Recap / Sonic Boom S 1 E 40 Tails Crush

Truly, my dear, you are the wind beneath my wi- er, tails.

Still lacking any meaningful employment, Sonic and the gang continue to while away their days with improvised games. Today's distraction is the World Record Wheelbarrow Race, which involves Sonic shoving Knuckles's face into dirt, cacti, and shards of broken glass as fast as possible. The two make it to the finish-line, but Tails has failed to keep their time thanks to an unseen distraction just off-screen. Before Knuckles can beat Tails to a pulp, Sonic receives a message from Amy, who reports that Eggman has finally lost it. The triumvirate return to the village.

Our heroes arrive find Eggman entangled in the post office's overly-draconian package pickup procedures. Losing his temper, Eggman unleashes his new Decimator Bot on the premises. Sonic orders Tails to engage the Speeding Swing Surprise exercise last seen in the series's premier. Sonic gets into position, but Tails fails to unravel his Enerbeam in time and Sonic falls flat on his face. Amy, Knuckles, and Sonic make short work of the robot anyways. Afterwards, Sonic inquires as to why Tails has been so distracted lately, and we see the object of Tails's attention: A friendly fox-girl named Zooey. Sonic immediately picks up on Tails's crush for the young vixen, and offers to give his tongue-tied friend a crash-course in how to impress the object of his desire.

Sonic advises Tails to play it cool, and to keep distant and sarcastic if need be. When Tails tries this out around Zooey, however, he comes off as more clumsy and mealy-mouthed than anything. Next, Tails seeks out the counsel of Knuckles, who tells his friend that women love manly men and that he should take up weight-lifting, wood-working, and other masculine activities. So Tails tries to put up a manly front around Zooey at Meh Burger, but this facade is immediately washed away once his Hello Doggy pencil prize comes with his red steak meal. Tails next inadvertently seeks advice from a woman when he asks Amy what he should do, who says that Tails should be romantic and chivalrous. So he tries to recite some flowery poetry for Zooey, but messes up his lines. Zooey, who has been getting sick of Tails's odd behavior, shuts him out.

Out of desperation, Tails acts on Sticks's advice to perform a mating dance in front of Zooey and rest of the townsfolk. Eggman, who has been witness to Tails's various misguided attempts while trying to retrieve his package, sets aside their usual animosity and advises Tails to just approach Zooey as himself. A moment later, Eggman's package finally arrives, which contains a background music-generator for use during his attacks. Eggman immediately tries it out as his killer robots stroll into town. Tails leaps into action, disabling a contingent of Motobugs using a wrench. While this is happening, Giant Robot scoops up Zooey into its metallic mitts, and Tails quickly comes to the rescue in his airplane. Tails blasts the Giant Robot's arm using a laser and deploys his Enerbeam to safely retrieve Zooey from the air, before finishing off Giant Robot for good.

Thoroughly impressed with his bravery and resourcefulness, Zooey falls for Tails. Eggman obliges the two by switching his background music generator to something more sensual and whipping up a heart iris-fade out.

Tropes featured in the episode:

• An Aesop: In a bizarre example, Tails is told by Sonic that to get a girl he has to act like an aloof jerk, by Knuckles that girls love muscles and toughness, by Amy that girls love romance and theatre, and by Sticks that he should essentially do a traditional bird mating dance. Eventually he's told the best advice by the villain: Stop trying to be someone else and be yourself, and in the end it turns out to be the best advice.
• Balcony Wooing Scene: After Sonic and Knuckles' advice on how to impress women fails to win him the heart of Zooey, Tails turns to Amy, who says he should be romantic and chivalrous. Tails dresses like the title character from The Phantom of the Opera, calls Zooey from her balcony and tries to recite some flowery poetry for her, but messes up his lines, and Zooey, who has become sick of Tails' odd behavior, shuts him out.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: This line from Eggman as episode ends with a heart-shaped Iris Out on Tails and Zooey (pictured above):
  Eggman: "I'm glad I sprang for the heart iris upgrade."
• Did Not Get the Girl: Averted. Unlike in the Archie Comics or Sonic X, Tails successfully manages to win Zooey's heart in the end and manages to keep a stable relationship with her as the show goes on.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Tails gets distracted by Zooey twice in this episode;
  • The first time is when he misses his cue timing Sonic and Knuckles for a wheelbarrow race, in which Knuckles gets pushed through sand, cacti, and broken glass. Obviously, Knuckles dreads having to do the race over.
  • The second time happens when Sonic and Tails battle Eggman's Decimator Bot. When Sonic asks Tails to initiate the Speeding Swing Surprise, Tails gets distracted and leaves Sonic grabbing thin air in slow motion and falling into a crate of watermelons.
• Dragged into Drag: Comedy Chimp when he is hired by Sonic to help him teach Tails on how to talk to girls.
  Comedy Chimp: I gotta fire my agent...
• Even Evil Has Standards: After witnessing Tails' bungled attempts at getting Zooey's attention, Eggman temporarily puts his hostility for Tails aside and gives him advice, stating his belief that in situations this dire, the "bro-code" trumps the whole enemy thing.
• Go-Karting with Bowser: Eggman, of all people, gets in on the action and gives Tails his own advice on how to get Zooey. And somehow, it works.
• Graceful Loser: Rather than his usual tantrum, Eggman somewhat mockingly points out Tails got the girl (with his methods) before ending the episode with a programmed heart iris. He even uses his background music generator device to provide romantic music.
• Kids' Meal Toy: An In-Universe example; Tails orders a red steak at Meh Burger to make himself seen more manly, but this facade is immediately washed away once Dave gives him a Hello Doggie pencil, which is a Meh Meal toy.
• Lampshade Hanging: Eggman acts as an Audience Surrogate to Tails' bumbling attempts at courting Zooey:
  Eggman: Not this train wreck again...
• Love Makes You Stupid: Tails, usually the brains of the operation, throws all common sense to the wind in his efforts to woo Zooey. Including, but not limited too, complimenting the fine woodwork on a plastic table and doing a mating dance of wild birds.
• Nerds Are Virgins: All of the gang's dating tips fail, if not because of their poor direction, then because Tails' dorky qualities still seep through.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Eggman lampshades this as it was his evil-doing that threatened Zooey's life that makes Tails jump in to save the day with his four friends holding back from contributing to make Tails look even more heroic.
  Eggman: (to Tails) You're welcome.
• Running Gag:
  • Throughout the episode, Dr. Eggman tries to get a package he ordered from Leroy the Turtle, and has to go through the rules of the complicated system of the post office.
  • Dr. Eggman also shakes his head with disapproval at Tails' poor attempts to court Zooey.
• Sanity Ball: Eggman of all people acts as a Reasonable Authority Figure and gives Tails meaningful advice on dating...at least briefly before setting Giant Robot on the town.
• Shipper on Deck: Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Sticks and even Eggman help Tails in wooing Zooey.
• Shout-Out:
  • Knuckles referring to how he learned about air conditioning and refrigerator repair is a reference to International Correspondence Schools, where students could register for correspondence courses to get their diploma or degree without attending formal classes.
  • Tails has a Hello Doggie journal. Later in the episode, he gets a similarly-themed pencil.
  • The mask that Tails uses when he follows Amy's advice is similar to the one in The Phantom of the Opera.
  • The scene where Tails tries to proclaim his love to Zooey is based off a famous scene in Romeo and Juliet.
  • The scene where Tails flies around Giant Robot with Zooey in its hand is similar to the Empire State Building scene in King Kong.
• Something Else Also Rises: When Zooey first notices Tails, he becomes so lovestruck that his tails accidentally propel him into the air. Naturally, some viewers thought it was an erection joke, taking this trope literally.
• Stealth Pun: This is the 40th episode of the show and features Tails developing a crush. 40…Crush…?
• Terrible Pick-Up Lines: Tails is spoon-fed these to try on Zooey by each of his four friends
  • Per Sonic's advice, Tails acts like he has no interest in Zooey ("I'm like whatever, I'm busy anyway")
  • Per Knuckles' advice, Tails tries to act super masculine towards her bragging he was pumping iron and eating completely raw steak ("The redder the better!") much to Zooey's disgust.
  • Per Amy's advice, Tails spews poetry to Zooey which she doesn't understand or takes offense toward ("How now, brown cow?").
  • Sticks gives him the worst one since she instructs Tails not to even talk normally but make bird mating calls while holding large feathers which only scares Zooey away.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: Considering the last two times he had a love interest, Tails successfully winning Zooey's heart in the end and keeping a stable relationship with her by the end of the show can be seen as this.
• Two Lines, No Waiting: The A Plot focuses on Tails' Crush on Zooey and his bungled attempts at getting her attention. The B Plot focuses on Eggman's attempts to get a package, and running into trouble with the post office. Eggman's plot means he's always around to witness Tails' failures, and the two lines intersect in the ending.
• You Were Trying Too Hard: Tails was doing this in his attempts at trying to impress Zooey. Even Eggman of all people knew it, and it pretty much plays out like this until near the end of the episode where Eggman teaches Tails to simply stop trying to be someone else and have confidence in himself.