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A Fistful of Energon

2008-06-08T17:15:35Z

70.81.255.149: /* Miscellaneous trivia */

[[Image:A Fistful of Energon.jpg|thumb|300px|"Space. The final. Frontier..."]]
{{episodenav|animated|23|season=2|prev=Rise of the Constructicons|next=SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Summary==
As the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]'s ship proceeds on its journey, an explosion rocks the hull, and out flies [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], declaring vengeance against [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] once again.

On [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are on the lookout for their feral friends in response to reports of some rampaging going on. Prowl has been sent along with [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet's]] EMP generator and some [[stasis cuffs]], but doubts he will need them since the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] are such gentle spirits when left alone and he has always been able to reason with them. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] soon contradicts Prowl's perspective by charging into the clearing like an angry rhino. Prowl is still determined to take it easy on the big guy until Grimlock's jaws get dangerously close to a nest filled with adorable little baby birdies. Using an EMP blast, Prowl quickly incapacitates Grimlock.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-ProwlEMPGenerator.jpg|left|thumb|We can use my wrist thingy
to track Bender's [[Personality component|brain]].]]

Prowl and Bulkhead are both surprised that it came to that, but Prowl rationalizes that he did what he had to do to save the little birds. At this point, he notices a thorn stuck in Grimlock's paw as the likely source of the Dinobot's extra aggression. With some advice from Ratchet over the comm, Prowl uses controlled bursts from the EMP to stabilize the affected area, and Bulkhead yanks out the spike. Grimlock sighs in relief, and everything is all better.

Before they can head home, however, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] contacts the [[Autobot]] base with a message that Starscream has escaped and was last seen headed back to Earth. They would have sent that message sooner, but it seems [[Mission Accomplished|their tachyon transmitter has gone missing]]. Megatron, who has been intercepting the message, takes a look at his own tachyon transmitter and sarcastically wonders where the Autobots' could have gone. He then wastes no time putting out a bounty on the escaped [[Decepticon]] traitor.

Back on the island, Prowl is feeling pretty tough after taking down the big, bad Grimlock all by himself and is already contemplating a similar hunt for Starscream. At the very least, while they're in the neighborhood, he and Bulkhead use [[Teletran-1]]'s sensitive scanners to locate Starscream's [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragment...on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. Prowl believes they have everything they need to go after him right away, but Bulkhead reminds him that Starscream is a little out of their league if it's just the two of them. Prowl agrees, but as soon as Bulkhead is off the ship and his back is turned, Prowl takes off in the [[Autobot ship (Animated)|ship]]'s [[emergency shuttle]] by himself and heads for the Moon.

Prowl tracks the AllSpark fragment to the remains of the Decepticon warship. Optimus and Ratchet try to warn him how crazy his plan is and order him to return, but Prowl disregards them with some unconvincing fake static and heads inside the ship. He believes the mission of apprehending Starscream is best suited to a single bot built for stealth. Then, as he's sneaking around, his target finds him first. Way to use that stealth.

Before Starscream can fire his null ray, a well-placed shuriken disables it. The fight begins, and thanks to the EMP, Prowl manages to hold his own. Starscream eventually gets in a direct hit, but on a hologram. The real Prowl gets into position, and an EMP blast knocks out the Decepticon. As soon as the fugitive is stasis-cuffed, a newcomer walks up and offers to take the bounty off his hands. It's [[Lockdown]]...wearing a poncho? He and Prowl start to fight over the prize while Starscream comes to and heckles them from the sidelines. Neither combatant appreciates Starscream's comments, and both yell at him to shut up. He does, but as he's silent for about two seconds, they look back to notice it's because he escaped. Outside, Starscream (who is strangely brown-coloured) blasts Prowl's shuttle and flies off toward Earth. Lockdown decloaks his own ship and takes pursuit, with Prowl hitching a ride on the hull.

[[image:samprowl.jpg|thumb|Okay, let's ignore the fact that Samurai and Ninja are polar opposites, and bask in the total awesomeness that is Samurai Prowl.]]

Lockdown is finding it difficult to locate Starscream's Decepticon signal when Prowl ambushes him, deflecting a counter-attack with a shield mod borrowed from Lockdown's own display case. Once they're at a standstill, Prowl points out that he knows how to track Starscream's AllSpark fragment, but he'll need Lockdown's sensors to do it. Thus a partnership is created, and Lockdown offers his new friend a few more upgrades to make sure they get the job done right.

Lockdown's ship touches down in Detroit and disguises itself as a building again. Lockdown and Prowl transform and roll out, with Prowl enjoying the feel of his new samurai armor/sidecar. They track the signal to a highway where Starscream is cowering beneath a bridge. When they confront him, they notice he's acting considerably more cowardly than usual, and is painted considerably more purple. Prowl shows off his upgrades, flying circles around the fleeing Decepticon and eventually taking him down with an EMP blast. Lockdown is impressed. With the bounty secured, he contacts Megatron and sets up a meeting at an abandoned warehouse. Prowl is shocked to learn the two-faced bounty hunter he'd partnered with had been working for someone evil and attempts to cross him. However, Lockdown ''double''-crosses Prowl, tying him up with a bola, and drives off with his bounty in tow.

The other Autobots show up to untie their errant companion and chew him out, but Prowl is more interested in continuing pursuit of Starscream. The rest of the team follow, but point out that Prowl is starting to sound too much like Lockdown, as the mods are going to his head.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-StarscreamPurpleclone.jpg|left|thumb|Has the Allspark Power line ended yet? Is it safe for redecos to come out now?]]

They almost catch up with Lockdown and the purple Starscream when they're stopped on the road by the arrival of ''another'' Starscream. This one sports a brown and off-white color scheme and a sneaky, manipulative personality. He attempts to negotiate a pact with the Autobots to work together and destroy Megatron, but Prowl turns down the offer and attacks. Using his new arsenal, he leads, disarms, and disables the brown Screamer. It's a cool but messy victory. Ratchet scolds Prowl for not just taking him out with a single EMP blast. Prowl attests that his way was more fun, but Ratchet points out all the collateral damage he caused, including a knocked down bird's nest with its eggs broken all over the sidewalk. Prowl feels awful upon realizing what he has done, but puts it aside. Chasing Lockdown is still more important.

The Autobots crash the Decepticons' warehouse meeting, and a Cybertronian standoff occurs. Then, when Megatron notices there are two Starscreams, he demands an explanation. The clones open their cockpits to reveal a pair of ticking time bombs. The real Starscream's voice announces that it was all part of his plan to take his enemies all out at once. Megatron isn't about to sit around and be blown up, though, so he shoots the skylight and calls for the Decepticons to transform and rise up. The bad guys escape, but the good guys can't let the bombs just explode or the blast would take out half the city. Prowl gets an idea and uses his mods to weld the Starscreams together and jam their jets on so they rocket straight up into the atmosphere. The explosion doesn't harm the city (besides setting off a lot of car alarms) but does do a number on the fleeing Decepticons.

[[image:Lotta_starscreams.jpg|right|thumb|[[Star Wars|Begun, the Clone War has.]]]]

While Lockdown is escaping from the planet again, he contacts Prowl and offers a permanent partnership, since they're so much alike. Prowl turns down the offer, claiming it was fun while it lasted, but the super-charged bounty hunter life just wasn't his style. With all his upgrades shorted out or gone, Prowl detaches the one mod that got out without a scratch, Ratchet's EMP generator, and returns it to its rightful owner.

Later, Starscream sits within his new base aboard the wreckage of the [[Nemesis (Animated)|Decepticon warship]] and watches an announcement from Megatron stating that the bounty on the fugitive has been increased, but whoever captures him had better make sure it's the real deal. Starscream himself is furious that his trap failed, but it doesn't matter, as he has plenty more decoys where that came from...

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Andrew Robinson]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Matt Youngberg]], & [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:'''
*'''Animation company:''' [[Mook]]

===Featured characters===

(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s

! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Icy Blitzwing]] (14)<ref>Yes, it's true. Blitzwing went the entire episode without switching personalities.</ref>
*[[Lockdown]] (15)
*[[Starscream clone]]s (16, 17)
|}

==Quotes==
''[Ratchet and Prime are communicating with Prowl and Bulkhead over the radio]'' 
'''Ratchet''': "Prowl, any sign of the Dinobots?" 
'''Prowl''': "Negative, Ratchet. I'm starting to think those reports of rampages were nothing but exaggeration." 
'''Optimus''': "We're not taking any chance, Prowl. That's why I had Ratchet lend you his EMP generator and those stasis cuffs." 
'''Prowl''': "Still, I hardly think they're necessary. The Dinobots are territorial, but if left alone, they're perfectly happy." 
''[Grimlock roars, then runs out of the forest, charging the Autobots]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "He doesn't look too happy to me!" 
:{{m-}}The Autobots are Dinobot hunting...and things are not going well.

"Me Grimlock...''better''." 
:{{m-}}'''Grimlock''' after Bulkhead removes the spike, but before he passes out.

"I'm afraid Sari and Bumblebee left on an important fact-finding mission this morning. To someplace called... 'Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom'."
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' gets duped.

"Personally, I've always found Bumblebee's fake static to be a lot more convincing."
:{{m-}}'''Ratchet''' doesn't get duped.

'''Starscream''': You call this a fight? I'll rust before someone wins! And I'm in a vacuum. 
'''Prowl''' and '''Lockdown''': Will you keep quiet?!
:{{m-}}Prowl and Lockdown tell Starscream where to stick it.

"No! No, please! Leave me alone!" 
"Maybe it's me, but that doesn't sound like the Starscream I know..."
:{{m-}}His reaction to '''Starscream-Purple's''' plea for mercy leaves one wondering if '''Lockdown''' has ever met the real Screamer...

'''Starscream-Brown''': "Well, if it isn't my favorite band of plucky little Autobots." 
'''Optimus''': "Autobots, prepare for battle!" 
'''Starscream-Brown''': "Wait, you misunderstand. Noble Optimus Prime, wise Ratchet, stealthy Prowl and ''mighty''...eh..." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Bulkhead!" 
'''Starscream-Brown''': "Ooh, that's too bad."
:{{m-}} '''Starscream''' pulls a [[Transform and Roll Out!#Quotes|Bumblebee]]

"Did you really think I would offer so little a challenge? I allowed you to capture these ''clones'' to fulfill my plan to eliminate you all! Especially you, MegaFOOL! Mwa-hah-ha-ha-ha! In moments you will be blown to bits, and I will become the Supreme Leader of ALL DECEPTICONS!"
:{{m-}} Speaking through his clones, the real '''Starscream's''' speech-making tendencies are undimmed, even if he now prefers to do it from a safe distance.

==Other notes==
===Animation errors===
[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-Grimlockfootshard.jpg|right|thumb|So painful, resting in between my toes harmlessly!]]
* The large spike stuck in Grimlock's foot is nowhere to be seen in the full-body shots previous to Prowl discovering it.
* The dialogue suggests that the spike is jammed through Grimlock's foot, but the animation shows it merely stuck between his toes.
* When Lockdown first appears, his head is missing the design across his forehead.
* Just after mud-coloured Starscream tells the Autobots of his plan in joining forces, his mouth disappears.

===Continuity errors===
*When Starscream tells them he'll rust, in a ''vacuum'', Lockdown and Prowl tell him to shut up, an action that should be impossible, given that sound cannot carry in space. In fact, during all the time spent in space, the characters interact with each other as if they were under atmospheric conditions - of course, they could have open commlinks to each other.
*Near the episode's end, Lockdown's rubsign insignia is distinctly Autobot.

===Transformers references===
* The Starscream clones are, of course, a reference to the [[Seeker]]s of [[Generation 1]], most notable for being [[Air Warrior|hordes of disposable Decepticons]] in "[[More Than Meets The Eye, Part 1|More Than Meets The Eye]]" (and then kinda vanishing save for [[Rainmakers|rare appearances later]]).

===Real-world references===
*This episode contains numerous references to [[Wikipedia:Fistful of Dollars|''A Fistful of Dollars'']], including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance, and the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-Lockdowninponcho.jpg|right|thumb|Space banditos? Never heard of them.]]

*''A Fistful of Dollars'' is, in turn, a Western adaptation of ''[[Wikipedia:Yojimbo (film)|Yojimbo]]'', which also accounts for Prowl's samurai armor.

*Grimlock's foot problem recalls "The Lion and the Mouse", an Aesop's fable about a mouse who befriends a lion by pulling a thorn out of his paw. Or the tale of the Christian Saint Jerome, whose life was saved by the lion he'd helped when he later encountered it in a Roman circus. Or the story of Androcles and the Lion...it's been done a lot.

*Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom is a reference to the [[Wikipedia:Six Flags|Six Flags]] chain of amusement parks and possibly [[Wikipedia:Magic Kingdom|Magic Kingdom]] as well.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* This episode was first aired in Dubai.

*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact-finding mission" (an amusement park). Therefore, we don't get to see if Sari's hair grew back since [[Rise of the Constructicons|last episode]].

*It seems that since the [[Rise of the Constructicons|events of the last episode]] Bulkhead has grown a taste for oil, as he can be seen drinking it when he and Prowl are first on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]].

*[[Lugnut|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], on the other hand, appear but say nothing, as do [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] and even [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]. Result!

*The clones seem to embody elements of Starscream's personality, the purple Starscream representing Starscream's cowardice and the reddish-brown Starscream representing Starscream's manipulative and deceitful nature.

*Both altered-color clones use Starscream's original colors as a base, but the deceitful one runs towards "hotter" colors playing up the red and white (a little devilish, perhaps?), while the cowardly one has colors more on the "cold" end, leaning into purple and stony grey.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-Lockdownwithhelmet.jpg|right|thumb|I can't believe they ran out of voice-changer helmets!]]
*So Prowl finds a sidecar in Lockdown's ship that's in his color scheme and is capable of becoming samurai-esque armour, and wears it for the majority of the episode. [[To sell toys|Wonder why that is]].

* The other Autobots, and eventually Prowl as well, treat his upgrades as a bad thing. In the story, this makes sense because Lockdown acquires his trophies by hacking them off other Transformers, a practice the other characters had [[The Thrill of the Hunt|previously shown]] to find extremely distasteful (at best). Oddly, this goes against [[retool|everything Hasbro wants us to believe]].

*So...where did Starscream get the clones from? Ultra Magnus' comment suggests Starscream's escape actually happened some time ago [[Units of time|(depending on how long a deca-cycle is in ''Animated'')]]. Then again, Starscream did have 50 years of spare time on his hands.

*How exactly did Prowl and Lockdown find the Starscream clones with the Allspark scanners? As far as we know, it's only Starscream (the real one) that's influenced by the Allspark fragment. Could he have found more Allspark fragments to build his clone army or is he alot smarter than we thought by fooling even the scanners looking for Allspark energy?

*While Ratchet seems to be the moral compass of this episode, the day is only saved by Prowl's use of his upgrades.

*Apparently Starscream put a few extra zeros in when programming the timer on the clones. His plot might have worked if he hadn't given Megatron three minutes to run away.

*How come both the Autobots and the Decepticons failed to tell the differences between the clone Starscreams and the real deal? Are there already Seekers we haven't seen yet that they encountered before?

*It's not the first time in ''Animated'' that an Autobot [[Nanosec (episode)|sacrifices a new upgrade to launch a bomb that could destroy Detroit into upper atmosphere]].

*Exactly WHY does Lockdown wear a poncho?

*[[Michael Bay|Because it's AWESOME, that's why. *kaboom*]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

A Fistful of Energon

2008-05-29T22:26:56Z

70.81.255.149: /* Miscellaneous trivia */

[[Image:A Fistful of Energon.jpg|thumb|300px|"Space. The final. Frontier..."]]
{{episodenav|animated|23|season=2|prev=Rise of the Constructicons|next=S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Summary==
As the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]'s ship proceeds on its journey, an explosion rocks the hull, and out flies [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], declaring vengeance against [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] once again.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-ProwlEMPGenerator.jpg|left|thumb|We can use my wrist thingy to track Bender's [[Personality component|brain]].]]

On [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are on the lookout for their feral friends in response to reports of some rampaging going on. Prowl has been sent along with [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet's]] EMP generator and some [[stasis cuffs]], but doubts he will need them since the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] are such gentle spirits when left alone and he has always been able to reason with them. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] soon contradicts Prowl's perspective by charging into the clearing like an angry rhino. Prowl is still determined to take it easy on the big guy until Grimlock's jaws get dangerously close to a nest filled with adorable little baby birdies. Using an EMP blast, Prowl quickly incapacitates Grimlock.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-Grimlockfootshard.jpg|right|thumb|So painful, resting in between my toes harmlessly!]]

Prowl and Bulkhead are both surprised that it came to that, but Prowl rationalizes that he did what he had to do to save the little birds. At this point, he notices a thorn stuck in Grimlock's paw as the likely source of the Dinobot's extra aggression. With some advice from Ratchet over the comm, Prowl uses controlled bursts from the EMP to stabilize the affected area, and Bulkhead yanks out the spike. Grimlock sighs in relief, and everything is all better.

Before they can head home, however, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] contacts the [[Autobot]] base with a message that Starscream has escaped and was last seen headed back to Earth. They would have sent that message sooner, but it seems [[Mission Accomplished|their tachyon transmitter has gone missing]]. Megatron, who has been intercepting the message, takes a look at his own tachyon transmitter and sarcastically wonders where the Autobots' could have gone. He then wastes no time putting out a bounty on the escaped [[Decepticon]] traitor.

Back on the island, Prowl is feeling pretty tough after taking down the big, bad Grimlock all by himself and is already contemplating a similar hunt for Starscream. At the very least, while they're in the neighborhood, he and Bulkhead use [[Teletran-1]]'s sensitive scanners to locate Starscream's [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragment...on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. Prowl believes they have everything they need to go after him right away, but Bulkhead reminds him that Starscream is a little out of their league if it's just the two of them. Prowl agrees, but as soon as Bulkhead is off the ship and his back is turned, Prowl takes off in the [[Autobot ship (Animated)|ship]]'s [[emergency shuttle]] by himself and heads for the Moon.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-Lockdowninponcho.jpg|left|thumb|Space banditos? Never heard of them.]]

Prowl tracks the AllSpark fragment to the remains of the Decepticon warship. Optimus and Ratchet try to warn him how crazy his plan is and order him to return, but Prowl disregards them with some unconvincing fake static and heads inside the ship. He believes the mission of apprehending Starscream is best suited to a single bot built for stealth. Then, as he's sneaking around, his target finds him first. Way to use that stealth.

Before Starscream can fire his null ray, a well-placed shuriken disables it. The fight begins, and thanks to the EMP, Prowl manages to hold his own. Starscream eventually gets in a direct hit, but on a hologram. The real Prowl gets into position, and an EMP blast knocks out the Decepticon. As soon as the fugitive is stasis-cuffed, a newcomer walks up and offers to take the bounty off his hands. It's [[Lockdown]]...wearing a poncho? He and Prowl start to fight over the prize while Starscream comes to and heckles them from the sidelines. Neither combatant appreciates Starscream's comments, and both yell at him to shut up. He does, but as he's silent for about two seconds, they look back to notice it's because he escaped. Outside, Starscream (who is strangely brown-coloured) blasts Prowl's shuttle and flies off toward Earth. Lockdown decloaks his own ship and takes pursuit, with Prowl hitching a ride on the hull.

[[image:samprowl.jpg|thumb|Okay, let's ignore the fact that Samurai and Ninja are polar opposites, and bask in the total awesomeness that is Samurai Prowl.]]

Lockdown is finding it difficult to locate Starscream's Decepticon signal when Prowl ambushes him, deflecting a counter-attack with a shield mod borrowed from Lockdown's own display case. Once they're at a standstill, Prowl points out that he knows how to track Starscream's AllSpark fragment, but he'll need Lockdown's sensors to do it. Thus a partnership is created, and Lockdown offers his new friend a few more upgrades to make sure they get the job done right.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-StarscreamPurpleclone.jpg|left|thumb|Has the Allspark Power line ended yet? Is it safe for redecos to come out now?]]

Lockdown's ship touches down in Detroit and disguises itself as a building again. Lockdown and Prowl transform and roll out, with Prowl enjoying the feel of his new samurai armor/sidecar. They track the signal to a highway where Starscream is cowering beneath a bridge. When they confront him, they notice he's acting considerably more cowardly than usual, and is painted considerably more purple. Prowl shows off his upgrades, flying circles around the fleeing Decepticon and eventually taking him down with an EMP blast. Lockdown is impressed. With the bounty secured, he contacts Megatron and sets up a meeting at an abandoned warehouse. Prowl is shocked to learn the two-faced bounty hunter he'd partnered with had been working for someone evil and attempts to cross him. However, Lockdown ''double''-crosses Prowl, tying him up with a bola, and drives off with his bounty in tow.

The other Autobots show up to untie their errant companion and chew him out, but Prowl is more interested in continuing pursuit of Starscream. The rest of the team follow, but point out that Prowl is starting to sound too much like Lockdown, as the mods are going to his head.

They almost catch up with Lockdown and the purple Starscream when they're stopped on the road by the arrival of ''another'' Starscream. This one sports a brown and off-white color scheme and a sneaky, manipulative personality. He attempts to negotiate a pact with the Autobots to work together and destroy Megatron, but Prowl turns down the offer and attacks. Using his new arsenal, he leads, disarms, and disables the brown Screamer. It's a cool but messy victory. Ratchet scolds Prowl for not just taking him out with a single EMP blast. Prowl attests that his way was more fun, but Ratchet points out all the collateral damage he caused, including a knocked down bird's nest with its eggs broken all over the sidewalk. Prowl feels awful upon realizing what he has done, but puts it aside. Chasing Lockdown is still more important.

The Autobots crash the Decepticons' warehouse meeting, and a Cybertronian standoff occurs. Then, when Megatron notices there are two Starscreams, he demands an explanation. The clones open their cockpits to reveal a pair of ticking time bombs. The real Starscream's voice announces that it was all part of his plan to take his enemies all out at once. Megatron isn't about to sit around and be blown up, though, so he shoots the skylight and calls for the Decepticons to transform and rise up. The bad guys escape, but the good guys can't let the bombs just explode or the blast would take out half the city. Prowl gets an idea and uses his mods to weld the Starscreams together and jam their jets on so they rocket straight up into the atmosphere. The explosion doesn't harm the city (besides setting off a lot of car alarms) but does do a number on the fleeing Decepticons.

While Lockdown is escaping from the planet again, he contacts Prowl and offers a permanent partnership, since they're so much alike. Prowl turns down the offer, claiming it was fun while it lasted, but the super-charged bounty hunter life just wasn't his style. With all his upgrades shorted out or gone, Prowl detaches the one mod that got out without a scratch, Ratchet's EMP generator, and returns it to its rightful owner.

[[image:Lotta_starscreams.jpg|right|thumb|Begun, the Clone Wars have.]]

Later, Starscream sits within his new base aboard the wreckage of the [[Nemesis (Animated)|Decepticon warship]] and watches an announcement from Megatron stating that the bounty on the fugitive has been increased, but whoever captures him had better make sure it's the real deal. Starscream himself is furious that his trap failed, but it doesn't matter, as he has plenty more decoys where that came from...

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Andrew Robinson]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Matt Youngberg]], & [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:'''
*'''Animation company:''' [[Mook]]

===Featured characters===

(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s

! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Icy Blitzwing]] (14)<ref>Yes, it's true. Blitzwing went the entire episode without switching personalities.</ref>
*[[Lockdown]] (15)
*[[Starscream Clones]] (16, 17)
|}

==Quotes==
''[Ratchet and Prime are communicating with Prowl over the radio]'' 
'''Ratchet''': "Prowl, any sign of the Dinobots?" 
'''Prowl''': "Negative, Ratchet. I'm starting to think those reports of rampages were nothing but exaggeration." 
'''Optimus''': "We're not taking any chance, Prowl. That's why I had Ratchet lend you his EMP generator and those stasis cuffs." 
'''Prowl''': "Still, I hardly think they're necessary. The Dinobots are territorial, but if left alone, they're perfectly happy." 
''[Grimlock roars, then runs out of the forest, charging the Autobots]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': "He doesn't look too happy to me!" 
:{{m-}}The Autobots are Dinobot hunting...and things are not going well.

"Me Grimlock...''better''." 
:{{m-}}'''Grimlock''' after Bulkhead removes the spike, but before he passes out.

"I'm afraid Sari and Bumblebee left on an important fact-finding mission this morning. To someplace called... 'Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom'."
:{{m-}}'''Optimus Prime''' gets duped.

"Personally, I've always found Bumblebee's fake static to be a lot more convincing."
:{{m-}}'''Ratchet''' doesn't get duped.

'''Starscream''': You call this a fight? I'll rust before someone wins! And I'm in a vacuum. 
'''Prowl''' and '''Lockdown''': Will you keep quiet?!
:{{m-}}Prowl and Lockdown tell Starscream where to stick it.

"No! No, please! Leave me alone!" 
"Maybe it's me, but that doesn't sound like the Starscream I know..."
:{{m-}}His reaction to '''Starscream-Purple's''' plea for mercy leaves one wondering if '''Lockdown''' has ever met the real Screamer...

'''Starscream-Brown''': "Well, if it isn't my favorite band of plucky little Autobots." 
'''Optimus''': "Autobots, prepare for battle!" 
'''Starscream-Brown''': "Wait, you misunderstand. Noble Optimus Prime, wise Ratchet, stealthy Prowl and ''mighty''...eh..." 
'''Bulkhead''': "Bulkhead!" 
'''Starscream-Brown''': "Ooh, that's too bad."
:{{m-}} "Starscream" gives his sympathy

"Did you really think I would offer so little a challenge? I allowed you to capture these ''clones'' to fulfill my plan to eliminate you all! Especially you, MegaFOOL! Mwa-hah-ha-ha-ha! In moments you will be blown to bits, and I will become the Supreme Leader of ALL DECEPTICONS!"
:{{m-}} Speaking through his clones, the real '''Starscream's''' speech-making tendencies are undimmed, even if he now prefers to do it from a safe distance.

==Other notes==
===Animation errors===
* The large spike stuck in Grimlock's foot is nowhere to be seen in the full-body shots previous to Prowl discovering it.
* The dialogue suggests that the spike is jammed through Grimlock's foot, but the animation shows it merely stuck between his toes.
* When Lockdown first appears, his head is missing the design across his forehead.

===Continuity errors===
*When Starscream tells them he'll rust, in a ''vacuum'', Lockdown and Prowl tell him to shut up, an action that should be impossible, given that sound cannot carry in space. In fact, during all the time spent in space, the characters interact with each other as if they were under atmospheric conditions - of course, they could have open commlinks to each other.
*Near the episode's end, Lockdown's rubsign insignia is distinctly Autobot.

===Transformers references===
* The Starscream clones are, of course, a reference to the [[Seeker]]s of [[Generation 1]], most notable for being hordes of disposable Decepticons in "[[More Than Meets The Eye, Part 1|More Than Meets The Eye]]" (and then kinda vanishing save for [[Rainmakers|rare appearances later]]).

===Real-world references===
*This episode contains numerous references to [[Wikipedia:Fistful of Dollars|''A Fistful of Dollars'']], including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance, and the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.

*''A Fistful of Dollars'' is, in turn, a Western adaptation of ''[[Wikipedia:Yojimbo (film)|Yojimbo]]'', which also accounts for Prowl's samurai armor.

*Grimlock's foot problem recalls "The Lion and the Mouse", an Aesop's fable about a mouse who befriends a lion by pulling a thorn out of his paw. Or the tale of the Christian Saint Jerome, whose life was saved by the lion he'd helped when he later encountered it in a Roman circus. Or the story of Androcles and the Lion...it's been done a lot.

*Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom is a reference to the [[Wikipedia:Six Flags|Six Flags]] chain of amusement parks and possibly [[Wikipedia:Magic Kingdom|Magic Kingdom]] as well.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* This episode was first aired in Dubai.

*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact-finding mission" (an amusement park). Therefore, we don't get to see if Sari's hair grew back since [[Rise of the Constructicons|last episode]].

*It seems that since the [[Rise of the Constructicons|events of the last episode]] Bulkhead has grown a taste for oil, as he can be seen drinking it when he and Prowl are first on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]].

*[[Lugnut|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], on the other hand, appear but say nothing, as do [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] and even [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]. Result!

*The clones seem to embody elements of Starscream's personality, the purple Starscream representing Starscream's cowardice and the reddish-brown Starscream representing Starscream's manipulative and deceitful nature.

*Both altered-color clones use Starscream's original colors as a base, but the deceitful one runs towards "hotter" colors playing up the red and white (a little devilish, perhaps?), while the cowardly one has colors more on the "cold" end, leaning into purple and stony grey.

[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-Lockdownwithhelmet.jpg|right|thumb|I can't believe they ran out of voice-changer helmets!]]
*So Prowl finds a sidecar in Lockdown's ship that's in his color scheme and is capable of becoming samurai-esque armour, and wears it for the majority of the episode. [[To sell toys|Wonder why that is]].

* The other Autobots, and eventually Prowl as well, treat his upgrades as a bad thing. In the story, this makes sense because Lockdown acquires his trophies by hacking them off other Transformers, a practice the other characters had [[The Thrill of the Hunt|previously shown]] to find extremely distasteful (at best). Oddly, this goes against [[retool|everything Hasbro wants us to believe]].

*So...where did Starscream get the clones from? Ultra Magnus' comment suggests Starscream's escape actually happened some time ago [[Units of time|(depending on how long a deca-cycle is in ''Animated'')]]. Then again, Starscream did have 50 years of spare time on his hands.

*While Ratchet seems to be the moral compass of this episode, the day is only saved by Prowl's use of his upgrades.

*Apparently Starscream put a few extra zeros in when programming the timer on the clones. His plot might have worked if he hadn't given Megatron three minutes to run away.

*How come both the Auto-Bots and the Decepticons failed to tell the differences between the clone Starscreams and the real deal? Are there already Seekers we haven't seen yet that they encountered before?

*It's not the first time in ''Animated'' that an Autobot [[Nanosec (episode)|sacrifices a new upgrade to launch a bomb that could destroy Detroit into upper atmosphere]].

*Exactly WHY does Lockdown wear a poncho?

*[[Michael Bay|Because it's AWESOME, that's why. *kaboom*]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

A Fistful of Energon

2008-05-24T21:28:15Z

70.81.255.149: /* Transformers references */

{{cleanup}}
{{episodenav|animated|23|season=2|prev=Rise of the Constructicons|next=S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Summary==
As the Elite Guard's ship proceeds on its journey, an explosion rocks the hull and out flies Starscream, declaring vengeance against Megatron once again.

On Dinobot Island, Prowl and Bulkhead are on the lookout for their feral friends in response to reports of some rampaging going on. Prowl has been sent along with Ratchet's EMP generator and some stasis cuffs, but doubts he will need them since the Dinobots are such gentle spirits and he has always been able to reason with them. Grimlock soon contradicts Prowl's perspective by charging into the clearing like an angry rhino. Prowl is still determined to take it easy on the big guy until his jaws get dangerously close to a nest filled with adorable little baby birdies. Using an EMP blast, Prowl quickly incapacitates Grimlock. Prowl and Bulkhead are both surprised that it came to that, but Prowl rationalizes that he did what he had to do to save the little birds. At this point he notices a thorn stuck in Grimlock's paw as the likely source of the Dinobot's extra aggression. With some advice from Ratchet over the comm., Prowl uses controlled bursts from the EMP to stabilize the affected area, and Bulkhead yanks out the spike. Grimlock sighs in relief and everything is all better. Before they can head home however, Ultra Magnus contacts the Autobot base with a message that Starscream has escaped and was last seen headed back to Earth. They would have sent that message sooner, but it seems their tachyon transmitter has gone missing. Megatron, who has been intercepting the message, takes a look at his own tachyon transmitter and sarcastically wonders where the Autobot's could have gone. He then wastes no time putting out a bounty on the escaped Decepticon traitor.

Back on the island, Prowl is feeling pretty tough after taking down the big bad Grimlock all by himself and is already contemplating a similar hunt for Starscream. At the very least, while they're in the neighborhood, he and Bulkhead use Teletran 1's Sensitive Scanner to locate Starscream's All Spark fragment...on the moon. Prowl believes they have everything they need to go after him right away, but Bulkhead reminds him that Starscream is a little out of their league if it's just the two of them. Prowl agrees, and so as soon as Bulkhead's back is turned and off the ship, he takes off in a shuttle by himself and heads for the moon.

Prowl tracks the All Spark fragment to the remains of the Decepticon warship. Optimus and Ratchet try to warn him how crazy his plan is and order him to return, but Prowl disregards them with some unconvincing fake static and heads inside the warship. He believes the mission of apprehending Starscream is best suited to a single bot built for stealth. Then, as he's sneaking around, his target finds him first. Way to use that stealth.

Before Starscream can fire his null ray, a well-placed shuriken disables it. The fight begins, and thanks to the EMP, Prowl manages to hold his own. Starscream eventually gets in a direct hit, but 'twas a hologram. The real Prowl gets into position and an EMP blast knocks the Decepticon out. As soon as the fugitive is stasis cuffed, a newcomer walks up and offers to take the bounty off his hands. It's Lockdown...wearing a poncho? He and Prowl start to fight over the prize while it comes to and heckles them from the sidelines. Neither combatant appreciates Starscream's comments and yell at him to shut up. He does, but as he's silent for about two seconds, they look back to notice it's because he escaped. Those stasis cuffs are worthless. Outside, Starscream blasts Prowl's shuttle and flies off toward Earth. Lockdown decloaks his own ship and takes pursuit, with Prowl hitching a ride on the hull.

Lockdown is finding it difficult to locate Starscream's Decepticon signal when Prowl ambushes him, deflecting a counter-attack with a shield mod borrowed from Lockdown's own display case. Once they're at a standstill, Prowl points out that he knows how to track Starscream's All Spark fragment, but he'll need Lockdown's sensors to do it. Thus a partnership is created, and Lockdown offers his new friend a few more upgrades to make sure they get the job done right.

Lockdown's ship touches down in Detroit and disguises itself as a building again. Lockdown and Prowl transform and roll out, with Prowl enjoying the feel of his new samurai armor/sidecar. They track the signal to a highway where Starscream is cowering beneath a bridge. When they confront him, they notice he's acting considerably more cowardly than usual, and is painted considerably more purple. Prowl shows off his upgrades, flying circles around the fleeing Decepticon and eventually taking him down with an. Lockdown is impressed. With the bounty secured, he contacts Megatron and sets up a meeting at an abandoned warehouse. Prowl is shocked to learn the two-faced bounty hunter he'd partnered with had been working for someone evil and attempts to cross him. However Lockdown ''double'' crosses Prowl, tying him up with a bola and drives off with his bounty in tow.

The other Autobots show up to untie their errant companion and chew him out, but Prowl is more interested in continuing pursuit of Starscream. The rest of the team follows, but point out that Prowl is starting to sound too much like Lockdown, the mods are going to his head.

They almost catch up with Lockdown and the purple Starscream when they're stopped on the road by the arrival of ''another'' Starscream. This one sports an orange color scheme and a sneaky, manipulative personality. He attempts to negotiate a pact with the Autobots to work together and destroy Megatron, but Prowl turns down the offer and attacks. Using his new arsenal, he leads, disarms, and disables the orange Screamer. It's a cool but messy victory. Ratchet scolds Prowl for not just taking him out with a single EMP blast. Prowl attests that his way was more fun, but Ratchet points out all the collateral damage he caused, including a knocked down bird's nest with its eggs broken all over the sidewalk. Prowl feels awful upon realizing what he had done, but puts it aside. Chasing Lockdown is still more important.

The Autobots crash the Decepticons' warehouse meeting and a Cybertronian standoff occurs. Then, when Megatron notices there are two Starscreams, he demands an explanation. The clones open their cockpits to reveal a pair of ticking time bombs. The real Starscream's voice announces that it was all part of his plan to take his enemies all out at once. Megatron isn't about to sit around and be blown up though, so he shoots the skylight and calls for the Decepticons to transform and rise up. The bad guys escape, but the good guys can't let the bombs just explode or the blast would take out half the city. Prowl gets an idea and uses his mods to weld the Starscreams together and jam their jets on so they rocket straight up into the atmosphere. The explosion doesn't harm the city (besides setting off a lot of car alarms) but does do a number on the fleeing Decepticons.

While Lockdown is escaping from the planet again, he contacts Prowl and offers a permanent partnership, since they're so much alike. Prowl turns down the offer, claiming it was fun while it lasted, but the super-charged bounty hunter life just wasn't his style. With all his upgrades shorted out or gone, Prowl detaches the one mod that got out without a scratch, Ratchet's EMP generator, and returns it to its rightful owner.

Later, Starscream sits within his new base aboard the wreckage of the Decepticon warship and watches an announcement from Megatron stating that the bounty on the fugitive has been increased, but whoever captures him had better make sure it's the real deal. Starscream himself is furious that his trap failed, but it doesn't matter, as he has plenty more decoys where that came from...

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Andrew Robinson]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Matt Youngberg]], & [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:'''

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s

! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s

! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Lockdown]] (15)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |

|}

==Quotes==
''[Ratchet and Prime are communicating with Prowl over the radio]'' 
'''Ratchet''': Prowl, any sign of the Dinobots? 
'''Prowl''': Negative, Ratchet. I'm starting to think those reports of rampages were nothing but exagerations. 
'''Optimus''': We're not taking any chance, Prowl. That's why I had Ratchet lend you his EMP generator and those stasis cuffs. 
'''Prowl''': Still, I hardly think they're neccessary. The Dinobots are territorial, but if they're left alone, they're perfectly happy. 
''[Grimlock roars, then runs out of the forest, charging the Autobots]'' 
'''Bulkhead''': He doesn't look to happy to me! 
:{{m-}}The Autobots are Dinobot hunting...and things are not going well.

==Other notes==
* This episode was first shown in Asia.

===Continuity errors===

===Transformers references===
*The Purple Starscream represents Starscream's cowardice and the Orange Starscream represents Starscream's manipulative and deceitful nature.

===Real-world references===
*This episode contains numerous references to [[Wikipedia:Fistful of Dollars|A Fistful of Dollars]], including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance & the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact finding mission" (actually, an amusement park). Considering that practically every other Autobot that has appeared in the series thus far was in this episode, it sort of evens out.

*[[Lugnut|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], on the other hand, appear, but say nothing.

{{epstub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

A Fistful of Energon

2008-05-24T20:52:34Z

70.81.255.149: /* Transformers references */

{{cleanup}}
{{episodenav|animated|23|season=2|prev=Rise of the Constructicons|next=S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Summary==
As the Elite Guard's ship proceeds on its journey, an explosion rocks the hull and out flies Starscream, declaring vengeance against Megatron once again.

On Dinobot Island, Prowl and Bulkhead are on the lookout for their feral friends in response to reports of some rampaging going on. Prowl has been sent along with Ratchet's EMP generator and some stasis cuffs, but doubts he will need them since the Dinobots are such gentle spirits and he has always been able to reason with them. Grimlock soon contradicts Prowl's perspective by charging into the clearing like an angry rhino. Prowl is still determined to take it easy on the big guy until his jaws get dangerously close to a nest filled with adorable little baby birdies. Using an EMP blast, Prowl quickly incapacitates Grimlock. Prowl and Bulkhead are both surprised that it came to that, but Prowl rationalizes that he did what he had to do to save the little birds. At this point he notices a thorn stuck in Grimlock's paw as the likely source of the Dinobot's extra aggression. With some advice from Ratchet over the comm., Prowl uses controlled bursts from the EMP to stabilize the affected area, and Bulkhead yanks out the spike. Grimlock sighs in relief and everything is all better. Before they can head home however, Ultra Magnus contacts the Autobot base with a message that Starscream has escaped and was last seen headed back to Earth. They would have sent that message sooner, but it seems their tachyon transmitter has gone missing. Megatron, who has been intercepting the message, takes a look at his own tachyon transmitter and sarcastically wonders where the Autobot's could have gone. He then wastes no time putting out a bounty on the escaped Decepticon traitor.

Back on the island, Prowl is feeling pretty tough after taking down the big bad Grimlock all by himself and is already contemplating a similar hunt for Starscream. At the very least, while they're in the neighborhood, he and Bulkhead use Teletran 1's Sensitive Scanner to locate Starscream's All Spark fragment...on the moon. Prowl believes they have everything they need to go after him right away, but Bulkhead reminds him that Starscream is a little out of their league if it's just the two of them. Prowl agrees, and so as soon as Bulkhead's back is turned and off the ship, he takes off in a shuttle by himself and heads for the moon.

Prowl tracks the All Spark fragment to the remains of the Decepticon warship. Optimus and Ratchet try to warn him how crazy his plan is and order him to return, but Prowl disregards them with some unconvincing fake static and heads inside the warship. He believes the mission of apprehending Starscream is best suited to a single bot built for stealth. Then, as he's sneaking around, his target finds him first. Way to use that stealth.

Before Starscream can fire his null ray, a well-placed shuriken disables it. The fight begins, and thanks to the EMP, Prowl manages to hold his own. Starscream eventually gets in a direct hit, but 'twas a hologram. The real Prowl gets into position and an EMP blast knocks the Decepticon out. As soon as the fugitive is stasis cuffed, a newcomer walks up and offers to take the bounty off his hands. It's Lockdown...wearing a poncho? He and Prowl start to fight over the prize while it comes to and heckles them from the sidelines. Neither combatant appreciates Starscream's comments and yell at him to shut up. He does, but as he's silent for about two seconds, they look back to notice it's because he escaped. Those stasis cuffs are worthless. Outside, Starscream blasts Prowl's shuttle and flies off toward Earth. Lockdown decloaks his own ship and takes pursuit, with Prowl hitching a ride on the hull.

Lockdown is finding it difficult to locate Starscream's Decepticon signal when Prowl ambushes him, deflecting a counter-attack with a shield mod borrowed from Lockdown's own display case. Once they're at a standstill, Prowl points out that he knows how to track Starscream's All Spark fragment, but he'll need Lockdown's sensors to do it. Thus a partnership is created, and Lockdown offers his new friend a few more upgrades to make sure they get the job done right.

Lockdown's ship touches down in Detroit and disguises itself as a building again. Lockdown and Prowl transform and roll out, with Prowl enjoying the feel of his new samurai armor/sidecar. They track the signal to a highway where Starscream is cowering beneath a bridge. When they confront him, they notice he's acting considerably more cowardly than usual, and is painted considerably more purple. Prowl shows off his upgrades, flying circles around the fleeing Decepticon and eventually taking him down with an. Lockdown is impressed. With the bounty secured, he contacts Megatron and sets up a meeting at an abandoned warehouse. Prowl is shocked to learn the two-faced bounty hunter he'd partnered with had been working for someone evil and attempts to cross him. However Lockdown ''double'' crosses Prowl, tying him up with a bola and drives off with his bounty in tow.

The other Autobots show up to untie their errant companion and chew him out, but Prowl is more interested in continuing pursuit of Starscream. The rest of the team follows, but point out that Prowl is starting to sound too much like Lockdown, the mods are going to his head.

They almost catch up with Lockdown and the purple Starscream when they're stopped on the road by the arrival of ''another'' Starscream. This one sports an orange color scheme and a sneaky, manipulative personality. He attempts to negotiate a pact with the Autobots to work together and destroy Megatron, but Prowl turns down the offer and attacks. Using his new arsenal, he leads, disarms, and disables the orange Screamer. It's a cool but messy victory. Ratchet scolds Prowl for not just taking him out with a single EMP blast. Prowl attests that his way was more fun, but Ratchet points out all the collateral damage he caused, including a knocked down bird's nest with its eggs broken all over the sidewalk. Prowl feels awful upon realizing what he had done, but puts it aside. Chasing Lockdown is still more important.

The Autobots crash the Decepticons' warehouse meeting and a Cybertronian standoff occurs. Then, when Megatron notices there are two Starscreams, he demands an explanation. The clones open their cockpits to reveal a pair of ticking time bombs. The real Starscream's voice announces that it was all part of his plan to take his enemies all out at once. Megatron isn't about to sit around and be blown up though, so he shoots the skylight and calls for the Decepticons to transform and rise up. The bad guys escape, but the good guys can't let the bombs just explode or the blast would take out half the city. Prowl gets an idea and uses his mods to weld the Starscreams together and jam their jets on so they rocket straight up into the atmosphere. The explosion doesn't harm the city (besides setting off a lot of car alarms) but does do a number on the fleeing Decepticons.

While Lockdown is escaping from the planet again, he contacts Prowl and offers a permanent partnership, since they're so much alike. Prowl turns down the offer, claiming it was fun while it lasted, but the super-charged bounty hunter life just wasn't his style. With all his upgrades shorted out or gone, Prowl detaches the one mod that got out without a scratch, Ratchet's EMP generator, and returns it to its rightful owner.

Later, Starscream sits within his new base aboard the wreckage of the Decepticon warship and watches an announcement from Megatron stating that the bounty on the fugitive has been increased, but whoever captures him had better make sure it's the real deal. Starscream himself is furious that his trap failed, but it doesn't matter, as he has plenty more decoys where that came from...

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Andrew Robinson]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Matt Youngberg]], & [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:'''

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s

! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s

! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Lockdown]] (15)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |

|}

==Quotes==

==Other notes==
* This episode was first shown in Asia.

===Continuity errors===

===Transformers references===
*One of Starscream's decoys sports a [[Starscream (G1)|familiar color scheme.]]
*The Orange Starscream represents Starscream's cowardice and the Purple Starscream represents Starscream's manipulative and deceiptful nature.

===Real-world references===
*This episode contains numerous references to [[Wikipedia:Fistful of Dollars|A Fistful of Dollars]], including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance & the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact finding mission". Considering that practically every other Autobot that has appeared in the series thus far was in this episode, it sort of evens out.

*[[Lugnut|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], on the other hand, appear, but say nothing.

{{epstub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

A Fistful of Energon

2008-05-24T19:07:40Z

70.81.255.149: /* Transformers references */

{{SemiprotectSpoilers}}
{{episodenav|animated|23|season=2|prev=Rise of the Constructicons|next=S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Andrew Robinson]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Matt Youngberg]], & [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:'''

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s

! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s

! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Lockdown]] (15)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |

|}

==Quotes==

==Other notes==
* This episode was first shown in Asia.

===Continuity errors===

===Transformers references===
* It is possible the two different Starscreams represent a part of Starscream's personality:
-Purple is Starscream's cowardice (either towards Megatron or just cowardly in general).

-Orange is Starscream's pension for flaterry or use of deceipt.

If more Starscream replicas appear in the future, each will have a unique personality to one of Starscream's personality traits: like being boastful, having a pension for speeches or being traitorous and manipulative.

===Real-world references===
*This episode contains numerous references to [[Wikipedia:Fistful of Dollars|A Fistful of Dollars]], including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance & the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact finding mission". Considering that practically every other Autobot that has appeared in the series thus far was in this episode, it sort of evens out.

{{epstub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

A Fistful of Energon

2008-05-24T19:07:21Z

70.81.255.149: /* Transformers references */

{{SemiprotectSpoilers}}
{{episodenav|animated|23|season=2|prev=Rise of the Constructicons|next=S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Andrew Robinson]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Matt Youngberg]], & [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:'''

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s

! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s

! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Lockdown]] (15)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |

|}

==Quotes==

==Other notes==
* This episode was first shown in Asia.

===Continuity errors===

===Transformers references===
* It is possible the two different Starscreams represent a part of Starscream's personality:
-Purple is Starscream's cowardice (either towards Megatron or just cowardly in general).

-Orange is Starscream's pension for flaterry or use of deceipt.
If more Starscream replicas appear in the future, each will have a unique personality to one of Starscream's personality traits: like being boastful, having a pension for speeches or being traitorous and manipulative.

===Real-world references===
*This episode contains numerous references to [[Wikipedia:Fistful of Dollars|A Fistful of Dollars]], including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance & the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact finding mission". Considering that practically every other Autobot that has appeared in the series thus far was in this episode, it sort of evens out.

{{epstub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

A Fistful of Energon

2008-05-24T19:05:47Z

70.81.255.149: /* Transformers references */

{{SemiprotectSpoilers}}
{{episodenav|animated|23|season=2|prev=Rise of the Constructicons|next=S.U.V. - Society of Ultimate Villainy}}

'''Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter. '''

==Summary==

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Andrew Robinson]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Irineo Maramba]], [[Matt Youngberg]], & [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
*'''Original airdate:'''

===Featured characters===


(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s

! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s

! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |

*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |

*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Lockdown]] (15)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |

|}

==Quotes==

==Other notes==
* This episode was first shown in Asia.

===Continuity errors===

===Transformers references===
* It is possible the two different Starscreams represent a part of Starscream's personality:
-Purple is Starscream's cowardice (either towards Megatron or just cowardly in general).
-Orange is Starscream's pension for flaterry or use of deceipt.
If more Starscream replicas appear in the future, each will have a unique personality to one of Starscream's personality traits: like being boastful, having a pension for speeches or being traitorous and manipulative.

===Real-world references===
*This episode contains numerous references to [[Wikipedia:Fistful of Dollars|A Fistful of Dollars]], including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance & the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.

===Miscellaneous trivia===
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact finding mission". Considering that practically every other Autobot that has appeared in the series thus far was in this episode, it sort of evens out.

{{epstub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Rise of the Constructicons

2008-05-19T16:41:11Z

70.81.255.149: /* Real-world references */

[[Image:RiseoftheConstructicons-Titlecap.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Come my minions, rise for your [[Megatron (Animated)|Master]]! Let your evil shine!]]

{{episodenav|animated|22|season=2|prev=Velocity|next=A Fistful of Energon}}

'''Bulkhead befriends a pair of construction vehicles brought to life by AllSpark energy. But the Decepticons have their scanners set on the duo for their latest construction project. '''

==Summary==
The Autobots once again must aid in the restoration of the increasingly disaster-prone city of [[Detroit]]. There is an odd amount of balking, considering they're a [[space bridge]] repair crew, but Optimus Prime reminds them that a fair amount of the destruction is indeed their fault. These musings are cut short by Bumblebee spotting the ''other'' party to Detroit's deterioration, the Decepticons. Blitzwing and Lugnut are scurrying by in a most undignified manner, carrying construction supplies for Megatron. A combined effort by Bumblebee and Ratchet manages to knock the two Decepticons skidplate-over-processing unit, but they still manage to flee with a much smaller portion of the supplies. The Autobots are prevented from giving chase by the cracking of a bridge support, which they then repair. At the end of the day, the Autobots are ready to head home. Bulkhead tells Optimus Prime he'll catch up, to mask the fact that he's accidentally adhered his feet to the ground with cement.

[[Image:RiseoftheConstructicons-Gen2HomageVehicleModes.jpg|thumb|175px|left|Whoa! Some fanboys is sleepin' easy tonight.]]
Meanwhile, across town, two construction vehicles are seen with [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragments embedded in them. The two fragments activate, and the machines gain sentience. After a brief debate over naming, they discover their new ability to turn into giant robots. This does not faze them in the slightest, and soon they chase off after a highly attractive sports car.

Thanks to the use of expired fixative, Bulkhead's attempts at mixing more cement prove explosive, knocking him out and nearly getting him skewered by iron girders. Thankfully, the newly minted Constructobots spot this and save his skidplate. They then help the lumbering Autobot to do the job ''right'' (making sure he doesn't leave the fixative lying around, either) and then take him off to a tanker for an oil break. Though Bulkhead is quite pleased with the oil he is served, he soon voices misgivings as to whether they ought to be doing this. Asked by the Constructobots whether he's going to act like a little yellow compact, he remembers his friends back at the base and invites his new acquaintances back to meet them.

[[Image:Rise Constructicons Sari no pigtails.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Relax, Sari, they'll have grown back by next week's episode.]]
At the base, the Autobots are not impressed with the crass pair. Loudly carousing to the point that even Ratchet thinks they're a bit rude, they soon wake up Sari. Wondering what all the commotion is, the poor girl gets her pigtails amputated by a game of smashed-oil-barrel frisbee. This is the last straw for Optimus Prime, who kicks the two paisanos out on their kiesters.

The next day, Blitzwing and Lugnut are once again hauling heavy construction materials, this time Laurel and Hardy style up a steep hill. Blitzwing's footing slips, and he is nearly offlined by the heavy trailer that sends him careening towards a wall. Bracing for an impact that never comes, he is startled to find Mixmaster and Scrapper have saved him. Immediately, he asks them who and ''what'' they are. At first, the jovial pair answer that they are Autobots, but as this met with some static, they quickly amend it to ''Constructobots''. Blitzwing sees an opportunity in the pair's brawn, and as police sirens approach, he convinces them to help haul the load. Lugnut objects, worried about Megatron's reaction. Blitzwing reassures, ''sotto voce'', that they will offline the two goombahs immediately after the work is done. Lugnut is all for this plan, and once the goods are delivered, he charges up his signature punch while Blitzwing distracts the pair. However, Megatron arrives and gives Lugnut an awful case of ''punchus interruptus''.

Megatron invites the Constructobots into the Decepticon inner sanctum, which they would find to be quite commodious if they knew the meaning of the word. Once there, they express how cute [[Isaac Sumdac|Megatron's pet]] is, and the interstellar warlord shows them the schematics he stole from the Autobots' ship for the building of a space bridge. His hunch turns out to be correct when he finds that the Constructobots display an intuitive knack for grasping construction projects, and they tell him that the supplies he's been gathering will be insufficient to the task. Megatron grins as they reveal to him that they know exactly what is needed and where to get it.

The following morning, Bulkhead goes looking for his wayward friends. He finds them, pursued by [[Sumdac Systems]] police robots after a daring heist of construction supplies. Stepping in and generally making a mess of the pursuers, he asks Mixmaster and Scrapper what they're up to. After being told that they stole these materials, he becomes irate because he thought they were so helpful before. They tell him they still are, they're just helping ''other'' bots. Becoming suspicious, Bulkhead presses them further and finds out they're working for Blitzwing and Lugnut. The large Autobot tries to convince them that the Decepticons are bad news, but is less than effective. The Constructobots think the Decepticons are just regular fellas and that Megatron is a laugh riot. Bulkhead grows still angrier, saying that Megatron is the worst of the bunch and was only tricking them. This finally clicks in their heads, and they drop what they're doing{{m-}}on Bulkhead{{m-}}and tear off down the road to take up their grievances with Megatron. Covered in girders, Bulkhead is unable to pursue.

[[Image:Rise Constructicons Megatron what.jpg|thumb|left|175px|I'm not a heartless mass murderer. I give all my victims their choice of execution method.]]
Upon discovering the Constructobots pounding on the steel door of the mine, Megatron is a bit less genial in tolerating their antics. Picking them up by their collars, he slams them against the mountainside and demands to know what they're doing. They explain that they want a piece of him because Bulkhead told them that Decepticons are the scum of the universe and that he'd tricked them. Megatron softens his demeanor and tells a tragic tale of Autobot oppression and the Decepticons being driven from their homeworld by these cruel tyrants. The Constructobots only understand about every third word of what he says, so he submits it would be a little easier to understand over a barrel of oil. Once inside, Mixmaster and Scrapper are quite impressed by the potency of the oil they're offered, which Megatron reveals to be his "special blend". Suitably placated, they listen to his pitch in which he stresses that as Constructobots, they can spend their lives fixing highway bridges, but as Constructi''cons'', they can build ''space bridges'' and be the heroes of millions of Cybertronians.

[[Image:RiseoftheConstructicons-Megatron%27sprivateblend.jpg|thumb|right|200px| So tell me, fellas, Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp?]]

Back at the auto assembly plant, Bulkhead is relaying his latest encounter with the Constructobots to his fellow Autobots. This doesn't go over well, so he attempts to convince Optimus Prime that his friends were actually ''angry'' at the Decepticons and that there's nothing to worry about, as afterwards they can lead the Autobots to the Decepticon base. Ratchet, however, worries that they'll do the exact opposite. Right on cue, Scrapper and Mixmaster arrive. Bulkhead is initially hopeful, as they are still his friends. The two bots agree with him, but business is business, and Megatron has better oil. Thus they say that they won't fight anyone, so long as they can pick up the fragments of the AllSpark and be on their way. Optimus Prime objects, and the Constructicons announce that they're sick and tired of the little dipstick and knock him over. A fight ensues, in which the industrial chassis of the Constructicons prove fairly impervious to most of what the Autobots can dish out. Bumblebee is taken hostage and ransomed for the AllSpark fragments. Optimus attempts to stall, but Bulkhead hands them over. As all the Autobots look on in disbelief, he encourages his old friends to have "one for the road." They partake in the offered oil and depart.

The Autobots give chase, berating Bulkhead for trusting them. The large Autobot, however, states simply that the Constructicons aren't going ''anywhere''. His plan is revealed as Mixmaster and Scrapper start to slow down, emitting smoke and having increasing trouble running. Soon, there is an explosion, and the AllSpark fragments' container lands at Bulkhead's feet. He had tainted the oil with the expired chemicals from his earlier botched repair job. Bulkhead confronts his former friends, but the blast has scrambled their memory. Confused and frightened, they haul tail out of there. The not-so-gentle giant is disappointed, but Optimus reminds him that even if they've lost their memories, they still have a choice not to serve Megatron.

==Stats==

*'''Written by:''' [[Stan Berkowitz]]
*'''Directed by:''' [[Ben Jones]], [[Irineo Maramba]], & [[Shunji Oga]]
*'''Original airdate:''' May 17, 2008

===Featured characters===

(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)''
{|border=5 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 align=center style="border:#800000"

! style="background:#FFEEEE" | [[Autobot]]s
! style="background:#EEEEFE" | [[Decepticon]]s
! style="background:antiquewhite" | [[Human]]s
! style="background:#FFEEB8" | Others
|-
| style="background:#FFEEEE" valign="top" |
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)

| style="background:#EEEEFE" valign="top" |
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (7)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Lugnut]] (6)

| style="background:antiquewhite" valign="top" |
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (12)

| style="background:#FFEEB8" valign="top" |
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (8)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (9)
|}

==Quotes==
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': I WILL POUND THEM INTO SHEET METAL! 
''[changes into Random Blitzwing and finds a plate of sheet metal] 
'''Random Blitwing''': Oooh! Oh, wait! We've already got some! 
:{{m-}}Ah, good ol' Blitzwing.

''[Scrapper bangs his shovel into Mixmaster]'' 
'''Mixmaster''': Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing, shovel-head! 
'''Scrapper''': Who you calling "shovel-head", cement-breath?! 
'''Mixmaster''': My name ain't "cement-breath", okay? It's...it's...uh... 
'''Scrapper''': Your little name tag says "Mixmaster". 
'''Mixmaster''': Nah, that's too long. Just call me "Mix". 
'''Scrapper''': All right, you got it, Mix. And you can call me... 
''[Sees a sign that says "SCRAP"] 
'''Scrapper''': ...Scrap. 
'''Mixmaster''': All right, that's too short. How 'bout "Scrapper"? 
'''Scrapper''': I like it. 
:{{m-}}The Constructicons come to life and name themselves. They had an easier time than [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]].

"Where did Bulkhead find these two?" 
"I've got a feeling it wasn't charm school". 
:{{m-}}Colour '''Prowl''' and '''Ratchet''' unimpressed.

"Hey, those don't grow back overnight!"
:{{m-}}'''Sari''' gets her pigtails{{m-}}and nearly her head{{m-}}sliced off by Bulkhead with the oil-barrel frisbee in the factory. Bet they're back by the next episode...

''[Blitzwing and Lugnut are pushing heavy supplies up a hill]'' 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': Ever notice zat whenever zere's hard work, Megatron's not around? 
'''Lugnut''': Bite your speech synthesizer! Megatron will take us to new heights of glory! 
''[Blitzwing is nearly crushed under the supplies he is carrying when Mixmaster saves him]'' 
'''Mixmaster''': You okay, bro? 
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': DO I LOOK OKAY?! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Or do these wing struts make me look fat? 
:{{m-}}Blitzwing focuses on the important stuff.

''[Lugnut charges his "power punch" and sneaks up behind the Constructicons] 
'''Megatron''': "Wait." 
''[Lugnut loses his balance and stumbles into the mine, causing his punch to backfire on him] 
'''Lugnut''': "I'm OK..." 
:{{m-}}Ah, good ol' Lugnut.

'''Mixmaster''': "You tricked us! You Decepticons are the scum o' the universe!" 
'''Megatron''': "...Whaaat? Who told you that?" 
'''Scrapper''': "Our friend Bulkhead." 
'''Megatron''': "And you believed him?" 
'''Mixmaster''': "Well, sure, he's our friend." 
'''Megatron''': "And did your friend tell you how his Autobot kind have oppressed us? Driven us from our rightful home? Oh, they may come across as complete imbeciles, but Autobots are cunning, ruthless, unforgiving." 
'''Mixmaster''': "Okay, like, this is too confusin' for me." 
'''Megatron''': "Then why don't I explain everything over a few barrels of oil?" 
'''Mixmaster''' and '''Scrapper''': ''[faces light up]'' "Oil?!"
:{{m-}}Seduction of the stupid.

"The Autobots' oil tastes like ''water'' next to this stuff!" 
"It's my private blend."
:{{m-}}'''Mixmaster''' discovers that '''Megatron'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s an oil connoisseur.

'''Bulkhead''': But...I thought we were friends. 
'''Mixmaster''': We are friends, Bulky, that's why we ain't gonna hurt you, okay? Long as you hand over whatever bits you got of the...th-...what did he call it again? 
'''Scrapper''': Uh, SparkAll? AllSpark, AllSpark. 
'''Optimus''': Over my offline body! 
'''Mixmaster''': Aghh{{m-}}you know what? I have had ''enough'' of this dipstick-in-the-mud! 
''[Mixmaster shoves Prime back]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey! He's ''our'' dipstick! 
'''Ratchet''': And nobody pushes him around! 
:{{m-}}The Autobots defend the honor of their [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]...and fail miserably.

==Other notes==

===Animation errors===
[[Image:Bumblebeeanimatedconsigil.JPG|thumb| [[Goldbug (Shattered Glass)|Who's bad?]]]]
* When Ratchet tells Bumblebee to "vamoose" (around 1:30), Bumblebee has a red Decepticon insignia.
* When Bulkhead is jumping at the idea of Mix and Scrapper meeting the Autobots, Scrapper's left arm clips through his body, then the forearm briefly vanishes before his arm reappears in the correct place.
* While Blitzwing is shown pushing the heavy load of construction equipment from a side profile, the animation is missing a line that separates his inner thigh from his crotch.
* As Megatron explains the Autobots' "cunning" to Mixmaster and Scrapper, the white outline around his insignia is not complete (either that or it's part of a shadow).
* After the Constructicons flee, the road Bulkhead smashed up is in perfect condition.

===Transformers references===

*Megatron corrupting the Constructicons may also be a nod to the Generation 1 series, in which he did the same thing in "[[The Secret of Omega Supreme]]". Except, instead of using the [[Robo-Smasher]], this time he gets them [[Microbots|robo-smashed]]...

* The two surveyors on top of the bridge are decked out in blue jeans, white shirts, tan jackets and yellow hard hats and boots, just like a disproportionate amount of humans from the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]].

* A construction crane which appears in a few scenes early in the episode is colored in the traditional Constructicon green-and-purple. Purple and green excavation vehicles were previously seen in "[[Nature Calls]]", and yet the ''Animated'' Constructicons themselves are yellow and grey, which ''might'' be an homage to the ''Generation 2'' Constructicon toys.

*Scapper and Mixmaster hit on a little red sports car. [[Side Burn (RID)|Sound familiar?]]

===Real-world references===
* The Constructicons often hit on cars (which could be the equivalent for them to female 'bots...[[Tracks|or something]]), just like real cartoon construction workers with passing women.
** Also, just like stereotypical construction workers in cartoons, they appear to have their buttcracks showing to robot equivalent of pants.
* The Constructicons beep as they back up.
* The whole plot seems to be pretty thoroughly cribbed from every after-school special on the dangers of peer pressure ever...except with giant robots, attempted murder, extortion, and a plot to overthrow one interstellar empire and reestablish another.
* While the "working-class" Constructicons drink their oil out of "[[Wikipedia:Pint glass|pint glasses]]" or straight out of the can/barrel, the "upper-class" Megatron prefers to twist his barrels into "[[Wikipedia:Goblet|goblets]]".

===Miscellaneous trivia===
* This episode first aired in Dubai, around two weeks before its English-language broadcast premiere in Canada.
* It seems that in the Animated-verse, yellow eyes represent the neutral position. Good to know if there is a Switzerland equivalent on Cybertron.
* The Constructicons first start off as Constructobots, a portmanteau of construction and Autobot, but later Megatron gives them a new name, formed from construction and Decepticon instead.
* Even assuming the Constructicons don't drink anything off-screen, they still consume what looks like half their weight in oil over the course of the episode. Where does it go?
* On second thought, [[Humanizing#Urination|don't think about it]].
* Bumblebee receives a [[stock footage|detailed transformation sequence]] for his stingers...which becomes extremely anticlimactic when his attacks just bounce off Lugnut seconds later.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

Dark Designs

2008-04-12T16:28:19Z

70.81.255.149: /* Notes */

'''Megatron captures and reprograms Rhinox into a Predacon.'''

{{episodenav |BW |season=1 |13 |prev=Victory (Beast Wars episode) |next=Double Dinobot}}

==Summary==
In some usual rocky terrain, the [[Maximals]] are disappointed to learn that their day's expedition has been a waste of time, as the [[Energon]] they were searching for is inaccessible. [[Rattrap]] whines, saying the situation couldn't get worse, prompting an attack from the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]. The Maximals are at a clear disadvantage, but [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] triggers a rockslide that crushes all the Predacons.

[[Optimus Primal|Optimus]] commends Rhinox's intelligent tactics, and the Maximals begin their return to base. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] also determines that Rhinox is a major threat to his operation and orders [[Tarantulas]] to capture the large Maximal. When Rhinox is a distance behind the other Maximals on the road him, the spider captures Rhinox and knocks the rhino out with some [[cyber venom]].

A while later, the Maximals noticed their large comrade has disappeared. Rattrap activates his communicator, and are able to listen through Rhinox's communicator, overhearing the events in the Predacon base where Megatron uses "The Transmuter" to turn Rhinox into an evil Predacon. While the Maximals are concerned, Primal plans to wait a while before the Maximals make an effort to rescue their friend, yessssssss...

In the [[Darksyde|Predacon base]], Megatron, and his new underling, Evil Rhinox, get down to plotting on how they can use Rhinox's knowledge to destroy the Maximals - but some technical problems with Megatron's computer halt the planning session. Rhinox is sent to check up on [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok's]] repair of the system (which was secretly vandalised by Rhinox). With no witnesses, Rhinox drops several tons of hardware onto Scorponok. When Scorponok's flattened body is found later by Megatron and [[Waspinator]], they have no clue who committed the crime.

Waspinator deposits Scorponok into a [[CR Chamber]] for repair, but flying away, Waspinator is hit with a heavy piece of weight pushed by Rhinox. The impact drives Waspinator into a state of dementia. This time, Rhinox's attempt at homicide is witnessed by [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], who meets with Rhinox in private. There, Rhinox declines Terrorsaur's offer of partnership and insists that Terrorsaur stay silent. Later, Megatron discovers that the spiders have been poisoned. Still oblivious, a furious Megatron demands shouts out his confusion.

Outside of the Pred base, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] figures out Primal's plan: leave Rhinox as he is, so he'll run roughshod over the Predacons. But knowing that Megatron will eventually wise up, the Maximals get ready to mount a rescue. At the same time, Scorponok has been repaired, and he tells Megatron what happened to him. Megatron concludes that his little experiment has gone wrong, and decides to end it{{m-}}and Rhinox as well.

Megatron confronts Rhinox, and assigns Scorponok and Terrorsaur to disarm the new recruit. By mentioning Terrorsaur's plotting, Rhinox is able to get the two Predacon goons to fight each other instead of himself, leaving them as easy pickings. With those two taken care of, he opens fire on Megatron, causing the Predacon to fall off his hover platform.

Rhinox taunts Megatron with a speech about who's the boss now, but Rhinox has stepped into the range of the Transmuter. Megatron reactivates the machine, converting Rhinox back to his regular good self. The Maximals blast their way into the base. Primal battles with Megatron, slicing off one of the Predacon leader's arms. A stray shot from the still demented Waspinator hits the Transmuter, and the Maximals grab Rhinox evacuate while the Predacons take cover to avoid being harmed by the exploding machine.

Afterwards, the Maximals relax. Rhinox admits that the Predacons have some serious personality problems, and the Maximals have a big laugh. Except for [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]].

==Quotes==
'''Cheetor:''' Better dead than Pred. 
'''Dinobot:''' Some of us have survived the experience, furball.

"He's a smirker! Mangle!"
:{{m-}}'''Scorponok''' re: Terrorsaur

"Like you're three gigabytes of attitude on a two-gig hard drive. No ''wonder'' they've got personality problems!"
:{{m-}}'''Rhinox''' on being a Predacon

==Stats==
'''Writers:''' [[Ian Weir]] 
'''Original Air Date:''' November 4, 1996

'''Major Characters (in order of appearance):''' Optimus, Rhinox, Megatron 
'''Minor Characters (in order of appearance):''' Characters

==Notes==
===Technical/Animation Glitches===
*Glitch

===Continuity Errors===
*Error

===Transformers References===
*When [[Waspinator]] is driven temporarily insane, he babbles that his name is [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], an Insecticon from the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. Stuck like this for the rest of the episode, he proceeds to stutter and repeat words in a semi-accurate reference to the distinctive speech pattern that Shrapnel had in the G1 cartoon, which saw him repeat the last word of his sentences. Waspinator also delivers the classic TF slogan "More than meets the eye."
*The concept of Rhinox being reprogrammed by Megatron only to attempt to overthrow him later is revisited in the sequel series, [[Beast Machines]]. It is worth noting that Tankor's behaviour in that series is very similar to his (Rhinox's) behaviour as a Predacon during this episode.
*Both Optimus and Rhinox say "Yeeessssss..." in a very similar manner to Megatron. Imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery...

===Real-World References===
*Immediately following saying that he is Shrapnel, Waspinator claims that he is "Wonko! Wonko the Sane!" and salutes the audience before punching himself in the head. In addition to being a fictional character created by the sci-fi comedy author [[Wikipedia:Douglas_Adams|Douglas Adams]], it is a tribute to transfan [[Ben Yee]], whose online username was Wonko the Sane at the time.
*The scene where Optimus Primal proudly brandishes his swords before an unimpressed Megatron lazily shoots him down is reminiscent of the famous duel between [[Wikipedia:Indiana_Jones|Indiana Jones]] and the master swordsman in ''[[Wikipedia:Raiders_of_the_Lost_Ark|Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.
*While Waspinator is insane (well, more insane than usual), he briefly appears to be touching Blackarachnia's right chestplate.

===Trivia===
This is probably the first time Waspinator refers to himself as "I", although in truth, he said this in his insane state when he thought he was Shrapnel.

==External Links==
*Link
[[Category:Beast Wars episodes]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>

A Better Mousetrap

2008-04-12T16:15:23Z

70.81.255.149: /* Summary */

'''After the new Sentinel security program malfunctions, Rattrap is trapped alone inside the Maximal base, and must disarm it.'''

{{episodenav |BW |season=1 |9 |prev=Double Jeopardy |next=Gorilla Warfare}}

==Summary==
In the caverns beneath the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', Blackarachnia, Waspinator, and Terrorsaur dig a hole to deliver a device that will allow the Predacons to access the [[Maximal|Maximal's]] base unhindered. When Waspinator leaves, Terrorsaur is stuck doing the labor.

On board the Axalon, Rhinox shows a holographic simulation of the Axalon's new defenses to Rattrap and Primal. Cheetor detects a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] in a sector of Maximal territory. Primal and Tigatron go to see why Waspinator has been buzzing around the area a lot recently.

Dinobot is unimpressed by how non-lethal the ''Axalon's'' new defenses are. Rattrap activates the defense against Dinobot to display how effective they can be. The enraged Dinobot breaks free from the restraints fastened around him and attacks the rat - but misses and impales the controls for the entire base's defense grid. The console registers the Maximals as intruders, forcing the occupants of the base to vacate. Rattrap stays behind and hides inside of a ventilation shaft so he can figure out how to disable the defenses.

Tigatron and Primal find Waspinator high on sugar and flying around aimlessly. When Primal gets Waspinator's attention, he runs away. Primal chases after, and has a surprisingly hard time keeping up with the hyperactive hornet. Primal returns home to see what irregularities are going on with [[Sentinel]]. Hunting alone, Tigatron follows Waspinator's scent through a tunnel - the entrace hidden by a holographic projector.

Inside the Axalon, Rattrap works his away around a pool of [[zero friction fluid]] by surfing over it. He scampers and dances to avoid other defensive systems. His marksman and demolitions expert skills come in useful as he works his way towards the ship's core.

Primal arrives at the ''Axalon'' and meets with the others locked outside. They explain what the situation is and where Rattrap is.

Tigatron finds the three Predacons underground in their excavation operation. He grabs their device and runs away with it. Blackarachnia demands he return it, explaining that the device is an explosive. Tigatron complies and tosses it at the Predacons, who all run away from the machine before it detonates. Tigatron also races away, and when the device explodes, it collapses a huge portion of the land outside of the Axalon, but not harming the Axalon itself. One battle over, Tiagtron meets with the rest of the Maximals.

Rattraps enters the room where Sentinel's core is stored. The internal defenses continue to try to purge him. But before he's terminated, he hits the button to deactivate Sentinel.

Outside, the shield deactivates. Rhinox determines that this is because Rattrap must have been killed by the haywire defenses. The Maximals sadly say a few words to remember their annoying stinky friend who sacrificed himself trying to save them.

But just before the episode ends with a transition, the Axalon hatch opens, and out comes Rattrap, alive and well and his mission a success.

==Quotes==
"Giga-bummer."
:- '''Cheetor'''

'''Cheetor:''' Rattrap... gone? No way. I don't believe it. 
'''Optimus Primal:''' He was a difficult Maximal to deal with. At times, impossible. But I'll remember him with honor. 
'''Dinobot:''' I won't disgrace his memory with lies! He was a stinking, omnivorous pestilence! But still, in some perverse way... I shalll miss him. 
'''Rhinox:''' Sure he smelled bad - he was a rat, but he was my best friend.

==Stats==
'''Writers:''' [[Karen Willson]] and [[Chris Weber]] 
'''Original Air Date:''' October 8, 1996

'''Major Characters (in order of appearance):''' [[Waspinator]], [[Terrorsaur (BW)| Terrorsaur]], [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], '''[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]''', [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Tigatron (BW)|Tigatron]], [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]

==Notes==
* A DVD containing this episode came packaged with Rattrap's 10th Anniversary toy.
*[[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]] emits the some of the same sounds used later in ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' for [[Mini-con]] speak.
* Oh, and by the way, turns out that Rattrap didn't die.

[[Category:Beast Wars episodes|Better Mousetrap, A]]<div id="wikia-credits"> From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</div>