Operation: Breakdown
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 Now all he needs is | ||||||
| "Operation: Breakdown" | ||||||
| Season | 1 | |||||
| No. in season | 16 | |||||
| Production company | Hasbro Studios | |||||
| Airdate | June 18, 2011 | |||||
| Written by | Steven Melching | |||||
| Directed by | Shaunt Nigoghossian | |||||
| Animation studio | Polygon Pictures | |||||
Breakdown is captured by MECH, and the only ones who can save him are... Team Prime.
Synopsis
Bulkhead is fighting Breakdown in a ghost town on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Eastern Russia after the two have a run-in while tracking an energon signature. Though Bulkhead fights valiantly, Breakdown lays him flat with a hammer blow. As Breakdown prepares to finish the unconscious Bulkhead off, he's zapped by a blast of energy from a helicopter, which lands and disgorges Silas and a pack of MECH troops. Silas instructs them to take Breakdown. Bulkhead comes around to find Breakdown missing and Miko calling out to him on the comm. After he bridges back to base for repairs, everyone's confused about what happened to Breakdown. Agent Fowler has an idea who might be behind it.
On the Nemesis, Starscream relays news of Breakdown's capture to Megatron. Starscream is keen to hunt down the humans responsible and bring back Breakdown, but Megatron intends to leave Breakdown to his fate for being captured by those weaker, a decision which leaves Starscream dismayed.
Breakdown recovers to find himself firmly attached to a metal slab. Silas introduces himself to the captive, who announces that Megatron will never pay a ransom, but Silas reveals they're not after money, just the technology in Breakdown's body.
Fowler fills the Autobots in — his intel has reported MECH activity in the Kamchatka Peninsula. While the other Autobots are happy for MECH to have Breakdown, Optimus Prime decides to mount a rescue mission. The others are surprised, and Bulkhead wonders if Optimus believes Breakdown will switch sides if the Autobots rescue him, but Optimus says while that's unlikely, they can't let MECH get Cybertronian technology.
Meanwhile, MECH have disengaged Breakdown's pain receptors in preparation for the operation. Silas thanks their captive in advance for the service he is about to do them, and the heavy machinery moves in to take the Decepticon apart.
Miko tries to talk Bulkhead into going on the mission, but he's not keen, and Optimus agrees he would not be an asset on the mission. Optimus departs with Ratchet, Bumblebee and Arcee. Miko looks disappointed, and Bulkhead suggests they watch a movie instead.
Prime's team arrives in the ghost town, to find it deserted. Though Bumblebee spots some vehicle tracks, Ratchet reports he's got an energon trace, and they go to look for the source.
Fowler has already fallen asleep in front of Dinolizard vs. Five-Headed Ape. Miko isn't watching the movie though, as she's disappointed that Bulkhead isn't getting to face down his own arch-enemy. Bulkhead still doesn't want to rescue the 'Con, but Miko points out that if he doesn't, he won't get to have a rematch. Bulkhead takes the GroundBridge to Russia.
Prime's team finds the energon reading — it's Breakdown's eye, sitting in the open.
Bulkhead follows a MECH car to a railway tunnel and, weapons primed, ventures inside.
Ratchet hooks Breakdown's eye up to his scanner so they can retrieve the last images it saw, but it turns out that Silas has turned the eye into a two-way video feed. Silas is surprised to see the Autobots, but shows off the work they're doing on Breakdown and points out the bomb the Autobots are standing virtually on top of. Prime's team just manages to get clear before the bomb explodes.
Silas passes on the news to Breakdown that his would-be rescuers are Autobots, much to the captive's confusion. At this point, Bulkhead breaks through an outer door and fights his way through the MECH goons to find Breakdown. Freeing the startled Decepticon, Bulkhead leads the way to the exit, but once outside, they're confronted by the bulk of the MECH forces. Bulkhead calls for backup, and the pair start fighting in earnest. Silas's 'copter begins firing bursts of energy, and Breakdown, in an uncharacteristic act of altruism, knocks Bulkhead out of harm's way. The fight continues, but Silas's copilot reports incoming signals, resulting in Silas ordering a general retreat. Arriving, however, is not Optimus' team, but Starscream, who has disobeyed Megatron's orders and brought a squadron of Vehicons. Starscream orders Breakdown to either join the Autobots or get on with destroying Bulkhead, and though Breakdown is initially reluctant, Starscream sways him, and he attacks his Autobot rescuer. Bulkhead soundly pummels Breakdown before smashing Starscream and taking out the Vehicons with Breakdown's body. The Decepticons are forced to retreat as Optimus's team finally shows up. Optimus is impressed that Bulkhead has risen above his petty rivalries to rescue Breakdown, but the moment is spoiled by Bulkhead asking if they all saw how he bashed the Decepticons.
Breakdown pauses short of the Nemesis, where Starscream informs him that he will repay his debt one day... when he must choose between Megatron's leadership and Starscream's.
Meanwhile, Silas records that the information they gained from Breakdown was enough for them to start Project Chimera...
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"As much as I'll miss our little reunions...hammer time."
- —Breakdown, before being captured by MECH
"Full disclosure: We intend to pull you apart. Break you down, if you will."
- —Silas tells Breakdown what's in store, while making a pun at the same time.
"You're making a very big mistake, little man. When I'm finished with you, they'll have to scrape you off the floor!"
- —Breakdown threatens Silas
"It's a trap!"
"Would this be a 'roll out' kind of trap?"
- —Optimus Prime ackbars and Arcee continues to be genre savvy.
"'Marco!' You're supposed to say 'Polo!'"
- —Bulkhead plays with MECH.
"Never run when you can fight."
- —Breakdown
"One day, you will repay your debt to me, Breakdown... the day it comes time to choose sides."
"Huh... between 'Bots and 'Cons?"
"Between myself – and Megatron."
- —Starscream informs a confused Breakdown of his plans for the future.
"I suggest that Megatron never know of this...rescue. You do want him to think you defeated the puny humans and escaped on your own, don't you?
- —Starscream makes Breakdown an offer he can't refuse.
Notes
Real-world references
- Miko plays the game "Marco Polo" with Bulkhead. Bulkhead later plays the game with MECH.
- Dinolizard vs Five-Headed Ape is a parody of King Kong vs. Godzilla. Dinolizard even uses Godzilla's roar.
- Breakdown says "Hammer Time". Yeah.
- The Kamchatka Peninsula is an actual place, with heavy volcanic activity. But if the show is placed in 2011, there are no recorded evacuations in 1991 due to volcanic activity.
Errors
- Breakdown is seen being held down in MECH's base by metal bars welded around his hands. However, in all shots of his lower body, nothing is shown to be holding it down. Did MECH use another method to restrain his legs?
- Silas has Breakdown's pain receptors shut off so he doesn't make a lot of noise while being operated on. If this is the first Cybertronian they've managed to capture, much less dissect, how would his scientists know how to do such a thing?
- Moments after calling Optimus Prime by name and stating that he was expecting Megatron, Silas tells Breakdown about his "would-be rescuers" without moving from the same location from which he had just been talking to them—yet Breakdown seems to have no idea that they were Autobots. How did he not hear the conversation?
Trivia
- The episode was screened on June 4 at BotCon 2011 before its first airing on television.
- Miko seems to have learned her lesson: She didn't follow Bulkhead this time.
- Human death must have occurred during Bulkhead and Breakdown's outdoor battle with MECH - Breakdown would not have pulled his punches, and even threw a car at a helicopter, causing a midair explosion.
Foreign localization
French
- Title: "Opération Breakdown" ("Operation: Breakdown")
- Original airdate: ?
German
Hungarian
- Title: "A Breakdown-küldetés" ("The Breakdown Mission")
- Original airdate: 30 January 2012
Indonesian
- Title: "Penyelamatan Breakdown" ("The Saving of Breakdown")
- Original airdate: 21 September 2012
Italian
- Title: "Operazione Breakdown" ("Operation Breakdown")
- Original airdate: 19 November 2011
- The Italian translators clearly had a lot of issues with the term "Double Monster Feature": When Miko uses the term the first time, the line got translated as "Who wants to play some Sci-Fi tag game?", implying the term is the title of a videogame; when Bulkhead uses it later in battle, it's instead translated as "Double rations of Sci-Fi".
Japanese
Korean
- Title: "Saengche Lobot Haebu" (생체 로봇 해부, "Dissection of the Living Robot")
- Original airdate: 18 October 2011
Polish
- Title: ?
- Original airdate: 26 December 2011
Portuguese
- Title: "Operação Breakdown" ("Operation Breakdown")
- Original airdate: 20 February 2012
Spanish (Spain)
Home video releases
- DVD
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One (Shout! Factory)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Folge 4: Die vierte Dimension (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
2012 — Transformers Prime — Volume 4: Strength in Numbers (Madman Entertainment)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Staffel 1 - Das Bündnis (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
2012 — Transformers Prime — Vol. 8 (Avex Trax) — Japanese audio only.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Saison 1 Vol. 4: Une alliance inattendue (Universal Pictures France) — English, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish audio.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Vol. 4: Improbabili alleanze (Universal Pictures IT) — English, Italian, Dutch, French and Spanish audio.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Season One: Unlikely Alliances (Universal Pictures UK)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Saison 1: L'intégrale (Universal Pictures France) — English, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish audio.
2015 — Transformers Prime — Season One (Universal Pictures UK)
- Blu-ray
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One (Shout! Factory)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Staffel 1 - Das Bündnis (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
