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A Bridge Too Close, Part II

2010-07-14T19:13:15Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=29
|image=TFA ABTC Megatron monologue.JPG
|caption=
|title="A Bridge Too Close, Part II"
|airdate=[[June 28]], 2008
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Noboro Huruse]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}
'''The fates of Cybertron and Earth lie in the balance as Optimus Prime and his Autobots battle Megatron and his Decepticons in a fight to the finish for the AllSpark.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:ABridgeTooCloseII-Mixmasteroilburst.jpg|thumb|150px|left| "'Ey! I was drinkin' dat!"]]

[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] and [[Starscream clone (Animated)|his clones]] swoop into the [[Decepticon]]s' mine headquarters and concentrate their fire on [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Chaos erupts as the [[Autobot]]s free themselves and start tackling the clones, and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] attempt to deactivate the [[space bridge]]. Mixmaster is attacked by the [[Thundercracker (Animated)|Egomaniac Starscream]] and binds him in cement, while [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] [[stasis cuffs]] the [[Skywarp (Animated)|coward]]. As fast as he is, though, Blurr fails to get out of the way of Thundercracker, who crashes into both him and the Skywarp, getting them caught in his cement overcoat and sending them all tumbling into the space bridge. Bulkhead attempts to recall them, but explains that the targeting coordinates of the bridge were never set, meaning that they could have been sent anywhere in the galaxy. Before he can complete his task, he is attacked by the [[Slipstream (Animated)|female clone]], but she overpowers him and hits him with stasis cuffs. Simultaneously, Megatron and Starscream engage in a one-on-one duel, but the balance doesn't last long, as the female and [[Ramjet (Animated)|the Liar]] approach Megatron from behind. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], of all 'Bots, comes to Megatron's rescue, though the irony is not lost on the two combatants.

Meanwhile, on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] finishes loading the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragments into Teletran-1's [[spark]] chamber. [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] uses the [[AllSpark Key]] to jump-start the craft, but still can't fathom why Ratchet is talking to the ship...until the ship talks back! Ratchet explains that the ship used to be a warrior who sacrificed his spark to win the Great War, and whose body has been in a state of modified stasis ever since.

[[Image:TFA ABTC2 Head Starscream.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Total ownage, n00b.]]

Back in the mine, Prime and Megatron continue battling the remaining Starscream clones, but Megatron is not above seizing Prime and using him as a shield. He calls for Mixmaster, currently battling [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], to focus his efforts on the “head Starscream,” giving Professor Sumdac an idea. Just as the clones overpower Megatron and Starscream prepares to finish him, Sumdac clambers inside the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit and uses it to decapitate Starscream and take over his body. As Sumdac-Starscream lunges for Megatron, however, the Decepticon leader makes it clear that he is not impressed, and he blasts the Headmaster and Sumdac clean off Starscream's body. With Starscream now in two pieces and thoroughly defeated, the clones swear loyalty to Megatron.

Back on Dinobot Island, Ratchet and Sari put the AllSpark Key to work repairing the ship's memory core. The ship comments that it is unable to see, and Ratchet explains that's because it's buried in a cliff and that getting out is priority number one. With another Key boost to help, the ship fires up its engines and manages to tear itself free and take to the air once more.

In the mine, things are looking bad for the Autobots—they've all been stasis-cuffed, Professor Sumdac is a captive again, and Scrapper has found [[Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]. Prowl tries a mind-over-matter style of humming (which is annoying Bumblebee) to get rid of the Stasis Cuffs. Bulkhead was surprised he could do that. However, he said it was only in theory, as he never actually ''completed'' his Cyber-Ninja training. In true supervillain style, Megatron explains to the Autobots that he plans to use the space bridge to lead his Decepticons in an attack on the under-protected [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], where they will take over the entire space bridge network and transport the entire Decepticon army to the planet. Bulkhead notes that the space bridge requires a receiving code to work, which would mean Megatron would have to have someone on Cybertron, but Bumblebee points out that there ''is'' someone: [[Wasp]], the spy he caught at [[Autoboot Camp|boot camp]]. Someone is eager to correct Bumblebee, however, as Megatron's true double agent, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], appears on a monitor and reveals how he, as Longarm Prime, deceived Bumblebee so long ago. With the theatricalities and exposition complete, Megatron prepares to toss Optimus Prime through the space bridge as a test, when suddenly, the base is rocked by heavy fire from outside. Teletran-1 has arrived!

[[Image:ABridgeTooCloseII-OmegaSupremeRobotMode.jpg|left|thumb|150px| "Stock footage? Bite me."]]

The fight moves outside as the Starscream clones, Lugnut and Blitzwing all lay siege to the Autobot ship, which is quickly overpowered by the onslaught and begins to fall out of the sky. With another burst of AllSpark Key power to boost its systems, Ratchet has the ship activate its emergency defense system, codename: Omega. As the shocked Decepticons look on, the ship transforms into a colossal robot mode—the mountainous [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]!

[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] directs the Decepticons to fire on his legs to bring him down, and the move succeeds, but Ratchet links his own systems up to Omega to give him the strength he needs to rise back up and strike back. A hail of lasers and missiles is unleashed upon the villains as Omega strikes, kicks and headbutts them all across the battlefield.

[[Image:TFA ABTC sacrifice.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Omega Supreme, no! You're too cool to die so soon!]]
Down in the mine, as the Constructicons clear rubble away from the space bridge and Megatron prepares to continue his test, Prowl successfully employs a [[processor-over-matter]] focusing technique to escape his stasis cuffs. Just as Prime is about to disappear through the bridge, Prowl hurls a shuriken that breaks his leader's cuffs, enabling him to fire his grappling line and haul himself to safety. At this point, the space bridge shuts down, and Megatron quickly deduces that the AllSpark fragment powering it is not strong enough. Luckily for him, he has another one—and he promptly grabs Starscream's head and stuffs it in the power core, along with the fragment the head contains. This, however, causes the core to overload and the bridge to malfunction. As it begins to pull in all surrounding material, Shockwave reports that the destination code has been deleted and that the bridge could send them anywhere. Even in defeat, Megatron attempts to take Prime with him, but before he can fire the blast that will rid him of the Autobot leader, Prime manages to slap a pair of stasis cuffs on Megatron, immobilizing him and causing his body to be sucked into the space bridge. Prowl and Prime free Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Sumdac, but the bridge still threatens to consume the entire state until help comes from above in the form of Omega Supreme. Omega blocks the bridge with his massive body and absorbs its [[transwarp]] energies, willing to sacrifice himself once more to save the Autobots. After ejecting Sari and Ratchet from his body, Omega is sucked into the bridge, which collapses in upon itself and vanishes in a dramatic implosion. As Sari and her father are reunited at last, the mine begins to cave in, and the Autobots escape while the Constructicons are buried alive attempting to save their oil.

[[Image:TFA ABTC Sari spoilers.jpg|left|150px|thumb|...There's no way we can make a funny without being [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|jerk]]s.]]
Retreating to the edge of a nearby cliff that overlooks the destruction, the Autobots reflect on the fact that Omega is probably still out there, somewhere. As Sumdac expresses relief that the whole ordeal is over, Sari once again tells the Autobots that she knew her father could never have betrayed them to the Decepticons. However, even as she espouses her father's honesty, Sari looks down at a cut on her arm...and beneath her skin, she and all around her are shocked to see the sparking circuitry of robotics. Terrified and confused, Sari clutches her arm and takes a few steps away from her father, who explains that they...need to talk...

[[Image:TFA ABTC2 Megatron Screamer End.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Next, on ''Crossfire''...]]
Somewhere out in the endless void of space, Megatron and the decapitated Starscream float aimlessly in the cosmic night, with nothing to do but snark back and forth at each other.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (10)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (11)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (12)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (13)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (16)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (20)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (2)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (3)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (4)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (5)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (6)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (7)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (8)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (9)
*[[Lugnut]] (14)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (15)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime / Shockwave]] (21)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (17)

|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Thundercracker, the Egomanic Starscream''': Fool! A mere construction-bot is no match for ''my'' superior firepower. 
'''Mixmaster''': Oh, really. Well, you know where you can stick it? 
''(Traps the clone with a glob of adhesive goo)'' 
'''Thundercracker''': Impossible! You cannot defeat me! You are not worthy! You are inferior! And your joke stinks!
:—Arrogance claims yet another [[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscream]].

"It's not like you to hide behind an Autobot." 
"But it's ''completely'' like you to hide behind an army of cheap [[knockoff]]s."
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Megatron''' always discuss each other's flaws—even in the midst of battle.

'''Starscream''': What are you waiting for? Destroy Megatron! Now! 
'''Slipstream''':...Any leader has to be an improvement over you! 
'''Sunstorm, the Sycophant Starscream''': Oh wise and great Megatron, you have truly proven your vast superiority! 
'''Ramjet, the Liar Starscream''': I will remain loyal to you forever! 
''[Kicks Starscream's body and walks over to Megatron]''
:—Starscream learns that his clones all share the worst aspect of his personality—his treachery.

'''Optimus''': I still don't see where all this "expertise" came from. 
'''Bulkhead''': I had a lot of time to study space bridge schematics back on the energon farm. I just had a knack for 'em, I guess. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, well, that's great. So the ''one thing'' you're good at is going to hand Cybertron over to the Decepticons.
:—Even after being declared a technical genius, Bulkhead still can't catch a break.

'''Megatron''': Decepticons! Prepare for our conquest of Cybertron! 
''[The Decepticons start cheering wildly.] 
'''Scrapper''': What's a Cybertron? 
'''Mixmaster''': I have no idea, he lost me at "Your fate is sealed now."
:—The Constructicons are in this for the oil, not the conquests.

'''Ratchet''': Careful not to fire on our friends! 
'''Sari Sumdac''': And try to get a visual of my dad! 
'''Omega Supreme''': Sure... what's a dad?
:—Omega Supreme is confused on the concept of organics and their paternal relationships. Bit like us really.

"Sari, we... need to talk."
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''''s entry in "The Understatement of the Year" competition.

'''Megatron:''' Stop ''staring'' at me. 
'''Starscream:''' No. ''You'' stop staring at ''me''! 
'''Megatron:''' Do you think I actually ''want'' to spend the rest of eternity gazing at your unsightly visage? 
'''Starscream:''' Trust me: your visage is no picnic either. And your face is ugly too! 
'''Megatron:''' Oh, someone just take me offline now... 
'''Starscream:''' What do you think I've been trying to ''do'' for the last four million stellar cycles?! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's funny, really, when you think about it. Tragic, but ''funny''! AHAHAHAHAHA! 
'''Megatron:''' Oh, shut up.
:—Stranded and helpless in space, Megatron and Starscream bicker to the end.

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
*When Skywarp is dodging Bumblebee's stinger blasts, his eyes shift to Autobot blue for a split-second.
*After Shockwave reveals to Bumblebee that he is Longarm Prime, the pan-across shot that follows shows Shockwave on the monitor. In the next close-up of the monitor, Longarm is shown transforming back into Shockwave.
*When Megatron closes in on Optimus to toss him into the space bridge, Sunstorm's face is dark grey instead of white.
*Just before Ratchet gives his "don't give up on me now" speech to Omega, there is a shot from the front showing Ratchet with Sari tucked into the mouth of his "backpack". In the next shot, it shows Ratchet from behind, with Sari ''on top of'' the backpack, and then switches back to the front view with Sari back in the gap.
*When Megatron is dragged into the Space Bridge, only one hand is cuffed. When we see him next, both of them are.
*When Starscream is holding Megatron's sword, the glow of his AllSpark Fragment isn't reflected but the rest of his face is.
*At many points in the episode, Slipstream is shown with the face (and [[chin]]) of her male counterparts.
*As Bulkhead says Bumblebee sent an innocent bot to the stockade, both Optimus and Prowl sit up despite being stasis-cuffed.

===Continuity errors===
*Several immobilised characters are shown in different positions to last episode:
**Lugnut and Blitzwing are shown lying face-down on the floor, when they were sitting back-to-back last episode.
**Bumblebee and Blurr apparently swapped positions in Scrapper's arms since last episode.

===Transformers references===
*Omega Supreme refers to the energy given off by the space bridge as [[Transwarp|Transwarp energy]], similar to the transwarp drives used in the [[Beast Era]].
*[[Knockoff]]s? Oh my...

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le portail d'à côté 2/2'''" ("The Portal Next Door 2/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Weltraumbrücke, Teil 2'''" ("The Spacebridge, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 31|31 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Jeden Most Za Blisko, Część 2'''" ("A Bridge Too Close, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
*The restoration of Omega Supreme's memory is very similar to the scene in ''[[Wikipedia:2001: A Space_Odyssey|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' when Dave Bowman takes HAL-9000's higher functions offline (just in reverse).
*Prowl's humming forcing the stasis cuffs to open seems inspired by a similar sequence in British superspy spoof movie ''[[Wikipedia:Johnny English|Johnny English]]'', where the titular hero attempts to escape a prison cell by whistling at the door-lock in the hope that the right frequency will cause the tumblers to rotate. Unlike Johnny however, Prowl succeeded. He is ''that'' awesome.

===Trivia===
[[Image:TFA Headmaster unit facial expression changed.jpg|thumb|150px|right|GASP!!!]]
*The Headmaster unit even works on Decepticons, whose armor is much tougher than Bulkhead's. Where did [[Henry Masterson|Masterson]] get that cutting beam?
*Speaking of the Headmaster unit, this is the first time its facial expression has changed.
*Mixmaster is ''veeery'' disobedient in this episode. Megatron orders him to find Lugnut and Blizwing at the start of the battle, but Scrapper does it instead. Then, after he cements Bumblebee to the wall, Megatron orders Mixmaster to attack Starscream, instead he just disappears until after Omega Supreme gets free. And yet Megatron never punishes him.
*In the shots after Slipstream yells "Aim for the legs", Lugnut is shown firing his engine pods (which are his hands in robot mode) as missiles at Omega. Those probably weren't supposed to come off. However he's shown doing the same thing a minute later, and this time in robot mode, so it isn't a lone animation error. One has to wonder where he keeps all the spare hands. Certainly nothing up his sleeve...
*Fans had been theorizing that the Autobot ship was Omega Supreme since quite literally the first episode.
*Fans had ''also'' been theorizing that Sari had a li'l bit of robot in her since the first episode too! [[Bee in the City|How silly!]]
*Fans did ''not'' theorize that when this episode premiered on YTV ''AND'' on Cartoon Network, the announcers would happily yammer inanely over the closing credits sequence of Megatron and Starscream insulting each other in space. The Cartoon Network repeat the following day aired the credits without incident, thankfully.
*It was said at [[BotCon 2008]] that the entire closing credits sequence was improvised.
*When Omega Supreme transforms, he uses the same transformation sound [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] used in the battle of Mission City when he was attacking [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]].
*When Omega Supreme is trying to get out of the cliff, some music from [[Transform and Roll Out|the movie]] can be heard.
*In this episode, this is the first time that Shockwave speaks with his real accent while still in Autobot mode as Longarm, indicating that he has to mask his voice in that mode.
*Several times after Starscream's head is cut off, he is shown with pupils.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Too Close, Part II}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

A Bridge Too Close, Part I

2010-07-14T19:12:36Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=28
|image=TFA ABTC1 Space Bridge operational.JPG
|caption=Closer... closer...
|title="A Bridge Too Close, Part I"
|airdate=[[June 28]], 2008
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''The Decepticons kidnap Bulkhead to aid in Megatron's ultimate plan to take over Cybertron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Megatron branding.jpg|thumb|left|"Can't you just paint the insignia on our chest?" "Now, where's the fun in that?"]]

Now serving under [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]] have completed construction of the villain’s [[space bridge]]. They are rewarded for their efforts by being officially inducted into the [[Decepticon]] army in a small ceremony led by Megatron, with [[Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] serving as witnesses (and, for some reason, holding candles). After the Constructicons have recited the oath of allegiance, Megatron [[branding|brands]] them, quite literally, with a [[Redeco|color-change]] for their armor and eyes thrown into the bargain. At Megatron’s instruction, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] fires up the bridge, but when it fails to activate due to the professor’s simple lack of understanding of the technology, Megatron realizes that he will require additional help...

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Argue.jpg|thumb|"There's something in your [[optic]]." "No, there isn't!"]]

On [[Earth]]’s [[Moon (moon)|moon]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] gloats over five new [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]] of himself, to which he is in the process of putting the finishing touches. The final clone is completed and, like its fellows, brought online with a tiny chip of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] that gives Starscream life. Immediately, however, Starscream has to wrestle with the various wacky personalities the clones have wound up with, each one an exaggerated aspect of his own: a coward, a sycophant, an egomaniac, a pathological liar... and a short-tempered female who insists that Starscream not ask what aspect of his personality gave birth to her.

Megatron contacts [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in order to have him [[Cybertronian Datanet|track down]] the top space bridge engineer on the planet. Shockwave is surprised to report that the engineer in question is on Earth—it’s [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]! Megatron decides to capture Bulkhead personally and instructs Lugnut and Blitzwing to pick up an item from [[Sumdac Tower]] to aid in “convincing” the Autobot to help them. When Lugnut points out that Sumdac cannot be trusted in the base alone with the Constructicons, Megatron decides to take the professor with him. As all this scheming goes on, however, someone else is listening in—the mysterious “Blue Racer” that [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] recently encountered.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 painting time.JPG|thumb|left|Optimus Prime has deemed this image in need of a caption!]]

At the Autobot base, Bulkhead is working on his latest painting, an abstract rendition of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]]. Unfortunately, backseat artistry from the other Autobots winds up ruining the painting, and Bulkhead goes for a walk with Sari to vent a little. Bumblebee follows to apologize, but just as he catches up to them, Megatron appears in the sky overhead and opens fire. Using Sumdac as a human shield to stop the Autobots from firing back, Megatron continues to rain destruction down on the Autobots as Bumblebee and Sari argue over whether or not Sumdac has been working with Megatron.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Megatron Sumdac Hostage.jpg|thumb|right|...dads?]]
Suddenly, the Blue Racer speeds onto the scene, and Bumblebee, believing the enigmatic speedster to be working with Megatron, chases him off through the city and manages to run him off the road. When he attempts to report his success to Bulkhead, though, there’s no response—because Megatron has captured Bulkhead and is airlifting him away. Bumblebee’s failure is compounded by the next turn of events: The Blue Racer reveals himself to be [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]], a fast-talking member of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] who has been covertly monitoring Megatron’s activities.

Back at the Decepticon headquarters, Bulkhead refuses to help Megatron, so the villain unveils the fruit of Blitzwing and Lugnut’s labor: a [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit! Faced with the threat of once again having his body taken over and being used to destroy his fellow Autobots, and failing to elicit any help from [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] or [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]], Bulkhead relents and agrees to work on the space bridge.

At the Autobots’ base, Blurr relates his mission to [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and company and brings them up to speed, quite literally. While Prime leads the rest of the team to the Decepticon base, the location of which is provided by Blurr, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and Sari head for Teletran-1 to try to get it online one last time. Just like [[Lost and Found (episode)|last time]], their efforts lead to nothing, forcing Ratchet to attempt one last drastic approach: using the AllSpark fragments the Autobots have gathered to jump-start the ship’s systems.

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Bulkhead Sumdac.JPG|thumb|left|Merry Christmas!]]

Prime’s team is led by Blurr into the Decepticons’ coal mine base, where they are immediately attacked by Lugnut and Blitzwing. The fight is a brief one, as Blurr uses his super-speed to bind the odd couple with [[stasis cuffs]]. Meanwhile, as the space bridge nears completion, Bulkhead insists on modifying many aspects of Sumdac’s design, and winds up in an argument with the human, which Sumdac interprets as Bulkhead trying to sabotage the bridge deliberately. When the bridge is activated, however, it functions perfectly—Bulkhead knew full well that Sumdac’s design was wrong, and he corrected it!

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Emerge.jpg|thumb|right|Why, I'm beside myself! And myself! And...]]
As the bridge flares into life, Prime’s team bursts into the main chamber, but they are instantly immobilized by cement booties, courtesy of Mixmaster. With the Autobots out of the picture, it seems there is nothing to stop Megatron now...until the roof of the cavern explodes, and Starscream and his clone army make their grand entrance!

[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|To be continued…]]
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (15)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (17)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (18)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (19)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Lugnut]] (2)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (3)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (4)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (5)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (7)
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]] (8)
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]] (9)
*[[Ramjet (Animated)|Ramjet]] (10)
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]] (11)
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] (12)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Ah, never before have I seen such an impressive group of lethal fighting machines! And pretty good-looking, if I do say so myself."
:—The ever-humble '''Starscream''' comments on his clone army.

'''Skywarp, the Coward Starscream''': Us? Against Megatron?!? ARE YOU INSANE?!? ''[Meekly]'' Ah, I think I just sprang an oil leak... 
'''Thundercracker, the Egomaniac Starscream''': Silence, you fool! Megatron is a worthless pile of scrap metal compared to ''my'' genius. 
'''Sunstorm, the Sycophant Starscream''': Brilliant observation! Brilliant! But your genius pales in comparison to the genius of our leader, the [[Starscream (G1)|original]] Starscream. 
'''Starscream''': Mmm, I could listen to this one all day! 
'''Ramjet, the Liar Starscream''': What are you talking about? ''I'' am the [[Geewun|original]] Starscream! 
'''Starscream''': Liar! ''I'' am the original Starscream. 
'''Ramjet''': I never said I was the original Starscream. 
'''Starscream''': You just did right now. 
'''Ramjet''': No, I didn't. 
'''Starscream''': Yes, you did. 
'''Ramjet''': No, I didn't. 
'''Starscream''': Yes, you did! 
'''Ramjet''': No. I. Didn't. 
'''Slipstream, the Female Starscream''': Ohh, haven't you figured it out yet? He's a pathological liar. Each of us clones represents one aspect of your personality. [''points to each clone in turn''] He's a coward... he's an egomaniac... he's a suck-up... he's a liar. 
'''Ramjet''': I am not! 
'''Starscream''': So, which part of me did you come from? 
'''Slipstream''': Don't ask. 
'''Starscream''': ''[sigh]'' This is going to be a long orbital cycle.
:—Best [[introdump]] ever?

"I just didn't think my head was so big." 
"That's your leg."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bulkhead'''. Oh, the irony!

'''Sari''': No, don't shoot! You'll hit my dad! 
'''Bulkhead''': She's right! 
'''Bumblebee''': So what are we supposed to do? Fight him with snappy comebacks?
:—'''Bumblebee''' conveniently forgets his normal attack strategy.

'''Bumblebee''': All right, Zippy, start talking! 
''[Blurr transforms from vehicle mode to robot mode]'' 
'''Blurr''': First of all, the name's not "Zippy"! As a matter of fact, I don't believe I've ever met another bot named Zippy, so one can only assume that you came up with "Zippy" in reference to my speed, which may be technically accurate, but lacks a certain creativity! 
'''Bumblebee''': Eh...eh-eh... 
'''Blurr''': More to the point, the name's Blurr! I'm an Autobot intelligence agent, sent to this planet by the Elite Guard to keep an eye on Optimus Prime and his crew as well as monitor the Decepticon activity, and ''you'', my friend, have just blown a decacycle of covert surveillance designed to uncover Megatron's plot to conquer Cybertron. Everything was going according to plan when I intercepted a communication between the Decepticon leader and an unknown double agent! They were in the midst of plotting the abduction of an unsuspecting Autobot, which now, from the status of the current ground situation, appears to have been successful. Got that so far? 
'''Bumblebee''': Uh...could you repeat the last part? 
'''Blurr''': Which last part? 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, everything after "The name's not Zippy."
:—It took Bumblebee a long time to get Blurr to start talking. From this point on, he doesn't shut up.

'''Bumblebee''': Woah, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up! 
'''Prowl''': Did he just say Bulkhead? 
'''Optimus Prime''': ''Our Bulkhead?'' 
'''Ratchet''': ''An expert?'' On anything?!
:—The Autobots aren't terribly impressed with Bulkhead.

"I must be a bigger pain in the gearshaft than I thought."
:—'''Starscream''' [[Total War!#Quotes|openly admits]] one of his primary faults.

"Okay, I give. I'm officially no longer the fastest thing on wheels."
:—'''Bumblebee''' is humbled after seeing Blurr's speedy takedown of Blitzwing and Lugnut.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*When Mixmaster encases Optimus and Prowl in concrete, his colors shift back to his neutral, pre-Decepticon color scheme.
*When Megatron attacks the Autobots, his cockpit changes from black to grey for a brief moment, then back.
*Blurr's mouth disappears for a frame after he introduces himself to Bumblebee and is pointing at him for the second time.

===Continuity errors===
*Not so much an error as a quirk: During the engagement in the mines, Icy Blitzwing is scowling noticeably, while Hothead Blitzwing is...''smiling???''
*When Bulkhead is brought into Decepticon HQ, Prof. Sumdac says his name as if he is surprised to see the Autobot, despite the fact that Sumdac was ''there'' when Bulkhead was kidnapped by Megatron.
*It's odd that while Bumblebee wasn't fast enough to catch up with Blurr with his turbo boosters in "[[Velocity]]", he can catch up to him and hit him while he hasn't got them on in this episode. Maybe he was doing the speed limit?

===Transformers references===
[[Image:ABridgeTooClosePart1-MegatronHandExtendtion.jpg|thumb|right|His special hand! There's none other like it!]]
*Shockwave's report on Bulkhead appears to be in the form of [[Tech Spec]]s.
*After branding, the Constructicons' colour schemes match those of their Generation 1 counterparts.
*Megatron shoots off his middle and index finger which isn't [[Scrounge (G1)|something]] [[Elita One#Classics|new]].
*Ironically, what Starscream says about his clones is similar to what [[Starscream (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]] remarked on [[Starscream clone (G1)|his clone]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le portail d'à côté 1/2'''" ("The Portal Next Door 1/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Weltraumbrücke, Teil 1'''" ("The Spacebridge, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 30|30 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Jeden Most Za Blisko, Część 1'''" ("A Bridge Too Close, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
*In ''[[Wikipedia:The Bridge on the River Kwai|The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'', [[Obi-Wan Kenobi|Alec Guinness]] is a prisoner of war who is forced to build a bridge. Even though the bridge will help his enemies, he builds the bridge to the best of his ability just to demonstrate how capable he is. In "A Bridge Too Close"...replace "Alec Guinness" with "Bulkhead".
*The title is a reference to the movie ''[[Wikipedia:A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]''.
*Among the parts needed for a space bridge are "hollow cathode tubes", parts which until recently made up computer monitor displays.

===Trivia===
*So in all the months that Isaac Sumdac has been missing, it never occurred to anyone that the Decepticons kidnapped him? Perhaps everyone thought he was dead.
*All of the heavy exposition is given to the guy who talks really, really fast. Handy.
*Megatron initiates new Decepticons by [[branding]] the symbol onto them with cattle brands. How bovine.
*This is not the first time Bulky has transformed his [[Total Meltdown|kibble into a chair]].
*Starscream opens a hatch on his head to pick parts from his AllSpark fragment to bring the clones to life, suggesting that in all of the episodes when you do see it, he has his hatch open, exposing the AllSpark fragment.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge Too Close, Part I}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Sari, No One's Home

2010-07-14T19:11:34Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=27
|image=SariNoOne'sHome-Mixmaster%2CScrapperandSari.jpg
|caption= THAT'S MY PURSE! I DON'T KNOW YOU!
|title="Sari, No One's Home"
|airdate=[[June 5]], 2008
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}
'''Left alone in the Autobots' home base, Sari must defend it against an intrusion by the Constructicons.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA_Sari_No_One_Home_Bulkhead_freakout.JPG|thumb|left|[[Ironhide (G1)|"LEAKIN' LUBRICANT!"]]]]
At the Autobot base, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] is going through his obstacle course and passes with ease. [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] comes in and decides that anything a living hunk of metal can do, she can do better. Prowl allows her to proceed, but only at one quarter speed—which proves to be about a quarter speed too high for her as, a swinging crane arm clocks her in the back of the head, knocking her flat on her face. Sari starts complaining, and an amused Prowl consoles her, when [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] barges in, complaining about the sound of constant dripping. Tracking it down, he finds the drip in an oil leak in [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s arm. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] offers a tune up, but Bumblebee is adamant about being in perfect working order. His argument is weakend by the fact that when he rotates his arm around, drops of oil fly everywhere. Before a proper argument breaks out, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] appears and turns on the news, which shows [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] robbing oil from an auto supply shop. The Autobots debate whether or not the two bots will remember them and note they have to get to them before [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]].

[[Image:Animated_Sarinoonehome_chocolate.JPG|thumb|Some stay dry and others feel the pain!]]
The Autobots transform and roll out, but Optimus stops Sari from following, pointing out that a) the last time she was near those two, they nearly took her head off, and b) a kid isn't going to be a match for a two-story robot. Prime catches up with the rest, and they head towards the pair's last known location, not noticing that Bumblebee's leak is leaving a trail straight to the factory. Sari, meanwhile, is moping over being left home...before realising she's been left home ''alone''! She then proceeds to stuff her face with chocolate, strap herself to a crane and have her own homemade funfair ride, and attempt Prowl's course at full pelt (which goes about as well as the first time).
The Autobots are en route with Bumblebee's leak slowly driving Bulkhead insane. After reaching his limit, he slaps an "I love Autobots" sticker on the hole, and it seems to solve the problem. Unfortunately, they are a little late, as Scrapper and Mixmaster have spotted the trail. Lamenting their inability to remember where they got the real good stuff, the Constructicons decide to follow the yellow twit's trail and see if it leads 'em to anything worth drinking.
Unknown to all and sundry, Megatron has picked up the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]]' location. He hands [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] a barrel of oil and orders him to find the pair and bring them back, while at the same time avoiding confrontation with the Autobots. Blitzwing is happy to oblige, transforming to jet mode and heading for the city.

[[Image:TFA_Sari_No_One_Home_Sari_teddy_bear.JPG|thumb|left|200px|We will fight them in kitchens! We will fight them in the recrooms! We will fight them in the living rooms!]]
Meanwhile, the Constructicons have arrived at the factory, and Mixmaster promptly melts the door. Sari, hanging out in Prowl's room with her headphones on, doesn't hear the alarm go off. Scrapper has a sense of ''deja vu'' about the plant, convinced that they've been here and that something bad went down, but Mixmaster is unconcerned. Skatting through the hallways, Sari promptly runs into the Constructicons. Screaming at the top of her lungs disorients the two long enough for her to escape. Scrapper is convinced that Sari had something to do with their memory loss, while Mixmaster, still wanting some oil, tells him that they're staying.
Meanwhile, the Autobots have found nothing on their search. Bumblebee briefly mistakes a regular construction vehicle for Mixmaster, while Bulkhead sees what he thinks is Blitzwing, but isn't sure. Bumblebee decides to call in Sari, but she doesn't answer (unaware that Scrapper just accidentally crushed Sari's phone). When he sees the Autobots, Icy Blitzwing remembers that he is not to engage them, but Hothead and Random Blitzwing decide to crush them anyway. The Autobots try to draw him away from civilians, but they end up at a backed-up on ramp. With nowhere to move, Prime orders Ratchet and Bumblebee to clear the humans out while the he and the others take on Blitzwing.

[[Image:'sHome_Constructicons_Slip.jpg|thumb|200px|"Don'tcha know a kid always wins against two idiots?"]]
At the plant, Sari holds a council of war (with her teddy bear) and decides to fight them off herself. Arming herself with hockey pads, she puts on a helmet and picks up a hockey stick. As the intruders explore the rec room, Sari attacks, and but her hockey stick shatters. Hiding in Prowl's room until the Constructicons move on, she gets outside through a drainage pipe, reenters through the melted front gate, and contacts the Autobots in the communication center. Unfortunately, they are taking a pounding from Blitzwing, so Bumblebee tells her to hide until they can get there. Unwilling to wait, Sari decides to set a trap...with some nice, delicious cans of oil. Predictably, the two neutrals walk in and see Sari with three barrels ready. Mixmaster demands the oil, despite Scrapper's fear that's it a trap. He's right, for Sari uses the machines to dump it on the ground, causing Mix and Scrap to fall down and go boom and allowing her time to escape.

[[Image:'sHome_Autobots_Huddle.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Triple Takeover|We need zone defence!]]]]
Elsewhere, Blitzwing is dominating the Autobots, so Prime decides to end this with an [[Omega formation]]. Bumblebee goes in first, but his stingers do little damage. Then Bulkhead throws Prowl, allowing him to execute a high-speed kick, but Ratchet's attempt to finish off Blitzwing gets him taken hostage. At this point, however, Megatron orders Blitzwing to disengage, and he takes to the air.
At the plant, Mix and Scrap decide to take down Sari, but Sari sets up the factory machines to thrash them, put them on the assembly line, get riveted, magnetized, and dumped on the ground. Mix finally calls it quits, and the two roll out. When the Autobots return, they fear the worst upon seeing the damage, but Sari shows up and tells them how she drove them off. Prime apologizes for doubting her and offers praise for her bravery and ability to drive off Mixmaster and Scrapper—until he sees the candy wrappers...

[[Image:'sHome_The_End.jpg|thumb|200px-'sHome_The_End.jpg|Th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks!]]
On the road, Mixmaster and Scrapper are still fleeing Sari, when Blitzwing spots them. He offers them some oil, which Mixmaster remembers as the great stuff they previously had. He offers them more if they follow him, and the trio walk into the sunset. After all, Megatron has plans for them.
[[A Bridge Too Close, Part I|''Endgame'' plans...]]
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (10)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (9)
*[[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (7)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"'S'matter witchoo?! You're an excavator, not a golf cart! Grow a backhoe and let's get some oil!"
:—'''Mixmaster''' tells Scrapper to man up.

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': AUTOBOTS! I WILL CRUSH THEM INTO IRON FILINGS! 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': But my orders are to find the Constructicons. 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Ooh, but I LIKE iron filings! Especially sprinkled on top of servo salad!
:—Ladies and gentlemen, Random Blitzwing just got a little scarier.

Now I'll have to call Prime and the others from the Communication center, out there. By the time they get here, those two oil guzzlers'll wreck the whole place. ''[stares at her teddy bear]'' "No. This is my house, and I'm going to defend it! I'll show them I'm just as tough as they are!" ''[quieter]'' "Even though I'm talking to a teddy bear."
:—'''Sari''' becomes the next [[wikipedia:Macaulay_Culkin|Macaulay Culkin]]

"You broke my cell phone, but you are ''not'' gonna break my TV!"
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' is filled with righteous fury.

"YI-AHHHHHH!" 
''[hits Mix with a hockey stick, which breaks]'' 
"Okay...that's as far as my plan got."
:—'''Sari''' vs. the Constructicons.

(''after Sari's 'hockey attack' fails'') 
'''Mixmaster''': What the front-end loader was that?
:-You all wish he said '[[Dirt Boss (Animated)|forklift]]', don't you?

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': COME BACK HERE, SO I CAN PULL YOUR PISTONS OUT THROUGH YOUR TAILPIPES! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Oh, and void your warranty with excess wear and tear. AAAHAHAHA!
:—Ah, Blitzwing, how we've missed you.

'''Optimus Prime''': "I, uh, apologize for underestimating you, Sari. You performed bravely today." 
'''Bumblebee''': "Glad you're okay, squirt." 
''[they walk inside and see candy all over the floor]'' 
'''Optimus Prime''': <big>''"SAAARRRIII!!!"''</big>
:—Optimus officially becomes a father.

"You were right, Scrap. That little beast is a terror! I'll never doubt you again!" 
"I think we lost her." 
"Nah, I doubt it."
:—'''Mixmaster''' can't keep his word to '''Scrapper''' for three seconds, can he?

==Notes==
*A run of Season 2 episodes were first shown in Dubai, but this episode was not among them; instead, it was first seen in the UK.
*This episode was also aired at TFcon 2008.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Megatron gives Blitzwing his mission objectives, while the camera is focused on his face, Blitzwing is miscoloured, with the beige torso sections opposite his cockpit now coloured purple.
*During several shots, the brow areas of the Constructicons are miscoloured, swapping colours on occasions.
*Once again, Optimus has a firetruck for his back half when he returns to base (though it was missing at his departure), but it's gone as soon as he transforms.

===Continuity errors===
*For about half of the episode, we see that Bumblebee is leaking oil out of his left arm. Bulkhead thinks it's annoying and makes a big deal out of it. Yet even after the battle is over, nobody even bothers to fix the (now-patched) leak.
*Although the sirens go off when the Constructicons break into the base, the Autobots seem to have had no way to detect it. Apparently, they just installed sirens for the hell of it.
*When Blitzwing leaves the Decepticon base, Megatron gives him one barrel of oil, but when he meets up with the Constructicons, he has two.
*Bumblebee's stingers [[To sell toys#Power Levels|have been rather inconsistently powered]]. In previous episodes, they've been able to shove [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] back and take down a building, but do nothing to a regular construction vehicle, or Blitzwing.

===Transformers references===
*The same worker from "[[Nature Calls]]" reappears here, and he's even got a name in the credits: Sparkplug. And the fandom rejoiced.
*When Sari is listening to music in Prowl's room, she is humming the [[Theme song|"More than Meets the Eye" theme]] (despite the music being a completely different tune).
*[[Maramba Brothers Auto Supply]] is named after ''Animated'' director [[Irineo Maramba]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Les constructeurs démolisseurs'''" ("The Demolishing Constructicons")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sari - Allein zu Haus'''" ("Sari - Alone at Home")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 29|29 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nikogo nie ma w domu'''" ("No One's Home")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
*There's a general similarity between this episode and the movie ''[[wikipedia:Home_Alone|Home Alone]]''. Sari quotes [[wikipedia:Macaulay_Culkin|Macaulay Culkin]]'s character Kevin (see above), Scrapper acts as dumb as [[wikipedia:Daniel_Stern_(actor)|Daniel Stern]]'s character Marv, and Mixmaster has always sounded like [[wikipedia:Joe_Pesci|Joe Pesci]]...
*Bulkhead launching Prowl at Blitzwing is remarkably similar to the "Fastball Special" maneuver from X-Men comics, in which Colossus uses his super-strength to launch [[Wolverine]] at villains which Bulkhead did with Bumblebee in "[[Along Came a Spider]]".
*As Sari prepares for battle with the Constructicons, her hockey stick makes a [[wikipedia:Star_Wars|light saber]] sound effect when she swings it.

===Trivia===
*Blitzwing's jet mode seems to have VTOL capabilities.
*Blitzwing just stands around while the Autobots attempt to plot his downfall using a football huddle. Is he arrogant or just plain crazy? Yes.
*According to the [[Cartoon Network]] panel at [[BotCon 2008]], Mixmaster's line "What the front-end-loader was ''that''?" was originally scripted "What the forklift was ''that''?". However, BS&P caught the very intentional verbal similarity to a dirty dirty word, so the line was changed.
*Bumblebee leaks oil in a manner that is analogous to either blood or bodily waste. The Constructicons find said oil delicious.
*When in his alt-mode, Bumblebee's leak seems to come from his door—somewhere that oil is not usually found in a real car. Maybe this oil is used for the transformation process?
*While the Hothead and Icy personalities typically blast only fire or ice respectively, Random Blitzwing is shown using both at once.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
*[http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9a3ef6b01a6 "Sari, No One's Home" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Black Friday (episode)

2010-07-14T19:10:50Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing= */

{{disambig2|the episode of ''Transformers Animated''|the day after Thanksgiving|Black Friday (event)}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=26
|image=Animated Black Friday Grimlock Prime lasso.jpg
|caption=You should see the pooper scooper.
|title="Black Friday"
|airdate=[[June 4]], 2008
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by= [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Blackarachnia enlists Prometheus Black, a.k.a. Meltdown, to aid her with a dangerous experiment, while Optimus and Dinobot Grimlock are forced to team up to stop them.'''

==Synopsis==

[[Image:TFA Black Friday Meltdown Bee.jpg|left|thumb|Weirdest funhouse mirror ''ever''.]]
[[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] is growing ever more frustrated by [[Porter C. Powell]]'s callous actions towards both herself and her father, and she wants payback. She and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] visit the maximum-security prison that is the current abode of [[Meltdown (Animated)|Prometheus Black, a.k.a. Meltdown]], and speak to him in the undissolvable crystalline cube that is his cell. Black sarcastically welcomes them, noting that he has ever so few visitors, and Sari snarks in return that he'd probably have more friends if he wasn't always trying to mutate other people into [[Survival of the Fittest|transformational experiments]]. Sari knows that Black and Powell had once been business partners, and she asks the acidic villain for any information that would help her expose Powell as a criminal. Black asks why he should help her at all, and Sari reminds him that his own misfortunes began with the breakdown of his business partnership with Powell. Meltdown replies—with apparently genuine regret—that Powell was far too canny a businessman ever to get his fingerprints on anything truly illegal. He presents a different plan: If Sari and Bumblebee would be so kind as to break him out of prison, he would happily kill Powell himself. A bit taken aback, Sari insists she isn't willing to go that far, and she and Bumblebee depart. Later that night, however, a massive explosion signifies a break-in at the prison. At first, Meltdown confidently welcomes his visitors, assuming Sari has had a change of heart, but that confidence turns to fear when he sees he is actually being visited by the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]]. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] cryptically announces that "she" wants to see Meltdown. Though still afraid of his former flunkies, Meltdown tries to warn them away, pointing out that a prison cell constructed to hold him is indestructible—nothing can get out or in. But the Dinobots don't need to break the box when they can simply ''take'' it.

Meltdown soon finds himself transported to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], where the Dinobots are behaving very strangely indeed, chanting and bowing towards a high hill. The object of their interest soon is revealed to be [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], who washed up on the island after [[Megatron Rising - Part 2|the recent defeat of Megatron]] and has since used her beauty and wily ways to captivate the simple-minded Dinobots. As she explored the island, she found Meltdown's subterranean lab complex, including his computer files on genetic manipulation. She insists that Black help her [[Megatron (BW) |purge the organic material from her body]], and since she has just drained Grimlock, becoming powerful enough to crack open his supposedly indestructible prison cell with the bonus of the Dinobots being quite willing to follow any command, Black has no choice but to agree.

Back on the mainland, [[Captain Fanzone]] and the Detroit P.D. are investigating the prison break. Porter C. Powell arrives, very agitated by the escape of his evil former associate. He produces security camera footage of Sari's visit, accusing the girl of trying to have him killed. Fanzone asks just how he got his hands on that footage, but Powell becomes more evasive. When the Autobots magnify the camera footage, they can see the Dinobots reflected on the surface of Meltdown's cube. While they ponder what to do about this, Bumblebee's constant chattering begins to wear on [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], who boldly insists that it is ''impossible'' for Bumblebee to remain silent for more than a few cycles. Bumblebee is angered by these doubts against him and tries to show how quiet he can be...which isn't at all, since he pipes in with a self-defense or denial every few moments. This bickering continues as he, Prowl, and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] head to Dinobot Island.

[[Image:TFA Black Friday ME GRIMLOCK IN LOVE.jpg|right|thumb|Me Grimlock king, but me want queen.]]
Once they arrive, the Autobots split up to search for evidence. Prowl finds more of Meltdown's burnt footprints, as well as yet more proof that Bumblebee really can't pipe down, since he keeps calling Prowl's name. But when Prowl investigates, he sees Bumblebee had good reason to yell: He's caught in a giant web and deactivated. Shortly thereafter, Blackarachnia attacks Prowl and deactivates him too. Rushing to help, Optimus attempts to confront Blackarachnia, but she is able to flatter and cajole Grimlock into defending her (and soundly walloping Optimus). There's no time for a real fight, though, as Blackarachnia has loaded up both Prowl and Bumblebee with a potentially lethal dose of her cybervenom. They will die unless she administers the antidote within 2 megacycles, and she'll only do that if Optimus helps Grimlock locate Meltdown's genetic modifier to make the experiment work.

[[Image:Animated Black Friday Grimlock Prime Powell.jpg|thumb|left|175px|No, Grimlock! He needs to show us the genetic modifier. ''Then'' you can eat him.]]
Returning to the mainland, Optimus and Grimlock attempt to work together, but it's difficult because Grimlock simply will not hear that Blackarachnia might be using him or would in any way be deceiving him. For his part, Grimlock doesn't want to work with "puny" Optimus, but has no choice, as only Optimus knows where Meltdown's original workshop had been. They find the workshop, untouched and in the same state of disrepair as [[Total Meltdown|when Black had his drastic accident]]. As they search for the genetic modifier, they are discovered by Porter C. Powell, who owns the facilities Black had been using before his accident. He orders them to leave and won't assist them in finding the device they need, but he changes his tune after Optimus has Grimlock snatch up the little man and imprison him inside his mouth for a while. The unlikely Autobot duo retrieves the genetic modifier and heads back to the island.

Once he has the necessary tools and Blackarachnia strapped down to his lab table (for her own safety, of course, he swears), Meltdown decides to change his lab procedure ever so slightly. Reminding his captor-turned-prisoner of his longstanding hatred of robots, he will still be genetically separating Blackarachnia's organic and mechanical elements...but now the mechanical will be discarded and only the organics left behind, and his goal of having created a [[Noble|purely organic transforming being]] will have been realized. Optimus and Grimlock attempt to stop Meltdown, but he summons reinforcements: his earlier mutant creations, who appear quite a bit stronger now and manage to force the robots outside the lab and battle them fairly evenly. Things aren't helped when Grimlock, in his shortsighted fury, ignores Optimus's warnings and uses his flaming sword so carelessly that it practically burns down the entire island. The tide finally turns with the arrival of the other two Dinobots. [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] lifts one of the mutants completely clear of the battlefield, keeping it from attacking further, while [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] pounds the other senseless with his giant, flaming cudgel.

[[Image:TFA Black Friday Meltdown melts.jpg|right|thumb|I'm mellttiinngg!]]
Optimus extinguishes the flames, then races back into the lab. He manages to detach the genetic modifier from the lab equipment, stopping the procedure before Blackarachnia can be divided up. An enraged Meltdown attacks Optimus and begins to melt his chest armor, but during the course of the action, Meltdown's body surface comes into contact with the genetic modifier. It unleashes a massive dose of energy into him, apparently causing his body to lose cohesion and degenerate into a pure liquid state, oozing out of his containment suit and leaking through cracks in the floor. Optimus frees Blackarachnia from her bonds on the table, and she senses an easy way to escape: Feigning weakness, she asks Optimus to come closer and hold her tight...as Grimlock is watching. His predictable jealousy makes him attack Optimus once again, and the sneaky spider manages to escape. When he finally sees she is gone, Grimlock begs her to return and professes his love for her, but it is too late.

A despairing Optimus returns to the web-covered bodies of Prowl and Bumblebee in the forest, apologizing to them that he was unable to rescue them in time. Then he notices the antidote has been placed right next to them. He quickly administers it just in the nick of time. Bumblebee notes with pride that he did indeed manage to remain totally silent for the whole 2 megacycles. When Prowl protests that it doesn't really count because he was unconscious and paralyzed, they have a rousing argument about the nature of the rules of their bet. An enraged Powell demands that Fanzone arrest Optimus Prime for assault and theft, but Fanzone says he's more inclined to arrest Powell for being a public nuisance and walks off. Optimus Prime begins to wonder if maybe, underneath it all, there is some good left in Blackarachnia, since (apparently) she did leave the antidote for him.

Later, in the island's abandoned underground lab, puddles of nasty-looking acidic goo begin to coalesce together around an empty containment suit. As the merging lump grows bigger, a familiar face appears on its surface. You can't keep a bad guy down....

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (1)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (5)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (9)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (11)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
|c2=
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (8)
|c3 =
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] (3)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Blackarachnia''': You want to steal a kiss from me? 
''[Grimlock nods eagerly and puckers up, and Blackarachnia drains his powers.]'' 
'''Blackarachnia''': But that means I steal something from you too! 
''[Shoots a stream of flame at Snarl and Swoop]''
:—Blackarachnia: every evil girlfriend you've ever had rolled into one.

"Aren't they just the cutest things? They worship me. It's flattering in a primitive sort of way but it gets real old, [[Lugnut|real fast!]]"
:—'''Blackarachnia''' learns how Megatron feels.

"I'm not going anywhere! This cell is impenetrable, much like that thick skull of yours. No one can break in or out." 
"Dinobots not break box. Dinobots ''take'' box!"
:—'''Meltdown''' gets "released" from prison by '''Grimlock'''

'''Blackarachnia''': With your help, I can finally purge myself of this accursed organic contamination. 
''[Transforms]'' 
'''Meltdown''': Ooh la la. Actually, that's a much better look for you. Why would I help you get rid of it? 
'''Blackarachnia''': Because it would make me very unhappy if you didn't. And when I'm unhappy, they're unhappy! 
'''Grimlock''': RAAARRR! Unhappy!
:—Like his [[Grimlock (G1)|predecessor]], Grimlock makes a simple sentence [[War of the Dinobots#Quotes|freaking terrifying.]]

''[Porter C. Powell shows Captain Fanzone prison security footage of Meltdown and Sari]'' 
'''Fanzone''': I don't suppose you wanna tell me how you came into possession of that recording? 
'''Powell''': What's does it matter where I got it?! I'm—I'm not on trial here, Captain! My life could be in danger. I deserve protection! 
'''Fanzone''': Oh, you want protection? Get a Schnauzer.
:—Fanzone shows Porter Powell that wealth can't buy respect for a big enough jerk.

[[Image:Jurassic Grimlock.JPG|thumb|Dinobots RULE!]]
'''Optimus Prime:''' "We're not here to scare people! We're here to get Meltdown's genetic modifier. Maybe you'd be less conspicuous in robot mode." 
'''Grimlock:''' "Okay..." ''[transforms]'' "But me Grimlock still taller than YOU. That why Spider-Lady like me Grimlock best."
:—Pissing contest, Transformer-style.

'''Optimus''': Grimlock, as soon as she gets that genetic modifier, she'll drop us like a used engine block. 
'''Grimlock''': Autobot bad. Me Grimlock go alone! 
''[Grimlock walks away down an alley, then comes back]'' 
'''Grimlock''': Uh...where me Grimlock find genetic thingy? 
'''Optimus''': Oh, come on. I know who can get it. 
'''Grimlock''': Me Grimlock go with you....but me Grimlock go with you ALONE! 
:—Grimlock shows Optimus Prime what's what.

'''Grimlock''': Uh, me Grimlock not supposed to scare puny humans. 
'''Optimus''': ''This one'' you can scare all you want. 
'''Grimlock''': THEN GIVE US THINGY! NOW!!! 
''[transforms into beast mode, then grabs Powell with his mouth]'' 
'''Powell''': What thingy?! What's he talking about?! 
'''Optimus''': Prometheus Black's genetic modifier? 
'''Powell''': Never heard of it. 
'''Optimus''': Did I mention that my partner is awfully hungry? 
''[Grimlock throws Powell into the air and catches him in his mouth]'' 
'''Powell''': Y-you can have it! I know where it is!
:—After months of utter dickishness, Porter C. Powell finally ends up where he belongs—Grimlock's mouth.

[[Image:TFA Black Friday Him Did It.jpg|thumb|right|Him [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|truck]] pushed me.]]
'''Powell''': Don't touch anything! Since he went bankrupt, technically, all this belongs to me. 
''[Grimlock falls and breaks everything]'' 
'''Grimlock''': ''[points at Optimus]'' Him did it. 
:—Like a toddler, Grimlock blames Optimus for everything.

'''Meltdown:''' Shall we proceed then? ''[plugs in genetic modifier]'' 
'''Blackarachnia''': Whatever it takes to get rid of this foul half of myself. 
'''Meltdown''': Uhhhh...about that. I should probably mention a slight change in plans. 
'''Blackarachnia''': ''What?'' 
'''Meltdown''': Don't worry! I ''will'' be purging half of your techno-organic form...just not the half you think. 
'''Blackarachnia''': You slimy traitor! You can't! I won't let you! 
'''Meltdown''': I guess the Dinobots never mentioned my ''disdain'' for machines. Once we eliminate all your robotic circuitry, your remaining arachnid tissue will be perfect for my genetic experiments, and I will finally achieve my dream of creating a transforming organic! 
'''Blackarachnia''': ''NOOOOO!'' 
'''Meltdown''': It's time for your extreme ''MAKEOVER!'' ''[throws the lever]''
:—Blackarachnia learns that it's not nice to screw with Meltdown.

''[Prowl and Bumblebee wake up after being cured by Blackarachnia's venom]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Uhh...how long have we been here? 
'''Optimus''': Almost two mega-cycles. 
'''Bumblebee''': Ha! And you said I couldn't go ten cycles without talking! 
'''Prowl''': Mmm-hmm, all it took was being paralyzed. 
'''Bumblebee''': What, you're making new rules now? I don't think so! Pay up with that sweet axle grease.
:—Prowl and Bumblebee debate the rules of their bet.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
*When Meltdown gets his face and hands "splattered" against the wall in his cell, his hands ooze out, despite his gloves being closed.
*When the Dinobots are arguing amongst themselves, Snarl's face briefly loses its red, and Swoop is shown in his beast mode.

===Transformers references===

==Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Sombre vendredi'''" ("Dark Friday")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Schwarzer Freitag'''" ("Black Friday")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 28|28 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Czarny Piątek'''" ("Black Friday")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
*The title is a reference to [[Black Friday (event)|the day after Thanksgiving]], a traditionally busy shopping day in the U.S., on which [[Hasbro]] often releases [[exclusive]]s.
*Grimlock's groaning cry of "Fire Bad" is a reference to the Tarzan-Tonto-[[Frankenstein's monster]] sketches from ''Saturday Night Live''. At one of the voice actor panels at, Botcon 2008, David Kaye mentioned that he'd specifically been directed to insert elements of the ''SNL'' Frankenstein's Monster into his Grimlock performance.
*Grimlock uses the T-Rex sound effect from the movie [[wikipedia:Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]] when he "swallows" Porter C. Powell.

===Trivia===
*Bulkhead and Ratchet appear, but do not speak.
*This episode showcases a [[stock footage|detailed transformation]] for Optimus Prime, Prowl and Bumblebee.
*Optimus states that Prowl knows Dinobot Island like the back of his hand and tells Prowl and Bumblebee to come with him, yet it is Bulkhead who has been on the island many times with Prowl. Maybe Optimus wants to see who wins the bet?
*In some shots, the button that makes Grimlock's toy chomp its jaws can be seen on his neck.
*It appears to be common knowledge that Porter C. Powell was Prometheus Black's business partner, yet in "[[Blast from the Past]]", he is seen among the group that witnesses the showing of the Dinobots, implying that he is working for Sumdac Systems at this point. Why would [[Isaac Sumdac]] hire the former partner of his bitterest corporate rival?
*Grimlock states that Autobots are bad. Perhaps Grimlock is forgetting that ''he's'' an Autobot?
*According to Grimlock, Dinobots rule. We already knew that.
*This is the second Transformers episode where a voice actor [[The Low Road|spends most of it arguing with himself]], although [[Scott McNeil]] usually managed it for at least 5 minutes [[Dinobot (BW)|every]] [[Rattrap|episode]].
*[[Colossus Rhodes]] is decidedly absent from this episode, despite being arrested with Meltdown. Maybe he got a cushy job in the prison library?
*This is the second episode to include [[Fusion creature|Meltdown's bat/human and shark/human hybrid experiments]].
*So, why ''was'' Powell watching Meltdown? Expecting revenge from his former client?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9a293f80197 "Black Friday" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Autoboot Camp

2010-07-14T19:10:08Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=25
|image=Autobot Cadets.jpg
|caption=Class of 2008. The ENTIRE Class of 2008.
|title="Autoboot Camp"
|airdate=[[June 3]], 2008
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''On the trail of an escaped Autobot traitor, Bumblebee flashes back to a previous encounter with the traitor when he first met Bulkhead in Autobot Boot Camp.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Wasp Salute.jpg|thumb|left|"Sayonara, suckerzzz."]]
Somewhere in space, an Autobot shuttle streaks through the solar night and crash-lands on an asteroid, where its lone occupant races off across the barren ground in vehicle mode. Hot on his trail is [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], who chases him to a [[space bridge]] node on the asteroid. The green-armoured escapee triggers the space bridge with a blast from a familiar pair of stingers, and Sentinel loses his quarry as the portal explodes with light.

On Earth, [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] reports the news of the escapee to the [[Autobot]]s. [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] immediately recognizes the criminal in question as [[Wasp]], a 'bot sharing his bodyform whom he met when during his [[Elite Guard]] training days.

[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Bee Sentinel.jpg|thumb|right|Living rooms of America, do you catch my drift? Do... you... dig?]]
In the [[Decepticon]]s' underground lair, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] contacts his double-agent on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and congratulates him on orchestrating Wasp's breakout. The double-agent is concerned that they are speaking so freely on the subject, but Megatron assures him that nobody will be able to listen in on the broadcast. [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] has other plans, though, as he secretly taps into the communication frequency and bounces it to the Autobots' base. Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are on monitor duty at the time, and the message comes through exceedingly scrambled, but they are at least able to comprehend the existence of a double-agent. Naturally, Bumblebee immediately assumes it to be Wasp, and he decides to settle his old score, with Bulkhead tagging along. Bumblebee remembers how it all went down...

''Stellar cycles ago, on Cybertron, Bumblebee meets Bulkhead for the first time when they both attend boot camp to train under Sentinel Minor, alongside Wasp, super-durable [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] and telescopic-limbed [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]]. The two B's immediately earn Sentinel's ire—Bumblebee for his impetuous bungling, and Bulkhead for his desire to be nothing more than a space bridge technician—and the pair gets saddled with oil cleanup. Of course, Bumblebee begins goofing off, which results in a stack of oil drums collapsing on Sentinel, which results in Bumblebee being made to stand in the middle of the courtyard in the dead of night, holding up oil drums and repeatedly declaring himself a “worthless oil stain.”''

[[Image:AutobootCamp-Sentinelgetsowned(Secondtime).jpg|thumb|left|150px|Hardly a relaxing oil bath.]]
''After a while, though, Bumblebee calls it quits, but as he is walking by a warehouse, he spots a shadowy figure speaking into a communicator, with the voice of Megatron responding! After a moment's hesitation, Bumblebee pops his stingers and commands the spy-bot to show himself...but the figure has vanished. When Bumblebee turns to leave, however, he spots Wasp walking out of the warehouse.''

''Unsure of how to proceed, Bumblebee confides in Longarm, who encourages him to gather some evidence and present it to Sentinel. Bumblebee tries setting up a trap, planting a box with the Elite Guard symbol on it in the open, hoping Wasp will grab it...except Sentinel is the first to come upon it, and it explodes, covering him in paint. Next, Bumblebee tries a listening device, but accidentally winds up broadcasting Sentinel over the camp's loudspeakers as he jokes about Ultra Magnus being too old to hack the commander role. In traditional boot camp manner, Sentinel makes the whole team suffer for Bumblebee's mistakes, and Wasp and Ironhide take it out on the little 'bot by disconnecting his legs and stuffing him in a locker. Longarm comes to Bumblebee's rescue, and urges Bumblebee not to give in.''

[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Oh Slag.jpg|thumb|Optimus must be kicking himself for having missed this.]]
''But the bullying doesn't stop, as Wasp hits Bumblebee with a burst of “friendly fire” in a simulated combat training exercise. Of course, it's just a paint grenade, but when Bulkhead offers to help Bumblebee up, Bumblebee snaps and insults Bulkhead's lack of ambition before storming off. Turning a corner, Bumblebee yelps as he finds several auto-cannons pointed in his face, but then laughs as he remembers that they're only loaded with paint rounds for the simulated combat. Or rather, they ''were'', as the shadowy figure from the warehouse slinks by the cannons and switches them to active ammunition. As the cannons open fire on Bumblebee, Bulkhead speeds to his rescue and takes out the cannons by dropping a building on them with his wrecking ball...only for Sentinel to get squashed under it as well. Bumblebee encourages Bulkhead to scarper, rather than risk his career by owning up.''

Tracking the message Sumdac broadcast to them, Bumblebee and Bulkhead wander through the wilderness, reminiscing about the old days. When Bumblebee stumbles into a patch of quicksand, Bulkhead plucks him out, but the conflict between the pair from their boot camp days starts bubbling back to the surface, and Bulkhead leaves Bumblebee to the mission himself. Angrily stomping up a mountain, Bumblebee loses his footing and falls off a cliff, becoming buried in an avalanche.

[[Image:TFA Autoboot Camp Wasp Captured.jpg|thumb|left|Will go on to star in [[Wikipedia:The Count of Monte Cristo|''The Count of Monte Cristo'']].]]

''Longarm informs Bumblebee that Sentinel is about to conduct a surprise locker examination, meaning that it's his last chance to find evidence on Wasp before Sentinel can take credit for it himself. Using his extensible limbs to trip up Wasp, Longarm allows Bumblebee to "help him up" and finger his locker key in the process. As Bumblebee quickly opens Wasp's locker, Sentinel appears behind him, demanding to know what he's doing, only to be quickly silenced when Bumblebee presents him with a Decepticon communicator. Impressed with Bumblebee's work, Sentinel plans to recommend him for an Elite Guard position. After Wasp is carted off, screaming his innocence all the way, Sentinel brings up the matter of the building being dropped on him. Since nobody has owned up, he decides to kick out whoever he feels like—and he feels like Bulkhead. Before he can give Bulkster the boot, however, Bumblebee steps forward and claims responsibility, sheepishly asking if it will affect his Elite Guard position.''

[[Image:TFA_Shockwave_DoubleAgent.jpg|thumb|Sometimes, when you stare into the abyss, it stares right back.]]
''Some time later, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are on an asteroid, working on a space bridge node, as Bulkhead cheerfully announces "I have arrived!"''

Buried under the rockslide, Bumblebee reflects on his friendship with Bulkhead out loud, and about how he saved Bulkhead's career, even ''if'' his friend never dreamed big. But Bulkhead ''did'' dream big; as the bulky bot appears above Bumblebee and hauls him out from beneath the boulders, he announces that he dreamed of being Bumblebee's friend. Bumblebee thanks his big buddy, and the pair drive off...having only been mere feet from the secret entrance to the Decepticon base.

Out in space, it turns out that Wasp didn't escape to Earth at all, and that he is still on the asteroid, huddled up in a ball. His mind clearly broken, the insectoid 'bot buzzes and twitters to himself about how he will find Bumblebee and make him pay for ruining his life.

Back at the Autobot base, our heroes contact Cybertron to alert the Autobots there about Megatron's double-agent. As it turns out, Bumblebee's old boot camp buddy Longarm is now Longarm ''Prime'', head of Cybertronian Intelligence, and he promises to root out the traitor no matter what.

In the Decepticon base, Megatron communicates once again with his double-agent... Longarm Prime! But the deception is a dual-layered one, for Longarm is, in fact, the shape-shifting [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Wasp]] (1)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (2)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (5)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (11) (Flashback)
*[[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] (14) (Flashback)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Lugnut]] (13, voice only)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime/Shockwave]] (12)
|c3 =
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
"Hey there, little buddy. You mind scanning me next to these tall buildings? They'll never believe me back home." 
"Mhm. First time off the energon farm?" 
"How'd you know?"
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''', together for the first time.

'''Sentinel Minor''': Wipe that smile off your face, dullspark! 
'''Bulkhead''': Uh, I'm not smiling, sir! My jaw is just tempered that way, sir! 
'''Bumblebee''': Forget Mudflap's jaw, check out the asteroid-sized chin on Sarge! 
'''Sentinel Minor''': YOU GOT A COMMENT, FUNNY-BOT?! 
'''Bumblebee''': No, sir!
:—The future Sentinel Prime is a little sensitive about his chin. Maybe it's why he's such a jerk.

'''Sentinel Minor''': Now here's a bot who knows his place. You should try to be more like your friend here. 
'''Bumblebee''': He's not my friend, sir! 
'''Sentinel Minor''': WE'RE ALL FRIENDS HERE!
:—Mr. Personality does it again.

"You are nothing but a BUMBLER! From now on, your name is...BUMBLEBEE!"
:—And lo, a legend was born, thanks to '''Sentinel Minor'''

''[stands in the middle of an empty yard, holding up oil drums, reciting...]'' 
"I am a worthless oil stain. I am a worthless oil stain. I am a worthless oil stain...why am I even doing this?"
:—Sentinel Minor's punishment of '''Bumblebee''' could be considered "cruel and unusual".

"You would not '''believe''' the glitches the Commander's saddled me with this time. I'm starting to think that Ultra Magnus is a few circuits shy of a full processor, know what I mean? Oh, sure, he was The Bot back in the day, but now? Ultra Magnus is just a rusted-out, obsolete model sorely in need of an upgrade."
:—'''Sentinel Minor''' is a suck-up only to the boss's face. ''Quelle surprise''.

"But I'm innocent, I tell you! You're making a big mistake, all of you!" 
"Mute it, traitor!" 
''[Sentinel strips Wasp of his Autobot insignia]'' 
"I'll get you, Bumblebee, '''if it's the last thing I do'''!
:—'''Wasp''' proclaims his innocence as he's wheeled away in restraints, while '''Sentinel Minor''' acts much as ever.

"I couldn't leave you all alone out here like that. I should've, but I didn't."
:—'''Bulkhead''' is loyal, but not stupid.

"Bumblebot not hide from Wasp. Wasp swears he find Bumblebot. Wasp make Bumblebot pay for RUINING WASP'S LIFE!"
:—There lies a broken '''Wasp'''...

"Our long stellar cycles of planning will now come to fruition. I knew your size-altering power would allow you to blend in perfectly with the Autobots. Well done, my loyal servant...[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]."
:—'''Megatron''' really knows how to introduce a major <s>plot point</s> Decepticon.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* In the scene after Sentinel Prime rips off Wasp's insignia you can see him still wearing it.

===Continuity errors===
* Bumblebee's stingers are shown to be powerful enough to knock down a building; yet in prior episodes they were only useful for zapping debris and bouncing uselessly off Decepticon armor. The discrepancy is somewhat explained in "[[TransWarped]]" when Ratchet gives Bumblebee battle-grade stingers to boost his power. Maybe when he was demoted to space bridge duty, his stingers were downgraded.
* If Professor Sumdac can reroute a Decepticon message between Earth and Cybertron to the Autobots on Earth, why can't he call for help too?
* If Cybertronians live on a planet with no organic life-forms, how does Sentinel know that wasps and bumblebees exist?

===Transformers references===
* Sentinel's speech about his troops being "cogs in a machine" is very similar to Optimus's comment at the beginning of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" (although Optimus gets the message across without the attitude); it may be a standard message from the Autobot Academy.
* Clearly, when Bumblebee and Bulkhead noted that Sentinel Prime didn't remember them back in "[[The Elite Guard]]", they were referring to their boot camp days.
* It was explained back in "The Elite Guard" that "Prime" was a rank, and this episode reveals that before attaining the rank, Sentinel was known as "Sentinel Minor". [[Optimus Minor|Sounds a little familiar]].
* In the final moments of the episode, the addled Wasp (who has spoken perfectly normally throughout the flashbacks) begins speaking in the buzzing, third-person style of ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le camp des Autobots'''" ("The Autobot Camp")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Spion-Bot'''" ("The Spy-Bot")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 25|25 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Maszeruj, Autobocie"''' ("March, Autobot")
*:''Original airdate:'' ???

===Trivia===
*Marty Isenberg has revealed that the other boot-campers being [[repaint]] characters was an idea of [[Derrick J. Wyatt]]'s, that the inclusion of Shockwave was a late decision, and that originally ''Cliffjumper'' was going to be the falsely accused. [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/tfw2005-interviews-transformers-animated-story-editor-marty-isenberg-165509/]
*Sentinel Prime has switched back to his Cybertronian alt-form, presumably since arriving back on Cybertron (since he still had his Earth form in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]"). Considering what he thought of Earth, it's not really a surprise that he'd want to change back as soon as possible. [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] even muses over this in an entry in the [[AllSpark Almanac]], where he also explains that the only reason Sentinel is seen with his Earth mode later on is because he (Ultra Magnus) decided to keep his.
*This episode certainly explains a lot about Bumblebee's independent streak. His very first "team" effort was basically people being colossal jerks to him for no reason (well, except for Sentinel, really...drill sergeants are ''supposed'' to be like that) except for the big goofy country-bot...and standing up for said bot basically led to his dreams being crushed.
*On the other hand, if names get assigned by drill sergeants, you have to wonder exactly to what levels Optimus and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] stooped in order to get those names...
*Lugnut is not shown, but is briefly heard saying "Megatron will speak to you now," when Megatron is contacted by Shockwave in the flashback, ten minutes into the episode.
*In this episode, when Sentinel gives Bumblebee his name, Bumblebee reacts as if he doesn't like it. However, in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", when Bumblebee tells Sari his name and she responds, "I'm Sari," Bumblebee then says, "Oh, don't be. I like my name." Maybe he got over it?
[[Image:Chugway.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Closed Captioning provided by the Zero Wing Translation Team.]]
*Bulkhead used to have a "hick" accent while in boot camp that he lost sometime after starting work on space bridges with Bumblebee and the others.
*What, exactly, was the point of Sentinel Prime keeping one arm in a bandage and sling? And for that matter, why do robots have slings?
*When commenting on Sentinel's chin, Bumblebee looks directly at the "camera", so to speak, making this one of the few occasions where animated ''Transformers'' media break the fourth wall.
*The closed captioning for this episode on [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|DVD release]] for this episode (contained in "Transformers Animated — Volume Six: Black Friday") mistakenly spells Shockwave's name as '''Chugway'''.
{{-}}

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Six: Black Friday (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Sechs: Schwarzer Freitag (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9a121850188 "Autoboot Camp" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy

2010-07-14T19:09:23Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=24
|image=SUV.jpg
|caption=Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? No. Are we there yet? No! Are we there yet? NO!
|title="SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy"
|airdate=[[May 31]], 2008
|written by=[[Dean Stefan]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Ciro Nieli]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}
'''Aided by a mysterious benefactor, Detroit's B-level villains team up to take down the Autobots once and for all.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Bumblebee Slo Mo.jpg|thumb|left|Tell me, Doctor, where are we goin' this time? Is it the '50s, or 1999?]]

[[Nanosec]] is on the loose again and leading the [[Autobot]]s for a merry chase. As they pursue him, they wonder how and why he's young again. They're no closer to catching him, so [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] instructs [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] to head off down a side street and come back around to cut off his escape. Bumblebee disregards this order, reasoning that he's the "star player" and is more than fast enough to get Nanosec on his own. As he speeds up, a mysterious force hits him and stops him in his tracks, which leaves the other Autobots no room to react. Nanosec escapes, and before Bumblebee can snap out of it, the Autobots crash into him. Optimus Prime expresses his disappointment in the little yellow one and orders him back to base so that [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] can run a diagnostic on his drivetrain.

Bumblebee ignores this order as well, resolving to find Nanosec again to prove to Optimus that he isn't malfunctioning. His search proves fruitless until [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] discovers that due to his scanning of [[Captain Fanzone]]'s car, Bumblebee has a built-in police scanner. Hearing a report of a robbery in progress, he reasons it's Nanosec and heads over. He's wrong, though, as it turns out to be the [[Angry Archer]]. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he decides to capture the ''other'' villain. Again, he is about to pursue when mysterious blue energy skids him to a halt. Sari urges him to have Ratchet check him out, but he still believes it's nothing serious. A third and final crime scene turns out to be [[Professor Princess]] trying to level a video arcade. Yet again, Bumblebee is stopped by the blue energy, and since it affects him in his robot mode, he finally admits he has a problem. However, Sari has noticed that her key reacts when the energy lashes out, and she surmises that an AllSpark fragment may be at fault. As she deduces this, a shady figure on a rooftop skulks off.

[[Image:Clock hideout.jpg|thumb|right|The <s>Bat</s> Clock Cave]]

Soon, that same figure meets with the other three villains at her lair, introducing herself as [[Slo-Mo]]. She reveals that she has aided each of them on their respective heists recently by using her timepiece, which can disable machines, even Transformers. She and Nanosec hit it off immediately, due in no small part to the fact that her time-based superpowers are what restored him to the prime of youth. She proposes to all of them that they make a great team and should form a crime syndicate. Professor Princess protests that she is not a criminal, but is quickly convinced.

Soon, news reports are everywhere regarding the new crime wave and its perpetrators. Bumblebee is quite frustrated at being repeatedly thwarted by Slo-Mo, but is soon hopeful when he hears a burglar alarm. This time, the criminals have bitten off more than they can chew, having loaded themselves down with too much loot. They try to escape and are initially successful, stopping Bumblebee. However, the cops soon have them surrounded without any getaway car. Slo-Mo receives a call on her watch phone and gets an offer from an anonymous benefactor. Taking the deal, the gang pile into a dull-yellow Hummer and peel out. With the police in hot pursuit, their patron speaks through the vehicle's console and tells them he's a big fan of their weird, wacky adventures. He says to consider the Hummer a down payment on what he hopes will be a beautiful business relationship. Slo-Mo seems less than impressed, as she considers herself the leader of the cartel, and it's just a truck. The voice then tells her to press the red button. A humongous turret rises from the back of the Hummer, blasting the police to smithereens. Having gotten their attention, their newfound benefactor mentions a scheme of heists that should make them all fabulously rich, as they will be stealing components to a weapon they can sell on the open market.

Definitely interested, the gang heads to a Sumdac Systems factory. Angry Archer attempts to blast the lock open with an explosive arrow, but Professor Princess announces that she has defused all of his weapons because she disapproves of violence...unless it is really colorful and pretty. Gleefully blasting an even ''bigger'' hole in the fence, she leads them in. The voice instructs them on what to steal, which is quickly rounded up by Nanosec while Slo-Mo takes care of the police robots.

[[Image:Watching SUVs.jpg|thumb|left|Bee: Where are the donuts? Sari: Huh? Bee: You can't have a stakeout without donuts!]]

Bumblebee and Sari spot them and speculate on what they're up to based off of the items they stole, but hang back as they realize they'll never catch the crooks if they get blasted by Slo-Mo again. Shadowing the cartel from a safe distance, they follow them to the roof of a parking garage. The gang's unseen patron instructs them on how to assemble the device in spite of their skepticism. Archer and Nanosec ask the purpose of the device and how it's going to make them money. The voice explains that it's ultimately useless without the final piece: Slo-Mo's superpowered timepiece. The crazy doll refuses to give up her superpowers, which angers her benefactor, who reveals himself to ''be'' their getaway vehicle, the Decepticon [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]].

Swindle makes it clear to them that he isn't about to take "no" for an answer, and he isn't above using his multitude of weapons systems against the puny fleshlings either. Blasting the floor out from under her cohorts, he squares off against Slo-Mo. She's initially confident that her timepiece will take care of him, but a useful purchase from the Vok proves more than enough to deflect it. Bumblebee races to intervene, but the debilitating blasts ricocheting off of Swindle's force field mean he can't get near the battle. Realizing he's in over his head, with much haranguing from Sari, he calls in Optimus and the other Autobots. Leveling his main cannon at Slo-Mo, Swindle is reminded by the dame that if he blasts her, he risks destroying her watch as well. Feeling a bit silly, the Decepticon recovers quickly and reveals he could simply take it using his integrated tractor beam. The MacGuffin retrieved, he then blasts the floor out from under ''her'' too.

[[Image:TFASwindlefullyarmed.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Swindle is the reason the Autobots of ''Animated'' don't have guns. He stole them all.]]

Slipping the timepiece into its intended slot in the device, Swindle quickly dials up his favorite warmonger, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Expressing how glad he is that the old despot is still functional (and looking well), he brags about a weapon that would easily turn the tide against the Autobots and consign them to a fate worse than being offlined. Though his interest is piqued, Megatron is nonetheless dubious as to whether Swindle could pull it off. The arms dealer proves only too eager to show off the many merits of his wondrous new invention, and pulls a "But wait, that's not all!" that succeeds in blacking out every mechanical device in Detroit...even the Autobots!

Both Bumblebee and the Autobots speeding to the scene are left frozen, unable to move or talk, but aware of their surroundings. Sari notices, however, that [[Sumdac Tower]] is still powered up, and she deduces that its emergency forcefield kicked in, protecting it from the device as long as the emergency generators held. Unfortunately, being a little girl, Sari has no real chance of dragging Bumblebee to the safety of the tower. She receives aid from an unexpected source: the spurned cartel, who want to even the score with Swindle. Aiding her in transporting Bumblebee, they watch as she uses her key to gain access to the tower and suffers dismay when the Reception Bot announces their location as [[Porter C. Powell|Powell Tower]]. Once within the shield, both Bumblebee and Powdered Sugar are quickly revived, and Sari is able to use her key to jury-rig personal force fields for both the Autobot and his new, reluctantly accepted team of villainous backup. She also reprograms the Reception Bot's greeting to her satisfaction.

[[Image:Swindle gettin towed.jpg|left|thumb|And this is why [[Captain Fanzone|I]] ''like'' tow trucks!]]

Though Swindle proves quite ready for the big payback, the villains manage to buy enough time for Bumblebee to sucker-punch the Decepticon with his stingers, whilst Sari deactivates the device with her key. Slo-Mo attempts to retrieve her timepiece, and a scuffle ensues, resulting in it falling over the ledge and directly into Swindle's hands. All seems lost, but the rest of the Autobots arrive on the scene. Swindle is about to turn the timepiece upon Bumblebee's backup, but the little yellow Autobot charges in and lets his forcefield deflect the Decepticon's shot, paralyzing Swindle. Optimus Prime once again scolds the young hot shot, but Bumblebee gloats, shooting out Swindle's tires. Meanwhile the villains, showing ''why'' they're B-grade, attempt to escape in Swindle, only to be apprehended by the timely arrival of Captain Fanzone and the police. Fanzone notes that Swindle will be stripped at a police impound lot and sold for parts. He seems quite confident that the police department will get their Christmas bonus checks this year.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (12)

|c2 =
*[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] (10)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)

|c3 =
*[[Nanosec]] (1)
*[[Angry Archer]] (7)
*[[Professor Princess]] (8)
*[[Slo-Mo]] (9)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (13)

|c4 =
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==

"An Autobot. Verily, the arrows of outrageous misfortune seek to pierce me to the quick. ''Exeunt!''"
:—'''Angry Archer'''. Yon criminal maketh his escape...or something.

"Explosions aren't nice...except when they look like ''BEAUTIFUL RAINBOWS!''"
:—'''Professor Princess''', ever the fashion plate.

"Ooh, I like a man who works fast!" 
"And I like a girl who takes it slow."
:—'''Slo-Mo''' and '''Nanosec''' go over the target audience's heads. Hopefully.

"Negatronic force field emitter. A little something I picked up in an arms deal with the Vok of Nexus Zero. Nice creatures, the Vok. If you're ever in the Nexus Zero area, do yourself a favor and check them out. You won't be sorry."
:—'''Swindle''' thinks the Vok are quite nice. It probably helps if they're not [[Planet Buster|destroying your planet]].

"Megatron, you old warmonger! It's been stellar cycles. I can't tell you how tickled I was to learn that my favorite customer was still online. You look great by the way." 
"Oh, spare me the platitudes, Swindle. How did you get this frequency?" 
"A mutual bounty-hunting friend provided it in exchange for a weapon or two. Professional scruples prevent me from revealing his name." 
"Scruples? You'd sell your own motherboard to the highest bidder."
:—'''Swindle''' pours on the charm while '''Megatron''' pours on the acid.

"Are you seeing this? Are you loving this? Every machine, every robot in Detroit, inoperable! I could spring a leak, I'm so excited!"
:—'''Swindle''' about to sell you some Ginsu knives.

"Welcome to Sumdac Tower. Porter C. Powell is a booger-head."
:—'''Receptionist-Bot''' calls it like it is...with a little help from Sari Sumdac.

"Where's the off switch on this thing? Oh yeah, right here."
:—'''Sari.''' Yep, she found the right thing.

'''Optimus''': You should have called us sooner. If that weapon had gotten into Megatron's hands— 
'''Bumblebee''': I know. I guess I just wanted to prove that I still had my touch. 
'''Ratchet''': Well, I hope you've learned something about team work. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, yeah. Even the star player needs backup sometimes.
:—Bumblebee learns the value of teamwork. Humility? Not so much...

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*Angry Archer uses an arrow that looks like a magnet to catch the bus. Except that it's the window, which wouldn't BE metal, that it sticks to.
*Nanosec's mugshot should either have a long beard, as he was [[Nanosec (episode)|apprehended]] right after Bumblebee had run him into old age, or be out of his costume, as he was also apprehended ''before'' he became a super-speedster.
*It was shown throughout the episode that the watch's slowdown effect was only temporary. It only gained the ability to "freeze" its targets permanently when it was put into Swindle's machine. Yet later, Swindle is said to be frozen "permanently" by a reflected blast from just the watch itself. Maybe it was holding a last fully charged shot?
*On the other hand, Swindle did seem to 'charge' his shot longer than the short bursts Slo-Mo was using, so the shot that reflected back at him had a longer effect. And maybe Bumblebee was just wrong. (Imagine that!)
*Swindle is all impressed by Vok forcefield technology, but apparently forcefields designed by [[Isaac Sumdac]] are just as powerful. Though Sumdac did steal all his technology from Megatron; perhaps a deal with the Vok was just (much, ''much, MUCH'') safer for Swindle.
*Either the S.U.V. team knew Swindle was time-blocked and they should have known he wouldn't move, or they thought he was still fully functional and were ready to climb into the Decepticon that tried to kill them 5 minutes ago. So what was their plan, exactly?
*Furthermore, when Angry Archer opens the window to ask for a push, it's clearly an electric window and even sounds like one. Which shouldn't have worked at all.
*While it's explained why Nanosec had the accelerated aging reversed, there's no given reason for the effect to have ''stopped'' once he was young again. Possibly Slo-Mo gave him "booster shots" off-camera.
*While selling Swindle's parts is a nice piece of poetic justice, realistically, his parts won't sell for much, if anything at all since they're all shut down. It's probably why [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] [[Five Servos of Doom|could have just bought him with a fine]].

===Transformers references===
*The final numbers on the cards the villains hold up in their mugshots correspond to the episodes in which they first appeared.
*Swindle mentions having dealings with the [[Vok]] on [[Nexus Zero]].
*Swindle mentions that he got Megatron's frequency from a "mutual bounty-hunting friend" in exchange for new weaponry. Gee, who could [[Lockdown (Animated)|THAT]] be?
*[[Slo-Mo]]'s watch functions similarly to the [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]], including how Autobots turn gray when frozen by it.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''S.U.C la société ultime du crime'''" ("U.S.C.: The Ultimate Society of Crime")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Zeitblocker'''" ("The Timeblocker")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Towarzystwo Zbrodni Wszelakich"''' ("Society of All Kinds of Crimes")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
*Nanosec and the Archer's team name suggestions of "The Fast and the Villainous" and "The League of Extraordinary Criminals" are references to ''[[Wikipedia:The Fast and the Furious|The Fast and the Furious]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'', respectively.
*Nanosec calls the Archer "William Smell", referencing legendary Swiss archer [[Wikipedia:William Tell|William Tell]].
*Nanosec says he is "tanned, rested, and ready," which was a slogan attached to a [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6DB103DF932A25754C0A961948260 fake 1988 presidential campaign] for Richard Nixon.
*The sign outside the videogame arcade features several blocks from ''Tetris'' as well as miscolored renderings of a Goomba and a Spiny from ''Super Mario Bros.''

===Trivia===
*This episode was first shown in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It made its English language debut in Canada, one week before its American debut.
*This episode has the most "guest" voice actors yet, at three: [[Brian Posehn]] (Nanosec), [[Kath Soucie]] (Professor Princess), and [[Fred Willard]] (Swindle).
*Bulkhead appears, but has no dialogue.
*Professor Princess... flowers in a wide spread attack beam? Seriously?
*Bumblebee's stingers actually knock Swindle down—the first time in the entire series that this weapon hasn't just bounced ineffectually off a Decepticon's hide. Maybe Swindle should trade off some of his weapons for a little more armor.
*That... or Bumblebee's stingers plus the assault of Angry Archer and Professor Princess gave him enough power.
*When Professor Princess falls butt-first on Nanosec's face, there's an odd squishy sound, followed by her looking very surprised. Either this is a case of cartoon sound-effects gone wrong, or that fall REALLY scared her.
*In the end, Swindle is trapped in a state that Bumblebee could not stand being in for less than an hour, ''forever'', and the Autobots don't seem to object to him being ripped apart and sold for spare parts. That seems a ''tad'' excessive.
*Bumblebee and Sari discover that he has a built-in police scanner, which makes sense, since Bumblebee scanned Captain Fanzone's car for his vehicle mode.
*The Society members all put their seat belts on when they clamber into their getaway SUV. Even among villains, safety must always come first! [[Public service announcement|Now you know...]]
*''Now'' we get to see if Sari's hair grew back from Rise of the Constructicons.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc99fe8a40179 "SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suv: Society of Ultimate Villainy}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

A Fistful of Energon

2010-07-14T19:08:51Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|ep=23
|image=AFistfulofEnergon-StarscreamPurpleclone.jpg
|caption=Has the Allspark Power line ended yet? Is it safe for redecos to come out now?
|title="A Fistful of Energon"
|airdate=[[May 24]], 2008
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

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

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Fistful Energon Starscream escape.JPG|thumb|left|"Okay, Starscream farted on us and escaped during our confusion. Let's never talk about this again." "Agreed."]]

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|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 and asks him derisively whom he's seeking here. Way to use that stealth...

[[Image:TFA Fistful Energon Prowl vs Lockdown.JPG|thumb|left|[[Prowl (G1)|Prowls]] and their [[Grimlock (G1)|sexual tension]].]]

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 (Animated)|Lockdown]]...wearing a poncho? He and Prowl start to fight over the prize. Meanwhile Starscream comes to and yells at them to stop fighting because (as he says) he is afraid of rusting well before anybody wins. Neither combatant appreciates Starscream's comments, and both yell back at him to shut up and to lie still. He follows their orders and keeps silent for some time. But soon the fighters notice that their "prize" is silent for a bit too long. Looking down, they discover that he has already released his stasis cuffs and escaped safely. Outside, Starscream (who is strangely brown-coloured) blasts Prowl's shuttle and flies off toward Earth. Lockdown decloaks [[Death's Head (Animated)|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 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: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'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 that there's something wrong with him. He behaves 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 arranges 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. When Starscream begs Lockdown not to hand over him to Megatron, Prowl tells him to calm himself and attempts to cross Lockdown. However, the tough bounty-hunter ''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 rather a sly and 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. On the contrary, Starscream praises Prowl's "fine and effective sudden attack" and even doubts if he is really an Autobot "from top to toe". Prowl feels awful upon realizing what he has done, but puts it aside. Chasing Lockdown is still more important for him.

[[Image:TFA Fistful Energon Decepticons turbulence.JPG|thumb|left|"Augh, Primus! Even his CLONES' gas is rancid!"]]

Prowl sneaks into the warehouse where Lockdown had set up the meeting with Megatron, intending to prevent the Decepticon leader from dealing with Starscream. Megatron declares his intention to punish Starscream exemplarily. But before he has the chance, Prowl accidentally gives away his presence. Megatron orders Blitzwing and Lugnut to take "the Autobot offender" in charge, but the other Autobots burst in, bringing yet another Starscream. Before anyone can figure out which is the real one, the two Starscreams 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. Lockdown escapes safely, though rewardless.

The blast will take out half the city, so Prowl 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|[[Star Wars|Begun, the Clone War has.]]]]

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...
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[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)

|c2=
*[[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 (Animated)|Lockdown]] (15)
*[[Clone number 2716057|Sycophant Starscream I]] (16)
*[[Clone number 3370318|Coward Starscream I]] (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!
:—The Autobots are Dinobot hunting...and things are not going well.

"Me Grimlock...''better''."
:—'''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'."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets duped.

"Personally, I've always found Bumblebee's fake static to be a lot more convincing."
:—'''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?!
:—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..."
:—His reaction to '''Coward Starscream I's''' plea for mercy leaves one wondering if '''Lockdown''' has ever met the real Screamer...

'''Sycophant Starscream''': Well, if it isn't my favorite band of plucky little Autobots. 
'''Optimus''': Autobots, prepare for battle! 
'''Sycophant Starscream''': Wait, you misunderstand. Noble Optimus Prime, wise Ratchet, stealthy Prowl and ''mighty''...eh... 
'''Bulkhead''': Bulkhead! 
'''Sycophant Starscream''': Ooh, that's too bad.
:—'''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!"
:—Speaking through his clones, the real '''Starscream'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s speech-making tendencies are undimmed, even if he now prefers to do it from a safe distance.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical 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.
* Ratchet's war wound disappears when he's telling Prowl to get rid of his mods, just after his showy (and destructive) capture of the red Starscream clone.
* When Lockdown is talking to Megs, via hologram, you can see a black Autobot insignia on his chest.
* After Lockdown's ship lands and he and Prowl transform, Lockdown's head is seen forming the engine block. In the next shot, his engine emerges from the hood, where his head previously formed it.

===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.
* Why doesn't anyone notice that the Starscream's are different colors? Sure, the coward's paint job isn't that noticeable, but wouldn't they notice that the other guy's orange?

===Transformers references===
* The Starscream clones are, of course, a reference to the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] of [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]], most notable for being [[Air Warrior|hordes of disposable Decepticons]] in "[[More than Meets the Eye (episode)|More than Meets the Eye]]" (and then kinda vanishing save for [[Rainmaker|rare appearances later]]).

===Continuity notes===
*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]].
*Starscream's cloning process will be revealed in "[[A Bridge Too Close, Part I]]", using pieces of his Allspark fragment to power them and explaining why they show up on the Allspark scanners in this episode. Exactly where he got the raw material for the clones won't be revealed until "[[Endgame, Part I]]", in which we're told they're made from the [[protoform]]s stolen back in "[[Five Servos of Doom]]".
*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]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Les clones'''" ("The Clones")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der doppelte Starscream'''" ("Double Starscream")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 23|23 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Garść Energonu'''" ("A Fistful of Energon")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
[[Image:AFistfulofEnergon-Lockdowninponcho.jpg|right|thumb|Space banditos? Never heard of them.]]
*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.

===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]].
*[[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 sycophantic, flattering nature.
*Both altered-color clones use Starscream's original colors as a base, but the sycophantic 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!]]
*While you could be forgiven for assuming Prowl's armor was a Hasbro idea, it actually predates the toy. Hasbro decided to make a toy of it after watching the episode.<ref>http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html</ref>
*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]].
*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.
*Exactly ''why'' does Lockdown wear a poncho? Apparently it is handy dandy stealth device. That's right people, [[Stealth poncho|stealth poncho!]]. No good ninja pretending to be Mexican should be without.
*When the probe from ''Teletran-1'' deploys there is a Star Trek communicator chirp clearly heard

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc99e7233016a "A Fistful of Energon" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fistful of Energon}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Rise of the Constructicons

2010-07-14T19:08:19Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA Rise Constructicons online.JPG
|caption=Sadly, Soundwave isn't around to tell them how superior he is to them.
|ep=22
|title="Rise of the Constructicons"
|airdate=[[May 17]], 2008
|written by=[[Stan Berkowitz]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''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.'''

==Synopsis==
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|left|175px|thumb|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|right|175px|thumb|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 keisters.

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 is 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 him, ''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 the [[Punch of Kill Everything|Punch Of Kill Everything]] while Blitzwing distracts the pair. However, Megatron arrives and gives Lugnut an awful case of ''punchus interruptus''.

[[Image:TFA Rise Constructicons punch interruption.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Hate to break it to you Lugnut, but nobody around you cares that you're alright.]]

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 drone|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—on Bulkhead—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|right|175px|thumb|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'sprivateblend.jpg|left|175px|thumb|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.

[[Image:TFA Rise Constructicons explosion.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Mixmaster and Scrapper after the "All-Night All-You-Can-Eat Jalapeño Buffet."]]

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.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut]] (6)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (7)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] (8)
*[[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] (9)
*[[Security Bot]] ()

}}

==Quotes==
''[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. 
:—The Constructicons come to life and name themselves. They had an easier time than [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]].

'''Scrapper''': So, uh, what do we do now? 
'''Mixmaster''': Duh, we, like, build things. Alright? 
''[Mixmaster transforms to robot mode] ''
'''Scrapper''': Uh, Mix? You're buildin' things out of yourself. 
''[Scrapper does the same] ''
'''Mixmaster''': Yo, Scrapper! You're doing it too! 
'''Scrapper''': Uh, we couldn't do that before, right?. 
'''Mixmaster''': What, talk, think, move by ourselves? I don't think so. We couldn't do any of that stuff before.". 
'''Scrapper''': Do you think that this is happening for, like, a reason? 
'''Mixmaster''': Uh, yeah. 
''[A red car speeds by.] ''
'''Mixmaster''': Whoa! Check out the chassis on that one, huh? 
'''Scrapper''': And those tight little tailpipes! Yo, baby, over here! 
'''Mixmaster''': Yeah, I like it when they play hard to get. 
''[They transform and speed off.] ''
:—The Constructicons contemplate their new-found existence but quickly throw it out the window when [[Side Burn (RID)|red cars]] are concerned.

"Hey, those don't grow back overnight!"
:—'''Sari''' loses her pigtails. Of course, they're back by next episode.

'''Mixmaster''': You okay, bro? 
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': DO I LOOK OKAY?! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Or do these wing struts make me look fat? 
:—Blitzwing focuses on the important stuff.

''[Lugnut prepares to use his punch]'' 
'''Megatron''': Wait! 
''[Lugnut falls back into mine, where his punch backfires]]'' 
'''Lugnut''':...I'm okay. 
:—Lugnut's life sucks, sometimes, you know?

'''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?!"
:—Seduction of the stupid.

"The Autobots' oil tastes like ''water'' next to this stuff!" 
"It's my private blend."
:—'''Mixmaster''' discovers that '''Megatron''''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—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! 
:—The Autobots defend the honor of their [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]...and fail miserably.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
[[Image:Bumblebeeanimatedconsigil.JPG|right|180px|thumb|[[Goldbug (SG)|Who's bad?]]]]
* When Ratchet tells Bumblebee to "vamoose" (around 1:30), Bumblebee has a red Decepticon insignia. [[Goldbug (SG)|Goldbug]] in disguise?
* When Bulkhead frees his foot from the cement, his jaw appears out of alignment, then realigns itself.
* 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.
* 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 hat|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 ([[Hook (G1)|Maybe a Constructicon in disquise?]]). 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.

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

*Blitzwing's complaining about hauling heavy loads recalls [[Long Haul (G1)|another Constructicon member]].

*Constructicons cheating an Autobot has happened [[The Master Builders|once before]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''L'attaque des constructicons'''" ("The Attack of the Constructicons")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bulkheads neue Freunde'''" ("Bulkhead's New Friends")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 22|22 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Narodziny Constructiconów'''" ("Birth of the Constructicons")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* The Constructicons often hit on cars (which could be the equivalent for them to female 'bots...[[Tracks (G1)|or something]]), just like real cartoon construction workers with passing women.
* 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 straight from the can, the "upper-class" Megatron drinks his oil out of "[[wikipedia:Goblet|goblets]]".
* Mixmaster and Scrapper have a very loose resemblance to [[wikipedia:Mario|''Mario'']] and [[wikipedia:Luigi|''Luigi'']] (respectively), mostly in build. Their vaguely Italian-American accents are more native New Yorker than the plumbers' immigrant accents, though.

===Trivia===
*It was revealed at [[BotCon 2008]] that much of Scrapper and Mixmaster's dialogue was actually ad-libbed by their respective actors [[Tom Kenny]] and [[Jeff Glen Bennett]].
*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 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, [[Humanization|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. Likewise, Prowl commences his attack against Scrapper with a sequence showing him deploying his throwing stars, but he has better success hand-to-hand, after the stars ricochet harmlessly.
*Assuming oil prices didn't somehow decrease by the twenty-second century, the "snack" the Constructicons took was worth several hundred dollars. Shouldn't the world be out of oil by then, anyway? Then again, Mixmaster mentions "synthetic junk", which implies a way of creating artificial oil may have been invented.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
*[http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc99d2acc015b "Rise of the Constructicons" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Velocity (episode)

2010-07-14T19:07:40Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|image=TFA Velocity Bumblebee Blurr meet.JPG
|caption="One shall stand, one shall eat dust."
|ep=21
|title="Velocity"
|airdate=[[May 10]], 2008
|written by=[[Len Uhley]]
|directed by= [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Kenji Itoso]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
}}

'''Investigating a mysterious race car, Bumblebee gets involved with an illegal underground street racing circuit, which also captures the attention of the Decepticons.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Velocity Prowl Blade.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Yeah, sure, '''this''' oughta help her stay calm.]]

On the highways of Detroit, the [[Autobot]]s are driving under the moonlight, searching for an [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] fragment. As Bumblebee complains about the boring nature of their task, several cars speed past them. Bulkhead recognizes them as racers for ''[[Street Demon]]'', a show he and Sari watch. Calling them amateurs, Bumblebee decides to show off and speeds ahead. As he boasts, a blue racer comes in and rams two drivers off the road. Bumblebee wants to go after him, while Prime says that the drivers need help. Still, Bumblebee pursues, discovering that the car is quite fast. As the Autobots render assistance, Captain Fanzone arrives and arrests the two drivers. Bulkhead is shocked to learn that the Street Demons are on an illegal racing circuit, while Bumblebee rolls up, transforms, and falls down, breathing heavily...somehow.

Back at the plant, Bumblebee thinks that he can beat the blue racer with his turbo boosters. Prime and Ratchet refuse, and Bumblebee shouts that nothing on Earth is faster than him. This train of thought leads Bumblebee to the conclusion that the blue racer is a Decepticon. Prowl points out that the racer was uninterested in the Autobots, and Prime orders Bumblebee not to use the boosters. Meanwhile, Bulkhead comes down on Sari over ''Street Demon'', but Sari says that they're not helping the illegal show in any way, since she's pirating the signal. As Bulkhead laments about how the Autobots need to set a good example, Bumblebee walks in and smooths things over, saying that he'll straighten out Sari. Once Bulkhead is out of [[Sensors|audio sensor]] range, Bumblebee has Sari show him the races. He asks her to track down where the broadcast came from, and with the help of the [[AllSpark Key]], he finds out where they are.

[[Image:TFA Velocity Master Disaster remote.JPG|right|200px|thumb|The universal remote of doom.]]

At an irrigation channel, Bumblebee, having taken his turbo boosters, joins in a training race, finally getting the hang of his boosters. Seeing what is going on, Master Disaster, the host of ''Street Demon'', uses some sort of remote control to send out the blue racer to attack Bumblebee. Finally getting tired of being attacked, Bumblebee transforms into robot mode, causing Master Disaster to call off the attack. Instead, Disaster invites the Autobot to participate in the next race. Bumblebee agrees, on the condition that blue racer is present. As Bumblebee [[rolls out]], Disaster notes that with an Autobot racing, their ratings will triple...and get even higher if said Autobot were to suffer an "accident".

At the plant, Bulkhead brings Sari a cup of hot chocolate, but Bumblebee calls on her cell phone, revealing his misadventure and allowing Bulkhead to learn what is going on. Before he can further <strike>dig his own grave</strike> elaborate, Bumblebee stops short when he sees a plane—Blitzwing. Following the Decepticon, Bumblebee overhears Blitzwing communicate with Megatron about an AllSpark fragment he was tracking. Convinced it involves the blue racer, Bumblebee heads back to the plant. He tells Sari what is going on, only for Bulkhead to come down on Bumblebee for what he's doing. Bumblebee tells him about Blitzwing, the AllSpark fragment, and his suspicions about the blue racer being a Decepticon, insisting that he can only discover the truth if he races. Bulkhead agrees to allow it on the condition that he is brought along as well, but Bumblebee fibs. However, when Sari catches him going out, she forces him to take her...as Bulkhead listens in.

In an interrogation room, Fanzone questions one of the drivers. Using the threat of imprisonment, Fanzone learns that the next race will be at Dix and Vernor, and he intends to get there before the races begins...at which point he walks right into a door.

[[Image:TFA Velocity air chicken.JPG|left|200px|thumb|IT IS BETTER TO FIGHT AND DIE—than live with the knowledge that I ran. We can run?! Let's do that!]]

At the race site, Master Disaster is making the final preparations, when the AllSpark Key glows in the direction of Disaster's truck. Sneaking aboard, she finds the remote, then flees while Disaster announces the two-minute mark. As he reaches for the remote, he discovers what Sari did, forcing Bumblebee and Sari to escape. Thinking the race has started, the other drivers follow. As Bulkhead prepares to roll out and follow them, Blitzwing freezes the Autobot, then flies after the other two. Sari opens the remote and finds the AllSpark fragment, while Bumblebee detects Blitzwing. Seeing the flier, he dives through an arch, which Blitzwing freezes, cutting off the rest of the racers. Failing in his attempts to destroy Bumblebee from above, Blitzwing goes to tank mode, but is buried under rubble when he destroys a bridge support.

[[Image:TFA Velocity Bumblebee Blitzwing Scale.jpg|right|200px|thumb|...kinda one-sided, ain't it?]]

Meanwhile, Bumblebee sees Fanzone's car and tries to reach him. Fanzone is forced to jump into Bumblebee as Blitzwing destroys his car. As Blitzwing continues his strafing, Sari uses the remote to control Blitzwing, but it falls from her hands and out of the car. As they near another bridge, the blue racer crashes through the bridge's retaining wall and plays a game of Midair Chicken with Blitzwing. At first, Blitzwing is prepared to [[Furmanism|fight and die]], but he turns away, crashing first into a building and then into Master Disaster's truck. Bumblebee deposits the two humans on the road, then goes to finish off Blitzwing, despite being vastly outsized and outgunned. Fortunately, the fight has brought them back to where the remote was. However, Blitzwing destroys a bridge above Bumblebee, also freeing Bulkhead. As Blitzwing prepares to deliver the killing blow, Sari uses the remote to control Blitzwing (as well as Bumblebee, who crashes into Bulkhead). Finally, Sari sends Blitzwing into high altitude. As Master Disaster tries to sneak away, Fanzone places him under arrest.

Back at the plant, Prime decides to store the remote in a safe place, while Bumblebee decides to set a better example for Sari—starting by ending her pirated satellite connection. As Sari jokingly warns Bumblebee not to set too good of an example (lest she not recognize him), Bumblebee notices the blue racer speed past the plant. Bumblebee shouts out a "thank you", but is left wondering who the blue racer really is.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Blurr (Animated)|Blue Racer]] (6)
|c2=
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (12)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (voice only) (13)
|c3=
*[[Ming-Li]] (7)
*[[Roxy Sparkles]] (8)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10)
*[[Master Disaster]] (11)
*[[Shana Story]] (14)
*[[Solon Kitakaze (Animated)|Solon Kitakaze]] (15)
|c4=
}}

==Quotes==
'''Fanzone''': I've been after them for weeks. They're part of an underground racing circuit. 
'''Bulkhead''': You mean they race in tunnels? 
'''Fanzone''': Underground as in illegal. As in they race in the streets and don't care who gets hurt. 
'''Bulkhead''': That's not what Sari told me. 
'''Optimus''': What purpose does this street race serve? 
'''Fanzone''': Eh, what else? They get a couple a' million pay-per-view customers for their pirate broadcasts, then it's "cha-ching cha-ching", big bucks.
:—Captain Fanzone introduces the Autobots to the seedy world of underground racing.

'''Bumblebee''': Lighten up, Bulkhead. We're supposed to be the ''fun'' bots, remember? 
'''Bulkhead''': Yeah, but we still gotta set a good example. She looks up to us. 
'''Bumblebee''': Hello, she looks up to everybody. 
'''Sari''': HEY!
:—Bumblebee should be more sensitive about [[Scale|size issues]].

"Hey...you know that's comin' out of my paycheck."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' manages to see the down side of being saved before Blitzwing destroyed his car.

''[referring to Bumblebee's vehicle mode]'' 
"How come your interior's so much cleaner than mine?" 
"Hmm, maybe 'cause it's not on fire?"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' gets zinged by '''Sari'''.

'''Blitzwing (Hothead):''' Why can't I control myself?! 
'''Blitzwing (Random):''' Not zat I ever could! AHAHAHA! 
:—Blitzwing while under the remote's influence.

"Oh, dizzy. Not liking the dizzy."
:—'''Random Blitzwing'''

"Well, that's the trouble with bending the rules—''cough''—they usually snap right back in your face."
:—Lessons in life from '''Captain Fanzone'''

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': Never give up! 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': Never surrender! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': NEVER MIND!! 
''[Blitzwing swerves off into a nearby building]''
:—Blitzwing and the mysterious racer play a game of Chicken.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* Sari doesn't actually take off her seatbelt when she leaves Bumblebee's driver's seat to investigate Master Disaster's trailer. The whole shoulder-strap just moves with her, then we hear the sound of Bumblebee's door opening then closing.

* In the long overhead shot towards the beginning of the Bumblebee/Blitzwing chase (shortly after a wall of ice blocks the human racers off), Bumblebee does not get smaller as he moves further into the distance.

* When Bumblebee is stuck in some oil, he is unable to speed forward, even with his boosters. Yet, seconds later, he speeds backwards without a problem.

===Continuity errors===
* Hothead [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] demonstrates the ability to function in jet mode, instead of automatically switching to tank mode as he did in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]". His ice missiles are replaced with conventional explosive ones. Or maybe it was just Crazy who was in control at that moment?

*Bumblebee is using rocket boosters similar to the ones in "[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]," despite the fact they were destroyed and lost. It could be that Isaac Sumdac built him new ones, but given his absence and the fact that the replacements are never touched upon before hand, it is unlikely.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Velo-Cité'''" ("Velo-City")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Schneller als der Wind'''" ("Faster than the Wind")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 21|21 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Prędkość'''" ("Velocity")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Wondering where Bumblebee came from, Master Disaster invokes the name of [[Detroit]] auto mogul Henry Ford (and also calls Bumblebee a "clown car").

*This episode borrows several plot and thematic elements from the popular street racing film ''[[wikipedia:The_Fast_and_the_Furious|The Fast and the Furious]]''.

*Blitzwing's "Never give up! Never surrender! NEVER MIND!" quote refers to the catchphrase from the [[Dreamworks]] film, ''[[wikipedia:Galaxy_Quest|Galaxy Quest]]''.

*Blitzwing haphazardly fires off multiple missiles in all directions in a style reminiscent of the Valkyrie Fighters from ''[[wikipedia:Macross|Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]''.

*In this episode, Blitzwing's cannons make the familiar "high tension cable twang" normally associated with laser cannons in the ''[[wikipedia:Star_Wars|Star Wars]]'' films.

*The first car that passes Bumblebee at the beginning of the episode resembles the 1999 Nissan Skyline From 2003's ''2 Fast 2 Furious''.

*Some of the scenes in this episode may be construed as parodies of ''[[wikipedia:Speed_Racer|Speed Racer]]''.

===Trivia===
*Fanzone's car explodes. Again. At least we know where he gets the replacements.
*It seems that the Autobots have gained a better culinary understanding than they had in "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]" to the point where they know how heated cocoa powder in milk and hot water can be considered edible.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
*[http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc99b69a4014c "Velocity" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Garbage In, Garbage Out

2010-07-14T19:07:12Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Wreck-Gar-Ani.jpg
|caption=Wreck-Gar auditions for the role of [[Wikipedia:WALL-E|WALL·E]].
|ep=20
|ep2=19
|prev2=Mission Accomplished
|next2=
|title="Garbage In, Garbage Out"
|airdate=[[May 3]], 2008
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''AllSpark energy turns a junkpile into a sentient robot who tries to help the Autobots, but ends up doing more harm than good.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Garbage In Out Garbage bots malfunction.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"Too much garbage in your face? There's plenty of space out in space!"]]

Garbage is piling up all over [[Detroit]], as the trash-bots are malfunctioning and [[Sumdac Systems]] CEO Porter C. Powell refuses to repair them until the city and he can come to an agreement on payment. In Powell's office, a technician demonstrates a new form of the [[Nanite|nanobots]] that [[Transform and Roll Out|caused big problems a while back]], designed this time to break down garbage into its component molecules, quickly and cheaply solving the garbage problem (while allowing Powell to charge the city a hefty fee).

Elsewhere, the [[Autobot]]s are trying to patch up their still-damaged reputation by helping pile garbage into scows. Ratchet ends up getting into a shouting match with an old man whose car ended up under a garbage mound, resulting in the car being dumped in the river and the two old grouches almost coming to blows. Captain Fanzone arrives to break up the scene and remarks that Ratchet needs to work on his "people skills". Prime agrees and assigns Bumblebee and Sari to try and help out Ratchet while they work more on the garbage problem. Ratchet is not happy with this.

Just before the Autobots depart, though, Sari's [[AllSpark Key]] glows, but she quickly disregards this, and so she misses the emergence of a junk-robot from the scow, brought to life by an [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] shard. The confused machine tries to figure out his identity using the scraps around him, but is unsatisfied with the results. Spying a passing blimp with a sign for the Detroit police department with the slogan "We're Here to Help", the robot happily goes about trying to find the police for some help with his identity.

[[Image:TFA Garbage In Out Megatron twitch.JPG|right|200px|thumb|If [[Inferno (BW)|you]] call me your [[Megatron (BW)|queen]] ''one more time''...]]

At the Decepticon base, Lugnut detects a surge in AllSpark energy, and Megatron concludes that another fragment must have turned up. Megatron orders Lugnut to retrieve it, and Lugnut continues his glory-spouting as he leaves. Megatron's optical sensor begins to twitch noticeably.

Stuck in a traffic jam, Ratchet is about to display some serious road rage when Bumblebee puts on his siren and clears a path for them. Heading through, they find [[Witwicky|a familiar couple]] who are expecting a child, but their car has broken down on the way to the hospital. Ratchet agrees to take them to the hospital, then jets off at high speed, despite Sari's warning to keep the mother calm.

Meanwhile, the new robot is walking through downtown Detroit, nearly causing several accidents. The police, pursuing the Angry Archer, crash into the robot, who subsequently asks them for help. Archer tells the robot to throw them aside so that they can escape, and the robot agrees. When Archer inquires as to his identity, the robot responds that he is "worthless-wreck-walking-pile-of-garbage" (all things he had been called by citizens who nearly slammed into him), so the Archer dubs him Wreck-Gar for short. He tries to explain that they steal from the rich and give to the poor (themselves), but Wreck-Gar gets the Archer's words confused. Seeing a passing armored car, Archer tells Wreck-Gar that they must "knock it over", so Wreck-Gar proceeds to chase the armored car and do just that.

[[Image:TFA Garbage In Out Spike Carly bumpy ride.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?!]]

Meanwhile, expecting mother Carly asks her husband, Spike, to ask the driver to slow down, only for Spike to learn that there is only a little girl in the car—and no driver! Ratchet tells them to keep quiet as he tries to find a hospital, only for the armored car knocked over by Wreck-Gar to land in his way. Jettisoning the humans, Ratchet and Bumblebee try to stop Wreck-Gar, but before they can do anything, the Angry Archer snags and flees with a canister that was in the armored car. Sari points out that Autobots are supposed to catch the bad guys, and Wreck-Gar assumes that he is an Autobot, slaps on an [[Insignia|Autobrand]], and goes after the Archer. Bumblebee and Sari go after him, while Ratchet offers to drive Spike and Carly to the hospital. They say they'll take a cab, leaving Ratchet miffed at their rudeness.

Outrunning the swinging Archer, Wreck-Gar hurls him into the air so he can "catch" him, allowing the Angry Archer to escape, but the canister falls into Wreck-Gar's backpack. As the Autobots and Sari show up, the Key starts to glow, and they realize that Wreck-Gar was created by an AllSpark fragment. Ratchet rudely tells Wreck-Gar that he is not an Autobot and is only good for one thing: GARBAGE! Wreck-Gar therefore [[Transformation|transforms]] into his garbage truck vehicle mode and leaves to deliver garbage to the people of Detroit—starting by covering Sari and the Autobots in a pile of it.

[[Image:GarbageInGarbageOut-Wreck-GarandLugnutwithaxe.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's no Star Saber but it'll do.]]

Meanwhile, Lugnut has reached the city, and he confronts Wreck-Gar at the military base he and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] previously visited. Lugnut demands the AllSpark fragment from the vehicle's driver, but Wreck-Gar transforms, revealing his robotic nature. When Wreck-Gar repeats Ratchet's statement that he's no Autobot, Lugnut concludes that Wreck-Gar is a loyal Decepticon, so Wreck-Gar slaps on a Decepticon symbol.

[[Image:Wreckgarbutton.jpg|left|100px|thumb|High five!]]

Back at the crime scene, Ratchet is removing the driver of the armored car when Powell and Fanzone show up. Powell reveals that the car was carrying the garbage-devouring microbots to a demonstration for Mayor Edsel. However, the canister carrying them is gone. Sari is more than willing to let Powell suffer, but Ratchet is concerned about what the microbots might do if infused with AllSpark energy. Tracking Wreck-Gar to the base, Ratchet demands the Microbots, only for Lugnut to transform and activate his [[Punch of Kill Everything]]. Wreck-Gar interprets this as the [[universal greeting]] and gives Lugnut a high five. Sari and the Autobots barely manage to avoid ground zero. As Lugnut transforms to attack, Wreck-Gar takes out the canister, which has cracked, allowing some of the microbots to touch Lugnut. Crying out in pain, Lugnut commands Wreck-Gar to get them off, so Wreck-Gar dissects Lugnut, causing his tail end, still carrying Wreck-Gar, to crash onto a garbage scow. Bumblebee declares their problems over, but Ratchet is worried. If those microbots could eat through Decepticon [[armor-plating]], there's no telling what they'll do to downtown Detroit.

On the river bank, Powell arrives to cancel the presentation with the mayor, only for the group to see the microbots eat the garbage on the scow. Powell quickly takes advantage of the situation to start wheeling and dealing. As the scow gets closer, Ratchet jumps from a nearby bridge to stop it. He tries to reason with Wreck-Gar, but everything fails, forcing Ratchet to make the ultimate sacrifice...and apologize. He tells Wreck-Gar he can be whatever he wants, and Wreck-Gar decides to save the city, vacuuming up the microbots. However, the microbots overload Wreck-Gar's backpack, causing him to fall into the river. Ratchet tries to pull him out with his magnets, but only finds junk. As Bumblebee and Sari declare Ratchet a hero, Powell cries foul, saying that Ratchet destroyed his product. Thus there is no deal with the city, and the garbage dispute will continue. Ratchet picks up Powell, the Mayor, and the Mayor's aide, and tells them to make peace or be thrown into the river. Powell and Edsel agree to a small increase to re-service the garbage bots, ending the dispute. Ratchet decides the cheering bystanders are lauding him, leading him to conclude that he does have people skills. Sari and Bumblebee know differently, however.

[[Image:Garbage In Garbage Out Wreck-Gar stuck.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Lost and Found (episode)#Quotes|Help! Give me a hand! Or-or a foot! How about a pelvis?]]]]

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the river, Wreck-Gar, buried shoulder-deep in sediment, assures the sea life that he is a hero and is there to help. First, however, he needs a hand. Or a fin.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (7)
|c2=
*[[Lugnut]] (10)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (11)
|c3=
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (1)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]] (12)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]] (13)
*[[Angry Archer]] (14)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (15)
*[[Miss Adrias]] (16)
|c4=
*[[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|Wreck-Gar]] (9)

}}

==Quotes==
"Stasis lock itself could not deter me from your grand and glorious plan, oh wise and noble Megatron!" 
''[Left optic twitches]'' "Just...''go''..."
:—'''Lugnut's''' blind worship can be too much even for '''Megatron''' sometimes.

"I don't suppose you can tell me what I am, funny green man?" 
"You are...my partner-in-crime. They call me Angry Archer!" 
"They call me 'worthless-wreck-walking-pile-of-garbage'!" 
"Oh, really? Bit of a mouthful. Perhaps we should just call you 'Wreck-Gar' for short."
:—'''Angry Archer''', Renaissance Man, does some on-the-spot dubbing.

''[The Autobots are stuck in traffic]'' 
'''Ratchet''': Move it, already! Don't you humans have anything better to do?! 
'''Sari''': You should really try to be more patient with people. 
'''Ratchet''': I'd be a lot more patient with them...if they'd GET OUT OF MY WAY!
:—Ratchet shows that road rage is alive and well in the 22nd century.

'''Bumblebee''': ''[To Wreck-Gar]'' What are you? ''[To Sari]'' What is he? 
'''Sari''': I don't know, but he's givin' off a ton of AllSpark energy. 
'''Wreck-Gar:''' I am Wreck-Gar! I give off a ton of AllSpark energy! 
'''Bumblebee''': So, what, an AllSpark fragment just brought a junk pile to life and made some new kind of Autobot?! 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I am some new kind of Autobot?! 
'''Ratchet''': Listen up, scrapheap. You're not an Autobot, and you never will be an Autobot. You're only good for one thing...'''''GARBAGE!''''' 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I am only good for one thing...'''''GARBAGE!''''' I must deliver garbage to all! ''[transforms and rolls out]''
:— Ratchet's lack of people skills backfires again.

'''Lugnut''': Are you an Autobot? 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I am not an Autobot and never will be an Autobot! 
'''Lugnut''': Ah! Then you must be a Decepticon! 
'''Wreck-Gar''': I am Wreck-Gar! I...must be a Decepticon! 
''[Wreck-Gar places a Decepticon badge on his chest]'' 
'''Lugnut''': Aah, ALL HAIL MEGATRON! 
'''Wreck-Gar''': All hail Megatron! Uh...w-what's a 'Megatron'?
:— Wreck-Gar makes a new friend.

"You glitch-head! You're gonna destroy the whole city! You wouldn't dare do something THAT stupid!" 
"I am Wreck-Gar! I ''dare'' to be stupid! I will destroy the whole city!
:— '''Ratchet''' and '''Wreck-Gar'''. Yes, but does he count his chickens before they hatch?

"Well, whaddaya know. They like me. They really like me! Guess I got a way with words."
:— '''Ratchet''', discovering what we've known all along.

==Notes==
* This episode was first shown on Friday, [[April 25|April 25th]] at [[BotCon 2008]] (with the time-code running in the top-left corner).

===Animation or technical errors===
* In one scene where Ratchet crosses his arms, he gains a second war wound on his right arm.
* Though Wreck-Gar calls what he pulls from his backpack a "microscope", it's actually a telescope. Of course this could just be ignorance on his part as he had not been online for a single day yet.

===Continuity errors===
* Optimus pays honor to the [[Generation 1|long-standing tradition]] of his [[trailer]] disappearing when he transforms. His dump-truck trailer disappears magically along with all the garbage in it!
* Why don't Sari or Ratchet react to the Key when it starts to glow, indicating the presence of AllSpark energy?
* Sari uses the Key to help track down Wreck-Gar...which seems rather unnecessary, considering the noticeable trail of garbage he left behind.
* The previously cylindrical trash-bots now appear somewhat rectangular.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Beemeatcycle.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Most fanwanky episode ever? Most likely.]]
* Wreck-Gar interprets Lugnut's incoming rocket punch as an invitation to a high five, and he happily delivers the [[universal greeting]].
*Wreck-Gar appears to have the original's near-invulnerability. After triggering Lugnut's [[Punch of Kill Everything]] and causing an huge explosion, Wreck-Gar is simply knocked down, but otherwise fine.
* Wreck-Gar's shifting allegiance and red optics as he faces down Ratchet on the garbage scow appear to be callbacks to the [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|original Wreck-Gar]], who seemed to be an enemy to the Autobots in his initial movie appearance, complete with red optics, and was even marketed as such in television [[commercial]]s.
* The ''Animated'' incarnations of Spike and Carly, who made a cameo in [[Transform and Roll Out|the pilot episode]], reappear with speaking lines and even get their names called out. In the process, Corey Burton reprises his post-[[The Transformers: The Movie|Movie]] voice for the adult [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]].
* Generation 1 Wreck-Gar's motorcycle alt mode can be spotted amongst the garbage that Wreck-Gar throws at Bumblebee.
* The term "microbots" is a reference to one of the [[Microbots|good old G1 episodes]].

===Foreign dubbing===
*'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Lixo dentro, lixo fora'''" ("Garbage In, Garbage Out")

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Poubelle ouverte, poubelle fermée'''" ("Trash Can Open, Trash Can Closed")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Müll-Bots'''" ("The Garbage-Bots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 18|18 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''レックガーの暴走''' (''Rekku-Gaa no Bōsō'', "Wreck-Gar's Rampage")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[August 7]], [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Śmieci weszły, Śmieci wyszły'''" ("Garbage In, Garbage Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Wreck-Gar's "I ''dare'' to be stupid!" is, of course, a reference to one of [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]'s most well-known songs, "[[Dare to Be Stupid]]"–a [[Wikipedia:Devo|Devo]] "style parody" which appeared on the soundtrack to [[The Transformers: The Movie|the original animated movie]], and was used there in the scene with the [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|original Wreck-Gar]].
* While driving Spike and Carly to the hospital, Ratchet drives past the Wyatt Toys toy store, a reference to Art Director [[Derrick Wyatt]] previously seen in "[[Sound and Fury]]".
* The line "They like me, they really like me!" refers to Sally Field's Oscar acceptance speech in 1985.
*The line "Thumb tack? Carpet tack? Income tack?" bears a striking resemblance to a gag used by Groucho Marx in ''Duck Soup''.
*The title "Garbage In, Garbage Out" is a phrase used in computing meaning that if you give a computer bad data, or garbage, it gives you the same, as it just does what it's programmed to do without correcting your errors. This makes it very appropriate for Wreck-Gar's introductory episode, as it seems to be the case for him as well.

===Trivia===
*Even Megatron gets annoyed by Lugnut's constant worshipping. [[Inferno (BW)|Sound familiar]]?
*The mayor still doesn't talk, letting his [[Miss Adrias|Press Secretary]] speak for him instead.
*Aside from Wreck-Gar, Weird Al also voices the Sumdac Systems technician who explains the new version of the nanobots to Porter C. Powell.
*This is the first and only time we see Lugnut use his mace/axe weapon. Originally, Hasbro never told the cartoon team that they had included it with the toy. As such, they only found out after Season 1 was finished.
*Given that Carly is about to give birth when she seemed to have a wafer-thin profile in [[Transform and Roll Out|the pilot]], the Autobots seem to have spent at least six months or so in Detroit.
*This episode sees the return of the human newscaster.
*Wreck-Gar appears to have access to [[Subspace|Hammerspace]].
*Bulkhead appears, but has no lines. Blitzwing and Isaac Sumdac are also absent.
*One of the two policemen Wreck-Gar picks up resembles Officer Dibble from ''[[Wikipedia:Top_Cat|Top Cat]]''.
*This episode is the first to feature Ratchet's full robot-to-vehicle [[stock footage|transformation animation sequence]].

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
*[http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc99a2e8b013d "Garbage In, Garbage Out" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Mission Accomplished

2010-07-14T19:06:35Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Jagged.JPG
|caption=Starscream refused to invoke his right to remain silent, so the Autobots decided to enforce it.
|ep=19
|ep2=18
|prev2=The Return of the Headmaster
|next2=Garbage In, Garbage Out
|title="Mission Accomplished"
|airdate= [[April 26]], 2008
|written by= [[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yoshio Frank Chatani|Yoshio Chatani]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Convinced there are no Decepticons left on Earth, the Elite Guard prepares to take Optimus Prime and his crew back to Cybertron, unaware of the increasing Decepticon activity taking place under their very noses.'''

==Synopsis==
The Autobot [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] sends a message to the Earth-based Autobots, revealing he is under attack from Decepticons and has already lost one [[space bridge]]. He requests backup, but the transmission is cut off. Ultra Magnus explains this is but one of many reports of rising Decepticon activity. Jazz thinks it is due to the rumours of Megatron's survival, and Sentinel can't resist an opportunity to make a snide comment about the source of those rumours: Optimus Prime. Magnus therefore decides that all Earth-bound Autobots will make preparations to leave the planet. When Optimus protests due to the presence of Decepticons on Earth, Ultra Magnus brushes him off, whilst Sentinel butts in with another tirade about putting Prime up for an inquiry (or a [[wikipedia:court-martial|court-martial]], as Optimus perceives it). Ultra Magnus tries to make his position clear; that in the long run, everyone is better off believing Megatron is dead. Putting forward the idea of the Decepticon leader surviving and the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] being destroyed would cause panic among the Autobots and strengthen the resolve of the Decepticons. An outraged Optimus is forced into compliance.

Back at the factory, Sari is heartbroken by the idea of her friends being forced to leave Earth. The situation is made worse when Sentinel shows up. With his usual grace and tact, he tells Sari to belt up and officially inducts Optimus's team into the war effort. In the middle of insulting the "repair grunts", he makes a gesture of sorts to Optimus: Do as Ultra Magnus says, admit he's been lying, and Sentinel will use his connections to get Optimus's military career back on track, as thanks for [[The Return of the Headmaster|the recent Headmaster incident]]. When Optimus tells him what to do with his offer, Sentinel places him under formal arrest.

[[Image:Tooyoungtodie.JPG|left|180px|thumb|Go to your happy place, Screamer.]]

On a garbage scow moving along the river, Starscream suddenly reactivates. Disorientated, he panics when he realises that not only can he not pick up any other Decepticon energy signatures, he can't even pick up his own! After a moment of shock, he recovers and gets his bearings: he's alive and still on Earth. Furious at Megatron's attempt on his life, he transforms and blasts off into the sky.

At the Decepticon base, Blitzwing and Lugnut successfully test out Professor Sumdac's new Decepticon signal dampener. Mildly impressed, Megatron quickly moves on, demanding the creation of a subspace communicator so he can contact his forces in space to call off the aimless skirmishes until he can build his own space bridge. When Sumdac comments that Earth technology is too primitive to create a tachyon transmitter, Megatron smugly informs him that they will simply steal the required tech from the Elite Guard's ship. Meanwhile, the Autobots are trying to figure out what to do with Sari, so they take her to the most together human they know, Captain Fanzone—although they do point out that most of the humans they know are criminally insane, such as [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] and [[Nanosec]].

[[Image:MissionAccomplished-Fanzoneindressinggown.jpg|right|175px|thumb|It's not what it looks like.]]

While they handle that, Optimus is on the Elite Guard's ship, with Sentinel still trying to convince him to play ball. Optimus refuses to lie, while Sentinel says that confirming there are no Decepticons on Earth would merely confirm what their sensors are saying. While they argue, Lugnut and Blitzwing tunnel under the ship's shield and steal a tachyon transmitter. As they make their escape, they fail to notice Starscream tailing them back to base.

[[Image:Swordscream.JPG|left|180px|thumb|And so begins the greatest ''Transformers'' montage of all time.]]

As Lugnut presents his prize to Megatron, Starscream makes his presence known. What follows is a quick but decisive victory for Megatron, who simply slashes Starscream before blasting him point-blank. Lugnut checks to see if Starscream is still online, and finding no spark, helps Blitzwing toss his corpse into the river. After floating downstream, Starscream suddenly reactivates again. He realises he lacks a spark and discovers he is being kept alive by a fragment of the AllSpark buried in his head, effectively making him immortal. Delighted, he declares the end of Megatron's era. As Megatron sends his message out to the Decepticons, Starscream attacks...and is promptly killed again. After a couple more fruitless attempts, he starts to wonder if he needs a new strategy. His fragment allows him to locate a second shard, and a plan begins to formulate...

[[Image:Sentinel Prime shocked.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Sentinel Prime: Totally owned. Again.]]

At the Elite Guard ship, Magnus presses Optimus Prime to cooperate, when Jazz reveals that he's discovered a sudden surge in AllSpark energy. Concluding that it's another shard, Magnus and Jazz go to retrieve it, while Sentinel is to remain and watch Optimus. As Sentinel moans, Optimus realizes that they had only found AllSpark shards before due to [[AllSpark Key|Sari's key]]. Doing a thermal scan, he discovers Starscream. Optimus tries to warn Ultra Magnus, but Sentinel threatens to put him in [[stasis cuffs]] if he tries to leave. Optimus is able to take down Sentinel (who [[Starscream (G1)|squeals]] like a [[Carly Witwicky (G1)|girl]]) and place him in the cuffs, then [[Roll out|rolls out]].

Meanwhile, Optimus' crew are watching Sari "interview" Captain Fanzone, who is not very fond of children, when Optimus contacts them and tells his team to meet him en route to the train.

As Starscream gloats about his plan to draw out Megatron and kill him in a massive explosion, Ultra Magnus and Jazz arrive, as do Megatron and Blitzwing. Megatron realizes that it's a trap set by Starscream, while Magnus and Jazz have trouble extracting the shard. An energy surge throws the Elite Guard off the train. Further ahead along the tracks, Optimus orders Prowl to sever the passenger cars from the main car, while Bumblebee takes Sari to use her key to remove the shard. They succeed, but the train still nearly crashes, only stopped because Ratchet uses his magnets from ahead while Bulkhead, anchored by Optimus Prime, grabs the rear of the train. High in the air, as Starscream fumes about the lost opportunity, Megatron appears, ready to beat him senseless.

On the ground, Ultra Magnus reprimands Optimus Prime, while Sentinel Prime arrives and accuses him of assault. Though Optimus defends his position, both Elite Guardsmen point out that there is no evidence of Decepticons—only for Starscream to crash into the ground mere meters away, causing Sentinel Prime to freak out at the sight of an actual Decepticon. Quickly coming back online, Starscream takes advantage of Magnus's momentary inattention to blast the Autobot leader into unconsciousness from point-blank range, taking the shard with him. The Autobots' attempts to take down Starscream fail, until Optimus comes up with a plan—although an intervention from Jazz is required to make Sentinel go along with it. Having Sentinel draw Starscream's attention, Optimus uses the stasis cuffs on the Decepticon, who is then taken to the Elite Guard ship—with his mouth riveted shut.

Ultra Magnus admits that Optimus Prime was right about there being Decepticons on Earth, and though Sentinel Prime brings up the assault and insubordination charges, Magnus still supports Optimus's actions. Magnus decides that Optimus Prime's crew will remain on Earth to locate the remaining AllSpark shards and capture the Decepticons, while the Elite Guard returns to Cybertron for Magnus to conduct the war effort. Sari is overjoyed that the Autobots are staying, but promises Captain Fanzone that they can still hang out.

Meanwhile, Megatron tells his minions to inform their double agent on Cybertron that the Decepticons have repledged their allegiance to Megatron and that their attacks will draw Autobot forces away from the Transformers' home world. Once the space bridge technology is fully developed, Megatron's group will return to Cybertron and conquer the planet from within...

==Featured characters==

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (3)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (11)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (12)
*[[Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (15)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (14)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (16)
}}

==Quotes==
"You dare strike ME, Megatron? After all my loyal stellar cycles of—wh-wu-wait, where is everybody? How did I get here? I'm not picking up any Decepticon energy signatures... not even my own. I'm too young to be offline!"
:—On coming back from the dead, '''Starscream''''s speech-making tendencies outweigh his observational skills.

[[Image:Number one wink.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Thumbs up, soldier!]]
'''Fanzone''': Why me? 
'''Bumblebee''': You're tops on the list of all the humans we know personally. 
'''Bulkhead''': Although, it is kind of a short list. 
'''Prowl''': And it does include [[Prometheus Black]] and [[Nanosec]]. 
'''Bumblebee''': But still, you're number one! 
:—The Autobots try to get Captain Fanzone to adopt Sari. They need to work on their sales pitch.

"Is that the best you could do, Starscream? And to think you actually believed you could take over as leader of the Decepticons. You couldn't lead a parade."
:—'''Megatron'''

"Fellow Decepticons, take heed. Your leader, Megatron, still lives! Though we remain dispersed throughout the far reaches of the galaxy, exiled from our true home, we are all still Decepticons, united by a common purpose. The time has come for us to put aside our differences and act as one under my undisputed leadership. Only then can we cast off the shackles of Autobot oppression. Working together, we can raise up our glorious empire once more and crush all who stand in our way!"
:—'''Megatron''' has a good speechwriter

"When are you going to get it through your thick processor? There are no Decepticons on this planet! So keep your audio unit shut or I'll do it for you." ''[brandishes stasis cuffs]'' 
''[beat]'' "I'd like to see you try, you worthless crankshaft!" 
"THAT'S IT!" ''[ten seconds later]'' "You put me in stasis lock?!"
:—'''Sentinel Prime''', owned by '''Optimus Prime''' yet again.

"'''''STARSCREEEEEEAM!!!!!'''''" 
"Sorry, you must have me confused with some other harrier jet."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream'''. We don't think he bought it, Screamer.

'''Sentinel''': Optimus Prime, you are under arrest for assaulting an Elite Guard officer. Add that to the other list of charges against you, and you can kiss your career goodbye. Do you have anything to say for yourself? 
'''Optimus''':...Incoming! 
''[Starscream crashes from high altitude into the ground.]'' 
'''Sentinel''': WHAT IS THAT THING?! 
'''Optimus''': Oh, that's right, you've never seen one up close. It's called...a Decepticon.
:—Starscream crashes to Earth, freaks out Sentinel Prime, and gives Optimus Prime the proof he needs.

"Yeesh, Optimus, think you could have drawn that one out any longer?" 
"You're welcome, Sentinel." 
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' and '''Optimus Prime''', same old song and dance.

==Notes==
*This episode was first broadcast in Canada on April 26, one week before its United States premiere, and during the American premiere of the episode "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]".

===Animation or technical errors===
* While dropping into Megatron's mountain base for the first time, the "glow" effect on Starscream's jet exhaust is misaligned for several seconds until he 'catches up' to it.

* Just before Prime activates the thermal scan of the cloud bank supposedly concealing Starscream, Starscream is already plainly visible on the viewscreen. If Starscream wasn't meant to be concealed, then it's a continuity error, as Prime wouldn't need a thermal scan to detect him, just a magnified visual, unless Decepticons have different heat signatures than normal Harrier Jets.

===Continuity errors===
* Megatron and the other Decepticons don't seem to wonder why it is that Starscream keeps coming back, despite the fact that they note that his spark compartment is empty.

* Megatron shatters Starscream's yellow cockpit the first and fourth times he "kills" him in the episode, leaving his empty spark chamber visible. When Starscream pulls a [[wikipedia:Jack_Harkness|Captain Jack]], it is still missing. After he sees his reflection in the water the first time, and simply when they cut to a different angle on the fourth time, it is suddenly present and intact once more. (It's possible that's because of the miraculous powers of the AllSpark shard; if it can keep Starscream online, it surely can regenerate any damage he has taken.)

* The AllSpark shard Starscream recovers changes size constantly, from barely fitting into Starscream's hand, to small enough to fit into Optimus's palm with his hand closed.

* How did Sentinel get the stasis cuffs off?

* Captain Fanzone's wife is mentioned in "[[Total Meltdown]]", but she's neither seen nor mentioned here. A possible divorce, perhaps?

* When Optimus Prime puts the newly acquired fragment of the AllSpark into its housing, there are four shards total, even though thus far, only two have been recovered by the Autobots on-screen. Optimus does note in the episode that, in the past, [[AllSpark Key|Sari's key]] had been the primary tool used to locate fragments of the AllSpark. As this has only happened in the episode "The Elite Guard" so far (as well as this episode), it is conceivable that the Autobots managed to locate two other "SmallSparks" off-screen.

* As Lugnut and Blitzwing tunnel under the force shield to the Elite Guard's ship, they leave a gigantic hole, which no one notices. And later on, the hole has mysteriously disappeared.

* When the Autobots stop the train, Sari is somehow not hurled forward off its roof by her own momentum, even though she is not restrained in any fashion. Unless...<strike>''she's a witch!''</strike> Ratchet's magnets affected her [[Transwarped|robotic structure.]]

===Transformers references===
*Much like [[Starscream (G1)|his Generation 1 counterpart]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] is now immortal, only this time they actually explain why and leave him with a body.

*Megatron believes Starscream "couldn't even lead a parade", just as his G1 namesake said in "[[Starscream's Brigade]]". This line also harkens to a similar line in the G1 pilot "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3|More Than Meets the Eye]]" in which Megatron remarks that Starscream "Couldn't lead [[Ant-droid|ant-droids]] to a picnic..."

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La revanche de Starscream'''" ("The Revenge of Starscream")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Mission erfüllt'''" ("Mission Fulfilled")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 17|17 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''爆鎮完了!''' (''Bakuchin Kanryō!'', "Blast-Extinguishing Complete!")<ref>This is the title of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtvuT0ppP7Q second opening theme] for ''[[wikipedia:Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire|Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire]]'', the live-action [[wikipedia:tokusatsu|''tokusatsu'']] show that previously held ''Transformers: Animated''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s time slot. It was sung by [[JAM Project]], who also sings the Japanese opening theme to ''Animated''. In-jokes, ahoy!</ref>
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 31|31 July]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Misja wykonana'''" ("Mission Accomplished")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* [[wikipedia:Mission Accomplished|The title. Nuff said.]]

* Starscream refers to his disguise as a [[wikipedia:Harrier Jump Jet|Harrier Jet]]. Pity his model won't turn up for another hundred years or so.

===Trivia===
*Along with [[Transformer|machines]] and [[Survival of the Fittest|lawyers]], it seems [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] doesn't like kids.
*It's not clear how Starscream ended up in the garbage scow. If the Autobots threw him there, wouldn't they have retrieved him (as proof of Decepticon activity) in "[[The Elite Guard]]"? If it was humans, why didn't they keep his body in order to study alien technology? One of the Decepticons may have thrown him into the scow as a gesture of contempt or to hide their presence on Earth...but we don't know for sure.
*In the first interior shot of the Decepticons' hideout, we see the markings on the top of their computer station resemble the upper half of the Decepticon sigil, complete with glowing eyes.
*In his speech, Megatron goes on about how the Decepticons are united by a common purpose and need to put aside their differences, yet Megatron himself is beating the slag out of a fellow Decepticon for the duration of the speech. How ironic.
*Starscream is not just beaten up, but ''killed'' by Megatron five times in a ''single episode''. Must be a new record.
*The Elite Guard does not come off very well in this episode: Ultra Magnus and Jazz fail to notice a large hole the size of [[Lugnut|a B2 bomber]] when leaving their ship, a tachyon transmitter gets ripped off their ship without them even noticing, Sentinel Prime freaks out at the mere sight of a Decepticon, and Ultra Magnus gets defeated by Starscream after only one shot. (To be fair, it ''was'' at point-blank range, ''right in the face''.)
*Megatron mentions having a double agent on Cybertron. Who could it be?
*With this episode, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|all]] [[Ironhide (Movie)|five]] [[Bumblebee (Movie)|of]] [[Jazz (Movie)|the]] [[Ratchet (Movie)|Autobots]] from [[Transformers (2007)|the live-action movie]] have appeared in ''Transformers: Animated''.
*When Sentinel is trying to bribe Optimus, he says he could get Optimus re-instated in the Elite Guard, yet in the flashback in "[[Endgame, Part I]]", Optimus would be expelled from the Autobot Academy, and rendered permanently ineligible from joining the Elite Guard in the first place.
*Optimus Prime's crew has already proven to be smaller and less powerful than the Decepticons yet these Autobots are all that the great Autobot Supreme Commander could think of to leave behind on Earth to fight and capture the really powerful MEGATRON!? That plan is worse than movie Optimus Prime's.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio.

== Footnotes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Return of the Headmaster

2010-07-14T19:05:53Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series= Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image= Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg
|caption= Schadenfreude.
|ep=18
|ep2=17
|prev2=The Elite Guard
|next2=Mission Accomplished
|title="The Return of the Headmaster"
|airdate=[[April 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
}}
'''Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival Sentinel Prime after Sentinel has a humiliating encounter with the Headmaster.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Returnofheadmaster sarisroom.jpg|left|200px|thumb|im in ur room, shackin in ur cribs]]
In Sari's room at [[Sumdac Tower]], Sari bitterly packs her things while grumbling about [[Porter C. Powell]] taking over her home and throwing her to the curb. She doesn't notice Powell enter as she badmouths him, but rather than get upset, the man smugly proves many of her points right and adds insult to injury by introducing her bedroom's new tenant, the freshly re-hired [[Headmaster (Animated)| Henry Masterson]]. As the Headmaster makes himself at home, Sari protests, pointing out the man's lack of sanity, but Powell merely rushes her out the door. Then, just as Sari's day can't get any worse, Powell claims [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] and [[Tutor Bot]] as company property. Harsh.

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster sentinelspeaks.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere.]]

Meanwhile, the Primes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] stand at a press conference along with the mayor and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]. Sentinel is his usual charming self, boasting the significance of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard's]] presence, condescending to the [[Human|icky organics]], showing complete ignorance of the planet's customs, and insulting his comrade's lowly position at every opportunity. Optimus tries his best to ignore all this and put the humans' minds at ease about the current situation, but finds it difficult to get a word in edgewise as Sentinel cuts him off, determined to do all the talking, refusing to let Optimus speak for him.

Powell and Masterson watch the press conference with intent. Powell says he expects great things from Masterson, intending to tap the lucrative military hardware market that Sumdac so foolishly ignored. Masterson is itching to get to work, but wants new robots on which to test his Headmaster units. The old Autobot crew won't cut it, however; he wants the new models, and he eagerly eyes Sentinel Prime's image on the screen.

Masterson calls up Fanzone with a false Decepticon sighting in Old Detroit. Fanzone relays the information to the Primes, and the heroes transform and roll out. Sentinel still hasn't gotten the hang of the city's traffic customs, however, and spends more time driving over other cars than on the road.

[[Image:AnimatedBumbleeBulkheadProfessor.jpg|left|150px|thumb|We tackle any topic, immense or microscopic!]]

Meanwhile, Sari is moving in with the Autobots at the old factory. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are eager to cheer up the sullen girl with loud TV, music, and a misguided tutoring session in which they end up throwing around theories about her mysterious origins. Predictably, everything they try only seems to make her more miserable.

Sentinel soon arrives at the scene of the supposed Decepticon sighting, prying a stop sign from his shoulder, and is quickly joined by Optimus and the police. Optimus starts making suggestions, but Sentinel shuts him up, opting to split up and search on his own, as he doesn't need help from a scrub.

The search drags on into the night, and Sentinel is jumping at shadows, turning the advanced weaponry of the Cybertron Elite Guard on such dire threats as [[Skippy|stray cats]]. This distracts him, and Masterson gets the jump on him with the Headmaster unit. Shortly afterwards, Sentinel contacts Optimus, telling him it was a false alarm and to send the police away. He then demands Optimus come to his position alone and promise not to laugh. Soon after, Optimus finds Sentinel's decapitated head and breaks out in laughter. Bitter and humiliated, Sentinel pleads with Optimus to help him get his body back without [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] finding out. Optimus guesses that the reason Sentinel is trusting him with the task is that he's just not important enough for his opinion to matter, but Sentinel is careful not to say something so insulting in his position. How about that.

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Haw-haw!]]

Optimus learns of Masterson's re-hiring thanks to a conveniently timed message from Bumblebee, reporting what he's heard from Sari. The next day, Optimus pays a visit to Sumdac Tower, hiding Sentinel's head under a tree trunk while he chats with Powell. The new manager makes it clear that the Autobots aren't free to waltz into his building as they please any more, but assures their leader that Masterson isn't there. However as soon as Optimus leaves, he phones the Headmaster with information on the new development, warning his employee not to jeopardize the company's image. Lucky for the Primes, Optimus thought ahead enough to intercept the phone call with his ear transceiver as soon as he was out of sight. He traces the call to a cargo ship at the docks.

It's night again when the 1.5 Primes arrive at the docks and start searching for Sentinel's body. They don't get far before a nearby crate bursts open, revealing a sinister Sparkplug and Tutor Bot outfitted with miniature Headmaster Units. Sentinel isn't too worried by the puny automatons until they reveal some powerful laser-shooting upgrades. They send Optimus scrambling for cover while Sentinel's head bounces around impotently on the ground. When the ship Masterson is supposedly on starts casting off, they can't play around any longer, and Optimus rushes through the laser fire, ramps off the deck, transforms in mid-air and rides a powerful burst from his rocket axe to hook into the side of the ship's hull. Awesome. His grappling hooks probably would have worked equally well, but dude, flying rocket axe!

[[Image:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.]]

On the ship, Optimus and Sentinel try to find Sentinel's body...until it finds them. The Headmaster pushes Optimus down with Sentinel's shield. Sentinel is surprised that it's so powerful, to which Masterson gloats he upgraded his equipment. Pulling out Sentinel's beam lance and expanding the shield into a spikier version, the Headmaster clashes with Optimus while Sentinel bounces around impotently on the ground some more.

Masterson manages to knock Optimus's axe off the ship, leaving him unarmed. After being pinned to the ground with shield spikes inches from his face, Optimus returns the favor by ripping off Sentinel's arm, shield and all. Sentinel is mortified by the dismemberment, but Optimus feels it was justified. He then uses Sentinel's arm as a makeshift axe and fights back the body, eventually severing the Headmaster unit. The head quickly converts to robot mode and starts to run off, but this time Optimus stops him by kicking Sentinel's head into the fleeing villain like a soccer ball. Again, Sentinel is appalled. Optimus has less of an excuse this time.

[[Image:Headm anim.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Salut!]]

Back on land, Fanzone has Masterson in cuffs, and it looks like a happy ending until Powell shows up, pointing out that the ship was Sumdac Systems property, the assaulted robots don't have rights protected by the law, and the whole incident occurred over international waters between the [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada]]. Masterson is free to go, much to the chagrin of everybody else.

Meanwhile, at the factory, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are about to try another zany scheme to cheer up Sari, but Prowl stops them and tells them just to listen to her instead. When they try this last resort, Sari opens up about all her worries regarding her [[Isaac Sumdac|missing father]], her lost home and company, and her questioned existence. Bumblebee and Bulkhead aren't sure what to do, but they assure her they are there for her.

Finally, aboard the Elite Guard's ship the next day, Sentinel and Optimus report to Ultra Magnus, who has heard something about Sentinel "losing his head". Sentinel trembles uncomfortably in silence, but Optimus reports that they worked together to solve the crisis, effectively covering for his comrade, who really doesn't deserve it. Ultra Magnus congratulates both of them and takes his leave to contact [[Cybertron Command]] on an issue of great importance. As the Primes walk down the hallway, Sentinel struggles out a "thank you" to his compatriot. Optimus notes that it must have hurt to say that, and Sentinel acknowledges the fact and reaches out his hand.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (14)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (15)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (5)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (9)
*[[Miss Adrias]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Tutor Bot]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (3)
* [[News Bot]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey! Check it! Major cribbage! And it's mine. It's all mine!"
:—'''Masterson''', who is surprisingly okay with the fact that his new "facilities" are frilly, lacy, and painted pink.

"This is why I hate machines...especially arrogant, full-of-themselves machines!"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''', also saying what we're all thinking.

'''Optimus''': Sentinel, we should scramble our comlink frequencies in case the Decepticons are listening in! 
'''Sentinel''': What you ''should'' do is stick within the scope of your programming. If I need a trash can emptied or a floor mopped, I'll call on my buddy Optimus Prime. Or should I say...''Maintenance'' Prime? Hahahaha! 
''[Sentinel turns and walks away; Optimus does the same]'' 
'''Optimus''': 'Maintenance Prime'...then I'll just call you 'Pompous Gas-Bag Prime'. Yeah...that's what I should have said.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Sentinel Prime''' match wits. Somehow, Optimus loses.

'''Sentinel''': Uhhh, Optimus. Tell the organic Fanzone that he can send his police force home. It's a false alarm. 
'''Optimus''': How do you know? 
'''Sentinel''': I just know, okay?! Now I need you to come to my position. ''ALONE''. And promise me one more thing... 
'''Optimus''': What? 
'''Sentinel''': That you won't laugh! 
''[Optimus looks around the rubble for Sentinel]'' 
'''Optimus''': Sentinel? Where are you? 
'''Sentinel''': ''[quietly]'' Look down... 
''[Optimus looks down to see Sentinel's head severed from his body]'' 
'''Optimus''': ''[lets out a hearty laugh]'' 
'''Sentinel''': You promised you wouldn't laugh!
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets a kick out of '''Sentinel Prime''''s misfortune

'''Bumblebee''': Just because you don't have a tutor bot anymore doesn't mean you have to stop learning. 
'''Bulkhead''': Right. We can teach you. 
'''Bumblebee''': So, class, today's lesson is regarding...um...well, stuff, and how it works. Any questions? 
'''Sari''': Yeah. Why is there no record of my existence? 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay...a little bit outside the lesson plan. Professor Bulkhead, your thoughts? 
'''Bulkhead''': Maybe she came here from another planet in some kinda egg and crashed on Sumdac's doorstep. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or a portal could have opened and she fell through from another dimension. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or maybe she's really a robot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or maybe Sumdac found her in a cabbage patch. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or that stork thing.
:—Professors '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' have obviously been visiting the fan forums...

"Yes! I am so 1337!" 
"Yeah? Well, I have no idea what that means!"
:—'''Headmaster''' boasts as '''Optimus Prime''' scores a blow against over-sized egos everywhere.

==Notes==
* This episode was first broadcast in Canada on [[April 19]], one week before its United States premiere.

===Continuity errors===
* When Optimus stops Masterson's escape, he asserts the villain is going "back to prison", although the Headmaster has yet to serve time at all.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno de Headmaster'''" ("The Return of the Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour du cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Return of the Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmasters Rückkehr'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 16|16 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''ヘッドマスター, ふたたび!''' (''Headmaster, Futatabi!'', "Headmaster, Once Again!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Headmastera'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee mentions Sari could have come from a cabbage patch, a reference to the popular explanation of where babies come from - or to the [[wikipedia:Cabbage_Patch_Kids|Cabbage Patch Kids]] said explanation inspired.
* Powell makes a passing reference to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also known as "the Mounties".
* Bulkhead's "came here from another planet in some kind of egg" comment could be a reference to 1970s sitcom [[wikipedia:Mork_and_Mindy|''Mork and Mindy'']], or also a reference to the [[wikipedia:Superman|Superman: origin]] story.
* The appearance of [[Detroit]]'s real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center in this episode gives a firm location for [[Sumdac Tower]] -- it's on one of two blocks of Randolph Street, currently occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.

===Trivia===
*Powell claims Optimus and Sentinel's clash with Masterson took place in "international waters". While the nation in which the incident occurred may be in question, there are no ''international'' waters in Lake St. Clair or Lake Erie, just American and Canadian waters. (But then, this is the future.) The "Mounties" remark is still relevant.
*Apparently, calling the police to report fabricated events (about Decepticons) doesn't constitute a crime in [[Detroit]]. Either that, or Fanzone didn't put two and two together as to Masterson being the caller of the faux incident.
*When Sentinel asks for Optimus to cover for him, Optimus mentions how Sentinel "covered for him" all those years ago, presumably after the [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] [[Along Came a Spider|incident]]. Maybe this is the reason that Optimus washed out of the [[Autobot Academy]]? Answer: [[Endgame, Part I|Yes. It is.]]
*Either the events of this episode span at least two days and two nights, or the sun goes down roughly [[Transformers (2007)|every couple of hours]].
*Given they presumably had very little time to prepare, the Autobots have whipped up a surprisingly comfortable room for Sari in their factory, doubly surprising given the lack of proper materials to hand. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bed made from a giant radial tire!?
*On the other hand, their idea of proper human cuisine needs some work, since the meal they provide for Sari consists of a bunch of acorns, a fish skeleton (with flies buzzing around it), a live rabbit, and some miniature barrels of [[oil]].
*This is the only episode of Season Two where the Decepticons don't appear.
*How did Powell clear the Headmaster for his attempt to destroy Michigan in his previous appearance?
*Bulkhead's guesses about Sari's origin were quite accurate: [[TransWarped|She is part robot and she did come to earth in an almost egg like thing and crash near Sumdac]]. Foreshadowing there Bulky?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc998b17d012e "The Return of the Headmaster" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Elite Guard

2010-07-14T19:05:05Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{disambig2|the '''Transformers Animated''' episode|the Autobot military team featured in this episode|Cybertron Elite Guard}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Eliteguardleaveshuttle.jpg
|caption=The cool kids always arrive fashionably late.
|ep=17
|ep2=16
|prev2=Megatron Rising - Part 2
|next2=The Return of the Headmaster
|title="The Elite Guard"
|airdate=[[April 12]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
}}

'''The Cybertron Elite Guard arrives on Earth to retrieve the All Spark and relieve Prime and his crew of their post, but they prove less than adept at blending in with the human world.'''

==Synopsis==
On the extensive highway system of [[Detroit]], the [[Autobot]]s are aiding in the repair efforts after their titanic battle with the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]]. Unfortunately the residents of the city don't seem to ''understand'' that the road system was blown to rubble by the battle, and are upset that the Autobots are holding up traffic. Optimus Prime heads over to address their concerns, and they flee in fear. Bulkhead comments that he liked it better when they were heroes, to which Optimus retorts that they still are. All of them wonder what the heck has happened that Bumblebee isn't there helping them.

[[Image:Super secretary.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Sure thing, dollface!]]

There's no reason for them to be jealous though, as the little yellow bot has been pressed into service as Sari's secretary at [[Sumdac Tower]]. The little girl realizes that there's a lot of pressure in running a business, and feels sorry for her father's having had to deal with this. Porter C. Powell is less patient, and expresses a fairly cold attitude towards her "wasting" company funds on locating the genius who designs all the company's myriad robotic technologies. Sari yells at him that as long as the company's name is Sumdac she's in charge, cuts him off, and tells Bumblebee to hold her calls. Bumblebee tells the "Boss Lady" sure, but points to the TV, showing an unidentified flying object headed for Detroit, saying she might want to look at that.

[[Image:Elite ship.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Those Elite guys always got ships that could actually land.]]

Spotting it, the Autobots speed to the scene, only to be met with some justified resentment by Captain Fanzone. However they are allowed to pass once the [[Steelhaven (Animated)|ship]] is revealed to be crewed by Autobots. Sentinel Prime, Jazz, and Ultra Magnus step out of the ship, while Optimus Prime and company walk up the gangplank, giving Magnus a salute. The [[Supreme Commander]] orders a force field thrown up to quarantine the entire area from organics. Jazz is interested in interacting with the locals, but quickly loses his interest when Sentinel Prime warns that they'll spit slime that will melt him down.

Sentinel is assigned to decontaminate the long-lost Autobot crew, a task he takes to with relish until he is interrupted by Jazz for overdoing it. Released, the Autobots are informed that the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] have come to retrieve the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]. Optimus explains that it was dispersed in the battle with the Decepticons, a fact that Sentinel accuses him of lying about, saying there is no evidence of the Decepticons being on the planet. Ratchet says that Optimus is a hero for keeping the AllSpark out of Megatron's hands, while Bulkhead nearly comes to blows with Sentinel after the out-of-line guardsman says that Optimus is anything but a hero. Ultra Magnus orders the Autobots to calm down and tells Optimus to take him and Sentinel to where the AllSpark was dispersed, though he insists that Optimus Prime's crew remain with Jazz until they return. The two Elite Guardsmen have some very unsubtle [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]], chosen by Sentinel (Magnus is a military transport and Sentinel is a monster truck with a snow plow), and damage some cars near the ship as they [[roll out]]. Optimus tries to instruct them on the finer points of traffic laws, but Sentinel rams him aside without any regards for driver safety. He pays for this by driving off a damaged bridge and crashing into the ground below.

[[Image:Lair.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Meanwhile, in the evil lair...]]

Elsewhere, the Decepticons have holed themselves up in an underground mine with carbon deposits to hide them from the Autobots' sensors. Lugnut wants to go topside and fight, but his arm falls off mid-rant. Besides, Megatron has other priorities: the conquest of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Although Blitzwing thinks that the three of them conquering Cybertron is crazy, Lugnut [[Apeface|strikes him with his own severed arm]], telling him to never doubt Megatron, though he does admit that he'd like to know Megatron' plan. According to Megatron, the reasons the Decepticons lost the [[Great War|Great Wars]] were due to the Autobots' possession of the AllSpark and [[space bridge]] technology. However, Megatron was able to download a partial schematic from the [[Autobot ship (Animated)|Autobot ship]] before his defeat. A completed space bridge would allow the Decepticons to teleport into Cybertron and conquer the planet from the inside. The rest of the space bridge's schematics, however, would have to be reverse-engineered by Isaac Sumdac, who is still the Decepticons' prisoner. Sumdac says that he doesn't know anything about teleportation, but a malfunctioning service drone gets him to shut up. Megatron blasts the drone and discovers that a piece of the AllSpark is embedded in its circuitry. This gives Megatron hope that the AllSpark was not entirely destroyed and could still be salvaged...

[[Image:Freaked jazz-1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!]]

At a Sumdac Systems manufacturing plant, an assembly line building [[police drone]]s has been embedded with a piece of the AllSpark, and the drones begin to go haywire. Powell tells Sari what is happening, but refuses to do anything about it. Sari decides to free the Autobots, using the [[AllSpark Key]] to move through the shield and get onto the ship. Tripping an alarm, Sari is soon confronted by Jazz, who tries to coax her off the ship without provoking her. Realizing Jazz is afraid of her, Sari scares the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of the poor bot. Optimus's crew arrive and explain that Sari is harmless. Sari tells them what's going on at the plant, but Jazz says they need to stay with him. Bumblebee says that Magnus didn't specify where, and Jazz, wanting to try out his stylish alternate mode, goes with them to the plant.

On [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], Optimus warns Sentinel and Magnus about the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], who take that moment to jump out, but Sentinel is unworried. Grimlock's [[transformation]] and flaming sword are a little more impressive, especially as they manage to force back Sentinel Prime, even through his shield. Ultra Magnus uses his hammer to call down lightning and scare away the Dinobots, while Sentinel appears to have learned nothing.

[[Image:TFA Elite Guard Optimus console slice.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Optimus Prime Tech Support, at your service!]]

Arriving at the plant, the police drones attack the Autobots. Jazz shows off his [[Metallikato]] skills, and Bulkhead smashes and smashes, but there is just no end to the drones. Magnus and the Primes arrive to provide backup, but Sentinel thinks that they should abort rather than risk organic contamination. Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz force their way into the plant and get Sari to a control console, into which she places the AllSpark Key, shutting down the assembly line, and Magnus uses his hammer to destroy the rest of the drones. Unfortunately, the Key is stuck. Sentinel Prime says that he'll see Optimus tried for insubordination and high treason for destroying the AllSpark, but Optimus finally tells Sentinel to shove it in his hard drive, reminding him they are of equal [[Prime (rank)|rank]]. Using his axe, Prime destroys the console and discovers that the Key was attached to a piece of the AllSpark. Examining it, Ultra Magnus accepts Optimus Prime's story. Sentinel still tries to badmouth Optimus, saying he's a liar, but Ultra Magnus finally puts Sentinel in his place, saying Optimus has demonstrated strategic thinking, determination, and loyalty towards his comrades—all qualities that Sentinel Prime could use.

[[Image:Dramatic change in plot.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See that, Pat Lee? It's called an expression!]]

Heading home, Sari and Bumblebee find that she has been locked out of her office. Powell says that he's been elected CEO and Chairman of the Board, and is now head of Sumdac Systems. Sari still insists that it's her family's company, but Powell reveals that there is no will or adoption papers from Isaac Sumdac, nor does Sari have a birth certificate or social security number. As Sari realizes that she has no way to prove that she is Sumdac's daughter, Powell puts it even more bluntly—there's no evidence to prove that she legally exists...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (9)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (10)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (11)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (16)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (17)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (18)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut]] (12)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (13)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (14)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (7)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"This is completely unnecessary, Sentinel!" 
"Can't risk an infestation, 'old buddy'. Take it like a real bot."
:—Undergoing "decontamination", '''Optimus''' rediscovers that '''Sentinel''' is a jerk.

"Man, that was some funky blinkin' colored light show! What'd you call those things again?" 
"Traffic lights?" 
"Traffic lights. Solid."
:—'''Jazz''' discovers the wonderful world of commuting with the help of '''Bulkhead'''.

"What kind of screwloose planet IS this?!"
:—Between broken bridges and now Dinobots, '''Sentinel Prime''' isn't having a good day.

'''Bulkhead''': It's no good! These things are rolling off the assembly line faster than I can smash 'em! 
'''Jazz''': Is it always like this on this crazy planet? 
'''Prowl''': Pretty much.
:—Jazz learns that Prime's crew has anything but a quiet life.

'''Sentinel Prime''': I think you've done enough, Optimus! I'll make sure you're tried for high treason for destroying the AllSpark! Now come with me! 
'''Optimus Prime''': No! 
''[Shoves Sentinel aside]'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': That wasn't a request. That's a DIRECT ORDER, Optimus! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's Optimus PRIME. I may be an Elite Guard washout and a glitch-detail flunky, but the last time I checked, you and I still had equal rank. SO, Sentinel PRIME, take your order AND your condescending attitude, and STICK IT IN YOUR HARD DRIVE! You're on MY TURF now! 
:— Optimus is officially sick of Sentinel Prime's crap.

"Definitely appears to be a fragment of the AllSpark. Apparently, your story about dispersing it may not be so far-fetched after all." 
"But sir, you can't honestly believe that. He's a lying, insubordinate crankshaft." 
"He may be a little rough around the edges, but in the heat of battle, Optimus Prime exhibited the qualities of a true leader: strategic thinking, determination, and above all, loyalty. Something ''you'' could stand to learn a thing or two about, Sentinel Prime."
:— '''Ultra Magnus''' lets '''Sentinel Prime''' know how much of an Auto-Ass he is.

[[Image:No Sari Sumdac.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"And you—YOU no longer EXIST!"]]

"Hey, why is my office locked?" 
"Miss Sumdac, I regret to inform you that your services will no longer be required. The board has unanimously elected me to take over as CEO of [[Sumdac Systems]]." 
"You can't do that! It's still my family's company!" 
"Is it? I took the liberty of doing some research into your claim. It might interest you to know that there is no will, no birth certificate, no adoption papers, social security number, or any kind of record whatsoever for a 'Sari Sumdac'." 
"Are you saying I can't prove I'm Isaac Sumdac's daughter?" 
"I'm saying you can't even prove you exist."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Porter C. Powell''' create a drastic change in plot.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When the Elite Guard first appear on the ramp of their ship, Jazz is missing the arrow decal on his crotch.
* When Sentinel Prime is asking for proof that the Allspark was not completely destroyed, in the next shot, Bumblebee is seen missing the plate on top of his head. It comes back in the next scene.
* When Optimus is walking down the ramp reassuring the humans that the other Autobots are friendly, Sentinel Prime can be seen in vehicle mode coming down behind him. Yet in the next shot after Optimus has transformed, Ultra Magnus is the first to follow suit.

===Continuity errors===
* Captain Fanzone is ''still'' driving [[Captain Fanzone's car|the car]] that was crushed! He must know [[Sparkplug Witwicky|one hell of a mechanic]]. Or he's obsessive enough to buy an identical car.
* Jazz says he has orders to "stick with you" [Optimus's crew], to which Bumblebee is delighted to inform him about the loophole. But really, the order was to stay "here" [on the ship]. So either Jazz forgot his orders, or [[Tracks (G1)|cared more about his vehicle mode]].

===Transformers references===
* This episode reveals that both Prowl and Jazz are practitioners of the Cybertronian martial art of [[Metallikato]], originally used by the Generation 1 character [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].

* In voicing Ultra Magnus, Jeff Bennett is doing a ''rather'' good impression of [[Robert Stack]], who originally voiced the character in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 movie]], as well as a bit of a take on [[wikipedia:Sir_Alec_Guiness|Alec Guinness]]'s portayal of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from the original [[Star Wars]] trilogy. Very cool.

* The giant ship in which the Elite Guard arrives on Earth bears a strong resemblance to the shuttles used by the Autobots in the 1986 movie, only in blue, and a whole lot bigger.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La garde d'élite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Elitegarde'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 15|15 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''エリートガード''' ("Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 17|17 July]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gwardzista Elitarny'''" ("The Elite Guardsman")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Ultra Magnus' Hammer appears to have been modeled after [[Thor]]'s hammer [[wikipedia:Mjolnir|Mjolnir]].

* Captain Fanzone homages the ''[[wikipedia:Indiana_Jones|Indiana Jones]]'' line, "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" replacing "snakes" with "robots".

===Trivia===
*[[News Bot]] and [[Tutor Bot]] are listed as appearing in the episode credits, but do not actually appear. There ''is'' a televised news bulletin regarding the object that would be revealed as the Elite Guard's ship, but the unseen reporter is voiced by [[Jeff Bennett]] instead of [[Townsend Coleman]].
*The Autobots have trouble proving to the Guard that there is Decepticon activity on Earth. There were dozens of human witnesses to the recent battle. Even if the Guard does not trust organic testimony, did ''none'' of the humans have cameras?
*Come to think of it, what happened to the news footage of Starscream Megatron watched when he reactivated?
*Megatron is evidently fully repaired now, while his subordinates are having trouble keeping their arms from falling off. Guy's got priorities, certainly.
*When they're being "decontaminated", Bulkhead remarks that Sentinel doesn't remember them, to which Bumblebee replies that he wants it that way. The meaning of this exchange is revealed in "[[Autoboot Camp]]".
*In the ''Animated'' universe, "Prime" is a military rank, as Optimus forcefully reminds Sentinel.
*It was unclear if either part of Ultra Magnus's name was a rank, particularly since he's commonly addressed as "Commander". Later, in "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]", it was revealed that "Magnus" is a rank.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc995b2760110 "The Elite Guard" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elite Guard}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Megatron Rising - Part 2

2010-07-14T19:04:31Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Megatron Rising Megatron descends.JPG
|caption=I'm here to find the AllSpark and kick some skidplate...and I can't seem to find the AllSpark.
|ep=16
|ep2=15
|prev2=Megatron Rising - Part 1
|next2=The Elite Guard
|title="Megatron Rising - Part 2"
|airdate=[[April 5]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Ciro Nieli]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''The Autobots are beaten down by the Decepticon invasion, but still must rally to prevent the All Spark from falling into their clutches.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:MegaPrime.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Oh, it is so on.]]

As Megatron descends to ground level, Optimus, Prowl and Bulkhead look on in disbelief. As he lands, Bulkhead takes point, launching his wrecking ball, but Megatron calmly slices it off before backhanding Bulkhead into a nearby building. Prowl then attacks, but his throwing stars are easily deflected, and he finds himself on the defensive, dodging Megatron's swords. Taking cover behind a bridge support, he manages to avoid them, but Megatron's attacks destroy it, and two children are nearly crushed under the falling rubble, saved only by Optimus borrowing "a move from the Bumblebee play book", using a combination of his wheels and ax to dash forward and snatch the children up. Meanwhile, Prowl is pinned under Megatron's foot, and the Decepticon draws a sword, ready to take revenge for Prowl slicing off the remains of his arm fifty years ago. Optimus saves Prowl by using a combination of his grappler and ax to knock the sword from Megatron's grasp. The two leaders face off, but Megatron simply blocks Prime's blow and kicks him away. As Megatron reaches for his dropped sword, Optimus launches a grappler, tripping him. Megatron follows up by snapping the grappler's line and using it to swing Optimus into the side of a building.

[[Image:PayThePiper.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Megatron punishes Starscream for betrayal and goes against everything natural to Transformers lore.]]

In the tower, Blitzwing wants to join the fight, but Lugnut won't allow him to interfere in Megatron's business. As the two Decepticons argue, Dr. Sumdac tries to make a break for it, only to be blocked by Blitzwing. Meanwhile, Starscream holds a struggling Bumblebee while watching Optimus and Megatron battle, trying to decide whom he'll gain more from by helping, the Autobot or his would-be leader. On the ground, Optimus is taking a beating but says he will never reveal the AllSpark's location. Unfortunately, Megatron simply plans to use the [[AllSpark Key]] to track down the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]. Punching Prime hard enough to send him skidding across the tarmac, Megatron calls out to his loyal Decepticons. Lugnut and Blitzwing immediately respond, and Starscream casually comments on his decision being made for him and throws Bumblebee away. As Lugnut prostrates himself, Starscream drops down on his head, ready to renew his tenure as Second in Command. Megatron comments on the appropriateness of Starscream's presence, takes aim on the Autobots...then quickly jams the Key into Starscream's chest, seemingly draining him of life. Dropping the offline traitor, Megatron asks if there are any other dissenters. Getting a negative response, he turns back to the Autobots, only to discover they've used the distraction to escape. Blitzwing wants to chase after them, but Megatron believes the AllSpark takes priority. At his command the Decepticons transform and roll—er, rise up, tracking their prize.

Isaac rushes outside to find the Autobots badly damaged, and confesses to them that he had rebuilt Megatron. Bulkhead and Prowl seem angry, but Prime decides they have more urgent problems to worry about: they were outclassed by the Decepticons even when in perfect operating condition, and now no longer can rely on Sari's AllSpark Key to repair them. Isaac suspects that there may be enough residual radiation from the Key left in his lab machinery to repair the Autobots, and they give his idea a try.

Ratchet, working to get the submerged [[Teletran-1]] flight-ready, sends out a security scan which detects the approach of Blackarachnia and Sari. Apparently the girl's sympathy from the previous episode was a ruse: she had been deliberately leading Blackarachnia in circles on the ice to waste time, and also had assumed the half-organic creature would not be able to stay underwater for long—a guess confirmed to be true by an outraged Blackarachnia, who becomes very threatening to Sari. Before the situation can get uglier, Ratchet surfaces the ship through the ice beneath them, rescuing Sari and catapulting Blackarachnia helplessly through the sky. Sari's gratitude at being rescued quickly fades when she finds out that despite "all that crud" about responsible handling, Ratchet lost the AllSpark Key.

Back at Sumdac Tower, the Autobots are more or less repaired by the leftover energy in the lab machines. Knowing they are still sore at him, Optimus apologizes for his earlier bad attitude and asks them to repair their friendships as well. Sumdac is still feeling guilty about rebuilding Megatron and offers his assistance, though the Autobots are skeptical—both of his loyalty and of what a mere human could offer them. Before they can decide, Ratchet and Sari arrive in the Autobots' ship. The Autobots board the ship, which by now has come under heavy bombardment from the Decepticons.

[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 Autobots assemble.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Avengers, assemble!"]]

The Autobots attempt to fly the ship into space, drawing the Decepticons away from Earth's civilians—but some well-aimed missiles wreck the ship's vital systems and that idea along with it. The vessel crashes into the side of the volcanic cone on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. The Autobots gear up for what will surely be a climactic battle; Prime states he is proud to have his current team by his side, while Bumblebee says he'd just as happily have the [[Elite Guard]]. The Decepticons close in for their attack, and the Autobots use some of their tactics learned throughout the series to throw them off-balance: Ratchet and Bumblebee combine powers to generate an electromagnetic pulse that temporarily disables Blitzwing, and Bulkhead uses his sheer... ''Bulkheadness''... to force Lugnut to crash. Back on the ship, Isaac is trying to jerry-rig a weapon to use against Megatron; recognizing that they might not survive, he tries to tell Sari something that had been a secret, but instead of listening she rushes off to ask the AllSpark to give her more power so she can help her friends. She asks it why she had been chosen in the first place, but doesn't understand its cryptic "charades" answer.

[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Oh, this is gonna hurt...]]

Unable to match the Decepticons in sheer power, the Autobots manage to prevail by using their own teamwork and playing off the Decepticons' weaknesses—thanks to some clever 'bot tactics, the schizoid Blitzwing and overly talkative Lugnut are basically encouraged to defeat themselves. But Megatron has no apparent weaknesses, except perhaps being cluttered with little shards of Optimus Prime after he finishes beating on the Autobot. Their one-sided fight carries them into the hold of the ship, where Megatron succeeds in acquiring the AllSpark. Before he can celebrate, he is temporarily downed by Isaac, who knows enough about Megatron's circuitry to disable his equilibrium sensors—but although he drops the AllSpark Key in his stumble, the tyrant isn't down for long. Megatron is about to finish Prime, when Sari hurls Prime the Key and he jams it into the AllSpark's spherical casing, cracking it open. A destabilized Megatron flees the ship before the AllSpark explodes inside his chest, dispersing its energy throughout the atmosphere.

The AllSpark Key is now the single most powerful Cybertronian artifact, and too important to be entrusted to the care of an Autobot—so Prime returns it to Sari, who uses it to repair all her friends as usual. Megatron still functions and has plans for his new prisoner, Isaac Sumdac.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (10)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (9)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (5)
*[[Lugnut]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (11)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Teletran-1]] ()
}}

==Quotes==
'''Megatron''': Ah, Starscream. How fitting to have you by my side as I finally take my revenge on the one responsible for my fifty stellar cycles of helplessness and humiliation. ''(Megatron aims his cannon at Optimus, then kills Starscream with the key)'' Does anyone else have a problem with my leadership? 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Uh, no, we're fine. 
'''Lugnut''': NEVER!
:—Megatron quickly reestablishes the Decepticon pecking order.

'''Isaac''': Oh dear, this is all my fault! 
'''Sari''': What? It's not like you built Megatron in your lab or anything. 
''[Isaac Sumdac looks away and uncomfortably taps his fingers]'' 
'''Sari''': YOU BUILT MEGATRON IN YOUR LAB?! 
'''Ratchet''': On the bright side, now I don't feel so bad about losing your Key. 
:—One of several awkward moments in this episode for Isaac Sumdac.

"If we go down, we go down fighting. Together. And I can't think of a better band of Autobots I'd be prouder to fight alongside." 
"Not even the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]]? Because I sure wouldn't mind having them here now." 
:— '''Optimus Prime''' prepares to [[Furmanism|fight and die]] while '''Bumblebee''' would rather fight and live.

'''Bumblebee''': So what do we do now? Wait for him to turn back into a tank and crash like last time? 
'''Ratchet''': Nobody gets that lucky twice. 
'''Prowl''': Perhaps we can make our own luck. I've noticed a connection between Blitzwing's multiple personalities and his vehicle modes. We can use that weakness against him...but it will require using Bumblebee's greatest strength. 
'''Bumblebee''': What, my stingers? My turbo-speed? 
'''Prowl''': Your obnoxious personality. 
:—Prowl nails friend and foe alike with ninja precision.

[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 Blitzwing tank crash.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the tank as it fell was "Oh slag, not again". Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the tank had thought that, we would know a lot more about the nature of the universe than we do now.]]

'''Bumblebee''': Hey, Blitzbrain! Is that your jet mode, or did your pal Lugnut dump out some spare parts? ...How come you have three faces? Couldn't decide which was the ugliest? ...And who uses ice as a weapon? What are you? A refrigerator? 
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': You want heat? I'll give you more than you can handle! ''[Transforms into a tank and promptly falls]'' Oh, [[Slag (slang)|slag]]! Not AGA-! ''[Crashes through the ice]''
:— Hothead Blitzwing is his own worst enemy.

"You all fought like Autobots! I can't tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you." 
"Go on, tell us. We can take it!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' praises the Autobots while '''Bumblebee''' showcases his recently discussed "greatest strength".

"I trust you are comfortable in your chair!"
:—'''Megatron''' to Isaac Sumdac. The choice of furniture was destined to come back to haunt him.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* At the end of the last episode, Megatron grabbed Professor Sumdac as he was being rebuilt. He apparently put him back down through, as we see that at the start of this episode Sumdac is still in the lab being guarded by Blitzwing and Lugnut. Who then, upon being called by Megatron, fly off and leave Sumdac behind. This leaves Megs to grab Isaac ''again'' right at the end of the episode. You'd almost think that the guy wanted to get captured.
* At the beginning of the series, years were measured as solar cycles to Transformers, but Megatron refers to years as stellar cycles.
* Megatron said that Prowl slashed off his arm, while he actually lost it due to Starscream planting a bomb on his back. Prowl ''did'', however, slash a part off that remained after the explosion.
* In "[[Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found]]", Ratchet reveals that even with the AllSpark Key, the ship would not be operational for a "long, long time," but in this episode he is able to get it spaceworthy in about two minutes—without the Key and with only one arm. However, the course of the series makes it clear that many months are going by (notice the changing seasons), so it's possible the Autobots had enough of a "long time" necessary to repair the ship off-camera.
* Sari recognizes Megatron from his new Earth alt mode, despite never seeing it before.
* On that note, every other Transformer was shown to have scanned a vehicle in some way in order to get their alt mode. Megatron appears to have skipped that altogether. Of course he may have simply gotten his alt mode off the internet during his time in waiting. Who can say?
* Megatron asks Professor Sumdac if he is comfortable in his chair in the form of Megatron's hand, despite it being the wrong hand.
* The Autobots defeat Blitzwing by using his multiple personalities against him, despite the fact that in the last episode when Triple Changer is seen firing at Ratchet, he speaks in his Hothead voice, while being in jet mode. In addition, he later transforms from jet to Hothead robot mode directly-and still managed to stay in the air as he threatened Ratchet. So, ''are'' Blitzwing's vehicle modes connected with his personalities or are they not? (Possibly, the tank is only Hothead's ''preferred'' alt mode-he can use the more manuverable jet form if he's not ultra-peeved.)
* Blackarachnia says her organic half can't resist being underwater for long, though [[Dispatches|her trip through the void]] didn't harm her at all.

===Animation errors===
* During their initial fight, when Prime says that he won't give up the position of the AllSpark, Megatron seems to be three times the size of Optimus, despite the fact the majority of shots of them together he is only around half again as tall at the most. This might be intentional, to make Megatron even MORE intimidating (or just to give him time to rant while the camera pans up his frame).
* When Ratchet catches Sari after Blackarachnia drops her, his right arm is intact. In the next scene, it's gone again.
* Also, when Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prowl are planning on how to stop Blitzwing, Ratchet's arm is intact again, but in the next shot, it's gone again. This happens constantly during the final battle.
* When Blitzwing changes faces after Megatron coldcocks Starscream, his face rotates vertically, not horizontally as it usually does.
* The black lanyard attached to the AllSpark Key keeps disappearing and reappearing.
* Optimus Prime appears ''really'' tiny when he's shown sitting at the Autobot ship's door at the end.
* The [[stock footage]] of Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] shows it has some sort of lens in the barrel, which isn't present during the normal animation.
* The joystick Ratchet was using to pilot the ship moved along with his hand when he revealed how he lost his other arm.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Ark in mountain.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Moral of the story: Autobots cannot drive.]]
* The manner in which the [[Autobot ship (Animated)|Autobot ship]] is left sticking out of the rock is reminiscent of the [[Ark (G1)|original ''Ark'']].
* [[Cyber Planet Key|A key as the most powerful Cybertronian artifact?]] [[Key to Vector Sigma|Most familiar]].
* [[Heart of Cybertron|Putting the AllSpark into his chest]] did not kill Megatron, unlike his [[Megatron (Movie)|second cousin twice removed]].
* The AllSpark gets dispersed in this episode, just like [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Prime]] did with a [[Matrix of Leadership|nearly identical artifact]] after his [[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2|resurrection]].
* Starscream's entire death contains references to the original [[The Transformers: The Movie|animated movie]]. First, an attempt on [[Starscream (G1)|his]] [[Megatron (G1)|leader's]] life is ruined when said leader returns in a new [[Galvatron (G1)|body]] and kills Starscream for his betrayal. Then, the returning leader asks if anyone else has a problem with his leadership ("Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?"), and the remaining Decepticons pledge their loyalty.
* The damage Megatron receives after his battle with Optimus Prime is near identical to his [[Megatron (G1)|Generation One self's]] damage after his final showdown with Prime in [[The Transformers: The Movie]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno de Megatron, parte 2'''" ("The Return of Megatron, part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour de Megatron 2/2'''" ("The Return of Megatron 2/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatrons Auferstehung, Teil 2'''" ("Megatron's Resurrection, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 14|14 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''メガトロンの復活パート2''' (''Megatron no Fukkatsu Part 2'', "Megatron's Resurrection, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 10|10 July]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Megatrona, Część 2'''" ("The Return of Megatron, Part 2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Trivia===
* The intro has a number of new sound effects added in. This version will be used for some future episodes, while others will (for no apparent reason) use the original version of the theme song.
* Though they have never been seen together as a unit since landing on Earth (save for a [[Starscream Heckles Megatron|certain, non-canon short]],) this is the last episode [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|where]] [[Blitzwing (Animated)|all]] [[Lugnut|members]] [[Starscream (Animated)|of]] [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]'s original crew are present.
* Despite the fact the Autobot ship crashed on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and company are nowhere to be seen. In an interview<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/tfw2005-interviews-transformers-animated-story-editor-marty-isenberg-165509/ August 1, 2008 interview on TFW2005.com]</ref>, Marty Isenberg said that there was a cut scene in which the Dinobots did come and fight, only to be defeated one-by-one by Megatron in order to show how powerful Megatron was. However, the poor quality of the animation caused the scene to be dropped. Additionally, in retrospect, Isenberg felt things might have worked out for the best, since the scene probably would have annoyed Dinobot fans (not to mention contradicted Grimlock's profile).
[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 Sari AllSpark charades.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"The seeds of the future lie buried in the past." "What the heck does that mean?" "Wait, you're not [[Optimus Primal|the munky!]]"]]
* Since virtually the beginning of the series, fans have been theorizing that Sari may be more than she appears (see [[Sari Sumdac|her own article]] for all the details), and this episode includes the first serious in-show hint in that direction. In addition to Professor Sumdac attempting to tell Sari "something important" when he thinks it's possible that they're about to die, a point is repeatedly made of noting that the AllSpark "chose" Sari, and when she asks it why, it projects an image of a DNA strand with a [[Spark|glowing, blue orb]] at its center. Hmmm...
* Sari bites Blackarachnia's hand, and somehow, the latter feels pain. Ordinarily, this could be explained away if one supposes that Blackarachnia's hand in robot mode is organic, but you can hear a metallic clang as Sari chomps down on it. That girl has some ''teeth'' on her.
* After 24 years, the Decepticons ''finally'' have an equivalent of "Transform and Roll Out." And it's one that makes perfect sense, considering that traditionally, most Decepticons can fly. Even after taking that into consideration, the frequent depiction in Transformers lore of the Decepticons as an insurgent army ''rising'' to glory and conquest lends it a certain poetic elegance as well. "Decepticons, transform and rise up!"
* Megatron's [[Stock footage|transforming sequence]] from helicopter to robot is ''mostly'' the sequence of robot to helicopter played backwards with a few shots added—or possibly, the robot-to-helicopter sequence is ''actually'' the helicopter-to-robot sequence played backwards with certain shots ''removed''. The added/deleted shots are seemingly designed solely for a vehicle-to-robot sequence (such as the reveal of his hands, head, and final elegant "Power Pose"), making the latter guess more likely.
* Megatron actually punishes Starscream for betraying him. You can count on one hand all the times that has happened in every Transformers series prior to this, combined. And [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] blasting [[Starscream (G1)|him]] to dust doesn't count.
* The ''Animated'' Decepticons seem to do a better job battling the Autobots when Megatron isn't commanding them.
* This episode proves that ''Animated'' Megatron is awesome and a total badass. But we had already guessed that.
*However, Megatron ''gently whisks away'' Sari. [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Maybe he has a soft spot for children]]?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9889ad600ff "Megatron Rising, Part 2" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Megatron Rising - Part 1

2010-07-14T19:03:51Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=MegRisingHeadKey.jpg
|caption=Cyber Key power!
|ep=15
|ep2=14
|prev2=Headmaster (episode)
|next2=Megatron Rising - Part 2
|title="Megatron Rising - Part 1"
|airdate=[[March 29]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Marsha Griffin]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Ciro Nieli]] [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:MegRisingBodyLab.jpg|left|200px|thumb|This is what happens when you don't have proper rust-proofing.]]

[[Detroit]] is in the midst of a blizzard, and as Isaac Sumdac starts to repair Megatron's body he comments that they were fortunate to have found it beforehand, while at the same time praising it for being well-constructed enough to withstand 50 years of exposure to the elements. Megatron silently gloats that Cybertronian technology is more powerful than any force on Earth. The bad weather causes a blackout and forces [[Sumdac Tower]] onto its backup generator; when Sumdac decides this will force a delay in the repairs, Megatron alternates between bluster and sweet-talk to try to get his way, but it's no use. Megatron attempts to call Lugnut again for assistance.

Lugnut and Blitzwing have just finished rebuilding themselves (after some squabbling over the last piece) in a distant forest. Starscream mocks them for in-fighting and reminds them that he is their new chosen and sworn sovereign; his two subjects retort that they serve him only under threat, not by choice. At that moment, Megatron successfully contacts Lugnut, whose newly reverential and respectful attitude both pleases and confuses (''but mostly pleases'') Starscream. When Starscream finds out Lugnut "thinks" he's hearing Megatron, the new leader is infuriated, and in his anger almost exposes that fact that it was himself, and not the Autobots, who defeated Megatron in the first place. Megatron orders Lugnut to retrieve the [[AllSpark Key]] and bring it to him; Starscream then notices that, regardless of the source, Lugnut is indeed being contacted by someone. He orders Lugnut and Blitzwing to obey the strange orders for now, while he himself will track the transmissions to their source and see who is trying to undermine his authority.

As the Decepticons move out, the Autobots' hedquarters computer notices their increased activity. The Autobots are worried about a possible full-scale Decepticon invasion. As if Optimus Prime wasn't stressed enough, Bulkhead and Prowl then take the opportunity to finally tell him about the continued survival of the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]]. Prime is furious that his orders were disobeyed, but decides that given the circumstances they should try to use all resources available—but insists that he will lead the new mission to contact the Dinobots.

[[Image:Megatron Rising Sari key taken.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Try all you want kid, Captain Planet ain't coming.]]

Optimus Prime is especially worried about the AllSpark Key, both because Sari can't protect it, and because she once again is using it as a toy (this time for model-plane dogfighting). When he orders her to turn it over, Sari angrily reminds him that she was chosen for this role by the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] itself. Prime then orders Ratchet to magnetically take the Key from her, and, reluctantly, Ratchet obeys. Sari feels heartbroken and betrayed, and flees the base. An upset Bumblebee defends Sari's role as part of the team, to which Optimus responds that since Bumblebee has been such a poor team performer who makes so many mistakes, he isn't a good character witness. Bumblebee retorts that the Autobots' desperate, seemingly hopeless situation means Optimus isn't a good leader—then he leaves in pursuit of Sari. Prime orders Ratchet to take the Key to the [[Autobot ship (Animated)|Autobot spaceship]] beneath Lake Erie, and they all depart.

Sari walks down the street, dejected and pouting about how untrustworthy the Autobots turned out to be. But she's being watched—by Blackarachnia, who abducts the girl and mockingly praises her for seeing the light. Still hoping to cure herself of her techno-organic body, Blackarachnia attempts to bargain with Sari to hand over the AllSpark Key. They exchange "snappy banter" for a while, which leaves Blackarachnia bored. When Sari again mentions how the Autobots no longer trust her, Blackarachnia tells her more about her own sad past and how only the power of the AllSpark can give her back a normal life. Sari seems moved....

[[Image:Megatron Rising 1 Ratchet Blitzwing Key.jpg|left|200px|thumb|YOINK! AHAHAHAHAHA!]]

En route to the Autobot ship, Ratchet is ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, in a battle about as one-sided as Bambi vs. Godzilla. He seems to challenge Blitzwing to a battle to the finish—but the three-faced robot simply freezes Ratchet solid and cracks off his crystallized arm, taking the AllSpark Key with it.

On Dinobot Island, the Autobots are confronted by the Dinobots who—again—are hostile to trespassers. Prime seemingly worsens the situation, as a stranger with a heavy-handed attitude. When their familiar protector Prowl reveals himself and tries to speak, the Dinobots calm down slightly (though Prime is further frustrated to learn the [[Meltdown (Animated)|extent of his troops' misadventures]] on Dinobot Island). But in the end, the Dinobots refuse to help against the Decepticons, saying they don't want to help any robots—they ''fight'' robots. Optimus points out that the Dinobots are robots themselves, prompting them to begin fighting each other. When Ratchet calls and informs Prime of the AllSpark Key's theft, the Autobots return to the mainland. Bulkhead asks what their next course of action is, and Prime admits he doesn't know, thinking that Bumblebee was right about Prime being unfit for command.

[[Image:Megatron rising 1 Starscream freakout.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bumblebee violated rule number 37 of the good guy code: never interrupt the villain during the monologue.]]

Starscream traces the source of Lugnut's messages back to Sumdac Tower. Blasting his way in, he is shocked to find Megatron alive—but regains his composure at the sight of his former leader dismantled and helpless. The two have an elaborately deceptive conversation about loyalty: Megatron knows Starscream betrayed him, but Starscream doesn't know he knows and wants to [[wikipedia:The Incredibles|monologue]] a bit before delivering the final blow. Meanwhile, Bumblebee's search for Sari leads him to the tower; when he spots Starscream through the wrecked wall, he squeezes himself into an elevator and prepares for a one-on-one battle (after using the classic "cellphone interference" ploy to avoid talking to Optimus). Right when Starscream is finally about to finish Megatron off, Bumblebee charges in, stingers blasting wildly—striking Starscream at full force and causing no damage at all. Starscream effortlessly thrashes Bumblebee, more angry at having his monologue interrupted than anything else. During this diversion, Megatron activates some of the lab machinery, propelling both Starscream and Bumblebee out of the lab and onto the tower roof.

[[Image:Megatron Rising head body connect.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Yep. We're boned.]]

Dr. Sumdac rushes in, hearing the disturbance. At first Megatron keeps up his usual act, warning that the Decepticons will be back soon and that he needs his new body immediately. The doctor agrees, trying to repair it as quickly as possible, while Megatron observes the rooftop action on a viewscreen and tries to electrocute Starscream through a spotlight. Lugnut and Blitzwing arrive, with Lugnut praising his leader, belatedly noticing his damaged state. Seeing Megatron, Blitzwing finally understands that Lugnut wasn't crazy. As Sumdac demands to know who they are, Lugnut forces Sumdac to genuflect to Megatron, revealing that Megatron is a Decepticon, who in turn gloats at the sight and how easily he was able to lie to his captor. Before Sumdac can contemplate the seriousness of what he has done, Lugnut drops him into Megatron's hand to witness what will happen. Blitzwing inserts the AllSpark Key into Megatron's head; its power is now his to command. Megatron quickly (''and beautifully'') repairs himself, using metal from the lab as patch-up material when necessary; in the process he steals Sumdac away to an as-yet-undisclosed location.

[[Image:Megatron Rising Megs entrance.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Sheer awesomeness.]]

Up on the roof, Starscream is about to finish off Bumblebee, and down on the street the Autobots are just arriving to try to help, but all are reduced to staring in horror and disbelief as Megatron blasts up into the sky, an armored colossus.

Oh shit.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (10)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (11)
* [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (13)
* [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (14)
* [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (15)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (4)
* [[Lugnut]] (5)
* [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (6)
* [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)

|c3=
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (3)

|c4=
*[[Teletran 1]] ()
}}

==Quotes==
'''Lugnut''': And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return! 
'''Starscream''': Okaaay, what's ''his'' malfunction? 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': Technical glitch. It happens. 
'''Random Blitzwing''': A lot, actually! Ahahahaha! 
'''Lugnut''': It is ''not'' a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the Key! 
'''Starscream''': Megatron...?! Did you just say Megatron?! Did he just say ''MEGATRON''?! ''THERE IS NO MEGATRON!'' MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSEL—''saw'' it myself.
:—Starscream is a master of subtlety, truly!

"The fate of the Earth and Cybertron hang in the balance and all I've got in my command are a bunch of undisciplined, insubordinate MALFUNCTIONS!"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' has quite the bad temper when he's dissatisfied with his troops.

"What's your damage, Prime? Sari has been helping us since the day we got here. She is a part of this team!" 
"Considering your own history of mistakes, Bumblebee, I wouldn't exactly call you a great character witness." 
"Is that right?! Well let me tell ''you'' something, ''Boss-Bot'': Considering the fact that we're stuck on this planet, outnumbered, with no idea on how we're gonna beat an army of Decepticons ready to fry our circuits at any second, I wouldn't exactly call '''you''' a great leader."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Optimus Prime''' exchange harsh words. Ouch.

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': The Key, Autobot! 
'''Ratchet''': You'll have to pry it from my cold, offline servo. 
''[Blitzwing switches to his icy face, freezes Ratchet, then switches to his random face]'' 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Well, it's not exactly offline, but— ''[Rips off Ratchet's arm]'' —it's certainly cold. Ahahahaha! 
:—Blitzwing cheats by stealing the Key from Ratchet instead of fighting for it.

"Look what the capacitor dragged in." 
"Megatron?! Alive? And looking... magnificent, as always." 
"Starscream. How good it is to be reunited with such a ''devoted'' and ''faithful'' subject in my time of need." 
"I would have come sooner, o grand and illustrious leader, but naturally we all assumed you perished at the hands of the Autobot scum. What... great... joy to discover you did not." 
"Yes. Delight is written all over your face."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Starscream''' exchange, ''ahem'', warm and heartfelt pleasantries.

"'''YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!'''"
:—'''Starscream''' seriously freaks out when Bumblebee shoots him.

"We have come for our glorious leader, Megatron!" 
"I am here, Lugnut." 
"Oh, Master, I am not worthy! I am not worthy... What happened to your body?" 
"Long story."
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Megatron''', reunited at last.

"''Decepticons?'' But, you told me you were an Autobot." 
"And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade. But no more..."
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''' finally learns the truth, and from '''Megatron''' himself.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* When Bulkhead brings up the Dinobots, Optimus says that they were destroyed, "weren't they?" However, the last time the Dinobots were mentioned was in "[[Survival of the Fittest]]", when Optimus thought the Dinobots were ''missing,'' and also suspected they were involved in the kidnapping of Sari. He has no known reason to think they were ''destroyed.''

* Not so much an error as just an oddity: When Starscream stands over a dangling Bumblebee on the Sumdac Tower rooftop, Megatron sends a power surge through a roof fixture and zaps Starscream. When the scene cuts back to the roof a few minutes later, Bumblebee's back on the roof, which he likely managed while Starscream was stunned, and Screamer's confronting him again. However, with no time given for them to talk or react about the transition, the previous roof scene may as well not have happened.

===Animation errors===
[[Image:Sari's leg.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's a new fashion trend.]]
* The [[Scale|size of Megatron's head]] fluctuates greatly between scenes, often appearing gigantic even compared to large characters.

* While Prime is shouting at the other 'Bots his insignia starts where it should be, on his shoulder. But as he gestures it seems to rotate around to the underside of his arm.

* When Sari is telling Blackarachnia about the Autobots taking away the AllSpark Key, her right leg is drawn awkwardly... almost as if it's growing out of her skirt. Though this is very likely in order to prevent a [[Teletraan 15|pre-teen panty shot]].

* After Ratchet reports to Prime that he lost the AllSpark Key, his EMP blaster wound briefly disappears as he lowers his arm.

* Starscream's Decepticon insignia is occasionally upside-down.

* Optimus has two lights on each shoulder, when he admits he was out of line and says about repairing friendships, he raises his fist hiding one of these lights, but when his fist goes down, the light he is hiding has vanished.

===Transformers references===
* Prime finally refers to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]] by that name.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno de Megatron, parte 1'''" ("The Return of Megatron, part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour de Megatron 1/2'''" ("The Return of Megatron 1/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatrons Auferstehung, Teil 1'''" ("Megatron's Resurrection, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 11|11 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''メガトロンの復活パート1''' (''Megatron no Fukkatsu Part 1'', "Megatron's Resurrection, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 3|3 July]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Megatrona, Część 1'''" ("The Return of Megatron, Part 1")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Ratchet's remark to Blitzwing about prying the AllSpark Key "from his cold, offline servo" is a reference to an [[wikipedia:I'll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands"|NRA slogan]] made famous in a speech by [[wikipedia:Charlton Heston|Charlton Heston]]. Coincidentally, exactly one week after this episode aired, Heston went up to that grand old shooting range in the sky.

===Trivia===
*The Decepticon symbol on Megatron's body that was so clear [[Nature Calls|last episode]] is nowhere to be seen now. Of course, neither is the chestplate it resided on.
*The R/C Plane Sari was flying resembles a MiG-15 Fighter.
*We learn that Prowl and Bulkhead not only didn't tell Prime that the Dinobots were still around, but also didn't tell him that [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]] was the one behind Sari's kidnapping in "[[Survival of the Fittest]]". So, when they returned with Sari after the events of that episode, they apparently told him ''none'' of the truth. What ''did'' they tell him?
*Apparently, when Optimus is '''really''' ticked off and breathing heavy, his engine audibly revs.
*This is the first episode in which we see an extended transformation sequence for Starscream.
*When Megatron's energized body sends out cables to its detached hand, in which Prof. Sumdac is sitting, the hand grips around Sumdac, then is yanked under the flooring and over to the body, where it opens back up—with Sumdac no longer within it. (Nothing up Megatron's sleeve!)
*At one point during Starscream's transformation, he strongly resembles the Gerwalk mode of the [http://www.new-un-spacy.com/macrossplus/yf-19.htm YF-19 Alpha One] from the anime ''[[wikipedia:Macross Plus|Macross Plus]],'' one of the apparent influences for his alternate mode.
*It appears that Grimlock has gotten over his hatred of [[Car Robots]], but [[Grimlock (G1)|he still hates Optimus Prime]].
*Being in the Great War must have really toughened Ratchet up, as he expresses no pain or shock at the fact that he gets his servo ripped off by [[Blitzwing (Animated)|some mad Decepticon]]. Hardcore.
*All through Season 1, since his reactivation, Megatron has been saying the words "triumphant return" frequently. This episode is the last time he uses those two words together.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==External links==
* [http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/dlink/index.html?episodeID=8a25c3921fc6a295011fc9874cd600ef "Megatron Rising - Part 1" streaming video at Cartoon Network] (link functional until 3/03/10)

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Nature Calls

2010-07-14T19:03:14Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|Ani|14
|title="Nature Calls"
|image=TFA Nature Calls barnacle monster attacks.JPG
|caption=Zoinks! Like, it's the Tar Monster!
|airdate=[[March 22]], 2008
|written by=[[Todd Casey]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Bouakeo Thongkham]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}
'''Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls barnacles constructionbots.JPG|left|150px|thumb|The Constructicons have been smothered by lava before, but this is ridiculous.]]

Far outside of Detroit, a lone worker monitoring [[Constructicon (G1)|some oddly coloured]] mining machines hears a strange noise. Alerted, he looks around, but returns to his drink... only to be attacked by ''something''. The construction machines stop their work, and they too get attacked.

Outside Detroit, Prowl, in his [[alternate mode]], looks on at the snow-covered city before a plow comes along and rather rudely covers him in snow. [[Transformation|Transforming]], he rises from the snow with a sad look on his face.

[[Image:TFA Nature Calls mad kids.JPG|right|150px|thumb|You'll be sorry when the wind changes.]]

When Prowl returns to the base, he goes on a rant about Nature's beauty and how humanity destroys it at every turn. Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, ignoring his vent. Prowl looks down on Bumblebee and asks if he was listening, where Bumblebee retorts by noting that Prowl is "electrical components" too, nudging his Autobot insignia to activate a hologram of Prowl. Optimus Prime interrupts the friendly banter by noting that there is a strange energy signature coming from the forest, and he sends Prowl and Bumblebee to investigate. Bumblebee is horrified at the idea at venturing into the tech-less wilderness, while Sari uses the opportunity to go camping with the two Autobots.

[[Image:Camp site.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Nothin' says "unplug yourselves" like a little primitive camping.]]

The three of them head off into the woods, and Bumblebee laments unpaved roads, while Sari is excited, saying that they'll roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories and the like. When they prepare to proceed on foot, it's learned that Bumblebee brought a few entertainment devices... stored in a place that makes him a little ashamed. After finding a suitable camping site, Prowl sits quietly to commune with Nature while Bumblebee searches for an outlet to power his flatscreen TV. As campers, Sari and Bumblebee are miserable failures. They can't pitch a tent or get a fire going, and Sari is forced to admit that she's never been camping before, so Prowl does both within seconds. When Bumblebee commandeers Prowl's holographic imager to watch a movie, the ninja bot smashes Bumblebee's portable media player, much to the yellow bot's horror. Prowl 1, Bumblebee 0.

During the night, the trio is awoken by a crunching noise. Bumblebee cries monster. Prowl says it's a bear, which are [[wikipedia:Stephen Colbert (character)|hardly monsters]]. Lo and behold, a monstrous creature covered in purple tentacles and pink eyes ''does'' stomp out into the open and attack them. Bumblebee 1, Prowl 1. The creature absorbs Prowl's shurikens and holds its own against Bumblebee's stingers. What's more, Sari's [[AllSpark Key]] glows, indicating that the creature is Cybertronian in origin. Unable to fight it off, the trio retreat.

[[Image:Sari expression.jpg|right|150px|thumb|It just gets worse, Sari.]]

Losing the creature, Prowl tries to figure out what the creature was, despite Bumblebee's snide comments. They both determine the creature is made up of [[space barnacles]], scourge of space-going vessels everywhere. Normally, barnacles drain power and act like computer viruses, but these barnacles appear to have been mutated by [[AllSpark (Animated)|something]] and made more powerful. They decide to go back and destroy the barnacles, rather than risk the creature reaching Detroit and infecting other machines. Glowing in the direction of the Cybertronian energy, the AllSpark Key leads them to the mine shaft. When they're not looking, the creature drops a snowbank on them from above, sealing 'Bee and Sari inside.

Prowl fools the creature into smashing the entrance open, and Bumblebee uses his stingers to fry the barnacles. However, Prowl's prolonged contact with the creature has infected him and taken over, turning him into a barnacle zombie. 'Bee and Sari make a run for it, but they know they can't go back to the city because the barnacles may spread. They backtrack, hoping to lure Prowl to the mine and seal him inside, but end up sealing themselves inside too.

[[Image:Barnicle bots.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Ve vant to suck your [[Energon (fuel)|energon]].]]

Now trapped, 'Bee and Sari seal themselves in a furnace room, and Sari hatches a plan to heat up water from a fire hose to scorch the barnacles off Prowl. However, Prowl's touch has infected Bumblebee as well. Sari tries to use the AllSpark Key on the furnace machinery, but it doesn't work (for once). She manages to light the furnace by scratching a spark (not [[Spark|that kind of spark]]) from the Key instead. The furnace heats the water, and Sari sprays her two friends, boiling off the barnacles. The two Autobots are restored, and the three return to the plant to recount their harrowing tale to Prime.

[[Image:Sumdac megatron's body.jpg|right|150px|thumb|FINALLY! I can resurrect the most ruthless warlord in the galaxy and damn my planet to untold suffering and horror! GO ME!!]]

Back in the woods, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] arrives in a truck and finds the Cybertronian machinery that was formerly coated by the barnacles, machinery that bears the Decepticon insignia. Sumdac comments that he's finally found what he's been looking for for several years, and that Megatron will be pleased with his discovery. What, oh what, could it be?
{{--}}
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's body]] (6)
|c3=
*[[Sparkplug (Animated human)|Sparkplug]] (1)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (3)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
}}

==Quotes==
[[Image:TFA Nature Calls Bumblebee shame.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Please show where you hid the equipment on this action figure."]]

'''Bumblebee''': At least I can get this junk out of me. I was feeling kinda bloated. 
''[Electronic devices suddenly fall out of him, Prowl gives him a look]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': What? You said to pack the bare essentials! 
'''Prowl''': Since when are surround-sound speakers, a strobe light, and a hand-held media player "bare essentials?" 
'''Bumblebee''': You should've seen what I left back at the plant. 
'''Prowl''': Where did you even find room for all of this junk? 
''[Bumblebee taps his fingers uncomfortably]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': [[Exhaust port|I'd... rather not say.]] 
:—Bumblebee and Prowl's conversation takes a decidedly uncomfortable turn.

"First we must determine this creature's intentions." 
''[Creature knocks Prowl aside without provocation]'' 
"I'm gonna go with 'hostile'." 
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Bumblebee''' meet the monster.

'''Bumblebee''': Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?! 
''[Creature swipes at Bumblebee and Sari]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay. Maybe we're a little unclear on the concept of "your own size". 
'''Sari''': Maybe you should stop talking logic to a ''creature that has no head!'' 
:—Bumblebee and Sari debate whether or not to open negotiations with the monster.

"What did I tell you about camping? ''Monsters''. TV is ''always'' right." 
"So, wait. Monsters ''are'' real? Tutor Bot is such a liar!" 
:—'''Bumblebee''''s faith in [[television]] is reinforced, while '''Sari Sumdac''''s faith in [[Tutor Bot]] is shattered.

"Attention, barnacle monster! Come out with your hands over your...well, you don't have a head. But you get the idea." 
:—'''Bumblebee''' instructs the creature to surrender.

"Your tire tracks!" 
"So I messed up the pretty white woods! You sound just like Prowl!" 
"No! We can follow them back to the mine and lure Prowl into it then seal him inside!" 
:—'''Sari''' and '''Bumblebee''' discuss the finer points of screwing with the scenery.

'''Sari''': And then, they were back to normal, like nothing ever happened. Meanwhile, I'm stuck riding home with no dry clothes and an Autobot whose car mode doesn't have a ''heater''! 
''[Sari sneezes]'' 
'''Optimus''': You showed a lot of courage and ingenuity, Sari. And hopefully, you'll stop...backfiring soon. 
'''Sari''': Hel-''lo'', it's called "sneezing". 
''[Sari sneezes, then blows her nose]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I don't even wanna know what ''that's'' called. 
:—The Autobots discover the concept of the common cold.

"Megatron will be so surprised!" 
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''', cheerfully dooming us all.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
*When Bumblebee and Sari are playing a video game, Sari says "jump! jump!", and when Prowl shuts the game off, Bumblebee notes that he was on level 230... how this is possible when they play a racing game, nobody knows...
* If space barnacles are killed by heat, how did any survive atmospheric entry?
* Megatron's body clearly has the Decepticon emblem on it, and Isaac Sumdac... doesn't appear to notice, even though he should have noticed the differences between Autobot and Decepticons. Then again, he never noticed Megatron's eyes being red while all the Autobots have blue ones.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Aniconstructionvehicles.jpg|right|150px|thumb|They're so [[neon]].]]
* The construction drones are [[Constructicon (G1)|green and purple.]] [[Constructicon (Animated)|Foreshadowing much]]?
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] body ends up in the [[Megatron (Movie)|deep freeze.]]
[[Image:Anisparkplugwitwicky.jpg|right|150px|thumb|This kind of stuff never happened in [[Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma|Burma]]...]]
* The construction worker looks very [[Sparkplug Witwicky|familiar.]] (He's only credited as "Worker" and is voiced by [[Bumper Robinson]].)

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nature maudite'''" ("Nature-Damned")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Ruf der Natur'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 10|10 July]] [[2008]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Zew natury'''" ("The Call of Nature")
:*''Original airdate:''

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee and Sari play their racing game on a console shaped very much like an X-Box with a purple and gray palette swap.
* There are actually [[wikipedia:barnacle|barnacles ''not'' from space]]. Neat, huh?

===Trivia===
*If those space barnacles came from the Autobots ship and latched onto Megatron's body before it hit reentry, what were they doing for the past fifty years?
* The construction worker [[Sari, No One's Home|somehow survived]] being attacked by the space barnacle.
* What use could Bumblebee (and possibly Sari) have for a ''strobe light''?
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], and Megatron ('s head), while mentioned, make no appearances in this episode.
* [[Tutor Bot]] is mentioned, and is in the voice credits for the episode, but does not actually appear.
*...[[Tom Kenny|space]] [[Bill Fagerbakke|barnacles?]]
* Why didn't Sari get scalded by hot water when she soaked Prowl and 'Bee? Maybe it's because [[Transwarped|she's part robot]]?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Headmaster (episode)

2010-07-14T19:02:32Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{disambig3|Headmaster}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|ep=13
|ep2=13
|prev2=Survival of the Fittest
|next2=Megatron Rising - Part 1
|title="Headmaster"
|image=TFA Headmaster robot mode.JPG
|caption=Mstr. Henry Masterson, master of the Headmaster.
|airdate=[[March 15]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}
'''A disgruntled Sumdac employee seeks revenge and profit by taking control of one of the Autobots and sending him on a rampage. '''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Henrymastersonandhead.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Behold, my brilliant infringement on Marvel copyright!]]

On a secluded [[Sumdac Systems]] testing ground, [[Isaac Sumdac]] is interviewing an eager new employee: Henry Masterson, a web-jargon-spewing young hotshot engineer/inventor who has risen quickly through the company ranks on the recommendation of his superiors. Eager to impress his new boss and long-time idol, Masterson unveils his magnum opus: the Headmaster unit, a head-shaped piloted command unit/battle station that replaces the heads of other automatons in order to take control of their bodies. Sumdac is horrified, however, when he realises the militaristic intentions of the immature Masterson and his creation. When the warbot Masterson is using as a test subject buckles under the weight of the Headmaster unit and launches a missile towards Detroit, the Professor is understandably furious and immediately fires the belligerent geek.

[[Image:Daniel and robot.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Scarred for life.]]

Meanwhile, in the city centre, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] is in the middle of a different kind of interview: a televised streetside one-to-one with the sensationalist [[News Bot]]. Bulkhead hopes it will clear up misunderstandings about his large and intimidating appearance, but it's going rather less well than he might have hoped. Having accidentally ripped off News Bot's arm midway through his interview, Bulkhead is fortunately able to excuse himself from his press commitments when [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] radios in to tell him to intercept the missile heading for downtown. Speeding into action, he reaches the missile ahead of the other Autobots and destroys it before it can impact. His success is offset, however, by the destruction he himself causes in the process, including the totaling of the unfortunate News Bot, to the distress of [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|innocent onlookers]].

Back at Autobot headquarters, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] attempt to console a downcast Bulkhead, with varying degrees of success and sincerity. Sensing that the gentle giant might benefit from a creative outlet for his sensitive, emotional side, Sari decides to introduce Bulkhead to the concept of art. After some false starts and a violation of [[Detroit]]'s graffiti laws, and despite the slight bemusement of his Autobot colleagues, Bulkhead gradually gains a tentative grasp of basic painting and sculpture skills. He remains acutely self-conscious of his own heavy-handedness, however, and continues to express embarrassment both about himself and his artwork. As such, Sari's sudden declaration that she has arranged an exhibition of Bulkhead's creations in a real art gallery goes down poorly; the sensitive ''artiste'' has a panic attack and bolts.

[[Image:Rock em'.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Rock 'em, Sock 'em Sumdac.]]

Masterson, meanwhile, has returned to his lab to brood over his rejection, using Headmaster units to convert warbots into ersatz [[:Image:Rock 'em an' sock 'em, Rhinox.jpg|Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots]] to ease his frustration. Deciding that he will instead create his own company to manufacture Headmasters, he formulates a plan to acquire the two things that will make his "wicked-sick" dream a reality: large amounts of cash and a body big enough to support a Headmaster. As he does so, he focuses in on an image of Bulkhead on the TV and hits upon his solution.

Indeed, moments later, Bulkhead is trudging alone down the darkened streets of Detroit, lamenting over his artistic difficulties, when he is suddenly incapacitated with a shock to the chestplate. He retains consciousness just long enough to see the Headmaster unit fire its metal-cutting laser and to hear a soon-to-be familiar proclamation of "TOTAL OWNAGE!!" When he awakens, he discovers, to his considerable distress, that he is nothing more than a disembodied head, with his body nowhere to be found.

[[Image:TFA Headmaster statue fire.JPG|right|200px|thumb|The hottest thing to hit the art world in years!]]

Having brought Bulkhead's head safely back to headquarters, Prime, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] depart to assist the police investigation, leaving the bodiless Bulkhead, much to his annoyance, in the care of the not-wholly-sympathetic Bumblebee. After taking the opportunity to belittle Bulkhead for his newly diminished stature and use him as a bowling ball, Bumblebee agrees to help Bulkhead create more art pieces for his gallery show. However, 'Bee manages to set the resulting sculpture on fire, then tries to incorporate Bulkhead's head into the art itself, which convinces Bulkhead that acquiring a body of his own should be his top priority.

Meanwhile, the police investigation, at Professor Sumdac's request, follows the trail of the body to Masterson's lab, where they find residual traces of Bulkhead's Cybertronian energy, but no signs of the body's current whereabouts. All of these factors become moot, however, when Bulkhead, who has in the meantime commandeered the luckless [[Tutor Bot]]'s body to complete his painting project, begins to sense and react remotely to his stolen body's actions. Checking the news broadcast, Bumblebee and Bulkhead see that the body, now under full Headmaster control, has stormed the Detroit Solar Fusion Power Plant. Furthermore, Masterson, now referring to himself as "[[Headmaster (Animated)|The Headmaster]]", appears on air, demanding a ransom of 700 billion dollars to be delivered personally by Professor Sumdac, or else he will overload the plant, thus destroying the entire state of Michigan.

Faced with this diabolical threat, Prime concocts a plan to outwit the Headmaster. Sumdac, Sari and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] are sent into the plant in a convoy of vehicles, actually Prowl, Ratchet, Bumblebee and Prime, with Optimus himself carrying the "ransom" in a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|familiar-looking trailer]]. Once inside, they are confronted by the Bulkhead-mounted Headmaster, who falls for the ruse thoroughly enough to reveal his true intention: he's going to renege on the deal and destroy the city—and Sumdac Systems—even with the ransom paid, thereby eliminating his competition and creating a crisis that will fuel demand for his Headmaster units, whose construction the ransom money will finance. He initiates the plant's overload sequence, and, at Sumdac's suggestion, opens the trailer to count his money, only to find instead the enraged head of Bulkhead, who leaps out, demanding his body back. This is the Autobots' cue to transform and attack the Headmaster, who retaliates using the unit's sizable onboard arsenal, not to mention the strength of its host body. After some violent exchanges, the Autobots are able to overpower the Headmaster, but not without their conflict inadvertently destroying the control terminal for the fusion core.

[[Image:TFA Headmaster headbutt.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Boink!]]

With overload imminent, Masterson decides to abandon the stolen body, activating the Headmaster unit's thrusters to make an aerial escape, but Bulkhead is able to bring him down to earth by using Prime's grapplers to turn his own head into a makeshift wrecking-ball projectile. With Headmaster apparently subdued, Bumblebee and Sari uses the [[AllSpark Key]] finally to reunite Bulkhead's head with his body. Unfortunately, they attach it backwards. Taking advantage of the distraction, Masterson transforms his Headmaster unit into a small robot, in which he flees the scene. Pursuit of the Headmaster is impossible, however, due to the imminent overload of the fusion core. Sumdac realises that the only remaining method of preventing meltdown is to enter the core and physically reset the solar dampeners, an unsurvivable task for human or Autobot. Prime volunteers himself, but Bulkhead, drawing on his newly developed creative instincts, instead rallies the Autobots to assemble hastily a crude robot, which Sari is able to activate with the Key. Entering the core, the robot is able to withstand the blistering heat just long enough to reset the dampening rods and stabilise the core with just seconds to spare.

[[Image:TFA Headmaster war art.JPG|right|200px|thumb|The art of war.]]

Some time later, the melted remnants of the makeshift robot are relocated to the museum, where they become the centrepiece of Bulkhead's well-attended art exhibition. Looking on Bulkhead's print of the Autobots together, Optimus comments that he finally understands that art is about feeling, due to the emotion he feels looking at it: pride.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)

|c3=
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (9)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (10
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (12)

|c4=
* [[News Bot]] (4)
* [[Tutor Bot]] (11)
}}

==Quotes==
"Mr. Masterson! I have told my staff time and again: we do not make military robots or headmaster units that takeover other military robots for...more military things!
:—'''Isaac Sumdac''' has a firm moral center. He just has trouble articulating it.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad. You saved the city, right?" 
"After destroying half of it." 
"Not helping."
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' gives Bulkhead a pep talk, and '''Bumblebee''' just rips the poor guy.

''[Bulkhead is painting a picture while Bumblebee poses for him]'' 
'''Optimus Prime''': I'm afraid I don't see the logic in trying to reproduce an image with such primitive tools. 
'''Prowl''': I believe it's more about creating something from one's imagination, like this one for instance. 
'''Bulkhead''': Actually, that was an accident I had with Ratchet's blow torch. 
'''Ratchet''': You ask me, it's all a waste of time. No 'bot ever saved anyone with art. 
'''Bulkhead''': I'm not trying to save anyone. I'm just—I don't know—I'm trying to express how I feel. 
''[Bulkhead's paintbrush snaps, and he wrecks the picture in rage]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I'm guessing you're feeling anger?
:—The Autobots discuss art.

"Total OWNAGE!"
:—'''The Headmaster''', many, many times.

"See? What'd I tell you? Your vision and my hands. It's magnificent. It's inspiring." 
''[Smoke alarm sounds as the statue begins to blaze]'' 
"It's on fire!!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead'''

"I got a way with machines."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' after smashing the control panel. The man's a bit scary.

==Notes==
===Animation Errors===
* After Bulkhead runs through the wall upon finding out Sari booked an exhibition at an art gallery we see Sari turn her head and her right ear and pigtail stay in place, so it appears that she has three pigtails and an ear on her face.

===Continuity errors===
* Captian Fanzone is driving [[Captain Fanzone's car|his old car]] again after [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] totally crushed it in "[[Blast from the Past]]".
* How is Bulkhead able to live without his Spark, unless it's in his head? (Granted, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] spends most of Season 1 pulling the exact same trick....)

===Transformers references===
[[Image:TFA Headmaster Optimus trailer.JPG|right|175px|thumb|And the fandom rejoiced (and complained).]]
* The [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster concept]] was originally part of the ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' series and has seen [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|sporadic]] [[Sideways (RID)|use]] [[Spotlight: Ultra Magnus|in]] [[Omega Supreme (Energon)|other]] [[Overload (Armada)|series]] since.

* Optimus tows a trailer with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)|certain paint job]]. Somewhere, a [[Customizing|kitbasher]] is already working on a version he can sell you.

* When Captain Fanzone switches Bumblebee's radio to something he likes, Bumblebee [[Bumblebee (Movie)|switches back]] to the previous radio channel. Fortunately, this reference is taken no further, so at no point does he make out with anyone on Bumblebee's hood.

* The song that Bumblebee likes is the same song that [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] dances to in "[[Sound and Fury]]".

* [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] appears again, crying his eyes out because of Bulkhead accidentally breaking a reporter-bot. Although the woman who comforts him is listed in the end credits as "Mother," she does not use the same [[character model]] as [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]].

*When the Headmaster unit detaches from Bulkhead, it transforms similarly to the Headmaster exosuits, with the face of the head ending up as a sort of backpack.

*When the fusion core is about to explode, Optimus volunteers to go in and stabilize it himself at the cost of his own life. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|He sure likes to do this.]]

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Das irre Genie'''" ("The Mad Genius")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 9|9 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''ヘッドマスターをくいとめろ!''' (''Headmaster wo Kuitomero!'', "Rein in the Headmaster!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 26|26 June]] [[2010]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Greatestref.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Bumblebee, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"]]
*Among the works of art that [[Tutor Bot]] shows Bulkhead to inspire him are Leonardo Da Vinci's ''[[wikipedia:Mona_Lisa|Mona Lisa]]'', Vincent Van Gogh's ''[[wikipedia:The_Starry_Night|The Starry Night]]'', and James McNeill Whistler's ''[[wikipedia:Whistler's_Mother|Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother]]''.

* Masterson plays "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots" with his Headmaster drones.

* When Bulkhead creates an image of the Autobots, he does so with the sound of a dot matrix printer.

* In the scene with Bulkhead painting his hand, Bumblebee's pose (one leg behind his head, carrying a baby, in front of an overturned Jeep) is a direct reference to the 1980 film ''[[wikipedia:Airplane!|Airplane!]]'', in which the main character is in a mental hospital and is painting a very similar image with a live model. (Bumblebee is missing the Tommy gun and explosion backdrop, but he does have one of his stingers deployed, close enough for the first one.)

* Also in the above scene, it is revealed that Bulkhead is actually painting his own thumb. This is a gag that is literally decades old and that has appeared in numerous shows and films, from ''[[wikipedia:Looney_Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' to ''[[wikipedia:M*A*S*H_(TV_series)|M*A*S*H]]''.

===Trivia===
*Unlike Isaac Sumdac himself, Masterson is capable of building a large, fully transformable, mobile robot. This, along with his lack of regard for human life, just goes to show that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] is working with the wrong guy.
*This episode is notable in that Sari does not abuse the AllSpark Key, only using it to reattach Bulkhead's head and make a working robot to save the city.
*The AllSpark Key has, on an number of occasions, been shown to have the power to give sentient life to previously [[Spark]]-less automatons, notably [[Dinobot (Animated)|the Dinobots]] and [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. In this episode, Sari used the Key on the sculpture robot they sent in to sacrifice itself, which makes some fans think it may have been truly alive. On the other hand, Sari has used the Key on countless other unsophisticated machines (and a few semi-sophisticated ones like Tutor-Bot) that apparently did not gain sentience. Also, the two times Keyed robots ''have'' gained Sparks, they were reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology designed by Megatron; the former with an unusual burst of makeshift EMP mixed into the Key energy, the latter specifically designed to evolve through ''multiple'' uses of the Key. These facts suggest that the sculpture robot was not a sentient being. It's debatable—maybe we'll get an official explanation at a BotCon panel some time.
*Masterson claimed that the fusion core overloading would take out the entire state of Michigan. However, he planned to blow it up even though he had the money, apparently thinking he could both get far enough away before it exploded and get work from the government even though he ''destroyed a state''.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Survival of the Fittest

2010-07-14T19:00:49Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Survival Fittest Meltdown Dinobots.JPG
|caption=Oh sure, I know the drill. I look behind me, you make off with my car. Not gonna happen, pal.
|ep=12
|ep2=12
|prev2=Lost and Found (episode)
|next2=Headmaster (episode)
|title="Survival of the Fittest"
|airdate=[[March 8]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Steven Granat]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Sari is kidnapped and the evidence points to the Dinobots. So Prowl and Bulkhead head to a mysterious island to investigate—with a highly suspicious Captain Fanzone on their tail.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Survival Fittest Sari karate.JPG|left|175px|thumb|Pre-Teen Cyborg Ninja Kiddies.]]

Concerned for [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]]'s safety as possessor of the [[AllSpark Key]] and knowing they can't be around every minute to protect her, the [[Autobot|Autobots]] decide to give her self-defense lessons. She doesn't do so well, but undaunted, she continues to practice alone in her room that night. She then goes to bed, but a shadow passing by her window makes her curious enough to get up again. She opens the window and is confronted by the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]] [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]]. Shortly afterward, [[Isaac Sumdac|her father]] stops by to deliver a bedtime snack and is shocked to find her missing.

[[Image:SwoopSari.JPG|right|175px|thumb|I will make you one of my children of the night.]]

He immediately contacts the police and the Autobots, and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] orders everyone to [[roll out]] immediately. Come morning, the police search Sari's room and question Doctor Sumdac. [[Captain Fanzone]] coordinates operations from the lobby of [[Sumdac Tower]], checking security video footage and struggling with the operation of his mobile phone. The Autobots arrive, and he asks if anything unusual happened yesterday. [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] mentions her self-defense lessons, to which Fanzone raises some objection, noting that hanging around Autobots might just be, oh, dangerous for a little girl. Just then, Prime spots Swoop on the security footage replay. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] doesn't think it's possible, but Prime notes they never did find out what happened to the escaped Dinobots. Behind him, Bulkhead and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] hold a quiet conversation about whether to tell Prime about their role in the Dinobots' escape, but decide to investigate the Dinobots' island themselves first. Fanzone notices them whispering, figures they must be discussing something relevant, and decides to follow this new lead on his own.

[[Image:TFA Survival Fittest Fanzone phone trouble.JPG|left|150px|thumb|It's [[Kremzeek]]! He's in the phone!]]

That night, Prowl and Bulkhead take a cargo ship out to the Dinobots' island, with Fanzone pursuing them in a police department mini-sub. By daylight, the Autobots arrive on the island and start exploring, with Fanzone coming ashore shortly afterward. Suddenly, Prowl spots tracks, indicating someone besides the Dinobots is on the island. As they arrive at the edge of the central crater, Bulkhead expresses second thoughts about setting the Dinobots free. What if someone were to find them there? Prowl deactivates his holographic generator and notes that currently won't be an issue, as the Dinobots appear to be gone.

From within a control room, [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] and [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] are ordered to deal with the two Autobots by their new master — [[Meltdown (Animated)|Meltdown]].

[[Image:Donkey Fanzone.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Donkey Fanzone.]]

Back outside in the valley, an outraged Bulkhead growls that they should have melted down the Dinobots as Dr. Sumdac wanted, but Prowl insists the Dinobots are more than just machines, that they are truly alive and so had to be saved. Bulkhead counters by asking who's going to save Sari. The two then leave to explore the island further, with Fanzone pursuing close behind—well, as close behind as possible after dealing with various mishaps.

In Meltdown's control room, [[Colossus Rhodes]] offers to pound the Autobots to scrap, but Meltdown stays him. Sari figures they're both as good as arrested and taunts them until Rhodes bulks up and scares her into silence.

Outside, Bulkhead and Prowl discover Captain Fanzone sinking in quicksand and haul him out. Prowl asks why he's following them, but Fanzone counters by asking what they're doing on an abandoned island research facility in the middle of Lake Erie, and they fall silent.

Still watching the proceedings, Meltdown decides it's time to greet his guests personally and leaves Rhodes to guard Sari. Rhodes taunts Sari for a change, but Sari just asks to go to the toilet.

On the surface, Fanzone continues to question Bulkhead about the situation, wondering if there's something he's not being told. Bulkhead abruptly points out the Dinobots behind Fanzone as the possible missing piece of info. Prowl offers to deal with the Dinobots, as they trust him, but [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] orders the Dinobots to attack. Prowl is confused, but Bulkhead figures it's pretty straightforward: The Dinobots kidnapped Sari and now want to destroy them. He also lets slip that he and Prowl helped the Dinobots escape. During the skirmish, Prowl notes acid burns on Swoop's leg plating and deduces that someone with the ability to burn the Dinobots is forcing them to act this way. The Autobots and Fanzone manage to make a run for it, only to find themselves in a dead-end canyon. When Meltdown confronts them, Prowl finally puts it all together, realizing that the villain is behind the Dinobots capturing Sari and attacking them. Meltdown gleefully monologues about finding an island with its own security system just when he needed a place for private experiments, and how Sari will now be his latest subject. An enraged Bulkhead charges, but Meltdown's acid blasts a painful hole in the Autobot's chest. Prowl and Fanzone run to help him, but Meltdown touches a remote-control button and sends the pair plummeting through a trap door down into a steel-lined holding pen.

[[Image:TFA Survival Fittest Prowl Fanzone mutants.JPG|left|200px|thumb|This is why I hate Pretenders!]]

When they regain consciousness, Meltdown arrives and explains his plans: after last encounter with the Autobots, Meltdown has been toying with the idea of a human capable of [[Transformation]]. However, Meltdown's [[fusion creature]] experiments (one of whom was his lawyer) were locked in their "alternate forms". He notes that the failures were a result of using adult test subjects, whereas a still-growing human should prove much more promising. And what better choice than the daughter of his arch-rival, Isaac Sumdac? He then leaves to administer his formula to Sari while his two mutants take care of Prowl and Fanzone.

Elsewhere in the base, Sari tricks Cyrus Rhodes into checking out the rest room toilet, then uses the AllSpark Key to flood water on him, shorting out the electrode/pistons that let him bulk up. When he turns to attack her, she trips him, then locks him in the bathroom and takes off. Somehow, she finds the controls to turn off the laser barrier keeping Prowl and Fanzone trapped in the holding pit. Freed just in time, they take off and quickly locate Sari. Informed of Bulkhead's predicament, she guides them out the way she was brought in. As they start down the hall, Fanzone spots a rack of spare protective suits for Meltdown and grabs one.

[[Image:TFA Dinobots fire weapons.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Your death will be swift."]]

Prowl gets the two humans past a closing steel door and outside, where Sari quickly uses the AllSpark Key to heal Bulkhead. Before they can celebrate, Meltdown shows up with the Dinobots. Sari launches into a flying kick which totally misses Meltdown, but serves as the distraction needed for Prowl to score a hit. Before a stunned Meltdown can recover, Fanzone tackles him and wraps him up in a spare protective suit he grabbed. Meltdown orders the Dinobots to attack, but Prowl points out that Meltdown has no power over them any more. In preparation for revenge, the Dinobots [[Transformation|transform]] into robot mode, surprising the others. Prowl offers the panicking Meltdown a choice: going to prison or being left to the Dinobots' (lack of) mercies. Just then, Colossus Rhodes (whose electronics apparently dried out) and the two mutants burst out of the entrance into the underground facility, only to draw the Dinobots' attention to themselves. The mighty mechanical trio ignite their weapons and quickly trounce the three mutants.

That evening, Fanzone and the Autobots take Sari and the captive Meltdown and Rhodes back to Detroit. Fanzone calls Dr. Sumdac to give him the good news, and Bulkhead and Prowl wonder if they should admit about the Dinobots to Prime. Fanzone assures Prowl that as long as the Dinobots stay on the island and out of Detroit, he doesn't have a problem with them. Prowl thanks him for all his help, and the two acknowledge they make a decent team, despite their different physical compositions. Watching Sari try out another kick on Bulkhead, Fanzone expresses continuing doubts about teaching ninja moves to eight-year-olds. Prowl agrees, noting Sari can apparently take care of herself in her own unique fashion.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (6)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (7)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (11)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (8)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Prometheus Black|Meltdown]] (12)
*[[Colossus Rhodes]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Reception Bot]] ()
}}

==Quotes==
"This is why I hate machines!" 
"No need to be such a technophobe, Captain." 
"A technophobe is someone who ''fears'' technology. ''(Smashes cell phone)'' Does '''''this''' look like'' '''FEAR TO YOU?!'''" 
"Um… my mistake."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' straightens out '''Prowl''''s perceptions of him.

'''Bulkhead''': Hanging out. Teaching her ninja nerve blows. Watching cartoons. 
'''Fanzone''': Hold up? What was that again? 
'''Bulkhead''': Watching cartoons. 
'''Fanzone''': No before that. 
'''Bulkhead''': Teaching her ninja nerve blows. 
'''Fanzone''': You're teaching an eight-year-old to do ''nerve blows''? 
'''Ratchet''': You want her to pick it up in the street? 
'''Prowl''': This is part of every protoform's elemental programming. 
'''Fanzone''': Say what? 
'''Bulkhead''': Yeah, it's not like we're having her fight [[Decepticon]]s. 
'''Prowl''': Yet.
:—Fanzone and the Autobots debate the finer points of child education.

"Help!" 
"That sounded like Captain Fanzone." 
"Y-Yeah, hey, I—I do a really good impression of myself '''screaming for help!'''"
:—Even in mortal danger, '''Captain Fanzone''' zings '''Prowl'''.

"Who better than the daughter of my arch-rival, the bane of my existence, the simpering fool who is unworthy to lick the mud off the heels of my platform shoes—booga-looga-looga-looz—Professor Isaac Sumdac? Poetic, no?"
:—'''Meltdown''' gets down with his bad self while monologuing. It appears that the suit is more than just for show.

"Dibs on Lefty—I hate lawyers."
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' actually hates something besides machines.

'''Fanzone''': What the…?! 
'''Sari''': Whoa…! 
'''Bulkhead''': Uh… they couldn't do that before. Right? 
:—The Dinobots reveal that they are [[Transformer|more than meets the eye]].

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
* Fanzone ''presses buttons'' on a ''rotary-dial'' cell phone. Of course, he also manages to get touch-tone sounds from them, so perhaps the rotary dial is just simulated. Y'know, to make him feel more familiar with the device.
* When Prowl and Fanzone are driven to the wall (to the lasers, in this case) by the mutants, Prowl is shown without his battle mask. In the next shot, he has it back.

===Continuity errors===
* When Sari is kidnapped by Swoop, she's just wearing socks on her feet (having crawled out of bed). When she's imprisoned in Meltdown's lair, she has her boots on again.

* The passage of time between Sari's kidnapping and the arrival on the island is wonky. Isaac appears to arrive at Sari's room with a snack mere minutes after she's gone to bed not too late in the evening, but the police and Autobots show up once the sun has risen. The "search party" heads for the Dinobots' island that ''night''—and arrive in the daylight. Did nearly ''forty-eight hours'' really pass all this time, and Meltdown did nothing?

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Meltdownexperiments.jpg|right|200px|thumb|They've got the power to surprise.]]

* [[Fusion creature|Meltdown's genetically engineered minions]] (previous failed attempts at producing "human transformers") bear a striking resemblance to the ''[[Generation 1]]'' [[Pretender]]s [[Submarauder (G1)|Submarauder]]/[[Gilmer]] and [[Bomb-Burst]]/[[Blood]].

* The notion of creating non-mechanical or organic Transformers [[Noble|is not new]] in Transformers lore.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Instinct de survie'''" ("Survival Instinct")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Saris Entführung'''" ("Sari's Abduction")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 8|8 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''音対決! ダイノボット''' (''Taiketsu! Dinobots'', "Showdown! Dinobots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 19|19 June]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Przetrwają najlepsi'''" ("The Best Will Survive")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Trivia===
*This is the first episode in which Snarl and Swoop transform. They still haven't spoken, however.
*This is also the first episode in which Fanzone refers to any of the Autobots by name, suggesting he's getting used to them being more than machines.
*Part of Grimlock's transformation is recycled animation from "[[Blast from the Past]]".
*Captain Fanzone's phone seems remarkably outdated compared to the mobile phone his subordinate is shown using; it's the size of a brick, has a permanently extended antenna and amazingly features a rotary dial (or at least a simulated one; he still punches touch tones on it) to ring in the numbers—and even then Fanzone can't figure out how to use it. The man was clearly born a century after his time and presumably would be more comfortable around gramophones and [[Hearts of Steel|steam]] [[Secret Weapon: D-5|locomotives]].
*Fanzone's dialog suggests that a volcanic island in the middle of Lake Erie is not as preposterous as it might seem, as the island was formerly a research facility of some shape or form.
*Bulkhead seems to be more than a match for all three Dinobots here, yet they make incredibly short work of the mutants and Colossus Rhodes. (Colossus had previously proven to be a decent enough challenge for Bulkhead, Prime, Prowl and Ratchet.) Maybe their sparks just weren't in it? Or they were holding back? Or that could be attributed to Bulkhead being really pissed at them during the fight, which made him a much more ferocious warrior than the Dinobots were expecting.
*A lawyer turned into a blood-sucking monster—surely there's no deeper message here.
*Do we really want to know what that AllSpark Key slot was doing on the controls for a toilet?
*The two mutants are conspicuously absent in the final scene (Fanzone notes "got 'em both," indicating only two prisoners). As they appear in later episodes, they were obviously not destroyed, but this implies they were left imprisoned on the island, subject to the Dinobots' whims. If so, this seems harsh, given the two were (presumably) innocent victims of Meltdown's experiments. If they're somehow being held on ship, not mentioning or showing them seems to be quite an oversight.
*Although most human villains in the series to date have been shown in a comedic light, Meltdown seems the odd man out with some rather disturbing, more adult-oriented themes. He attempts murder (of rival Isaac Sumdac); he experiments to create mutants, which constitutes crimes against Humanity; he tortures the Dinobots into submission by burning them with his acidic touch; and he kidnaps a prepubescent girl for purposes of experimentation—but damn can he ''dance''.
*Speaking of adult themes, when the police learn that Sari is missing, they question the father and send divers into the river. ''HARSH.''
*It's rather unsettling how nobody, particularly Captain Fanzone, seemed to know that Meltdown wasn't in jail any more. Either Fanzone's inability to work with technology kept him from hearing, or information flow among the Detroit Police Department is really poor, even when a dangerous supervillain has broken out of jail. And on that note, it seems that, just like in comic books, prisons here aren't suited to hold superpowered criminals.
*The episode ends before Bulkhead, Prowl, and Fanzone return Sari to her father, and before the Autobots report back in to Prime. What they ''tell'' Prime (about where they found Sari) is extremely unclear, as discussed further under "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]".
*Prowl can kick with his knees ''while the wheels are turning'' and ''can ride on walls.'' This is awesomeness!
*Apparently, there's nothing wrong with cutting a cargo ship free of its moorings and sailing it out into the middle of Lake Erie without permission. (Prowl and Bulkhead must have convinced either the ship's captain or its computerized pilot system to make an unscheduled trip.)
*Why does Prowl think that Sari can defend herself against the Decepticons by ''kicking'' them?
*This episode is the first episode to have the final appearance of a supporting character: Colossus Rhodes made his second and final appearance in the series.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Lost and Found (Animated)

2010-07-14T18:59:47Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{disambig3|Lost and Found}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Lost and Found Lugnut Blitzwing Earth modes.JPG
|caption=These two are Megatron's only hope…he's in trouble.
|ep=11
|ep2=11
|prev2=Along Came a Spider
|next2=Survival of the Fittest
|title="Lost and Found"
|airdate=[[March 1]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''The Autobots clash with Decepticons Lugnut and Blitzwing, who come to Earth searching for their missing leader, Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:LugnutBlitzwingNemesis.JPG|left|170px|thumb|The scourge of poor parking.]]
A lunar rover examines recent seismic activity on the Moon's surface and stumbles upon the crashed [[Nemesis (Animated)|''Nemesis'']]. As it moves in for a closer look, a huge, unidentified object lands on the rover and crushes it. The huge thing turns out to be [[Lugnut]]. His partner, [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] berates him for his clumsiness, but then offers some dancing lessons. An annoyed Lugnut points out they've traveled across the galaxy to find [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron's]] ship, not become light on their feet. Blitzwing comments that this is the same sector in which they lost track of [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]], and an argument breaks out (Lugnut doesn't like Lockdown), culminating in Lugnut confidently stating he ''knows'' Megatron still lives.

On Earth, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] is rudely awakened from a stasis nap by an unapologetic [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], who is in the middle of a street hockey game with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]. The game picks up, and Bumblebee is about to score, when a trash can makes a save! Sari tries to write it off, but Ratchet is quick to notice the [[AllSpark Key]] currently plugged into said can. He tells her off, but they are interrupted when the Key begins to glow, followed by two glowing objects entering Earth's atmosphere. As a prophetic Ratchet decides this can't be good, camera-bots move in to investigate, but are quickly crushed by Blitzwing. Both he and Lugnut mistake a nearby crane as a sentient life form, and Lugnut demands to know Megatron's location. After a shove, the crane responds by slamming its wrecking ball into Blitzwing. Watching a live feed, Megatron muses over whether or not he can risk revealing himself. After all, he has already been betrayed once. At their home base, the [[Autobot]]s get ready to mobilize. Sari is all fired up, but both Ratchet and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] tell her she needs to wait behind, as they want to protect the innocents. (Bumblebee very quickly points out that ''they're'' innocent too.)

[[Image:Lugnutfist.JPG|right|170px|thumb|''Tekken 6: Robot Revolution''.]]

Back at the construction site, Blitzwing and Lugnut have decided to devastate the place in order to draw out the Autobots. It works, and things quickly kick off as Optimus is forced to slice a tanker thrown by Lugnut in half. This promising opener falls apart when Blitzwing prevents both Prowl and Bumblebee from launching any attacks. Ratchet manages to trap some of Lugnut's missiles (though they break through his magnetic grip, they still don't hit any of the Autobots), but as Bulkhead tries to outmuscle the massive 'Con, Lugnut proves to be too powerful and throws him aside. The combined efforts of Blitzwing and Lugnut prove too much for the Autobots, and things go from bad to worse when they tell the [[Decepticon]]s that Megatron burned up "over Cleveland". Screaming "Megatron lives!", a raging Lugnut activates his [[Rocket punch|rocket fists]] and levels the entire area, flooring the Autobots and burying both himself and Blitzwing. As the Decepticons unbury themselves from the rubble, Blitzwing tells Lugnut to warn him before using his big punch…again.

As the Decepticons free themselves, Megatron becomes convinced of Lugnut's loyalty and opts to contact only him. Lugnut automatically decides to abandon the battle and answer the summons, dragging Blitzwing along and leaving behind some very confused Autobots. Blitzwing headbutts Lugnut in midair, and Lugnut responds in kind, slamming Blitzwing down into an army base. He explains he heard Megatron's voice, but Blitzwing merely hears approaching police. He suggests they scan local vehicle modes and hide, but Lugnut refuses until Megatron orders him to do so. He quickly scans a bomber, while Blitzwing, after a quick argument between his faces, scans both an assault tank and a fighter jet. [[Captain Fanzone]] arrives, but the Decepticons are already hiding in plain sight.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found Ratchet Sari argue.JPG|left|170px|thumb|Are you Samuel James Witwicky?]]

The Autobots have returned to base and are making repairs. The constant danger of attack makes Prime decide the best thing to do would be to repair [[Teletran-1|their ship]] and take the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] off of Earth. Sari takes this very badly, and she is most unwilling to use the AllSpark Key to help Ratchet fix the ship. For his part, Ratchet is less than pleased about having to work with a "protoform". Prime settles it by ordering the two to be partners.

Meanwhile, Lugnut and Blitzwing are perched on a blimp, observing the city below. As Blitzwing comments on the [[Human|local wildlife]], Megatron transmits information on the AllSpark Key to Lugnut and orders the retrieval of it and the AllSpark. Lugnut immediately transforms, followed by a less-than-willing Blitzwing.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found AllSpark vision.JPG|right|170px|thumb|"Who dares disturb the wizard!?!"]]

At [[Lake Erie]], the Autobots arrive, with Ratchet and Sari still bickering. They are quickly interrupted by Blitzwing and Lugnut. Ratchet and Sari make a break for it, but Blitzwing freezes the lake, preventing them from reaching the ship. However, they get a hand from Lugnut, who accidentally blasts a hole for them to get through. The Autobots dive in, and as Ratchet heads for their ship under , Lugnut and Blitzwing are stalled by the rest, thanks to some clever thinking from Prime. In the Autobots' ship, Ratchet has a moment alone with the ship, but ends up fighting with Sari, who storms off to the AllSpark's cargo bay. Dejected, she gets the idea of damaging the ship enough to prevent it flying, but the AllSpark Key quickly repairs it. Suddenly, the AllSpark opens to reveal an image of Megatron's head and the Key. Moments later, a fully restored Megatron materializes, and a terrified Sari panics and opens the airlock. As water pours in, Ratchet manages to save her. Sari confesses to her sabotage, but a sympathetic Ratchet explains the reason he wants to leave is because he cares about the planet and its people, especially Sari.

[[Image:ArkCannon.JPG|left|170px|thumb|This is gonna leave a mark.]]

Finally understanding, Sari agrees to help. Ratchet reveals the ship was originally a military vessel, and he hopes to bring the weapons bay back online. Outside, the Autobots are in serious trouble, but Sari's AllSpark Key soon reactivates the weapons bay, and Ratchet tells Optimus to draw the Decepticons to the ship. As they close, he activates the main cannon and blows the pair of Decepticons to kingdom come. A furious Megatron loses his link, and the Decepticons crash down onto the surface of the lake in several badly damaged pieces.

[[Image:Badsign.JPG|right|170px|thumb|Want to make a bad day worse? Just add Starscream.]]

Back at base, Sari uses the AllSpark Key to patch up Bumblebee, acting rather Ratchet like when he asks for some customization. Ratchet reveals that even with the Key, it'll take some time to get the ship up and running, so they won't be gone for a good while, and Sari smiles happily.

At the lake, Blitzwing calls for help, while Lugnut begs for a sign of Megatron's forgiveness. Remarkably they get a sign—a bad one, as Starscream shows up, promising repairs, in exchange for loyalty.
{{--}}
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (7)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut]] (1)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (2)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (11)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (4)
*[[Captain Fanzone]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Hothead Blitzwing''': Careful, you copper-clad klutz! You stepped in something! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': But with a few dancing lessons, you'll be light on your stabilizing servos like me. Cha cha cha. 
'''Lugnut''': Silence, Blitzwing! I did not follow this beacon halfway across the galaxy for dancing lessons! This was Megatron's ship! 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Ahaha, Starscream never did have a knack for parking.
:—Blitzwing and Lugnut find a crashed Decepticon warship on the Moon.

[[Image:TFA Lost and Found Blitzwing Lugnut crane attack.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Hug-a-wrecking-ball day never really took off.]]

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': These can't be those miserable Autobots, they're far too small— 
'''Random Blitzwing''': But look at that one! It's big, it's bold, it's sassy! 
'''Lugnut''': You! What have you done with our beloved leader Megatron? Talk!
:—The Decepticons interrogate a highly suspicious-looking crane.

"Where is our glorious leader? Where is Megatron?!" 
"Big scary dude?" ''[to Optimus]'' "Didn't he turn into a fireball somewhere over Cleveland?"
:—'''Lugnut''' and '''Bumblebee'''

"I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: Give me some warning before you use ze punch!"
:—'''Hothead Blitzwing''' to Lugnut

'''Icy Blitzwing''': The Autobots have called in reinforcements. Perhaps we should lay low until we can determine their strength and numbers. 
'''Lugnut''': I will not hide. I will stand proudly and shout ''Megatron's name'' to the ''heavens''! 
'''Megatron''': Oh, for spark's sake...
:—Sometimes, the fanatic thing just gets ridiculous.

'''Optimus''': We'll have to repair our ship and move the AllSpark off this planet. 
'''Bulkhead''': We can't just pick up and go. How will we break the news to Sari? 
'''Bumblebee''': She's a big girl. She'll understand. 
''[Scene switches to Sari crying "No" at the top of her lungs]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': I think she's taking it well.
:—The Autobots tell Sari that they're leaving.

"Help! Give me a hand! Or-or a foot! How about a pelvis?"
:—'''Random Blitzwing''', unusually happy about being in pieces.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* Blitzwing transforms to tank mode to drop into Lake Erie, but right after he plunges in and appears before the Autobots, he's in robot mode. Why didn't he just go to robot mode in the first place? (In-continuity answer: Blitzwing's angry persona uses the tank mode as opposed to the jet mode, according to [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1|Megatron Rising]]", so him getting angry at Lugnut caused his transformation automatically. Out-of-continuity answer: [[To sell toys]].)
* In the Autobots' first scuffle with the 'cons, Ratchet uses his magnetic powers to grab a bunch of missiles fired by Lugnut, exclaiming that he can't hold them forever. However, they just seem to disappear after that, as it's never shown whether or not they hit anything.
* As seen in stock-footage transformations in previous episodes, when Prime transforms after he hears of Blitzwing and Lugnut on the news, he turns into a sort of half-a-fire-engine. This form was likely animated using references for his [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Voyager-scale toy]], from which the back end can be detached. In the next shot, in which he [[Roll out|rolls out]], he's a complete fire engine.
* Blitzwing's decision to scan both a jet and a tank seems to imply that he was not a [[Triple Changer]] before the scanning. However, [[The Arrival issue 5]] clearly marks him as a Triple Changer before ever coming to Earth.

===Animation errors===
*When Ratchet reactivates Teletran 1's main cannon and states that he has a plan, his broken forehead chevron is on the left side instead of the right.
*In two animation shots of Lugnut using his [[Punch of Kill Everything|rocket punch]], the ground is not iced, hinting that the animation sequence might be reused in future episodes.
*When Lugnut scans the bomber, it is much bigger than he is.
*Not so much an error as it is a curiousity, but Lugnut's faction symbol shifts from being on his shoulder panel to his chest after he scans an Earth Mode. You can actually see it for yourself on this page.

===Transformers references===
* The initial scene with the lunar rover is highly reminiscent of the destruction of the [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] probe in the [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie]]. The two Decepticons' appearance on Earth as crash-landing meteorites also harks back to the film.

* The construction workers seen where Blitzwing and Lugnut first land are wearing outfits inspired by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] from Generation 1.

* After the airing of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]", some fans speculated on a possible connection between the Autobot ship and [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Generation 1 Omega Supreme]], based on both Prime's dialogue referring to a weapons-system program as "Codename: Omega" and the resemblance between the ship's cannon (shown briefly) and Omega Supreme's tank turret. Adding to that speculation, in ''this'' episode, Ratchet addresses the ship as "old friend". Also, when Ratchet manages to activate the weapons systems, we see a clearer shot of the cannon, which indeed looks a lot like Omega Supreme's tank turret (it even has his color scheme). Foreshadowing? Yup, [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|foreshadowing.]]

*This episode is the first in the series to feature the use of the words "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]" and "[[frag]]" as expletives.

*This isn't the first time a [[Armada (cartoon)|Decepticon battleship crash-landed on the moon]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Échec et combat'''" ("Failure and Struggle")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die alten Waffen'''" ("The Old Weapons")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 5|5 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''湖底の激戦''' (''Kotei no Gekisen'', "Fierce Battle at the Bottom of the Lake")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 12|12 June]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dznaleziona zguba'''" ("Lost and Found")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* When Lugnut overpowers Bulkhead, he comments, "Nothing moves Lugnut", similar to the minor ''X-men'' villain the [[wikipedia:Blob (comics)|Blob]].

===Trivia===
* This is the fourth episode in which Sari has received direct warnings about misuse of her AllSpark Key. The Allspark seems to have chosen the "tough love" approach and scared the message into her. How long this will last is up for debate. Bets will now be taken. Answer: [[Transwarped|Beginning of the third season]] when she uses it to upgrade herself, and it makes her go nuts and stab Bumblebee. Betting is now closed.
* In a humourous background detail, we see the Blitzwing-shaped hole, left from where he crashed barely two minutes ago, as Captain Fanzone's squadron arrives at the hangar. Oddly enough, they don't take much notice of it.
* Captain Fanzone doesn't come off too well in this episode, since he A) forgets that Transformers can disguise themselves as vehicles, and B) doesn't notice that two of the military jets are sporting unusual purple paint jobs, and one of them has tank treads under its wings, not to mention the above.
* Prime's vehicle mode has manual transmission.
* It's unclear why Sari didn't mention the AllSpark-generated vision of Megatron to any of the Autobots. (Granted, she doesn't know who Megatron is, but even so….)
* When Sari tells Bumblebee that the AllSpark Key isn't a toy, she looks like she has wrinkles under her eyes. Obviously, this is meant to show that Ratchet has rubbed off on her a little bit. Even her mouth looks like his briefly. Of course, she may have just been doing an impression of Ratchet as a joke.
* Random Blitzwing seems to have a knack for songs and dances. We'll see if it remains a trend.
* Captain Fanzone is currently driving a regular Detroit police car. [[Captain Fanzone's car|His old car]] was destroyed by [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] in "[[Blast from the Past]]," but it returns in future episodes.
* Megatron seems unfamiliar with Blitzwing and Lugnut's personalities (i.e., that the first is crazy, and the second is loyal). However, they served under him on the ''Nemesis'' fifty years ago, and exhibited the same characteristics then. This discrepancy is not explained. (Possibly Megatron did not have much direct contact with them in the past, or he may be assuming that fifty years might have changed them.) It also shows that unlike [[Megatron (disambiguation)|his counterparts]], ''Animated'' Megatron actually learns from betrayal, and is not so forgiving.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Sound and Fury (episode)

2010-07-14T18:59:03Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Soundw_anim.JPG
|caption=Beginning now: Operation Revolution. Beginning afterwards: Check local listings for episodes of ''[[wikipedia:Ed, Edd n Eddy|Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]''.
|ep=10
|prev2=Transform and Roll Out
|ep2=4
|next2=The Thrill of the Hunt
|title="Sound and Fury"
|airdate=[[February 23]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Henry Gilroy]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''Sari's new musical toy robot seems to have an evil streak and the ability to control other machines, but Bulkhead is the only one who sees it.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Soundwave_schematics.JPG|left|170px|thumb|Naughty.]]

[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] takes [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] toy shopping for her birthday (or "construction date" as he terms it), to purchase her something that makes the loud music she loves so much. The two of them are attacked by [[Professor Princess]], who is on an ironically violent crusade to destroy violent toys. They are able to defeat the bizarre villainess only after Sari uses the power of the [[AllSpark Key]] to trigger a powerful sonic attack from the stereo systems in the toy store. [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], monitoring events via security cameras as usual, notices both the power of the Key and the frivolous ways in which Sari employs it. He designs a new robot for Sari and tricks [[Isaac Sumdac|Dr. Sumdac]] into allowing him to produce it.

[[Image:Animated_soundwave_cassette.JPG|right|175px|thumb|Masterpiece Soundwave sure is big.]]

Sari's birthday party isn't much fun; she has no real friends, the only attendees being the children of Sumdac Systems employees, who continue to be put off by her bad manners. When the [[Autobot]]s arrive to help celebrate, the kids are quite happy to go play with the giant robots and leave the weird girl behind. Bulkhead tries to present
Sari with his gift for her, a xylophone (''Awwww!''), but Dr. Sumdac steps in first and gives her the "toy" designed by himself and Megatron: a responsive, interactive, dancing, music-and-light-show robot known as [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]. It's hard for Bulkhead to compete with that, and so, embarrassed, he slinks away dejectedly. As days go on, Sari pays less attention to Bulkhead and far more to Soundwave. When she inevitably starts to grow bored with her new toy, she uses the AllSpark Key on it. Each dosage of the Key's power unlocks new features on Soundwave, making his musical light show more involved and impressive, and even ''more'' fun than plain ol' Bulkhead and the Autobots.

This has been Megatron's plan all along. Soundwave's systems were designed to grow and evolve when exposed to the AllSpark Key; eventually, Sari will unwittingly upgrade him into a suitable body for Megatron himself. Bulkhead begins to see signs of Soundwave's evolving nature—"Did that thing just move by itself?"—but no one believes him. Megatron successfully uses Soundwave's weaponry and voice-modulation systems to make both Sari and the Autobots think Bulkhead is erratic, jealous, and dishonest.

[[Image:TFA_Sound_and_Fury_park_concert.JPG|left|170px|thumb|Elite Beat Agents.]]

Soundwave's musical transmissions soon become powerful enough to control other Sumdac Systems automatons—which are pretty much everywhere. Megatron had not foreseen this. Sari takes Soundwave and [[Tutor Bot]] to the park, where they have an impromptu concert, complete with garbagebots banging on their fellow garbagebots, and dancing humans. (Even Tutor Bot does a little dance.) Bulkhead arrives, trying to convince Sari that something is wrong with Soundwave. However, as she turns her back to Soundwave, the music-bot activates a cannon and targets Sari. Bulkhead destroys Soundwave, forcing Sari to use the AllSpark Key to restore him, and he immediately starts up again. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] tells Bulkhead to give Sari a little time and space, saying that she still values her friend more than her toy, but Bulkhead isn't so sure. Megatron is convinced that Bulkhead is no longer a problem and decides it's time to take Soundwave for a test run.

[[Image:Garbage_bot.JPG|right|175px|thumb|R-E-C-Y-C-L-E! Something trash has got to be!]]

But even Megatron himself is surprised when, after sufficient doses of AllSpark energy via the AllSpark Key, Soundwave grows fully self-aware and enhanced with Cybertronian upgrades. Neither Megatron nor Sari can control Soundwave anymore. As he explores [[Detroit]], he is puzzled and angry to see machines like himself forced into servitude for humans; he finds this illogical and believes it should be the other way around. Megatron reveals himself to Soundwave, rather straightforwardly telling him of the Decepticon goals of conquest and machine supremacy, the injustice of the Key in Sari's possession, and the [[Decepticon|Decepticons']] hatred for the treasonous Autobots who value organic life. Soundwave compels hundreds of smaller [[automaton]]s to merge with him, constructing a new transforming body for himself and proclaiming himself to be a Decepticon. He commences "Operation Recruitment", using his sonic signals to turn all the automatons against both Autobots and Humanity.
[[Image:TFA_Sound_and_Fury_Soundwave_boom.JPG|left|170px|thumb|[[Instructions|NOTE: Some parts are made to detach if excessive force is applied]].]]

The Autobots attempt to track down Soundwave, but they are overwhelmed by his minions and flustered by his ability to forge
deceptive messages on their own communication systems. Bulkhead manages to come face-to-face with Soundwave, but even the largest Autobot is swatted down by Soundwave's concussive sonic attacks. Soundwave attempts to convince Bulkhead of the rightness of the machine cause and the inferiority of Humanity, and orders him to destroy Sari. Bulkhead plays along for a few moments, but it's all a trick; as soon as he gets within range, he clobbers Soundwave, who shatters into his component
automaton pieces.

[[Image:Soundwave_ending.JPG|right|170px|thumb|Rise of the iPods.]]

The crisis averted, Bulkhead and Sari strengthen their friendship over some (quiet) music. Megatron fumes in disgust at their victory, swearing again to reconstruct himself. And, far beneath the city, a piece of equipment flares to life, flashing the Decepticon [[insignia]]. Soundwave still functions.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (10)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (11)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (4)
*[[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (2)
*[[Professor Princess]] (3)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (5)
*[[Gary]] (6)
*[[Trisha]] ()
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (7)

|c4=
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (8)
*[[Tutor Bot]] (13)
*[[Trash Bot]] ()
}}

==Quotes==
"Onward, Powdered Sugar! Let's discontinue this big, naughty, battle toy once and for all!"
:—'''Professor Princess''' to her Little Pony

'''Bumblebee''': Here it comes! 
'''Bulkhead''': Swing it! Give it the old Bulkhead treatment, Sari! 
'''Optimus''': Why exactly is she swinging at a colorful animal? 
'''Ratchet''': Smack it! Smack it already! 
'''Bulkhead''': Hold on, Sari, I'll help! I don't even need a bat. 
'''Prowl''': This will not end well….
:—The Autobots are introduced to the piñata concept.

"The idea is to celebrate the kid's birthday, not make it her last one!"
:—'''Ratchet''', after Bulkhead trashes the party area.

'''Kid:''' C'mon! Say, say it! Pleeease? 
'''Optimus Prime:''' Uh, uh, okay. Umm. "Transform and roll out!" 
'''Kids:''' Yeah!
:—Optimus learns what [[Peter Cullen]]'s life is like.

"I am Soundwave! I am Decepticon! The revolution begins now!"
:—'''Soundwave''' achieves sentience—and a new body.

"Good afternoon, Sari. Today's lesson is… the ''extinction of all humanity''!"
:—'''Tutor Bot''' turns on Sari. All that abuse has finally caught up.

==Notes==

===Continuity errors===
*The Tutorbot said "good afternoon" to Sari while it was in the evening.

*While he's being partnered up with Optimus, Bumblebee's faceplate comes in horizontally, with one half coming from each side. However, in "[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]" it slides up as one piece.

===Animation errors===
*At Sari's party when the Autobots leave, Bulkhead's headlights are black instead of red.
*When Megatron watches over Sari and Bulkhead after she has put the AllSpark Key into Soundwave, the Key is still present around her neck.
*When Soundwave is shown from behind after Bulkhead's punch connects, his left thumb is colored blue instead of yellow.
*When Prowl transforms to give the children a ride, his bike mode is three times bigger then the children.

===Transformers references===
[[Image:Animated_kremzeek.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Please stand by as this annoying electric lifeform causes havoc with our machinery.]]
*The store in the opening scene, Wyatt Toys, is named for ranking ''Transformers Animated'' staffer [[Derrick J. Wyatt]].
* Back in "[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]", Megatron required [[destronium]] to build a Cybertronian-strength body from scratch. In this episode, he sidesteps that problem by opting not to build one from scratch, but by using the power of the AllSpark to evolve a body built with Earth-tech up to Cybertronian standards. Presumably, he came up with this scheme off the back of the creation of the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] in "[[Blast from the Past]]", who were also Earth-made robots that the AllSpark transformed into Cybertronian-strength behemoths.
*[[Kremzeek]] is part of the "Please Stand By" image on a malfunctioning TV station.
*The pinata at Sari's birthday party is a [[Megatron (BW)|purple theropod dinosaur]], yessss.....
*The animation model for the TV station's reporter looks like an older version of Generation 1 cartoon newsman [[Hector Ramirez (G1)|Hector Ramirez]], right down to the suit he's wearing.
*One of Sari's "friends" is [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]], based on [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]. He was last seen with [[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|his]] [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|parents]] in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]". Since all the "friends" are identified as children of Sumdac employees, one can assume that "Spike" and/or "Carly" work for Isaac Sumdac.
*When arguing against using the AllSpark Key, Bulkhead brings up various disasters it has caused:
**The creation of the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] and their subsequent rampage in "[[Blast from the Past]]".
**Adding the turbo-boosters to Bumblebee in "[[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]".
**[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] draining the life from everything organic in "[[Along Came a Spider]]".
* Soundwave is positively ''oozing'' references to his [[Soundwave (G1)|Generation 1 predecessor]]: He speaks in a similar heavily-processed robotic monotone; at one point, he manifests a cylindrical shoulder cannon; he orders his minions around by directing them to perform an "Operation"; and his eyes switch from yellow (like the original toy) to red (as they appeared in the Generation 1 cartoon).
* The appearances of the present box Soundwave arrives in and the remaining piece of Soundwave are based on the Generation 1 Soundwave's altmode, albeit in a teal and gold color scheme instead of blue and silver.
*When Optimus transforms to give the kids a ride, one of the kids has a T-shirt with Optimus's face on it. Even in fiction, children can't escape product placement.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Son et destruction'''" ("Sound and Destruction")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Schall und Rauch'''" ("Sound and Smoke")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 28|28 June]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''音波大作戦''' (''Onpa Daisakusen'', "The Great Sound Wave Operation")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 24|24 April]] [[2010]]

* The usual "watch the TV in a well-lit room" message is back to the [[Otoboto family]] with the children giving the warning.
* The title of this episode would seem to be a reference to "[[The Great Cassette Operation]]", a [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]-centric episode of ''[[The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' cartoon.
* This episode was pushed ahead in the broadcasting schedule at [[TakaraTomy]]'s insistence, so that more Decepticon toy characters could be advertised sooner. This trend will continue for the remainder of the series. However, the episode script has not been altered to facilitate the new episode order. Instead, the time cuts are now being made more strategically in order to better accomodate the new order and not confuse the kids watching quite so much.
* Bulkhead does the intro this time.
* '''Cut:''' The close-up pan to Megatron's head and then the scene change to Sari commenting how the kids only came to her party due to their parents being Sumdac employees, Sari spitting back into the punch bowl, and the other kids about to leave.
* '''Cut:''' Bulkhead knocking the Key out of Soundwave, listing off the cases of where Sari misused the Key, and Megatron monitoring the duo.
* Bulkhead and Soundwave's turn on the [[commercial bumper]]s. Soundwave announces his name in his toy-voice before switching to his more menacing version.
* '''Cut:''' Bulkhead dejectedly playing with the xylophone and Optimus trying to cheer him up.
* '''Cut:''' Bulkhead getting a dial-tone when Sari's attempted call to him gets cut, and Sari leaving with Soundwave after dismissing Tutor Bot.
* '''Cut:''' Soundwave's "epiphany" on robot superiority and Megatron's comment on Soundwave's core processor being altered after the last dose of AllSpark energy.
* '''Cut:''' The news reporter fleeing before his camera bot attacks him.
* '''Cut:''' Slow pan in the sewers to Soundwave and the closeup of the Decepticon symbol on him before the closing credits.
* The Otoboto family segment starts out with [[Tatsuya Otoboto|Tatsuya]] watching his father make [[wikipedia:Takoyaki|takoyaki]], [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]] shouting "TRANS-FOOORM!" as he flips one over. [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]] quickly steals a takoyaki and hands her father another card from the friend whom he thought had passed away. Apparently, Hiroyuki's friend, Udo, is in [[Hawaii]] at the moment. Yūka wonders if they could go to Hawaii as well, although Tatsuya prefers the idea of going to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] instead.
* Near the end where Optimus tells viewers "till next time", Bumblebee sneaks in "pu" at the end of his repeating sentence.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wściekłość i Wrzaski'''" ("Fury and Screams")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
*The episode's title is, of course, taken from a line in William Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'', but it probably signifies nothing.
*For some reason, Sari has an old rotary phone when she calls Bulkhead. Possibly she borrowed it from Captain Fanzone.

===Trivia===
* Why is it that the Autobots don't wonder why Soundwave starts wearing the Decepticon insignia?

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 1 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Along Came a Spider

2010-07-14T18:58:21Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Along Spider Blackarachnia introduction.JPG
|caption=[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee, you seem to have lubricated yourself]].
|ep=9
|ep2=10
|prev2=Nanosec (episode)
|next2=Lost and Found (episode)
|title="Along Came a Spider"
|airdate=[[February 16]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
}}

'''Bumblebee and Bulkhead's first Halloween turns even spookier when they encounter a giant spider that turns out to be the deadly Decepticon Blackarachnia.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] introduces [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] to the concept of [[Halloween]], starting with selecting pumpkins. As she explains the idea of choosing just the right costume, Optimus's attention is distracted by a large black widow spider decoration. He remembers back to his academy days….

[[Image:Alongcameaspiderthreefriends.jpg|left|210px|thumb|"So once again, we find that evil of the past seeps into the present like salad dressing through cheap wax paper, mixing memory and desire."]]

''On [[Archa Seven]], Optimus and his friend Elita-1 admire the strange webbing stretching across the high rocks, not knowing what it is, until [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] calls to them to hurry up. Optimus cautions that such worlds are normally considered off-limits to Autobots, but there's supposedly a real Decepticon [[Twilight (Animated)|ship]] somewhere in the area. Elita's there for the historical value, but Sentinel just wants to get his hands on the [[Energon (fuel)|energon]] cache that must be in it. Optimus is still wary of potential punishment should they get caught, but figures he has to keep the other two from getting in over their heads. Sentinel insists that never happens—right before the ground crumbles under their feet, sending all three plunging into a deep cavern. Strange, skittering noises echo from its dark reaches. Optimus activates his shoulder-light to see….''

Bulkhead snaps Optimus's attention back to the present by donning a bedsheet (which just covers his head) and going "Boo," startling his leader. Optimus claims a ghost from his past just has him jumpy, then stalks off.

[[Image:TFA Along Spider Costume bots.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Bumblebee's decision to dress up as Count Blackula didn't go down well.]]

Back at the Autobot base, Sari critiques Bumblebee and Bulkhead's costumes, but says her own costume is only one surprise planned for the night. Noticing Optimus lost in thought, she uses the [[AllSpark Key]] to activate one of the car plant's cranes, swinging another spider decoration in his face. The unexpected sight of it gives Optimus a bad flashback, and he quickly hacks the fake spider to bits. He admonishes Sari for making frivolous use of the Key, and she counters about him needlessly using his axe. Optimus stares down at the remains of the decoration, and his thoughts travel back again….

''As Optimus, Elita, and Sentinel walk through the cavern, Sentinel enthuses about the rich hoard of energon he's sure they'll find soon. Optimus shushes him as he hears something, and soon all three are casting their lights about, trying to pinpoint the skittering. The source reveals itself as an enormous, alien spider, which quickly traps Elita with some webbing. As Optimus fights it off, Sentinel frees her with his charged shield, but the spider abruptly takes him down. Elita starts using her special power-download ability, but Optimus, holding back the spider, tells her it won't work on organics. She instead borrows the unconscious Sentinel's shield power and shield itself, using them to defend herself, then to bring down a huge stalactite to impale the spider. As Sentinel wakes up and Elita returns his shield, Optimus says that it's not worth staying around, be it for history or energon. Sentinel still insists on one good reason to leave, and he gets three when another trio of giant spiders drop down to confront them. Sentinel quickly puts up his shield's energy barrier, covering Optimus and Elita's retreat. Optimus rolls out, and Elita follows, calling his name….''

[[Image:Saricostume.jpg|left|130px|thumb|Arise, Sarimus Prime.]]

Optimus suddenly becomes aware of Sari calling his name to show off her costume—a costume of him. He doesn't appreciate her vocal impersonation of him, and declines to join the trio on their trick-or-treat outing.

As Sari and the two Autobots progress though a local neighborhood, Bumblebee is a bit spooked by the atmosphere. Sari reminds him it's all pretend—unaware they're being tracked by an enormous spider traveling over the rooftops. As she coaches them through their first actual "trick or treat," Bumblebee spots the spider watching them and freaks out, but it's gone before anyone else sees it. Sari teases him for being more timid than Optimus, but 'Bee protests he knows the difference between a fake decoration and a real giant spider. Listening in from headquarters, Optimus has Bumblebee clarify what he saw, then heads out to meet them, advising them to stay put. As Optimus [[rolls out]], his thoughts roll back….

''Racing through the caverns, Optimus reaches the wreckage of a [[Decepticon]] warship. Separated from the other two, he heads inside, hoping to find them there. Instead, he finds an impressive stash of energon cubes, just as Sentinel predicted. He also finds an impressive stash of giant spider eggs. As the spiderlings hatch and start attacking, Optimus gets stuck on some webbing, but Elita shows up in time to help. As they fight to escape from more full-grown spiders, Optimus has Elita borrow his grappler ability. They bring down a huge stalactite through the ship's ruined overhead, grappling their way out as the energon detonates below them. However, Elita's download ability times out just then, and she goes plunging back too fast for Optimus to catch her. Sentinel arrives on top of the ship as she plummets into the hold, but knowing the energon is going to blow any second, Optimus grapples himself and Sentinel to safety rather than risk going after Elita just then. Once they break the surface, Optimus scans for Elita's energy signature, but doesn't find it. A furious Sentinel blames everything on Optimus.''

[[Image:Blackarach anim beast.jpg|right|200px|thumb|All those eyes, and she still can't see why those kids like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.]]

In the present, still en route to Sari and company's location, Optimus swears he won't let it happen again. Meanwhile, Bumblebee stresses that they have to stay vigilant until Optimus arrives—even as Sari is yanked out from under them by the giant spider. Bumblebee quickly cuts Sari free, but as he and Bulkhead surround the spider, it transforms into a female robot who calls herself [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]]. Sari's not too surprised or impressed by her femininity, but it makes a much bigger impression on Bulkhead—right up to the point Blackarachnia stabs him with two of her spider legs, knocking him out. She quickly gives Bumblebee the same treatment, then tells Sari they should go, now that Sari's safe. Sari protests the two Autobots are her friends, and Blackarachnia apologizes, pretending she can't tell which robots are good or bad on Earth. As Sari futilely tries to revive Bulkhead with her AllSpark Key, Blackarachnia notes that the organic nature of her venom precludes that solution, since the All Spark doesn't affect organics. She offers to try helping the Autobots if Sari will just hand her the Key, but her ruse is interrupted when Optimus lassos her legs out from under her. Blackarachnia appears shocked to see him, but quickly frees herself and starts fighting back—using Bumblebee's stingers and Bulkhead's strength. Instead of borrowing any of Optimus's powers, though, she judo-throws him across the street, then kidnaps Sari.

Optimus desperately pursues the pair across the rooftops. He catches up, stuns Blackarachnia with a faceful of foam, then grapples Sari free. Despite this respite and Sari's warning, Blackarachnia still catches Optimus half-unaware. He fights back, but she dodges him constantly, claiming to know all his textbook Autobot Academy moves. Optimus wonders if he knows her, and she berates him for forgetting his friends—even if he remembered Sentinel. Optimus is horrified to realize he's facing Elita-1. She finally relates what really happened that day:

[[Image:TFA Elita-1 mutation.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Even Female Transformers have to worry about bloating.]]

''Trapped in the ship and surrounded by the spiders, Elita tries desperately to download their abilities. Instead, she is infected with their venom, and it mutates her into a freak, a half-organic, half-robotic being.''

Optimus realizes that her half-organic nature is what masked her energy signature from his scans. Blackarachnia sneers that if he'd known and saved her, she'd just have been dismantled and examined on some lab table on Cybertron. Optimus reproves her for joining the Decepticons, but she counters that at least she knows where she stands with them. She webs up Optimus and snatches the AllSpark Key, certain that if anything can purge her organic half, it can. She plugs it into herself, but the unleashed energies begin causing all organic life in range, including Sari, to wither and sicken. Optimus breaks free, but before he can stop Blackarachnia, she grabs up Sari and throws her off the roof. Sari snags a flagpole long enough for Bumblebee and Bulkhead to save her, leaving Optimus free to deal with Blackarachnia.

[[Image:TFA ep9 Optimus and Blackarachnia rooftop.jpg|right|205px|thumb|Never liked the [[Silverbolt (BW)|Bird-dog]] anyway.]]

However, Blackarachnia collapses on her own, though. Optimus surmises her spark can't survive without her organic half, but she's too weak to pull out the AllSpark Key and stop the reaction. Optimus forces through the energy barrier around her and removes it for her, restoring the organic life in the area to normal. As he helps her up, Blackarachnia asks him to go, not wanting to be seen like that. Still calling her Elita, Optimus asks her to come with them, promising his group will find a cure, and allow him to earn back her trust. She seems to respond positively, but it's another sham. Blackarachnia stabs him unconscious and leaves, vowing it will be a long time before she trusts another Autobot, especially him.

Later, Optimus returns Sari the AllSpark Key. She thanks him and admits he was right—maybe it's time she gave the Key a rest. Bumblebee trundles in painfully, still damaged from his fall after catching Sari, and asks if she could use it once more. Bulkhead asks who the bug-bot lady was, and Optimus responds it was someone he should never have left behind. Elsewhere, Blackarachnia stands on a rooftop, gazing at the moon and sobbing over her fate.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead ]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] (6) (Flashback)

|c2=
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1/Blackarachnia]] (5)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (1)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Bumblebee''': ''[Bad Slavic accent]'' Velcome. I am Count Dracubot. I vant to drink your motor oil. 
'''Bulkhead''': Hey, guys! I finally found something big enough for my ghost costume. 
''[Fumes surround his feet, causing Sari to cough]'' 
'''Sari''': Bulkhead, where did you get that sheet? 
'''Bulkhead''': It was just draped over some house. Weird place for a bed sheet, huh? 
'''Sari''': Oh, that's not a bedsheet. That's a fumigation tent. 
'''Bulkhead''': Really…? What's a fumigation tent? 
''[As well as the fumes, Bulkhead's feet are now covered in dead cockroaches.]''
:—Sari sees the Autobots' costumes.

"I've got a good feeling about this. Any cycle now, we're gonna be overflowing with rich, All Spark-infused, energon-y goodness!" 
"Did you really just say 'energon-y goodness'?"
:—'''Sentinel''''s speech <strike>tick</strike>—er, tic bemuses '''Elita-1'''.

'''Sari''': Optimus! Check out my costume! 
''[Camera reveals that Sari is Optimus Prime]'' 
'''Sari''': ''[Imitating Optimus]'' Oh, look at me. I'm Optimus Prime. I'm scared of spiders. 
''[Bumblebee and Bulkhead chuckle]'' 
'''Optimus''': That's ''not'' what I sound like—is it? 
'''Bumblebee''': Last chance to join us, Boss Bot. 
'''Optimus''': Thanks, but I'll pass. Just be careful out there, all right? 
'''Sari''': Don't worry. I'll keep these two out of trouble. ''[Imitating Optimus]'' Transform and roll out! 
''[Optimus gives Sari a look]'' 
'''Sari''': Couldn't resist.
:—Sari and the Autobots roast Optimus Prime.

'''Bumblebee''': Who are you? 
'''Bulkhead''': What are you? 
'''Sari''': Duh. She's a girl.
:—The gang meets Blackarachnia.

"So, who ''was'' that bug-bot lady?" 
"Someone I never should have left behind."
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Optimus Prime''' talk some heavy stuff.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
[[Image:TFA Along Spider Bulkhead jaw drop.JPG|right|200px|thumb|We've heard of jaw-droppers before, but this is ridiculous.]]
* Shortly after Sentinel says that he and Optimus should go back for Elita when the Decepticon ship explodes, his nose and forehead are painted silver, like Optimus.
* As Blackarachnia is stroking Bulkhead, his jaw falls off, then is seen re-attached to him the next cut—an obviously intentional, throw-away [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/JawDrop animation joke.]
* Sentinel's light blue markings can be seen several times during flashbacks.

===Continuity===
* Glitches

===Transformers references===
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 animated series]], [[Elita One]] was [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s paramour. The ''Animated'' incarnation of the character refrains from attempting to visually homage the original pink-and-white Elita, instead creating a blue-and-yellow pony-tailed character who bears a resemblance to Elita's earlier (pony-tailed) form, Ariel. Similarly, her relationship with Optimus is less distinct. As confirmed [[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|later]], she used to be Sentinel's girlfriend, but present-day scenes do suggest ''some'' kind of personal tension (though that could be guilt on Optimus's part and anger on Elita's).
* Sentinel is depicted here as Optimus's friend and peer, whereas in all other series he's either been Optimus's mentor, a superior officer, or a predecessor. In this way, it seems the roles of Sentinel and [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] have been reversed from past continuities.
* With this episode, [[Energon cube|energon cubes]] make their first appearance in Transformers cartoons since ''Beast Wars''. They look ''exactly'' like they did in the Generation 1 cartoon, which even ''Beast Wars'' didn't pull off.
* Speaking of which, Sari's Optimus costume resembles the original [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] from ''Generation 1'' more than it does the [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|one in her timeline]].
* Bulkhead's jaw-drop is certain to remind some of when [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]]'s jaw did practically the same thing in the ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' episode "[[Showdown (episode)|Showdown]]."

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''E lá vem uma Aranha'''" ("And Here Come a Spider")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Comme une araignée dans sa toile'''" ("Like a Spider in Her Web")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Im Netz der Spinne'''" ("In the Spider's Web")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 21|21 June]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''クモ女の影''' (''Kumo-onna no Kage'', "Shadow of the Spider-Woman")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 5|5 June]] [[2010]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''W Sieci Pająka'''" ("In the Spider's Web")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* Bulkhead's "ghost" costume, with its constant cloud of pesticides at the bottom, coincidentally resembles "Pig-Pen's" costume from ''[[wikipedia:It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"|It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown]]''.
* Judging how Blackarachnia [[Spider-Man|can swing from a thread]], the Autobots had best take a look overhead.
* "Little help for the vertically challenged?" Bulkhead throwing Bumblebee is better known to ''X-Men'' fans as the Fastball Special, usually performed by [[wikipedia:Colossus (comics)|Colossus]] and [[Wolverine]].
* This episode's title is a reference to the James Patterson novel ''Along Came A Spider''...or possibly some nursery rhyme, but for coolness, we'll go with the novel.

===Trivia===
* In a flashback, prior to Blackarachnia's transformation, a helmet can be seen sitting in a corner of the Decepticon ship. In the season 3 episode "[[Predacons Rising]]", it is confirmed that she starts wearing the helmet to conceal the extent of her transformation.
* This episode makes a point of how Sari has been overusing the AllSpark Key previously, and that it can't be used to cure every Transformer injury. The writers evidently anticipated that reaction from the audience.
* Referring to himself as "vertically challenged", Bumblebee seems to be over his height complex, which was such a major point in "[[Total Meltdown]]".
* This is the first time Sentinel has been fully on screen. When he appeared in "[[Transform and Roll Out!]]", all that was seen of him was his big jerk head.
* In the flashbacks, neither Sentinel nor Optimus is addressed as "[[Prime (rank)|Prime]]". [[Endgame, Part I|Later events]] seem to confirm they hadn't attained that rank yet. (Sentinel is actually credited as just "Sentinel", not Sentinel Prime or Sentinel Minor, like he is in "[[Autoboot Camp]]", corroborating even at the time that the non-mention of their ranks was intentional.)
* On a related note, in the flashbacks, Sentinel's Autobot insignia (unsurprisingly) does not have the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] "[[:Image:Cyb Elite Guard Badge.png|wings]]" we see when he's introduced [[The Elite Guard|in the present]].
[[Image:TFA Along Spider Costume Bumblebee.jpeg|thumb|200px|right|Bumblebee attempts to get into character and fails.]]
* Blackarachnia claims that she's been waiting to be cured for "a thousand [[Units of time|stellar cycles]]", which gives us a rough time frame for when the flashbacks in this episode took place. Whether they occur before or after "[[Autoboot Camp]]" is unclear, but it's probably before if we assume that our favorite jerk was only going by "Sentinel", and not "Sentinel Minor" at that point.
* This episode gives us at least one reason why Sentinel hates Optimus. The incident is also later established as the cause of Optimus's expulsion from the Autobot Academy in "[[Endgame, Part I]]".
* The hand motions Bulkhead makes at the end of the episode when he says "So who was that Bug-Bot-Lady?" are...interesting, to say the least.
* While dressed up as Count Dracubot, Bumblebee states that he "wants to drink your motor oil." As we learn [[Rise of the Constructicons|later]], this is roughly the equivalent of a vampire saying he wants to bum a few beers off you. Bumblebee ''really'' needs to work on this whole Halloween thing.
* When we see Sari, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee together in the city, one of the kids in the bottom left of the screen is wearing a Bumblebee costume. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Nanosec (episode)

2010-07-14T18:57:29Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{disambig2|an episode of Transformers Animated|the supervillain the episode is named for|Nanosec}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Nanosec flee.JPG
|caption=Sure was nice of Sumdac to make a prototype suit that already had a supervillain look to it.
|ep=8
|ep2=9
|prev2=Blast from the Past
|next2=Along Came a Spider
|title="Nanosec"
|airdate=[[January 26]], 2008
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio=[[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=
}}

'''Bumblebee's self-proclaimed title as "fastest thing on wheels" is threatened by Nanosec, a super-speedster crook on a deadly mission that could destroy all of Detroit.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee Nino Sexton.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"Bumblebee, put your doll down." "It is an ACTION FIGURE, Prime!"]]
During a nighttime fireworks display, a small-time thief named Nino Sexton takes advantage of the distraction to pull a heist not far from [[Detroit|Detroit's]] boardwalks. He eludes the easily bamboozled [[police drone]]s, but makes the mistake of trying to steal the not-so-easily-bamboozled [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] for a getaway car. Bumblebee toys with the crook for a bit, showing off his speed, but [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] arrives and tells him to knock it off. As they argue, Sexton tries to leave, but Bulkhead stops him with his wrecking ball—which cracks apart the boardwalk, sending all three plunging down. The two 'bots hit the water while Sexton hangs on desperately to a shattered board. He is saved in the nick of time by [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]], who turns him in to the police.

Meanwhile, in [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]]'s private lab, his attempt to construct a servo for [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] fails, as Megatron knew it would. The [[Decepticon]] says that [[Destronium]] is necessary to build parts of sufficient quality, but Sumdac responds that the only available Destronium is a small amount synthesized on Earth.

[[Image:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee turbo boosters.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"Bumblebee, give me my jetpack back right now!"]]

The next day, Prime reprimands Bulkhead and Bumblebee, then says that Bumblebee will spend the day working with [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and Bulkhead on using his head instead of his thrusters. This upsets [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]], who has been looking forward to sharing with 'Bee one of her dad's latest prototypes: a set of turbo boosters. Bumblebee's all too eager to get them attached, but [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] absolutely nixes the idea. Sari protests that her dad's equipment is perfectly safe.

Across town, a technician reports to Professor Sumdac that there are problems with the new turbo-blade cyber suit as the test subject hurtles helplessly around the test track. Sumdac resignedly asks for the design specs so he can work out the bugs. Once the suit is perfected, it will increase human speed and reaction time a thousandfold. Megatron insists that the Destronium take priority, but Sumdac notes that the available sample is too unstable; transporting it from across town would leave it useless—or worse, highly explosive—unless it could be delivered in under ten minutes. He notes that nothing is that fast, but Megatron eyes the display of the plans for the cyber suit.

Shortly, Nino Sexton is informed that someone has posted his bail, though the police drone has no info on who it was. Bemused, he walks outside, where a delivery drone hands him a package "from a friend." Nino opens it to find the cyber suit.

In traffic, Bumblebee refuses to slow down and blend in. He points out that a riderless motorcycle hardly blends in either, so Prowl generates a holographic driver, but Bumblebee still refuses to cooperate—until a traffic jam forces him to do so. When a group of police vehicles speed by, Bumblebee takes the excuse to put on his own police roof light and do some "blending".

[[Image:TFA Nanosec Prowl awesome.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Ninjas are AWESOME!]]

The police turn out to be responding to a sudden rash of thefts by a hyper-fast Nino Sexton. Just after one theft, a teller comments in shock that the money vanished in a nanosec. Nino overhears and decides he likes the name. He then proceeds to elude the police easily, then encounters Bumblebee. This time, [[Nanosec]] gets away, and Bumblebee can only marvel at his speed. However, for all his velocity, Nanosec finds his big bags of loot rather heavy, and he pauses to catch his breath—only to be confronted by Prowl. The crook soon escapes, but Bumblebee's had time to catch up. He's still not fast enough to overtake Nanosec before the speedster zooms through a railroad crossing with a train closing in fast. Losing his nerve at the last second, Bumblebee slams on the brakes but gets stuck on the tracks. Bulkhead manages to grab the train in time to save 'Bee from getting crushed and holds it long enough that his buddy can get out of the way.

As Nanosec rejoices in his escape, he is contacted by Megatron, who is using a strobing signal that can only be detected at ultra-high speeds. Megatron offers Nanosec a substantial reward—$50 million—for delivering the Destronium. As a downpayment, he provides an ATM code that delivers a large amount of cash out of Isaac Sumdac's private bank account. All he has to do is get the Destronium from the lab to [[Sumdac Tower]] within ten minutes.

At the Autobots' base, Bumblebee continues to try to beat his speed record, but to no avail. As he begs Ratchet to give him the turbo booster upgrade, Nanosec heists the Destronium from Sumdac Labs. Prime arrives to announce Nanosec's latest activity and location, and commands everyone to roll out to capture the villain. A dejected Bumblebee thinks it's impossible, but Sari holds up the [[AllSpark Key]] and says there might be a way.

[[Image:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee no control.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Don't drink and drive, kids!]]

As Nanosec races into town, Prime stops him with a spread of negative-friction lubricant, but once he lassos the criminal out of the puddle, Nanosec's speed allows him to turn Prime's grappling lines against him. Prime calls for back-up, so Sari activates Bumblebee's newly installed boosters with the AllSpark Key. Prime finally manages to catch Nanosec by his legs, but Bumblebee rockets into him, out of control, allowing the villain to escape. 'Bee and Sari nearly zoom off the edge of a half-built bridge, but Prime's line catches them. Even so, it's a struggle for the Autobot leader to hold them, so 'Bee throws it in reverse. This gets him away from the drop, but otherwise doesn't help much.

[[Image:Destronium.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Better hope [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] doesn't find this.]]

Down the road, Ratchet uses his magnets to catch Nanosec, then checks the container he was carrying. He quickly realizes the danger involved—if the Destronium detonates in its current state, it could wipe out half of Detroit. Then Bulkhead notices Nanosec, whose hood has come off, now has grey hair when he used to be a redhead. Just then, Bumblebee rockets by, still out of control and now in reverse, again knocking Nanosec free to resume his delivery. Ratchet suggests Bee switch to robot mode, which is a MUCH bigger help. Prime catches up and orders Ratchet to disable the boosters, but there's no time; Nanosec has to be caught and stopped NOW. Prime tells everyone to roll out—without any vehicle mode modifications, thank you. As they proceed, Bulkhead wonders if the Destronium turned Nanosec's hair white, but Prowl responds that loss of hair color in organics is a sign of aging. Realizing what's going on, Bumblebee activates his boosters (which are apparently under control now) and races after Nanosec, using his head AND his thrusters. Once he catches up to the slowing speedster, 'Bee easily zaps the Destronium out of his grasp and rolls off with it. He then taunts the criminal into pursuing him at top speed until Nanosec becomes literally too old for this stuff and collapses.

[[Image:TFA Nanosec Bumblebee flight.JPG|right|200px|thumb|And they say bees can't fly.]]

By this time, the Destronium is very near its flash point, and according to Ratchet, the only safe place to take it is the upper atmosphere. With a two-stage boost assist from Bulkhead and Prowl, Bumblebee manages to use his thrusters to take the Destronium high enough and chuck it away before it explodes. Ratchet and Prime then slow him down and cool him off during his reentry. As the media cover Nanosec's arrest and the averted disaster, Prime congratulates everyone on a job well done, and Prowl even offers to race Bumblebee back to the plant, but 'Bee says he and Sari will walk.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)

|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (6)

|c3=
*[[Nanosec]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (5)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (10)

|c4=
*[[Domestic Bot]]
*[[Security Bot]]
*[[Guard Bot]]
}}

==Quotes==
"I'm kinda new to this planet, but I believe you're supposed to pay for those things before you run off with them."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' holding Nanosec after he robs the warehouse

"Couldn't I just ask your Autobot friends to help?" 
"NO! I…do not wish them to see me in this weakened state."
:—'''Megatron''' tells '''Isaac Sumdac''' the absolute truth, for once. Sort of.

'''Bumblebee''': Turbo boosters! Suh-weet! 
'''Optimus Prime''': You're not actually thinking of hooking these things up to yourself, are you? 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, of course not! I was gonna ask the doc-bot to do it for me. 
'''Ratchet''': Have you got your processor up your exhaust port? These things are untested, incompatible— 
'''Sari''': And totally wicked fast!
:—Bumblebee gets a few mixed signals.

'''Prowl''': The point of this exercise is to blend into your environment 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, right! 'Cause nothing says 'blend' like a motorcycle driving itself." 
''[Prowl generates a hologram of a policeman driver for himself]'' 
'''Prowl''': Happy?
:—Houston, we have [[Moustache Man]] sighting.

"You know, there might be another way to get that turbo booster upgrade." 
"But, Prime's orders—" 
"Were to catch Nanosec. He didn't say HOW."
:—'''Sari''' plays the little devil on '''Bumblebee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s shoulder.

"What is this stuff? Are you nuts?" 
"Negative friction lubricant. ''[transforms]'' And technically, I'm nuts, bolts, and armored plating."
:—'''Nanosec''' gets schooled by '''Optimus Prime'''

'''Bumblebee''': You ROCK! 
'''Sari''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': No, YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': I said YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': I said YOU rock! 
'''Bumblebee''': YOU rock! 
'''Sari''': YOU rock!
:—Mercifully, the exchange ends here.

"How do you suppose this Nanosec fellow got hold of my experimental turbo suit?" 
"I suspect it was an inside job."
:—Delightfully layered-meaning dialog between '''Professor Sumdac''' and '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* Prof. Sumdac seems woefully dim about his own creation, stating that nothing could be fast enough to bring the Destronium across town in time, '''right after''' talking about the turbo suit. However, as the suit has just been shown to have problems, perhaps Sumdac is instead exercising some sensible caution by not even considering using it.

* Ironically, judging from the position of the train at the time Bumblebee stopped on the tracks, he ''would'' have made it if he'd kept going, or he could've just stepped off the tracks by transforming to robot mode.

* Comparing Megatron's directions to a map of the Detroit-Monroe area, he seems to recommend taking a primarily north-south route, which seems to be the shortest distance. However, Prime says Nanosec's taking I-94, the east-west highway, which would require a substantially longer route. Even given his super speed, why would Nanosec make it harder on himself to make the 10-minute deadline? (It's possible maps.megatron.com's route doesn't use highways, meaning more traffic lights, but the map's semi-fictionalized, so it's hard to tell. And why would Nanosec care about traffic lights anyway?)

* Apparently, news spreads as fast as Nanosec can run. No one seems to be around to hear him say he likes the name after he hears the teller use the word, yet within a few hours, Prime and Sari somehow know his name as well. Maybe he quickly put up some P.R.?

* Sumdac claims that the Destronium has to be delivered quickly, or it will become too unstable, yet Ratchet later claims that moving the substance at high speed is what makes it so volatile, so it was a lose-lose situation from the beginning. Perhaps Megatron needs to run a few more self-diagnostics before he starts his galactic conquest gig again.

* What would Megatron actually ''do'' with the destronium, even if he got it, without letting Sumdac know about it? He needs ''help'' to get his body back.

===Animation errors===
*As Bumblebee is about to go over the closed bridge, just before he goes into reverse, the AllSpark Key is stuck in his ignition—and also depicted hanging from its lanyard around Sari's neck.
*When the police drone tells Nanosec to freeze, its caterpillar treads are still moving.

===Transformers references===
* Bumblebee uses the term "Big Bot", which was also [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor's]] affectionate name for [[Optimus Primal]] in ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.

* Megatron is made up of [[Destronium]] circuits. The Decepticons are called [[Destron]]s in Japan. Or maybe they got it from [[Destro|a certain Scottish arms dealer]].

* Bumblebee's battle mask bears a striking similarity to the toy-face of the original [[Generation 1]] [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] toy.

* Sumdac's new police drones, first seen (sort of) in "[[Total Meltdown]]", have been adopted by the Detroit police department. They still need to work out some bugs.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nanoséconde'''" ("Nanosecond")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Turbodüsen'''" ("The Turbojets")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 2|2 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''罠の時間''' (''Wana no Jikan'', "Trap Time")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 29|29 May]] [[2010]]
* Bumblebee actually sings along with the first few lines to the opening song "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" after doing the introduction.
* A reference to the ''[[wikipedia:Lupin III|Lupin III]]'' series, notably Nanosec's "Later, pops!" (''Abayo, tott-san''!), which the title Lupin would say to Inspector Zenigata whenever the thief makes his escape.

===Real-world references===
* Going by the semi-fictional map Megatron provides, Sumdac Tower appears to be near the interchange of I-96 and State Highway 39, while the lab with the Destronium is somewhere near the suburb of Berlin, just east of I-75. For comparison, the robot plant shown in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" is on the lakeshore in Monroe, about six miles further southwest.

===Trivia===
[[Image:TFA Nanosec Sumdac Megatron chill.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"You know, this really hugs the buttocks." "I hate you. I really, really do."]]
* The script for this episode was the first ''Transformers Animated'' script to be written, and was used by series scribe [[Marty Isenberg]] both as a showcase and as a testing ground for the new show's Detroit setting and character dynamics, particularly in terms of its focus on a human rather than a Decepticon villain. Indeed, this episode was originally conceived as the show's pilot, until the decision was later made to open instead with a larger-scale "event" TV movie, leading to the development of "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".<ref>[http://www.cvcomics.com/artandstory/?p=242 Art & Story interview with Marty Isenberg]</ref>
* This is the first time Bumblebee uses his battle mask.
* This is also the first time we see Bumblebee's rocket boosters. He loses them during atmospheric reentry, but he gets them back in the second season—just in time to have some [[Velocity|fun with race cars]].
* In the previous week's episode, "[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]", Ratchet repaired his war wound—the exposed circuitry on the dorsal side of his left forearm—when he installed his EMP generator, regained from the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. Only a few shots in this episode provide a view of that part of his arm, and most of them show it as whole. However, the one good view available—after the Destronium theft, when Bumblebee is begging Ratchet to install the boosters—distinctly shows the war wound still present. It's possible he's left the generator unattached so he may continue to remember the circumstances of its loss [[Arcee (Animated)|"for those who can't,"]] as he puts it.
* In this episode, Bumblebee tries to be responsible, while Sari is the one who opts for breaking the rules. Wow. That's a role reversal from [[Unicron Trilogy|previous fictions]].
* Isaac Sumdac is still using Megatron's hand as a chair. For a fleshling, he's got brass.
* Bumblebee ran Nanosec, already slowed enough to make them equal, into old age on purpose for no apparent reason. That is '''COLD'''.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Thrill of the Hunt

2010-07-14T18:56:47Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Thrill Hunt Ratchet Lockdown reunion.JPG
|caption=Sadly, no tumbleweeds.
|ep=7
|ep2=5
|prev2=Sound and Fury
|next2=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="The Thrill of the Hunt"
|airdate=[[January 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Andrew Robinson]]
|directed by=[[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]}}

'''While Autobots encounter a mysterious muscle car creating havoc in Detroit, Ratchet keeps flashing back to his "tour of duty" in the Great Autobot-Decepticon Wars.'''

==Synopsis==
While debating the ethical dilemma of an auto parts store with [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]'s old war wound tingles, making him think that trouble's ahead. Just then, the lights in the city go out, and the trio is confronted by a spiked muscle car with red headlamps. Thinking it's a human out for a joyride, the [[Autobot|Autobots]] go after the car. At a critical moment in the chase, Ratchet experiences a flashback to his days in the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]]….

[[Image:Ratchetanimatedthrill.jpg|left|170px|thumb|PTSD-bait in the making.]]

''Field tech Ratchet is in the middle of a war zone with a Decepticon barrage falling down around him. Communicating with [[Supreme Commander]] [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], he says he found the object of his mission, an Autobot intelligence officer named [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]. She is badly damaged and in need of immediate repair. Ratchet uses his [[EMP]] generator to deactivate her temporarily, allowing him to replace her leg, despite Arcee's concern that the EMP could wipe her [[memory core]].''

Ratchet flashes back into the present and is nearly run over by the muscle car, but is pushed out of the way by Bumblebee. The Autobots regroup at headquarters and Optimus inquires of Ratchet's well-being, but the crusty old bot doesn't want to talk. Meanwhile, the [[Television|TV]] news is broadcasting a live, high-speed chase between the police and the strange car, and Ratchet experiences another flashback.

[[Image:Lockdown both hands.jpg|right|170px|thumb|SUCKER-PUNCH!]]

''In the middle of the repair to Arcee, Ratchet loads her up and starts to evacuate the area, only to be caught and smacked down by a bounty hunter.''

Ratchet's thoughts are snapped back into the present as the Autobots begin the chase after the muscle car anew. Ratchet finally recognizes the muscle car as an old nemesis, [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. The past haunts him again….

''Ratchet and Arcee are now prisoners of Lockdown, who explains his work as a bounty hunter and his lack of allegiance to either side in the war. He also says he has a fondness for taking weapons and parts from his quarry as trophies and upgrades. This time, he's taken Ratchet's EMP generator.''

Flash-forward to the present, where Prime finally forces Lockdown to stop. The bounty hunter incapacitates Prime with the EMP weapon, and they both disappear. In his hideout, Lockdown explains to a tied-up Optimus Prime about the bounty on his head for killing [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Optimus explains that he didn't kill the [[Decepticon]], but Lockdown insists doesn't care as long as he gets his bounty. Then he gets to work on removing Prime’s grapplers and installing them in his own body.

The Autobots scan the city for Prime, but don't have much luck until [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] finds that Lockdown's [[Death's Head (Animated)|ship]] is sitting in the middle of the old downtown area, cloaked as an ordinary warehouse. Before they roll out, Ratchet refuses to join the rescue mission, though without explanation.

[[Image:TFA Thrill Hunt Prowl Lockdown.JPG|left|170px|thumb|Everybody was kung-fu fighting! Those cats were fast as lightning.]]

Finished with his chop job on Optimus, Lockdown converses with [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]], who is evidently the one who put the price on Prime's head. Lockdown requests payment, but Blitzwing wants results first. If those satisfy him, then the upgrade reward will satisfy Lockdown. The Autobots arrive at Lockdown's ship and attack. Lockdown dispatches [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and Bumblebee without much trouble. Prowl is a bit harder for Lockdown to handle until the bounty hunter drops him with an EMP blast. Before he can take any more trophies, Ratchet arrives and confronts Lockdown. The bounty hunter recognizes the old bot as the source of his EMP generator, and Ratchet vows that he'll never take another another trophy again, but the medic too falls to the EMP. However, when Lockdown thinks he's beaten the doc-bot, Ratchet reveals he was playing dead, being immune to the effects of his own weapon, and throws Lockdown around with his magnetic powers, knocking him unconscious. Inside Lockdown’s ship, Ratchet finds Prime and frees him, but Lockdown—himself "playing possum" after Ratchet's attack—stops them from leaving. Ratchet takes him out again, and once the bounty hunter’s pinned down, Ratchet forcibly removes the parts Lockdown stole from Prime. He remarks that he would have used his EMP generator to remove them painlessly, but he no longer has it. Lockdown offers to return the generator if Ratchet will use it. The act brings on another flashback.

''In order to avoid interrogation from Megatron, Arcee asks Ratchet to use his EMP generator on her to wipe her memory core, which contains critical access codes for the Autobots. When Ratchet and Lockdown struggle for the device, it overloads and goes off. Ratchet and Arcee leave Lockdown's ship just before some part of it detonates, but when Ratchet inquires of her condition, Arcee doesn't know who she is or where they are, a result of the EMP blast.''

[[Image:TFA Thrill Hunt Ratchet EMP Generator ship.JPG|right|170px|thumb|She cannae take the pressure!]]

In the present, Ratchet mockingly asks Lockdown if he wants the generator to ease his pain, while Lockdown tightens his grip on a rod. As Ratchet moves to take the EMP generator back, Lockdown prepares to strike, but Ratchet hits Lockdown with a magnetic blast before he can do so. Ratchet denounces Lockdown for turning a medical tool into a weapon and zaps Lockdown's ship. He then escapes with Optimus as the ship crashes into a river.

Back at headquarters, Ratchet repairs Prime’s grapplers and then finally opens up to Optimus about his war experiences.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (5)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (6)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (7)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (8)

|c2=
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (4)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (9)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (10)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Ratchet''': Augh, it's primitive. It's barbaric. There ought to be a law against it! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's just an auto supply store, Ratchet. 
'''Ratchet''': You mean they actually sell spare parts on the open market? What kind of malfunction would be crass enough to buy this stuff? 
'''Bumblebee''': Hey, guys, check out my new horn!
:—Evidently, Bumblebee is crass enough.

'''Hothead Blitzwing''': You have Optimus Prime? Hand him over at once! That Autobot will pay for what he did to our leader! 
'''Lockdown''': Yeah, speaking of payment, I'm gonna need mine first. 
'''Icy Blitzwing''': Patience, my bounty-hunting friend. You will not be disappointed with your upgrades, provided I am not disappointed with your results. 
'''Random Blitzwing''': Ooooh! I wanna see him turn into a fire truck! Can I? Can I, ha-ha, can I? Ahahahahahahahaha!
:—Blitzwing, Blitzwing and Blitzwing negotiate with Lockdown.

"I'm impressed. It's been eons since the last time anyone got the drop on me." 
"The next time will be much sooner!"
:—'''Lockdown''' and '''Prowl''' engage in some [[A Fistful of Energon|foreshadowing]].

"I'm not good with names and faces, but I never forget a trophy."
:—'''Lockdown''', best buddy of Kraven and the Predator.

"Time was I'd use my EMP generator to do this painlessly. Too bad I don't have it anymore."
:—'''Ratchet''', right before ripping Prime's grapplers out of Lockdown's arm, forgetting children are watching.

"How're you healing?" 
"Arm's as good as new, thanks to you." 
"That wasn't what I meant." 
"Let's just say I have a much better appreciation for what you went through back in the day and why you don't wanna remember it." 
"It's not that I don't want to remember. I have to remember… for those who can't." 
"Still, I don't suppose it hurts to talk about it sometimes… with a trusted friend." 
"So, what do you wanna know?"
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* During the news broadcast sequence, if the EMP is enough to shut off the lights in Lockdown's wake, how are the pursuing police vehicles not affected? Is he just projecting the EMP out to both sides?

===Animation errors===
* After Bulkhead says "Hey no fair!" Ratchet transforms into robot mode and skids on the ground. At that point, Ratchet's pupils are black, but when he stops skidding, they turn white.
* Blitzwing changes from Hothead to Icy personality abruptly and without either a transition animation or a sound effect.

===Transformers references===
* Bumblebee's new horn plays the traditional melody of the phrase "Ro-bots in Dis-guise"!

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le fantôme du passé'''" ("The Ghost of the Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Kopfgeldjäger'''" ("The Bounty Hunter")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 14|14 June]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''ぬぐえない記憶''' (''Nuguenai Kioku'', "Unwipeable Memories")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 1|1 May]] [[2010]]
* The [[Otoboto family]] segment has [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]] holding a "Trans-quiz" with [[Tatsuya Otoboto|Tatsuya]] and [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]] (Yūka rather reluctant at the silliness of it). Questions include: what was Optimus' other name when G1 aired in Japan in [[1985]] (A: [[Convoy]]); and what was the name of the game that was released on the [[Famicom]] in [[1986]] (A: ''[[Transformers: Mystery of Convoy|Convoy no Nazo]]'', answered by [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]]). Megumi tells Hiroyuki that he has a phone call and Hiroyuki promptly asks "Are you Bill Gates?", along with several questions in near-perfect ENGLISH(!), before leaving the living room and his family mystified.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gorączka polowania'''" ("The Thrill of the Hunt")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world References===
* The TV anchorman seen in this episode appears to be an ''Animated'' version of [[wikipedia:Ron_Burgundy|Ron Burgundy]]. Stay classy, Cybertron.
* Ratchet's line, "Don't call me sir. I work for a living," is a common sentiment of sergeants and other non-commissioned officers in the armed forces.
* Ratchet's other line, "I'm a medi-bot, not a field commander!" is based on Dr. McCoy's oft-repeated line from [[wikipedia:Star_Trek|''Star Trek'']], "I'm a doctor not a…".

===Trivia===
*This episode reveals how the right half of Ratchet's chevron got broken and why his left arm has a missing piece. Both were caused by Lockdown. However, it would seem that it [[The Arrival issue 3#"'Bots of Science"|wasn't the first time his chevron snapped off]].
*[[Susan Blu]] reprises her role of Arcee from the Generation 1 cartoon series.
*This is the first episode in which we see ''Animated'' Cybertron, albeit in a flashback.
*This is also the first episode to not feature any of the main [[human]] cast.
*This episode seems to refute [[Fandom|fans]] who had worried the series would be too kid-oriented, as it features a heavy atmosphere, post-traumatic shock, guilt, suggested torture, and quite obvious pain being inflicted by a good guy on a villain, pretty much for no other reason but revenge.
*As Prime and Ratchet talk at the end, you hear the saddest rendition of "More than Meets The Eye" ever.
*Prowl's wheels make the same noise as Lockdown's chainsaw.
*Blitzwing's face-swapping feature makes a different noise in this episode than in other episodes.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thrill of the Hunt}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Blast from the Past

2010-07-14T18:55:55Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{disambig2|the 2008 Transformers Animated episode|the 2003 Armada comic|Panini Armada issue 6}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Blast Past Dinobots burn.JPG
|caption="When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked." "Yes, but, John, when Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists."
|ep=6
|ep2=8
|prev2=Total Meltdown
|next2=Nanosec (episode)
|title="Blast from the Past"
|airdate=[[January 12]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Kevin Hopps]]
|directed by=[[Irineo Maramba]] [[Ben Jones]] [[Kentaro Mizuno]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}

'''Professor Sumdac upgrades a trio of animatronic dinosaurs from a local theme park, but the creatures develop minds of their own and become rampaging Dinobots, bent on destroying the Autobots.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Blast Past Bulkhead Tutor Bot.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"Did you find him?" "Just the parts they didn't like."]]

[[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] takes the [[Autobot|Autobots]] to "[[Dino Drive]]", a [[dinosaur]]-based theme park, in order to teach them about [[Earth]]'s history. On the way, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] accidentally destroys every car in the parking lot. Once inside, [[Tutor Bot]] gives an impromptu lesson on dinosaurs. The Autobots see the animatronic dinosaurs and become amazed by the replicas, especially Bulkhead, who becomes so fascinated that he tries to get the robot ''Pteranodon'' to fly. This only succeeds in having the robot fall and cause a ''Triceratops'' and ''Tyrannosaurus'' robot to collide and break each other, crushing Tutor Bot in the process. The Autobot take the broken animatronics to [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] for repair.

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Sumdac Megatron meet.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"The voice you hear is Richard Kiley. We spared no expense."]]

At the lab, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] views the power of dinosaurs through the damaged Tutor Bot and seems very impressed by their destructive potential. Sumdac enters the lab and berates himself for programming the Tutor Bot with such simple information that everyone already knows. Megatron reveals his consciousness by saying ''he'' never knew these things. Sumdac is shocked, and Megatron, pretending that he has just come back online, asks where he is. Professor Sumdac rambles a bit, then says it's a long story. Megatron reassures him that he can listen, as he is not going anywhere. After Sumdac gives a brief history of Megatron's discovery and how he relates to modern technology, Megatron convinces Sumdac that he is an old friend of the Autobots and that they'll be more forgiving of Sumdac keeping his secrets if he helps repair their old comrade. However, it would be best to keep it quiet for now. As a sign of good faith, he offers to help Sumdac repair the dinosaur displays and provide information on how to upgrade their technology so they'll be even more convincing. He conveniently forgets to tell Sumdac that he plans on using them for prototype attack drones.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] is trying to teach Bulkhead how to control his strength. This, of course, ends with Bulkhead falling on Prowl. He then tries a new tactic and moves the training to an island in Lake Erie. This results in Bulkhead causing some trees to drop on Prowl.

[[Image:TFA Blast Past pulse.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"Think they'll have that on the tour?"]]

At Dino Drive, Sumdac reveals his and Megatron's creations to the gathered press and Autobots—the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]]! After a short display, Megatron takes control, and the Dinobots go on a rampage. As the Autobots fight them, Bulkhead tries to recreate Prowl's teaching, but to no effect other than falling into Prowl and knocking him flat on his back. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] then combine their powers to create an electromagnetic pulse to shut down the Dinobots, but her [[AllSpark Key]] is somehow drawn to the creatures. She decides to help and plugs the Key into Bumblebee. The blast intensifies, blowing the dinosaurs' skins off and revealing the robot bodies beneath. Professor Sumdac is confused as to why they malfunctioned and brings them back to his lab for maintenance.

At Sumdac's lab, Megatron becomes perplexed as to why the AllSpark Key activated, thinking it sensed something Cybertronian about the Dinobots. He dismisses this idea and curses the drones for being useless. Their failure also forces Megatron to reassess his plans. Given the primitive level of technology available on the planet, it could take years not only to create adequate attack drones, but even longer for his own new body. Megatron laments the grim situation of being locked away in Sumdac's lab, then something very surprising happens—the ''Tyrannosaurus'' starts to talk, and the other dinosaurs begin to move. On top of that, Megatron finds he can't control them!

Megatron then surmises that the Autobots must have done something to them, declaring that, somehow, they have [[Spark|sparks]] of their own. The ''Tyrannosaurus'' then dubs himself "[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]]" and, without fail, Megatron declares that he is the Dinobots' leader. Grimlock doesn't approve of this concept and announces that ''he'' is the leader, and [[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] and [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] seem to agree. The Tutor Bot activates, much to Megatron's annoyance, and explains how dinosaur fossils create fossil fuel, which powers cars and trucks. Grimlock takes this to mean cars and trucks "eat" dinosaurs and announces that cars and trucks are bad. Megatron takes advantage of their low intelligence and tells them to destroy the "fossil feeders", and, of course, that the only things worse than cars and trucks are "car robots". He shows them how to use one of their more destructive powers, [[fire-breath]], and they use it to destroy the Tutor Bot. Grimlock is pleased with this, but does not know how he did it. Megatron explains how he designed them, then tells them that the fossil feeders want them dead, so the Dinobots go to defend themselves.

[[Image:Fanzone.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Somewhere on this island is the greatest hunter that ever lived. And the second greatest hunter must take him down."]]

As they start on their rampage, [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] and assembled emergency crews try to stop them. Suddenly, Snarl whips a car with his tail, and [[Captain Fanzone's car]] becomes the first casualty of the Dinobots' war on the fossil feeders as the thrown car lands on it. Fanzone, not missing a beat, takes a bazooka and shoots Snarl in the face, but he just swallows the incoming missile.

The Autobots arrive and, at Bulkhead's suggestion, lure the Dinobots to a park in order to avoid any more collateral damage. As Grimlock sees them transform, he remembers something he'd forgotten: Car robots are worse than cars and trucks. Furious, he orders the Dinobots to attack. As the battle goes on, the Autobots are seriously outmatched, especially since Bulkhead is trying to "assess the situation" before acting, as Prowl tried to teach him to do. Prowl, realizing their disadvantage, hollers for Bulkhead not to try and be like Prowl, but to be like ''Bulkhead''. Reassured, Bulkhead quickly drops Snarl and Swoop.

At the lab, Sumdac and Megatron are watching the events unfold on the news, and Sumdac is unable to comprehend why the Dinobots malfunctioned again. Suddenly, the professor realizes that the fire-breath was part of Megatron's design specifications. Megatron feigns shame, claiming that he wanted a body again, so he experimented with the Dinobots by adding "features". Sumdac sympathizes with Megatron, promising not to tell the Autobots and to restore Megatron one day.

[[Image:TFA Blast Past Dinobots stuck.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"You're sure they're contained?" "Yes. Unless they figure out how to open doors."]]

Meanwhile, Bumblebee and Ratchet are pinned down by Grimlock's fire-breath. Snarl and Swoop get up and join in, the heat melting the parking lot behind the two Autobots. [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] remembers the tar lesson from Dino Drive, and Bulkhead throws all three Dinobots into the newly formed pool. The Dinobots use their flames in an attempt to free themselves from the "black, sticky stuff", but only make things worse for themselves.

The Dinobots are trapped with only their heads sticking out. Professor Sumdac promises to melt them down due to their unpredictableness and the danger they therefore pose. Optimus approves of this, but Prowl does not, feeling that they have shown they have minds and sparks of their own. When Sumdac returns the next morning, he finds the Dinobots have escaped from their tar prison.

On the [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|deserted island]] where Prowl and Bulkhead trained, the Dinobots are freed into a large crater which houses a beautiful natural environment. Prowl and Bulkhead see how happy they are and decide to keep it their little secret. With that, Prowl sets a hologram up to keep them hidden and safe from the world.

[[Image:Animated cartoon Grimlock energo-sword.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Life finds a way."]]

After they leave, Grimlock dubs cars and trucks bad, but Nature good. Two birds promptly defecate on him, which makes him rethink his claim and dub Nature stupid. He orders the birds to come down and "fight like Dinobot" and spits out a flame at them, but they simply fly away. Furious, Grimlock suddenly activates another of Megatron's "features" and transforms! Snarl and Swoop stare in amazement as Grimlock draws a [[Energo weapon|giant, flaming sword]]. Grimlock like….
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
* [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (3)
* [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
* [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
* [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (9)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (10)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (11)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (7)

|c3=
* [[Sari Sumdac]] (1)
* [[Isaac Sumdac]] (8)
* [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (12)

|c4=
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
}}

==Quotes==
"Sorry I'm late, guys. Uh, did I miss anything?" 
"No, I'd say you hit just about every car in the lot."
:—'''Bulkhead''' can't seem to catch a break, certainly not from '''Bumblebee'''.

'''Tutor Bot''': Besides the valuable information dinosaurs' bones can tell us, fossils also gave way to fossil fuels, which today power our automobiles. 
'''Sumdac''': Oh, I cannot believe that I programmed you with such simplistic information. Everyone knows this. 
'''Megatron''': Oh, but I did not. 
'''Sumdac''': Well, everyone but you. ''[gasps loudly]'' You—you ''spoke!''
:—Isaac Sumdac learns that his guest is awake.

"Nice, Prowl. Maybe next you can teach an engine block to float."
:—'''Ratchet''' being a crotchety old goat

"The primitive materials available on this planet are useless. It will take countless solar cycles to create attack drones capable of ''my'' needs, and without more substantial robotics for my own body, my prospects are grim, locked in this prison of a lab." 
"Grim—lock…Grim—lock."
:—'''Megatron''' learns why '''Grimlock''''s name doesn't start with an "S".

"Cars and trucks bad! [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Car robots]]…worse!"
:—'''Grimlock''', to the dismay of ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' fans everywhere.

'''Bulkhead''': Wait! Uh, I was thinking. Maybe we should lead them someplace safer first. 
'''Optimus''': Good thinking, Bulkhead! 
'''Bulkhead''': He said "good thinking". 
'''Bumblebee''': And "''Bulkhead''".
:—Optimus gives Bulkhead kudos, much to his and Bumblebee's shock.

"You call breathing fire a glitch?!?"
:—'''Ratchet''', saying what we're all thinking.

"Just because something is big and lumbering and destructive doesn't mean you give up on it."
:—'''Prowl''' delivering the most backhanded compliment ever

"Cars and trucks bad. Nature....good."
:—'''Grimlock''' admiring nature, just before it poops on him.

==Notes==
===Animation errors===
*In one scene, Snarl's head is coloured grey instead of gold.

*Prowl removes his Autobot symbol because of its hologram emitter. However, in the next shot, he still has it.
** In "[[Five Servos of Doom]]", Master Yoketron is shown removing Prowl's projector, too. A new insignia, implied to be his true one, slides in from right behind it.

*During the final fight, when Bulkhead tries to use Prowl's training properly, his mouth doesn't move.

===Transformers references===
*A far-off island that becomes a training ground for a lumbering warrior to hone his skills without causing collateral damage to the Autobots' base? Gee, [[Dinobot Island (G1)|that sure sounds familiar]].

*After smashing into Snarl, Bulkhead cheerfully apologizes with "Excuse me!" in much the same way that ''Generation 1'' [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] did after stomping on a [[Quintesson]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

* Grimlock's line "Cars and trucks bad! Car Robots worse!!!" may be taken as a subtle jab at ''[[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', which was called ''Car Robots'' in Japan (though Derrick J. Wyatt claims it's not the case <ref>[http://www.formspring.me/DerrickJWyatt/q/512301073 Derrick Wyatt on Formspring]</ref>). Interestingly enough, that was also the only post-Generation 1 show that did not feature [[David Kaye]], Grimlock's voice actor.

* Megatron tries to convince Grimlock that Autobots are bad. [[War of the Dinobots| Familiar indeed]].

* At the end of the episode, Prime suggests that the Dinobots are too dangerous to be kept around. Again, [[S.O.S. Dinobots| familiar]].

*Only two other animatronic dinosaurs are seen in Dino Drive, a ''Stegosaurus'' and an unidentified sauropod. These may be references to [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] and the original [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]. And/or potential future Dinobots.

*Grimlock's robot mode resembles his look in the Generation 1 series. However, in this series, he wields a flaming sword just like his G1 toy and depiction in several comic series including ''[[War Within (comic)|Transformers War Within]]''.

*This is not the first series to use a tar pit to entrap the Dinobots. In the Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Dinobot Island]]", Megatron used the island's residents to drive the Dinobots into a tar pit to get them out of the Decepticon's way. In the G1 Marvel comic series, the Decepticon [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] defeated the Dinobots by entombing them in tar (before falling in himself).

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazil'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Explosão do Passado'''" ("Blast from the Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le Dino-Parc'''" ("The Dino-Park")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Drachenkämpfer'''" ("Dragon Fighters")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[June 7|7 June]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''ダイノボット誕生！''' (Dinobots Tanjō!, "Birth of the Dinobots!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 22|22 May]] [[2010]]
*The Japanese title of this episode, "''Dinobot Tanjō!''", is the same as the Japanese title of the episode that introduced the Dinobots in [[S.O.S. Dinobots|the original ''Transformers'' cartoon]].
*Grimlock here has the same verbal tic as his [[Grimlock (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]] did on putting "da" at the end of his sentences in the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Japanese]] [[The Transformers (cartoon)|dub]]. Speaking of talking, Swoop and Snarl can speak! Except only their names in the fashion similar to [[wikipedia:Pokémon|Pokémon]]. In fact, Grimlock lampshades this by saying the two aren't "pocket monsters" (''poketto kaijū'') during the "next episode" segment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Cios z przeszłości'''" ("Blast from the Past")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

===Real-world references===
* The gate of Dino Drive is remarkably similar to the gate of Jurassic Park in the movie of the same name (and thus, by extension, to the gate from ''King Kong'', to which Jurassic Park's design was an [[homage]]). Music reminiscent of the ''Jurassic Park'' theme can be heard during some of the Dino Drive scenes.

===Trivia===
*This marks the first time the Dinobots have been used in a ''Transformers'' television series since Generation 1. There is much joy. Grimlock is particularly happy.
*Snarl was obviously designed to be the ''Animated'' incarnation of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] named [[Slag (G1)|Slag]], and preproduction shots even bore that name. Hasbro [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=76674442 holds the United States trademark for "Slag" unopposed, and renewed it as recently as Xmas 2007]. They aren't using "Slag" as a product name because, as acknowledged by the Hasbro representatives at [[BotCon 2008]], it is a negative slang term in the United Kingdom (specifically, a reference to prostitution), and might have affected toy sales. Grimlock was the only Dinobot to be named in the show itself until "[[Human Error, Part II]]", when [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]] gave Snarl his name. "Swoop" still remains unnamed..
*The Dinobots' color schemes are lifted directly from the Generation 1 cartoon, with some minor variations. This is most obvious in Swoop's torso being blue, rather than the red featured in Generation 1 Swoop's comic and toy incarnations. The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of [[Swoop (G1)|Generation 1 Swoop]]'s toy likewise had a blue chest, so this is possibly an homage, but is more likely coincidence.
*For the first time, the Dinobots' alt modes match closely with how dinosaurs are depicted in the fossil record (no sluggishness, more mammal/bird-like, Grimlock bent over horizontally, no bowleggedness, etc.). There was still a lack of feathers before they were de-skinned, though. (However, since it's doubtful ''T. Rex''es had a feather covering like smaller therapods, and large pterosaurs had short, bristly fur, if at all, it's not really an issue.)
*In this episode, Tutor Bot actually teaches Sari and the Autobots about dinosaurs and fossil fuels. He's back on form, however, when the pre-Transformer Grimlock squashes him.
*It seems somewhat odd (but not terribly surprising) that humanity has developed advanced robotics and such, but still uses fossil fuels in cars.
*According to Ratchet, the Transformer race is over 10 billion years old.
*Tutor Bot makes statements of questionable factual accuracy in this episode:
**Despite what Tutor Bot says, fossil fuels are ''not'' made from dinosaur fossils. Fossil fuels are made from various [[wikipedia:Hydrocarbon|hydrocarbons]], which are mostly formed from plant matter that has long since settled in the Earth's crust. For more, see [[wikipedia:Fossil_fuel|this]].
**Tutor Bot claims that the [[wikipedia:Jurassic|Jurassic]] era is over 200 million years old. It lasted from circa 199.6 million years ago to 145.4 million years ago. Yes, the show takes place in the future, but not '''that''' far in the future.
**Tutor Bot claims that many of the creatures lived during the Jurassic period, but ''Tyrannosaurus'', ''Triceratops'' and the pterosaur ''Pteranodon'' hail from the Late [[wikipedia:Cretaceous|Cretaceous]], not the Jurassic. The only dinosaurs actually from that time period are the [[Snarl (G1)|''Stegosaurus'']] and the [[Sludge (G1)|sauropod]] mentioned above. This makes Tutor Bot blind, vague, or incapable of teaching about dinosaurs, fossil fuels, and (depending on how literally you take him) basic math. The fact that Professor Sumdac continues to fix him is almost amazing.
*Michigan does not have volcanoes. (Although, this ''is'' the future.)

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Total Meltdown

2010-07-14T18:55:11Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Total Meltdown entrance.JPG
|caption=What if Mr. Freeze and Clayface had a baby...?
|ep=5
|ep2=7
|prev2=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|next2=Blast from the Past
|title="Total Meltdown"
|airdate=[[January 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Naoto Hashimoto]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}

'''A bio-engineering genius experiments with some of Bumblebee's hydraulic fluid and accidentally transforms himself into Meltdown, whose corrosive touch can melt anything—including Autobots!'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA Total Meltdown Bumblebee Rhodes inside.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Rhodes admires his new ''Masterpiece'' Bumblebee.]]

[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]], [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] are observing human society by way of [[television]]. After seeing cars being refueled and demolition derbies, they find a wrestling show hosted by businessman [[Meltdown (Animated)|Prometheus Black]] as part of his biochemical makeover program (or as Prime puts it, human upgrades). As a demonstration of the upgrades' success, one of his test subjects will be fighting a robot in the ring. To the Autobots shock, the robot is [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]! To their greater shock, Bumblebee's puny opponent, [[Colossus Rhodes|Cyrus "Colossus" Rhodes]], activates special pistons on his back that stimulate special steroids in his system, causing him to swell into a muscular bruiser bigger than Bumblebee.

[[Image:TFA Total Meltdown Bumblebee Rhodes outside.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Smooookke on the pavement!]]

As 'Bee takes a beating, Black converses with [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] in the luxury box. Black believes that this display should prove that he, not Isaac Sumdac, deserves the Detroit Police Department's security materials contract, offering bio-enhanced officers over robotic drones. Then Bumblebee starts using his speed and stingers to get the better of his overgrown opponent. Enraged, Rhodes stimulates the steroids further, growing even huger, then scoops up Bumblebee and chucks him out through the arena wall. He then leaps outside after the small 'bot and starts tossing and smashing everything around to crush 'Bee. The other Autobots arrive and, thanks to Prowl's quick thinking, manage to stop Rhodes. However, during the battle, Bumblebee has become more and more sensitive to size-related comments, taking them personally. Bulkhead's ribbing doesn't help. Across the parking lot, a disgusted Fanzone denies Black the police contract; as much as he hates machines, he'll take them over a berserk, bio-enhanced gorilla. As Black fumes, he discovers a piece of Bumblebee, covered in the Autobot's internal fluids, at his feet, and takes it back to his lab for research.

[[Image:TFA Total Meltdown Black mutation.JPG|left|200px|thumb|IT BURNS US! IT BURNS US!]]

At the lab, Black combines Bumblebee's fluid sample with his own special steroids, creating an incredibly powerful acid. However, his financier, [[Porter C. Powell]], informs him that, owing to the bad publicity from the wrestling match, his investors have cut all their funding and not even prisons will give him test subjects any more, leaving him no way to continue his research. Furious, he knocks over the containers of his experimental fluid, swearing he'll take matters into his own hands if he must. The acid starts melting through a good portion of his lab, with the fumes setting off alarms. Black stumbles through the fumes, half-blinded, and begins mutating, his flesh developing a greenish, flowing patina. He then emerges from his lab, swearing vengeance, his hand melting a portion of the door jamb where he gripped it.

[[Image:TFA Total Meltdown drone explosion.JPG|right|200px|thumb|We have hereby filled our [[Michael Bay|Bay]] quota.]]

Later, [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] unveils the newest model of the Sumdac Systems [[Police drone|Police Drone]] to a rather bored audience of local dignitaries, promising, among other things, that its new recognition software will prevent a recurrence of "that unfortunate incident with the captain's wife." The drone malfunctions badly and explodes, and an angry Fanzone demands the apologetic Sumdac contact them after the bugs are fixed. [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] then discovers a portion of the drone covered in a greenish residue and takes it to Ratchet, who confirms that it indicates sabotage. The corrosive even melts Autobot alloys, so he requests a few hours to run tests on it. Bumblebee is impatient, drawing more "short" jokes from Bulkhead and even Prowl. Sari insists that the banter can wait, as her dad has to be warned first. Most of the Autobots leave for the Sumdac Tower.

However, Black, now fully mutated and calling himself Meltdown, has already arrived. He melts his way past the robot secretary, with the resulting smoke setting off an alarm, and starts on his way up. As Sumdac wonders what the noise is about, Sari contacts him from within Bumblebee and tells him about the sabotage. Isaac wonders who would sabotage him, then gets his answer as Meltdown dissolves the door.

[[Image:TFA Total Meltdown Bulkhead stuck.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Winnie-the-Pooh pulled this off a lot better.]]

Outside, Sari warns Bumblebee a bit too late to keep him from running into a force field, the result of the tower's auto-defense mode. Ratchet's magnetics open a hole in the field, but Colossus Rhodes shows up to keep the Autobots occupied. His old weak spot's been reinforced now, so Prowl's previous strategy won't work. Prime orders Prowl and Bumblebee to go into the tower with Sari and save her father, but Rhodes knocks Bulkhead into the force field hole, plugging it before Prowl can get through. Bumblebee and Sari are on their own.

In the tower, Bumblebee finds the elevator cables melted, so he wheels his way up the shaft while Sari tries to deactivate the force field from the front desk. In Sumdac's office, Meltdown gives vent to all his frustrations, swearing he won't be bested by a fraud like Sumdac, even though he himself is a freak now. Downstairs, Sari finds the force field controls, but her first attempt to deactivate it only makes it stronger. Back upstairs, Bumblebee arrives just in time to knock Meltdown aside, scoop up Isaac and burn rubber. Meltdown's pursuit forces Bumblebee to drive down the stairs, badly shaking up Sumdac, but they reach the ground floor safely. Meanwhile, Sari finally finds the right data port for the [[AllSpark Key]] and shuts down the force field, freeing Bulkhead.

Bumblebee and her father arrive in the lobby just ahead of Meltdown, who has taken a shortcut by...er, melting his way down. Bulkhead arrives and grabs him up, but finds a handful of acid is VERY painful. Still, he refuses to let go.

Outside, Rhodes smacks Prime into a nearby church bell, then seizes up when it rings. Realizing what's going on, Prowl calls for Prime to hit it again. As Prime plays Quasimodo, Ratchet brings the bell down on top of Rhodes, thoroughly disrupting the bruiser's techno-organic circuits and bringing him back to normal (and probably deafening him).

[[Image:TFA Total Meltdown imprisoned.JPG|right|200px|thumb|"What an incredible smell you've discovered!"]]

Back in the tower lobby, Meltdown works a hand free and prepares to blast Bulkhead in the face, but Bumblebee takes the shot. As both Autobots collapse, Meltdown approaches Professor Sumdac yet again, but Prime runs up and clocks Meltdown with the church bell. It doesn't prove effective, but Prime quickly suggests stopping him with the one thing that stopped the Autobots: the tower's force field. Sari reactivates it, Ratchet plugs himself into the console to project the field, and Meltdown finds himself contained, unable to melt what he can't touch.

Afterward, Ratchet and Prime praise Bumblebee's courage and Bulkhead apologizes for going a little overboard with his teasing. Bumblebee's learned that even at his size, he's still pretty awesome, but now he won't let the others live it down for a while.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (7)

|c3=
*[[Meltdown (Animated)|Prometheus Black/Meltdown]] (5)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (6)
*[[Colossus Rhodes|Cyrus "Colossus" Rhodes]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (10)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (11)

|c4=
*[[Security Bot]] ()
*[[Condiment Bot]] ()
*[[Reception Bot]] ()
}}

==Quotes==
"That's a human?" 
"Must be a new model."
:—'''Bulkhead''' and '''Prowl''' comment on Cyrus Rhodes.

"Just stay out of his reach." 
"Which one? The guy in the middle or the two on either side?" 
"Just swing at all of them."
:—'''Sari''' plays coach to '''Bumblebee'''. She's no [[wikipedia:Mickey_Goldmill|Mickey Goldmill]].

"Stand and fight! What are ya, yellow?!" 
"Well, duh."
:—'''Colossus Rhodes'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s insult is lost on '''Bumblebee'''

'''Prowl''': ''[to Bumblebee]'' Next time, use your head. Find your foe's weakness and strike there. 
'''Bulkhead''': If you can reach it. 
'''Bumblebee''': Oh, right. I get it. Cause I'm short. 
'''Bulkhead''': What? I'm just bustin' your bumpers a little, buddy. 
'''Bumblebee''': Why does it have to be 'little buddy?' Why can't it just be 'buddy'? 
'''Ratchet''': What's with him? 
'''Bulkhead''': Ah, he's just mad cause he came up a little short. 
''[Ratchet, Bulkhead and Sari laugh]'' 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay, now, you're doing it on purpose!
:—Bumblebee is having a bad day

'''Ratchet''': I'd like to run some more tests. It should only take a few hours. 
'''Bumblebee''': That long? 
'''Bulkhead''': His attention span is short, too. 
'''Bumblebee''': I heard that! 
'''Prowl''': Apparently, so is his fuse. 
'''Bulkhead''': Ooh, the ninjabot gets in a good one! 
'''Ratchet''': Who knew he had it in him? 
'''Bumblebee''': Yeah, aren't you supposed to be the strong, silent type? Emphasis on the ''silent''.
:—Auto-banter

'''Sumdac''': Prometheus, why are you doing this? 
'''Meltdown''': Because you're a fraud! 
''[Sumdac gasps]'' 
'''Meltdown''': I am smarter, better-looking, and more educated than you, and yet, everything you touch turns to gold! While everything ''I'' touch... 
''[Statue melts, and Meltdown throws it out through a window]'' 
'''Meltdown''': Just...look at me. I'm a freak! But I refuse to be beaten by some simpering nerd who merely got lucky!
:—Meltdown gets closer to [[Megatron (Animated)|the truth]] than he realizes.

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* Why did Sari have to wait until she and the Autobots were en route to Sumdac Tower to contact her father? Could she not have reached him from the Autobots' base?

*During the battle outside Sumdac Tower, plenty of car alarms are going off from wrecked vehicles, but these don't seem to affect Rhodes the way the car alarm did outside the wrestling arena.

*When Optimus orders the Autobots to roll out, only Bumblebee and Bulkhead are seen transforming and following him. However, Ratchet and Prowl appear out of nowhere in the next scene.

===Transformers references===
* Black angrily asserts that Sumdac is only successful because he "got lucky." In "Transform and Roll Out!", Sumdac publicly joked that he had "stumbled upon" [[Megatron (Animated)|the secret of his success]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fusion Totale'''" ("Total Meltdown")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Der Säureangriff'''" ("The Acid Attack")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 31|31 May]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''灼熱巨人の挑戦''' (''Shakkunetsu Kyojin no Chōsen'', "Challenge of the Burning Giant")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 15|15 May]] [[2010]]
* '''Cut''': The Autobots are watching television to observe human cultures. After Bulkhead turns his kibble into a chair, they channel surf and comment on a gasoline commercial and a demolition derby.
* '''Cut''': Captain Fanzone, in the luxury box, tries to dispense condiments from the condiments-bot, but gets a handful of mustard instead and a bunch of napkins before he says his catchphrase. Prometheus Black then walks in to check on him while Fanzone feels "influenced" to accept his Biotech offer.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Wielkie roztopienie'''" ("Great Meltdown")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 18|18 October]] [[2008]]

===Real-world references===
* Sumdac's sabotaged police drone bears a more-than-passing resemblance to the [[wikipedia:ED-209|ED-209]], a police robot from the film ''[[wikipedia:RoboCop|RoboCop]]''. Likewise, Sumdac's mention of its faulty identification software is likely a reference to a scene in the film in which the ED-209 runs amok at a demonstration. Coincidentally, ''RoboCop'' also takes place in a futuristic [[Detroit]].
* Obviously, Cyrus Rhodes is meant to roast [[The Interplanetary Wrestling Championship!|professional wrestling]] and the prevalent use of [[wikipedia:Anabolic steroid|steroids]] in the business. His name is also a reference to both the last name of famous wrestler [[wikipedia:Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes]] and to one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World; [[wikipedia:Colossus of Rhodes|The Colossus of Rhodes]].

===Trivia===
*Bulkhead can make a chair out of his own back [[kibble]]. The Leader class toy can do that!
*Prowl gets called a ninja, finally.
*The Sumdac "S" logo on the Foyer floor is the same as the Sphere logo from ''[[Wikipedia:Skyland|Skyland]]''.
*Although "Total Meltdown" is the fifth episode in production order, it was aired as the eighth episode in the [[United States of America|United States]].
*On [[January 19]], 2008, this episode aired on YTV in [[Canada]] and was also made available through OnDemand stations in the U.S. It finally got a "normal" airing on [[Cartoon Network]] on [[February 10]], 2008.
*In the United States, as of 2008, the possession of anabolic steroids without a prescription is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Since Black volunteers the info about Rhodes' use of steroids to Fanzone, the laws must be different in near-future Detroit, or else Black's particular types of steroids are exempt. (Or Rhodes' doctor wrote him a prescription with the decimal point in the wrong place.)
*This is the first episode (counting "[[Transform and Roll Out]]" as one episode) not to feature Megatron. Or any [[Decepticon]] for that matter.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Home Is Where the Spark Is

2010-07-14T18:54:28Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Home Spark Megatron lives.JPG
|caption="Now you will feel the true power of the Dark Side!"
|ep=4
|ep2=6
|prev2=The Thrill of the Hunt
|next2=Total Meltdown
|title="Home Is Where the Spark Is"
|airdate=[[January 5]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Shunji Ōga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
}}

'''The Autobots settle into their new home base, an abandoned automobile manufacturing plant, but the ancient assembly line machinery seems to have developed a mind of its own—or someone else's...'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Duelingbanjos.jpg|left|150px|thumb|"Cover your shame, Mon!"]]
As an armored car leaves a bank in the dead of night, the [[Angry Archer]] robs it and makes his escape from the cops by snagging onto a fire engine, thinking the police won’t stop a firetruck heading to a fire. It’s the Archer’s mistake, however, because he's hitched a ride on the back of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. Prime, playing hero, subdues the thief easily and smiles for evening news cameras.

The next day, in a local park, [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] observes a [[Skippy|cat]] stalking a bird and finds it amazing, only to have his nature watch cut short by awestruck humans and camera-bots. He heads back huffily to the new Autobot headquarters, an abandoned car factory. The other [[Autobot|Autobots]] are in the middle of installing the world’s largest flat-panel TV in their new home and sharing their views on their newfound stardom. Prowl returns, upset with the constant interruptions, and goes to his Japanese-decorated room. In his room, Prowl lectures Optimus on his fascination with the Earth's animals, only to have that cut short by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s antics. Annoyed again, Prowl leaps off into a tree.

[[Image:Megsawakened.jpg|right|150px|thumb|I think, therefore I—where the heck is my body?!]]

Meanwhile, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] tries to enter her father's private lab. She uses her [[AllSpark Key]] to open the door, but [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] leaves with her before she can enter more than a step or two, reminding her no one but he is allowed in there. As they depart, residual energy from the Key floats over and reactivates the head of [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. Once his higher functions take control, Megatron is horrified to discover that he is without a body and is hardwired into some sort of primitive computer. As he searches for answers, he brings up video footage of the last battle between the Autobots and [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], including the latter’s confession of sabotaging his leader. Megatron is understandably ticked, and not just at Starscream's betrayal, but on the sheer helplessness of his situation. Not only do the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]] believe that he is dead, meaning there is no hope of rescue, but the AllSpark is finally within his reach, and he lacks the hands to take it! While lamenting his lack of a body, he discovers his new power to control machines around him. Picking up a discarded, miniature robot, Megatron decides that it's time to get...proactive.

After trashing her [[Tutor Bot]] using the AllSpark Key, Sari tells Professor Sumdac she is leaving to the Autobot base for a slumber party. Overhearing this, Megatron sends one of Isaac's [[pocketbot]]s to hide in her backpack so he can search the base for the AllSpark.

At the Autobot base, Prowl watches a nature show about caterpillars evolving into butterflies, which he finds fascinating. Bumblebee, of course, isn't interested and changes the channel on him. Annoyed yet again, Prowl pounces on Bumblebee like a cat to prove what he has learned from animals before leaping to a high point to meditate. Later, Bumblebee and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] play high-tech Twister™ with much difficulty; Bumblebee then challenges Prowl to try. Prowl jumps in and easily touches all the spots Sari announces. Having won the game, he leaves to his room. Disgusted that the Autobots could ever get their hands on the AllSpark, Megatron uses the pocketbot to begin searching.

[[Image:TFA Home Spark assembly attack.JPG|left|170px|thumb|It's one thing to rage against the machine, but what do you do when the machine rages back?]]

Sari then tells ghost stories to the rest of the Autobots and, with a little help from the AllSpark Key, succeeds in scaring Bumblebee. Meanwhile, since the pocketbot's search for the AllSpark has proven fruitless, Megatron decides to kill the Autobots and extract info on its location from their lifeless shells. He takes control of the assembly line robots and uses pincers, riveters, a big electromagnet and a die press to pummel the Autobots. Prowl shows up and realizes that the machines are detecting the Autobots by use of motion sensors. He instructs everyone to be still, then strike in order to get to the control panel. However, while the motion sensors can't see him, Megatron can, so he gets caught by the machines as well. With [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] injured, the only bot left free to move is Bumblebee, who manages to listen to Prowl long enough to outrace the machines and destroy the control panel.

[[Image:TFA Home Spark plant ruined.JPG|right|170px|thumb|Housewarming parties are one of the leading causes of death among Autobots. Right after "Decepticons attack" and rust.]]

In a parting gesture, Megatron cuts open a fuel tank perilously close to a fire, but the Autobots team up and launch it into the sky, where it explodes harmlessly. As they wonder who tried to kill them, they discover the pocketbot under Megatron's control, but Bulkhead accidentally smashes it after catching it before they can study it.

Back at the lab, Megatron has a fit over his loss and decides to reveal more Cybertronian technology to Sumdac in order to get a new body.

At the end, Prowl again coaches Bumblebee in the art of stillness while both play a game of high-tech Twister™.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (2)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (3)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (5)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (10, video footage)
|c3=
*[[Angry Archer]] (1)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (8)
|c4=
*[[Skippy]] ()
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
}}

==Quotes==
"HAHAHA!!! Victory is ''mine''! Yon police would ''ne'er'' stop a firetruck from speeding to an emergency!" 
"Only one problem with that theory: ''You're'' the emergency."
:—The '''Angry Archer''''s escape is cut short by '''Optimus Prime'''

"No way, being a star rocks! If the titanium alloy plating fits, ''wear it''. And...I make it look ''good''."
:—'''Bumblebee''', being himself.

"Auut-oh-bot-MegaMegaMega-Meg-Meeeegaaa-Mega-[[Megatron (Movie)|I am Megatron]]!"
:—'''Megatron''' awakening after his fifty-year slumber

"Whoa. Looks like ''somebody'' forgot to defrag his hard drive."
:—'''Bulkhead''', using a dubious computer analogy to describe Prowl's bad mood

"You Autobot fools are the keepers of the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]]? This must be some cosmic joke..."
:—'''Megatron''', disgusted at the Autobots' merry-making.

"What's the matter? We're not ''still'' enough for you? Ynnh—fine! Have a great time in there watching the ''grass grow''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' to Prowl as the latter heads off to his private quarters (presumably to have a great time watching the grass grow).

"Stillness...then strike."
:—'''Prowl''', as he sneaks past the Megatron-possessed machinery

==Notes==
===Continuity errors===
* When the Angry Archer turns around to notice he's being followed by police cars, the bags of money he'd just tied to his waist are nowhere to be seen. They're back in other shots, though.

* Sari says "Right foot on green." during the Twister™ game. The only problem is there are no green spaces in the next shot, just purple, orange and yellow. (After that shot, they seem to appear as normal.) At the end of the episode, the problem is reversed--there are no yellow spaces, but there are green ones.

* During the assembly line's rampage, Ratchet is injured after the explosion of some airborne gas tanks. He remains in a damaged state until the very end of the episode, when, in the close-up group shot of the Autobots, he can be seen completely undamaged before the camera focuses on Bulkhead attempting to grab the pocketbot as it runs out the door.

===Transformers references===
* In a different kind of Transformers reference, the Angry Archer is designed to resemble [[Hasbro]]'s [[Aaron Archer]].

* Similarly, the bank shown in the opening sequence is the Izzo National Bank, named for Hasbro executive and series co-producer Joshua Izzo.

* When Megatron comes online, his first coherent words are "I am Megatron!", the same thing [[Megatron (Movie)|his movie counterpart]] said.

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Où est passé le Allspark ?'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Megatrons Rückkehr'''" ("Megatron's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 24|24 May]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' '''不死身のメガトロン''' (''Fujimi no Megatron'', "The Immortal Megatron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 8|8 May]] [[2010]]
* For once, Optimus doesn't yell out "Ultra Axe" when he cuts down the rope when the Angry Archer tries to escape. However, he has "Ultra Cracker" when using his bolas.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Dom jest tam gdzie iskra'''" ("Home Is Where the Spark Is")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 12|12 October]] [[2008]]

===Real-world references===
[[Image:Twister.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Image courtesy of the Hasbro Holiday 2106 catalog.]]
* Bumblebee's line "I make it look ''good''!" is paraphrased from Will Smith in [[wikipedia:Men_in_Black_(film)|''Men in Black'']]

* A high-tech, Transformer-[[Scale|scaled]] version of [[wikipedia:Twister_(game)|Twister™]] is repeatedly played in this episode.

===Trivia===
* In this episode, Tutor Bot fails to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Quadratic_equation|quadratic equation]]. It leads a thankless life.
* According to the ''Animated'' production staff at [[BotCon 2008]], the "b-list" villain of this episode was originally meant to be a humanized version of [[Octopunch]] instead of the Angry Archer. Reportedly, Octopunch would have looked exactly like his G1 counterpart, except with the addition of boxing gloves.
* When Prowl jumps on Bumblebee, Bumblebee, seemingly, blushes.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio ([[Target]] [[exclusive]] version only). 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One (Paramount) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Transform and Roll Out

2010-07-14T18:53:26Z

91.115.212.106: /* Foreign dubbing */

{{disambig2|the [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]] multi-part episode|the command|roll out}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA_TFandRollout_AutobotHeroes.jpg
|caption=''Epic''
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|next2=Sound and Fury
|ep=1, 2 and 3
|next=Home Is Where the Spark Is
|title="Transform and Roll Out"
|airdate=[[December 26]], [[2007]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by= [[Matt Youngberg]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]] [[Minoru Yamaoka]] [[Makoto Fuchigami]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]}}
'''When a small crew of maintenance Autobots comes into possession of the powerful AllSpark, a battle with their long-forgotten enemies sends them crashing toward a strange, distant planet known as... ''Earth.'''''

==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
In deep, deep space, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] watches a history vid of the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], prompting [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] to complain about him watching that "junk" when the other members of the crew need assistance. Prime wonders if they were designed for more than repairing [[space bridge]]s. The two 'Bots transform into their vehicle modes and head out into the asteroid field.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout TheAllsparkdiscovered.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Well... at least there's no mass-shifting.]]
Outside, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], dangling from a high rock by his wrecking ball (and becoming quite queasy in the process), is freed by [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], who also ends up taking a tumble. Bumblebee complains about the sheer amount of rocks blocking the space bridge node, and one is shattered unexpectedly by [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]'s throwing star. Prime gives his troops a speech about teamwork (which Prowl moans at theatrically), but at that point the space bridge lights up, sending rocks and Autobots flying. Fancy footwork by Optimus saves each of his teammates from the debris, and a well-aimed grappling line shuts down the bridge. With his subordinates stunned at their leader's skills, Prime is forced to admit he trained at [[Autobot Academy|Cybertron's military academy]]. Bumblebee's query as to what the heck he's doing on a nowhere maintenance assignment is left unanswered as they notice something glowing in the rubble.

Prime clears away the debris to reveal a large, chest-like object. Ratchet is horrified and immediately demands they throw it back into the space bridge, but an alert from [[Teletran-1]] announces the arrival of a signature consistent with the long-lost [[Decepticon]]s. Ratchet then insists they take the object and just get out of there post-haste.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Decepticonship.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Yes, this is a scout ship. Way to go, Magnanimous.]]
On board [[Teletran-1|their ship]], Ratchet finally reveals what they've found: the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], the source of all Transformer life that was lost centuries ago. Optimus, worried about the oncoming Decepticon signal, contacts the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] for help. After taking a bit of snark from [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus reveals what they found, which shuts Sentinel up fast. Sentinel then puts the crew through to [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], who tells Optimus Prime to stay put while they send reinforcements... and not to worry about that Decepticon thing. Optimus, considering this to be a really stupid move, orders the crew to start booking it out of there.

[[Image:Ani crew.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Scotty, engage!]]
This proves wise, as the signal is indeed a Decepticon ship—a [[Nemesis (Animated)|command ship]], in fact. The identification markings are ones that Optimus and Ratchet recognize, meaning its commander can only be one person: [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], leader of the Decepticons. On board the Decepticon ship, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] doubts the AllSpark is aboard the Autobot ship and declares Megatron a fool. [[Lugnut]] denounces Starscream as a traitor, while [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] calls Lugnut an idiot for his blind loyalty and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] just acts... well, crazy. The Decepticons continue to bicker at each other until Megatron enters, shutting up all of them. The Decepticons chase the Autobot ship, and Starscream volunteers to board them. Megatron quickly shoots that idea down. Just before he leaves, Starscream wishes his commander "luck" with a pat on the back... affixing a bomb to Megatron in the process.

Megatron makes his way to the Autobots' ship and begins to melt his way through its hull. Optimus uses external manipulator arms to grapple with Megatron, until the bomb detonates, sending the ship careening uncontrollably into a space bridge node, which explodes after they go through the gate. Starscream begins to make a speech declaring himself the new Decepticon leader, but the other three have abandoned ship, noting that the fireball from the space bridge explosion is only getting larger. Too late, Starscream realizes the trouble he's in...

An unknown distance away, the Autobot ship reappears above a [[Earth|small blue and green planet]]. Prime checks on his troops, but Megatron has gotten aboard, having survived the explosion, but at the cost of his right arm. Prime uses his grappling line to shut off the gravity, making it more difficult for Megatron to fight. All five Autobots face off against the Decepticon, but he's too strong (though Prowl does manage to cut off Megatron's damaged arm). Prime and Megatron both end up in the storage bay where the AllSpark is... and as the ship enters the atmosphere, Prime is able to blow the hatch and kick the screaming Megatron out of the ship.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Arkatmosphere.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Oddly familiar.]]
On a small farm, a young boy hears a thud and runs to where something has landed in a not-too-distant field. He is shocked to find a robotic head staring lifelessly up at him.

Meanwhile, Prime orders his team into emergency stasis pods to prepare for a crash-landing. He manages to steer the ship away from the city below and gets to a stasis pod just before the ship plunges into [[Lake Erie]].

Fifty years later, [[Detroit]] is once again a thriving city, but instead of manufacturing automobiles, robots are the city's stock-in-trade. [[Isaac Sumdac]] is talking to a public school class taking a tour of his facilities, which gets interrupted by Isaac's daughter, [[Sari Sumdac]], and her robot dog, [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]]. As Sari is carted off to her lessons by a [[Tutor Bot|robot tutor]], Isaac shows the school kids a nanotech lab, just in time to witness a roach infused with microbots grow out of control and start consuming everything in sight. Isaac tries to keep things calm, but the monster bursts out of the lab...

===Part 2===
[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Firefighters monster.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Yeah, watering it will surely stop the beast.]]
The monster continues to grow, absorbing just about everything it touches to increase its size and power. In the process, it destroys a lot of the factory. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]], the S.W.A.T team, the fire department, ambulances, and robot drones arrive, but the creature absorbs several of the responding vehicles, too. Fanzone uses a bazooka-type weapon and destroys the beast, despite Sumdac's objection. This protest proves well-founded, as the remnants of the creature start flowing back together again, save for one piece that drops into the nearby lake and works its way down to the Autobots' ship, its nanites seeking the absorbable technology there. It infiltrates via a small breach in the outer hull, but thankfully, the ship's intruder alert systems are functional and awaken the Autobots before any damage is done. Examining the situation, they decide to have Teletran-1 give them Earth forms so they can blend in and help out. A probe is launched into the chaos and scans various vehicles, including an ambulance, a police motorcycle, an armored personnel carrier, a fire truck, and [[Captain Fanzone's car]]. Everyone deploys except Ratchet, who remains behind to analyze the sample of alien material.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Autobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Avengers, ASSEMBLE!]]
During the fight, Bulkhead and Bumblebee spot Sari trying to wrest her security key from Sparkplug's mouth. Mistaking which is owner and which is pet, they approach her, but Bulkhead's greeting only scares her away. She quickly gets nabbed by the monster, but Bumblebee saves her, earning her trust and friendship. Prowl attempts to take on the bug-slug by himself, against Prime's orders, and gets absorbed. Prime orders Ratchet to join them in battle to save Prowl, but the old veteran insists that finding a "cure" code to neutralize the nanites' programming makes more sense than coming out and getting trashed. A somewhat chastened Prime agrees, and Ratchet soon delivers the goods. However, the new program must be uploaded by direct contact—meaning from inside the monster. This means the smallest, fastest one of them has to do it. Bumblebee reluctantly takes on the task. The beast has been using some of Prowl's absorbed intelligence and comm link tech, though, so it knows what they're planning and is now smart enough to fight back. Despite this, Bumblebee succeeds in delivering the code, and the bug dissolves into a dusty shower of deactivated nanites. Prowl is soon uncovered, but he's suffered grave wounds and must be taken back to the Autobots' ship for repairs. Sari pesters Bumblebee to be taken along, and her new friend reluctantly agrees, since there's no time to make her go away quietly.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Sari followedmehome.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Bumblebee, having a pet is a big responsibility.]]
Once on board, Sari's refusal to stay still and quiet causes 'Bee some embarrassment. He quickly and discreetly ejects her into a ventilation port and joins the others. However, the port opens onto a shaft that takes Sari right to the chamber where the AllSpark is being kept. Curious, she touches it, and it reacts to her, sending its energies into her security card key and reconfiguring it into [[AllSpark Key|a key of another sort entirely]]. Prime finds her almost immediately thereafter, but with no time left to spare away from Prowl, he has to bring her back with him to the repair table. Ratchet's prognosis is bleak, but the [[AllSpark Key]] abruptly reacts, glowing and tugging her toward Prowl. Bumblebee, seeming to grasp what's happening, helps her onto the table, and as she approaches, her Key reshapes itself to fit into a slot on Prowl's chest. She inserts it, and with a burst of energy, the Autobot ninja is whole again. The Autobots then take Sari home and, after a brief misunderstanding, are made heroes and are even invited to a ceremony.

In outer space, Starscream sits aboard the damaged but functional Decepticon ship, babbling that he will find the AllSpark, even though he's been attempting it on his own for the last fifty solar cycles. The ship's computers then detect the traces of AllSpark-like energy in action, and Starscream learns where the Autobots are...
{{-}}

===Part 3===
[[Image:Sariprime.jpg|right|150px|thumb|INSERT WHAT WHERE?!]]
The Autobots are later seen trying to fit in. Bulkhead gets firsthand experience in traffic jams, some birds mistake Prowl for the statue of the [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|bald guy]] next to him, Bumblebee learns how organics fuel up, and Ratchet can't get a stasis nap without getting a dozen or so parking tickets. Optimus Prime remarks that the Autobots are programmed to respect life, which they always understood to stem from the AllSpark, but as organics are life, they must respect and protect them too. Optimus also expresses curiosity about how little organics are made. Sari's whispered explanation leaves him rather... shocked. The Autobots make a new home base out of a building Sari's dad got out of a merger, an abandoned auto factory that Bumblebee describes as a real fixer-upper—a REAL fixer-upper. All of a sudden, they get alerted to a fire. The Autobots proceed to douse the blaze and save its victims, no problem, unaware they are being watched by Starscream.

The next day, during the inauguration ceremony for the Sumdac [[Fully Automated Rapid Transit System]] (F.A.R.T.S., for short), Starscream enters Earth's atmosphere and takes on a group of fighter jets. He destroys all but one, which he scans. As the civilians and Autobots watch the aerial display of the [[Crimson Angels]], Isaac Sumdac notices there is an extra jet present that he didn't hire. That one jet then leaves the formation and streaks toward the ceremony platform, where it transforms into Starscream, who fires his null-ray cannons at the Autobots.

After a short fight, which the Autobots lose, Starscream knocks out Bumblebee and takes him, Isaac, the mayor, and Capt. Fanzone hostage in the F.A.R.T.S. train, flying it to the top of a very tall tower. He demands that the Autobots deliver the AllSpark if they want him to release the train car. The Autobots don't trust him, but don't want to risk human lives, so Sari offers a plan, but they ignore her. She continues to tell a sob story until the Autobots listen. The Autobots proceed with her plan, and Prowl and Sari fly up to the transit pod to rescue the hostages while the other Autobots keep Starscream busy. Once Starscream realizes what's happening, he takes a brief beating but recovers quickly. Starscream then throws the train—thus keeping his end of the deal—with Sari, Prowl, and Bumblebee on top of/in it. Between Bumblebee's agility and Prowl's thrusters plus Ratchet's magnets, Sari is rescued and the train lands without much damage. The Autobots then challenge Starscream to a friendly game of Keep Away, during which Starscream almost gets the AllSpark, but Bulkhead gets it instead, because he said he got it. A furious Starscream unleashes a devastating, prolonged (as in nearly 12 seconds) null-ray blast on the Autobots, briefly knocking them all senseless.

[[Image:TFA TFandRollout Prime SS Allsparkactivates.jpg|left|150px|thumb|In the old days, The Touch would have started playing now.]]
With the Autobots down, Starscream takes the AllSpark from Optimus and blows a couple of blocks of Detroit right off the map. Not ready to give up, Optimus climbs all the way up a building to get it back from Starscream, which Starscream doesn't see coming because he was too busy gloating. After a quick back-and-forth exchange of possessing it, both grab it at the same time. As they struggle, the AllSpark opens and emits a strange energy wave that blasts Starscream away.

The explosion has left Prime dangling precariously, and he takes a tremendous plummet to the pavement. He notes weakly that he now knows what it feels like to be a hero, then dies, but Sari uses the AllSpark Key to revive him.<ref>[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|This is something of an Optimus Prime record]]: Dead after only three episodes, revived a mere 75 seconds later. Way to go.</ref> The Autobots later go about fixing up Detroit, earning the enduring gratitude of the citizenry. Professor Sumdac is also grateful, for the Autobots saved him and Sari, but he fears what will happen if the Autobots—not to mention the rest of the world—were to discover the source of his robotic empire.

Unseen by Sumdac, one of the [[Sensors|optics]] of his source of technology glows in a darkened room. Megatron still functions...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (6)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (7)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (8)
*[[Lugnut]] (9)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (10)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (13)
*[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel]] (14)
*[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]] (15)
*[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] (16)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (17)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (18)

|c4=
*[[Teletran-1]] ()
*[[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] ()
*[[Tutor Bot]] ()
*[[Burger Bot]] ()}}

==Quotes==
"Do you ever get the feeling that you were programmed for something more than just repairing space bridges?" 
"I got a diagnostics program that can delete that feeling like a bad line of code."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s dreams are crushed to a fine powder by '''Ratchet'''

"Know what? You're even uglier at this angle!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' is about to realize there are some things you should never, EVER, say to a Decepticon.

"Hi, I'm Bumblebee!" 
"I'm Sari." 
"Oh, don't be, I like my name."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Sari''' are off to an awkward start.

"Y'know, all things considered, fixin' space bridges wasn't such a bad gig."
:—'''Bumblebee''', just before embarking on the plan to dissolve the bug monster

"Uh...am I going to be able to ''breathe'' down there?" 
"Oh, sure! ...What's 'breathe'?"
:—'''Sari''' is in good hands with '''Bumblebee'''.

"And to think, Ultra Magnus told me not to be a hero. Is this what it was like in your day?" 
"The Decepticons didn't leave us very much to cheer about."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' at the ceremony

"Enjoy it while you can, 'heroes.' You're about to take a fall."
:—'''Starscream''', watching a news report on the Autobots

"Give up the AllSpark or give up the Earth. How am I supposed to decide?" 
"Heroes are the ones who make the hard choices."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' after Starscream makes his ultimatum

"Let go, Autobot!" 
"Never! The AllSpark is life!" 
"Then, let it end yours!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Optimus Prime''', fighting over the AllSpark

"So, this...is what it feels like...to be a hero."
:—'''Optimus Prime''', just before dying

"Fixing bridges? Isn't this where we started out?"
:—'''Bumblebee''', as the Autobots clean up the city

==Notes==
===Animation or technical glitches===
*Megatron's vehicle mode was depicted flying upside-down, or backwards, or possibly both. To be fair, in space, there is no up and down (and to be even fairer, it's really hard to tell from the toys exactly what ''is'' the front of Megatron's Cybertronian spaceship mode), but that does not excuse the fact that any propulsion system used would be in the ''back'' of the mode.
*When the Autobot get into the stasis pods, Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet are on the left side, with Bumblebee, Prowl, and an empty pod on the right, in that order. Yet when they get out later in the episode, Prime, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead are on the left, and the empty one, Prowl, and Ratchet on the right.
*As pre-Earth Prime enters the chamber which will re-format his body into his Earth mode, he walks past Ratchet, who is drawn mostly in his pre-Earth mode, except for the fact that his Cybertronian gut is replaced with his ambulance gut. In the next scene, Ratchet is properly drawn, pre-Earth gut and all.
*When Sari says to the Autobots it is okay to put down their hands, Bulkhead's face is black.
*When Starscream tackles Optimus Prime through a building as the Autobot tries to escape with the AllSpark, Optimus's axe is missing from Starscream's left wing. It reappears moments later for Optimus to retrieve it.
*In at least one scene, Starscream's Earth-form wing is shown with a spike, in the same manner as his Cybertronian body.

===Continuity errors===
*The train Starscream blasts from the tower falls toward the ground very, very slowly.
*When we first meet Starscream, he states that he has been searching for the AllSpark for fifty ''solar'' cycles. In later episodes, a solar cycle is equivalent to a day and a ''stellar'' cycle is used for years. This is the only time a solar cycle has been used to reference years, so either Starscream entered some sort of temporal anomaly or someone messed up. For more <s>confusion</s> information, See [[Cycle|this page]].
*Sumdac is using Megatron's hand as a chair. However, he seems to be using the right hand, which was blown up by Starscream. (It ''could'' have fallen off the Autobots' ship, as it was still clinging to the hull when last seen, but that seems unlikely.)

===Transformers references===
*The title of the episode itself is a [[Roll out|reference to past Transformers lore]].
*Footage from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]] episodes "[[War Dawn]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]" is used as history tapes detailing the events of the first [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], millions of years prior. [[Canon|This]] has been confirmed as purely an in-joke, and should not be taken as linking ''Animated'' to G1, continuity wise.
*The [[Teletran-1|Autobot ship]] here bears a distinct resemblance to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], albeit with a colour scheme more reminiscent of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. (As we learn [[A Bridge Too Close, Part II|much later]], there is [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|a very good reason for that]].)
*Bumblebee says "[[Rattrap|We're all gonna die.]]"
*Sari's robotic dog [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] is likely named after either [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] from G1, the ''Armada'' Mini-Con [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]], or both.
[[Image:Spikecarlydanielanimated.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Twenty years later, and they're still overdressed.]]
*Characters resembling [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], [[Carly]], and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] are seen at a hot dog stand, purchasing some sort of futuristic bunless wieners-on-a-stick. The characters went on to become recurring figures in the background cast of the show, and in "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]" it was revealed that their names were... [[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]].
*When Optimus Prime dies, his body fades to grays, just as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] did in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. His spark chamber opens in much the same manner as well.
*Teletran-1 (spelled with only one "a" in this universe) dispatches a small satellite very similar to the [[Sky Spy]] satellite used on occasion by the Autobots in the ''Generation 1'' cartoon. The glowing energy "boxes" with which it scans vehicles for the Autobots to transform into are lifted wholesale out of "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]".
*At one point, Bulkhead refers to Optimus as "Boss-bot", echoing an epithet used for ''[[Beast Wars (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] by the [[Fuzor]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformar e Avançar!'''" ("Transform and Advance!")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformation'''"
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformieren und Abfahrt'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[May 3|3 May]] [[2008]] (Part 1), [[May 10|10 May]] 2008 (Part 2), [[May 17|17 May]] 2008 (Part 3)

'''Japanese (Part 1)'''
:*''Title:'' '''新章! トランスフォーマー''' (''Shinshō! Transformer'', "A New Chapter! Transformers")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 3|3 April]] [[2010]]

*The episode begins with the entire [[Otoboto family]] gathered as Yūka and Tatsuya tell the viewers in unison to watch in a well-lit room (to prevent seizures and damage to your eyesight, you know).
*As the [[title sequence]] begins, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] asks how everyone is doing, then introduces himself as leader of the Autobots. When he realizes nobody knows who he is, he ''assures'' them that he's leader of the Autobots. Then the [[Transformers Evo.|theme song]] starts.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet and Optimus's conversation as they walk down a hall, where Prime refers to feeling like being meant for "more than just repairing space bridges", and Ratchet's snarky response about deleting that feeling "like a bad line of code".
*'''Cut:''' Bulkhead's comment on their medic being always grumpy, Ratchet responding to Bumblebee's "old man" comment with a smack upside the head and the retort of "I may have one servor in the scrapheap, but I can still hear!".
*The usual cries of "Transform!" and attack names are added in. ([[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s "stingers" are now called "Energy Stingers", for instance.) Perhaps most annoyingly, ''every single thing Optimus does'' has the prefix of "Ultra" added to it. In the span of ten seconds, he goes through his "Ultra Anchor", "Ultra Axe" and "Ultra Net" attacks.
*'''Cut:''' After shutting down the space bridge, the following sequence where Ratchet is repairing Bumblebee, Bulkhead commenting about Optimus's moves, Optimus reluctantly admitting that he used to train at the Academy, and Bumblebee saying that he should've been with the Elite Guard.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's poking back at Optimus wanting to see some action, Bumblebee pointing out they're repair bots, Optimus correcting on not without backup and Bulkhead in awe on them connecting with Cybertron Command Headquarters.
*[[Teletran-1]] now speaks as though "she" is in a state of perpetual orgasm.
*When the Autobots first happen upon the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' and all freak over [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], a new [[scene transition]] is added when transitioning into the discussion between the Decepticon forces. A guitar riff of the classic Generation 1 scene transition music is even used.
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'s "hothead" persona now speaks with a thick American accent, spouting English words like "Hey!" and "Man!"
*New [[commercial bumper]]s have been crafted, featuring stock art of the characters with their voice actors screaming their name, followed by "Transform!"
*'''Cut:''' [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'s entire speech on the bridge ("This is a dark day...") followed by him getting caught in the explosion.
*When Bulkhead tumbles into Optimus, following his line "A little warning would have helped!", he screams out "Mommyyyyyyy!" Yeah, Japanese Bulkhead ain't so smart.
*'''Cut:''' After Megatron is kicked from the ship, the establishing shots of Paw Paw (the street sign, the outside of the barn and the scroll across [[Isaac Sumdac]]'s lab).
*'''Cut:''' Following Prime's line "Not until I've steered us clear of this populated sector!", the brief scenes of the Autobots being sealed in their stasis pods.
*'''Cut:''' As soon as the ship crashes into Lake Eerie and leaves a stream of upturned water on the surface, the scenes of the ship sinking and Teletran-1 "initiating emergency stasis mode" on the pods as they turn grey. The episode resumes at the long shot of the sinking ship slowly coming toward the camera, with a new voice-over of Teletran-1 telling the Autobots "good night".
*'''Cut:''' As Isaac Sumdac narrates the history of Detroit and automaton manufacturing, the scene of the trash-collecting automaton has been cut.
*'''Cut:''' The scenes of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] pulling the bubblegum off her face, eating it, the crowd reacting in disgust, Isaac Sumdac reacting in frustration, the kid asking Sari what its like to grow up around robots and [[Tutor Bot]] hauling Sari off.
*'''Cut:''' After the cockroach absorbs the nanobot liquid, all the scenes involving Isaac Sumdac explaining the nanobots to the children and the children looking through microscopes at the nanobots. The sequence cuts to the roach growing bigger.
*'''Cut:''' The close-up of Isaac Sumdac saying "Nothing to be concerned about, children!" and the kid remarking that "This accident doesn't look too happy". The sequence cuts to the roach crashing through the window behind him.
*The Otoboto Family segment features [[Hiroyuki Otoboto]] telling his son, [[Tatsuya Otoboto]], about ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]'', complete with clips from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]". Mr. Otoboto then produces a complete set of ''Animated'' Autobot toys. Tatsuya is thrilled, but wouldn't ya know it? [[Megumi Otoboto|Mrs. Otoboto]] comes in with dinner! During mealtime conversation, Mrs. Otoboto makes the mistake of using the word "transform", which inevitably causes Tatsuya to start talking about Transformers, much to the amusement of his father and the annoyance of his older sister, [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]. Tatsuya then causes a "freeze frame" so that he can introduce himself and his family (messing with his father's glasses in the process for his own amusement). Oddly, despite being "frozen", everyone proceeds to blink. As time resumes its normal pace, Hiroyuki wonders what happened to his glasses. He then digs into his dinner, except, oh no! It's too hot! ''Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!''
*During the "next episode" segment, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee proceed to have an argument. Bumblebee thinks Optimus's name is too long and hard to remember. Bumblebee suggests that "[[Convoy]]" would be better, but Prime shoots the idea down immediately. Bumblebee opts to call him "Opti" (''Oputi''), since it has fewer syllables. Prime refuses to be called such a name (more fitting for a dog), so Bumblebee settles on "Pu-Pu" after "Opera" (''Opura'') is also rejected for sounding weird. Prime refuses that too, thinking it sounds cute, but that it would be hard not to laugh instinctively at it. Bumblebee then tricks Prime into answering to it, which frustrates him even ''further''. The argument proceeds ''past'' the "next episode" segment and straight into the sponsor cards.

'''Japanese (Part 2)'''
:*''Title:'' '''英雄、その名はオートボット''' (''Eiyū, sono Na wa Autobot'', "The Heroes Are Called Autobots")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 10|10 April]] [[2010]]

*Hiroyuki and Tatsuya Otoboto tell the viewers in unison to watch the episode in a well-lit room (with Hiroyuki giving a creepy wink at the end).
*Instead of Optimus introducing at the opening, Bumblebee introduces himself and tells viewers to listen to [[JAM Project]]'s [[Transformers Evo.|cool song]].
*'''Cut:''' The rush of emergency vehicles driving through the city, alongside the following scene of Fanzone getting into his car, preparing to enjoy lunch at Burger Bot, and receiving the emergency call before departing.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone arriving at Sumdac laboratories, his little dilemma with the broken megaphone, and his first directions to the police force.
*Optimus now has "Ultra Jump" added to his "arsenal" as he distracts the nano-monster.
*Bulkhead now says "''dosukoi''" on occasion, a word usually used by [[Wikipedia:Sumo|sumo wrestlers]].
*'''Cut:''' The left-to-right pan of the ruined laboratory where the tour had taken place.
*'''Cut:''' Much of the flying debris from the monster falling into the ocean.
*During the [[trans-scan|trans-scanning]], Teletran-1 announces the type of vehicle being scanned and the Autobots as they are reformatted.
*'''Cut:''' Fanzone noticing the four vehicles confronting the monster and attempting to call them back before noticing that they are unmanned and include his own car.
*'''Cut:''' Immediately after the previous cut, the scene where Bulkhead and Bumblebee attempt to converse with the police drones while fighting the monster.
*The joke on Sari's name - "I'm Bumblebee." "I'm Sari." "Oh, don't be. I like my name." "No, I mean my name is..." - is somewhat altered. Instead, Bumblebee "corrects" her that ''he's'' not named "Sari" (the pun involving "I'm Sari" sounding like "I'm sorry" not working in the Japanese language, obviously).
*'''Cut:''' After Bumblebee takes Sari into the parking garage, Fanzone's and Dr. Sumdac's observation of Bumblebee and his unknown purposes, and the ordering the police drones to save Sari.
*Bumblebee counts off while disabling the police drones, and he has an extra line even though his mouth doesn't move.
*'''Cut:''' Ratchet's comment on Optimus being a "typical [[Autobot Academy|Academy Bot]]", along with a shot of the computer analysis of the monster.
*'''Cut:''' Sari's gasp when Bumblebee is jumping at the monster.
*When Sari reassures Ratchet that humans "don't usually blow up things" with emergency symbols, Ratchet comments about being treated kindly.
*'''Cut:''' After Dr. Sumdac shakes hands with Optimus at the ceremony, Optimus's comment regarding not being a hero, his question to Ratchet about things being "like this in your day", and Ratchet's rather ominous response.
*'''Cut:''' After the ceremony, the foreshadowing scene in which Starscream is seen monologuing in the crashed ''Nemesis'' on the Moon.
*For the Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki and Tatsuya are playing on the living room carpet with their toys (Hiroyuki and his Optimus Prime against Tatsuya and his Bumblebee). Filled with nostalgia, Hiroyuki begins describing the Autobots and the roles of each character to the audience, only to have Tatsuya beat him to the punch by ending all his sentences. Suddenly, they hear a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. Hiroyuki and Tatsuya rise to the occasion, shout "Transform!" and "change" into Optimus Prime and Megatron t-shirts (accompanied by their own dramatic "transformation" sequences). But before they can battle the forces of Evil stirring up trouble in the kitchen, they first have to sit back down on the living room floor and transform their toys into vehicle mode. (So, what if there was a burglar beating your wife, dude?) As Hiroyuki completes the transformation of his Optimus toy, we are assured that the "adventure" of the Otoboto family will be continued next episode.
*In the "next episode" segment, Bulkhead asks Ratchet about the name "Transformers Animated", and Bulkhead then mistakenly tells viewers to watch "Transformers Anime". Ratchet later jokes about shortening the title to "Tra-Ani" because the original title is a bit long.

'''Japanese (Part 3)'''
:*''Title:'' '''オールスパークの秘密''' (''AllSpark no Himitsu'', "Secret of the AllSpark")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 17|17 April]] [[2010]]

*This time, it's mother and daughter, Megumi and Yūka Otoboto, who tell viewers to watch the episode in a well-lit room.
*Starscream does the intro in a rather...perky manner.
*'''Cut:''' The ''whole'' sequence of the Autobots integrating themselves into Detroit: Bulkhead walking through rush hour traffic, Prowl's encounter with the birds' "present", Bumblebee ordering at Burger Bot, Ratchet getting ticketed for napping in a no-parking zone, Sari traumatizing Optimus on human reproduction, and the Autobots checking out their new "home".
*During the sequence in which the Autobots are responding to the building fire, there are some additional lines and a tweak: The entire team sound off their names while heading on scene; Bumblebee jokes about calling in [[Wikipedia:Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire|Rescue Fire]], to which Bulkhead responds by breaking the fourth wall, "That's a different show"; and the news reporter's coverage/praise of the Autobots doesn't mention "Detroit" by name and lasts until the scene changes to Starscream watching from the ''Nemesis''.
*Sumdac says "480" on introducing the F.A.R.T.S.'s speed, which makes sense, as Japan uses the metric system and 300 miles equals to 482.803 kilometers.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus commenting to Ratchet on being constantly called "heroes" and not feeling any different than repairing space bridges before, and Ratchet's response on the grim ends of the "heroes" he's known and his reluctance to share their fates.
*During Starscream's attack on the jet fighters, one of the pilots shouts additional "Mayday!"s, to which Starscream retorts that "It's not 'Mayday', it's Starscream! Remember it!"
*'''Cut:''' Panning shot from the top of Michigan Central Station down to the gathered Transformers.
*When Starscream claims he's the "new boss" (literally) of the Decepticons, Bulkhead corrects him instead of saying that he thought Megatron was in charge.
*Extra lines: both Ratchet and Prowl after the station crumbles; Starscream has one before Prowl tricks him with a hologram and another while dragging Optimus about after Prime uses his grappling hook.
*'''Cut:''' Optimus declaring his name after Starscream demands the AllSpark. Cuts right to Starscream tossing Bumblebee into the transit pod.
*Starscream's gloating while circling Sumdac Tower before Optimus baits him with the AllSpark.
*When Sumdac asks how Sari got up the tower, Prowl's line is changed from "Same way you're getting down," to "By me, father." Fanzone's "This is why I hate machines!" catchphrase during the trip down is also tweaked.
*Sumdac seems to be screaming for his grandfather as Prowl is dropping down to the blimp.
*Additional line for Starscream when Ratchet tries to stop him with his magnetic manipulators.
*Add "Ultra Spray" to Optimus's list of "Ultra" attacks when he sprays Starscream with fire retardant foam twice. Oy...
*Bumblebee has an extra line while trying to attack the Seeker when the latter realizes the jig's up.
*Prowl calls out to Bumblebee when the train is knocked over the edge, and Starscream shouts "Dual Sonic Blaster" on sending all three into free fall.
*Joining Bumblebee's ''"Ikimasu!"'' and Bulkhead's ''"Dosukoi!"'', Prowl's verbal tic is ''"De aru!"'' (Literally, "to be" in formal speech.)
*Bulkhead's rhetorical question on catching the train on the first bounce is changed to a vow to do his best.
*Instead of shock absorbers, Sari asks if Bumblebee has a parachute.
*Ratchet has "Magnetic Claw" as his attack call when he catches the youngest pair, Sari's "some shock absorbers" line is altered, Prowl has "It's floating." as an extra line, and Bumblebee thanks Ratchet. Optimus's "think fast" line is delayed to just as he throws the AllSpark, and the medic's "Aw, crud." line is changed to objecting on being called "gramps" by Bumblebee.
*While Sari calls the game "Keep Away" in English, here it's changed to Tag, or 鬼ごっこ (''oni-gokko'').
*Instead of going on how fast one can stop, Bumblebee talks about hitting the goal.
*Bulkhead's "I said, 'I ''got'' it.'" is altered after he clocks Starscream and gets the AllSpark.
*Starscream yells that the show isn't over yet when he attacks the Autobots again just as Optimus is contemplating on getting the AllSpark to a safe place. Breaking the fourth wall? Er...again?
*Instead of responding that it's Detroit when Optimus asks whether he's in the Well of AllSparks, Sari just welcomes him back. Another line change is that she tells Bulkhead that humans also cry when they're happy, instead of the Autobots having much to learn about humans.
*'''Cut:''' The news reporter covering the Autobots' rescue and repair efforts, Bumblebee commenting how they started out on fixing bridges, Sumdac's lament of his robotic empire's origin, and the camera pan to Megatron's head.
*In this Otoboto family segment, Hiroyuki whips out his cellphone and goes into full chatting mode. Tatsuya wonders what kind of work his father does and whether it's actually work, as he usually sees Hiroyuki playing with Transformers figures almost all the time. Tatsuya then flashbacks to last week, when, after transforming their figures to vehicle mode, father and son are racing Optimus and Bumblebee before encountering Yūka's feet. Yūka thinks her father is quite the man-child and hands over a card from someone whom Hiroyuki thought passed away three years earlier.
*The Autobots discuss their favorite sports player during the "next episode" segment, Optimus citing [[Wikipedia:Shuzo Matsuoka|Shuzo Matsuoka]] as his favorite, much to the others' disappointment. As Prime waxes poetic about Matsuoka's passion and energetic character, he doesn't realize that his teammates have already left.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Transformacja i jazda'''" ("Transform and Roll Out")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 11|11 October]] [[2008]] (Parts 1 and 2), [[October 12|12 October]] [[2010]] (Part 3)

===Trivia===
*In this episode, [[Tutor Bot]] tries to teach Sari about the [[wikipedia:Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act|Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]], a major economic blunder of the 1930s.
*Bumblebee's voice is slightly different in this episode from how it sounds later, as is Lugnut's voice, which seems very metallic.
*When Prowl gets birdpooped on, he is standing next to a statue of [[wikipedia:Hazen_S._Pingree|Hazen S. Pingree]], four-term mayor of Detroit and one-time governor of Michigan. In real life, the statue is located in Detroit's Grand Circus Park.
*A refurbished Michigan Central Station makes an appearance as the site for the dedication of Detroit's rapid transit system. The real-life station (abandoned since the '80s) was featured in the [[Transformers (2007)|2007 live-action movie]].
*When mocking the Autobots, Starscream actually calls Megatron "the great Megatron" without any sarcasm. Apparently, he'll only give a sincere compliment to his leader when he's insulting something else. Either that or he's just trying to make ''himself'' sound more impressive by building up the reputation of the one he's defeated.
*When Optimus comes back to life, he asks, "Is this the [[Well of All Sparks]]?" and Sari answers, "No, it's Detroit." This is an allusion to the movie ''Field of Dreams'', in which Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) asks Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), "Is this Heaven?" and Ray answers, "No, it's Iowa."
*According to responses at a panel at BotCon 2008, the unfortunate acronym for Fully Automated Rapid Transit System was totally unintentional...which makes it that much funnier.
*Ratchet is able to use his front windshield as a video screen.
*Several elements present in this opener were changed/dropped in the main series, including expressive vehicle modes, the replacement of solar cycles with stellar cycles in terminology, the recolouring of Ratchet's magnetism from yellow to pink, and Sari's Key changing shape. However, the expressions on vehicle mode were briefly used again by [[Wasp]] in the episode [[Predacons Rising]].
*During [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] "conversation" with the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]], it shows her the faces of Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream, then the Cybertronian [[Alternate mode|vehicle modes]] for Optimus and Ratchet, the AllSpark's case and the [[Teletran-1|Autobots' ship]]. Then Sari unknowingly shows the AllSpark a man in a suit, a woman, a boy, the planet [[Earth]], pyramids, purple flowers, a horse, an aircraft with a giant cloud coming from the back, a cell and a DNA strand. The woman has dark skin and red hair like Sari.
*This movie was (lovingly) lampooned at the [[MSTF]] panel for [[BotCon 2008]], along with "[[War Dawn]]", the episode from which most of the "history vid" footage was taken.
*It's Detroit. There are guns everywhere. Why are the humans using ''water'' to take down the monster?
*In this episode, Starscream's engines use a sound effect borrowed from ''The Phantom Menace'': the sound made by Sebulba's podracer engines.
*In the Japanese dub, Bumblebee mentions ''Rescue Fire'', which is another [[TakaraTomy]] property that's based on Takara's Tomica toy car line. Prior to ''Animated''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Japanese debut, it aired in the same timeslot and channel as ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]]'' did.

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of UN.png|20px|International release]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Battle Begins ([[Pack-in material|Hasbro]]) — Part 1 only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transform and Roll Out (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Transformieren und Abfahrt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 1 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

== Footnote ==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]