Hello all! Welcome back to my weekly reviews of Infinity Train. Last week we discussed episodes 3 and 4 of Book 1, ‘The Corgi Car’ and ‘The Crystal Car’. This week we reach the halfway point of the season with ‘The Cat’s Car’ and ‘The Unfinished Car’.
‘The Cat’s Car’, Season 1, Episode 5 (Premiere Date: August 7, 2019)
Synopsis – Having just finished up in a car occupied by what appears to be baseball-playing dinosaurs (I’m kind of sad we couldn’t get more of that), Tulip and Co. prepare to cross the bridge to the next car. Before they can do so, however, another car suddenly inserts itself between the two cars from above – revealing that the cars are able to shift positions. Surprised but undaunted, the trio enter the newly arrived car and find themselves in what appears to be a large study filled with all sorts of random artifacts and trinkets. Confused about the purpose of the car, they attempt to make their way to the exit but are intercepted by none other than the Cat.
After apologizing for attempting to kidnap One-One back in ‘The Beach Car’, the Cat tries to convince Tulip to stay for a while. Still angry and frustrated with the wily feline, the trio ignores her and continues to make their way to the exit. In a last ditch effort, the Cat ‘accidentally’ (spoiler – it was very obviously not an accident) knocks a bunch of LTO-style tapes off a shelf and into their path. Tulip picks one up and is shocked to find her own name written across the front. Prodded by the Cat, Tulip agrees to view it on a TV that the Cat suspiciously already had set up for that purpose, thinking that it might provide useful information related to her quest.
As soon as the tape is slotted into the player, the TV fills with static and Tulip is transported to a white void. Moments later she finds herself dropped into various happy family memories – a road trip where she and her parents sing ‘Word Up’ (callback to ‘The Crystal Car’), a visit to DolphWorld (a SeaWorld ripoff, not a Dolph Lundgren-themed amusement park), etc. It rather rapidly becomes clear that something is off, however, and Tulip begins to suspect that someone is messing with her memories. She proves to be correct – it was in fact Tulip that was messing with her own memories, repressing all the moments where her parents bickered and fought.
Finally admitting to the intense anger and loneliness that she had long been feeling as a result of these events, Tulip finds herself flung out of the memories and back in front of the TV with One-One, Atticus, and the Cat. Tulip realizes that the Cat was trying to trap her and she and her friends storm out of the exit over the Cat’s desperate protestations. As soon as the door closes again, the car rises up and speeds off to another part of the train. The lights go out, and out of the darkness steps the Steward. The Cat begs for mercy, claiming that she almost managed to get ‘the ball’. At that moment something else looms in the shadows behind the Steward, evidenced by a glowing red sine wave. A series of tones plays, and then the Steward proceeds to break all of the Cat’s possessions before reminding the feline to not fail again.
My Thoughts – Let me just start by praising this episode’s atmosphere. The Cat’s lair is dimly lit and overstuffed with knick knacks, creating the initial impression that anything could pop out at our intrepid protagonists at any moment. The eerie white void and distorted memories within Tulip’s tape feel claustrophobic and at times downright disturbing. Then, of course, is the final scene with the Steward that makes great use of darkness and shadow to ratchet up the tension. All of this combines to produce a surprisingly unnerving episode. This is brought home by a clear shift in the episode’s tone – from the point Tulip enters the tape, there is very little humor present beyond a few parting jabs at the Cat by One-One. This is very much a critical turning-point episode for the season (and even the show as a whole), driving home that darker things are lurking on the horizon.
Not only that, but a lot of important bits of lore about the train are dropped in this episode (if the Cat is telling the truth, of course). We receive explicit confirmation for the first time that there are other passengers like Tulip on the train. We now know that the number on Tulip’s hand is connected in some way to her memory tape. It is obvious now that someone besides the Cat is hunting down One-One, and that said being is controlling both the Steward and, more indirectly, the Cat herself. And, perhaps most importantly for Tulip, we discovered that a person’s number decreases in proportion to their personal growth.
On that last point, this episode is vital to Tulip’s personal journey. For the first time she is forced to confront the events surrounding her parents’ split directly. By seeing the extent to which she was altering and repressing her own memories, she in turn is forced to realize just how much she was bottling up her feelings inside. It might not be obvious at episode’s end given how Tulip, Atticus, and One-One’s anger at the Cat for trying to trap them overrode any further moments of introspection, but this realization will be crucial for Tulip moving forward.
Episode MVP – Tulip. She is forced to confront her own past and emotions and does so admirably.
My Totally Arbitrary Car Ranking – Dinosaur Baseball Car (A, because why not?), Cat’s Car (B+)
My Totally Arbitrary Episode Ranking – An excellent A. Atmospheric and bursting with important lore and character growth.
Cast Additions – No new additions this time around.
Trivia/Stray Observations –
- “It looks to be a study.” “What do they study? Hoarding?”
- “She’s a real gem!” “One-One, last time we met her she tried to kidnap you!”
- “Nice place, but your mom’s a little quiet.”
- “Goodbye, former kidnapper! I miss you already and it’s emotionally confusing.”
- “Guess you’re not special.”
- “Are you tired of owning things that aren’t donuts but could be donuts?” “Every day of my miserable life.”
- “Certainly not a scam? Say no more!”
- The Cat being a hoarder obsessed with collecting all sorts of random junk is a fun little personality quirk, and not inconsistent with what we saw in ‘The Beach Car’.
- Let me just reiterate, the Cat has great fashion sense.
- If you needed any hint that the memories on the tape were altered, ten dolphins forming a pyramid on dry land is probably a good clue.
- Personally, double onion ice cream cake sounds awful.
- The sequence of tones that the mysterious figure uses to communicate with the Steward are actually part of the theme that plays over the title at the beginning of each episode.
- Note that the Cat quickly hides a tape before the car is whisked off to the Steward. This will come into play later.
- Two Minnesota references in this episode. First up, Owen Dennis has confirmed that the look of DolphWorld was partially based on Como Park Zoo in St. Paul.
- The ‘Harry the Bike Guy’ commercial that plays on the TV as Tulip is comforting her dad is very clearly a reference to ‘Erik the Bike Man’. Anyone who lived in Minnesota in the 2000s can likely recall commercials like this one:
‘The Unfinished Car’, Season 1, Episode 6 (Premiere Date: August 7, 2019)
Synopsis – Upon finishing up a relaxing day in the Sauna Car, Tulip and Co. enter an unusual car that looks to be in a state of partial completion – buildings are missing walls and roofs, blocks and stairs float in the air, and gravity is unstable in certain areas. One-One begins to act increasingly stressed, but before Tulip can really ask him about it the trio is approached by a group of anthropomorphic turtles. The centermost one, an elderly fellow wearing a crown, introduces himself as King Aloysius III. Excited by the prospect of meeting fellow royalty, Atticus immediately takes charge and quickly develops a cordial relationship with the turtle king.
The king leads the group on a tour of his kingdom, showing off the various ways the turtles have adapted to life in this strange car. Once they reach the exit, One-One wriggles out of Tulip’s grasp and scuttles back into the town, muttering all the while about how everything is wrong and how he needs to fix it. Concerned about the way he is acting, Tulip agrees to help try and ‘repair’ the car. It quickly becomes apparent that every change they make, however, is having a negative impact on the turtles’ lives. Tulip searches out One-One to try and convince him to stop, but finds that she is almost too late – One-One has begun messing with orbs similar to the orbs the Steward was manipulating in ‘The Corgi Car’ and wreaking significant havoc on the car’s ecosystem.
Tulip manages to get close enough to One-One to speak with him. He continues to talk about how everything is wrong and how it is all his fault. Using the lessons she learned about herself and her own feelings of guilt from the memory tape in the previous episode, Tulip manages to convince him that he is not to blame for the car’s state. One-One returns everything to normal and apologizes to King Aloysius III. Atticus, who has forged an alliance with the turtle king, promises support from his people to help rebuild after all the damage One-One caused. Not wanting to overstay their welcome, Tulip, Atticus, and One-One head onward to the next car.
My Thoughts – I had never really realized before how well this episode expands on and complements the developments of the previous episode. It retains the sense of humor of the earlier episodes of the season, but combines them with the darker, more surreal tone of ‘The Cat’s Car’. Just look at the unfinished car itself, with its partially completed buildings, potholes that drop all the way through the floor of the train, floating blocks, and gravity anomalies. Combine that with One-One’s increasing psychosis, and you have an episode that once again leans into the unsettling and uncanny.
It’s not only the tone that has shifted since ‘The Cat’s Car’. Tulip herself has clearly changed. Focusing on maintaining a positive attitude and helping her friends rather than being obsessed with her number, it is obvious that she has taken the lessons learned from viewing her memories to heart. We can see this in how she interacts with One-One. In previous episodes she often acted with frustration at the little robot’s antics. Throughout this episode, however, she is much more open to him. This allows her to see the worrying way in which he is starting to act and to talk him down before he irreparably damages the car and its occupants. It is difficult to believe that the Tulip of ‘The Grid Car’ would be so patient and understanding.
With each passing episode it becomes more obvious that One-One is more than just a funny spherical robot. Not only is he being hunted by the Steward and its mysterious master, but he continually insists that the unfinished car is his fault and his responsibility. The plot continues to thicken!
Episode MVP – One-One. This is one of the first episodes where he really gets to shine as a character rather than as just the comic relief.
My Totally Arbitrary Car Ranking – Unfinished Car (B), Sauna Car (B)
My Totally Arbitrary Episode Ranking – A strong B+. It builds on the events of the previous episode quite well and continues to deepen both the plot and Tulip’s character arc.
Cast Additions – The biggest addition is Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason, The Owl House) as turtle king Aloysius III. The only other notable new character with voice lines is the unnamed turtle soldier and the disgruntled turtle businessman Kevin, both voiced by series writer Justin Michael.
Trivia/Stray Observations –
- “I’ll never get my youthful glow back.”
- “They didn’t even give us kerchiefs when we were finished!”
- “First things first, let’s check for danger. No spikes, mummies, emotional manipulation?”
- “I’ve always suspected stairs can’t be trusted.”
- “Please extend your necks in adoration.”
- “I am Aloysius III, Unifier of the Hard- and Soft-Shells.” “Tacos?” “Turtles.”
- “Pray tell, who is your little friend dismantling our turtle-totter?”
- “Our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them.”
- “Ohmigosh, I can see their sauce pans!”
- “Someone could trip over that loose house.”
- “Yeah, the sky’s gone. But there’s a whole other sky behind it? Ugh, the whole portfolio is going to be delayed.”
- Poor mail lady.
- I want to hear more about the car with the French toast ferry boat.
- Having not rewatched the show since I started The Owl House, it is really weird to hear Emperor Belos’s voice coming out of a wizened turtle king.
- Atticus’s delight at meeting fellow royalty was fun to see. Also interesting to note how their meeting with Aloysius III paralleled Tulip’s initial meeting with Atticus.
- One-One speaking with one combined voice was surprisingly creepy.
- A lot of the unfinished buildings look reminiscent of a college campus. Interesting, huh?
- Apparently the original episode planned for this spot was titled ‘The Mall Car’ and would have featured One-One somehow being replaced by a parasitic bird egg. A mall populated by potato people would have been featured. This sounds so off the wall that I kind of want to see it.
- This was one of the only episodes of the season where all members of the voice cast recorded their lines together at the same time.
- Supposedly it was very difficult to animate the shot of One-One placing a board over the hole in the ground, largely due to the wood grain.
That’s it for this week! We’ve continued to make some progress in Book 1, and next week we are off to two of my favorite episodes of the season, ‘The Chrome Car’ and ‘The Ball Pit Car’.
Please share any thoughts about these episodes below. Make sure to spoiler tag any references to future events in the series in case anybody is stumbling across the show for the first time, and follow all of the Avocado’s rules and guidelines.
Thanks for reading!