The Big O Showtime: Eyewitness

The theme song has grown on me. I know I didn't like it at first, but as the series has gone on I've come to like it. I also didn't realize at first that it was an homage to Queen's awesome Flash Gordon theme. But yes, I like the theme song now.

DEAD OR ALIVE, YOU'RE COMING WITH ME

Why do I bring this up? Because again the episode didn't really give much to talk about. And this time it doesn't have parody to defend itself. The main plot is interesting and focuses on a background element of the setting that hasn't been deeply explored yet. But it all feels like setup for something bigger and comes across as hollow because of it.

At any rate, here's what's up this time. Robots are being destroyed all across Paradigm City by pipe bombs shot from a crossbow. Dastun is working the case when the Group sends down one of their Inspectors to advise him. A robot inspector named Freddy. This is actually a clever move on the writers part. Androids have been part of the background show from the beginning, and Dorothy has been a constant presence throughout, but aside from her and Instro we haven't really seen any other robots. Not counting megadeuses or the like. So devoting an episode to the robot subculture of Paradigm could provide some more fleshing out to the setting. Unfortunately, the writers don't take much advantage of this opportunity instead sticking to the show's usual mystery of the week format with some robot elements as set dressing.

Damn Yankee fans.

One thing I have noticed so far though is that human-robot relations in Paradigm City have a distinct class element to them. They say in this episode that robots suffered amnesia from the Event the same as humans. Now one would think that being put in the same vulnerable position would engender mutual sympathy between humans and robots, but that didn't happen. All the human-robot relationships we've seen have the robot in a submissive role. The two robots killed here were both employees of their human masters, Instro was subservient to his father's wishes, Dorothy is Roger's maid (though this one is actually out of financial obligation) and Inspector Freddy makes it clear his superiors only see him as a tool. Even the villains are robots just being used by someone else that Roger regrets having to destroy.

I don't know if this means anything, but it's interesting to note. But by now you're probably wondering how Roger comes into the story. Well the robot killer tries to kill her, which avoids with some well-placed car-riding parkour, and is the only living witness to the killer's identity. So Dastun brings her in for questioning while Roger hunts down a lead of his own. Alan Gabriel. Unfortunately, he and Rosewater are on vacation so they have an alibi. After this Roger gets some Batman-Catwoman banter with Angel.

This is why there are no OBGYNs for robots

That's the strength of the episode, the character interactions. Roger and Angel get some good Film Noir femme fatale and detective dialogue. Dastun and Freddy start off antagonistic, much like Roger and Dorothy in early episodes, but eventually gain a respect for each other. And Dorothy and Norman are simply hilarious together. The real problem is that the main plot doesn't really resolve. Dastun manages to track down the killer with some old-fashioned police work and it was a robot taking out other robots with pre-Event Memories. Including Dorothy. Yeah, they mentioned that despite just being data Memories can't be retrieved from robots. Anyway, the robot killer is taken out and Big O defeats his bigger accomplice. And the episode ends before we find out who was using these robots to get the Memories.

So the episode has no resolution to the main drive behind the plot. I'm guessing that whoever sent out Schwarzwald's pamphlets a few episodes ago is behind it because Rosewater is out of town. Still don't know why they'd want these robots' Memories though. There's also been the recurring motif of the single red balloon. This has shown up a few times and it appears again here, only noticed by Angel. And it apparently means more to her than us since she reacts with shock at its sight. Leave it this show that when we finally get a handle on things (Rosewater hoarding megadeuses for some reason, Roger standing in his way) it throws another wrench in things. Hopefully more answers will be forthcoming.