Robot Wars Series VIII - Week 3 Discussion
Getting onto week three now, I feel like we're getting a better overall picture of the show and its production. Certainly quite an exciting episode, once again spoilers from here on for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
Well, I don't think anyone expected Overdozer to go far, I certainly didn't. But honestly I think it's a shame they didn't make a bigger deal out of the fact that the robot had been built in a matter of days. Certainly a fine effort, but misplaced on a wooden robot that's so far under the weight limit. One thing I didn't see coming was what happened to Orte. It looked like a decent machine, from the ever-reputable Bigger Brother team, but I don't think we saw a single flip out of it. Once chop from Big Nipper or Supernova and it was gone. A real shame that it barely got a look in. Speaking of Supernova, it really was looking dangerous as it has before, but I think some bad luck combined with a very compact robot lost them the fight. I'm pretty sure it's exactly the same design as in earlier wars, and I honestly feel like they could do with trying something new. Glitterbomb seemed largely ineffectual, and I feel the general design was misguided. I'm not sure how true the whole 'child dictates the entire design process' story is, but it certainly appeared that way. That said, they were unlucky with their pneumatics, which happens constantly as we know.
As for King B, I really was hoping to see the team's ingenuity shine through, but it seemed very little had changed design-wise since their last entry. I was hoping they'd win something for once, but the more they got into fights, the worse they seemed to do. I will say though, I'm not quite sure why Matilda was allowed to flip King B out after such a short time of getting stuck on the side wall. In previous wars we've seen the robot get counted out by Refbot, or more often the opponent has attempted an OOTA themselves. I almost feel like Matilda came in because the staff knew Dantomkia wouldn't engage again, and didn't want a boring last half of the battle. Obviously we don't have a Refbot these days to count people out, but it certainly seemed more decisive when we did. Speaking of the House Robots though, it was nice to see Killalot getting stuck in this time, really pressurising the likes of Big Nipper and even getting stuck on the arena wall. Still no major damage done by the House Robots, that I've seen though. From seeing Big Nipper's interchangeable weaponry this time around, they were one of my favourite robots, and it's a shame they didn't do better. Had they been put in against fewer flippers, I think they might've fared better, but sadly it wasn't to be. I hope to still keep seeing them on the live circuit though.
Now, onto Dantomkia. Considering what happened with Team Foxic last week, I'm going to reserve my judgement, but honestly the footage of them that we did see made me want them to lose at all costs as the show went on. Whether this is entirely Mentorn's doing or partly the team's, there is something I seriously don't like about it. Whether or not you like trash talk, the way it's framed on TV at least seemed to make Team Captain Shane Swan look terrible, and this needless lack of humility (which again, might just be Mentorn's doing) is nothing like previous Robot Wars series. I've been re-watching Series 7 recently and, though we saw less of the teams, they all at least appeared a lot more humble. If Mentorn want to somehow drive me away from my favourite show of all time with needless fake drama, that's the right way to go about it. I hope we don't see any more. TR2 was honestly the dark horse of this heat for me. Having seen them on the competitor's list I never gave them a second glance, and though their 'axe' is pathetic, they've built an incredibly solid machine. They beat Dantomkia into submission twice, and I really do wish them the best for the final. Having a family effort headed by a fifteen-year-old is especially impressive.
A final few thoughts:
-The sound design is still bugging me. I know I said I'd shut up about it but now I've realised that they're actually adding sounds in. Any argument for the lack of music enabling us to hear the battle better is basically nullified since two robots bashing together somehow makes exactly the same clang as Shunt's axe does when it comes down. I know they used to add sounds in previous series, but aren't we a little past that now?
-Like I said, I've recently been rewatching series 7, and somehow the new series seems less tense in comparison. I think this is because robots are not eliminated as soon as they lose a fight. Obviously this is both a good and a bad thing, but being in this weird place where any of the four robots could be the winner for most of the show, somehow doesn't quite feel right. All credit to Dara, he's usually very funny in a clever way, but he creates nowhere near the level of hype that Craig used to. I know it's technically a different show now, and I shouldn't compare it too harshly, but I wouldn't be surprised if they pick a new, more excitable presenter for next time.
-I honestly thought Lucy Rodgers' bit of robotics talk was a little underwhelming - it was almost as if she didn't quite get enough time to go into her field of expertise, compared to the other two. We saw no inner workings of the animatronics, really just flowchart code. It wasn't bad by any stretch, just a little underwhelming compared to the other two, animatronics having been around for a long time now, and certainly not an advance in robotics.
I know it might seem like I was more critical on this episode than the others, but I did still enjoy it immensely. For me the first episode was still my favourite though, and I criticise because I genuinely want the show to go on and do well, as I'm sure most of us do.
