Generator Rex (2010) – CB 307

I started watching Cartoon Network again in 2011, but the only way I knew of this show was that it was on before something I’d watch (I believe it was Batman: The Brave and the Bold), and in one instance I saw the last minute of an episode. I don’t remember even seeing a single commercial for this show, so I’m willing to believe that Cartoon Network mishandled this show, just like all of their action cartoons at that time.

Other than that, I had heard that people like this show and that it’s considered a forgotten gem, but I never had any interest in watching, until now. Your review on this show really piqued my interest, so I’m going to have to add this to my list of shows that I need to watch.

Well, y’all said you wanted to hear my thoughts on your thoughts, so here we go! (And I do apologize in advance for how lengthy this is going to be, but this is also where you can be grateful that I wasn’t around to discuss the show with you because I probably know way too much about Generator Rex and love to discuss it with almost anyone who will listen, LOL.)

First, I do actually agree with the thought that “Machina Rex” is the better title between the two. I don’t know why it was changed, exactly, if there was something that came down from the Cartoon Network execs about having a title that was less confusing for kids, or if it was due to Man of Action themselves wanting to better differentiate between the the comics and the show, since there are so many notable differences.

I also couldn’t tell you exactly why the show was pulled from the air for ten months and stuck on iTunes for a while, or why when it was brought back it was given a bad timeslot where no one would likely see it. (If I recall right, GR was airing in a good Friday evening timeslot when it first started.) It kind of depends on who you ask, but the two usual answers are lackluster toy sales and/or falling ratings. Unfortunately, the GR license for toys went to Mattel and the job they did with said toys was rather lackluster on the whole. I have two shelves worth of these things because I’m just that much of a fan, but most of the figures lacked pose-ability and most of them were just varying versions of Rex with his different machine builds. There were a few toys of Six, Van Kleiss, Biowulf and a Providence solider, along with a Providence motorcyle, but that was about it. Larger toys included things like a Rex Ride motorcycle that transforms into the Slam Cannon and a Boogie Pack (Rex’s wings) with a trigger on it that would make the turbines turn. On the whole, not great, and you can’t expect good profits without quality merch. Just kind of how it goes.

There is, of course, also something to be said for the TIMING of Generator Rex being between 2010 and 2013. A lot of people will acknowledge that this is the point when action cartoons started getting the shaft because the content and aim of multiple networks were shifting to more comedy-based cartoons, especially ones that could be contained in 11 minute episodes as opposed to 22 minutes. There’s also something of an acknowledgment that this is also when viewership of older kid audiences (usually kids over the age 10 or so) dropped off more; it got to be that cartoons and toys were not as appealing to that age group as most of them took up interest in other, more “mature” entertainment like video games. So GR was trying to survive in an environment where its intended audience was shrinking and where the younger end of cartoon viewership was not interested in or ready for a show like GR. (IIRC, Sym-bionic Titan and The Legend of Korra faced similar problems over those same years, though the former ultimately got canceled due to lack of toy sales because…well, there were no toys.) Anyway, I didn’t volunteer this information because the reasons for the show being pulled aren’t a sure thing and all of this is a lot to have to add to the discussion.

And yes, my god, this show’s voice cast is INCREDIBLE. You didn’t get to hear them in any of the episodes you watched, but Dante Basco, Fred Tatasciore, Jason Marsden, Dee Bradley Baker, Khary Payton, Kevin Michael Richardson, Rob Paulsen, Kath Soucie, Jim Cummings, Frank Welker, Tom Kenny, Phil Lamar, Nolan North, Maurice LaMarche, Andy Milder, Steve Blum and Corey Burton among a bunch of other well known Vas all make appearances in GR at one point or another. And that’s on top of Mark Hamill, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, Danica McKellar, James Hong and Matthew Lillard also appearing at various points and, in some cases, in reoccurring roles. Oh, and of course you briefly heard Jennifer Hale as Black Knight. It’s one of the many reasons it disappoints me that GR didn’t do better; the voice talent alone is something to appreciate!

Also, I do wanna talk a bit about the show’s plot and lore because even though there was a lot of appreciate about the three episodes you watched, there’s very obviously a lot missing, something you both were very aware of. I mentioned it in my email, but it does take all 3 seasons of 60 episodes to complete the over-arching story that GR is trying to tell. And when the first season was penned, it becomes very apparent as you progress into season 2 and especially season 3 that they knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going with everything. There are only one or two episodes that don’t really contribute much to either the story, the world, and/or the development of the characters and even if it seems like an episode is something of a throw-away breather episode to lighten the mood a bit, chances are something that happened in it will matter later on. Even what may seem like throw-away filler lines can end up mattering in the long run. A good example of this is a line in a season 1 episode where Rex is speaking with some other teenagers he apparently knew before he lost his memory and they tell him in an off-handed way that while he was with them before, they’d had trouble with a shapeshifter EVO and that’s why they have hidden tattoos on them for ID purposes. It doesn’t seem like it matters at the time and you forget about it later. But then, in season 3, the shapeshifter actually shows up!

Generator Rex also delves into territory like, how laws made for humans do NOT protect EVOs and just how far some areas had to go in order to contain perceived threats. Also, how the Nanite Event affected parts of the environment and even what becoming an EVO might mean for people with children or what happens if their kids turn. There’s also so much tied to what caused the Nanite Event itself, and key to that is Rex’s involvement and what the scientists were attempting do at the time with nanites; there is an actual reason as to why Rex can control his powers and why he has so much mastery over nanites in general. The show gives you a lot of information in the first two seasons and then, in season three, turns a lot of that on its head and starts to show you what’s REALLY been going on behind certain closed doors. There’s also still a lot you don’t know about characters like Six, Holiday and White Knight, even Bobo Haha. Where they came from, what their motivations are and what they’ve been hiding. Like, Six and Holiday did not join Providence for the money or the research opportunities, respectively.

That said, if either of you want a bit more GR but aren’t sure if you want to get through all 60 episodes, I’d recommend “Divide By Six” and “Six Minus Six” for more on Six. (“Six Minus Six” will also explain why Six did not acknowledge meeting Van Kleiss previously during “Lions and Lambs.”) “A Family Holiday” will give you a nice solid punch to the feels along with more info on Holiday, and if you’re feeling froggy and want some context to lead up to that one, “Lockdown” is a good one to watch before it. “Mixed Signals” is Caesar Salazar’s introduction episode and will also provide a little more insight on who Rex is and what happened to kick off the Nanite Event. (It also confirms Rex and Caesar as having their heritage rooted in Mexico and Argentina.) Ultimately, though, the only way to get the full story and all the information is to pretty much watch the whole thing. 🙂

Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH for watching Generator Rex and taking the time to discuss it! Even if I’m not really involved with the remaining small fandom for it, anymore, this show still means the world to me and I’m super happy that you both enjoyed it! Hopefully, giving it a bit more spotlight via such a great and entertaining podcast will have more people wanting to give it a try, even if it’s been more than a decade since it first aired.