Metal Attraction

« Transformers: Prime ep 18 »
Sadly, they don't fuse into a powerful being.
"Metal Attraction"
Production company	Hasbro Studios
Airdate	July 9, 2011
Written by	Nicole Dubuc
Directed by	Todd Waterman
Animation studio	Polygon Pictures

The Autobots try to claim a magnetic weapon called a "polarity gauntlet" before the Decepticons get to it.

Synopsis

Jack discovers his mother's startling fetish.

Ratchet reports to Arcee and Jack that there's an incoming vehicle, which they initially assume to be a Decepticon, but they relax when it turns out to be June Darby in her car. Jack's less than enthusiastic that his mother's come to check up on him again, but the mood changes when Ratchet detects an unusual magnetic flux.

YOU ARE A PIRATE.

Soundwave has also picked up the magnetic signature, which Megatron recognizes as a Decepticon weapon. Breakdown volunteers to secure the invention. Megatron is skeptical of Breakdown's abilities following certain recent events, but Breakdown insists.

Miko and Raf arrive back at base with Bulkhead, but their high spirits drop when they realize Jack's mom is there. Arcee and Jack prepare to go conduct a routine diagnostic, but June's questioning about how safe it will be makes Arcee irritated. Ratchet asks Bulkhead to go and investigate the magnetic disturbance, and when Miko announces she's going too, Bulkhead is obliged to tell her to stay at base. Finally, June's questions become too much for Arcee, and she opts to go with Bulkhead.

In a desert area, Breakdown breaks apart some rocks to find the device he's after. No sooner has he picked it up than Airachnid puts in an appearance, clouts him and grabs the weapon. Breakdown recovers quickly and begins fighting Airachnid, until she burrows up from beneath the earth and drags him down, leaving him buried. She picks up the device and is ready to leave, when Breakdown pulls himself free of the ground, and the pair charge at each other.

"How many attraction jokes do you think we can come up with?" "A lot, Bulkhead."

Arcee and Bulkhead trudge through the rocks, discussing how Jack's mom is a killjoy, and Miko, who has quietly tagged along, asks if they can ban her from the base. Arcee calls for a GroundBridge, but Miko talks her out of it, then requests Bulkhead play some rock music. Arcee tells him to shut it off, as it's not exactly stealthy, and they soon find Breakdown and Airachnid fighting. Leaving Miko a safe distance behind, the two Autobots leap into combat, surprising Airachnid, who has just gotten the upper hand. Bulkhead tosses Arcee into the air, and she shoots at the pair before charging at Breakdown, but Airachnid insists on facing Arcee herself. After a few minutes' fighting, Bulkhead and Arcee overcome their opponents, but Breakdown grabs the weapon and activates it. Warning him that it isn't a toy, Airachnid retreats underground, and Arcee and Bulkhead find themselves being dragged towards each other. The weapon hoists them into the air before slamming them back against some rocks. Satisfied, Breakdown transforms to return to the Nemesis. Miko finds her phone stuck to Bulkhead's chest and Arcee stuck to Bulkhead's back.

Driving along a road, Breakdown is ambushed and entangled in a web.

Ratchet realizes that the weapon Breakdown has is a polarity gauntlet and says their best bet to get Arcee unstuck is to get the gauntlet back. Arcee insists on Miko returning to base, and Miko complains loudly that she sounds just like Jack's mom, which June naturally hears over the comm link.

"Ooh, shiny."

At an old gas station, Airachnid tries on the gauntlet. Breakdown, securely webbed to the side of the building, suggests they could take it back to Megatron together, but she's not keen on rejoining the Decepticons and thinks the gauntlet will be perfect for keeping everyone else away. Bulkhead trudges up to the gas station to confront Airachnid, who tells him to put his hands up and turn around. He does so, and Arcee promptly opens fire, managing to shoot the gauntlet out of Airachnid's hand. The device activates and drags everything metal towards it, including Breakdown, who is pulled free of the webbing and shuts the gauntlet down. Bulkhead and Arcee begin awkwardly fighting Breakdown and Airachnid. Bulkhead manages to deck Breakdown and turns to face Arachnid, but then Breakdown uses the gauntlet to drop an oil derrick on the 'Bots.

Pinned under an unconscious Bulkhead, Arcee is menaced by Airachnid. Fortunately, Bulkhead comes around in time, and the pair stand up, now separated. Arcee attacks Breakdown, but Bulkhead finds himself no match for Airachnid, who grabs the gauntlet and uses it to draw Arcee to her. Bulkhead blasts Breakdown into another oil derrick, while Arcee and Airachnid fight. Arcee eventually gets possession of the gauntlet and uses it to polarize everyone so that they repel metal. Airachnid uses her webbing to snatch the gauntlet back and transforms to escape, but Bulkhead grabs onto her helicopter mode and throws her into Breakdown. With the gauntlet secured, Arcee and Bulkhead head back to base, where they give it to Ratchet, and June apologizes for being overprotective.

On the Nemesis, Megatron is unhappy when Breakdown returns apparently empty-handed, but Breakdown reveals he has Airachnid stuck to his back. Airachnid tells an amused Megatron that she is happy to return.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Ratchet (1) Arcee (2) Bulkhead (8)	Soundwave (5) Megatron (6) Breakdown (7) Airachnid (11) Vehicons (12)	Jack Darby (3) June Darby (4) Miko Nakadai (9) Raf Esquivel (10)

Quotes

June: So... where's Optimus?
Ratchet: On a scouting mission with Bumblebee. Sorry to disappoint.
June: And I wore heels and everything...
Jack: MOM!

—June makes Ratchet and Jack uncomfortable with a few choice words.

"Allow me to redeem myself, master. What I have lost... is a constant reminder that I must never again fail you."

—Breakdown rather darkly references his new eyepatch.

"A scout should be silent but deadly."

—Arcee unwittingly makes Bulkhead and Miko's day.

"Still up for a truce, muscles?"
"Only because I hate Bulkhead more than I hate you."

—Airachnid and Breakdown decide to look at the bigger picture.

Megatron: Breakdown, you dare to return empty-handed?!
Breakdown: No, Master.
[Turns around, revealing Airachnid magnetized to his back]
Megatron: Airachnid... it has been some time.
Airachnid: Lord Megatron... what can I say? It's good to be back.

—The Decepticons get an unexpected addition... and an expected pun.

Notes

Animation and technical errors

• Cellphones are primarily made of plastic, which is not attracted to magnetic objects. The gauntlet also took Miko's change, which is also not magnetic. Yet the gauntlet didn't attract Miko's belt buckle or earrings. Huh.
• A magnetic field that powerful should have wiped out Miko's phone.
• When Arcee is stuck to Bulkhead, she can still move her arms and legs. If the magnetic force were strong enough to hold her to him, her limbs would also have been stuck.

Continuity errors

• Mere moments after Bulkhead states that he is polarised and can’t touch metal, he grabs Airachnid out of the air and throws her at Breakdown. Is she not made of metal, or did the gauntlet's effects wear off that fast?
  • To be fair Airachnid was not polarised.

Continuity notes

• Breakdown was bested by humans and lost his right optic in "Operation: Breakdown".

Transformers references

• After Breakdown volunteers to retrieve the weapon, Megatron retorts, "If you can be bested by mere humans, what chance do you have against the Autobots?"
• At the end of the episode, Arcee gives Ratchet the magnet. If he uses it himself, he would not be the first Ratchet to use a magnet as a weapon and tool.

Real-world references

• The episode title appears to be a belabored nod to the film Fatal Attraction.
• Bulkhead and Arcee appear to perform a Fastball Special in combat. This is not the first time a Bulkhead has used this move.
• The Gauntlet clearly draws inspiration form the Omni-Tool from Mass Effect.

Trivia

• Knock Out apparently didn't have any extra optics lying around to give Breakdown. Sound familiar? Either that, or Megatron won't let him repair Breakdown as punishment for being captured by humans.
• Breakdown's new optic patch was hinted at during BotCon 2011 when an artist from the series was requested to sketch Breakdown by a certain Transformers fan: the artist asked what episode had just been screened, thought for a moment, and soon provided an image of Breakdown with an optic patch.
• During this episode's original airing, the commercial bumpers were backwards: "we now return" was played at the start of each break and "we'll be right back" was played at the end.
• As of this episode, we finally have a mention of Jack's father having left him and June.
• Also as of this episode, it seems that Arcee has been the only character that's been in every single episode so far, as Bumblebee does not appear for the first time.
• Apparently Miko didn't learn her lesson as she followed Bulkhead and Arcee. Although this time, she only followed them to get away from Jack's mother, so otherwise, she probably would have stayed put.
• As shown in a previous episode, Miko is terrified of spiders, yet the sight of Airachnid doesn't seem to frighten her at all.
  • Then again, it could be because Airachnid is a robot. Sure she's bigger and deadlier, but still, primarily on two legs instead of eight, and metallic.