This episode starts mere moments after the last one finishes, with the Nullzilla battle theme even still going a little. I love that kind of strong continuity, it's one of the little things that can help make good series into great ones in the long run. The story is very quick-paced, with Bob escorting the weakened Hexadecimal back to her lair when they are soon attacked by her brother virus Megabyte who is still possessed by the vile web creature and who seizes and merges with Hexadecimal, creating a whole new powerful viral menace. He is mighty Gigabyte, and soon makes his less than benign intentions for all of Mainframe clear! Gigabyte has such a great design, with the hulking body shape, legs and claws being similar to Megabyte's and with elements of Hexadecimal scattered here and there, most notably with the green glowing eyes and mask-like face. He does have a certain gravitas to him and Blu Mankuma's rich baritone more than does the trick, but I personally find the character a little bland and underwhelming.. He's just a big juggernaut with a one-track mind, I don't find him as impressive or interesting as either Megabyte or Hexadecimal. I think maybe because Hexadecimal was already powerless when he was created, you never really get to see what he could do at full force, but unlike Megabyte who wants to conquer systems, Gigabyte simply wants to absorb all their core energy and destroy them which is needless to say, much worse! I like when he drains the sprites of energy and leaves them looking like translucent ghosts, it's quite violent. Even though they stress that they're only drained of energy, it very much appears like the victims are getting impaled on his giant claws as he does it! There's a sense in the episode's building up to the end of season 2 that the writers are moving more towards the kind of tone and stories that they really want to tell and are in effect screwing the cloying censors of the ABC that were holding back the show's true quality. I love the moment between Bob and Dot that again hints at their hidden relationship with each other when Bob's about to tell her something important as they are cornered by the advancing Gigabyte until they are unexpectedly rescued by Mouse. Neat little super-quick reference to A Nightmare on Elm Street as he rakes his claws against the wall! Bob Mouse and Dot, Hack and Slash, Enzo Frisket and Andraia, practically everyone takes on this guy but to no avail. It's Bob who eventually splits the super-virus back into his component parts and saves the day with his re-energised Glitch device. As the being is split apart Bob worries about a mysterious third dark element which is now once again loose in Mainframe... Very good episode but not one of my absolute favourites, I don't enjoy it as much as the previous three episodes or the final two, but that's just me. Next episode: One bitchin' X-Files spoof!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
