Knuckles Series Review

In the internet age when most video game adaptations exist as brand extensions built for generating headlines, some acknowledgment has to be given to the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise for steering clear in the other direction and unabashedly doing whatever it wants, for better or worse. Why the franchise continues to hold back on the excellent and recognizable musical library of its source material in favour of generic needle drops remains a mystery, but dropping iconic Sonic characters into the real world has delivered enough bizarre amusement to help justify a live action franchise that would benefit from making the jump to animation. But alas, chaotic and baffling in its creative choices at times, it is more than capable of occasionally eliciting an unsuspecting laugh. Despite the messiness of Sonic The Hedgehog 2, the highlight was Idris Elba as Knuckles, over-delivering as the hilarious “little red barbarian” who begins the film as a stoic, battle-obsessed antagonist under the sway of Dr. Robotnik before settling into the role of Sonic’s stoic, battle-obsessed companion (also, he can glide). With the popularity of the character and the undeniable star-power of Idris Elba, it only makes sense to give him his own spinoff in the form of a limited series, the aptly-named Knuckles.

Now it may be a disappointment to some that the only episode Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Tails (Tika Sumpter) are featured is the pilot where they merely serve to recommend that Knuckles settle into Earth and make himself at home. For those who may have assumed that this had the makings for a six episode Knuckles sitcom, think again; this series functions as what is essentially a three-hour-long movie. After a turn of events leads to his grounding (he perhaps took “making himself at home” too literally by flaunting his Echidna culture in the living room and crafting a Game of Thrones-inspired chair to sit on while he watches the dog duel a local kidnapped mailman), Knuckles found himself seeking guidance. One of Knuckles’ elders, Chief Pachacamac (Christopher Lloyd), came to him, suggesting he teach local deputy-sheriff Wade Whipple (Adam Pally, reprising his role from the previous Sonic the Hedgehog films) the Echidna way to help him win a bowling tournament. Setting off on a cross-country trip together, they soon found themselves chased by power-hungry lackeys who were after Knuckles’ quills. As far as their trip was concerned, it was only the beginning. At one point, Knuckles rides a motorcycle, learns about Jewish traditions, and Wade sits on his back while he glides through the air on a dark, full-moon night. It gets nutty.

If anything, Knuckles is a proper reintroduction to what is ostensibly “The Wade Whipples Show,” as viewers will learn everything there is to know about Wade’s life. Over the course of their journey, the series introduces Wade’s sister Wanda (Edi Patterson) and his mother Wendy (Stockard Channing) – an FBI-loving narcissist in constant competition with Wade and one who will put herself in harm’s way if it means she can prove her superiority, and a more archetypal “want what’s best for you” mom. Pally takes a while to warm up to, as his performance mostly falls flat, but it is worth noting how effortlessly he can shift his eyes for the series’ dramatics when needed – perhaps a similar performance could be more sympathetic in another role where he isn’t also the punching bag. In that regard, Knuckles could be seen as a slight improvement over its predecessor at mixing the human and Sonic-character drama, as it’s not shipping its live action actors off to a different wedding movie. However, the series isn’t exactly what viewers may have signed up for, either. Wade’s arc and trajectory are clear and identifiable, but perhaps the mark has been missed when each episode has long stretches of its titular character off-screen, locked up, hanging out, or waiting for the action. A post-credit scene of Knuckles embracing the theme song isn’t quite enough to declare that Knuckles settled into Earth, went through a journey, or that Wade’s influence rubbed off on him; however, moving forward, that will probably be seen as the intent.

Regardless, sitting somewhere in between the zany, gag-driven sensibilities of 1993’s Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and comedies like Kingpin and The Big Lebowski, Knuckles is the best outing in this franchise thus far, and the best encapsulation of this series’ comedic goals despite some remaining stiffness. The acting and direction still struggle to tap into the complete absurdism and energy of the franchise’s comedic world without coming off as forced or awkward, perhaps due to the voice actors and on-set actors recording their lines at separate times that are most noticeable during countless moments of broken eye-lines between characters. A blue hedgehog could circle the planet a dozen times in between the dead air of these jokes. There’s no reason for dullness to exist in a franchise inherently about animals who run fast.

The closest Knuckles ever comes to overcoming this problem is Episode 4, featuring a rock opera within a dream sequence featuring tons of theatrical costumes, ridiculous, elaborate gags and no pretense of taking the drama too seriously. At least with the series centring around Knuckles, the writing is forced to drop most of the pop-culture references that made Sonic such a menace, and instead draw humour from the dynamic of its two lead characters’ personalities, as well as good ol’ slapstick as Wade Whipple is whipped, slapped, thrown across several rooms, caged, stabbed, electrocuted, choked with an electric fist, and humiliated in just about every way imaginable. Mileage may vary depending on one’s likability or hateability of Wade.

Unlikely to change the minds of detractors who have labelled the Sonic The Hedgehog movies as annoying, breaking up this latest entry into a more palatable format definitely helped its cause. Knuckles may be a series in need of a punch-up, but at least its swings are big and its heart is bigger, boasting a solid humor hit-to-miss ratio that is sure to satisfy viewers of all demographics wanting to tune in. In the end, the real test of this series’ strength will be how long it takes for one’s child to ask where Knuckles has gone off to again.

still courtesy of Paramount Pictures/Sega/Paramount+

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J.A. Birney

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