Speed Racer: TNG S2 E1

So, for season 2, the animation, layout, and 3D effects were outsourced to Toonz Entertainment in India. I'd say that the animation has improved a bit, but not a lot. Also, season 1 finished airing in 2009, but season 2 wouldn't start airing until two years later. And then after fifteen episodes, the show would stop airing again for another two years, until it finally ended on August 25th, 2013, by airing one of the two episodes that wasn't a three parter, except this one didn't fit anywhere chronologically in the series, seemingly making it non-canon. Also, the actual series finale ended on a cliffhanger. I hate it when they do that. Peter Fernandez had passed away by this point, and Greg Abbey replaced him. I think he does a pretty good job. And if I'm being perfectly honest with myself, I like him better as Speed Sr. I know Fernandez was the original voice for him in the 1960s, but hearing the exact same voice come out of him as Spritle was just weird for me, even if the two are supposed to be brothers.

## Plot

Speed shows off the new gasless engine to his dad. The shadow woman tells Zile to get the Mach 6, or else. So, I guess she's given him another chance? He plans to take the Mach 6 by force again, and honestly expects it to go better than last time. Lucy and Conor meet Speed Sr. X is less than pleased to see him again after so many years. He tells Speed that he has a nasty habit of running off, so he shouldn't get too attached. Speed Sr. explains that he went into hiding to escape his enemies, and keep tabs on any schemes to sabotage the gasless engine, or hurt his sons. Chim-Chim gets an alert, and everyone sees that the Mach 6 has been taken from the garage. Luckily, it's equipped with a GPS, so Conor can track it. Speed and X want to go after Zile, but their dad doesn't think that's a good idea. X tells him that they're not kids anymore. He tells Conor and Lucy to stay at the garage to help them track Zile, and says he and Speed can take the Mach 5. Speed points out that he destroyed it, but his dad doesn't offer an explanation for that. He just says that he'll drive. When they catch up to Zile, he deploys his goons. They easily take care of them and the twins. Chim-Chim frees the Mach 6, and Speed gets inside. Also, it's bigger than the classic Mach 5. Annalise and Zile's cars are wrecked. They and Stan are arrested. The twins are glad they hung back, since even they're not dumb enough to want to go to prison. The shadow woman tells the men in black that they have no further business to conduct with Zile. Lucy is glad that Speed made it out in one piece, and hugs him. Aw! Also, yes! Blatant ship tease, which will finally get resolved this season! Unfortunately, Speed Sr. has to leave again, since this runs deeper than he thought. It'll be too dangerous for them to know where he is, but he can contact them on a special phone that he gives to Speed, who hugs him. He leaves when everyone else turns away. X still hasn't forgiven him. Later that night, Conor notices some strange energy readings coming from the Mach 6.

## Review

So, this season premiere basically resets things. For one thing, X stays at the school instead of going pro, despite accepting the offer at the end of the previous season. I know animation generally takes a long time, regardless of the actual quality of the end product, and two years did pass in real life, but how did they forget so many hanging plot threads from the first season? Heck, even in between episodes of the first season, it felt like the writers forgot or changed things partway through for no apparent reason, and it always bugged me.