Sonic The Hedgehog 1 & 2 Recaps: Before You Watch Knuckles

PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Paramount+ to bring you up to speed with Sonic The Hedgehog before you watch Knuckles, streaming now.

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. Watching the first two Sonic films transported me back to being a little kid playing video games, sending Sonic flying with somersaults and collecting a gazillion gold rings.

Paramount+ has just dropped the new series Knuckles, which is all about Sonic’s (Ben Schwartz) former rival-turned-BFF, Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba). It follows Knuckles as he adjusts to life on earth, and the warrior fills in his time by training up Deputy Sheriff Wade Whipple (Adam Pally).

*The sweetest family. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

The six-episode series slots in between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (with the latter being released later this year), so if you’ve got a terrible memory (guilty), you might need a refresher.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

A full recap of Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Sonic’s tragic backstory

The first film begins with a bit of backstory about why our blue hedgehog is constantly on the run. Years ago, on an unknown planet, Sonic attracted trouble by showing off his superpowers. After being attacked by a group of echidnas, his guardian – an owl named Longclaw (Donna J. Fulks) – gifted Sonic a bag of gold rings that allow him to transport between worlds. She uses one ring to send him to Earth, where he settles in Montana.

Teenage Sonic breaks his cover after causing a power cut in the Pacific Northwest

As a teen, Sonic is keeping to himself and living in a cave in Green Hills. He wistfully watches sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his wife go about their everyday life, and it’s obvious that he’s lonely.

Sonic is in hiding and has managed to not draw attention to himself, but everything changes when he treats himself to a jaunt around a baseball field. While playing baseball, he reaches a high speed, giving off energy that causes a power cut throughout the Pacific Northwest.

*The moustache really hits home that he’s a ~villain~. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

Dr. Robotnik starts to track Sonic down

After the U.S. Department of Defense is notified about the power outage, they send Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to find the culprit. The roboticist uses drones to find Sonic’s footprints, so it’s only a matter of time before Sonic is found.

Sonic is captured by Tom Wachowski and he loses his bag of golden rings

The hedgehog concedes that he’s no longer safe on Planet Earth after his baseball antics, so decides to leave. As he’s preparing for the journey to another planet, he’s discovered by Tom, who captures him by using an animal tranquiliser.

*(Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

There’s another spanner in the works as well: Sonic mistakenly opens a portal to San Francisco with one of his rings during the scuffle, and his bag of golden rings now sits on the roof of the Transamerica Pyramid.

Tom and Sonic bond while travelling to San Francisco

After Sonic pleads with Tom to help him, the pair narrowly escape Robotnik and head to San Francisco. The buddies end up working on Sonic’s bucket list, while also fighting off Robotnik along the way.

*The cutest duo we never knew we needed. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

Robotnik discovers Sonic’s powers and his drone injures him

After Robotnik finds out one of Sonic’s quills contains unlimited energy and can be used in his inventions, he concocts a plan to capture Sonic and use the hedgehog to power his evil machines.

While Sonic and Tom are in a bar, the duo engage in a big fight with one of Robotnik’s robotic drones. Sonic manages to defeat the machine, but is also knocked out after it explodes unexpectedly.

Sonic gets treated by Tom’s wife Maddie in San Francisco

Tom gets Sonic to San Francisco safely and brings him to his sister Rachel’s (Natasha Rothwell) house. He is taken care of by his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) and gifted new shoes by Tom’s niece, before the group make their way to retrieve their rings from the Transamerica Pyramid.

The final showdown on the Transamerica Pyramid

Sonic and his friends head to the Transamerica Pyramid and manage to collect the bag of rings, but Robotnik appears above them in a hovercraft, which is powered by Sonic’s quill.

*Missiles have nothing on Sonic’s super speed! (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

Sonic uses his superspeed to save both Tom and Maddie, pushing them through a ring that takes them back to Green Hills, Montana. However, his super speed is matched by Robotnik, who is using Sonic’s quill for super speed.

Sonic uses his rings as he fights Robotnik around the world, before ending up in Green Hills.

Robotnik nearly kills Sonic

In Green Hills, Robotnik hits Sonic with a laser shot which almost ends the hedgehog’s life. Tom fiercely defends his new friend, fighting with Robotnik and awakening Sonic.

After the hedgehog digs deep and glows bright blue, he announces that he will no longer be on the run, destroying Robotnik’s hovercraft and banishing the scientist to another world by using a golden ring.

Sonic is adopted by Tom and Maddie

After saving the world, Sonic is adopted by Tom and Maddie and is able to live a normal life. However, Robotnik isn’t dead. He’s living on a planet covered with mushrooms, and is scheming on how to return to Earth and get his revenge.

*Jim Carrey is incred in this role. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

A full recap of Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic’s parents leave him home alone while they attend a wedding

It’s been eight months since Sonic was adopted by Tom and Maddie, and the trio feel safe knowing Robotnik has been banished to another planet. The couple leave Sonic at home alone for the weekend for Rachel’s wedding, without knowing there’s danger on the horizon.

Robotnik and Knuckles attack Sonic

Knuckles the Echidna helps to free Robotnik, and the pair attack Sonic at his home. Knuckles is able to match Sonic’s superspeed with his superpowers, but a two-tailed fox called Miles ‘Tails’ Prower (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) rescues Sonic.

*Sonic always manages to get himself into sticky situations. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

Sonic, Tails and Longclaw search for the Master Emerald

Tails informs Sonic that Knuckles is from the original Echidna tribe that was wiped out by Sonic’s guardian, Longclaw. Suddenly, a hologram of Longclaw appears, who says that Sonic needs to protect the Master Emerald. It’s a special green gemstone that has tremendous power – the ability to turn thoughts into reality.

Sonic and Tails follow clues on a map gifted to him from Longclaw to Siberia, where they find a compass.

Knuckles and Robotnik steal Sonic’s compass

Knuckles and Robotnik track Sonic and Tails down and the two groups engage in a fight. After Robotnik’s missile injures Tails, Sonic chooses to save Tails from an avalanche instead of going after the compass.

After Robotnik makes fun of Sonic for putting Tails first, Knuckles begins to have doubts about working with the scientist.

*Knuckles was introduced in the second film. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

Sonic is arrested by G.U.N. agents

Sonic uses a ring to escape from Siberia to Hawaii, where Tom and Maddie are attending Rachel’s wedding. It’s a short reprieve though, as it turns out the wedding was a trap. Everybody at the wedding – including Rachel’s fiancé – are Guardian Units of Nations agents looking to capture other-worldly threats, like Sonic.

Sonic, Tails and Tom are arrested, but a jilted Rachel and Maddie manage to rescue the trio. Sonic decides to go after Robotnik and Knuckles himself, since Tails is injured.

Robotnik and Knuckles find the Master Emerald

Robotnik and Knuckles use the compass to find the Master Emerald in a temple, but Sonic turns up and engages in battle with Knuckles.

While Sonic and Knuckles are busy fighting, Robotnik steals the Master Emerald for himself and absorbs the power into his body. Now that the Master Emerald has been removed, the temple starts to disintegrate into the sea. Knuckles gets trapped under rubble with the sea levels rising around him, but with the help of Tails in a biplane, Sonic rescues Knuckles and the pair begin a tentative friendship.

*The Master Emerald. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles fight Robotnik and his giant robot

The trio head back to Green Hills, where Robotnik has created a huge robot called the Death Egg Robot. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails use their combined powers to defeat the robot and Robotnik’s drones, managing to get their hands on the Master Emerald.

Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic

The Master Emerald breaks in all the mayhem, becoming the seven Chaos Emeralds. It looks like Robotnik is finally about to crush Sonic, but the injured hedgehog absorbs the Chaos Emeralds and turns him into Super Sonic.

Super Sonic manages to defeat the Death Egg Robot and Robotnik, before giving up the Chaos Emeralds to return to normal life.

*One of the most epic moments in the second film. (Image Credit: Paramount Pictures Australia)*

However, the film hints at more trouble to come, with G.U.N discovering that Robotnik had previously been working on a project called Project Shadow. Intriguing!

There you have it! I’m interested to see what gets revealed in Knuckles, but I’m hoping we see more of his unique friendship with Sonic grow, now that the pair have gotten over their differences.

It’ll be fun to see if there are any hints about Project Shadow dropped in the series, or if it focuses more on Knuckle’s life in Green Hills.

Knuckles is streaming only on Paramount+ now.