Siege episode 4
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 "I have fought Megatron for ages. I've seen countless innocents die. I have lived this nightmare for what seems like an eternity." | ||||||
| Episode 4 | ||||||
| Production company | Allspark Animation, Rooster Teeth | |||||
| Airdate | July 30, 2020 (Netflix) | |||||
| Written by | Brandon M. Easton and Gavin Hignight | |||||
| Director | Takashi Kamei | |||||
| Animation studio | Polygon Pictures | |||||
Optimus looks for aid in unlikely places, while Bumblebee's destiny takes an unexpected turn.
Synopsis
As rain falls, an enshackled Ultra Magnus leads Megatron and a group of Decepticons through the massive grave-site at Tarn-Hauser Gate. Magnus has a grim countenance as he leads Megatron to Autobot Command, hidden underneath the memorial of Alpha Trion. The former allies recall the teachings of Alpha Trion, and how the paths of Magnus and Prime diverged from that of Megatron. As Jetfire flies into position above, Megatron taunts Magnus for his betrayal. Magnus opens the door to the memorial—leading the Decepticons into an empty room!
Realizing he's been lied to, Megatron aims his fusion cannon at Magnus. But he merely responds with a smile. Megatron blasts Magnus through the chest. The smile remains on his face as he falls and dies.
As Jetfire lands, Magnus's optics glow green, and a strange energy storm begins to emanate from his body and flows away into the sky, leaving the Decepticons baffled. A distance away, Bumblebee gets paid for his energon scavenging efforts. As he walks away, the energy storm reaches him and fills his body with energy, overwhelming him and knocking him offline. When he regains consciousness, he finds that his very sight has changed, seeing mysterious energy coruscating through everything, and he finds himself talking about someone named "Trion" and speaking mystically.
Megatron tells Soundwave to dispatch Laserbeak in order to track the anomaly, and orders Jetfire to take Magnus's corpse to Shockwave to see if he can understand the anomaly. Before he can leave, Starscream and a group of Seekers land and confront him. Starscream blasts Jetfire for treachery and explains to Megatron that Jetfire recently killed Skywarp. Jetfire defends himself by saying Autobot genocide is against all he's fought for. Megatron then orders his death, but Jetfire quickly attacks and flies away. Starscream and the Seekers give chase in the air, and despite Jetfire's counterattacks, he is eventually shot down.
At the Ark, Optimus Prime is crestfallen as he senses the passing of Magnus. He tells Elita-1 that the Alpha Trion protocols have been activated, which would only occur upon Magnus's death.
Ratchet and Impactor join Red Alert at the repair bays. Impactor is disillusioned by Megatron upon seeing the extent of death and destruction, and believes Megatron has abandoned the virtues they once fought for. Elita then summons Ratchet and Impactor to the bridge, where Prime orders Mirage, Ratchet, Impactor, Chromia, and Sideswipe to repair the spacebridge. Mirage is appointed team leader. Elita expresses her concern about the fate of Cybertron if the Allspark were to be removed from it, but Prime dismisses it and places her in charge of readying the Ark for launch. Optimus himself plans to contact the Guardians before leading a team to retrieve the Allspark.
Mirage's team hides from patrolling Seekers as Impactor gives them their timetable: they only have 20 astro-cycles to repair the spacebridge before Decepticon forces return. They work quickly, with Chromia and Sideswipe surveying the area for Seekers. Unfortunately, a patrol returns ahead of schedule and attacks the team. Impactor shields Ratchet from attack while Chromia returns fire, shooting the Seekers down. Mirage and Sideswipe go make sure the Seekers are no longer a threat while Impactor and Ratchet return to work, anticipating another wave of Seekers very soon.
At Decepticon headquarters, Starscream promises that Jetfire is dead, and Megatron promotes him to commander of the Seekers despite his uncontrollable ambition. Barricade, Soundwave and Shockwave endure Starscream's grandiose acceptance speech.
Prime journeys to the location of the Guardians and tells them the news of Magnus's death at Megatron's hand. He wonders if the Alpha Trion protocols have transferred into a Guardian, but even if not, he requests their aid against Megatron, who seeks to reformat all non-Decepticons on Cybertron. The Guardians refuse to interfere in the war, and they withdraw, leaving Prime full of frustration at Guardians who will not guard Cybertron. Prime swears to protect Cybertron without their help. He returns to the Ark to deliver the disappointing news to Elita, and is stricken with a bout of guilt for keeping the war going for so long, but Wheeljack remains in high spirits, promising to get the Ark online.
At that moment, Bumblebee attempts to barge into the Ark to speak with Prime. He wants to know who Alpha Trion is, and that's when Prime realizes that Bumblebee has been chosen by the Alpha Trion protocols. Bumblebee is suddenly pulled within the depths of his own mind, reaching a surreal landscape, and before him emerges a figure infused in light and energy. He learns that this is only a simulacrum of Alpha Trion, who explains the protocols are a collection of wisdom that protect the Autobots in times of crisis. He finds out that Prime and Magnus chose to share power between them, with Prime keeping the Matrix while Magnus had the protocols. As Bumblebee doubts his worthiness, the simulacrum says that Prime will need his support for the trials that await him. As he exits the trance, he tells Prime that he knows where the Allspark is.
Bumblebee and Prime are interrupted by an intruder alert. Prowl, Ironhide, and Hound discover that the intruder is a wounded Jetfire, who has come to join them!
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"Most inferior."
- —Soundwave reviews Starscream's acceptance speech
Notes
Transformers references
- Bumblebee receives Shanix as payment for his energon scavenging efforts at the beginning.
Continuity Notes
- Jetfire and Skywarp discovered the location of Autobot Command in the previous episode after tracking Impactor's comm.
Animation and technical errors
- Ultra Magnus's handcuffs disappear the instant he gets shot by Megatron.
- During Alpha Trion's conversation with Bumblebee, one of the floating hexagons abruptly disappears next to a clump of grass instead of continuing on its path upwards.
