from Mars: Episodes: Season Two

"Steal of the Century"
"We're Going to Cheesyland"
"Stone Broke"
"The Motor City Maniac"
"Upwardly Mobile"
"Last Stand At Last Chance"
"Back to Mars Part One"
"Back to Mars Part Two"
"Back to Mars Part Three"
"The Tribunal"
"Motorcross Trap"
"Unforgiven Cheese"
"Bleu Cheese Bros"
"The Inquisition"
"Stalkers"
"I, Greasepit"
"Villain of the Year"
"Cheeseloggers"
"Hickory, Dickory"
"Die Fleidermice"

"Law of the Pits"
"Danger is Our Business"
"Mad Scientist Wanted"
"Lake Michi-Gone"
"Seeds of Victory"
"Pwetty Wady"
"My Cheese is Quick"
"The Verminator"
"Cheese Cadets"
"So Life Like"
"Garbage Wars"
"Vicious Cycles"
"Cycle Centaurs"
"Modo Hangs It Up"
"What Smells Worse Than a Plutarkian Laywer?"
"Below the Horizon"
"Big Trouble"
"Academy of Hard Knocks"
"High Rollin' Rodents"

INTRODUCTION
        For the second season, the series went from weekly to weekdays. Five days a week of our fuzzy heroes! Some lucky skunks like yours truly got to see them twice a day because two networks carried the show at different times. New episodes were often interspersed with old ones so that all the new episodes weren't used at once.

OVERVIEW
        With the basics of "Biker Mice" established in the first thirteen episodes, the writers could now cut loose and just tell pure stories. As a result, season two episodes tend to be more fun than those in the first season, and just plain better in terms of stories. They tend to follow the same pattern in terms of structure: Limburger comes up with a plan to destroy Chicago and/or the Biker Mice, the mice discover the plan, stop it, and destroy Limburger Tower. Within that framework, however, the writers were able to create scathing parodies ("We're Going to Cheesyland"), intensely emotional moments ("Back to Mars"), and a slew of episodes that were simply a great deal of fun. Because there are so many, it's hard to find a single theme, or a long-running plotline. Instead, here's a sampling of the episodes in Season Two.
        The season starts out (almost) with a trio of episodes that we'd expect at the very end of the series: the "Back to Mars" trilogy. After Limburger fails to flatten Chicago with a giant ice asteroid, he's captured by the Biker Mice, who promptly make plans to take him back to Mars for trial. They do so, only to discover that they're no longer welcome on their home planet. Someone has been broadcasting a video to Mars that depicts Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie helping Limburger destroy Chicago (needless to say, it's a fake). As a result, when the mice meet up with the remains of their old rebel squad, the Freedom Fighters, they're promptly placed under arrest "for trial and execution!" Geez, what a homecoming! There are some genuinely heart-wrenching moments in these episodes, as Throttle is forced (more than once) to choose between love and duty, and Vinnie reveals that his feelings for Charley are stronger than he has previously let on. Modo's family tree is explored: we meet his nephew Rimfire in these episodes. Interestingly, the "Back to Mars" trilogy sets a precedent for multi-part episodes dealing with the Biker Mice and Mars. In the next season, we see the three-part "Once Upon a Time On Mars" (which will be discussed shortly), and rumors of episodes that might have been aired during the never-produced fourth season included a five-parter entitled, "The Invasion of Mars."
        Another episode with strong ties to the mice's past is "The Verminator," which imparts a major revelation about the source of Modo's arm in a really terrific flashback (which is completely contradicted in the third season). Vinnie attempts to come up with a fool-proof plan (yes, you may begin laughing) to net Modo a new robotic arm after his old one is destroyed. Needless to say, it goes horribly awry, resulting in a life-or-death situation for all three of our heroes. The strength of the bond between the three of them is all that saves them in the end.
        Several episodes in some way test the mice's skill as bikers. "Motorcross Trap" sees our heroes in a rigged race at Quigley Field against some of their worst enemies, including Evil Eye Weevil and the Pukes of Hazard. In two episodes, "Vicious Cycles" and "What Smells Worse Than a Plutarkian Lawyer," Limburger manages to deprive the mice of their motorcycles, leaving them stranded by the side of the road while he pillages Chicago. The mice's attempts to cope with this are hilarious, particularly in "Vicious Cycles." I won't give away the joke, but to put it lightly, even Limburger and Karbunkle are laughing their heads off.
        Limburger is one of the best characters in the series, and must be a kick to write, because he gets highlighted in quite a few episodes. "Stone Broke" shows us what happens when a Plutarkian loses his funding. How will the Big Cheese get back in good with High Chairman Camembert with no money? In "I, Greasepit," the Plutarkian suffers a humiliating demotion when the High Chairman decides that Greasepit would do a better job destroying Chicago than his former boss would (the scary part is, Camembert was right). "Modo Hangs It Up" sees Limburger harassed by his big sister Latoya and his prepubescent nephew Marshal (as it turns out, Limburger's childhood nickname was "Drippy Drawers"). "The Tribunal" has Limburger on his pudgy knees pleading for mercy before a panel of Plutarkians dissatisfied with his job performance. And in "Pwetty Lady," perhaps the funniest Season Two episode, Limburger finds a way to get Brie out of the way…but it's going to involve a lot of crossdressing...
        With so many episodes necessary for a daily run, it's only natural that a round of filler "catch-up" episodes was made. "The Tribunal," "The Inquisition, "Academy of Hard Knocks," "Villain of the Year," and "Mad Scientist Wanted" all meshed previously-run footage with new animation. In their defense, however, I would have to say that all five episodes were highly entertaining and are worth viewing. While perhaps not compulsory, they are a great deal of fun, particularly "Villain of the Year," with Limburger hosting an award banquet for the baddest of the bad.
        The one drawback of this season is that episodes rarely varied from the standard "beat Limburger's hired gun & smash his tower into tiny bits" formula. This is not to say that episodes weren't unique and didn't stand apart. The Tower was never destroyed the same way twice, and there were enough clever jokes and such to make each episode fun. However, a casual viewer might feel that they didn't need to catch every episode since they knew how it was going to end. Thus, viewership dropped, and with it, the healthy ratings the show would need to keep it going. A third season was produced, of course, but it returned to the weekly format.

ANIMATION
        Animation quality in the second season vacillated between good (most episodes), great (a few), and sucky (a few). As the show went from one airing a week to five, PASI became swamped. As a result, some episodes had to be subcontracted out to other studios. Sometimes, this resulted in well-animated episodes with a fun, drastically different style. One produced by Mook Animation ("Vicious Cycles") featured brighter colors and gave the cast an anime look (your webmaster really liked that). In other cases, however, these episodes were very poorly done. "My Cheese is Quick," a quirky little murder mystery, was animated so badly in places that it made the episode hard to watch (a great story, though). Another, "Danger Is Our Business," was rumored to have been done so poorly in spots that the episode required an overhaul before it went on the air. Overall, though, the quality did improve. PASI's animations were obviously more familiar with the characters, and it breathed more life into their work. Colors are brighter to an extant, due largely to more of the episodes taking place during the day.

EPISODES NOT TO MISS

"Back to Mars" Parts One through Three
These episodes take place almost entirely on Mars. We meet Throttle's girlfriend, Carbine, and see the leader of the mice forced to make some very hard choices between the woman he loves and his duty to stop Limburger. Also flashbacks and the first appearance of Rimfire and the modern-day Freedom Fighters.
"Pwetty Lady"
As previously mentioned, Limburger cross-dressing and a love-struck Napoleon Brie. "I wuv you!"
"We're Going to Cheesyland"
The first script from writer Greg Blair turns out to be one of the best Season Two episodes. Limburger buys an amusement park, the mice investigate, and Vinnie gets sick on all the rides. Hilarious Disney parody as well.
"High-Rollin' Rodents"
Although the anti-gambling message is a little too apparent, the episode overall is pretty good, particularly the animation once the mice are in the casino.
"I, Greasepit"
A Limburger-centric episode, this one shows what would happen if Greasepit were put in charge. Surprisingly, he's able to destroy Chicago even more efficiently than his boss.

Season Three I Main