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A Virtual Disaster

2025-11-23T20:17:56Z

ActionPoint: /* Real-world references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots]]'' ep 31
|prev=Tip of the Iceberg
|next=Spellbound
|image=AVirtualDisaster beginning the game.jpg
|caption=Suddenly, the game quit, and Cody then crashed to the ground in a meaty pulp.
|title="A Virtual Disaster"
|season=2
|season ep=5
|airdate=[[March 29]], [[2014]]
|production company=[[Allspark (company)|Hasbro Studios]]
|animation studio=[[Vision Animation]]
|writer=[[Nicole Dubuc]]
|director=[[Tim Maltby]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG0k3iL2L7Q
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''The virtual becomes real; Heatwave realizes Blades' potential as a true hero.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:AVirtualDisaster Heatwave surfs avalanche.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Look, if we're gonna do this, you're gonna be the blunt instrument I use to knock trees out of the way, so suck it up already!]]
With the snow thick on the ground in [[Griffin Rock]], everyone is stuck inside. [[Cody Burns|Cody]] tells the Bots that it's a snow day and it's dangerous to travel, so school is canceled. Chief Burns announces an emergency — a rocket skier is stuck on [[Mount Griffin]] and as the [[Rescue Bot]]s roll out, [[Blades (RB)|Blades]] is worried about how safe it is to travel. When they reach the skier, his skis have melted the snow, causing him to fall and lose consciousness. Blades needs help getting him onto the winch, so [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] climbs up to help, however an unexpected avalanche causes Blades to panic and Heatwave has to slide to catch the winch.

Back at base, Heatwave chews out Blades for panicking, but [[Charlie Burns|Chief Burns]] says the important part of fear is overcoming it. Once again stuck inside, Cody tries to get the Bots playing a board game, only for most of them to have other things to do. Blades is keen to try some computer games, but the only one Cody hasn't beaten is a new virtual reality game at the [[Hall of Inspiration]]. The pair head there using the tunnels and start setting up the game. Once they're in the two VR chambers, the game starts up, though Blades finds this new VR world hard to get used to — He can't transform and he's a lot shorter than in reality. The floating [[CAT]] welcomes them to ''[[Griffin Rock Element Quest]] 1.0'' and instructs them they have to find three flags.

[[File:AVirtualDisaster sharks.jpg|thumb|250px|'Bots are friends, not food. So eat the kid!]]
As level 1 starts, Blades and Cody materialize on a boat surrounded by sharks, though as Cody demonstrates, getting eaten by a shark just means they have to restart. They start driving the boat and Cody uses an invincibility power-up to avoid some barrels. Blades grabs a power-up that gives him a blow-drier arm, allowing him to deflect the barrels, and they soon spot the level boss — a giant barrel-throwing squid. Once Cody spots its weak point, Blades uses a barrel to knock it out, and they grab the flag.

In the real world, the weather has added lightning to the snow storm. Chief Burns learns that Cody and Blades have gone to the Hall, but when he tunes in to the camera aimed at the building in question, the Hall of Inspiration is struck by lightning, causing electricity to arc around it. Blades and Cody find that the [[dragon]] they're facing in the game is suddenly breathing fire which actually hurts them. Cody tries to quit the game, only for CAT to announce reality mode is locked. They realize they're trapped and have to win to escape the game. The pair attempt to pull a sword from the platform in the town square and it rises to put them in a section of platforming, with disappearing platforms.

[[File:AVirtualDisaster dragon versus invulnerability.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Dragon Age: Transformation''.]]
The Chief and [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] reach the Hall, but are unable to open the VR chambers, and [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]] is unreachable in the storm. Cody and Blades reach the last platform, but when it disappears under them, they're able to grab an invincibility power up and catch the flag. The rest of the team reaches the hall, but according to [[Graham Burns|Graham]] and [[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]], they can't simply switch the game off because it might have dire consequences for Cody and Blades. Graham might be able to patch someone in to the system, but the snow threatens the Hall's power, with potentially disastrous effects for the pair in the game.

[[File:AVirtualDisaster Blades versus griffin.jpg|thumb|250px|Oh, you've ''GOT'' to be [[Giant Purple Griffin|kidding]].]]
Cody and Blades start the last level — a hike up Mount Griffin. This is also fraught with danger and they have to pick up a shield to deflect the arrows being fired at them. Outside the Hall, the Bots clear snow from the power lines, however a tree branch falls, severing the power lines. The game begins to slow down as it loses power, until Heatwave holds the power lines together long enough for Chase to weld them together. Graham's work is completed, and Heatwave joins the game to find Blades and Cody fighting mobile trees. While the two bots keep the trees busy, Cody continues to the top of the mountain, only for the stone griffin at the top to come to life and menace him. With Cody pinned down, Blades goes for the flag and manages to grab it just as the griffin grabs him. Heatwave and Cody are transported to the end with Blades to be congratulated by CAT, and the game finally ends. Back in the real world, Cody and Blades are reunited with the rest of the team.

Later at the [[Griffin Rock Firehouse Headquarters|fire station]], Heatwave describes Blades's bravery in the game in great detail, and the Bots realize Blades is courageous after all. Cody says he'll demonstrate why snow days are so great by taking them sledding down Breakneck Slope. The Bots decline.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Blades (RB)|Blades]] (2)
*[[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]] (3)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (4)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (5)

|c3=
*[[Cody Burns]] (1)
*[[Charlie Burns]] (6)
*[[Dani Burns]] (7)
*[[Graham Burns]] (8)
*[[Kade Burns]] (9)

}}

==Quotes==

"I used to like video games. Then I took an arrow to the knee."
:—'''Blades''' is apparently a ''Skyrim'' fan.

"This program simulates pain too?" 
"Good times."
:—'''Heatwave''' and '''Blades''' discovering that AI is a crapshoot.

"Virtual reality is even more dangerous than real reality."
:—'''Blades''' reviews the game he's just played.

"If Blades is afraid as often as he says, he may be the bravest of us all."
:—Er, that was supposed to be a compliment, wasn't it, '''Heatwave'''?

'''Heatwave''': I'd rather fight another tree. 
'''Chase''': Does that require a permit? 
'''Blades''': I'm not going out there again! 
'''Boulder''': Snow thank you!
:—The 'Bots have had enough snow for one day, Cody.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The giant subwoofer from "[[Shake Up]]" can be seen in the alcove next to the VR machine.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Chase's right arm has twin laser nozzles that deploy from just past his wrist.

===Transformers references===
* The black and purple gradient grid on the inside of the VR chambers looks not unlike that on the [[packaging]] used for [[Decepticon]]s during the [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 toyline]].
* The concept of putting a Rescue Bot into a VR chamber and having him turn up in a game is also used in the ''[[Transformers Rescue Bots Beam Box]]'' game system.
* Blades swears by the [[AllSpark]].

===Real-world references===
* Chase refers to {{w|Murphy's Law}}.
* The VR Chamber bears more than a passing resemblance to the Holodeck from ''[[Star Trek]]''. The story concept of virtual reality technology malfunctioning and all safety systems going offline, endangering the occupants, who cannot escape or turn it off—was also a [[TVTropes:Main/HolodeckMalfunction|recurring story trope]] in ''Star Trek'', particularly ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'', which starred [[LeVar Burton]] as the engineer regularly tasked with fixing the problem.
* Multiple video game memes! Not entirely unexpected in a town full of geeks.
** The sound effects are all classic 8-bit computer game sounds.
** Cody jumps using the same pose as {{w|Mario}} during his demonstration.
** The first level boss hurls barrels, not unlike {{w|Donkey Kong (video game)|Donkey Kong}}.
** The map with dotted lines showing the passage from one stage to another is similar to those of 16-bit Capcom/[[Disney]] titles like ''{{w|Goof Troop (video game)|Goof Troop}}'' and ''{{w|Disney's Magical Quest|Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse}}''.
** Blades quotes the classic "arrow to the knee" line from ''{{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}}''.
** CAT announces "{{w|All your base are belong to us}}", a line from the legendary mistranslation of ''{{w|Zero Wing}}''.
** When they win, CAT announces "A winner is you!" from the [[Family Computer|NES]] game ''{{w|Pro Wrestling (NES video game)|Pro Wrestling}}''.
* CAT resembles the Cheshire Cat from ''[[Alice in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.
* CAT paraphrases a quote from ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}'' when informing Cody he can't quit the game: "I am sorry Cody, I am afraid I can't do that."
* Blades mentions dragons on public television, a reference to the show ''{{w|Dragon Tales}}'', which was the first show [[Jeff Kline]] and [[Nicole Dubuc]] both worked on.
* When Heatwave appears in the game world, he strikes the same pose as the [[T-800|titular robot]] of ''The Terminator'' did after traveling through time.
* The soundtrack includes a number of chiptune arrangements of classical music, such as Rossini's ''{{w|William Tell Overture}}'' as Cody uses the shield to deflect arrows, and Grieg's ''{{w|In the Hall of the Mountain King}}'' as he and Blades run from the boulder and the game slows down.

===Animation and technical errors===
* Blades is seen to grab the power blower with his right hand but it equips on his left hand.

===Trivia===
* This and the following episode were switched in order when they were first screened on [[Hub Network]].

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La quête des éléments'''" ("Quest for the Elements")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Virtuális katasztrófa'''" ("Virtual Disaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 13|13 November]] [[2014]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un disastro virtuale'''" ("A virtual disaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 14|14 July]] [[2017]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Desastre Virtual'''" ("Virtual Disaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 1|1 April]] [[2015]] (Netflix)

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2015 — ''Rescue Bots'' — "Return of the Heroes" ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2015 — ''Rescue Bots'' — "Serve and Protect" ([[Beyond Home Entertainment]]) 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virtual Disaster}}
[[Category:Rescue Bots episodes]]

A Virtual Disaster

2025-11-23T20:16:41Z

ActionPoint: /* Real-world references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)|Transformers: Rescue Bots]]'' ep 31
|prev=Tip of the Iceberg
|next=Spellbound
|image=AVirtualDisaster beginning the game.jpg
|caption=Suddenly, the game quit, and Cody then crashed to the ground in a meaty pulp.
|title="A Virtual Disaster"
|season=2
|season ep=5
|airdate=[[March 29]], [[2014]]
|production company=[[Allspark (company)|Hasbro Studios]]
|animation studio=[[Vision Animation]]
|writer=[[Nicole Dubuc]]
|director=[[Tim Maltby]]
|video=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG0k3iL2L7Q
|videosite=YouTube
}}

'''The virtual becomes real; Heatwave realizes Blades' potential as a true hero.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:AVirtualDisaster Heatwave surfs avalanche.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Look, if we're gonna do this, you're gonna be the blunt instrument I use to knock trees out of the way, so suck it up already!]]
With the snow thick on the ground in [[Griffin Rock]], everyone is stuck inside. [[Cody Burns|Cody]] tells the Bots that it's a snow day and it's dangerous to travel, so school is canceled. Chief Burns announces an emergency — a rocket skier is stuck on [[Mount Griffin]] and as the [[Rescue Bot]]s roll out, [[Blades (RB)|Blades]] is worried about how safe it is to travel. When they reach the skier, his skis have melted the snow, causing him to fall and lose consciousness. Blades needs help getting him onto the winch, so [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] climbs up to help, however an unexpected avalanche causes Blades to panic and Heatwave has to slide to catch the winch.

Back at base, Heatwave chews out Blades for panicking, but [[Charlie Burns|Chief Burns]] says the important part of fear is overcoming it. Once again stuck inside, Cody tries to get the Bots playing a board game, only for most of them to have other things to do. Blades is keen to try some computer games, but the only one Cody hasn't beaten is a new virtual reality game at the [[Hall of Inspiration]]. The pair head there using the tunnels and start setting up the game. Once they're in the two VR chambers, the game starts up, though Blades finds this new VR world hard to get used to — He can't transform and he's a lot shorter than in reality. The floating [[CAT]] welcomes them to ''[[Griffin Rock Element Quest]] 1.0'' and instructs them they have to find three flags.

[[File:AVirtualDisaster sharks.jpg|thumb|250px|'Bots are friends, not food. So eat the kid!]]
As level 1 starts, Blades and Cody materialize on a boat surrounded by sharks, though as Cody demonstrates, getting eaten by a shark just means they have to restart. They start driving the boat and Cody uses an invincibility power-up to avoid some barrels. Blades grabs a power-up that gives him a blow-drier arm, allowing him to deflect the barrels, and they soon spot the level boss — a giant barrel-throwing squid. Once Cody spots its weak point, Blades uses a barrel to knock it out, and they grab the flag.

In the real world, the weather has added lightning to the snow storm. Chief Burns learns that Cody and Blades have gone to the Hall, but when he tunes in to the camera aimed at the building in question, the Hall of Inspiration is struck by lightning, causing electricity to arc around it. Blades and Cody find that the [[dragon]] they're facing in the game is suddenly breathing fire which actually hurts them. Cody tries to quit the game, only for CAT to announce reality mode is locked. They realize they're trapped and have to win to escape the game. The pair attempt to pull a sword from the platform in the town square and it rises to put them in a section of platforming, with disappearing platforms.

[[File:AVirtualDisaster dragon versus invulnerability.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Dragon Age: Transformation''.]]
The Chief and [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] reach the Hall, but are unable to open the VR chambers, and [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]] is unreachable in the storm. Cody and Blades reach the last platform, but when it disappears under them, they're able to grab an invincibility power up and catch the flag. The rest of the team reaches the hall, but according to [[Graham Burns|Graham]] and [[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]], they can't simply switch the game off because it might have dire consequences for Cody and Blades. Graham might be able to patch someone in to the system, but the snow threatens the Hall's power, with potentially disastrous effects for the pair in the game.

[[File:AVirtualDisaster Blades versus griffin.jpg|thumb|250px|Oh, you've ''GOT'' to be [[Giant Purple Griffin|kidding]].]]
Cody and Blades start the last level — a hike up Mount Griffin. This is also fraught with danger and they have to pick up a shield to deflect the arrows being fired at them. Outside the Hall, the Bots clear snow from the power lines, however a tree branch falls, severing the power lines. The game begins to slow down as it loses power, until Heatwave holds the power lines together long enough for Chase to weld them together. Graham's work is completed, and Heatwave joins the game to find Blades and Cody fighting mobile trees. While the two bots keep the trees busy, Cody continues to the top of the mountain, only for the stone griffin at the top to come to life and menace him. With Cody pinned down, Blades goes for the flag and manages to grab it just as the griffin grabs him. Heatwave and Cody are transported to the end with Blades to be congratulated by CAT, and the game finally ends. Back in the real world, Cody and Blades are reunited with the rest of the team.

Later at the [[Griffin Rock Firehouse Headquarters|fire station]], Heatwave describes Blades's bravery in the game in great detail, and the Bots realize Blades is courageous after all. Cody says he'll demonstrate why snow days are so great by taking them sledding down Breakneck Slope. The Bots decline.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Blades (RB)|Blades]] (2)
*[[Boulder (RB)|Boulder]] (3)
*[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] (4)
*[[Chase (RB)|Chase]] (5)

|c3=
*[[Cody Burns]] (1)
*[[Charlie Burns]] (6)
*[[Dani Burns]] (7)
*[[Graham Burns]] (8)
*[[Kade Burns]] (9)

}}

==Quotes==

"I used to like video games. Then I took an arrow to the knee."
:—'''Blades''' is apparently a ''Skyrim'' fan.

"This program simulates pain too?" 
"Good times."
:—'''Heatwave''' and '''Blades''' discovering that AI is a crapshoot.

"Virtual reality is even more dangerous than real reality."
:—'''Blades''' reviews the game he's just played.

"If Blades is afraid as often as he says, he may be the bravest of us all."
:—Er, that was supposed to be a compliment, wasn't it, '''Heatwave'''?

'''Heatwave''': I'd rather fight another tree. 
'''Chase''': Does that require a permit? 
'''Blades''': I'm not going out there again! 
'''Boulder''': Snow thank you!
:—The 'Bots have had enough snow for one day, Cody.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The giant subwoofer from "[[Shake Up]]" can be seen in the alcove next to the VR machine.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Chase's right arm has twin laser nozzles that deploy from just past his wrist.

===Transformers references===
* The black and purple gradient grid on the inside of the VR chambers looks not unlike that on the [[packaging]] used for [[Decepticon]]s during the [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 toyline]].
* The concept of putting a Rescue Bot into a VR chamber and having him turn up in a game is also used in the ''[[Transformers Rescue Bots Beam Box]]'' game system.
* Blades swears by the [[AllSpark]].

===Real-world references===
* Chase refers to {{w|Murphy's Law}}.
* The VR Chamber bears more than a passing resemblance to the Holodeck from ''[[Star Trek]]''. The story concept of virtual reality technology malfunctioning and all safety systems going offline, endangering the occupants, who cannot escape or turn it off—was also a [[TVTropes:Main/HolodeckMalfunction|recurring story trope]] in ''Star Trek'', particularly ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'', which starred [[LeVar Burton]] as the engineer regularly tasked with fixing the problem.
* Multiple video game memes! Not entirely unexpected in a town full of geeks.
** The sound effects are all classic 8-bit computer game sounds.
** Cody jumps using the same pose as {{w|Mario}} during his demonstration.
** The first level boss hurls barrels, not unlike {{w|Donkey Kong (video game)|Donkey Kong}}.
** The map with dotted lines showing the passage from one stage to another is similar to those of 16-bit Capcom/[[Disney]] titles like ''{{w|Goof Troop (video game)|Goof Troop}}'' and ''{{w|Disney's Magical Quest|Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse}}''.
** Blades quotes the classic "arrow to the knee" line from ''{{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}}''.
** CAT announces "{{w|All your base are belong to us}}", a line from the legendary mistranslation of ''{{w|Zero Wing}}''.
** When they win, CAT announces "A winner is you!" from the [[Family Computer|NES]] game ''{{w|Pro Wrestling (NES video game)|Pro Wrestling}}''.
* CAT resembles the Cheshire Cat from ''[[Alice in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.
* CAT paraphrases a quote from ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey}}'' when informing Cody he can't quit the game: ''I am sorry Cody, I am afraid I can't do that.''
* Blades mentions dragons on public television, a reference to the show ''{{w|Dragon Tales}}'', which was the first show [[Jeff Kline]] and [[Nicole Dubuc]] both worked on.
* When Heatwave appears in the game world, he strikes the same pose as the [[T-800|titular robot]] of ''The Terminator'' did after traveling through time.
* The soundtrack includes a number of chiptune arrangements of classical music, such as Rossini's ''{{w|William Tell Overture}}'' as Cody uses the shield to deflect arrows, and Grieg's ''{{w|In the Hall of the Mountain King}}'' as he and Blades run from the boulder and the game slows down.

===Animation and technical errors===
* Blades is seen to grab the power blower with his right hand but it equips on his left hand.

===Trivia===
* This and the following episode were switched in order when they were first screened on [[Hub Network]].

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La quête des éléments'''" ("Quest for the Elements")
:*''Original airdate:'' ?

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Virtuális katasztrófa'''" ("Virtual Disaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 13|13 November]] [[2014]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Un disastro virtuale'''" ("A virtual disaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 14|14 July]] [[2017]]

'''Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Desastre Virtual'''" ("Virtual Disaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 1|1 April]] [[2015]] (Netflix)

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2015 — ''Rescue Bots'' — "Return of the Heroes" ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2015 — ''Rescue Bots'' — "Serve and Protect" ([[Beyond Home Entertainment]]) 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virtual Disaster}}
[[Category:Rescue Bots episodes]]