So, we have our G.I. Robot episode. We’re back with the first new installment of Creature Commandos following the two-episode premiere of the show, and things are accelerating quickly now with the show following an established formula. With that said, the series has found its rhythm and delivers an excellent overall result.
Let’s look at the successful dive into the backstory of G.I. Robot in “Cheers to the Tin Man.”
Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 3 – “Cheers to the Tin Man”
Barring the uneven introductory episode, Creature Commandos found its footing in the second episode by focusing the action on The Bride. This week, with an exploration into the tragedy of G.I. Robot, the show fires on all cylinders presenting deepening relationships, exciting DC Comics lore, and a curious tease at something far more significant in the works for later in the season, and maybe even the larger DCU.
The Good – G.I. Robot’s Finest Hour
I admit I have a bias coming into approaching the episode because I love robots. I find robotic characters fascinating and connect with them easily. So I was already predisposed to whatever we were going to get with G.I. Robot. Beyond that, however, the episode is just plain good. G.I.’s backstory is appropriately emotional and makes sense for the setting, and it weaves in with the Pokolistan events in a clever way.
G.I. Robot is a fun character, ably voiced by Sean Gunn, who imbues the character with a kind of naive earnestness that is pretty charming. Connecting G.I. Robot to Sgt. Rock and Easy Company was a delight and laid the groundwork for some weird WWII stories of the rumored Sgt. Rock movie happens.
The pleasure and dismay of G.I. Robot’s story is because of the earnestness. G.I. Robot does one thing, and does it well: kill Nazis. He was purpose-made for it and is downright efficient at it. We also get little glimpses at a developing intellect and personality that extends beyond his programming that develops as he encounters people in his life and builds experiences in the complex and messy world of post-war America where the presence of Nazism isn’t so black and white.
He’s tragic in that he does what his limited program tells him is right, callously used and abandoned, and then punished for existing in the way in which he was designed. But his inability to learn and adapt as tragic as that makes him, makes him monstrous as well. He is a product of war and not given a chance to move beyond it. There is horror in that, but one that might be overcome with, unironically, the power of friendship.
But for a few glorious moments in the present-day action at the royal castle, he gets to fly, literally, and do what he does best. Kill Nazis – of a sort. Close enough.
Machinations and Schemes – Outside of G.I. Robot
Beyond G.I. Robot, we have a barely functional Task Force M that is still getting in sync. They can stop Circe, quite violently, but something feels amiss as a result, with the scheming sorceress claiming something worse is bound to happen. Is it a bluff, or might there be more to Princess Ilana than she has let on? We’ll find out next week.
As for the highlights of the team, Weasel and Doctor Phosphorus’s combat skills were on full display. Given the Bride’s spotlight last week, we don’t see much of her beyond gunslinging. Nina spent most of the episode in a bathtub but offers the strongest link between G.I. Robot and the current narrative, genuinely mourning the apparent death of the automaton.
The most interesting of these beats in the episode was the look of alarm on Flag Sr.’s face upon seeing the monsters unleashed. “You wanted Monsters,” the Bride tells him. Monsters indeed. He’s already been nearly killed by Phosphorus. The monsters have a tendency not to behave like good soldiers. Might we see a hardening of Flag into a Waller replacement? Time will tell.
The Bad
There isn’t a lot to criticize with this week’s episode. Again, I fully admit I have a bias for robot stories, so there may be things I have overlooked regarding the episode. I think, structurally, this episode shows that the monster-of-the-week format pays off, especially given the short runtimes of the episodes. We also get a second weak of a “life story” here as well, as both the Bride and G.I. Robot endured decades of hardship before they found their way into Belle Reve.
I don’t know if that approach will land as well for the third time in a row, however. It looks to me that maybe Weasel’s backstory could cover a shorter period in the fourth episode, which I think could break things up enough.
I think taking G.I. Robot out of commission in this episode is a smart move, but as he is a robot, I fully expect him to be rebuilt. If this ends up being the last we see of him, I’ll feel less happy with the episode, but for less than an hour of screen time, they’ve done well to make him a fairly endearing character.
The Monstrous – G.I. Robot
So, G.I. Robot is a moniker shared across a few robots over the decades, but this version of him feels most closely aligned with the original, “Joe.” However, I do see a bit of J.A.K.E. 1 and 2 within the design and functionality. The implication he was modified by Dr. Will Wagnus with additional functionality.
Regrettably, we don’t know much about G.I. Robot of the DCU beyond his work with Easy Company, but a future weird WWII movie may be a great way to develop the character further, and I hope that is the case. It may make the sting of potentially losing him in this third episode a little less painful.
Continuity Notes
- Oh boy, as a fan of The New Frontier, I was feasting this episode. I’ve heard the rumors of the DCU maybe tackling The Circle from the Darwyn Cooke series and the presence of Sgt. Rock and Easy Company has me hoping that ends up happening. Throw in Blackhawk and maybe we have the ultimate weird WWII movie.
- We have a Hub City mention! The Question is in my top five DC characters and number one Charlton character. You can’t just name-drop Hub City in your shiny new cinematic universe like that without some plan for the question, either Vic or Renee.
- Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man and Crimson Centipede, in one episode? Now these are some fun cameos.
- Yes, that is Michael Rooker of the revolving cast of James Gunn players voicing the seemingly nice neo-Nazi. Michael Rooker seems to be a lovely guy – but he often plays characters who are not.
- The amount of damage Circe took is truly frightening. I wonder what healthcare is like in the state of the DCU. No wonder Rick Flag was looking a little perturbed.
- Alright, let’s get to the Dr Will Magnus scene. I think G.I. Robot being a foundational part of the design of his Metal Men is a nice touch and does a great job making this new universe weave together decades of characters. I am not sure what the plans are for the Metal Men, but it’s nice to give Alan Tudyk yet another character to play.
- Needle drops this week: The Dresden Dolls with “Coin-Operated Boy” and Mount Righteous with “The Feeling You Bring.”
- On that note, I haven’t listed all the other songs, but thankfully there is an ever-expanding official playlist on Spotify.
Mission Rating
Maybe it’s just my pro-robot bias, but this was a fantastic episode of Creature Commandos and the best one yet. G.I. Robot has a very simple tragicomic story that works well in a short runtime of the episodes and benefits greatly from the jump between decades. The recursive nature of nazism between WWII and the modern day (specifically the 1990s or so in Hub City) also lines up with current events today, giving “Cheers to the Tin Man” some extra depth.
When it comes to Nazis, go out with a smile on your face, guns-a-blazin’, to “Coin Operated Boy.”
Episode three is five out of five ghost emoji.
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Creature Commandos is currently streaming on MAX.
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