Weekly Reboot Thoughts: Page 2

While waiting for the much awaited Fourth Season, Reboot fans could relieve the tension by purchasing various items from the newest line of action figures. I myself, not able to find them in local stores, bought a couple from Ebay, a good source for Reboot collectibles (as is Yahoo auctions). There were many to pick from, including new items such as Ray Tracer, binomes, and more. I went for the obvious choice for my first purchase (Commander Dot), following up with AndrAIa. I might later buy the Matrix, since that is one of my aliases after all.

I must say that the Commander Dot is a big improvement from my miniature Dot and red dress full size models. It is well crafted, smooth to the touch, and the face doesn't look as stupid (my apologies, but the face on the old model left something to be desired). It comes with a phaser pistol and a zip board for mounting. AndrAIa (grown version) also comes with a trident; it is a tad hard to balance her on the zip board or stand her up. Nonetheless, she too is a nice 5 1/2" action figure show to be enjoyed by Reboot fans out there. It might be lost among the "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" excitement, but Reboot merchandising has a little something to offer itself.

"Reboot" is a cartoon, but its storyline is truthfully comparable to the recent tragedy. I hope I am not in bad taste saying this, but the fight of good vs evil, a fight that led to destruction and harm to innocents, is sadly not so unreal these days. Two main characters (Dot and Enzo Matrix) lost family members and friends in a major explosion, though one different from the World Trade Center tragedy. Later, they were among the resistence of an evil attempt to destroy their way of life. The power hungry forces against them can be compared to some of our enemies, while the ultimate evil that was the underlining cause also confuses and saddens us all. A resistence that required much sacrifice and resolve, but one whose test they met. Fiction, surely the best examples of it, uses themes that we can relate to and reflect real life in many ways. I wrote, seriously, in various essays on this page that "Reboot" is superior because it fits this category. It is a fun show, but has serious themes, themes I know millions of children must now face in ways we all wish they need not to. Good won (though as in life, evil was always right over the horizon, often in new and scary forms) in "Reboot," life is a bit more complicated, but let's hope it is not too much different in the end.

A personal note. I came to work on 9/11 a few minutes after nine, and put my usual music station on. The dj was all serious and I wondered why. I soon found out, listening in shock, especially when an on site reporter broke down when she saw the one of the Towers actually collapsing. Dot's "Nooooo" comes immediately to mind. I listened, talked to my family, and worked ... alone since my co-workers could not get into the city (yes, I work in Manhattan, and on that day, smoke was visible four miles away in the late afternoon) or in one case was directly affected by the tragedy. I personally found work and sports (the NY Mets were deeply affected by the tragedy) a good way to deal with things. Dwell on it you must, but you must also more importantly live and enjoy your lives. That is the best resistance of all.

Ah well. If "Enzo the Smart" was the reference last week, this time around I feel "Game Over" is more fitting, surely for NY Giants fans like myself. After all, when Enzo and company went to play the game that eventually sent them to an extended period of game hopping, few expected such a terrible result. The NY Giants (and many of its fans) were probably comparably blase about playing a game against a team known for questionable offense and defense they felt was able to be overcome. The Giants had less game on Super Bowl Sunday than Enzo had when he lost his game, and Enzo still was a rookie in many ways as compared to a professional football team. Nonetheless, both were a bit too overconfident, which helped make their downfall a bit less surprising. Furthermore, a bad call played a big part in preventing the Giants from changing the momentum of the game, which was not the case for Enzo. Still, a small thing like Mike indirectly causing the web creature to break through Hex's glass did start a domino effect of events that is comparable in scope. Finally, the aftermath of the game might be the same for both teams: overcoming it, but not for awhile. Let's hope not, though.

Well, Reboot has been off the air for a while, and my weekly Reboot reflections have been away longer. I decided I needed a break, but hey Cartoon Network, you did not have to take one too! Anyway, I decided to run a special Super Bowl thoughts entry, since a show where games are so important fits well in big game spirit. Let it also be noted that football played a small part in Enzo the Smart in which the dumb Bob dressed in a football uniform for the Olympian game. I do believe the dumb Bob would be about as good at offense as the QB of the Baltimore Ravens, but I might be biased (I'm for the NY Giants). Anyhow, a few thoughts.

"Enzo the Smart" has the message that it takes time to grow into a position, including children becoming smart and experienced enough to be adults. The NY Giants over the last few years had such growing pains from the coach (who finally decided to hand offensive duties to another person) and the players, who needed time to learn how to play together as a team or mature as individuals. The need of each part of the team to work together with each adding a special something (the Giants live by defense, but only won big with the help of offense) is an ongoing Reboot theme, as shown best in "The Tiff." Redemption, something the QB Kerry Collins and others have accomplished after checked pasts, also is a theme on Reboot, e.g., Old Man Pearson. Finally, sticking it through to the end (even with tough times and bad breaks) is definitely a Reboot theme, and will be (or was) important on Super Bowl Sunday.

I have heard about and saw a few dogs in the last week or so. On the radio show I listen to at work, the host told about how hard it was to say goodbye to her dog, one she was together with in her adult life longer than anyone else. On the show "That's Life," the lead finds a stray, falls in love with it, and then decides to let it go because he is more wild and free (or as Enzo might say "feral") than her surroundings offer. Finally, I caught "Return to Me" on video, and one touching scene is the dog waiting for his/her (?) master, who had died in a car crash. If that is not enough, I went to see the family for Thanksgiving, which brings me in contact with two more dogs, so I had my share of dogs this last week. Not a problem really, since dogs are pretty wonderful animals, great for companionship, and for some protection and assistance (seeing eye dogs). If you want to see one of the dogs I saw last Thursday, check out Fluffy's Page. I guess these dogs are no Frisket, but we can not have everything.

Frisket is some dog. He might be feral, but that just helps keep Enzo out of peril. He is Enzo's companion and friend with always a helping paw to lend. Frisket was always there for him, even when things got pretty grim. Frisket was even willing to risk his life to keep Enzo out of strife. Yes, he was in a class of his own, as he has constantly shown. I did not start out to rhyme, and this just might be the last time.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I gave a bit of thought about holidays and Reboot. The Reboot universe does not show much in respect to holidays, as shown by Enzo and AndrAIa not having any idea who Santa Claus was in the game played at the start of "Firewall." Actually, the only real special event comparable to a holiday that comes to mind is Enzo's birthday. A regular birthday is not always thought of as a holiday, but in Reboot there are few if any events even comparable to one of our holidays. This seems a bit weird, since special days in memory of something or other is a standard practice in most societies. This does seem one of those parts of the Reboot universe that can be touched upon in further episodes, if not the upcoming movies.

This is not to say that there are no moments of thanks or celebration on the show. The best comparison to thanksgiving that I can think of is the big celebration help on the Saucy Mare, after Bob was reunited with his friends. This time of joy, lots of food, and togetherness is comparabe to our day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving after all is in honor of the Pilgrims surviving a harsh winter with Native Indians invited to the feast because of the help they supplied. The celebration on the Saucy Mare took place because of the harsh times Bob, Matrix and AndrAIa survived with the Web Riders invited to the feast. I wonder if live nulls would be a nice addition to the Thanksgiving meal?

As the election continues, we have the distinct possibility that George Bush will become president without a majority of the popular vote, and in either case, the winner will have a very weak mandate. The Reboot comparison is obviously Enzo, who became guardian by surprise without any mandate for power. He was likable, but was not felt to be ready for the job, and was a bit too much in a rush to get it. Since Bush is picking his Cabinet before all the votes are in, there seems to be a bit of a match. It also is said that Bush likes video games, so it is closer than many might think. Bush also would have to gain our confidence like Enzo did in Mainframe, namely, through action and results. It will have to be earned with expectations hopeful but not very much on his side.

As some in this country condemn the possibility the popular vote will not matter because of the Electoral College, one wonders if the appointment of Enzo was totally acceptable either. The comparison is inexact since guardian is comparable to a military or police type office that tends to be appointed. The second in command often is appointed by the leader or by the executive without direct okay by the people. Nonetheless, the choice should be acceptable to the people, leading one again to wonder how exactly the choice of Enzo was made. Or how the leader of Mainframe, namely the command.com him/herself was chosen as well.

Halloween recently pasted, a day of masks and disguises. When one thinks of masks in Reboot, one probably immediately thinks of Hexadecimal, the virus of many masks. Hexadecimal literally wears her emotions on her face, her masks showing her particular feelings at the time. The masks are much like those wore by ancient Greeks in plays, which used masks to represent different characters. I do not think the fact Hexidecimal wears many masks really connects to being a virus, though constanting changing emotions does reflect her chaotic nature. Chaos is by definition ever changing, so not having a set face is a natural part of her nature. Nonetheless, changing emotions and different masks clearly are not unique to her, but something a nature part of being a human (or humanoid sprite). It is true that the other characters on the show are usually generally stable personality wise, but most do have various "faces" depending on the situation. For instance, Dot might be emotional and sympathic at one moment, and single minded and determined at another moment depending on the situation.

The same applies to our lives more or less. There are some people who wear their emotions on their sleeves like Hexidecimal does, but most are like the other characters, and a bit more subtle about things. We generally have a certain personality that shows no matter what the situation might be, but we are able alter it depending on the circumstances. In certain situations, such as at work or when we must deal with troublesome situations, we wear a type of mask to fit the circumstance. This is not a bad thing of course, since it is required for smooth social relations. Nonetheless, I personally think such masks are used too often, resulting in a type of dishonesty that allows people not to face facts as they really are. Sometimes, it is not good to hide one's true emotions, especially if the result would be a bad one. Just going with your emotions all the time like Hexidecimal is obviously not a good idea, but there is something to be said with being basically honest with them as well.

Guardians have to win games. It is their destiny, or rather programming, to play them, and if they lose, there is a serious price to be paid. Sectors will be damaged, and as Matrix and AndrAIa saw in "Icons," too many lost games can threaten the very integrity of a system. A guardian is drawn to games, ready and willing (if not involuntarily compelled) to go and yet again risk their life for the pleasure of the User, and the well being of their friends and city. It takes a certain degree of courage and skill to go into game cubes, as well as the ability to lead others who might have to help them. Nonetheless, it may all be to naught, no matter how good they may be, or safe they feel.

Bob never seemed to really be at risk, though in "Identity Crisis," it was up to Dot to win the game. On the other hand, Enzo was at risk, and finally did lose a game, though he managed to survive. I presume that I should take heart in that, since the team I rooted for in the World Series lost as well. They played thier hearts out like Enzo did, but was just a tad too green, a tad too overmatched. It might seem silly to some to compare the two, given the Mets are real and flesh and blood, but after all it is still a game. Nonethless, it was a bit all too real for the players and fans, who did seem the Yanks as a type of User, using the Mets as yet another sacrifical lamb for their own pleasure. A bit much? If you think so, perhaps you should ask some fans of the losers, who felt about as battered as Enzo did when it was truly "Game Over."

Let me get back to something I mentioned last time, namely Bob's choice to make Enzo a type of guardian in training as the preparations for the Web Wars were going on. In my view, this was a rather bad move, and one in which I would like to see the thought process involved in making. I would not be surprised if there was some piece of fan fiction that examined this issue, since it would be a good way to look into the minds of the characters, even if it just was to look at how the choice affected them after the fact. Did Bob ponder what he was doing, especially given the chance that he might be hurt or even deleted during the great battle that was coming up? Perhaps, he felt there was no real alternative, given how few sprites (are all guardians Sprites?) present in Mainframe, and that Enzo appeared fated to be a guardian some day. I personally do not think Bob really thought that any thing bad would happen, given his confidence in himself and the future. This quality is very important for a guardian, who has to risk his life daily, but is not as good in situations where the future really is unclear, and harm is more likely. A world in which you have to rely of Megabyte and Hexadecimal seems to be such a situation. And how involved was Dot in this decision? She found it so hard to accept that Enzo was a guardian when Bob left and other options were lacking, would she really open him up to such a possibly serious responsibility when Bob was still around? I would love to know.

The choice of the young rookie taking over in times of need is a common theme, and one that is usually equally part exciting and nerve racking (for those who have to rely on him/her). A good parallel is last season when the quarterback of the NY Jets, Vincent Testaverde was hurt and out for the season in the very first game. The coach and team panicked, lost a game they still should have won (by putting in the lackluster back-up whom the coach did not believe in and setting up a risky play), but savaged the season (if not their playoff hopes) by later using young favorite Ray Lucas. He had some rough spots to begin with, but learned on the job and made the second half of the year a great one for the team. The two sets of events are therefore quite similiar: unexpected loss, concern of using a raw rookie, rough going, and finally success. The only difference is that in the football example, the back up only came in when the bland first choice did not perform (also a theme in the movie "Any Given Sunday"). Perhaps, something else can be learned from this decision, namely that though the choice is a hard one, we need to put our faith in the best hope for success available.

10/15/00

I will step out from my usual habit of commenting on Reboot directly to comment on another society found inside your computer, as portrayed on the show Dora the Explorer (7:30AM EST on CBS Sat, too darn early). This is a type of viewer involvement show concerning a little Hispanic girl named Dora, who gets involves on various educational adventures with her monkey pal Boots. At various times in the show, she pauses to give the viewer time to answer a question, and also peppers her dialogue with some Spanish phrases. The idea is that she is inside the computer, like in some educational game, and that you can click the screen to choose various answers (or speak aloud or perhaps type in). Its a cute idea, though the animation seems a bit standard. Hopefully, they will run with the idea, and even have some kind of home game type thing where you can truly play along. Nice website by the way, check it out.

10/8/00 [Reboot and Ratings]

I came home from the final day of jury duty to just catch "Reboot," and it wound up being the Web World Wars episode that I do not much care for -- too much fighting and too little character action. I admit the special effects are pretty good, but they take a lot of screen time, and really are nothing that special -- one is reminded of a video game or something. Nonetheless, there are some good scenes, including the one where Bob is sent into the Web. I also like the scene in which AndrAIa notes that in games sprites faced adversity by just going out and fighting, while in Mainframe they set up alliances, made long range plans, and so on. This is followed by the scene in which Bob in rather off handed fashion downloaded the guardian protocol into Enzo's icon, obviously not realizing Enzo will have to take the role all too soon. Nonetheless, the threat was there, and I feel the way it was done was a tad irresponsibly.

The show also has one of the few lines of the series that has off color connotations, especially for some viewers who notice such things. Dot asked AndrAIa if she looked too "butch" packing a big gun. I really do not see a problem with this off the cuff line (I wonder if American writers were involved here, since the word might be more widely used in a neutral way in say Canada), since I do not think we need to call the word police for every word that might have a double meaning. Though I will not say it, let me also say there was another line (AndrAIa to Matrix) much more questionable. Also, a show that has such a thinly clad character such as AndrAIa, as well as some serious themes from the end of the Second Season on, is not totally free from anything that some parents might find upsetting. I still think the target audience can handle it all, though perhaps a Y7 (appropriate for seven and up) might be a bit liberal in the eyes of some parents in certain cases. On the other hand, what seven-year-old would even know what "butch" (in whatever context) means?

9/17/00 [Reboot and Sports]

Well, as I type this, I had my share of Sunday sports, which went about half as well as I wanted it to, but so it goes. The Reboot gang is filled with people who probably would do well in sports, especially given how acrobatic they have to be in games alone. There were a couple sports themed games involving auto racing, Olympic sports (fitting as the Olympics go on now), and golf, but sports in itself is not a big event on the show. On the other hand, Enzo does wear a baseball cap much of the time, so it is not that to say that there is more off screen. The gang does keep in shape, as seen by a scene of Dot jogging in "Painted Windows," so what if they also played sports? What teams would they be on?

The easiest to figure would be Matrix: he is the perfect size for a linebacker, and sure will play some (American) football when he goes to the academy. Ray Tracer has that foreign rugby or soccer look to him. AndrAIa (even as a child) definitely has the athleticism to be in many women sports, though her cut off top would be perfect for soccer -- she wouldn't even have to strip off her top when she wins like was done a year ago. Dot is a bit old, but has the form and grace for tennis, if not perhaps golf. Phong would of course be a old beloved coach. Bob: well, he does have the "All American" look to him, but seems a bit light for football; I can see him as a baseball player, maybe a pitcher. Oh, and Hack and Slash would be stereotypical dumb but tough football players, while Mike the TV would be the announcer (of course). Let the games begin!

9/9/00 [Return of Reboot To Cartoon Network]

Reboot is special in that as a cartoon it is especially well written, animated, and performed by the voice actors to such an extent that I actually based a significant part of my website in its honor. I admit this is a tad much, since I also chose the show because I was able to watch all of the episodes (many several times), after a fan and fellow netizen (net dweller) told me about the show. This allowed me to have a more complete understanding of the show as compared to other cartoons that have fans of their own. Nonetheless, I hold to my assertion that there is something special about Reboot that makes it special, besides of course Dot Matrix. Its revolutionary use of CGI (computer generated images) alone makes it worthy of interest.

I reaffirm my enjoyment and interest in the show partly because it has again returned to Cartoon Network, after another hiatus. I also await the movies, though I'm sure the several new plot points will require several edits on most, if not all of my character pages, as well as some of my other musings on the show. This is a small price to pay for fans, including those more loyal and desperate for new material than me. I do wish to note that I doubt that many have Dot as the wallpaper on their computer at work (the same pic as the one on the homepage of this site). I also note a person older than me (not that I am old, though older than many who read these pages to be sure) not only was familiar with the show, but commented on how um well Dot was drawn (in a respectable way don't get me wrong). It is to be noted that he doesn't apparently know Dot is a real person, but I did not address that point. I already got some abuse stating the facts and do not wish to get any more -- "they damn what they don't understand."

9/2/00 [Reboot and Crime]

I suddenly had a flash about the subject of crime, namely, how it is treated in the Reboot universe. Mainframe, the area of the Reboot universe with which we are most familiar, is a relatively crime free zone. There is of course Megabyte, who is the evil force constantly menacing our friends, as well as Hexadecimal to throw in her bursts of chaos and mayhem. Nonetheless, Megabyte and Hexadecimal until the Web Wars are more like unstopable forces that can only be held in check. One thinks of Megabyte (and to a lesser extent Hex) like the Soviet Union once was (I was about to say "Evil Empire," a term many might not even remember any more), a power that must be balanced, not as a criminal enterprise to be stopped. Daemon can be looked at in a similar way.

My concern here is more in line of ordinary crime, a problem that seems to relatively minor, especially given all the other things Mainframe had to worry about (games, Megabyte, Daemon, etc). This is not to say the Reboot universe is crime free (putting aside evil forces such as Megabyte and Daemon); for instance, there is the problem of software pirates, though Captain Capicator and crew saw the error of there ways by reason and profit motive (but what of their debt to society for past activities?). Also, Bob himself previously was on patrol to stop hackers such as Mouse from going places where they should not be. There also are local police forces in Mainframe, though they seem mainly to deal with Megabyte and Hexadecimal related issues. Finally, Fax Modem and Data Nully came to Mainframe as representatives of a FBI type organization, suggesting the need for a crime fighting force to deal with Net-wide criminal activity.

A look at a few of the key criminal activities addressed on the show does not answer the question, however, of how the Reboot universe deals with criminals once apprehended. For instance, when Mouse was caught (if she ever was) by Bob in the past, what penalties did she receive? If the Reboot universe is truly comparable to ours (and in most ways it surely is), there would a criminal class, if only of the disturbing the peace variety -- some of those binomes in Section 31 look like they might cause a bit of trouble now and again. Furthermore, some might cause more serious social unrest, even if we might not want to think of such matters. How are they dealt with? The original Star Trek once had an episode dealing with psychiatric care in the future (Star Trek never had enough episodes dealing with future society in my eyes; too many basically the same action themed plots). It would be nice if Reboot also made some effort to touch upon this issue as well.

The pic on this page came from Joe's Unofficial Reboot Page from the supplied "Game Over" page. It is Dot's reaction when she discovers Enzo lost the game.