Spark of Darkness

2010-02-15T07:44:02Z

67.239.116.200: /* Transformers references */

{{episode|
|series=BMtoon
|ep=23
|title=Spark of Darkness
|image=SparkDarkness.jpg
|caption=Beauty is in the optic of the beholder
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[April 12]], 2000
|writer=[[Nick Dubois]]
|director=[[Greg Donis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}

'''Megatron has been defeated, but strange creatures keep attacking the Maximals all over Cybertropolis.'''

:''French title:'' '''Obscurité''' ("Obscurity")
:''French-Canadian title:'' '''La Sombre Étincelle''' ("The Dark Spark")
:''Japanese title:'' 恐怖の赤い玉 (''Kyōfu no Akai Tama'', "The Terrifying Red Sphere")
:''Spanish title:'' '''Chispa de Oscuridad'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:SparkDarkness Celebrating maximals.jpg|left|thumb|200px|It's Miller time!]]
The [[Maximal]]s celebrate the defeat of [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] inside the now-dormant [[Grand Mal]]. But while most of the group high-five each other, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] mourns the loss of his pet, [[Noble|Savage/Noble]]. [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] wonders if Megatron is truly defeated, but [[Optimus Primal|Primal]] assures his team that he knows Megatron is dead, thanks to their mutual connection to the [[Oracle]]. When [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] mentions there's still business to be taken care of, [[Botanica]] responds she feels there's another evil on Cybertron.

Cheetor and Nightscream are sent to find the [[Vehicon general|Vehicon generals]]. Silverbolt and [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] are sent to assess the dormant Transformer bodies to start the process of getting the sparks Megatron kidnapped to function again. Rattrap and Botanica are assigned to attend the techno-organic orchard. [[Rattrap]], of course, whines about this. Optimus stays in the Grand Mal.

[[Image:SparkDarkness Blackarachnia zombie.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Supreme Class kitbashing gone horribly, horribly wrong.]]
At the shell yard, Blackarachnia tries to put the moves on Silverbolt, but without confirmation that Megatron is truly really dead, he's extremely hesitant to respond to her advances. At this, Blackarachnia finally loses patience, and begins berating Silverbolt for his obsessiveness. She's so focused on Silverbolt that only he notices the large, lumbering monster emerge behind her. The two Maximals run away (cowardly) from the giant, but when the monster hits Silverbolt with gunfire, Blackarachnia fights back with her electric sting. The monster knocks her over, but Silverbolt has had time to recover and attacks the monster with his throwing blades. Eventually, Blackarachnia has the idea to attack the monster using an explosive component from one of the nearby Transformer bodies. The behemoth steps out of the explosion, and the two Transformers watch a strange red spark emerge from the monster as it falls over in defeat. The red glow races away.

In the orchard, while Botanica works, Rattrap scavenges parts of a [[Motorcycle Drone]] to see if anything can be made into a useful tool. As he does this, he moans that he feels his talents are being wasted and he'll be stuck with embarrassing stories to tell his grandkids. Botanica argues that tending the garden is important. The debate between the two heats up, and in their rage, the two Maximals accidentally touch lips. The two quickly agree to completely disregard, forget, and ignore their contact and get to work. But suddenly, the deactivated Cycle Drone comes to life and begins to blast the orchard. Botanica, upset about the carnage, transforms and uses her bolts to bring heavy wreckage crashing down upon the possessed drone. The drone flails its body one last time before falling over, no longer inhabited by the glowing red spark.

Cheetor and Nightscream meet with [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] and [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and invite the two generals to join the Maximals. As the two generals debate, [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] stops by to make it clear that he has no interest in joining with the Maximals and that he believes that Megatron, "The Big M," will soon return. After Thrust leaves, the remaining four are attacked by a damaged but resilient [[Aero Drone]]. Nightscream sucks the energy from the drone, but the monster still tries to pull Cheetor over the edge of a nearby cliff. Cheetor is saved by Nightscream and the drone falls, but before it makes impact with the water below, the glowing red spark leaves the body.

[[Image:SparkDarkness Rattrap repolarising.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Rattrap's audition for the new [[Susan Hoffman#Related characters|Ghostbusters]] movie went surprisingly well.]]
The group returns to meet with the other Maximals (sans Botanica) inside the Grand Mal, and Optimus welcomes Strika and Obsidian to the team. The two new recruits leave to fortify the base—just in time for Rattrap to detect the haunting red spark heading right towards them all. Inside, the spark passes by the two generals and briefly encounters Cheetor and Blackarachnia. Next, the spark uses a [[Tank Drone]] body to attack Optimus and Botanica. While Rattrap tracks the movement of the Spark, he deduces a way to neutralize its rampage.

Rattrap uses a Spark Extractor on the Tank Drone to draw out the spark. Once the red spark is contained, he "re-polarizes" his captive, but the Spark Extractor flies alive, trying to break free of Rattrap's grip. After escaping the spark extractor, the spark flies into a [[Diagnostic Drone]] and, finally coherent, exclaims "I live!" But Rattrap has the next laugh: The spark, who is clearly Megatron, is now trapped inside of the diminutive body.

[[Image:SparkDarkness Megadrone Optimus.jpg|right|thumb|200px]]
The Maximals meet Megatron, but he laughs at them. Even in his tiny form, he's able to reactivate the Grand Mal's internal defenses to evict the Maximals. As the Maximals struggle against the tentacles that have begun to bind them, Primal has an Oracle moment, but the Maximals are all captured anyway. Megatron starts to reformat Primal's spark, but Rattrap gets Botanica to destroy the control panel, freeing the team from Megatron's grip.

Obsidian arrives at the fight scene and is forced to choose: Be loyal to Primal's or Megatron's side. The two generals grab Megatron and fall out of sight. Out of immediate danger, Optimus explains that Nightscream didn't kill Megatron, but only turned Megatron into the monster that he was but no longer is.

Away from the battle, Strika, Obsidian and Megatron meet up with Thrust. No longer in control of the Sparks, Megatron declares, "The time for action is now."

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (1)
*[[Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (3)
*[[Optimus Primal]] (4)
*[[Botanica]] (5)
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Evil Red Spark]] (8)
*[[Copter Drone|Copter Drones]] (9)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (10)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (11)
*[[Heavy Artillery Drone|Heavy Artillery Drones]] (12)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"So, eh, whatcha got for me and Miss Twiggy? A "teak and destroy" mission? Or maybe some "oak and dagger" work?"
:—'''Rattrap''' comes up with some evil puns.

Little girl voice: And what'd you do in the war, Daddy? 
Rattrap voice: Well, honey, I made ''gardening equipment'' to help the troops plant petunias! 
Little girl voice: ''Really'', Daddy?! 
:—'''Rattrap''' expresses how much he hates his job and Scott McNeil gets to talk to himself. Uh... [[Dinobot (BW)|Some]] [[Silverbolt (BW)|more]].

"What would you rather be doing, sticking your tail into a computer circuit?" 
"Heh, beats the heck outta plowing ''your'' little field of dreams."
:—"Innuendo 101" with '''Botanica''' and '''Rattrap'''

"You shall not pass!" 
[''Red spark passes without pause'']
:—'''Strika''' makes a very poor Gandalf.

"Aw man, I can't believe I'm stuck here while a really honked-off ball of electrons is making mince-meat outta my buddies."
:—'''Rattrap''' complaining again.

"I live! I live! I—what kind of puny body is this?!" 
:—'''Megatron''' discovers he's in a diagnostic drone. Now that's karma.

==Notes==
===Transformers references===
*The short story "[[Singularity Ablyss]]" by [[Bob Skir]], published in the [[Transformers Legends]] anthology, is set between-the-scenes of this episode. It doesn't change the events of the episode, but it does illuminate what Megatron may have been thinking in the midst of all that body-jumping; also, he kills [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]].
*The shell that attacks Silverbolt and Blackarachnia is composed of parts from [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] combatants. The feet, torso, and right arm belong to the transmetalized [[Tarantulas]] and the head bears a strong resemblance to [[Tigerhawk]]. What were Tarantulas and Tigerhawk ''doing'' on Cybertron anyway?
*Precisely 5 minutes and 3 seconds into the episode, immediately after Blackarachnia says, "Whoever you are, THAT was a big mistake!", one can see the severed head of [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] lying right by her feet.
*Even later on in the episode, when Silverbolt trips over battling the mutant, Blackarachnia proceeds to rip out the power core from what appears to be [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]'s body.
*Rattrap and Botanica arguing with each other continues the trend of Rattrap and [[Dinobot (BW)|another]] [[Depth Charge (BW)|Maximal]] duking it out verbally. This would (probably) be the first instance where it blossoms into romance, though.
*Botanica is also the first frequent sparring partner of Rattrap's that doesn't end up dead. Don't piss off Rattrap.

===Real-world references===
*This episode's title is a play on Joseph Conrad's novella ''[[wikipedia:Heart of Darkness|Heart of Darkness]]''.
*When Cheetor asks Thrust what he's rebelling against now that Megatron is gone, Thrust replies "What've you got?", the reply given by James Dean's character in ''[[wikipedia:Rebel without a cause|Rebel Without a Cause]]''. Fitting.
*The sequence where Optimus Primal and Botanica are first ambushed is also a visual quote from the original ''[[wikipedia:Alien (film)|Alien]]''.
*When Obsidian and Strika attempt to intercept the red spark, Strika exclaims "You shall not pass!", a possible reference to Gandalf's words in ''[[wikipedia:Lord of the Rings|Lord of the Rings]]''.
*Botanica refers to the technorganic orchard as her '[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_of_Dreams Field of Dreams]'.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

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Spark of Darkness