As luck would have it, Justin Beaver is in town right now doing an autograph signing, and he's scheduled for a concert that weekend. Unfortunately, their efforts to investigate are stymied by the fact that only music industry professionals are allowed where they need to go. However, Sonic comes up with a plan: he, Tails, and Knuckles form their own boy band, "Dreamboat Express", passing themselves off as Justin's opening act so they can get into the music industry professionals-only area.
They conveniently arrive just in time to hear the evil scheme: Justin's manager, Dixon, has embedded a method of mind control in Justin's music, intended to turn any females that hear it into mindless consumer zombies, which will make him filthy rich. Sonic and the others manage to escape and try to warn Amy and Sticks, but they don't believe them because they're still smitten with Justin. However, now Tails comes up with a plan: if the mind control is embedded in Justin's music, there must be an opposite sound frequency to counter it. Thus, he invents a device he calls the "Measure-o-meter" to find it.
Of course, the Measure-o-meter requires that they get close enough for it to measure Justin's music, so at the concert, Dreamboat Express takes the stage and challenges Justin to a sing-off. They hold their own for a while, but then Justin hits them with a long extended note. This, however, tells Tails exactly what they need to counter the mind control, and Dreamboat Express quickly shifts gears to become the rock-and-roll band, "Dude-itude". Their rock-and-roll defeats Justin, and frees the girls in the audience, as well as Justin himself, from Dixon's mind control.
Tropes featured in this episode:
- Beautiful Singing Voice: Sonic has this, and it must be heard to be believed, so much so, in fact, that his voice actor, Roger Craig Smith, says that this is his favorite episode of the show.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Justin Beaver's producer exploited him and his fans using mind control in order to make money off his sub-standard merchandise. Fortunately, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles manage to foil his plans with their own music.
- Exact Eavesdropping: Subverted. When Sonic, Tails and Knuckles make it backstage, they listen in on a conversation between Beaver's manager and producer... which turns out to be a bland discussion of scheduling issues, which leads Tails to remark, "I guess it makes sense that he wouldn't conveniently reveal his evil scheme the exact moment we happened to be listening." Immediately after that, however...Producer: Shifting gears completely, how's our evil scheme coming along?
- Exploding Calendar: When Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles form their own boy band, they have to come up with a name, and a montage is shown. This includes the usual montage tropes, such as the Wastebasket Ball and Spinning Clock Hands. Then we see pages coming off the calendar, only to subvert it, when Sonic reveals it was Knuckles:Sonic: Knuckles, stop tearing pages off that calendar!
- Furry Confusion: Uh, Sticks? "Fat cat" isn't nearly as pejorative in a world of talking animals.
- Hypocritical Humor: In response to Sticks agreeing with her about Justin Beaver:Amy: I knew I could rely on Sticks to be the voice of reason.
- "I Know What We Can Do" Cut: Sonic pulls one of these:Tails: How are we gonna convince this guy we're in the music biz?
Sonic: I know just what to do...
(cut to Sonic's shack)
Sonic: We'll form our very own boy band!
Tails: Did you really have to bring us all the way down here to finish that sentence?- Tails then does it later:
Tails: Don't worry. I know just what to do...
(cut to Tails' workshop)
Tails: Since the mind control is embedded in Justin's music track, there must be an opposite sound frequency that could counter it. Just need to find it. Thus, the Measure-o-meter!
Sonic: It's fun to bring people a long way to finish a sentence, isn't it?
Tails: It really is! - Immune to Mind Control: The mind control in Justin's music only works on females. Therefore, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are unaffected.
- Ladies and Germs: Courtesy of Knuckles:Knuckles: Ladies and, uh...ladies, prepare for the bad-boy musical stylings of... Dude-itude!
- Limited Wardrobe: While heading to an autograph signing, Amy says she'll be wearing the only set of clothes she owns. Sticks agrees.
- Mind-Control Music: Justin Beaver's music has a mind control method in it designed to turn any girls that hear it into mindless consumer zombies.
- Mythology Gag: This isn't the first time Sonic has played a triple-necked guitar.
- However, this is the first time in the entire franchise alone to have Tails and Knuckles sing.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Justin Beaver is an Expy of Justin Bieber.
- Palette Swap: Justin Beaver's producer is basically the photographer's assistant with a wine jacket and a pink and wine checkered cap. Also, if you look closely at the crowd that shows up at Justin Beaver's concert, you can see a Lady Goat in a yellow dress, various pink Lady Goats in magenta dresses, a purple Zooey, various Lady Walruses in yellow dresses, a pink Lady Walrus in a purple dress, and various Percis with blue hoodies and boots.
- This is most likely due to the show's limited budget concerning character creations.
- Rock Trio: Sonic is the lead singer and guitarist, Tails is the bassist, and Knuckles is the drummer.
- Running Gag: Every time Justin signs a fan's autograph, he says "You're the only fan I care about".
- Self-Deprecation:Dreamboat Express: You should expect the expected, and nothing more,
'Cause you've all heard this song and dance before,
Our moves are stale, and our harmony's bland,
'Cause we're just another - whoo - generic boy band!
Yo, yo, yo! We're bringing it weak, and we're bringing it lame,
Whatever we can do to keep it all the same,
We're focus-tested, and radio-friendly,
Tails: The only thing that matters is that we stay trendy!
Dreamboat Express: You should expect the expected, and nothing more,
'Cause you've all heard this song and dance before,
Our phoney-baloney image is bland,
'Cause we're just another - huh - generic boy band! - Shout-Out:
- Further explained in the Mythology Gag example above, Sonic plays a triple-necked guitar.
- As confirmed by writer Alan Denton, the music Dude-itude plays to free the audience from the mind control is based on "Give it Away" and "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- Squee: Amy and Sticks in reaction to assorted Beaver developments, much to the irritation of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and their eardrums.
- Start My Own: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles start their own boy band so they can investigate the "Beaver Fever" phenomenon.
- Take That!: The concept and appeal of boy bands is amusingly torn apart and criticized, not to mention the fact that the star, Justin Beaver, is totally not Justin Bieber, a singer who is constantly mocked for various reasons.
- Truck Driver's Gear Change: When Justin hits them with a long, extended note during the sing-off, Tails' Measure-o-meter is able to counter the mind control the girls are under, and so Dreamboat Express shift performance gears to become Dude-itude, whose power of rock is able to break the girls out of the mind control.Amy: What happened? Where are we?
Sticks: I don't know, but listen to that sweet guitar solo! - Who Would Be Stupid Enough?: Sonic states that the "Beaver Fever" going around is just a marketing ploy to sell sub standard music to gullible teenage girls, and wonders who could possibly fall for it. Cue Amy entering, covered in Justin Beaver merchandise.
- Who Writes This Crap?!: Upon the guys attempting to inform Amy and Sticks about this (to no avail), Knuckles relates how the producer described the plan right in front of them.Knuckles: Talk about lazy writing!
