This is the complete episode listing for the Canadian CGI television series ReBoot, which was broadcast on YTV, as well as in the United States on ABC and Cartoon Network's Toonami block between 1994 and 2001.
A total of 47 episodes have been produced, including two television films which were syndicated as the eight-episode fourth season in 2001. An un-aired "making of" special, set within the first two seasons, has also been produced.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||
| 1 | 13 | 10 September 1994 | 21 January 1995 | |
| 2 | 10 | 31 August 1995 | 1 February 1996 | |
| 3 | 16 | 17 July 1997 | 24 January 1998 | |
| 4 | 8 | 19 October 2001 | 25 November 2001 | |
Season 1 (1994–1995)
| No. | Title | Written by | Story by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (v1.1) | "The Tearing" | Mark Hoffmeier | Lane Raichert & Mark Hoffmeier | 10 September 1994 (Canada, US) 4 January 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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Bob and Dot fight to keep Megabyte from harnessing the power of a recently discovered, unusually large Tear. They barely succeed until a descending space fighter game harnesses it for him. Now Dot and Bob must defeat Megabyte inside the game or he will escape to infect the Super Computer and become more powerful than ever. Cultural references: When Bob launches from the carrier and says: "Alpha wing clear of deck; proceed heading 1138, stay frosty." 1138 is a reference to THX 1138 by George Lucas. "Stay frosty" is from Aliens. | |||||
| 2 (v1.2) | "Racing the Clock" | Mark Edens & Lane Raichert | Mark Edens & Ian Pearson | 17 September 1994 (Canada, US) 11 January 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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Megabyte tricks Enzo into delivering a dangerous delete command to Hexadecimal. By the time Enzo realises his mistake, the unknowing Bob is trapped inside a Formula 1 game with the command about to go off any millisecond. Enzo and Dot must race against the clock to save Bob from certain deletion. Cultural references: When Bob asks Enzo what was his client's name, Enzo lies and says "Jean-Luc" who appeared earlier in the episode as a binome wearing an altered version of the starfleet uniform with the captain rank insignia on the right breast; a clear reference to Jean-Luc Picard. | |||||
| 3 (v1.3) | "Quick and The Fed" | Mark Edens & Lane Raichert | Mark Edens & Ian Pearson | 24 September 1994 (Canada, US) 18 January 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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Thwarting a plan by Megabyte to create a portal, Bob retrieves a dangerous magnet which puts Dot's life in danger. Cultural references: While in Al's slow food, Bob picks up a number tag that reads 1000000000000, and says 4096, which is the binary number on the tag converted to decimal. The Glitch command "BSnP!" to teleport through a window references the ABC Network censors (Broadcast Standards and Practices), which did not allow characters to smash through windows. | |||||
| 4 (v1.4) | "Medusa Bug" | Lane Raichert | Lane Raichert, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell & Gavin Blair | 8 October 1994 (Canada, US) 25 January 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
| Megabyte steals a secret object from Hexadecimal, which proves to be a dangerous bug: the Medusa, which spreads throughout Mainframe, turning anything it touches into stone. | |||||
| 5 (v1.5) | "The Tiff" | Lane Raichert | Lane Raichert | 26 November 1994 (Canada) 19 November 1994 (US) 1 February 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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When Bob and Dot become insufferable after an argument, Enzo tries one scheme after another to rekindle their friendship. Just when Enzo gives up on the stubborn pair, the dangerous Starship Alcatraz game forces the two to work together and see each other's point of view. Cultural references: The title is a pun on the image file format TIFF and the definition of "tiff", a petty argument. At the start of the episode Bob tells Dot that she "needs to take time to smell the daisy wheels"; a daisy wheel is a device used to print characters. The two most popular types of printers at the time were the Dot matrix printer and Daisy Wheel. COBOL and Fortran are part of Enzo's Ancient Languages class. In the prison game scene, Bob tells Dot "Looks like the User is heading through Cell Block H" – a pun on the Australian TV series Prisoner, which was renamed Cell Block H in the US. | |||||
| 6 (v1.6) | "In the Belly of the Beast" | Mark Hoffmeier | Mark Hoffmeier & Lane Raichert | 3 December 1994 (Canada, US) 8 February 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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When Frisket swallows a valuable command, Megabyte captures him in order to remove it. Once inside Silicon Tor, however, the powerful Frisket and the mischievous Enzo prove to be more than Megabyte bargained for. Cultural references: Old Man Pearson is named after Ian Pearson, one of the show's creators and founders of Mainframe Entertainment. There is a reference to the opening scene of Jurassic Park when Frisket is in the containment box and is treated in a similar fashion to the raptor. Additionally, the shutdown of the containment field, Frisket's crushing of Megabyte under a glass sheet and a camera-focused roar are all references to Tyrannosaurus rex scenes from Jurassic Park. | |||||
| 7 (v1.7) | "The Crimson Binome" | Lane Raichert | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Lane Raichert | 10 December 1994 (Canada) 7 January 1995 (US) 15 February 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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Swashbuckling software pirates pillage and plunder Mainframe, taking Bob as their prize catch. The ingenious Dot organises the outraged citizens and leads a high seas posse to rescue their friend. Cultural references: Mr. Mitchell and Captain Gavin Capacitor are named for Phil Mitchell and Gavin Blair, the show and company's other founders. In the opening scene at the mainframe port, a parody of Punch and Judy called "Punchcard and QWERTY" is playing. This is a reference to an early form of storage on punched cards and to the QWERTY keyboard layout. The line "They task me and I shall have them" is a parody of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’, in which Khan states "He tasks me and I shall have him!" (which is in turn a paraphrase of Moby Dick). The title refers to the film ‘The Crimson Pirate. In the pirate ship's cell, just above Mouse's picture, there is the Kilroy was here graffiti, but with an eyepatch. There is also a message stating, "I want my MTV," a reference to the Dire Straits music video "Money for Nothing" previously developed by ReBoot's creators, Pearson and Blair. | |||||
| 8 (v1.8) | "Enzo The Smart" | Mark Hoffmeier & Lane Raichert | Mark Edens, Brendan McCarthy & Ian Pearson | 17 December 1994 (Canada) 11 February 1995 (US) 22 February 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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In an attempt to make himself smarter, Enzo inadvertently turns everyone in Mainframe into simple minded 8-bit dolts. Now he must turn them back to normal before their naive ways get them nullified in a Track and Field game. Cultural references: In the Read Only Room is a statue of a desk lamp with the legend "JL Senior", referring to the Pixar short film Luxo Jr. (the source of their logo) by John Lasseter. One of the Users is a blue figure called Graceful Jones, referencing Grace Jones, while another wears the same outfit as Bruce Lee in Game of Death. | |||||
| 9 (v1.9) | "Wizards, Warriors and a Word from Our Sponsor" | Jono Howard & Lane Raichert | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Lane Raichert | 24 December 1994 (Canada) 25 February 1995 (US) 1 March 1995 (United Kingdom) | |
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Bob, Dot and Enzo are stuck in a role-playing game with the intrusive Mike the TV, where all in one and one in all has the key. Cultural references: This episode is a parody of fantasy/medieval role-playing games (RPGs), specifically Dragon's Lair; the game in this episode takes place in a dungeon with the main characters taking on the characteristics of various classes of fighters. Lines such as Dot's "It breathes fire ... it just had to breathe fire!" poke fun at the overly-elaborate nature of many enemies and situations encountered in fantasy RPGs. The test pattern Mike the TV generates at the end of the episode is a reference to the BBC's Test Card F. | |||||
| 10 (v1.10) | "The Great Brain Robbery" | Jono Howard | Jono Howard & Lane Raichert | 31 December 1994 (Canada) 18 March 1995 (US) 4 January 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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In an attempt to access the Supercomputer, Megabyte hires a hacker named Mouse to enter Bob's brain. The plan goes awry when they wind up in Enzo's brain instead. Cultural references: The title is a pun on The Great Train Robbery, an early western film. | |||||
| 11 (v1.11) | "Talent Night" | Lane Raichert | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 7 January 1995 (Canada) 12 August 1995 (US) 11 January 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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Dot prepares a surprise talent show for Enzo's birthday; Megabyte, upset about not being invited, prepares his own act. Cultural references: The YTV logo robot can be seen backstage, and has a line borrowed from Robby the Robot of Forbidden Planet. A supporting Binome character, Emma, acts as the "Prog Sensor" during tryouts for the talent show; both this and the Small Town Binomes song "BSnP" reference the Broadcast Standards and Practices censors. The group Small Town Binomes themselves are references to the 1970s disco group Village People; the song BSnP is also a parody of their hit song "Y.M.C.A". Another "band" to feature on the episode, "The Primitives," take the form of a ball, a triangle and a square which, along with their primary colours and being simple tracing shapes (i.e. "primitive" objects), resemble the logo for Electronic Arts at the time. An act that parodies the music video for "Money for Nothing," the first computer animated music video which was animated by Mainframe, the makers of Reboot. Phong's performance has similarities to Nat King Cole's song "Unforgettable". One of the binomes trying out is named "Captain Quark"; he is a parody of Star Trek's Captain Kirk. He then sings "Rocket Man" by Elton John in a style similar to William Shatner's famous halting delivery. After the actual show starts, Megabyte emerges from a coffin, (in a possible reference to King Diamond) crashes the party and cranks up the volume to 11. In response Bob tells Glitch to convert to am electric guitar with the command "Glitch: BFG", a reference to the BFG 9000 supergun from Doom, and the two engage in a "battle of the bands" of sorts. When it's over, Megabyte surprisingly gives his guitar to Enzo and escapes. Afterwards, Mike says "ladies and gentlemen, Megabyte has left the building!" next to the Elvis Binome. | |||||
| 12 (v1.12.1) | "Identity Crisis, Part 1" | Jono Howard | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 14 January 1995 (Canada) 9 September 1995 (US) 22 February 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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Dot has to convince a sector under Megabyte's control to give her their PID codes in order to convert their sector back to its normal state. Cultural references: At the beginning of the episode during the war game scene, a bomber flies overhead attempting to bomb a stranded User. The music playing during this segment is a subtle nod to the score of the film The Battle of Britain. In the sewer chase scene, Bob says "Cowabunga!", a reference to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who live in the sewers of New York City and repeatedly shout this after victories. | |||||
| 13 (v1.12.2) | "Identity Crisis, Part 2" | Jono Howard | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 21 January 1995 (Canada) 16 September 1995 (US) 29 February 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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After being betrayed by Cyrus, Dot's emotions of guilt get the better of her during a difficult game. Cultural references: Feathers McGraw the penguin, from the Wallace and Gromit feature The Wrong Trousers, makes his first cameo appearance; he makes several more throughout the series. Here, he emerges from a box similar to the one Gromit was hiding in while spying on McGraw. This is the first foreshadowing of a future injury of Enzo's. When Megabyte cracks the code on the file from Dot's organizer, a sequence of binary numbers is shown. It spells "Guardian" in ASCII. This password was previously referred to in "The Crimson Binome". | |||||
Season 2 (1995–1996)
| No. | Title | Written by | Story by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (v2.1) | "Infected" | Martin Borycki | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Lane Raichert | 31 August 1995 (Canada) 23 September 1995 (US) 18 January 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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Disguised as an upgrade, Megabyte enters Mainframe's core control chamber. He badly hurts Phong and initiates an Erase Command that almost destroys the System, only to be thwarted by Bob exploiting his greed. Hexidecimal hints at a surprising connection to Megabyte. Cultural references: Megabyte uses a self-destruct command and a pose emulating the film Predator, while Dot's use of an Exo-Skeleton may refer to Ellen Ripley in Aliens. When Dot attempts to crush Megabyte with a mechanical exoskeleton, a shot of his head is shown where his eyes dim in a way similar to the way the Terminator is destroyed in The Terminator. | |||||
| 15 (v2.2) | "High Code" | Martin Borycki | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Lane Raichert | 7 September 1995 (Canada) 30 September 1995 (US) 1 February 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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A Codemaster, Lens the Reaper, wreaks havoc in Mainframe while looking to challenge the legendary Codemaster Talon who took refuge in the system. Phong and Bob assure him that there is no one in Mainframe called Talon. Enzo discovers that Old Man Pearson is Talon, and has to convince him to come out of hiding—while Bob tricks Lens into a Game with the hope of nullifying them both to save the System. In the end, Lens is moved by the Mainframers' honorable willingness to die for each other. Cultural references: The title refers to High Noon. The Game references the real-life Canadian town of Spuzzum. As Enzo travels to see Old Man Pearson, he sings the theme song to "Batman". The weapon of choice of a Codemaster, the Gibson coil pike, is a reference to William Gibson, author of Neuromancer. The number on the train, 9502, reflects that this was the second episode produced in the 1995 season. | |||||
| 16 (v2.3) | "When Games Collide" | Jono Howard | Gavin Blair, Brendan McCarthy, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Lane Raichert | 14 September 1995 (Canada) 7 October 1995 (US) 25 January 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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Megabyte uses game energy to break into Mainframe's archives. He causes two games to merge into one and becomes trapped in the game himself. Bob saves his life, forcing Megabyte to grudgingly let him go when he captures him in the archives. Cultural references: The gateway command is identical in shape and function to the gateway from the contemporary Stargate movie. | |||||
| 17 (v2.4) | "Bad Bob" | Martin Borycki & Susan Turner | Martin Borycki & Susan Turner | 21 September 1995 (Canada) 14 October 1995 (US) 8 February 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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Megabyte attacks the Principal Office to steal Mainframe's Core energy. This causes a Game to be corrupted and land on the Principal Office. Bob and Enzo have to get the Core energy—being transported by "Megatruck", a transformed Megabyte—back to the Office before it can leave with the Game. Cultural references: Many of the events during the game "Road Warrior" are taken directly from the Mad Max films, as well as characters, vehicles and landscape. The Number One character appears to be wearing a Star Trek uniform and has similar facial features and speech to Commander Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Upon seeing part of Mainframe's core corrupted, a binome exclaims "Maniacs! They blew it up! – a reference to Planet of the Apes. When Bob crashes his car, a binome references This Island Earth by asking if he is having trouble with his interocitor. She also references Jefferies tubes, suggesting that he flushes out the Daniels tubes. Kelly Daniels was the show's Director of Technical Operations. Enzo says he based his aircart design on an X-MP/48. The User's car is almost identical to the Batmobile from the late 1980s/early 1990s Batman movie series. | |||||
| 18 (v2.5) | "Painted Windows" | Jono Howard & Susan Turner | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson, Mark Schiemann & Susan Turner | 2 November 1995 (Canada) 4 November 1995 (US) 6 March 1997 (United Kingdom) | |
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Hexadecimal accesses the system's Paint program, and Mainframe is her canvas. She soon begins to wreak havoc, causing a communications blackout, and melting all forms of transport, and glitch. Cultural references: Renditions of several famous artworks appear throughout this episode, including "The Thinker", "The Creation of Adam" and Edvard Munch's "The Scream". Hexadecimal's monologue near the beginning of the episode is in reference to Night Gallery. At the end of the episode, Mike's line "Mother! What have you done?" is a reference to Norman Bates. | |||||
| 19 (v2.6) | "AndrAIa" | Steve Ball, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Susan Turner | Steve Ball, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Susan Turner | 9 November 1995 (Canada) 11 November 1995 (US) 15 February 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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Enzo is depressed because he feels lonely. During an underwater game, he befriends a game sprite named AndrAIa. When the game is won, he discovers she attached a back-up copy of herself to his icon so they can remain together. Cultural references: A Jean-Luc Picard-styled binome appears near the start of the episode, dressed in a Starfleet uniform; the binome repeatedly says "make it so" and "engage" and later asks for "tea, Earl Grey". Another binome has a bad hairpiece and speaks in pauses in an exaggerated impersonation of Captain Kirk. During Bob's lecture on how to survive in a Game, he sees a binome with "i ♥ U" written on her eyelids, a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark. The "AI" in AndrAIa's name stands for artificial intelligence. When the game cube is falling, one of the binomes escaping the diner is Waldo. When the User is nearing the city of Atlantis in the game cube, statues of King Ghidorah can clearly be seen. The game at the beginning of the episode is the same game as the first episode. This episode has the second foreshadowing of a future injury of Enzo's. Bob uses Homer Simpson's famous catchphrase "d'oh". | |||||
| 20 (v2.7.1) | "Nullzilla" | Susan Turner | Susan Turner | 27 December 1995 (Canada) 16 December 1995 (US) 7 March 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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When an unusual creature arrives from Hexadecimal's Mirror and infects her, thousands of nulls, including Megabyte's pet Nibbles, envelop Hexadecimal in order to protect Mainframe. In order to defeat "Nullzilla", Phong sends Bob, Dot, Enzo, Mike the T.V., Frisket, and AndrAIa in a giant mecha robot to battle the monster. While Hexadecimal goes back to normal after being defeated, the intruding creature found a new target: Megabyte. Cultural references: Phong dresses up the group in Power Ranger-like uniforms, and their vehicles form a giant robot and battle the monster. The office in which Phong readies the team to combat Hex is similar to that seen on Tracy Island of Thunderbirds, as are the chutes through which the team travels to the vehicle hangar. When the heroes combat Hex, they appear as parodies of both Power Rangers and Voltron, and fight in a parody of the Mega Zord formed by a similar command to Voltron's "Go Voltron Force!" phrase. The Web Creature that attacks Hex and later Megabyte, turns them black, similar to how the Symbiote succeeded in changing Spider-Man before later becoming Venom. The code F.A.B. is a reference to a radio acknowledgment for the Thunderbirds as well as an acronym for Fully Acknowledged and Briefed. | |||||
| 21 (v2.7.2) | "Gigabyte" | Phil Mitchell & Susan Turner | Phil Mitchell & Susan Turner | 27 December 1995 (Canada) 23 December 1995 (US) 14 March 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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The possessed Megabyte merges with Hexadecimal, creating the terrifying energy-absorbing virus, Gigabyte. The Mainframers fight to stop him gaining full strength, alongside both Hack & Slash and a returning Mouse in the battle against the new virus. Cultural references: When asked what its purpose is, Gigabyte replies, "I am become Gigabyte, destroyer of systems," alluding to Vishnu in the Bhagavad-Gita. When Gigabyte corners Bob and Dot in an alley he scrapes the wall with his claw, similar to Freddy Krueger. A binome who has his energy absorbed by Gigabyte is based on Indiana Jones. Bob's special body armor is based on Solid Snake's protective gear. The controller Mouse uses to contain the tear is extremely similar to a PlayStation controller. | |||||
| 22 (v2.7.3) | "Trust No One" | Mark Leiren-Young | Gavin Blair, Mark Leiren-Young, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Susan Turner | 25 January 1996 (Canada) 30 December 1995 (US) 21 March 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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Mainframe citizens are mysteriously disappearing, including Dot and Al's waiter. Phong hires two CGI Special Agents, Fax Modem and Data Nully to investigate the disappearances, along with Bob and Mouse. They Discover the now enlarged invader Identified as a creature from the Web. The implications of the situation get a lot worse when the guardians become aware. Cultural references: When the waiter from Al's is taking out the trash, he says "Garbage In, Garbage Out," a common saying in the field of computer science. The two agents parody agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from The X-Files. Data Nully is voiced by Gillian Anderson, the same actress who played Dana Scully. CGI is an allusion to the American FBI and also to Computer-Generated Imagery, used to produce computer-generated but realistic imagery such as in ReBoot. | |||||
| 23 (v2.7.4) | "Web World Wars" | Mark Leiren-Young | Mark Leiren-Young, Brendan McCarthy, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson & Susan Turner | 1 February 1996 (Canada) 2 March 1996 (US) 28 March 1996 (United Kingdom) | |
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A portal to the Web hovers over Mainframe, and its citizens must prepare for war. Due to the situation Bob gives Enzo a commission as a cadet guardian. Megabyte and Hexadecimal join the battle, but they have a secret ulterior motive. Cultural references: The subway station "Piccadilly Circuits" is a reference to the Underground station Piccadilly Circus in London, and the Binomes fleeing to it reference Londoners sleeping in the Underground during The Blitz. Toward the end, Binky Ffarquarson (the binome batman) says "It's the ABC's! They've turned on us!", a reference to ABC not renewing the show for a third season. When Mouse is writing the code to hide Mainframe from the Web and says it will be impossible to find again, Megabyte comes up to her side and says "Clever girl", a reference to Jurassic Park. | |||||
Season 3 (1997–1998)
| No. | Title | Written by | Story by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 (v3.1.1) | "To Mend and Defend" | Marv Wolfman | Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell & Michael Skorey | 17 July 1997 (United Kingdom) 20 August 1997 (Canada) | |
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Dot is now the Commander of the Principal Office and with Bob gone, Enzo must prove himself as a Guardian while Megabyte and Hexadecimal attack the Principal Office. Cultural references: A CPU (Convertible Pursuit Unit) pilot says, "Well, ya heard the little lady. Single file. Proceed heading 1138. Stay frosty," referring to THX 1138, an early George Lucas movie as well as Aliens. A similar line was uttered by Bob in The Tearing. When Hexadecimal is preparing to fire again, she says, "Say hello to my little friend," a reference to Scarface. The game in this episode is clearly modelled on the Evil Dead film series, or the computer game which followed. Upon rebooting Enzo becomes a take on Michael Jackson in Thriller and Dot becomes a take on cult-TV horror show host Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson). Additionally, The Addams Family motif plays briefly after her reboot. The user is based on Ash (Bruce Campbell) in the Evil Dead movies, specifically Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, which is further alluded to when the user, having been "killed" and turned into a zombie, exclaims "I'm dead before dawn!" (referring to Evil Dead II). The chief of police being interviewed on TV is Marge Olmstead-Gunderson from the movie Fargo. At one point in the episode, Dot asks what kind of "sick creature" would take pleasure in playing a violent game like the one they are in, at which point she and Enzo break the fourth wall and glare accusingly at the viewer. | |||||
| 25 (v3.1.2) | "Between A Raccoon & A Hard Place" | Len Wein | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 24 July 1997 (United Kingdom) 27 August 1997 (Canada) | |
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Confidence in Enzo's skills begin to diminish due to efforts by Megabyte, who is easily seizing sectors. To prove himself as a capable Guardian, he and AndrAIa enter a game in order to win it without Dot's help. Cultural references: After deleting the outspoken binome in the nullified sector (which is dressed in a Next Generation-style Starfleet uniform), Megabyte says that resistance is futile, an allusion to the Borg of Star Trek. Also, before being deleted, the binome declared, "we are sick of running in fear. A line must be drawn here." This is a parody of a speech Jean-Luc Picard gave in the movie Star Trek: First Contact. Enzo reboots in the game cube into a character who is dressed like, and sounds like, Elmer Fudd. The User's raccoon character is a cross between Sonic the Hedgehog and The Road Runner; many of the gags used during the game are characteristic of Road Runner cartoons. The raccoon's name, Rocky Raccoon, is a reference to a song off The Beatles' White Album. One of the binomes returned to normal after they win the game looks like Sailor Moon. | |||||
| 26 (v3.1.3) | "Firewall" | Dan DiDio | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 31 July 1997 (United Kingdom) 3 September 1997 (Canada) | |
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Enzo begins to lose confidence in himself after a deadly encounter with Megabyte, though he, along with the others, attempt to develop a firewall to stop Megabyte's efforts to infect Mainframe. Cultural references: The episode name and the device used called the firewall refer to the firewall security feature on local machines, routers, and servers to block unwanted protocols from the internet and LAN. Also the theme song and general style of the episode pay homage to the James Bond franchise, as well as the Terminator franchise when Megabyte is seen in the fire, similar to the Terminator 2: Judgment Day opening theme. The game in this episode is a take on the Toy Story, the Wacky Races and The Cannonball Run series. The User appears as Penelope Pitstop, Enzo as a James Bond-esque character, Frisket as Muttley and Cyrus as Dick Dastardly in this game. Frisket even performs the trademark laugh after Enzo introduces himself the same way James Bond always does. The Tyrannosaurus rex's attack on the car is very similar to the same scene in Jurassic Park, especially Enzo's taunting of the skeleton. Amidst the car chase, a white Ford Bronco speeds, chased by several police cars. This is spoofing the O. J. Simpson police chase in 1994. There is a minor reference to The Indian in the Cupboard. Luxo Jr. makes another appearance. Enzo sabotages the plane similar to John McClane in Die Hard 2. At the end, Hexadecimal says "Isn't this rich? Aren't we a pair?" This is a quote of the Stephen Sondheim song "Send in the Clowns." | |||||
| 27 (v3.1.4) | "Game Over" | Ian Pearson | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 7 August 1997 (United Kingdom) 10 September 1997 (Canada) | |
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With the threat of Megabyte and Hexadecimal diminished, the Mainframers can concentrate on finding Bob. The User brings down a deadly combat game and the odds are against Enzo. Cultural references: The music used repeatedly in the game scene is the electronic-dance Mortal Kombat theme tune. The characters/gameplay are parodied throughout. Enzo becomes a parody of Scorpion, while his attacks leave behind a trail of green "shadows" similarly to Johnny Cage. | |||||
| 28 (v3.2.1) | "Icons" | Christy Marx | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 14 August 1997 (United Kingdom) 17 September 1997 (Canada) | |
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After losing a game, Enzo (Matrix) and AndrAIa begin game hopping between systems to return to Mainframe. The now grown up Matrix is a Renegade, and AndrAIa a fully experienced warrior. They find themselves transferred to a system that is slowly crashing, and they train a group of sprites how to defend themselves when another game cube arrives. Cultural references: The game that Matrix and AndrAIa play in the opening of the episode features them as characters reminiscent to the aliens from the film Mars Attacks!. The User says, "By KRON, I want the tooth!" to which Backup replies, "You can't handle the tooth!" This is a reference to both A Few Good Men and Conan the Barbarian. When AndrAIa reboots, she becomes a parody of Xena: Warrior Princess and Gabby (AKA Tweak) reboots to become Xena's sidekick, Gabrielle; and when Matrix reboots, he becomes a parody of both Conan the Barbarian and Mel Gibson's character in Braveheart, sporting the same triple medallion seen in many Conan comic books and the bodypaint style of Gibson's character. Another binome in the party who can move with great speed is named Barry, a reference to the comic character The Flash. The title of the game is Kron the Destroyer, a parody of Conan's god, Crom, and the Conan movie, Conan the Destroyer. When AndrAIa and Matrix first enter the system, a binome asks them, "Are you a good User or a bad User?", and AndrAIa responds, "We're not Users at all!". This is an homage to the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, when Glinda asks Dorothy whether she is a good witch or a bad witch. As well, when the young sprite joins the party heading into the game, he says, "Make that seven," to which Matrix replies, "Magnificent", a reference to the Magnificent Seven. | |||||
| 29 (v3.2.2) | "Where No Sprite Has Gone Before" | D.C. Fontana | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell, Dan DiDio & Ian Pearson | 21 August 1997 (United Kingdom) 24 September 1997 (Canada) | |
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Matrix, AndrAIa and Frisket arrive in a system with a group of superhero-like beings, one of which has a resemblance to Bob. Cultural references: The majority of the episode parodies the original Star Trek series (Rob Cursor being an obvious take on James T. Kirk, while Pixel represents Spock). AndrAIa's log is a reference to the Captain's Log. This episode features a group of sprites who combine elements of Star Trek characters and the powers of a typical superhero group like DC's Justice League or Marvel's Avengers. When it shows the Heroes trophy room there is a large silver and gold coin; that coin is a parody of the Canadian two dollar coin & the room itself is itself a parody of the Batcave as it was portrayed in DC Comics's Silver Age. The Stanley Cup is also visible in the room. Finally, the scene where Rob Cursor saves Matrix from being crushed by the falling masonry is reminiscent of Kirk's death scene from Star Trek Generations, as well as paraphrasing dialogue from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This episode was written by regular Star Trek writer D. C. Fontana. | |||||
| 30 (v3.2.3) | "Number 7" | Dan DiDio | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell, Dan DiDio & Ian Pearson | 1 October 1997 (Canada) 26 March 1998 (United Kingdom) 7 November 1998 (US) | |
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Entering a game, Matrix and AndrAIa find themselves back in Mainframe where Bob and Dot mistake Matrix and Andrea who are Rebooted into Megabyte and Hexadecimal, trying to find the mysterious number 1. Cultural references: The entire episode is a reference to the cult series The Prisoner. In the golf game cube at the end of the episode, Matrix and AndrAIa's opponents are a tiger, a sombrero, and a shark, a reference to famous golf pros Tiger Woods, Lee Travino, and Greg Norman. The tiger also bears a resemblance to Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes. Little Enzo's words, "there can be only one," is a reference to the film Highlander, and the image of Matrix after he is hit by the golf ball blob is another reference to The Prisoner, in which Number 6 is incapacitated by Rover (a weather balloon), thereafter to be dragged back to his villa. In addition, Phong has coffee delivered to him by a "9" sprite and asks him "How is your back, 9?" in reference to the last nine holes of a golf game. The song "Here Comes the Judge" by Pigmeat Markham is sung during the trial. | |||||
| 31 (v3.2.4) | "The Episode with No Name" | Adria Budd | Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 8 October 1997 (Canada) 2 April 1998 (United Kingdom) 21 November 1998 (US) | |
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Matrix and AndrAIa arrive in a system with a ports to the net making Mainframe that much closer. The Guardians however... are infected by a supervirus named Daemon, but Turbo, the Leader of the Guardians though infected is fighting it. He explains the only hope of defeating Daemon lies in Bob's protocol. Matrix must find Bob not only to return him home, but to save the net. Cultural references: Four Imperial stormtroopers are clearly seen walking through the streets of the desert town; and one is seen in the bar, which is a parody of a Star Wars cantina, though the scene (and a large part of the episode) are parodies of various Spaghetti Westerns. At one point when Matrix jumps, the sound effects and slow-mo are reminiscent of The Six Million Dollar Man. The search engine's vehicle says IMAX on the side. When Matrix runs off, chasing the thief, AndrAIa shouts after him, "stay frosty, Sparky," a reference to both Aliens and an earlier episode where Bob says something similar. While in the bar, Matrix has his gun target all the patrons and initiate "Death Blossom mode", taken from the movie The Last Starfighter. | |||||
| 32 (v3.3.1) | "Return of the Crimson Binome" | Christy Marx | Gavin Blair, Christy Marx, Dan DiDio, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 15 October 1997 (Canada) 9 April 1998 (United Kingdom) 28 November 1998 (US) | |
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When Matrix and AndrAIa find that Captain Capacitor's crew are being held in the portal system due to a new law enforced by the guardians. They attempt a prison break-in to free them to use their ship to return to Mainframe, and find a Web Surfer named Ray Tracer who agrees to help them. Matrix grows jealous of him when he flirts with AndrAIa. Notes: This was the last episode shown in Britain due to concerns that the show's themes were becoming more mature. | |||||
| 33 (v3.3.2) | "The Edge of Beyond" | Christy Marx | Gavin Blair, Christy Marx, Dan DiDio, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 22 October 1997 (Canada) 5 December 1998 (US) | |
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With Ray Tracer and Captain Capacitor and his crew, Matrix and AndrAIa enter the Web to find Bob and to return to Mainframe. They find themselves with a new goal after AndrAIa gets bitten by a Web Creature. Cultural references: Ray Tracer was named in a contest; the winning name came from Motorola, and Ray's icon symbol sometimes resembles the Motorola logo. (At other times, it is a stylized wave.) The language the Web Riders speak sounds similar to a low-speed dial-up modem. When AndrAIa first encounters the web creature, it seems to emerge from an egg that looks very similar to the way the eggs in the Alien franchise hatch. | |||||
| 34 (v3.3.3) | "Web Riders on the Storm" | Len Wein | Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Dan DiDio, Len Wein, Phil Mitchell & Marv Wolfman | 29 October 1997 (Canada) 12 December 1998 (US) | |
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The crew of the Saucy Mare encounter Web Riders, beings living in the web, who are not happy with their arrival in the Web. The crew must fight them off and time is running out for AndrAia. Cultural references: The episode's title is a pun on The Doors' song "Riders on the Storm." | |||||
| 35 (v3.3.4) | "Mousetrap" | Marv Wolfman | Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Dan DiDio, Len Wein, Phil Mitchell & Marv Wolfman | 5 November 1997 (Canada) 19 December 1998 (US) | |
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With Bob and a portal found, the Saucy Mare prepares to return to Mainframe, but Mouse has set traps that make the trip more difficult than expected. Cultural references: The "wriggles" that the surfer eats is possibly a lampoon of 'gagh', a Klingon food (from the Star Trek series) that also "wriggles all the way down". After the surfer eats it a web rider says, "You are a warrior, you have honour!", typical of something a Klingon would say. Matrix, in a conversation with Bob says "I've done – questionable things" with the same pause that Roy Batty takes when he says the same thing in Blade Runner. | |||||
| 36 (v3.4.1) | "Megaframe" | Katherine Lawrence | Gavin Blair, Katherine Lawrence, Dan DiDio, Phil Mitchell & Ian Pearson | 3 January 1998 (Canada) 26 December 1998 (US) | |
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The Saucy Mare arrives to a heavily damaged Mainframe, under the control of Megabyte. They are in preparation for an assault on the Principal Office and Bob gets abducted by Hexadecimal. Cultural references: Some of the binomes in the beginning resemble the Sailor Scouts from the anime Sailor Moon. One of Megabytes officer's remarks "Those rebel scum. Will they never learn?"—a line commonly used in Star Wars media. The code that Megabyte extracts from Phong translates from ASCII to the phrase "YADDAYADDAYADDA!" – exclamation point included. | |||||
| 37 (v3.4.2) | "Showdown" | Len Wein | Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Dan DiDio, Len Wein, Phil Mitchell & Marv Wolfman | 10 January 1998 (Canada) 2 January 1999 (US) | |
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Reunited with friends and family, Dot, AndrAIa, Mouse, Matrix and their group of binome rebels begin to invade the Principal Office, where Megabyte and his army await. Meanwhile Hexadecimal holds Bob against his will until he voluntarily does something benevolent for her. Matrix faces Megabyte alone before he escapes the system. Cultural references: The Saucy Mare's destruction (and the conversation between the captain and AndrAIa afterwards) is a reference to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Hex's response to Bob when he offers to heal her is taken from H.A.L. protesting his system's shutdown in 2001: A Space Odyssey. | |||||
| 38 (v3.4.3) | "System Crash" | Marv Wolfman | Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Dan DiDio, Len Wein, Phil Mitchell & Marv Wolfman | 17 January 1998 (Canada) 5 May 1999 (US) | |
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Megabyte is sent to The Web and Mainframe begins to crash. The Instability causes tears that allow saved User avatars from games of previous episodes to leak into the city and attack. While the protagonists fend them off, Bob tries to save the system by entering the core. Cultural references: Four binomes are dressed up as KISS. Another five are dressed and act like the girls of Sailor Moon. Fax Modem and Data Nully (the parodies of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully) appear, Modem is witnessed looking at two signs, one saying "B.C." and the other "L.A." (lampooning David Duchovny moving The X-Files production from Vancouver to Los Angeles). A binome wearing a fedora is chased by a giant 8-ball, just like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Bob goes into the Core in order to save Mainframe and is exposed to radiation. When Megabyte tells him there is nothing he can do, Bob replies with "I don't believe in the no-win scenario", a reference to Captain Kirk's line in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Afterwards, he asks: "System... out of danger?", another reference to Star Trek II, in which Spock asks, "Ship... out of danger?" after having exposed himself to radiation to save the Enterprise. | |||||
| 39 (v3.4.4) | "End Prog" | Ken Pontac | Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Dan DiDio, Len Wein, Phil Mitchell & Marv Wolfman | 24 January 1998 (Canada) 6 May 1999 (US) | |
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A game cube threatens to push the crashing Mainframe over the edge. The User restores the system, and everything returns to a functional state, effectively returning it to what it was before the war, with a few exceptions. A five minute musical summary of the episodes Web World Wars to End Prog plays beginning after the credits start to roll. Cultural references: Lieutenant Chauncy, on being cured by the User of Megabyte's infection, exclaims "Oh Great Norton's Ghost!", a reference to disk-recovery guru Peter Norton and the popular Norton Utilities software suite. The musical is performed to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Major-General's Song". | |||||
Season 4 (2001)
In its DVD release and original Canadian broadcast, the fourth season was initially presented as two films, and was then syndicated as separate episodes.
Daemon Rising
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 (v4.1.1) | "Daemon Rising" | George Roman Samilski | Ian Pearson, Gavin Blair and Ian Weir | 18 November 2001 (Canada), 19 October 2001 (US) | |
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The forces of Daemon have infected most of the net, and begin to invade Mainframe. Hexadecimal seals the system but at a certain cost. Cultural references: The game in this episode is a parody of both James Bond and Austin Powers films. Matrix is loaded as Dr. Evil and Enzo as Mini-Me. The UPC on the back of the DVD case Phong gives to Enzo is the actual UPC for the original Season 4 DVD release of ReBoot. | |||||
| 41 (v4.1.2) | "Cross Nodes" | George Roman Samilski | Ian Pearson, Gavin Blair and Ian Weir | 18 November 2001 (Canada), 19 October 2001 (US) | |
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Daemon continues to plan in order to retrieve Bob, who could help her infect the entire net. Matrix comes across a fully infected Turbo, and Hexadecimal experiences a certain change. Cultural references: The Stargate-style Gateway Command from "When Games Collide" is shown again. Also, Dot's father bears several similarities to the character Dr. Jackson in the Stargate movie and TV show, such as having theories about life off-world. Mike the TV sings a parody of a gospel song, while dressed up as James Brown in a scene borrowed from Blues Brothers 2000. The user in the game bears a strong resemblance to Brendan Fraser as he appears in the film The Mummy. Even the game itself is about mummies. The game's description also makes reference to Tomb Raider and upon Rebooting, Dot is disappointed she doesn't have "A pair of .45s" referencing to that game's protagonist Lara Croft. Phong makes reference to Otacon from Metal Gear when Dot does not respond. | |||||
| 42 (v4.1.3) | "What's Love Got To Do With It?" | George Roman Samilski | Ian Pearson, Gavin Blair and Ian Weir | 18 November 2001 (Canada), 26 October 2001 (US) | |
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Matrix and Mouse plan to stop Daemon after AndrAIa is infected by her. Meanwhile, Dot tries to get Hexadecimal to bring back her father. Bob attempts to cure Turbo but his code doesn't work. Cultural references: Bob flashbacks to his tutor Dixon Green, a reference to police show Dixon of Dock Green. Daemon slows down Matrix's bullet, referencing bullet time in The Matrix. Matrix was in a fighting game where he won a Hell in a Cell Match, he later goes on to the ring ropes and yells "AndrAIa" parodying Rocky Balboa's cry to his girlfriend Adrian at the end of the first Rocky movie. | |||||
| 43 (v4.1.4) | "Sacrifice" | George Roman Samilski | Ian Pearson, Gavin Blair, Phil Mitchell and Ian Weir | 18 November 2001 (Canada), 2 November 2001 (US) | |
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With Matrix, AndrAIa and Mouse converted, Daemon travels to Mainframe herself to complete her plans. Enzo finds himself the only one who can turn the tide, until Hexadecimal gets power from Mainframes core. Cultural references: Daemon is revealed to be a cron virus, and everything she infected will self-destruct at a scheduled time. In a Unix system, the cron process runs regularly scheduled tasks. | |||||
My Two Bobs
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 (v4.2.1) | "My Two Bobs" | Steve Ball | Ian Pearson, Gavin Blair, Raul Inglis and Phil Mitchell | 25 November 2001 (Canada), 9 November 2001 (US) | |
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With the Daemon threat gone, a second Bob appears in Mainframe, leaving Dot with a difficult decision as to which one to marry. Meanwhile Matrix and "New Bob" deal with a game as "Glitch Bob" questions if he is in fact a copy. Cultural references: The beginning is somewhat similar to the classic series The Brady Bunch. The game is a parody of the Pokémon games, with the player being a parody of a Dragon Ball Z character. When Matrix goes to attack the user Bob shouts out, "stop trying to hit him and hit him." This is a reference to the Matrix. The Pokémon style game they are playing is called "Pantsu Hebi X", a potentially R-rated title as it literally translates to "Underwear (or trouser) Snake X" in Japanese. | |||||
| 45 (v4.2.2) | "Life's a Glitch" | Steve Ball | Ian Pearson and Gavin Blair | 25 November 2001 (Canada), 16 November 2001 (US) | |
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'Glitch-Bob' thinks about separating Glitch from himself to return to his normal self. Matrix, AndrAIa, Enzo, Phong, and "New Bob" deal with a game that has a familiar User. Cultural references: Hack and Slash are ReBooted into two soda/soft drink cans called "POKE" and "PEEK", two commands used in the BASIC programming language. In addition, Hack and Slash are red and blue cans of soda. Poke (a word similar to Coke) is on the red can, while Peek (in reference to Pepsi) is on the blue can. Phong reboots into a container of Yogurt, and he speaks in the sentence structure and voice of Yoda, or more specifically, of Yogurt, the Yoda parody character from Spaceballs. There is also a reference to Star Trek – when Glitch-Bob is trying to remove Glitch from himself he steps into a teleporter from Star Trek. Prior to this, on his first attempt to separate himself and Glitch, Bob uses what looks like the telepods from The Fly. As he steps in, Bob assumes the same pose as Jeff Goldblum in the film. When his final attempt fails and he is frozen, Bob assumes the pose of Han Solo frozen in carbonite. There are other Star Wars references, with little Enzo pod racing and big Enzo's doll looking like Darth Vader, as well as the "Use the sauce" line. | |||||
| 46 (v4.2.3) | "Null-Bot of the Bride" | Steve Ball | Ian Pearson, Gavin Blair, Raul Inglis and Phil Mitchell | 25 November 2001 (Canada), 23 November 2001 (US) | |
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With "Glitch-Bob" incapacitated in the Supercomputer, Dot decides to marry the new Bob, but as "Glitch-Bob" regains his health and original form, the new arrival is revealed to be a disguised Megabyte. Cultural references: The episode title and the events surrounding the wedding preparations recall the Father of the Bride films, both the originals and the Steve Martin remakes. | |||||
| 47 (v4.2.4) | "Crouching Binome, Hidden Virus" | Steve Ball | Ian Pearson, Gavin Blair, Raul Inglis and Phil Mitchell | 25 November 2001 (Canada), 30 November 2001 (US) | |
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With Megabyte now a shape-shifting Trojan horse virus, Bob, Dot and the others attempt to track him down and capture him. However, Megabyte tricks them and seizes control of the Principal Office, and swears revenge in the form of a Predatory Hunt. The series concluded with a cliffhanger ending. In 2008, Rainmaker attempted a continuation via the web-comic "Paradigms Lost" written by Jeffrey Campbell, but it remains uncanonical to the series proper. Cultural references: Mike the TV (a disguised Megabyte trying to incite panic) asks the rhetorical question "Is that really your pussy, Mrs. Slocombe?!". This is in reference to the BBC television series Are You Being Served?, in which the character Mrs. Slocombe owns a cat that she always refers to as her pussy. The scene in which two binomes drive over a bridge and send members of the "neo-virals" flying is a parody of the scene in The Blues Brothers, in which the brothers drove over a bridge and disrupted a neo-Nazi demonstration. As well, the license plate of their car reads BDR 529, that being the license plate number of the Blues Brothers' car. The last police unit at the bridge has the ID A12, a reference to police TV series Adam-12. The title is a pun on the Chow Yun Fat film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The "Gateway Command" design is from Stargate. "Don't you love it when a plan comes together?" was a catchphrase from The A-Team. | |||||
Special
| # | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (v0.1) | "Fast Forward: The Making of ReBoot" | Unaired (Canada, US) | |
| An un-aired special meant to be shown between seasons 1 and 2, giving viewers an inside look as to how ReBoot is created, along with its humble beginnings. Tony Jay reprises his role as Megabyte to introduce the special, as well as lead another one of his attempted take-over plans. | |||
External links
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