wanted to be on the show before he saw Sonic as a guest, but seeing him is what made him put his plan into action. Monkey see, monkey do. There are some pretty funny moments in this one, like Screech asking a series of annoying questions before the act break, and at the end when Niece, Robotnik, and Sonic get some last words in. While it isn't brilliant or satirical, Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted is very amusing, and I'm not sure who's doing Screech's voice. I assume it's Ian James Corlett, and he does a good impression of Leach. As for the rest of the voice acting, I can definitely tell Baldry was having a ball as Robotnik. He and Jaleel White appear, at least to me, as the only ones who were really having fun recording this inane dialogue and saying such ridiculous things. Voice work aside, the animation was okay, and the story and plot... pretty straightforward, if not a bit too simple. So if you wanna see how the other half (evil) lives, then I recommend Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted, wishing you chili dog wishes and... I guess chili dog dreams too.
So after Sonic buzzes the ice off a mountain top and has it flow to the lake, filling it back with water, he realizes that Tails was kidnapped amidst his showing off. He races to Robotnik's fortress and demands the immediate release of Tails and Screech's niece. He then makes a deal, saying he'll surrender if Robotnik lets the hostages go. Oh come on, you know this guy is gonna welch on any deal you make with him, and guess what? That's exactly what he does. After cuffing Sonic, he says he's going to keep all of them, and chains him above boiling lava beside Tails and the princess of the Bronx cheer. He's going to exterminate the hedgehog on national television, then he can take over the world. However, he isn't entirely heartless, so he asks Sonic for any last requests, and what does the wily hedgehog request? A makeup person. Guess a guy's gotta look good for his own on-air execution. Robotnik then changes the show's title again to Lifestyles of Robotnik Only, and promises his viewing audience that tonight, he will finally rid himself of a certain pesky hedgehog. You know, he could just set up a camera in the dungeon, cut Sonic's chain and let him fall to a boiling, hot death right now. Like the true kids cartoon villain that he is, he completely overthinks his plans. But first, before the execution, Robotnik sings a very bad song, though it's not so much singing as it is him reciting a poem he made up on the fly while tapping his feet. Sheesh, Botsy, are you trying to make everyone tune out before you execute Sonic? Certainly not going to win any Emmys with that performance. Now, how is Sonic going to get everyone out of this jam? Well, remember the makeup person he requested? She drops by following Robotnik's death to singing schtick, she's a homely poodle named Hecuba, but she's apparently the best in the business, and also a locksmith, as she picks Sonic's lock and gets him free. So, what was his brilliant plan? The old switcheroo, by way of making up Sonic to look like Hecuba, and visa versa. Okay, you still look like Sonic. Thank heavens Robotnik and is robots are idiots, or they wouldn't be fooled one bit. With Hecuba taking Sonic's place, the show goes live, with cocky Robotnik giving "Sonic" a pinch, pulling off his fake nose. Gross. That's when Sonic reveals himself and ties up Robotnik, Grounder, and Scratch, then Tails and the niece reveal they'd been freed too, so Robotnik's bargaining chip is gone. With the camera still on and all of Mobius watching, Sonic uses tickle torture to force Botsy into admitting that he likes him, which he very reluctantly does, uttering a, "sometimes Sonic is good and sometimes the word very comes to mind." Eh, good enough. So, Lifestyles of Robotnik Only was canceled, and so was Lifestyles of the Very Good, as nobody cared about good guys anymore, and I'm very sure Screech was not allowed to see niece anymore. Our Sonic Says is about graffiti, with Sonic hosting a segment of Lifestyles of the Very Stupid, showcasing Scratch and Grounder vandalizing a playground, so if you don't want to end up on that show, you may not want to emulate their behavior.
This was a pretty funny episode, even if a few parts feel a bit convoluted. I like how they portrayed Screech as being an apathetic jerk who cares more about his show than his unnamed niece, just shows what years of fame and fortune can do. I'm sure Robin Leach wasn't like that. About Robotnik's singing, it's a recurring gag on this series that he's a terrible singer, but his voice actor, the late Long John Baldry, was anything but. Check out some of his songs sometime, he sounds nothing like Robotnik. As for the doc's plan in this episode, it seemed like he just wanted something because Sonic had it. I know he wanted to be on the show before he saw Sonic as a guest, but seeing him is what made him put his plan into action. Monkey see, monkey do. There are some pretty funny moments in this one, like Screech asking a series of annoying questions before the act break, and at the end when Niece, Robotnik, and Sonic get some last words in. While it isn't brilliant or satirical, Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted is very amusing, and I'm not sure who's doing Screech's voice. I assume it's Ian James Corlett, and he does a good impression of Leach. As for the rest of the voice acting, I can definitely tell Baldry was having a ball as Robotnik. He and Jaleel White appear, at least to me, as the only ones who were really having fun recording this inane dialogue and saying such ridiculous things. Voice work aside, the animation was okay, and the story and plot... pretty straightforward, if not a bit too simple. So if you wanna see how the other half (evil) lives, then I recommend Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted, wishing you chili dog wishes and... I guess chili dog dreams too.