Gorilla Warfare: Difference between revisions
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*In the scene where Primal bursts into the Pred base, he swiftly punches through the wall with Waspinator on the other side and drags him back through the hole could be a reference to a similar sequence in [[wikipedia:RoboCop|RoboCop]], especially with Optimus' stompy footsteps beforehand. | *In the scene where Primal bursts into the Pred base, he swiftly punches through the wall with Waspinator on the other side and drags him back through the hole could be a reference to a similar sequence in [[wikipedia:RoboCop|RoboCop]], especially with Optimus' stompy footsteps beforehand. | ||
*The episode title is a pun on the concept of [[wikipedia:Guerrilla Warfare|Guerrilla Warfare]]. And though Megatron's comment that it suits Optimus makes for a nice joke and play on the title, it doesn't say much for the Predacon leader's knowledge of the the tactics. True guerrilla warfare is built on surprise attacks, sabotage, ambushes, and deception. What | *The episode title is a pun on the concept of [[wikipedia:Guerrilla Warfare|Guerrilla Warfare]]. And though Megatron's comment that it suits Optimus makes for a nice joke and play on the title, it doesn't say much for the Predacon leader's knowledge of the the tactics. True guerrilla warfare is built on surprise attacks, sabotage, ambushes, and deception. What it certainly isn't built on is insane and suicidal frontal assaults against superior numbers. | ||
==Home video releases== | ==Home video releases== | ||
Revision as of 17:38, 28 May 2010
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 He will kill the first person who makes a dull surprise joke. | |||||||||
| "Gorilla Warfare" | |||||||||
| Production company | Mainframe Entertainment | ||||||||
| Airdate | October 14, 1996 | ||||||||
| Written by | Greg Johnson | ||||||||
| Directed by | James Boshier | ||||||||
| Animation studio | Mainframe Entertainment | ||||||||
| Continuity | Beast Wars continuity | ||||||||
| Packaged with | Blackwidow | ||||||||
A virus, courtesy of Scorponok, turns Optimus into an overly aggressive fighting machine.
- French title: Un Singe en Colère ("An Angry Monkey")
- French-Canadian title: Méchant Optimus ("Mean Optimus")
- Japanese title: 殺人ウィルス (Satsujin Virus, "The Assassin Virus")
- Latin-American title: Guerra Gorila
- Italian title: Gorilla dalla furia cieca ("Run amok gorilla")
Synopsis
While out on a specimen-gathering mission, Optimus Primal and Dinobot argue over the importance of studying the local flora. Primal finds it valuable, while Dinobot thinks the whole mission is pointless and dangerous. As he turns to leave, the plant Primal is studying shoots a seed pod at Dinobot's back, right where he can't reach. As Dinobot struggles, Primal helps remove the pod and notes that they've learned something.
Just then, the pair are ambushed by Scorponok, who manages to implant a Cyberbee onto Optimus' chest before being driven away. Back at base, Primal recuperates in a CR chamber while Dinobot explains that the bee is a viral mine designed by Scorponok to infect Optimus's core systems and humble his personality, making him too cowardly to lead adequately. Rhinox deduces that because the mine has infected all of Primal's core systems, removing the bee is impossible without killing the Maximal commander, and doing so would trigger a self-destruct that would destroy everything within sprinting distance.
As they wonder what to do next, the CR chamber shakes and is blasted apart. Out stomps Optimus, ready for battle. The cyberbee has had the opposite effect on Primal, turning him into a crazed berserker. Obviously, Scorponok's "notorious incompetence" has caused the Predacon's plan to backfire. Still, in his current state, Primal is now a danger to himself and his teammates, and is still at risk of perishing under the system drain of the mine. Primal orders his troops to lock him up.
The Maximals debate over what to do next, knowing that Scorponok would have the anti-virus for the mine but unsure of how to acquire it. With what little bit of clarity he has left, Optimus convinces Cheetor that they could use the mine against the Preds, and Cheetor releases him. Primal wants to take advantage of their enemy's lack of knowledge of the mine's malfunction to launch a surprise assault. When brought to the rest of the crew, his plan is shot down as being far too risky and dangerous to attempt. Optimus accidentally shoots and activates an alarm, which then sets him into a tantrum. The Maximals try to stop him, but Primal shoves them all away and takes off for the Pred base on his own.
With their options running short, Dinobot ironically suggests they "think like the old Optimus" and proposes negotiating with the Predacons for the cure, but their attempt only serves to give the Predacons advance warning of Optimus's new state and his oncoming assault. Now with the Preds on full alert and with no other course of action to take, the Maximals begrudgingly follow Optimus to the Predacon base to give him covering fire in his one-ape assault.
After blasting his way in, Optimus takes on Tarantulas and pins him to the wall with his own weapon. Primal then breaks through another wall to grab Waspinator and blow him away. Outside, the Maximals take on Blackarachnia and Terrorsaur, giving Cheetor a chance to run inside the base.
After tearing through the Pred crew, Primal ends up confronting Megatron, who teasingly dangles the cure in front of his nose while giving an ultimatum: Submit to him and live, or stay defiant and die from the mine.
Inspired by the plant specimen from his mission with Dinobot, Optimus chooses a third option and rips the bee from his chest, activating its self-destruct. He tosses it at Megatron and it attaches to the Predacon leader's back where he can't reach. Megatron drops the anti-virus and flees to Scorponok for help. Fortunately for Primal, Cheetor manages to arrive just in time to grab the cure and administer it to the Maximal leader before his spark gives out. Megatron reaches Scorponok, but not in time, and the Cyberbee blows just after the Maximals rush outside the base.
Primal recuperates in his quarters and finds Dinobot watching over him. Dinobot shares an uncharacteristic sentiment that he's glad Optimus is back and wanders out. Primal sees that the former Predacon has brought him a sample of the flower they were studying earlier. Awwww.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Predacons |
|---|---|
|
|
Quotes
"Just because we bumped into Predacons is no reason to stop learning new things."
"Well, if we encounter any of Megatron's forces, you may learn that it is unwise to dally with plants."
- —Optimus and Dinobot
"Yeeesss, from now on, I shoot my dinner salad before I eat it."
- –Dinobot encounters hostile plant life for the first time.
"As much as I'd love to see the both of you scrap yourselves, save it for my birthday."
- —Rattrap wants strange strange birthday presents.
"WHO WANTS SOME?!"
- –Optimus Primal just after he breaks out of the Maximal CR Chamber as a scary-aft berserker.
Rhinox: "Optimus would get blown to scrap. Big problem."
Dinobot: "Well, that depends on your viewpoint."
Rattrap: "Hey hey hey shut up!"
- —The Maximals debate what to do with Optimus.
"Stupid, slaggin circuit systems! SHUT UP!!"
- –Optimus Primal shows the alarm system who's boss.
"We've got to stop him before he hurts himself!"
"Him? Try us!"
- —Rhinox and Rattrap during Optimus' freakout.
"We must try to think what Optimus - the old Optimus - would do."
- —...Is Dinobot feeling all right?
"...[Optimus] is flamin' towards you on the red-eye express, and he's loaded for mainframe combat."
- –Cheetor makes an in-joke to Megatron about Scorponok's screw-up.
"It didn't work. All we did was tip 'em off and now they're gonna be waitin' for him! You and your bright ideas!"
"It would appear that only Optimus can truly think like Optimus. For the rest of us, we must now think on our own."
- –Cheetor and Dinobot
"Guerilla warfare suits you. The old Optimus would've never made it this far."
- –Megatron
"Bedside vigil, Dinobot? Not like you."
"It was my shift. Well, uh… it's, uh, good to have you back."
"Back home or back to normal?"
"Both."
- –Optimus Primal and Dinobot
Notes
- Aaaw, character development. How sweet.
- The Cybertronix on the screen in Scorponok's lab reads "youve got problems", though the text and message is upside down.
- Megatron spends the entire episode in beast mode.
Technical/animation glitches
- After the Maximals transform to engage Scorponok during his ambush, Scorponok is seen firing missiles at them. The animation pace for this particular sequence seems a lot faster than the pace for the rest of the episode.
- May not be much of an error, but once again, Scorponok's visor optics are red momentarily when he is first blasted by Optimus Primal and finds himself on a loose log near the waterfall.
- At the end of the episode, as Optimus lies in his bed, the plate behind his head clips into his mattress.
Continuity errors
- Belying Rhinox's claims that removing the bee would activate a self-destruct and destroy everyone in sprinting distance, Megatron and Scorponok manage to survive being at ground zero, despite the blast blowing a slag-off big hole in the Darksyde.
Transformers references
- This episode has the first reference to a spark in any Transformers animated continuity.
Real-world references
- In the scene where Primal bursts into the Pred base, he swiftly punches through the wall with Waspinator on the other side and drags him back through the hole could be a reference to a similar sequence in RoboCop, especially with Optimus' stompy footsteps beforehand.
- The episode title is a pun on the concept of Guerrilla Warfare. And though Megatron's comment that it suits Optimus makes for a nice joke and play on the title, it doesn't say much for the Predacon leader's knowledge of the the tactics. True guerrilla warfare is built on surprise attacks, sabotage, ambushes, and deception. What it certainly isn't built on is insane and suicidal frontal assaults against superior numbers.
Home video releases
- VHS
1998 — Beast Wars — Beasties Escape (Alliance Video)
1998 — Robots-Bêtes — L'Évasion (Alliance Video) — French audio only.
1998 — Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers — New Weapon of Terror (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
1998 — Beast Wars / Robots-Bêtes Three pack (Alliance Video) — Available in English or French audio.
2001 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Beginning: Vol. 2 (Universal)
2002 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Volume 4 (Rhinomation)
- Laserdisc
1998 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Maximal Edition (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.
- DVD
2000 — Beast Wars: Transformers — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — English and Japanese audio.
2002 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Volume 2 (Rhinomation)
2003 — Beast Wars: Transformers — The Complete First Season (Rhinomation)
2005 — Beast Wars — Classic Episodes: Volume 2 — The Saga Continues! (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio.
2005 — Beast Wars — The Complete First Season (Alliance Atlantis) — English and French audio.
2006 — Beast Wars: Transformers — Season 1 (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers: Beast Wars — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
