[DreamSword]

Episode 17: Viva Las Megas

Much better than the last episode!

While on a road trip to Las Vegas, Coop & Co accidentally stumble upon a secret military base known as Area 50. While there, they uncover an ancient mecha known as the RECR, which, upon being reactivated, threatens to destroy everyone on Earth.

The way this episode flowed was something I really dug: Starting off with a mysterious vibe and a sense to haunting dread in the first half with a smooth transition to action packed fun in the second.

Really dug how RECR talked like a 50s radio host too, which makes sense, given the time period he was built in and the obviously dated technology that he utilizes. The very unsubtle dig at US Militarism was pretty funny too.

And of course, console gags.

But yeah, just an all around fun episode. What more do you need?

PoP TV stuff destroyed:

1. A satellite
2. A billboard
3. A car show
4. A news van
5. Another satellite
6. A radio tower
7. Their HQ
8. Another HQ
9. An empty HQ
10. A neon sign
11. Another billboard
12. A poster
13. A casino

[DreamSword]

Episode 18: Thanksgiving Throwdown

Man, Sonic Frontiers is lookin' hype!

It's Thanksgiving, and while out training in the rings of Saturn, Coop ends up bringing an alien parasite called Gynoc to Earth.

The title basically says it all when it comes to this episode. Sure there's the lighthearted gag here and there, but really, this episode's' primary focus is the action. And to its credit, the action is good.

It's surprisingly gorey too. I imagine the censors only let it pass due to Gynoc being made of alien goop too, because otherwise there'd be no way this would fly on a kid's' show. The shot where Megas cuts open Gynoc with a buzzsaw goes on for really long and has stuff spraying everywhere.

Like I've said with a few other episodes before, the main focus is just be a fun time, of which this episode is. Thus, it gets a pass from me.

[DreamSword]

Episode 19: S-Force S.O.S.

A walking parody of both Devilman and Yatterman managed to defeat and capture most of the S-Force. Jakks, being the only one still free, flees to Earth in order to enlist Coop in helping save his friends and bring down this new, evil tyrant that threatens the galaxy.

This episode is actually kinda important in that it showcases a shift in the general tone of the show going forward, not being much more serious and straightforward.

Now, that's not to say that Megas XLR is now a hardcore drama for adults only or anything like that; There's still very much alot of the lighthearted referential humor that the show is known for, but by comparison of almost the entire rest of the show? It takes itself pretty seriously. Showcasing things like Coop taking his hero job seriously and feeling bad when he accidentally blows stuff up that he didn't mean to.

Heck, the ending of the first S-Force episode is taken to its logical conclusion. The reason the S-Force became worse off and lost in the first place was due to Coop not realizing that his life style only makes him a better pilot due to just how hyper customized Megas is to him specifically. Doesn't exactly yield the same results for the Zorps and their pilots even if it can be fun.

Now, would I say that this episode is as good as the S-Force episode some season 1? No, but it still has good stuff going for it and serves a decent purpose in terms of the show's' overall narrative. Which is double important considering a few specific episodes that we'll get to down the line.

Also, boy, the guys behind Megas XLR sure do love Macross, don't they?

[DreamSword]

Episode 20: Space Booty

Hey look, it's literally just Captain Harlock.

While out exploring deep space, Megas ends up needing an oil change, which in turns gets Coop's' crew captured by Captain Warlock, a space pirate.

As basic as that premise might sound, this is actually one of my favorite episodes in the entire show. Everything about it lands perfectly. From the gags, to the action, to the balancing of the tone, this episode has it all.

It continues to follow the newly established overall tone that the show started going for last episode, and as such, while there aren't as many comedic beats as an earlier episode might have, every single bit of humor lands perfectly, getting big laughs from me. So as you might've guessed, I loved these console gags.

Kiva ending up the primary focus was a nice change of pace too. This episode really cements her friendship with Coop and Jamie, with her going along with some of their jokes as well as telling Warlock that she believes in Coop as a pilot. Having her be the one to deliver the rant at the end of the episode was great too. She channeled that energy perfectly!

All in all a great episode. Couldn't ask for much more.

[DreamSword]

Episode 21: Terminate Her

Coop and Jamie take Kiva to her first rock concert. Unfortunately for them, the Glorft are back, and this time, the aliens have a particular target in mind.

The concept behind this episode is pretty nice. Meeting Kiva's' ancestor is certainly a cool idea, but sadly the idea itself isn't really explored in too much detail outside of just protecting her in order to prevent a time paradox.

Don't get me wrong, the episode itself is still a fun, action-packed adventure, but more keen interaction between Kiva and her ancestor would've been nice; I rather liked the scene between the two towards the end. But I can't be mad though, since that sort of thing really isn't this show's' focus.

Not much else to say other than, "Rock On."

PoP TV stuff destroyed:

1. A satellite
2. A billboard
3. A car show
4. A news van
5. Another satellite
6. A radio tower
7. Their HQ
8. Another HQ
9. An empty HQ
10. A neon sign
11. Another billboard
12. A poster
13. A casino
14. An LED screen

[DreamSword]

Episode 22: Ice Ice Megas

This one was surprisingly dark by Megas standards.

A recent modification Coop makes to Megas results in the crew crash landing on an ice planet, guarded by a giant Transformer. A battle ensues due to a misunderstanding, resulting in Megas actually killing the defender of the world, leaving the locals defenseless against the evil Decepticon parodies. Can Coop take up the guardian's' place and save the ice planet from being harvested?

The short answer is, yes, but very, very poorly.

There was surprisingly little in terms of humorous content to this one. Most of the episode is action focused, and Coop's' constant blundering, while sometimes played for laughs as usual, is most of the time treated with great severity. Heck, the entire world Coop was out to save is doomed by the end of the episode, and despite the overall lighthearted nature of the show itself, it really doesn't come across as if it's meant to be funny.

I believe this was also the first episode to use CGI in its animation. It's only for the briefest of moments, but it was a surprise to see none the less.

In the end I kinda don't know what to make of this one in that while it does shake things up a bit, I dunno if it's necessarily in a good way? Coop had been showing signs of becoming a better pilot and being more heroic, but here it kinda goes in reverse, and not in an especially funny way either.

I dunno if I'd call it the weakest episode, but it's definitely a strange one by sheer comparison.

[DreamSword]

Episode 23: A Clockwork Megas

After Coop's' latest modification to Megas ends up accidentally creating a warp hole, the crew find themselves on an unknown planet inhabited by robots. While everything seems friendly enough at first, it becomes quickly clear that something darker is lurking in the shadows.

It's a good thing that Megas XLR is in no way trying to be a show that is immensely thought provoking, otherwise this episode would probably be stirring up a huge debate among viewers.

As you might expect from the title, this episode is heavily inspired by A Clockwork Orange, even referencing it a couple of times within the episode itself. And to that end you might be able to guess where exactly the plot ends up going by the time the last few moments hit.

Outside of that though, this episode is straight up a horror comedy, and MAN do they nail both aspects down great! Not only are alot of things that happen with the robots terrifying on their own(especially if you jive with works such as Kamen Rider Zero-One), but despite the lowered presence of comedic beats, every moment that's meant to be funny is REALLY funny.

And while I could easily see people interpreting the ending as meaning that Coop was in the wrong the whole time, I think the episode itself makes it especially clear that the inner workings of the unknown planet aren't exactly squeaky clean, regardless of the viewer's' own personal belief on how to handle criminals. But, I'm not interested in starting a debate here in my thread, so I'll leave it there, and I hope everyone else can too.

This was an overall great episode that really nailed the overall atmosphere, and that makes it a standout in my book.

[DreamSword]

Episode 24: Universal Remote

A parody of Unicron mistakes Coop's' universal remote as something which actually controls the universe. A big battle over a TV remote ensues.

This is a return to the show's' more comedic roots before the big finale, and I welcome it. Absolutely nothing in this episode is taken seriously, resulting in one really fun and laugh enducing episode.

Sure, the setup is really simplistic, but it takes that setup and executes it extremely well. From the Mexican standoff, to the bits and blunders of Coop, and of course, the console gags.

I guess this would quality as Megas XLR's' "breather episode" because the next two episodes make up the series finale, and let's just say we're all in for a wild ride.

PoP TV stuff destroyed:

1. A satellite
2. A billboard
3. A car show
4. A news van
5. Another satellite
6. A radio tower
7. Their HQ
8. Another HQ
9. An empty HQ
10. A neon sign
11. Another billboard
12. A poster
13. A casino
14. An LED screen
15. A TV signal

[DreamSword]

Episodes 25+26: Rearview Mirror, Mirror

You know things have gotten serious when the PoPTV sign has already been blown up.

During what seems like the Glorft's' final attack on Earth, Coop ends up trigger a hidden trans-dimensional warp drive within Megas, sending both him and Gorrath into an alternate reality. Suffice to say, nothing is as it should be.

You know, it's fun to note that what many fans consider the most dramatic and serious set of episodes in the show also contain some of the biggest laughs. Seriously, the dialogue and the visual gags are all really on point here, without at all taking away from the bigger stakes of the series finale.

Speaking of the stakes though, I found it really interesting in just how much of a deconstruction of the show as a whole that the alternate reality ended up being. This timeline's' Coop became so used to being invincible that his ideals and morals ended up becoming twisted, leading into him being the new big bad of the universe; Even killing former allies like the S-Force.

Heck, the show also shows that if not kept in check by his friends, the Coop we all know and love could very well go down a similar path, even using subtle ways in highlighting that, evil or not, this alternate Coop is still Coop. From the flame design being the symbol of his empire, to a power button symbol being on the backs of his mooks, to his signature number going from 12 to 13(symbolism!). And this version of Kiva, not knowing where else to go in life, just follows along. It's some surprisingly heavy stuff.

But of course, what would Megas XLR be without references? Alt Coop's' mooks are of course based off of the Zaku's' from the Gundam franchise, with his new mech being based off of Char's' Sazabi from the movie Char's' Counterattack. And the warp gate he uses to try and break into the show's' home dimension is literally just the Stargate from, well, Stargate. In a nice little bit of continuity outside of all of that though, Kiva pilots an upgraded version of her mech that she arrived in during episode 1.

The only real critique I have of the finale is, well, the ending itself. It's left incredibly open, as the creative minds behind the show were really hoping for a third season, which while I kinda get, I still feel is an overall bad call because the creators outright knew that the execs at Cartoon Network weren't going to renew the show for a third season. Sure, the final bits are funny and fitting for the show as a whole, but I feel like an ending similar to what season 1 did, which mostly closed the book on everything with a tiny crack open for the possibility of a continuation would've worked a whole lot better.

That aside though, it's a really fun finale, and I sure ain't gonna hold too much against it.

[DreamSword]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON MEGAS XLR

Look, you can find entire video essays about what a great show Megas XLR is, and frankly, I don't know if I can really say anything that everyone else who loves the show already has. So I guess, for those those totally unfamiliar with it, I'll just sum it all up the best I can.

The primary thing that makes this show work, for me, is that it's just a ton of fun to watch. Is it deep? Not at all. Is it especially thought provoking? Nope. Is it an introspective deconstruction of the effects super robots, kaiju, what have you, would have on society or people in general? Not even close.

But what it does have is great action, excellent comedic timing, surprisingly smart writing, a really endearing cast of characters, and I think most importantly, alot of heart. Sure, the show at its core is a deconstructive parody of not just the super robot genre, but of alot of pop culture in general, but outside of PoPTV, it never once feels like it's trying to belittle or rip apart anyone who enjoys these things. Heck, if anything it's clear that the minds behind Megas XLR loved this stuff, and as such knew the exact right way to laugh along with it, rather than laugh at it.

Every episode is an adventure that's full of creativity, coolness factor, and wonder; Only enhanced by the show quickly establishing that it's the sort of universe where anything goes; Similar in the way that alot of Toku shows do. It very much wants to invite the viewer along for that ride and let them in on the joke, and I think that's a big reason as to why the show has managed to resonate with so many people, even nearly two decades after it's debut.

Which is why it's so surprising to me that the executives at Cartoon Network at the time just didn't seem to get the joke. Remember, season 2 only happened because it went into full production before the higher ups had a chance to say no. CN wanted this thing dead on arrival despite the big ratings that the show was pulling in at the time. Like, even if you're not a fan of giant robot shows, Megas XLR has so much going on for it outside of that aspect that I'd be legitimately surprised if there was anyone who out and out hated literally every second of every episode.

Now, is it perfect? No, there are a few things here and there that I feel fall flat or didn't quite get executed in the best of ways, as I've even mentioned in my write-ups over the past month. But man, it's just such a great time that it's really hard to hold anything against it, and as such I'm not exaggerating when I say that Megas XLR ends up being one of my all time favorite cartoons.

It's a wild and fun ride from start to finish, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 5/6.