Tangled Web

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Ooh, dat wascally widow!
"Tangled Web"
Season	2
No. in season	4
Production company	Mainframe Entertainment
Airdate	November 16, 1997
Written by	Len Wein
Directed by	Craig McEwen
Animation studio	Mainframe Entertainment
Continuity	Beast Wars continuity
Watch this episode on YouTube

Megatron sends Tarantulas to build a new energon processing station, but the spider has other plans.

Synopsis

It is days like this I wish I were a Maximal.

As the Predacons busy themselves around their base, Megatron summons Tarantulas and assigns him to work with Blackarachnia and Quickstrike to develop a refueling station at a newly detected store of energon cubes. Megatron also assigns Waspinator and Inferno to develop a jamming tower to disrupt Maximal communications.

As the Predacons gather supplies and equipment for their assigned tasks, Tarantulas throws a transmitter into Quickstrike's collection of equipment with the hope of summoning the Maximals to undermine Megatron's plans.

Meanwhile, at the Maximal base, Rhinox is conducting experiments on Optimus Primal's new transmetal form to see if they can learn its limits. Their experiment is interrupted by a short-circuit and Cheetor's report of a strange Predacon signal on a Maximal channel. Rattrap and Silverbolt are near the signal and sent to investigate.

You've interrupted my interior decorating!

Quickstrike, Blackarachnia, and Tarantulas arrive at their assigned destination, and Tarantulas decides that the site is a perfect location for his new lair. (His last one had been destroyed previously) He destroys the transmitter that he had been using to signal the Maximals. Blackarachnia too realizes that this site would be an optimal fortress and mentions it to Tarantulas. He then tells her about his plan to commandeer the site for himself to overthrow Megatron and destroy the Maximals, then says that she must join him in his scheme because of their psychic link. He soon recruits Quickstrike to his cause.

Losing the Predacon signal, Rattrap and Silverbolt are forced to follow the Predacons' scent and soon come across their trail.

As he relaxes in his CR tank hot tub, Megatron learns that Waspinator and Inferno have finished their assignment. When Megatron attempts to contact the other Predacons, though (failing to notice the jamming tower falling on Waspinator), he only gets static and soon realizes that the arachnids are up to something.

A headache shared is still a headache.

Back at Tarantulas's would-be lair, Blackarachnia is determined to end the psychic link that Tarantulas has been using to control her and threatens to blow up all of the energon there. While he initially is willing to let her do it, Tarantulas soon learns that their link goes both ways and that he shares her pain, so he agrees to break the link.

En garde!

Outside the cavern, Rattrap and Silverbolt finally find the Predacons and engage in a battle with them. The fight begins to go the Maximals' way, but Silverbolt refuses to strike down Blackarachnia because she is female.

Soon the Maximals realize that the Predacons are guarding the cave and attempt to get in. Their plans are foiled when the entrance blows up. Rattrap congratulates Silverbolt on the blast, but Silverbolt says that he didn't do it. The Predacons are forced to retreat back to Megatron, who chastises them for their incompetence.

Later, though, it becomes clear that Tarantulas blew up the entrance so that he could return and have the cave for himself.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Maximals	Predacons
Optimus Primal (7) Rhinox (8) Cheetor (9) Rattrap (10) Silverbolt (11)	Waspinator (1) Inferno (2) Quickstrike (3) Megatron (4) Tarantulas (5) Blackarachnia (6)

Quotes

"While spider-bots argue, Waszzpinator and Inferno finish job. Megatron will be pleased!"

—Waspinator has such optimism.

"Well then, pardner, let's head 'em up and move 'em out."

—Even Tarantulas' cow-poke impression is creepy.

"Any progress, Rhinox?"
"Despite my tests, we still don't know what limits these new Transmetal states may have. Perhaps this new bio-gen scan will—" [shocks himself and Optimus] "Or perhaps not." [falls over]

—Optimus Primal and Rhinox

"Well, considering the honkers we got, it's worth a shot."

—Rattrap on using their noses.

"Destruction's better'n construction, ya get my drift?"

—Quickstrike knows what he likes.

"Maximals."
"Finally! Somethin' I can sink my teeth inta!"

—Tarantulas and Quickstrike, as Rattrap and Silverbolt approach

"That widow's about as female as a piston."

—Rattrap on Blackarachnia.

Notes

Script timeline

• First draft: 28th July 1997
• Second draft: 1st August 1997
• Finalised: 5th August 1997
• As Air: 17th November 1997

Animation and technical errors

• When Tarantulas says "...and we do live to please Megatron", the green 'eyes' on his chestplate are missing.
• In both instances of Tarantulas speaking the word "Fuzor" in this episode, he mispronounces it as "Fuzer", in contrast to Rattrap's pronouncing it correctly in this episode.
• Every time Silverbolt growls in this episode, he sounds like Dinobot. (Of course, when the dude who does your voice does three other voices, you're gonna get mixed up every now and then.)
• Right after the spiders' mental link is broken, before Quickstrike tells them the Maximals are coming, Tarantulas' gold abdomen is facing the wrong way.
• As the Predacons prepare to flee the battle, Tarantulas transforms into his spider mode. This is accompanied by the noise of his vehicle mode engine, suggesting that he should be transforming into his bike form (the logical choice for making a speedy getaway), but the animation doesn't match this.

Continuity errors

• It is very unusual that Tarantulas is capable of tossing a probe on the building supplies without anyone noticing (especially since the probe collides with the load with a heavy clang, and has a blinking red light).

Continuity notes

• Tarantulas and Rhinox are both researching the new Transmetal forms gained in "Aftermath". Likewise, Blackarachnia is still affected by Tarantulas's mental link, a side-effect of her attempt to hack into Tarantulas's memories back in "Other Voices, Part 2".
• Several subtle setups-for "The Agenda" here: Megatron says his jamming station is for future plans, which Tarantulas assumes to mean the "madness" of season's end; Blackarachnia is planning to use the Ark datatrax downloaded last episode.
• Quickstrike works for Tarantulas again in "Master Blaster".
• This episode confirms that Transmetal Transformers have higher energon tolerance than most: when Blackarachnia first cracks the energon cube, only she was affected by its radiation despite Tarantulas standing no more than three feet away. He also recovered faster than Blackarachnia did after the cyber-link was cut off.
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Tarantulas has invented a walking probe that can mimic Maximal signals.
  • Quickstrike's snake head can deliver a paralyzing bite. It can also light fires.
  • Blackarachnia carries around a four-pronged blade which she uses to crush energon cubes. Who knows what she uses it for the rest of the time?

Transformers references

• The unstable energon crystals affected by the Planet Buster have been converted into stable energon cubes, a fuel source that originated in the original cartoon. These energon cubes are blue rather than pink, although beyond that they seem largely identical.

Real-world references

• The title is a reference to Canto 6, stanza 17 of the epic poem Marmion: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!"
• "Grid Arakis" is a reference to the planet from Frank Herbert's novel Dune.
• Tarantulas says, "Of course, you realize this means war", at one point, a phrase commonly used by Bugs Bunny.
• As he sets up his lair, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home", a reference to the traditional song "Home! Sweet Home!"

Trivia

• The normally calculating Megatron, for some reason, decides to send his two biggest schemers, alongside the Predacon Boob on an important mission and then somehow acts surprised and upset when everything goes awry. Perhaps teaming the spiders with Inferno instead of Quickstrike would've been the better strategy?
• This episode features three different uses of the same Inferno laugh sequence.
• Footage from this episode was used in an episode of The Daily Show back in 1997 when they were covering the National Assocation of Television and Programming Executives Convention.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "L'Embrouille" ("Muddled")

• Title: "Toile d'Araignée" (Canada, "Spider's Web")

Italian

• Title: "La stazione di rifornimento" ("The Supply Station")

Japanese

• Title: "Kattobi Tarans" (かっとびタランス, "Grand-Slam Tarans")
• Original airdate: October 27 1999

• During the opening shot, as the camera passes each Predacon, they chant a five-note diddy using their verbal tic ("BunBun BunBun Buuuun!", "Go Go Go Go Gooo!", etc.).
• Like all of Tarantulas's Spiderbots, the legged transmitter he conceals in the girders speaks (mostly making obedient statements such as, "What?" "Yes!" "Coming!" and so forth).
• When the second act opens, Rattrap breaks the Fourth Wall by telling the audience that the first person perspective as he drives "looks like a racing game".
• Rattrap spends much of the episode breaking the Fourth Wall with his new shtick: Smelling what the audience is eating. Shortly after reconvening with Silverbolt, as he sniffs the ground, immediately before the scene transition, Rattrap mumbles, "Sato-san's having curry today". When the story returns to Rattrap following his nose through the badlands, he mumbles, "Tanaka-san is having ramen".
• When coaxing Quickstrike to ally himself with him against Megatron, Tarantulas asks if Megatron "makes you feel nervous?" He phrases "nervous" as "bibite" (びびて), spurring Quickstrike to angrily reply, "Who is Bibite Bobbidi Boo, gicchon!?" before launching into bluster about how he isn't afraid of anyone. This is a (very forced) reference to Disney's Cinderella, obviously. And it won't be the last one in this episode, either.
• As she kicks the energon cube for her gambit against Tarantulas, Blackarachnia humorously narrates her actions: "High kick! Nice catch!" The whole stand-off/torture scene is played for laughs rather than tension.
• While shrieking in agony as energy surges through him, Tarantulas shouts, "Shibirei bobbidi boo!" It's a terrible pun combining "shibirei" (痺れえい), which means "electric wave", with "bibbidi bobbidi boo" for this episode's second inexplicable Cinderella reference.

Mandarin

• Title: "Xīn Wǎng" (心网, "Web in the Heart")

Portuguese

• Title: "Na Teia das Aranhas" ("In the Web of Spiders")

Spanish

• Title: "Telaraña Intrincada" ("Intricate Web")

• Title: "La Araña" (America, "The Spider")

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

VHS

1998 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Series 2 / Volume 1 (Siren Entertainment)
1998 — Beast Wars — Optimus Lives! (Alliance Atlantis)
1998 — Robots-Bêtes — L'Empreinte D'Optimus (Alliance Atlantis) — French audio only.
1999 — Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers: Metals — Convoy Reborn (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2001 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Volume 5 (Universal)

DVD

2000 — Beast Wars: Transformers: Metals — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.
2004 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Complete Second Season (Rhinomation)
2011 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Seasons 2 & 3 (Shout! Factory)
2011 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
2006 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Season 2 (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers: Beast Wars — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)