We open in Robotropolis ans Sonic and Sally are leading some expendible cats (I mean Freedom Fighters) into another mission. Shile Sonic distracts the swat bots, Sally sends the freedom fighters into one of Robotnik's bases to shut it down. However, this turns out to be a flop of a plan as the two freedom fighters end up captured by Robotnik. And despite Sonic's best efforts, it turns out they're too late as the two end up roboticized.
Sally takes it particularly the hardest for the failed mission. Sonic suggests that they should have taken him down when the invasion began. Granted, this was when they were five years old, but Sonic still thinks they could have succeeded. This is a convenient enough time for Dulcy to bring up items called the time stones (Possible Sonic CD reference?) on the floating island (a Sonic 3 reference?), which can grant the user the power to travel through time. Why she's just bringing this to their attention now is beyond me, but an ass pull is still an ass pull.
They arrive on the island and enter the palace, despite the very Zuul-esque stone griffons giving them the evil eye. They give chase to Sonic, who decides to jump for it off the island with Sally. Fortunately, they get rescued (eventually) by Dulcy. After that unfortunate circumstance. They enter the palace, which would give M.C Escher a headache, and find a door that, after another bumpy ride, takes them to the keeper of the time stones (voiced by Tim Curry. As if this voice cast couldn't get better).
After solving his time riddle, the keeper gives them the time stone. All they have to do is concentrate on the year 3224 (or in the mind of Sonic, 32 Chili Dog). They arrive and get confronted by friendly robots. Well, that's different. They have indeed arrived at Mobotropolis, which compared to its future state is a beautiful paradise. Sonic could take in the sights, but he'd rather take in the taste of a chili dog, because running gags.
However, this isn't the only Sonic hungry for some chili dogs, as Sonic and Sally see their five year old selves. And, it turns out that even as kids both of them were experts at sarcasm tennis. The future Sonic and Sally confront Uncle Chuck to warn him of the situation.
Meanwhile, King Acorn (also voiced by Tim Curry) is talking with Julian Kintobor (or as that last name spelled backwards easily suggests, Robotnik), calling him a hero for ending the great war. He'll close the war ministry and appoint him minister of science. In other words, King Acorn is making it way, way too easy for Robotnik to take over as he tells Snively to prepare the attack force. So Robotnik managed to take over not by sheer force, but by manipulation. That makes sense.
Sonic and Sally tell Uncle Chuck of the future of Robotropolis and the roboticizer. However, Uncle Chuck knows about the roboticizer because he was the inventor. Turns out that he created it to help old people live longer, which while noble, does kind of feel a bit creepy of an idea. Losing your physical form and living in a machine body. Yikes. Thankfully Chuck knew it was a bad idea and destroyed it, but Robotnik took the plans.
While this goes down, the young Sonic and Sally show up to meet their future selves (who use the alibis of Alicia and Juice). The sonics enjoy some chili dogs, but see some vehicles heading to the palace. Sonic warns Sally. It turns out that their plan to stop Robotnik's coup by a week isn't in the cards as they ended up on the day of said coup.
While they have to to go deal with the coup, Uncle Chuck leaves the kids (and the young freedom fighters) in the care of Rosie, the caretaker to the young kids of Mobotropolis. Meanwhile, Robotnik and Snively (sporting a heck of a head of hair) are reprogramming the robots to work for him. Robotnik tells him that he's the only one in charge. Young Sonic and the young freedom fighters go to find out what's going on with the ships arriving in Mobotrolis. However, they get caught by the bots.
With young Antoine proving just as useful as old Antoine.
Sonic and Sally finally have a chance to meet with King Acorn. Despite finding it hard to believe initially, he eventually realizes that it's the real Sally from the future. But before they can stop the coup, Robotnik arrives with his fleet. He welcomes his new subjects to Robotropolis as we end part one.
Meanwhile, Robotnik's takeover of Mobotropolis is complete as the pollution and technological turn has already turned the world to what it is in the present. 90% of robotropolis is made and 80% of the population has been captured, not to mention the roboticizer is up and ready. And the first waiting victims are the youngsters. Interestingly enough, the first one is young Bunnie. They manage to stop the roboticizer for two hours, giving them enough time to get the plans.
But it turns out that their interference with history has caused some unexpected changes. Mainly the great forest becoming polluted by Robotnik's destroyer. Now, not only does the fate of the young ones matter, but so does preserving the forest. They go to stop the destroyer first, but get stopped by Snively. Sonic mocks Snively's hair, before making their exit.
Not before giving Snively a makeover.
They also manage to save Dulcy's mother from a swat bot attack. Meanwhile, Robotnik traps King Acorn in the void, the portal we saw back in "Game Guy". He tells the king to give Naugus, the creator of the void, his regards. Sonic and Sally arrive in the forest, and use a power ring and a sliding tree to launch them in the air. To ensure they don't fall to their deaths, Sonic uses his anti-grav in his sneakers to make it into the destroyer. Robotnik learns of Sonic and Sally's entrance in the destroyer, but wants to ensure the two return to Robotropolis alive.
The two end up rescued by Dulcy's mother as they destroy the destroyer. But with one thing done, they now have only 20 minutes to stop the roboticizer. They arrive back in Robotropolis, but are too late to stop the machine from being activated. But thankfully, Robotnik likes to gloat. They run intro Rosie and bring her with them.
And leave Robotnik with a "souvenir".
They manage to make it back to the hideout, and find the passageway to Knothole Village. Rosie knows very well about the future Sally. Sally tries to warn Rosie not to leave Knothole, since she was captured in the great forest years prior. Despite not messing with the continuum, this is one fix she wants to make sure goes through. They use the time stones to make it back to the present, and avoid Robotnik. So, while they didn't manage to stop Robotnik, Sally was able to get the roboticizer plans. They also learn from Tails that Rosie is there, meaning that of all the things they weren't able to change about the past, this was a success. In other words, small victories are better than nothing.
Blast to the past is a great two parter, with surprisingly great pacing. We get a massive info dump on the coup of Robotnik, the fall of King Acorn, and the transfer of Mobotropolis to Robotropolis. We get some time spent with young Sonic and Sally, though not as much as I would have hoped. We get a lot of fun little moments, like Snively's hair being blown off as a great example. And when we realize that Sonic and Sally screwed up with the exact date, we get this feeling of dread, that everything bad that happens to the world happens now and with how things have gone down could end up being worse. And even while so much bad is happening, we do get a quick happy ending with them at least saving Rosie, though not seeing her at the end does feel a tad weak.
Most importantly it does what season two has done amazingly so far, and that's build the world. What a difference from season one so far, it's almost night and day. Outside of learning about the history of Robotnik's takeover, we learn a little more about the void, and we now know that Sally has the original roboticizer plans, which continues the de-roboticizer subplot. So in that way, these two episodes are excellent. Also, the casting of Tim Curry as King Acorn, that is just some masterful casting. Blast to the Past keeps the strong momentum of season two blazing at a red hot pace. So, what's next?
Two Antoine episodes.
...
Well, all good things really can't last forever.