Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (1999)

First episode title: Creatures, Great and Small

How familiar with the show am I?: I hadn't heard of this show.

Based on a comic book, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot is a show about a big, mechanical-looking robot, and a small robot that looks like a human boy, who fight alien threats together. At least, that's what you can tell from the opening sequence. I won't spoil anything yet, but once I learned what the twist on that formula was, I became very enthusiastic about this one.

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I think this is the first show I've covered on Debutniverse that has a scene before the opening sequence. And in that scene... aliens are abducting cows. Yes, there's a field with cows, there are flying saucers overhead, and they're being driven by some tentacle-covered aliens, who are using tractor beams to capture these cows for some reason.

Then a kind of blimp approaches the saucers. It's big, and the robot that's piloting it is the Big Guy. He's white with red eyes and his voice sounds like an Optimus Prime impression.

Big Guy: Weapon locked. Precision counts. A wasted shot costs taxpayers dearly.

This is the very first thing we hear Big Guy say, and it's exactly the kind of thing we'll be hearing from him throughout the episode - putting concern for the average American citizen above all else. If that sounds in any way cheesy (not that I'm against cheesy), in this show it is 100% intentional, as we'll see. He fires some missiles and downs some of the saucers, but then a couple more show up and disable the blimp with some kind of electric field, so the Big Guy ejects from the blimp, flies over to the saucers, and - "Surprise!" - reveals several guns in his arms, shooting them down!

There's one spaceship left, and Big Guy, saying that these aliens aren't going to deprive any growing children of any glasses of milk (see what I mean?), breaks into the saucer through the floor and knocks out the alien, taking the cow back to safety. We never really find out what the aliens' plan was, although it's implied that some probing was to occur. A news van shows up to get a picture of Big Guy as we reach the opening sequence.

In keeping with what we've seen of Big Guy, the opening is quite old-fashioned for a late 90s action show - the music is like a march and the lyrics are overly praising and patriotic. It's worth mentioning that the song talks about him fighting "for the red and white and blue", but the flag that's shown isn't the familiar USA one of today, instead having five stripes and a single star in the centre. The future USA where this show seems to be set could presumably have any number of states. The opening is also the first we see of Rusty, who looks like a red-headed boy that can shoot lasers from his hands, and is shown to be not very effective against the large alien opponents he's facing, with the Big Guy having to come and rescue him. So we can infer that this show will end up with these two working as a team, but how will we get there? Stay tuned!

Newsreader: Once again, our livestock is safe from rustling aliens, and we owe our thanks to the Big Guy.

So apparently cow abduction is just something people have grown to expect in the future - no wonder no time was wasted on discovering the aliens' plan. The newsreader goes on to explain that, almost ten years after the creation of Big Guy, the company behind him - Quark Industries - has appointed a new CEO who promises technology that will be able to replace him. We see a picture of the CEO - he has dark red hair and a monkey sitting on his shoulder. Anyway, this newsreader sounds pretty opinionated considering his job, showing scepticism at the idea that anything could replace the Big Guy. Then again, this is America.

The blimp gets back to what must be the Big Guy's base, and there are three humans waiting there for him. The woman is Jo, the old man is Mack, the young guy is Garth. They appear to be major characters, but they're unimportant enough in this particular episode that only Jo even gets named - I had to look the other two up. Mack makes a joke about calamari when he sees the captured aliens - no wonder the aliens don't like the humans! - and Garth goes up to the Big Guy and compliments him on his shooting, except... then the back of the Big Guy opens up, and his human pilot slides out! It's him who answers, in a completely different voice and tone to the Big Guy, and that's the first inkling of the twist at play here, because the opening sure looked like this show was about two robotic beings, right? That Rusty kid in the title obviously doesn't have a person inside, so what's up with this guy? Anyway, his name is Lieutenant Dwayne Hunter.

Dwayne gets Jo to check one of the Big Guy's parts because he sensed something wrong with it, and he turns out to be right, which he attributes to "male bonding". I don't drive a big robot or a car myself, but I think drivers can often tell there's a problem with their vehicle without needing to attribute it to some kind of social relationship with a non-living thing. Then there's another news report about the retiring of the Big Guy, in which we learn that the setting of this show is called New Tronic City.

Then, in a fancy office room, a general awards Dwayne a medal for his service as the Big Guy. He says that "we in this room" know that he's the hero behind the Big Guy - in other words, what we've just learned about the robot being piloted by a human is not public knowledge. The pieces are falling into place... Dwayne and his team, and the general, all look sad to see the Big Guy being lifted away and dismantled. Right, in a show about the Big Guy and Rusty, I'm sure that will last. Outside, they talk about being able to go and visit Big Guy in the city's museum any time as a consolation, and then Mack and Garth get annoyed at the way the soldiers are handling one of the components and go and grab it from them themselves.

Jo doesn't seem to know the reason why it's a secret that the Big Guy was piloted, conveniently for us, as it means Dwayne can explain it to her. The army had apparently promised a robotic protector for the world, and were worried about the damage it would do to their image if they were only able to provide a big suit of armour without being able to make it fully robotic. It does make sense, but it also seems surprising that something like that would never have leaked in ten years!

The next scene is a presentation at the offices of Quark Industries - Dr Axel Donovan, the man with the monkey on his shoulder, is giving a presentation to a group of army officials and scientists:

Dr Donovan unveils Rusty, whose name is presumably a reference to the red hair that matches Donovan's own - I guess Donovan wanted to put a bit of himself into his creation. The audience don't look impressed at Rusty's childlike appearance, so Donovan hands over to someone named Dr Slate. She clarifies that his size is only to make him more aerodynamic, and starts explaining his weapons systems using terms like "nucleoprotons" and "microtechnology". Look how science-y Rusty is! She also says that his artificial intelligence is what makes him a huge advancement over the Big Guy, although she also refers to the Big Guy as "purely robotic", suggesting she doesn't know the secret. Speaking of the Big Guy, Dwayne is in the audience, and he isn't impressed.

I know the phrase "artificial intelligence" makes sense in this context, but thinking of Donovan as a guy who has taken over a technology company, shut down its existing services, and replaced them with his own AI pet project... somehow this show has become a lot more relevant since its creation!

On a farm somewhere, a meteor lands, startling the farmer, and from the crater emerges a massive alien that's all torso and no waist:

If you were disappointed by the lack of motivation given to the cow-abducting aliens from before, then you'll be even more disappointed by this one, as it's just going to be a rampaging monster. Still, cool design!

Back at Quark Industries, we hear Rusty speak for the first time, in the distinctive voice of Pamela Adlon. We haven't covered any other shows starring her yet, but you may know her as Bobby from King of the Hill, or Spinelli from Recess. Rusty really is just an excitable young boy that happens to be a robot, and as he talks to Dr Slate about wanting to visit the Big Guy in the museum, we discover the other half of the show's twist, as it becomes clear that even Rusty doesn't know that the Big Guy isn't fully robotic - he's hoping to actually speak to him on his visit and learn from him!

In a forest, a bunch of tanks open fire on the giant alien, but the alien just spews up some kind of acid that dissolves them all. Unless those machines were remotely operated, that alien totally just scored way more kills than the average villain for a kids' show!

Donovan and his monkey are watching a news report about this, and Donovan has a short conversation... with the monkey.

Donovan: Jenny, it's showtime.

Jenny: This oughtta be interesting. ...What? A girl can't speak her mind?

Yes, so the monkey can talk. This is presumably another experiment of Donovan's, one that he hasn't decided to make public yet. She's a bit sarcastic, so maybe he's waiting until he can make a friendlier talking monkey!

All the scientists and soldiers gather on the roof to see Rusty off into his first battle. Slate is concerned that they're sending him out before he's finished his training; Donovan just wants to see him win. He comes off as very sinister here, like he's going to crush Rusty himself if he fails. Rusty takes off into the sky...

...and flies right up to the alien, who immediately crushes him between its giant hands. He falls to the ground, and it stamps on him for good measure. It's equally both hilarious and horrible - when it cuts back to Quark Industries, Dr Slate is obviously concerned for him, as they all watch it on the news.

Donovan: Dr Slate, next time you consider downloading "The Little Engine That Could" into a weapon of mass destruction, don't.

This show's not afraid to be honest about what it's portraying, is it? You could easily describe a kid robot superhero in a much more light-hearted way than that. The general tells Donovan he has to bring the Big Guy back online, but Donovan says he disposed of the power core, and asks if he's in trouble. I suppose that raises the question of whether this stuff is the property of the army or the company.

Rusty enters the room, seemingly oblivious to the mood. He calls Jenny a "pretty monkey", and she responds with the most sarcastic "ooh-ooh ah-ah" you've ever heard. Dr Slate looks at the very visible damage to Rusty's head, and Rusty tells her it doesn't hurt because he doesn't have pain receptors, which seems like something Dr Slate would already know!

The news report continues on the TV - the same opinionated reporter from before is talking about the evacuation of the city, and how the people need the Big Guy again, just as the alien starts smashing up the museum he's kept in! Another newsreader replays the footage of Rusty getting crushed and says she hopes this isn't the new weapon Quark Industries were making, and Rusty gets upset and flies off... Poor kid. He has had literally no say in any of the events here and now he's going to feel like he's being chastised for them. I'd be upset too.

Were you missing Dwayne Hunter? Probably not, because you barely know him yet, but now he's back - he's fishing on a boat when a helicopter with his teammates in it shows up.

On board, they reveal to him that they switched out the power core for a fake when it was due to be destroyed, just in case the Big Guy was ever needed again. Dwayne is relieved - "trout weren't biting" - and Mack worries that they will get court-martialled. Are they all in the army, then? Lieutenant Hunter is the only one that's been referred to by rank, I think.

The city looks pretty destroyed, with rubble everywhere, and buildings showing signs of the dissolving acid. Slate finds Rusty by the museum, moping.

Rusty: Dr Slate, if I don't have pain receptors, why does it hurt? Why?

Dr Slate: Your human emotion grid.

I find this funnier than I should, because I totally expected her to say something more meaningful than that. Rusty says he's looking through the rubble to find the Big Guy so that he can save the day, because Rusty considers himself useless. Dr Slate starts to say something encouraging, but then a big vehicle shows up and Dwayne's team come out with some kind of detectors - Rusty recognises Dwayne from the crowd at the presentation, but already doesn't like him because he didn't stay for cake.

There's also a frosty greeting exchanged between Slate and Dwayne - Dwayne claims to be Big Guy's "chief mechanic", which I guess is his usual cover story. He says some disparaging things about Rusty until he realises how much Rusty idolises Big Guy, which stuns him into silence. You can tell he doesn't want to shatter the kid's image of the Big Guy with the truth.

Rusty realises they're putting pieces of the Big Guy into their vehicle and worries that the Big Guy is dead - yes, this is a show that's allowed to say that. Slate and Mack both reassure him that they just need to rebuild the Big Guy, and Dwayne's team drive off, but now that Rusty knows who they are he follows them, flying alongside, bothering Dwayne with questions about whether he can team up with Big Guy.

On an aircraft carrier off shore, the Big Guy gets rebuilt and Dwayne gets suited up. Rusty isn't around for all this, but when the Big Guy's blimp sets off, Rusty is there to follow. Meanwhile, Donovan seems to have given up on Rusty entirely, as he's next seen with a bunch of big multicoloured robots which he orders to engage the enemy, upon which they immediately start firing lasers in all directions and beating each other up. It's a little bit of a non sequitur, and it's never mentioned again.

The alien is crashing through the city - despite the mentioned evacuation, there are a few random people around to scream and run away. What were they still doing there? There are also tanks and soldiers doing their best to fight it - the tank here is visibly manned, perhaps implying that I was right about the ones we saw earlier. Then the soldiers see the Big Guy's blimp passing overhead, and they all start cheering!

Big Guy: Subject sighted. Definitely not an American.

Well if that isn't saying the quiet part out loud... His speech continues along the same lines as he opens fire on the alien, but it gets the blimp in its grip. A scan confirms that this area is now evacuated, so he doesn't have to worry about danger to human life. Given what we saw before, I hope his scan is accurate! He jumps out of the blimp holding two big missiles, and throws them into the alien's mouth, blowing a hole through its torso! In a cartoon you can get away with having things happen to robots and aliens that would be completely disallowed if they happened to humans.

Unfortunately, the alien's wound quickly heals. Big Guy tries a simple punch to the mouth, but it uses its acid attack, and he falls to the ground, his arm dissolving! See what I'm talking about? It's a good thing no part of Dwayne is in the robot's arm!

Big Guy calls it "ooze" here, but it's effectively acid so I'm not changing what I've called it. The corrosion is spreading along his arm, so he chucks his forearm away before it can do any damage to the rest of his body. The advantages of a robotic body! The alien chases him around some more, the Big Guy evading its attacks but never gaining an advantage. And that's when Rusty shows up, trying to act as tough as he can.

Big Guy: For the love of Mike.

Rusty flies at the alien again but manages to avoid its hands this time and score a punch on it... before it slams him to the ground again. Big Guy fires the arm weapons on his surviving arm, and Rusty tries firing his weapons (lasers from his hands) too, but the recoil slams him back into a lamppost... Does it still seem like such a good idea to make him so small? Also, his "oof" as he hits it makes it seem like he does feel pain after all!

After a bit more fighting between Big Guy and the alien, Rusty recovers and tries to join the fight, but the Big Guy has a new idea - he grabs Rusty, somehow ejects his feet, and connects the rest of him in place of the missing forearm, making Rusty his new weapon! Big Guy is able to aim him and Rusty just has to fire, now having all the advantage of his more powerful weapons without the recoil issue. The alien blows up almost immediately!

Big Guy: Thank Henry Ford for standardised parts.

Rusty starts celebrating their victory, but Big Guy leaves without another word, leaving him disappointed. But then there's a big victory ceremony, and the general officially re-commissions Big Guy but also tells Dwayne (through a monitor in the suit) that he will have to work with Rusty from now on, in the hopes that the Big Guy's guidance will unleash Rusty's full potential. Dwayne doesn't seem quite as disappointed as he would have earlier, although of course the Big Guy persona seems happier with it than Dwayne himself does.

So, you can already see it, but I really liked the concept of this show! And the execution, come to think of it! Interesting characters, nice designs, and I'm sure the whole thing about keeping up the pretense that the Big Guy is a real robot must have led to some original plotlines!