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Megatron Rising - Part 2

2014-05-04T22:42:05Z

Valakria: /* Quotes */

{{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]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

==Synopsis==
[[File:MegaPrime.JPG|left|upright=1.1|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.

[[File:PayThePiper.JPG|upright=1.1|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.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Autobots assemble.jpg|left|upright=1.1|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.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|upright=1.1|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 (Animated)|Lugnut]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Teletran-1]] (11)
}}

==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.

'''Sari''': No problem, we'll just fix 'em up. I mean, it's not like you lost my ''key'' or anything. 
(Ratchet looks away awkwardly) 
'''Sari''': You ''lost'' my key!? 
'''Ratchet''': Technically, I lost my ''hand''. It...just happened to have your key attached to it. 
:—One of many attempts to shift/avoid/lessen blame in this two-parter.

'''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.

"Curious, my electrical systems have gone offline. Which means..." 
"I"M FALLING! WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
:- '''Icy Blitzwing''' explains the situation while '''Random Blitzwing''' states the obvious.

'''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.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Blitzwing tank crash.jpg|upright=1.1|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 Megatron 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.
* 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.
* Speaking of whom, did she even do anything in this episode (or the last) except bring Sari closer to the Autobots? Seemed like a waste of time that could have been used elsewhere in this already packed episode.

===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===
[[File:Ark in mountain.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Moral of the story: Autobots cannot drive.]]
* The manner in which the [[Omega Supreme (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)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|G1 cartoon Optimus 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)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his]] [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|leader's]] life is ruined when said leader returns in a new [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|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 1 cartoon continuity|Generation One self's]] damage after his final showdown with Prime in [[The Transformers: The Movie]].

===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 (Animated)|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).
[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Sari AllSpark charades.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"The seeds of the future lie buried in the past." "What the heck does that mean?" "Wait, you're not [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|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 second serious in-show hint in that direction, the first being in the very first episode, when Professor Sumdac's microbot cockroach experiment expanded into an out of control monster and devoured anything made of machinery, and the only human it grabbed was Sari. 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)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] blasting [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|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]]?

===Foreign localization===
'''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:'' "'''Megatron no Fukkatsu Part 2'''" (メガトロンの復活パート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:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Megatron Rising - Part 2

2014-05-04T22:41:29Z

Valakria: /* Quotes */

{{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]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

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

==Synopsis==
[[File:MegaPrime.JPG|left|upright=1.1|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.

[[File:PayThePiper.JPG|upright=1.1|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.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Autobots assemble.jpg|left|upright=1.1|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.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|upright=1.1|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 (Animated)|Lugnut]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (13)

|c4=
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Teletran-1]] (11)
}}

==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.

'''Sari''': No problem, we'll just fix 'em up. I mean, it's not like you lost my ''key'' or anything.
(Ratchet looks away awkwardly)
'''Sari''': You ''lost'' my key!?
'''Ratchet''': Technically, I lost my ''hand''. It...just happened to have your key attached to it.
:—One of many attempts to shift/avoid/lessen blame in this two-parter.

'''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.

"Curious, my electrical systems have gone offline. Which means..." 
"I"M FALLING! WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
:- '''Icy Blitzwing''' explains the situation while '''Random Blitzwing''' states the obvious.

'''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.

[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Blitzwing tank crash.jpg|upright=1.1|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 Megatron 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.
* 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.
* Speaking of whom, did she even do anything in this episode (or the last) except bring Sari closer to the Autobots? Seemed like a waste of time that could have been used elsewhere in this already packed episode.

===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===
[[File:Ark in mountain.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Moral of the story: Autobots cannot drive.]]
* The manner in which the [[Omega Supreme (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)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|G1 cartoon Optimus 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)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his]] [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|leader's]] life is ruined when said leader returns in a new [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|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 1 cartoon continuity|Generation One self's]] damage after his final showdown with Prime in [[The Transformers: The Movie]].

===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 (Animated)|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).
[[File:Megatron Rising 2 Sari AllSpark charades.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"The seeds of the future lie buried in the past." "What the heck does that mean?" "Wait, you're not [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|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 second serious in-show hint in that direction, the first being in the very first episode, when Professor Sumdac's microbot cockroach experiment expanded into an out of control monster and devoured anything made of machinery, and the only human it grabbed was Sari. 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)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] blasting [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|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]]?

===Foreign localization===
'''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:'' "'''Megatron no Fukkatsu Part 2'''" (メガトロンの復活パート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:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season One ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Three: Megatron Rising (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Drei: Megatrons Auferstehung (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 4 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Thrill of the Hunt

2014-05-04T03:42:52Z

Valakria: /* Quotes */

{{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]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''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 [[Maramba Brothers Auto Supply|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]]s 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 [[electromagnetic pulse|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]] (6)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (9)

|c2=
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (4)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (12)

|c3=
*[[Adrias]] (5)
*[[Lester Black]] (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.

'''Optimus Prime''': You two okay? 
(Ratchet shoves Bumblebee off of him) 
'''Ratchet''': We're FINE! 
'''Bumblebee''': You call that ''fine''? You FROZE up like a crankcase in December!! 
'''Ratchet''': I did ''not'' FREEZE UP! Must've been a... glitch in my systems. 
:—Sure it was, Ratchet. It wasn't like you had a flashback recalling a traumatizing event caused by the very car that nearly slagged you just then...

'''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 that 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?
* Lockdown manages to get out from under a car dropped on him from a height by Ratchet, but is helplessly pinned under a shelf.

===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"!

===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 [[medibot]], not a field commander!" is based on Dr. McCoy's oft-repeated line from ''[[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.

===Foreign localization===
'''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]]

'''Spanish (Latin America)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La emoción de la cacería'''" ("The Thrill of the Hunt")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Nuguenai Kioku'''" (ぬぐえない記憶, "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 (rank)|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:'' ???

==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. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 2 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thrill of the Hunt}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]
[[Category:MSTF]]

Deadlock (episode)

2014-05-03T18:30:14Z

Valakria: /* Quotes */

{{disambig2|the ''Prime'' episode|the Generation 1 Decepticon known as "Deadlock"|Drift (G1)}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 65
|prev=Synthesis
|next=Predacons Rising (Prime)
|image=Tfp deadlock omega lock.jpg
|caption=Take that to the secondary cargo hold. We need to make room for the Stargate.
|title="Deadlock"
|airdate=[[July 26]], [[2013]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''The Autobots face the Decepticons for a final showdown.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Megatron TFPS313 standing.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Samurai are awesome, but he's not...]]
The [[Autobot]]s storm the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' via the outer hull, while [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] lets them know he's heading for the [[Omega Lock]]'s control station. As he approaches the ship, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]] orders the [[Stealth Team]] to join Ratchet while [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] and the [[Wrecker]]s take the bridge. [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] asks if they should destroy the lock, but Optimus does not intend to pass up a second chance to restore [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] has to be prompted to follow the others when he's momentarily distracted by the sight of [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] arriving on the upper deck with the [[Dark Star Saber]]. The Decepticon leader uses the sword to damage Optimus's jet pack. Optimus manages to land on one of the lower spires and starts climbing up.

Telling them he has something he needs to do, Smokescreen leaves Arcee and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], much to Arcee's annoyance. Meanwhile, Ratchet reaches the control station and begins facing off, rather badly, against [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]. Arcee and Bumblebee approach the control station as well, but they're cut off by [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and a bunch of Seekers who open fire on them. Elsewhere, [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] packs for a journey he might have to make. Smokescreen arrives at the warship's storage chamber and retrieves the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]].

Ultra Magnus and his team storm the bridge; however, their attempt is cut short by [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]], who [[GroundBridge]]s them to the brig, where they're quickly surrounded. Ultra Magnus notifies everyone that his team has been delayed, which gives [[Jack Darby (Prime)|Jack]] an idea. He asks [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] to bridge him onto the ''Nemesis'' bridge as he's come up with a plan.

On the warship, Shockwave finishes pummeling Ratchet and is about to finish the Autobot off, but is interrupted by the Omega Lock signaling that it's ready to fire. As he opens the huge portal to ready the firing sequence, he spots Optimus hanging onto the Omega Lock's structure and is forced to take cover as Optimus opens fire. Megatron soon arrives to engage Optimus directly and orders Shockwave to begin the firing sequence.

Knock Out, wandering the corridors, finds himself cut off by the fighting. The bridge, meanwhile, is invaded by Jack and an [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]]-clad [[Miko Nakadai (Prime)|Miko]]. She quickly finishes off the Vehicons onsite, but Soundwave advances on her with an open GroundBridge. Jack tells Raf to open a GroundBridge right behind Soundwave, and the conflicting bridge energies promptly transwarp Soundwave into the [[shadowzone (dimension)|shadowzone]]. As Jack and Miko head to the controls, the Omega Lock begins powering up. On its rim, Optimus and Megatron continue to battle, with Optimus knocking the Dark Star Saber from Megatron's grip and decking him. Megatron orders Shockwave to prepare to fire, but is interrupted by the ship lurching while under Jack's control.

[[File:Tfp bee down.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Cue the tears of children worldwide.]]

Down below, Smokescreen passes Arcee and Bumblebee, carrying the Star Saber into the Omega Lock control room. He attempts to throw the sword down to Optimus, only to be blasted by Shockwave. Arcee, Bumblebee, Starscream and Shockwave all run for the weapon. Arcee is forced to take out Starscream, and Bumblebee reaches the Star Saber first. He throws it up in the air, decking Shockwave and cracking his optic before grabbing the sword midair. Ratchet warns Optimus that he must use the Star Saber to destroy the Omega Lock; however, as Bumblebee jumps to pass the weapon to Optimus, he's blasted repeatedly by Megatron. As other Autobots and Decepticons watch in horror and glee, respectively, Bumblebee's optics flicker out, and he dies. He plunges lifelessly into the Omega Lock's energy field.

[[File:Tfp megatron impaled.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Isn't Optimus supposed to do this?]]

Outraged, Optimus smashes Megatron backward in a series of powerful blows, only to be knocked off the Omega Lock when Megatron recovers the Dark Star Saber and uses its wave attack to blast Optimus. As Prime clings to the side, Megatron prepares to finish the Autobot off, only to turn around in response to someone calling his name. Bumblebee runs him through with the Star Saber, and as everyone looks on in shock, Megatron dies and his body falls from the Omega Lock and plunges Earthward, burning as it enters the atmosphere. Bumblebee helps Optimus climb up as the remaining [[Decepticon]]s scramble to escape. As the Autobots reunite, they marvel at the fact that Bumblebee has his voice back, and Optimus passes on the news to Magnus's team and [[Hangar E]] that Megatron has perished. With the ship now under Autobot control, Optimus orders Magnus to set course for Cybertron. Bumblebee radios Raf to let him know to come up so he can be there for the restoration of Cybertron.

[[File:Tfp cybertron restored.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Peace.]]

As the ship passes through the [[space bridge]], Starscream and Shockwave reach the escape pods to find there's only one left. They cram into it and eject, though Starscream complains about the cramped conditions. Ratchet explains that he does not have the complete formula to synthesize cyber-matter (never having learned Shockwave's portion of it) and the current amount was intended to cyberform Earth, not the much larger Cybertron. Optimus directs the ship to the [[Well of All Sparks]], so they can revitalize Cybertron's core. The beam of energy strikes Cybertron's core, and the planet is soon restored and glowing a healthy blue. On the bridge, Knock Out admires the planet's new luster, and claims to be "joining the winning team", only to be decked by Miko. [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]], still clinging to the hull, looks out over Cybertron before transforming and flying off.

Back on Earth, Optimus gives a speech about how they're going to miss [[Earth]]. Fowler says the three kids will be members of [[Unit:E]], June modifying it by mentioning that they'll be in a consulting capacity only until they're of age, and Ratchet takes the opportunity to announce he's staying on Earth. Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Arcee give a tearful farewell to their respective partners, while Fowler, Magnus, Wheeljack and Smokescreen share a mutual salute. As the Autobots head through the space bridge, Optimus gives Ratchet a last goodbye, and with a final lingering look at his human companions, strides through after his team.

{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] (2)
*[[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] (3)
*[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] (6)
*[[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (8)
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] (9)

|c2=
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (1)
*[[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] (14)
*[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] (15)
*[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] (16)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (17)
*[[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] (18)

|c3=
*[[William Fowler]] (10)
*[[Miko Nakadai (Prime)|Miko Nakadai]] (11)
*[[Jack Darby (Prime)|Jack Darby]] (12)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (13)
*[[June Darby]] (20)

|h4=[[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]]|c4=
*[[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] (19)
}}

==Quotes==
"Pack light. Pack light! [''Finds his rotary buffer''] Oh! Pack ''smart''!"
:—'''Knock Out''', not needing to be told that [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|cowards survive]].

"Prepare to join your scout... in the Allspark!"
:—'''Megatron's''' final words.

"You took my voice. You will never rob anyone, of ''anything'', ever again."
:—'''Bumblebee''', getting payback at last.

"I will avenge you, Master!" 
[''Shockwave grabs him''] 
"Starscream, do not be a fool!" 
[''They flee as Starscream resists''] 
"Curse you and your logic!"
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Shockwave''' debate the merits of revenge, with the former displaying an uncharacteristic level of grief over Megatron's demise.

"Bumblebee..." 
"Your voice..." 
"My voice? What're you g-...My voice!" 
[''grabs '''Ratchet''' in a great big hug''] 
"Ratchet! I have my pipes back!" 
"Errhmm, y-yes! Yes we noticed!"
:—'''Ratchet''', '''Arcee''', and '''Bumblebee''' in a crazy-happy cute moment. Admit it, you smiled too.

"Rrrgh, your elbow articulator is digging into my lateral flexor!" 
"Do you intend to whine for the duration of the voyage?" 
:—'''Starscream''' and '''Shockwave''' get used to being in each other's personal space. This is going to be a long trip.

"Ah, such luster." 
''[Autobots stare in disbelief]'' 
"What? I'm joining the winning team."
:—'''Knock Out''' proves once again just how self-important he really is, right before Miko shuts him up.

"Raf..." 
"I know Bee. You don't have to say anything." 
"I never did."
:—'''Raf''' and '''Bumblebee''' share their last exchange...for now.

"Until we meet again, old friend..."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Ratchet''' also share their last exchange, and in a way, to us.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* Ultra Magnus goes into the battle using his built-in blasters, but in the next scene is lugging around the same handheld cannon he used in "[[Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion]]".
* Even though the ship is orbiting Earth, Transformers and objects fall at a rate consistent with Earth-normal gravity outside of the ship.
* When Jack arrives on the ''Nemesis'', Laserbeak (on Soundwave's chest) is missing its left wing.
* When Smokescreen takes a hit from Shockwave before he is able to pass the Star Saber to his leader, he falls backward onto one of the tanks while the Star Saber flies to his left side at a slight angle. After the scene cuts to the him against the tanks, the sword has somehow moved a considerable distance further, enough that Smokescreen would have had to purposefully throw it in that direction to get it that far.
* As Bumblebee is blasted by Megatron, the Star Saber falls with him at the same angle, apparently towards the cybermatter pool. Yet when Bumblebee falls in, the Saber clangs to the surface of the Omega Lock rather than in the pool, as its trajectory would suggest.
* Though it makes sense that Megatron and Optimus failed to notice Bumblebee's revival, certainly the assembled Autobots and Decepticons should have, considering Bumblebee would have had to climb out of the cybermatter pool, grab the sword, then walk over to Megatron to stab him with it.
* Knock Out more or less appears out of nowhere when he comments on a restored Cybertron's beauty. He certainly wasn't on the bridge when the Wreckers finally secured it, and they should have noticed if he entered the room.
*Wheeljack picks up the lobbing ball before he enters the GroundBridge, but it disappears after he salutes Agent Fowler and walks through the portal.

===Continuity notes===
* Ultra Magnus refers to Soundwave's combat GroundBridging as a "relocation trick", which he had used on Arcee in "[[Orion Pax, Part 1]]", a Predacon bone fragment in "[[Project Predacon]]", and [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] and her [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticons]] in "[[Thirst]]".
* Miko previously used the Apex Armor in "[[Chain of Command (Prime)|Chain of Command]]".
* Jack, Miko, and Raf experienced the effects of crossed GroundBridges firsthand in "[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]".
* The [[Immobilizer]] is seen in a stasis field in the vault, thus accounting for all the weapons left on Cybertron last season.
* The Star Saber was previously seen in the Decepticon vault in "[[Prey (episode)|Prey]]". Despite not making a note of it then, that fact did not escape Smokescreen's notice.
* Bumblebee's formerly-destroyed voicebox was the result of a run-in with Megatron at [[Tyger Pax]], as explained in "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1]]" and the novel, ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''.
* The Autobots fire the Omega Lock into the Well of All Sparks, last seen in flashback in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]".
* This is the second time Knock Out [[Orion Pax, Part 1|has mentioned being on the "winning team"]].
* Wheeljack takes the [[Cybertronian sport#Lobbing|lobbing]] ball with him to Cybertron. It was last seen in "Project Predacon".
* Bumblebee managed to crack Shockwave's eye, making it the second time it has been damaged.

===Real-world references===
* Raf refers to opening conflicting Space Bridge portals as 'crossing the streams', a term from ''Ghostbusters'' for literally touching the energy streams created by the series' signature energy backpacks. Coincidentally, this was ''also'' a technique of last resort with potentially devastating consequences. The same term was used the first time this happened.

===Trivia===
* Between solicitations for upcoming issues of the [[Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters (comic)|''Beast Hunters'' comic]] (which revealed that Cybertron would be restored), the press release for the ''[[Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising]]'' movie (which revealed that Megatron was going to die) and a clip shown at the ''Prime'' panel at the San Diego Comic Con and later released online (which revealed that Bumblebee would regain his voice), a well-informed Transfan had pretty much ''every'' surprise of this episode spoiled ''by official sources'' well in advance of its airing. Boo.
* Just before Megatron retrieves the Dark Star Saber from the Omega Lock to use its wave attack to push Optimus off the side, it emits a sound very similar to the [[Star Saber (Armada)|original Star Saber sword]] whenever it was activated.
* Ratchet kept saying that he wanted to go back to Cybertron, and that he wouldn't forgive Optimus for leaving him on a planet with humans. Evidently, he has grown used to them, and stays behind anyway, claiming that he's needed in Unit:E.
* While the limited cybermatter created to cyberform Earth was enough to restore Cybertron's core, the surface is still in ruins. Ratchet predicted this much would happen in the previous season, even though he was technically wrong at the time. The original Omega Lock could have restored both the surface and the core.
* Bumblebee was wearing a battle mask over his mouth for the whole series, which is revealed when he retracts it upon discovering he can speak again.
* Despite being exposed to space at various points along the hull, certain areas of the ''Nemesis'' appear to be airtight, specifically the bridge.
* The Omega Lock's [[cyber-matter]] was able to fully heal Bumblebee's wounds and restore his voice box. Perhaps Ultra Magnus should have dipped his hand in before they used it to restore Cybertron.
* Predaking must have been holding onto the Warship for this entire episode. What was he doing to pass the time?

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Stillstand'''" ("Deadlock")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 16|16 October]] [[2013]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Végjáték'''" ("Endgame")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 18|18 September]] [[2013]]

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Human Error, Part I

2014-04-22T04:30:29Z

Valakria:

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFA Human Error Part 1 Automen.jpg
|caption=''Humans Animated'' is a very popular show on Cybertron.
|ep=37
|ep2=34
|prev2=Predacons Rising (Animated)
|next2=Human Error, Part II
|title="Human Error, Part I"
|airdate=[[April 18]], 2009
|written by=[[Henry Gilroy]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Christopher Berkeley]] [[Naoto Hashimoto]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''With the Christmas season upon them, the Autobots are not quite themselves following a run-in with Porter C. Powell's new mass-produced Soundwave action figures.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Powell Soundwave.jpg|thumb|left|180px|He's actually worse than [[wikipedia:Vince Offer|Vince Offer]].]]
It's [[Christmas]] in Detroit, but [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] is not in a festive mood. The hottest toy of the year is [[Sound Wave]], being marketed by [[Porter C. Powell]], who acquired the schematics and patent when he ran [[Sumdac Systems]]. Observing a commercial for the new toy, Optimus notices one of the small robots running across the plaza near the trains. Trying to follow it, he is nearly run over by a train and finally decides that he may be obsessing.

At the [[Autobot Earth Base|plant]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] are interested in what they got for Christmas, but [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] tells them that [[Santa Claus]] will know if they try to peek. As the two help Sari decorate, a Sound Wave toy breaks out of the present and does something to the [[oilnog]] that Sari made for the Autobots. The toy is barely able to hide as Optimus, [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], and [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] weigh in on Santa's ability to deliver presents to all the children. Sari tells them to just accept the holiday magic and be thankful for what they have, like family, leading to a toast of the spiked oil. Soon, the Autobots all begin to feel tired and decide to call it a night, as Sari heads back to [[Sumdac Tower]].

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Optimus Human.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Who would want to be a human in ''Transformers''? The [[Fandom|fans]] all hate them.]]
The next morning, Optimus wakes up, still woozy, and discovers something frightening: his hands are made of flesh! Falling off his bed in shock, Prime's eyes fall upon a mirror, and he discovers the horrifying truth—He's become a human! Optimus hears Bumblebee and Bulkhead cry out, and discovers that all the other Autobots are human as well. Optimus is convinced that there must be a reason, but a few scans by Ratchet are unable to determine the cause of the change. Looking for Prowl, the Autobots head outside, where they find the ninja is mostly at home with the situation, except he feels that something is wrong. Since they're unable to contact Sari, the Autobots decide to [[roll out|<s>roll ou</s>]]—er, walk to Sumdac Tower.

[[Image:TFA Human Error Sumdac dance.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Truly fun for all ages.]]
The Sumdacs, meanwhile, are exchanging Christmas presents, although Sari is less than impressed with the Soundwave toy she receives, having less-than-fond memories of her previous experience with the musical menace. The next present, a scooter, likewise fails to excite, until her father reveals that it also transforms into a jetpack! Thrilled at the gift, Sari takes off to show the Autobots, leaving her dad dancing and singing along with Sound Wave.

On their way to Sumdac Tower, the Autobots stop at [[Burger Bot]] when Bulkhead experiences the odd sensation of "hunger". Before long, he is also experiencing the thrills and spills of "the bathroom", while Prowl makes the most of his new human form, having a salad and playing peek-a-boo with a greatly amused [[Nancy Witwicky|baby]]. The light-heartedness is brought to an end by a sudden explosion outside, and the Autobots race onto the street to see an armada of airborne [[Decepticon]]s, with [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] in the lead, opening fire on the city! As chaos erupts around them, more Decepticons led by [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] come stomping up the street . A blast from Shockwave sets a nearby building on fire, and Prime orders the Autobots into action despite their frail new forms. While Bulkhead and Bumblebee fight the fire, Prime and Ratchet rescue a woman, and Prowl heads upstairs to save her [[Gary|son]]. At the last minute, Prowl dives out a window several stories up with the boy in his arms and lands with ease, prompting Bulkhead to wonder exactly how he accomplished such a seemingly impossible feat. Before any thought can go into the matter, Starscream transforms to robot mode and lands in front of them!

Carried by her new jetpack to the Autobot plant, Sari is surprised to discover it locked up tight, and even more surprised when the Autobots don't respond to her knocking. She flies into the plant through a skylight, but the whole building seems deserted, so she uses the computer to scan for the Autobots' energy signatures, which turn out to be coming from...inside the plant?

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Starscream Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|right|180px|GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!]]
As Starscream tears up the street and sends humans scattering in fear, Bulkhead and Bumblebee rather foolishly attempt to attack him, and the results are rather predictable. When Optimus tries slashing the Decepticon with an axe, Starscream backhands him into a wall, breaking his leg. Hearing the Autobots refer to each other by name, Starscream realizes who his opponents are, but is so busy smirking over their predicament that he loses sight of them and finds that he can't tell one human from another! Dismissing them, he departs for more destruction elsewhere, leaving the Autobots to have their injuries tended to by paramedics. Requiring some of Professor Sumdac's technology to fight the Decepticons, the Autobots board a bus to get to the tower quickly.

Back at the Autobots' plant, Sari is still searching for her friends, when suddenly, a [[Laserbeak (Animated)|large, robotic bird]] flies out of a shaft in the floor, followed by a small army of Sound Wave action figures! Sari blasts the evil toys and heads down the shaft to investigate.

[[Image:TFAni Human Error Part 1 Bumblebee vs Blitzwing.jpg|thumb|180px|left|''You spin me right 'round, baby right 'round''.]]
At the foot of Sumdac Tower, the Autobots have just stepped off the bus when suddenly, a huge shadow falls over Detroit. Looking up, the stunned Autobots see the entire planet of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] itself hanging in the sky. Sumdac tower is obliterated by a huge planetary laser weapon, and a full-scale Decepticon invasion force swarms the sky, led by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] himself! The Decepticons are just as surprised by the Automens' appearance as they are, but Megatron decides to take advantage by destroying them last, so that they may watch their adopted home be destroyed. The sheer impossibility of everything that is happening finally hits Optimus Prime and Prowl, who realize that whatever may be happening to them, none of it is real. Megatron seizes Prowl, but amazingly, the Autobot breaks free of his grip, and with a single swipe of his hand, severs Megatron's arm. Blitzwing attempts to crush Prowl beneath his foot, but Bulkhead runs forward and smashes straight through the [[Triple Changer]]'s leg. As Bumblebee pummels Blitzwing's faces and Prowl knocks out Starscream by phasing into his head, Optimus Prime beats Megatron with his own arm, then hurls his axe into the barrel of the Decepticon leader's cannon, causing it to explode. As the dust cloud fades, Cybertron and all of the Decepticons have vanished, and the Autobots come to the realization that they are trapped in some kind of virtual reality.

[[Image:TFA Human Error Part 1 Soundwave Superior.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Giant virtual "Shattered Glass" ''Animated'' Soundwave?]]
Sari makes the same discovery as the Autobots when she reaches the bottom of the secret shaft and discovers their bodies, plugged into machinery being operated by the full-size [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], who is planning to use the illusion to reprogram the Autobots into Decepticons. Within the virtual world, the Autobots are able to will themselves back into robotic form (although Bulkhead has a little trouble), but before they can take any further actions, a gigantic arm bursts out of the ground beneath them, scooping them up in its hand. Soundwave's giant face looks down upon the Autobots, declaring escape impossible and shocking them all with blasts of purple energy. Soundwave also has his hands full in the real world, as Sari blasts a chunk out of his shoulder with one of her energy-balls,. Soundwave summons Laserbeak, the robotic bird Sari saw earlier, into his arms, where it transforms into a guitar and hits Sari with a powerful sonic shock wave. The wounded Sari retreats, promising to come back for her friends and leaving Soundwave to resume the final phase of his Autobot reprogramming with [[Ratbat (Animated)|another musical instrument]] that bathes the heroic robots in waves of sonic energy. As Soundwave gloats, Optimus Prime's optics activate and begin glowing Decepticon-red...

[[Human Error, Part II|To be continued...]]

==Featured characters==
{{note|Characters in italics appear only as part of Soundwave's virtual reality scenario.}}
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (2)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (3)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]] (5)
*''[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]'' (16)
*''[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]'' (17)
*''[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]'' (18)
*''[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]'' (19)
*''[[Strika (Animated)|Strika]]'' (20)
*''[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]]'' (21)
*''[[Spittor (Animated)|Spittor]]'' (22)
*[[Laserbeak (Animated)|Laserbeak]] (27)
*''[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]'' (28)
*[[Ratbat (Animated)|Ratbat]] (29)
|c3=
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (6)
*[[Isaac Sumdac]] (7)
*''[[Hydra (Animated)|Hydra]]'' (10)
*''[[Marty Isenberg]]'' (11)
*''[[Cancer (Animated)|Cancer]]'' (12)
*''[[Lisa Kane]]'' (13)
*''[[Nancy Witwicky]]'' (14)
*''[[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]]'' (15)
*''[[Gary's mother]]'' (23)
*''[[Gary]]'' (24)
*''[[Daniel Witwicky (Animated)|Daniel Witwicky]]'' (25)
*''[[Spike Witwicky (Animated)|Spike Witwicky]]'' (26)
|c4=
*[[Sari Sumdac]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==

"That toy rightfully belongs to me, Powell! You are a thieving crook!" 
"And a Merry Christmas to you too, Professor Sumdac, but I acquired your toy's patents fair and square when I owned your company. Now I'm sharing Sound Wave with the entire world, for only $19.99 each." 
"$19.99? ''How does he do it''?!" 
:—'''Professor Sumdac''' unwittingly provides PR for '''Porter C. Powell's''' products. Say that three times fast.

'''Ratchet''': And I'm telling you, there is no way that this "Santa Claus" could deliver billions of presents in one night. 
'''Prowl''': I can think of at least one way. Ho. Ho. Ho. 
''[Prowl projects holograms of himself]'' 
'''Optimus''': A sound theory, Prowl. I did see multiple Santas in the shopping district tonight.
:—The Autobots weigh in on the debate of how Santa does his job.

"In these human bodies, [[Furmanism|what chance do we have?]]"
:— Don't act like you don't know where '''Ratchet''' is going with this.

"''PRIME!?'' Look at you! You're hideous!" 
"We're all hideous! We're...people!" 
"And you're so small!" 
"Knock it off! I'm bigger than ''you''!" 
:— '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' assessing their human forms.

'''Prowl''': "Here I am. Hahaha. Peekaboo! I'm over here! Hehaha." 
''*[[Nancy Witwicky| baby]] laughs*'' 
'''Ratchet''': "You think she'd be ''laughing'' if you were a giant robot?" 
'''Prowl''': "That's the point. Being human gives me a better sense of what this holiday season means. I'm…thankful, for just being alive in any form." 
:— '''Prowl''', who apparently is the only one who ''isn't'' completely pessimistic about becoming human, reminding the team to have some Christmas spirit.

"Hey! There's no antilock breaks on these servos!" 
"I think the humans call them…''legs''." 
:— '''Bulkhead''' and '''Bumblebee''' discover one of many unfortunate human limitations.

"We need to get to Sumdac Tower. Auto—uh, men. Transfo—er, uh, roll—er, uh, oh, let's...let's just go."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' has a few slips on his "[[roll out]]" command.

"Why would ze Autobots choose to be human?" 
"Not for the fashion sense, I can tell you that. A-ha-ha-ha!"
:—'''Icy Blitzwing''' and '''Random Blitzwing''', the next [[wikipedia:Tim Gunn|Tim Gunn]].

"A-who cares? I will crush zem into human meat pies!"
:-'''Hothead Blitzwing''', the next Valeriano Weyler.

"Not a creature was stirring, not even a—''[Laserbeak flies out of the Autobrand on the floor]'' creepy robot bird?"
:—'''Sari Sumdac''' adds a new twist to a classic Christmas tale.

"Oh, look! I have a hole in my rocket!"
:—Even horrible injury cannot faze '''Random Blitzwing'''.

"Hey, we're baaaaack!" 
"Not all of us!" 
"It might help you if you make the noise with your mouth like this: ''Choo-chuh-chah-chik''!" 
"Sounds silly... But, okay. Choo-chuh-chah-chah-chik! ''Choo-chuh-chah-chah-chik''!"
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''', making [[Transformation#The noise|the transformation noise]] like so many of us do—DID. As children. Yeah.

"Escape is impossible. Autobots inferior, Soundwave superior."
:—'''Soundwave''' makes sure that line is never forgotten.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When Bulkhead sets down his Christmas present, the box is missing the horizontal ribbon it has in the preceding and following shots.
* When Ratchet scans Optimus, all the equipment is human-sized, instead of the much larger, Transformer-scaled size. Of course, it's not actually ''real'', but still.
[[Image:HumanError-DanielSpike.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The popular "Invisible Booster Seat" image from Lolbots.com.]]
* In the bus tram scene, Daniel is shown levitating over his seat.
* Marty Isenberg is drawn with only one leg.
* In the scene showing Isenberg, Hydra and Cancer facing forward, Isenberg's, uh, buttocks is overlapping Cancer's thigh.
* We first see [[Nancy Witwicky|<strike>Jennifer</strike> Nancy Witwicky]] for a few frames in the background next to a mom who isn't Carly. She's Carly later, though.
* After the explosion is heard outside the Burger Bot, Bulkhead's previously half-eaten burger is now whole.
* Bulkhead punches Starscream with his right hand...then screams and clutches his ''left'' hand...then after a scene cut, he is shown clutching his ''right'' hand...and later he gets a bandage put on his ''left'' hand. Of course, it's...oh, you get the idea.
* Of course, if this was real, we'd point out that the force with which Starscream smashed Optimus into the wall should probably have killed him, or at least caused a lot more damage than a broken leg. Good thing it's not, then.
* When Cybertron approaches Earth, it's entirely ''in front'' of the clouds, which is absurd for anything planet-sized. (Still not real, though.)
* The elevator platform in the Autobots' base shrinks from Autobot-sized at the top (such that Sari is shown to be tiny in comparison to it) to human-sized at the bottom (such that Laserbeak couldn't fit through the door even if it had been open).
* Blitzwing's face changes from Icy to Random when he lifts up his leg, only to be Icy again when he's looking through the hole after the shot changes.
* When Optimus beats Megatron with his own severed arm, the arm is ''freaking colossal'', nearly as big as the rest of Megatron's body. (Megatron's face also goes significantly off-model in the same scene.) It's also hollow, but that's what virtual things look like on the inside.
* When Optimus commands the "Automen" to transform, one of his irises is bigger than the other.
* When being held by the giant Soundwave, Prowl is briefly missing his armor.
* The hole Sari blows in Soundwave's backpack comes and goes. Hey, this bit is real!

===Continuity errors===
*When Optimus is out patrolling, he has his trailer. It disappears when he transforms—in fact, it appears to start transforming along with him just before the shot switches to him in robot mode—and is absent when he returns to vehicle mode a few minutes later.
* Where did Soundwave get images of the Decepticons? In particular, since there are several conceivable ways to get the Earth Decepts' images, what are [[Team Chaar]] and [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] doing there, as none of them have been to Earth? Even if you somehow presume the Autobots themselves generated the images, only Oil Slick—per ''The Arrival'' comic—and Shockwave's head have been seen by any of Optimus's team.
* Where did Sari's jetpack go while she was on the lift? (For that matter, why did she transform out of her robot mode at all?)
* Lugnut disappears with the other Decepticons, despite the fact none of the Autobots fought him.
* Considering the noise that the Sound Wave toy made when he ran across the room to spike the nog, wouldn't someone hear it?

===Transformers references===
* [[Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick Wyatt]] stated this episode was a partial homage to a [[Only Human|"classic" Generation 1 episode]].
* Sari's transforming scooter-jetpack was an early idea that didn't make it into the series, but which was featured in a promotional reel for the ''Animated'' series (seen on the convention circuit in mid-2007 and featured on the DVD included with the "Optimus Prime and Megatron: The Battle Begins" action figure set). The version introduced with this episode is somewhat different from the original concept, which was a pedal-powered tricycle that transformed using the power of the [[AllSpark Key]].
* The scooter's jetpack form is, in turn, based on the backpacks worn by the Acroyear/Acroyer, the villains from Takara's [[Microman]] toyline.
[[Image:HydraMartyCancer.jpg|right|thumb|150px|This is a winning sitcom concept right here.]]
* The [[Burger Bot]] patrons include series head writer [[Marty Isenberg]], [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly Witwicky]], her baby daughter [[Nancy Witwicky|Nancy]] (who was close to being born during the Season 2 episode "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]"), and ''Animated'' homages to the ''[[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' characters [[Cancer (Masterforce)|Cancer]] and [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]]. [[Hydra (Animated)|Hydra]], Marty, and [[Cancer (Animated)|Cancer]] are sitting together at one table, indicating a very interesting family.
* Speaking of Masterforce, this episode also features [[Pretender|Transformers turning into people and back]], though in this case, it actually makes some kinda sense.
* Starscream's missiles feature the shark-toothed smiley faces sculpted into his Voyager-class toy's missile accessories.
* Cybertron was brought into Earth orbit twice in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1]] series: first in the multipart episode "[[The Ultimate Doom, Part 1|The Ultimate Doom]]", and then in the series finale, "[[The Rebirth, Part 3]]". It would later happen again [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|in the Movieverse]].
* Soundwave's declaration of "Autobots inferior; Soundwave superior" is a paraphrase of his Generation 1 namesake's famous line of dialogue from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'': "Soundwave superior; Constructicons inferior."
* The colors on the giant Soundwave in the virtual world come from Takara's "Sonic White" Soundwave MP3 player.
* This isn't the first time Prowl [[Transform and Roll Out|slices off Megatron's arm]].

===Real-world references===
* Appropriately enough, the first act of this episode incorporates traditional Christmas songs "[[Wikipedia: Carol of the Bells|Carol of the Bells]]", [[Wikipedia: Jingle Bells|Jingle Bells]]" and "[[Wikipedia:God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen|God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen]]" into the background music.
* When Sari's searching the Autobot base for her friends, at one point, her jetpack sounds like a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracer podracer] from ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] Episode I: The Phantom Menace''.
* Sari quotes from the Christmas poem, "[[Wikipedia: A Visit from St. Nicholas|A Visit from St. Nicholas]]" (more commonly known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), replacing the word "mouse" with "[[Laserbeak (Animated)|creepy robot bird]]".
* When Laserbeak chases Sari into the elevator, he makes sounds like a seagull.
* Bumblebee says "We're not in Detroit anymore," which is another twist on an oft-paraphrased line from ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* The scene of Cybertron blowing up [[Sumdac Tower]] is straight out of the mid-'90s summer blockbuster ''Independence Day'', in which an alien mothership blows up the White House in a similar manner while using the [[Death Star]] sound effect from ''Star Wars''.
* The whole idea of the heroes acting in a virtual world where only those aware of its true nature can break the laws of physics is similar to [[Wikipedia: The Matrix (series)|the ''Matrix'' series]].
* Prowl going into the burning building to save the child, despite being in human form, is highly reminiscent of a scene in ''Spider-Man 2'' in which Peter Parker does the same thing, despite having temporarily lost his powers and not wearing his hero outfit.

===Trivia===
[[Image:Prime'sTrailer_MysterySolved.JPG|250px|right|thumb|So ''that's'' where it goes!]]
* Sari returns after being out of action from the events of "[[TransWarped]] Part III".
* When Optimus goes to bed, one can just barely make out his trailer in the corner of his room.
* This episode features an unusually high amount of [[stock footage]] by ''Animated'' standards. Starscream's sequence is a few seconds longer than when it was last seen in "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]". Of course, all the sequences of the "human" Autobots transforming have been re-edited.
* Apparently, in future Detroit, you are allowed to use public transportation while bearing a giant axe. Well, it ''is'' Detroit...
* Back in "[[Sound and Fury]]", Soundwave's voice was modulated using only one tone, meaning it never rose or fell. With this episode, more tones are introduced into his voice, allowing it to rise and fall in the same manner as his [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Soundwave (G1)|counterpart]].
* Sari's abilities include being capable of holding a full barrel of oil on each hand and surviving getting slammed into a wall by Laserbeak and Soundwave. Plus, she makes a mean oilnog.
* Man, Professor Sumdac sure can ''dance''.
* Now in his samurai armor, Prowl can make two or more holographic projections of himself, whereas he could only make one at a time before getting the armor. It's ''that'' awesome!
* Technically, since most of this episode wasn't real, most of the errors above can be dismissed. So nyah!
* This isn't the [[Bee in the City|first time]] Bumblebee has a taste of human food.
* Considering the presence of snow at the end of the first season, and now again here, it seems fairly obvious that it's been well over a year since the Autobots awoke from their stasis under Lake Erie. Additionally, while "[[Along Came a Spider]]" explicitly showed the Autobots' first Halloween, this is never said to be their first Christmas.
* Just when you thought he couldn't get any more awesome, Prowl becomes a ''Ghost''/Cop/Ninja.
* As the Decepticon Jets attack Detroit, two Lugnuts are attacking: Lugnut in his regular color scheme, and behind him, the [[To sell toys|Atomic Lugnut redeco]].
* A Christmas special in April? That's unusual.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Erreur humaine 1/2'''" ("Human Error 1/2")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ningen ni Natta Autobot'''" (人間になったオートボット, "The Autobots Became Humans")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 20|20 November]] [[2010]]
::*New transforming [[stock footage]] for Soundwave as he delivers the usual TV-viewing warning, starting with his more "innocent" voice before changing to his menacing voice.

==Home video releases==
This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]