The Molly Debate (Part 1)

In 2006, when Sonic X was still airing, the death of a character, Molly, was censored. 

As a whole, I liked the dub just fine. Despite a few changes here and there honestly most of the episodes are pretty much the same.

I recently watched a comparison of Molly's death--I had seen both episodes in the past but it's been a while. To my surprise, there were still people whining about Molly's death. As if the episode aired yesterday.

I've been back and forth on this, to be honest. Originally I thought it was fine. At least 4kids didn't cut the episode.

Later, I'd think Molly's death was a huge part of season 3, but honestly it's not. Either end is the same: Shadow takes his own path, like in the games. And now I see it as sort of cliche--Shadow meets another young girl and she dies within the same episode she debuts? Come on.

The scene looks really awkward, too--Shadow randomly flies to Molly's ship and still can't save her. What happened to teleportation, huh?

Still, "A Revolutionary Tale" was the only episode that made me question the dub's capability. This wasn't just cutting out a gun or making a sign blank. This was completely transforming the ending to something with less impact.

So welcome to "the Molly Debate."

Episode 1: The More Things Change...

Eggman and Crew "help" some local rebels. This resistance has been fighting the Meterex for years, and are growing tired. Though Molly--associating Shadow with local legend--believes they have a chance, her fellow fighters betray her. After his encounter with Molly, Shadow separates from Eggman and follows his own path against the Meterex.

The episode is a great science fiction based story. The "resistance" may have been inspired by Star Wars or the Terminator, or perhaps even past Sonic cartoons. The mystic "Black Wind" story is also interesting (especially since Sonic is usually the one described like "the wind").

Hey, they did dress kinda' like Cyrus.

Diverging from the main plot, the entire episode focused on Shadow, Rouge, and Eggman rather than Sonic/the "good guys." An odd occurrence only rivaled by Season 1's "Adventures of Knuckles and Hawk," which mainly starred Knuckles rather than Sonic. As a result, this one has a rare anti-hero/"spin-off" style to it.

Unlike most aliens introduced in Season 3, Molly, Leon, and others in the group are human in appearance. What's more, the ships and fighters used resemble the same enemies of Lucas (Dark Oak) and Earthia's (Cosmo's people). This is a hint at their past and why the Meterex are set on destroying them.

Though often remembered as an important moment for Shadow, the events--or perhaps Shadow's reaction to them--affected Rouge. Previously she made it clear she was only out in space for her own gain, but after seeing the severity of the situation she later accompanies Shadow on his journey to stop the Meterex.

Due to the fascinating concepts in the story, the effects on the characters involved, and Molly herself, the episode sticks out.

But is Molly's death the key to the episode, or do the elements stand without it? Was 4kids justified or delusional? Let's see...