The Ruckus Rally (episode)
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 Talk about fast foo-ow ow ow stop ow no put down that cattleprNNGHDEIGNSKIAG | ||||||
| "The Ruckus Rally" | ||||||
| Production company | Entertainment One | |||||
| Airdate | March 25, 2022 | |||||
| Writers | Kevin Burke & Chris Wyatt | |||||
| Director | Paul O'Flanagan | |||||
| Animation studio | Boulder Media Studio | |||||
 Watch this episode on Netflix
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Race for your life, Cheesy Burg!
Synopsis
Ulf the Orange and Fottle Barts are discussing their disappointment with Lost Bots' most recent failure; Ulf is upset that they ruined Bot Prom, while Fottle is upset about a seeming missed chance with that "kinda cute" Clogstopper. No, we're not sure how to respond to that either. The two split up, and a hissed "whistle!" leads Ulf to investigate the source: Burgertron hiding in the planter. He tries to convince Ulf that Bot Prom wasn't their fault, and that he thinks Spud Muffin is trying to sabotage him. Ulf can't believe Spud is capable of that, and has some unkind words for her former love-of-her-life before leaving. Burgertron slumps in defeat... right onto a poster for the Ruckus Rally.
In the Lost and Found, Burgertron explains the no-holds-barred race to the other Lost Bots, which is held only on nights the security guard is off duty, like tonight as Dave has managed to give himself a horrific case of intestinal distress. Kikmee is absolutely stoked to compete, but Dimlit notes they don't have a car...
...and Burgertron takes them to one of the restrooms to reveal the hidden Racer-Roni, a pizza-based race car he built back when he was still in the Hunger Hubs. The racers are two-bot affairs, with one driver and a "launcher" operating the racer's main weapon, and since Burgertron obviously will be the driver, he holds tryouts to see which of the other Lost Bots will be the second. Clogstopper and Dimlit's attempts at driving and firing are both catastrophic and pathetic. But Bonz-Eye is a pin-point precise gunner with the olive cannon, while Kikmee proves to be an amazing driver. Despite her skill, Burgertron asserts that it's his car, so he drives.
The crowds fill the stands for the Ruckus Rally, with Fomo providing commentary. Burgertron gets Bonz-Eye acquainted with their competition: Steer'd Wrong and Chitter Click driving the Outta Controller for the Gamer Geeks, and Lolly Licks and Freezewich in the Sugar Sonic Speedster for the Sugar Shocks. In the stands, Kikmee is not exactly taking her having to sit this one out well.
And they're off!! The three teams trade positions, attacks and smack-talk over and over. Sideswipes, grease slicks, sprinkle slowdowns, electric shocks, flying sardines, even a midair one-on-one showdown between Bonz-Eye and Freezewich on the hoods of their cars (Bonz-Eye wins, of course). But the real turning point (badumtish) is when the three take to the fountain's rim, drifting along its edge. The Lost Bots are already in last place, and Burgertron fails to avoid a splash of water that sends the Racer-Roni off the track. Fomo womp-womps, and the camera drones covering the race get the reaction shots of the Lost Bots in the stands. Burgertron then realizes he won't finish this race... and calls for Kikmee to take his place.
Clogstopper catches a drone with his plunger mode, giving Kikmee the chance to climb on board and fly to the track. The Racer-Roni is back in the race but the other two have a big lead. Burgertron leaps from the vehicle into a tuck-and-sesame-roll as Kikmee drops from the drone and into the driver's seat! Flooring the pedal and taking incredibly tight turns, catching up with the other two racers, all three in a neck-and-neck push for first place, and the Lost Bots cross the finish line within a fraction of a second faster than the other two!
Fomo presents the trophy to the winners... the Hunger Hubs?! Burgertron is furious, but Fomo calmly and smugly notes that the Racer-Roni's registration was never changed and it technically still belongs to the Hunger Hubs, thus, according to the bylaws, they get the trophy. Back in the restroom garage, the other Lost Bots present Kikmee and Bonz-Eye with a home-made trophy, knowing that they were the real winners, no matter what. Burgertron even admits that Kikmee should have been the driver from the get-go... and asks if she's up for taking the Lost Bots on another little spin.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| BotBots | Humans | |||
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Quotes
"Stop it! Spud would never do that! You two were best friends!"
"I know it sounds strange, but, I found french-fry grease on the rope the mall guard used to get out of the ball pit we trapped him in!"
"Burgertron, Dave's almost always covered in french-fry and other grease. Half his food misses his mouth-hole."
"I... can't deny the science of that, you make a very good point."
- —Ulf and Burgertron
"So what are the rules of the race?"
"Rules? Oh, ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha there are no rules! Only the strong survive!"
"...Just the way I like it."
- —Bonz-Eye and Burgertron get their race faces on
Steer'd Wrong: The geek shall inherit the Earth!
Lolly Licks: We're gonna lick the competition!
Burgertron: Our catchphrase is totally cool too! But, we're still workshopping it, so we'll get back to you when it's final.
"Yup, they just didn't have a driver that could handle the Ruckus Rally!"
"We do have a driver that can handle this race. But I'm not her. Kikmee, get out here!"
- —Fomo sets up Burgertron's growth moment
"BotBots!"
- —Sprinkleberry D'uhnut is mightily impressed by Kikmee's driving skills
Notes
Continuity notes
- Bot Prom was ruined last episode, "On the Bot Prom Dance Floor".
Real-world references
- While the racer/gunner setup is from the toys being advertised, it also resembles the setup in the 1975 film Death Race 2000.
- The game Steer'd Wrong plays (on her own face) resembles the classic Sega racing game Out Run, albeit with more HUD stuff on-screen.
- Lolly Licks does a rather Sailor Moon-esque "magical girl" pose, complete with "crescent moon" made out of a peppermint with a bite taken out of it.
Animation and technical errors
- Burgertron says they trapped Dave in a "ball pit". However, the previous episode showed Dave falling into a pit of foam blocks. Same principle, wrong shape.
- In the head-on shot of the racers as Bonz-Eye and Freezewich face off, the Sugar Sonic Speedster's front wheels are seemingly layered wrong and clipped/faded into the main cake-body at the top.
Trivia
- It's currently unknown if the Sugar Sonic Speedster is an invention of the show, or a toy not yet revealed. Considering it's shape, It may be a redeco of the Racer-Roni.
