The Shabbat Dinner (Knuckles)
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 Yikes. Even the Sonic Cinematic Universe isn't safe from its fair share of garbage.
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The Shabbat Dinner is the third episode of the Knuckles miniseries. It premiered on April 26, 2024 on Paramount+.
Synopsis
Knuckles hides out with Wade's family since they are law fugitives.
Why It Should Get Krav Maga'd Out of Shabbat Dinner
- This episode is literally just a Wade Whipple torture episode throughout, and it really shows, especially with all the reasons that will be mentioned below.
- This episode feels largely out of place as the entire show is supposed to be focused on Knuckles only, making this feel like a filler episode. You could remove Knuckles, replace him with a different human, or replace him with a different anthrophic Sonic the Hedgehog character (Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Pacamacnac, Amy, Game Sonic, Game Shadow, Big the Cat, Metal Sonic, Cream, etc) and almost nothing would change with the exception of the removing Knuckles part.
- For Wanda Whipple's debut appearance, she is heavily unlikable and is at her worst in this episode, especially due to that one infamous scene which will be explained below.
- While the Pretty Woman reference is somewhat nice, it can be heavily unconvincing towards younger audiences.
- The flashback scene to Wade's previous Shabbat dinners is not only cringeworthy to watch (due to being reminiscent to a similar flashback scene in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and a scene in Cool as Ice), but is also extremely mean spirited and annoying due to Wade screaming constantly as well as Wanda tormenting and screaming at him.
- At one point in this same flashback scene, there is also a scene where while Wade Whipple was screaming, a goat is on the table, which is just ridiculous, because there's no way a goat would be able to fit in the house, let alone on top of the table.
- Of course, we cannot bring up this episode, without bringing up that one infamous moment that is considered the worst part of the entire Sonic Cinematic Universe, which is the one infamous scene where Wanda Whipple stabs her own brother, Wade Whipple, with a fork during the Shabbat Dinner. We really wish we were joking. To make matters worse, she never gets any sort of comeuppance for it, making her a Karma Houdini.
- When Wade Whipple said he was going to his room after that, Wendy Whipple got mad at Wade instead of Wanda, by telling him that he should just go and leave her alone, much like his "schmuck" of a father did, which really doesn’t help matters either.
- For an episode of a show coming from Sonic the Hedgehog of all things, this entire scene is downright depressing.
- When Wade Whipple said he was going to his room after that, Wendy Whipple got mad at Wade instead of Wanda, by telling him that he should just go and leave her alone, much like his "schmuck" of a father did, which really doesn’t help matters either.
- The scene where a bounty hunter was about to attack Wanda Whipple could have been seen as her karma for the events of this episode, but for some reason, it was ruined due to Knuckles for some reason catching the chain. Granted, Knuckles was trying to protect the family, but this not only could have been karma for Wanda Whipple, but it also could have also resulted in a real redemption of said character as the series progresses after said karma instead of what we got right now.
- Unlike the other episodes of Knuckles, this episode has no shortage of awful quotes, such as:
- "You know what? Wh-Whatever, Mother. Okay, you can't threaten us with your Jewish karate chops because I am a federal agent! Okay? I refuse to be spoken to like this from a local police officer!"
- "Of course! Just go. Leave me here. Alone. Just like everyone. Just like that... good-for-nothing schmuck!"
- Even after all the torture Wade Whipple has received in this episode, the writers for some reason had the gall to make even him unlikable for a section of the episode, by taking his funny immaturity and cranking it up to eleven to the point where it stops being funny for the whole episode.
- While Wade Whipple did apologize for the mess that was made in the end, the same cannot be said for Wanda Whipple, who did even worse in comparison (stabbing Wade Whipple with a fork). And the fact that she didn’t get any sort of karma for it in this or any of the next 3 episodes further solidifies her as a complete Karma Houdini.
Redeeming Qualities
- Knuckles and Wade Whipple (despite Wade Whipple being unlikable in one section of the episode) are still likable in this episode, as always. And it's easy to feel bad for Wade Whipple after what he has gone through in this episode.
- Despite getting mad at Wade instead of Wanda, Wendy Whipple is also tolerable since she just wanted a normal dinner without Wade and Wanda fighting which can basically be justified and understandable. On top of that, she's also very sweet to Knuckles and sees him as a good friend too.
- There are some funny jokes here and there, such as, "Jim Gunagent", How to not be caught off guard (even though it's more visual), and "You look like you popped out of a '90s video game. Where do I put the quarter?"
- All The Small Things by Blink-182 is still a good song, as usual.
- The beginning of the episode (where Wade Whipple and Knuckles meet Wade's family before Wendy Whipple fainted, which was also shown at the end of the previous episode) is decent. Definitely much better than the events to come in this episode.
- Say what you will about this episode, but in a similar manner to how Smile at Despair in the Name of Hope was with the Danganronpa franchise, as mean-spirited and atrocious as the events that occur in this episode are, they're still tied to the overall story of the Sonic Cinematic Universe and are meant to explain major events that happen in it, which is more than what can be said about other mean-spirited torture episodes, as more often than not, they only exist for no other reason than to be mean-spirited torture episodes (although that still doesn't make the events that occur here any less deplorable and horrible).
Reception
Unlike the previous two episodes of Knuckles and even the next three episodes of the show, The Shabbat Dinner was more negatively received by audiences due to being a filler episode, the unnecessary need to torture Wade Whipple, and overall lacking the charm that the previous two along with the next three episodes had. It is considered by many to be the worst episode of the show, if not the worst thing to ever come out of the Sonic Cinematic Universe overall.
Trivia
- The scene where Wanda stabs Wade with a fork was cut in some countries, including the UK.
- Knuckles punches a bounty hunter a few times until performing an uppercut, which is similar to his Punch Attack in Sonic Advance.
- List of films and television series posters found in Wade's room:
- List of other memorabilia found in Wade's room:
- A Tamagotchi
- A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series) bed linen
- A green Ghostbusters II T-shirt and the theatrical poster. Wade previously referred the Ghostbusters franchise in Sonic 2.
- A mannequin of Raye Hollitt, as Zap from American Gladiators
- Wendy and Knuckles watch the 1990 American film Pretty Woman in two scenes involving the main character Vivian Ward and a saleswoman.
- Notably this episode is one of the rare instances of swearing in the Sonic franchise as Wendy uses the word "Damn" after the bounty hunters are defeated.
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