If I Come Back Wrong

Spoilers for Wall-E (2008)

I love a good Came Back Wrong beat.

A quick example for people who don't get high and read TVTropes for fun: In the course of saving humanity from itself, Wall-E's processor is damaged beyond repair. Eve performs a brain transplant back on Earth - the operation is successful... kind of. Wall-E's memories and personality are returned to factory settings. He behaves like a trash compactor and nothing more.

This isn't a "Full Metal Alchemist" type Came Back Wrong. It's more like a "Free Guy (2021)" Came Back Wrong - Wall-E can be restored by true love's kiss. Hand-holding appears over and over again as a symbol for human (or human-like) connection throughout the film. Once upon a time Wall-E reached out for Eve's hand and was rejected. Now Wall-E is the one consumed by directives and Eve is the one grasping for a connection. This isn't just what it takes to save Wall-E's soul, it's the payoff for a setup that began in Act I.

Got a little carried away there. That's Came Back Wrong in a nutshell.

If I ever come back wrong, first course of action is to call my fiancee for the kiss thing. But, if she's unavailable for some reason, just show me an hour of Cartoon Network programming from 2003 or so, with the commercials and everything. That oughta do the trick.