Counter Productive (episode)


 * For the object, see Counter Productive.

"Counter Productive" is the fifty-first episode in the Sonic Boom television series. It first aired on 20 September 2015 in France and on 7 November 2015 in the United States.

Synopsis
Knuckles befriends a local archaeologist, but his own incompetence jeopardizes his attempts to be of assistance.

Appearance

 * Comedy Chimp
 * Charlie
 * Charlie's wife
 * Dave the Intern
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Fastidious Beaver
 * Lady Walrus
 * Mayor Fink
 * Mike the Ox
 * Mr. Slate
 * Old Monkey
 * Soar the Eagle
 * Team Sonic
 * Amy Rose
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Sticks the Badger
 * Wild Cat
 * Wolfie

Plot
The episode begins with Team Sonic at Tails' House, where Sonic and Knuckles are in hour 23 of a stay-awake challenge; Tails and Sticks commentate, watching along with Amy as Sonic runs around in circles and Knuckles watches late-night TV, both attempting to remain awake longer than the other. Sonic is confident in his victory, certain that Knuckles will pass out as soon as he sees something boring, but Knuckles assures him nothing on TV is boring. The echidna is soon proven wrong when he unknowingly tunes into the Comedy Chimp Show, where Comedy Chimp is talking with Soar the Eagle about his new book, Counter Productive. Soar states the book is about fixing past mistakes, with his choices in vernacular causing Knuckles' mind to flash back to the past; he recalls an incident where he asked a worker named Charlie if he could use his baskets of apples, at which point he empties the baskets and uses them as stilts, much to Charlie's annoyance. Knuckles not only loses the challenge in the present because of his loss of focus, but he begins to fear he is counter productive-- fears that are only strengthened when Soar states that anyone who does not go to a person they have wronged and make up past mistakes is a monster. Knuckles runs out of the house in terror at what he has done, screaming that he himself is a monster (with Sonic hoping this is not like when Knuckles thought he was a ballerina).

The next day, Knuckles returns to the scene of his wrongdoing, only to find from Charlie's former boss that he was fired from his position years ago and he had gone to work at a digging site. Knuckles quickly runs off (though not before accidentally emptying the baskets and using them as stilts again) and finds Charlie at the digging site, insisting that he make up his mistake in spite of Charlie's reassuring that he has forgotten about the incident and his life is good. Knuckles, in his incompetent attempts to make things right, proceeds to toss Charlie's sandwich in the lake with the promise of better lunch, destroy the artifact he was attempting to examine twice over, cause him to hurt his foot with a shovel, and make him slip on the soggy sandwich that the echidna unwittingly fished out of the lake. An injured and weary Charlie later returns home to find his wife has invited Knuckles to dinner. He attempts to get him out of the house to no avail.

The day after, Knuckles continues to "help", attempting to replace the flags that Charlie planted near discovered artifacts and accidentally activating a buried weapon that blows up a nearby formation as a result; this angers Charlie's boss, Mr. Slate, who fires him despite (or because of) Knuckles' attempts to defend him. The two walk back to Charlie's house in the Village Center in the pouring rain, with Charlie wondering how he is going to break the news to his wife. Knuckles informs him that he has already done the act, and a shocked Charlie runs home to find his wife tossing his stuff out, angrily asking why he cannot stand up for himself before slamming the door. Having lost everything, Charlie finally snaps, calling Knuckles a menace and swearing that he will not allow people like him to be a problem for him any more before going into a fit of crazed laughter and running off. Later that stormy night, Charlie returns to the digging site, recovering an artifact that looks like a metallic hand while still filled with a desire for revenge.

Knuckles discusses what happened with Sonic, Tails, and Amy at Meh Burger the following day, with Sonic assuring him that Charlie did not mean what he said. Much to the contrary, Charlie stomps over to the group in a mech from the time of the Ancients that he dug up and reassembled, planning on using it to torment Knuckles as payback. He briefly attacks Knuckles and the others before running off; Amy believes this issue will resolve itself, but Charlie continues to bully Knuckles. Sonic tells him to stand up for himself; however, Knuckles refuses, knowing he got Charlie fired and remaining committed to the lessons of Soar's book by attempting to make it up to him. He attempts to use alternative, friendly ways to pacify Charlie, but nothing works, and his plans backfire on him as Charlie continues to make his life miserable.

Eventually, Charlie starts yelling about being a supervillain, at which point Knuckles' friends inform him of a page of Soar's book that tells the reader to forget about making up to the person they have wronged if they have turned into a supervillain. This allows Knuckles to confront Charlie, with a crowd gathering; among them is not only Eggman, but Charlie's wife, both on Charlie's side. Knuckles and Charlie have a short fight, eventually leading to a victory for Knuckles; he and Charlie form a truce, with Charlie's wife accepting on his behalf (much to Eggman's disappointment). Happy he finally settled things, Knuckles goes off with his friends to have burgers in celebration. Charlie's wife congratulates him on his new job as a supervillain, and when Charlie asks about the truce, she crosses her fingers as they both laugh evilly.

Continuity

 * Charlie becomes a supervillain. He will subsequently return as a foe to Team Sonic.

Trivia

 * Amy does not have any dialogue until about seven minutes into this episode.
 * The comic Dave the Intern reads in this episode is the same one Dr. Eggman read in "Buster".
 * This is the second time the heart-shaped iris out effect is used. The first time was in "Tails' Crush".
 * When Knuckles acts like a ballerina, the Fuzzy Puppies board game from "Fuzzy Puppy Buddies" is seen.