In a stark contrast from the previous episode, Posession, the first season of Beast Wars continues on a more light hearted note with Episode 22, “The Low Road”…
The Low Road – Story Summary
Rattrap and Dinobot are outside the Maximal base on an incredibly dangerous mission… clearing an overgrown area of vegetation that could be used by the Predacons as cover when planning an attack. Not impressed at their assigned horticultural duties, Rattrap tries to make light of the situation – at Dinobot’s expense. Leading to a tussle between the two, they’re oblivious to the incoming Predacon attack!
Failing to stop the onlslaught, Rhinox is attacked by Tarantulus and injected by the equivalent of a Cybertronian virus… essentially a cold – with somewhat explosive sneezing! But this is one cold that will lead to him losing all of his energy and it’s a race against time to save his life.
The Hunt Is On!
In spite of their sqabbling, Dinobot and Rattrap sent off to track down Tarantulus and to find a cure for Rhinox before it’s too late. What ensues is a series of chases sequences that wouldn’t be out of place in a Loony Tunes cartoon, with plenty of one-liners to match.
Meanwhile, back at the Maximal HQ, Rhinox is creating havoc wrecking the base with every sneeze and drainging the base’s energy as they try to contain him as best as they can.
The Dynamic Duo
Despite the obvious threat to Rhinox that runs throughout the episode, this is one of the more light-hearted episodes. It has to be said that the real focus throughout is on Scott McNeil and the interplay between Rattrap and Dinobot. The Low Road is a wonderful vehicle for his talents and it’s always great to witness just how well he can switch between his characters so seamlessly.
Overall
From start to finish, it’s impossible to take this episode seriously, especially the punchline at the end. In reality, the whole episode is a build up to a single gag rather than a regular episode but that isn’t really a bad thing. That’s probably the biggest strength of Beast Wars – the show can go from a solid action story in one episode, to high level character-driven drama the next. And then we get the slapstick gag ridden comedy of The Low Road.
This is just what the series needed as we near the end of the season and the impending cliffhanger. With plenty of gags – both verbal and visual – it’s not one that will be to everyone’s taste, but if you’re looking for something that’s just solid fun entertainment, then you can’t go wrong with this one.
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