Recap of Episode 13 of Season 2 of Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM).
Air date: 03/12/94
Written by: Ben Hurst
Robotnik and Snively prepare to unleash Project Doomsday on Mobius to turn the rest of the planet into a wasteland, just like Robotnik wants. As he activates the machine, meanwhile, in Knothole, Sonic and Rotor have just finished making several water balloons filled with a special chemical Rotor designed to dissolve metal on impact. However, before Rotor can finish work on them, Knothole is besieged by one of the Doomsday Pods, destroying Rotor's workshop before Sonic destroys it with the metal-dissolving chemical balloon. Realizing that Robotnik tricked them and started Project Doomsday early, Sally contacts the other Freedom Fighters for assistance. Once Lupe and the others arrive, they decide to attack Doomsday and hopefully destroy it by taking out its power core.
As they approach, Lupe and the other Freedom Fighters send down dozens of decoys to try and confuse the SWAT-bots patrolling the area, while Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine infiltrate from the ground. However, despite Snively's concerns, Robotnik refuses to listen, having his own plans for stopping the Freedom Fighters, especially Sonic. True to his plans, the SWAT-bots manage to catch Lupe and the other Freedom Fighters' leaders just after they touched down at various spots on Project Doomsday. With loss of contact with them, Sonic decides to go it alone, but Sally entrusts him with Nicole while she, Bunnie, and Antoine escape on one of the Doomsday Pods. Sonic soon locates the power core with Nicole's help, but after he plants the charges and has Nicole set them off, he's stunned to find the power core intact, thanks to a special diamond-reinforced casing Robotnik put on it. As a result, Sonic is dropped into a Roboticizer that Robotnik designed specially for him, but with the aid of three Power Rings, Sonic escapes being turned into a Robian like his Uncle Chuck, and flees to rejoin the other Freedom Fighters, while Snively rants to himself at his uncle ignoring his concerns about Sonic.
Once Sonic rejoins Tails and the others, they realize that the only thing that could take out Project Doomsday now would be the Deep Power Stones, but Robotnik has one of them. Luckily, Robotropolis is deserted of SWAT-bots as they are all guarding Project Doomsday, allowing Sonic to slip in and find the other stone with Nicole's help. Returning to the other Freedom Fighters, Sonic, joined by just Sally this time, and guided by Nicole, return to Project Doomsday. After using their last metal-dissolving balloon on a Doomsday Pod, they manage to return to the power core and prepare to use the Deep Power Stones, though there is concern that using them could destroy all of Mobius as well, until Sonic suggests putting them together the other way. Nicole confirms Sonic's theory, saying that by doing so, it would give Sonic and Sally power equal to 10,000 Power Rings. Even though doing so carries a high risk, Sally and Sonic agree that the risk is worth it to take out Project Doomsday. However, Robotnik discovers them and sends every SWAT-bot available to try and stop Sonic and Sally, but despite being surrounded and ordered to hand over the Deep Power Stones, Sally and Sonic put the stones together, and after a moment to take in the power granted to them, Sonic and Sally begin tearing Project Doomsday apart. The SWAT-bots and other servants to Robotnik, Robian or mechanical, along with other Mobians who hadn't been Roboticized yet, flee for their own well-being, while Robotnik himself also escapes on-board his personal Hover Unit, leaving Snively to fend for himself. However, after telling off his uncle, Snively escapes underground via an elevator he installed for himself as Sonic and Sally continue to destroy Project Doomsday, allowing Lupe and the other Freedom Fighters that were captured to escape themselves on a spare SWAT-bot Hover Unit.
As Robotnik rants in fury regarding his hatred for Sonic, Sonic and Sally finish the job and wipe Project Doomsday from the surface of Mobius forever. Returning to Knothole in triumph, Sally and Sonic share a kiss as all of the Freedom Fighters celebrate having finally gotten rid of Robotnik for good, so now, with time and patience, they can De-Roboticize Robotropolis back into Mobotropolis and return life, flora, and fauna to Mobius from the polluted wasteland Robotnik left it as.
However, unknown to the Freedom Fighters, Snively emerges from his escape elevator, now sporting his own version of Robotnik's outfit, cackling to himself that the Freedom Fighters better not celebrate too soon, as it's now his turn to conquer Mobius, and he's not alone in his plan as a pair of glowing red eyes glare out of the darkness of the elevator with a wheezing laugh...
The Doomsday Project provides examples of:
- Antagonist in Mourning: Inverted when Sonic says, "No more Robotnik. Too bad." Sally looks confused until he adds, "Without a villain, what's a hero for?"
- The Big Damn Kiss: Due to their recent exposure to the Deep Power Stones, Sonic and Sally cause fireworks when they kiss at the end.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: The eyes at the very end of the episode. True, they are only part of a cliffhanger that was never expanded upon because the show was
Screwed by the Network, but still... - Chekhov's Gun: The Deep Power Stones from "Drood Henge" ends up playing a major part in the climax.
- Cliffhanger: While the Freedom Fighters celebrate their triumphant victory, Snively is still around and planning to take over where Robotnik ended. And we see glowing red eyes from his accomplice who remains in the dark, unseen.
- Doomsday Device: The Doomsday Project, in a form of a laser pod, begins its first testing phase, managing to find Knothole before it is destroyed by the heroes. If it becomes fully operational, it can launch more of the pods to devastate Knothole and all of Mobius.
- Dragon Ascendant: Snively is greatly pleased that Robotnik finally lost, giving him a chance to conquer Mobius for himself.Snively: Well, don't celebrate too soon, Hedgehog. Now, it's my turn!
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: Initially, Rotor intended to create twenty-five metal-eating balloons for the attack on the Doomsday Project. Unfortunately, due to his workshop being destroyed thanks to a Doomsday Pod's attack, the Freedom Fighters ended up having a limit supply of three.
- Earth-Shattering Kaboom: This is the reason Sonic and Sally opted to use the Power Stones for unlimited energy rather than destruction, as they feared that the explosion might take out the whole planet along with the Doomsday Project.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Sally becomes this when she uses Deep Power Stones along with Sonic to destroy The Doomsday Project.
- The End... Or Is It?: Robotnik is gone, the Doomsday Project is destroyed and everything’s alright again. Until it’s revealed that Snively survived the explosion and emerges from his escape pod with an unknown ally. This made it clear that the story was far from over…until it was cancelled.
- Escape Pod: When Sonic and Sally are destroying the Doomsday Project, Robotnik escapes in a pod while saying there's "Only room for one". Snively, however, has his own which he uses to take shelter underground.
- Faint in Shock: Upon hearing that Sonic was unable to destroy the Doomsday Project, Antoine cries out "We are doomed!" and faints.
- Foot Popping: Sonic kisses Sally, whose foot "pops" off the ground.
- Godzilla Threshold: With several leaders of the Freedom Fighters captured and the central control room of the Doomsday Project protected by durable diamond-glass, Uncle Chuck notes there's one alternative left: the Deep Power Stones.
- I Kiss Your Hand: Sonic does this to Sally towards the end, a gesture which is generally unlike him.
- Mythology Gag: Robotnik says "I really hate that hedgehog" twice in the episode; first when Snively opens the skylight and second when he rants about his contempt for Sonic before his Doomsday Device blows up.
- Official Kiss: Sonic and Sally get one of these at the end of the episode. Though they had already kissed before, this one was entirely spontaneous and had no ulterior motive.
- Oh, Crap!: Robotnik's reaction when he realizes that Sonic and Sally have the Deep Power Stones and are about to unite the two halves to power themselves up.
- Pass the Popcorn: A deleted scene has Snively watching the Doomsday Project's destruction on a screen in his escape pod while munching popcorn.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The glowing red eyes in the final scene, which Ben Hurst revealed as belonging to Naugus.
- Refuse to Rescue the Disliked: As his lair gets torn apart by a super-charged Sonic and Sally, a very bitter Robotnik refuses Snively access to the one escape pod. Snively, having predicted as much from his uncle, had implemented his own backup form of escape, ironically getting out fine while Robotnik's transport fails and gets caught in the energy blast.
- Revenge Before Reason: Due to only wanting Sonic, Robotnik was okay with letting Sally and the others escape. Snively mumbled to himself how stupid that was when Sonic gets away.Snively: The fool should have listened to me! But noooooo!
- Riddle for the Ages: The identity of Snively's mysterious ally at the end of the episode was this for years after the show was Cut Short and was debated about for years (the most popular assumption was that it was supposed to be Metal Sonic). Years after the show ended Ben Hurst finally answered this particular riddle: it's Naugus.
- Series Finale: Due to the series being cancelled, we never get a third season regarding the Freedom Fighters now dealing with Snively and the wizard Naugus.
- Tempting Fate: At the end of the episode, following the defeat of Robotnik, Sonic comments that without a villain, he's not much of a hero anymore. Unbeknownst to him, Snively is planning to make his move.
- This Cannot Be!:
- Robotnik says something to this effect when Sonic breaks out of the specially-built roboticiser with the combined power of three power rings.
- A heroic example occurs when Sonic says "What, I don't believe it!" when after trashing the Doomsday test pod multiple times, it still reactivates and continues attacking them.
- Villainous Breakdown: Robotnik at the very end as Sally and Sonic destroy Project Doomsday, done in the most dramatic way possible:Robotnik: I really hate that hedgehog. I hate him! I hate him! HATE HIM!!! HATE! HATE! HATE! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!!!!
- Worthy Opponent: Robotnik tells Sonic that views him as this:Oh, I’m almost sorry that it’s over. If nothing else you have been a most worthy adversary. But! In every game there are winners and there are losers. And as you know in this game...Losers. Get. Roboticized!
- You Have Failed Me: Enraged at his defeat, Robotnik kicks his nephew out of the only escape pod and leaves him to die in the detonating base. Snively had predicted this would happen and had created his own means of escape, while Robotnik's pod ironically got caught in the implosion of the base.
