Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2

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Only Galvatron can see the Energon Fairies
"Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2"
Production code	#700-87
Production company	Sunbow Productions
Airdate	September 2, 1986
Written by	Flint Dille
Continuity	Generation 1 cartoon continuity

As a near death experience on Chaar allows Rodimus Prime to discover who kidnapped the Autobots, Cyclonus and Scourge head to rescue Galvatron...only to find that something is very wrong with their leader.

Japanese title: ルビークリスタルの秘密 (Yomaigaeru Shin Hakai Taitei, "The Revived New Emperor of Destruction")

German title: "Die fünf Gesichter der Finsternis, Teil 2" ("The five Faces of Darkness, Part 2")

Synopsis

If he dead, me Grimlock eat him.

On Chaar, the Decepticons have discovered the snooping Rodimus Prime and Grimlock. However, the Decepticons cannot muster enough energy to power their weapons, so they opt to beat the two Autobots to death. They overwhelm Rodimus and Grimlock, but scatter at the sight of a meteor...which turns out to be a Skuxxoid ship commandeered by Springer and Arcee. They grab Rodimus and Grimlock, but Rodimus is non-responsive. Cyclonus allows them to leave, as he has more pressing matters...such as finding Galvatron.

Who left that camera on?!

On Quintessa, the Quintessons are interrogating Kup, who is Cybertron's Chief of Security. They seem to know the true answers to their questions, even though he lies. They learn that Cybertron is militarily secure, but that Kup is worried about Earth's security. Ultra Magnus and Spike are surprised that the Quintessons seem to know so much, but the Quintessons end their discussion by trying their hand at interrogating Spike.

Elsewhere, Springer sets the Skuxxoid ship down. A badly injured Rodimus is mumbling Springer's name and that of the Matrix, and Arcee believes that Rodimus is naming Springer as the new Autobot leader. Suddenly, Rodimus's life force disappears. Arcee assumes the worst, but Grimlock points out that the Matrix didn't appear, so he is still alive. As for Rodimus Prime's life force, it's going on a very trippy (yet poorly animated) journey through the Matrix, seeing Optimus Prime, a skull-like thing, a few robots...and the Quintessons. Coming back online, Rodimus realizes that it was the Quintessons who kidnapped the others, not the Decepticons.

On Quintessa, Spike, Magnus, and Kup overpower their guards, taking a Quintesson judge named Deliberata hostage. When they confront the court, however, the Quintessons merely sentence him to die in the Sharkticon tanks as well. The pit opens, plunging Spike and the Autobots into the pit along with Deliberata. The side of the pit opens, allowing the other Quintessons to watch. They like to watch.

Everyone out of the pool!

Heading to Thrull, Cyclonus sends Scourge to pull Galvatron from the plasma pool. Cyclonus and the Sweeps greet their leader, only to discover that he has been driven insane by the plasma baths. Galvatron immediately proceeds to lay the smackdown on his would-be rescuers, but Scourge, who speaks crazy, manages to talk him down. Galvatron declares that they have an empire to regain, and they depart, but not before Galvatron destroys Thrull.

Sharkticon infested custard.

On Quintessa, as the Sharkticons begin to swarm in, Spike asks why they're being executed, and the Quintessons say that Spike is guilty of associating with the Autobots, who are guilty of theft. Magnus assumes that they are talking about the Decepticons, but the Quintessons point out that the Autobots inhabit Cybertron. Above, the Skuxxoid ship flies through the sky, only to be destroyed by the Quintessons' defense systems. However, the Autobots were not on board, instead arriving in Springer's copter mode. The Quintesson tribunal flees Grimlock's would-be assault, while Springer pulls the others out of the Sharkticon tank. The Aerialbots arrive with their escape ship. However, the Quintessons, obsessed with destroying the Matrix, detonate a core bomb on Quintessa. Safely in the distance, they watch their homeworld explode.

To be continued...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Others
Rodimus Prime (1) Grimlock (2) Springer (13) Arcee (14) Kup (18) Ultra Magnus (19) Silverbolt (24) Air Raid (25) Skydive (26) Fireflight (27) Slingshot (28)	Cyclonus (3) Swindle (4) Dead End (5) Onslaught (6) Breakdown (7) Wildrider (8) Soundwave (9) Thrust (10) Motormaster (11) Rumble (12) Scourge (15) Sweeps (16) Galvatron (23)	Spike Witwicky (20)	Quintessons (17) Judge Deliberata (21) Sharkticons (22)

Quotes

"It just don't pack the wallop it used to!"
"Yeah, because we're out of energy, dummy!"

—Vortex and Swindle exposit for the audience.

Cyclonus: Those miserable Skuxxoids!
Scourge: They can't be working with the Autobots.
Swindle: Ehh, they'd sell out to anybody for the right price.
Cyclonus: If anyone would know, Swindle...

—It takes one to know one, Swindle.

Quintesson 1: You are the Autobot Kup. You are Cybertron's chief of security.
Kup: Naw, my name's Teaspoon! And I'm Cybertron's chief dishwasher.
Quintesson 2: Zero percent probability of truth. Identification positive.
Quintesson 1: Tell us the status of Cybertron's defenses.
Kup: Total shambles after the last war. Three kids and a dog could take the planet.
Quintesson 2: Four percent probability of truth. Defenses at optimum levels. Direct assault not viable.

—The Quintessons interrogate Kup. They apparently lack a sense of humor.

Ultra Magnus: Where are you taking us?
Quintesson: To your judgement.
Kup: Right. We're gonna get a fair trial, and then they're gonna kill us.

—Kup already knows how the Quintesson's justice system works.

Spike: Makes you wish for the good old days, doesn't it? Y'know, before the... fighting... broke out? Bears versus the Luna Colony? It was fourth quarter, fourth down, thirty yards to go, you remember that play?
Ultra Magnus: Nooo...
Spike: How 'bout you, Kup?
Kup: Nope. But in a jam like that, all you can do is... rush 'em and pray!

—Magnus rather predictably misses Spike's cue to make a break for it

"Alright, Quintessons, you have a choice. Release us, or I turn your buddy here into bluey juice!"

—Spike

"Pay us no mind. We just...like to watch.

—The Quintessons creepily enjoy Sharkticons attacking Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike.

Galvatron: Who disturbs my plasma bath?
Cyclonus: Mighty Galvatron, we have come to deliver you from—
Galvatron: My empire of ash?!
[Galvatron hits Cyclonus on the head.]
Galvatron: My bastion of brimstone?! Rih!
[Galvatron hits Cyclonus on the head. Again.]
Galvatron: My kingdom of desolation?! Nnah!
[Galvatron hits Cyclonus on the head yet again, and then punches him into the plasma pool.]
Galvatron: Did I ask you for deliverance? Nnah! DID I?!
[Galvatron kicks Cyclonus, who attempts to get out, back into the plasma pool. Then he proceeds to blow up a rock in the pool.]
Galvatron: Hahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha! Ah, Cyclonus! How wonderful to see you again!

—Galvatron shows Cyclonus the true definition of craziness.

"Mighty Galvatron, I have learned your lesson! I now know not only that you are the leader, but also why."
"Such insight is rare! Watch out for this one, Cyclonus. One day, he might take your place."

—Scourge and Galvatron speak crazy.

Notes

Animation or technical glitches

Eat more and grow bigger.

• Rodimus Prime gets a new voice! A Judd Nelson soundalike (or Nelson himself?!) redubs Rodimus's lines during the Last Time recap at the episode's opening. Then Dick Gautier takes over for the actual episode.
• Grimlock's dino mouth doesn't move for his "Me Grimlock no hurt" line.
• While walking with his fellow Decepticons, Rumble is as tall as Soundwave. He should be barely half as tall. Breakdown should also be a head or so shorter.
• The Decepticon advance during Rodimus's "en masse" line contains all sorts of strangeness. "Rumble" has a totally redesigned chest, "Soundwave" has two windows like Optimus Prime, and "Breakdown" has a new chest and a Dead End-like head.
• When in robot mode, Grimlock has his early, flattened robot head design. Apparently, nobody EVER updated AKOM's model sheets for anybody.
• Cyclonus's jet windows aren't colored:
  • As he turns from firing on the departing Rodimus on Chaar.
  • As Galvatron bashes him away for the first time on Thraal.
  • As Galvatron advises him to "Watch out for this one".
• The energon cubes are glowing in the whitish-yellowish style seen in very early episodes of Season 1, rather than the pink that became more standard throughout Season 2 (and, more importantly, the color they were last episode.)
• Kickback is standing with Dragstrip as Cyclonus prepares to leave Chaar. He's supposed to be dead.
• Four Sweeps fly off with Cyclonus, even though 7 were in the shot immediately prior.
• The head Quintesson judge's floatation beam is off-center.
• When Kup sasses the Quintessons by referring to himself as 'Cybertron's chief dishwasher', observe the Quintesson on the throne (the one closest to the screen). One of the faces is mouthing Kup, word for word! This seems to persist for the rest of the scene.
• The faces of the "answer he suppresses" Quintesson all slide around on their bulb together. It's really not clear that they should be able to move around at all.
• Magnus is in prison, but he's still got his shoulder missiles. Shouldn't he be disarmed?
• Even after being savagely beaten by the Decepticons to the point of death, Rodimus' character model shows absolutely no signs of damage. This is even more unusual when you consider the extremely damaged condition of the Decepticons earlier in the episode.
• Arcee's lower helmet segment is colored the same rose pink as her face as she monitor's Rodimus's life force. It should be the same white as the rest of her helmet.
• Rodimus's spoiler centerpiece is yellow instead of orange as he sits up after his vision.
• Arcee's nose is missing its outline in several shots on the asteroid. It's visible only by its shading.
• When Rodimus confirms that Grimlock saved his life on Quintessa, his helmet is drawn very...oddly.
• In the previous episode, when Cyclonus first learns of Galvatron's location, the lava pool where Galvatron was submerged appeared in a small crater. When Cyclonus actually does find Galvatron, the location not only seem different, but the crater has gotten larger as well. Finally, when Scourge pulls Galvatron out, the lava pool is the size of a small lake.
• Kup is drawn delivering Magnus's line "You're confusing us with Decepticons."
• The line "Carry out the executions" is shown via cross-fade being delivered by two different Quint faces, even though it's spoken by a single voice.
• Judging by how the Autobots (and Sharkticons) are standing, the Sharkticon pool is maybe 3 feet deep.
• As the Sharkticons move in, Kup is shown bashing two of them. The shot changes, and the two are both, with a new one now moving in from a distance.
• Arcee's first shot makes its laser sound effect before its fired.
• The spatial physics of Springer carrying the other three Autobots is pretty much physically impossible.
• As Kup says to keep fighting, both he and the Sharkticon facing him are doing some kind of funk hoedown dance, but neither is actually fighting the other.
• During the "as they die" line, the Egyptian-looking Quintesson in the center of the shot has a gray forehead, instead of blue.
• Silverbolt is drawn so huge in jet mode that the Autobots climb aboard him like humans boarding an actual SST. Now THAT'S mass shifting.

Continuity errors

• Why don't Grimlock and Rodimus's blasts have any effect on the Decepticons?
• Rodimus, you may not like being stomped en masse, but that hardly makes your under-energized, weaponless attackers "cowards".
• Why does Cyclonus throw his gun away after the Autobots retreat?
• Wait a minute. The Quintessons? The Quintessons? You mean those guys who when we last saw them were seconds away from being massacred by their rebellious Sharkticon subjects? How are they not all dead?!
• Before his life force temporarily enters the Matrix, Rodimus says "My time in the light is short..." Arcee claims that's what Optimus Prime said when he was dying. It's possible this happened off-screen, but it certainly wasn't shown in the movie. About the closest thing he did say is "Do not grieve. Soon, I shall be one with the Matrix..."
• Death-by-Sharkticon was pretty much instantaneous in The Transformers: The Movie. Why do the Sharkticons just stand around staring at their quarry while everybody gabs on and on?
• The Quintesson that was sentenced along with Spike, Kup and Ultra Magnus vanishes after they take the plunge, at least until Rodimus makes an attempt to rescue them, where he is once again seen with them.
• Galvatron's claim that he is "more powerful than ever" is pretty questionable, considering that he is never again shown atomizing anybody like he did to Starscream. Then again, pretty much everything he claims is pretty questionable. He is, no kidding, fruitcake flapjacks crazy.
• Broadside makes his bizarre "debut" in this episode, as his jet mode character model is used as the Autobots' rescue ship. It's not really him, though, as the ship is destroyed in the next episode. He would make an even more screwed up second debut in "The Killing Jar", serving as a Decepticon ship.
• Silverbolt orders Slingshot to pull the others out, but it's Silverbolt who lands and carries them away.
• Fireflight was never given explicit orders to leave the ship, but is shown returning to it. Silverbolt, who did leave the ship, is not shown returning.

Real-world references

• Star Wars sound effects:
  • The Sweeps take off from Thraal (to escape Galvatron's onslaught) with the sound of the Millenium Falcon's engine burst noise (most likely flying past cam before landing on Yavin IV.)
  • As Galvatron takes off from Thraal, a second Star Wars effect, not yet identified your Wiki editors, can be heard; the Millenium Falcon effect is recycled as Cyclonus and company follow their leader.

Other notes

• After all the shadowy mystery surrounding the Quintessons' identity last episode, there's absolutely no drama to the reveal in this episode. We get an establishing shot of Quintessa, and then cut to the Quints interrogating Kup as if we were picking up from a commercial break or something.

External links

• Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle