Three's a Crowd (episode)
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| "Three's a Crowd" | ||||||
| Airdate | March 21, 2009 | |||||
| Written by | Rich Fogel | |||||
| Directed by | Kalvin Lee Tetsuro Moronuki | |||||
| Animation studio | Mook | |||||
Bulkhead seeks the help of the Constructicons for a vital construction project, but, thanks to their new leader, the Constructicons have bigger and deadlier plans.
Synopsis
At Sumdac Tower, Isaac Sumdac and Bulkhead are spending the night working to construct a new space bridge, although Isaac is a bit distracted by the damaged Headmaster unit sitting in the lab. Bulkhead is eager to get the job done, but Sumdac is tired, having spent the previous night overriding the signal dampeners he created for the Decepticons.
Elsewhere in Detroit, the other Autobots are taking advantage of the overridden dampeners, and are on the trail of a Decepticon energy signature at that very moment. Unfortunately, the Decepticon in question turns out to be Lugnut, who doesn't shy away from a fight, and drops out of the sky on the pursuing Autobots, unleashing his "Punch of Kill Everything".
Back at Sumdac Tower, Sumdac loads the power core for the space bridge onto a forklift, as Bulkhead fits a few AllSpark fragments into it in order to give it a boost. When Bulkhead reclines against the core, however, the floor beneath them gives out, and the core, the forklift and the Headmaster unit go tumbling down, taking out a few more floors on their way. Luckily, Sumdac is saved from the fall by Bulkhead's wrecking ball, and retires to bed to recover from the shock. Bulkhead examines the damage, and decides that he knows just the experts to help him fix it... but as he departs, at the bottom of the pit, the Headmaster, the forklift, and the power core begin creeping towards each other, as the familiar glow of an AllSpark fragment lights up the darkness...
Across town, Mixmaster and Scrapper are enjoying the "show" at an automotive disassembly plant when Bulkhead, having tracked them down through their energy signatures, arrives to ask them for help. The two Constructicons refuse to work for the Autobots, until Bulkhead promises to keep the job "off the books". The trio return to Sumdac Tower, and Scrapper begins clearing the debris when suddenly, something grabs the other end of his shovel. The Constructicons reel in the offending item, which turns out to be a forklift... which promptly transforms into a diminutive robot that introduces itself as Dirt Boss. Bulkhead realizes that the forklift has fused with the Headmaster unit and the AllSpark fragment, and the perpetually cranky Dirt Boss quickly announces his intention to take charge of the Constructicons. Scrapper is amused by this prospect, but Dirt Boss brings him around to his way of thinking by launching a shell from his forehead which burrows into Scrapper's head and gives the tiny terror control of Scrapper's motor functions. Bulkhead contacts the other Autobots to inform them of the new problem, but they are too busy battling Lugnut to offer any help. Bulkhead is struggling to figure out what to do when Sumdac appears to find out what the commotion is all about. In order to keep his human friend safe from Dirt Boss, Bulkhead introduces Sumdac as his servant, and barks an order at the scientist to get back to work finishing the plasmadynamic thruster they require. Sumdac, of course, completely fails to understand Bulkhead's ruse, and becomes genuinely afraid of the big Autobot, scampering off in terror to complete his task. With that taken care of, Dirt Boss announces his plan to take back the city that machines like he helped build, by stealing the its oil. That, as it turns out, is a plan Mixmaster and Scrapper can definitely get behind! The Constructicons commence Dirt Boss's plan by hijacking a tanker truck, but when Bulkhead tries to talk them out of it, Mixmaster turns on him and glues him to the road with a pair of cement galoshes. The evil trio proceed to go on a crime spree, stealing oil from all over the city. The other Autobots, meanwhile, have managed to get a pair of stasis cuffs on Lugnut, but find themselves lacking in the physical strength necessary to haul his paralyzed body out of the crater his punch had created earlier. The cable they are using to haul the huge Decepticon soon snap, putting them right back where they started.
Back at the Constructicons' plant, Mixmaster and Scrapper celebrate their successful run of heists by enjoying a tipple, but Dirt Boss promptly smacks the barrels from their hands, telling them they didn't steal the oil to drink it. Bulkhead, meanwhile, is snooping on the Constructicons through a nearby window when Professor Sumdac comes running up to him, with the plasmadynamic thruster completed as requested. Bulkhead struggles to make the human understand that he was merely acting before, but when the Constructicons hear the noise outside and come to investigate, Bulkhead has to start acting again and sends Sumdac away. This time, however, Sumdac has grasped Bulkhead's deception, and eavesdrops as Dirt Boss reveals his plan to blow up fossil fuel refinery, thereby giving him control of the largest supply of oil in the city. Bulkhead decides that he cannot let things go any further and attacks the Constructicons, but when his wrecking ball becomes jammed in Mixmaster's arm-cannon, the three Decepticons simply walk off, dragging the helpless Bulkhead behind them. They soon arrive at the refinery, where Bulkhead is able to give Scrapper and Mixmaster pause by asking them where they'll get any oil to drink if they blow up the refinery. With Mixmaster wavering, Dirt Boss takes control of his body, and orders him to finish Bulkhead off. The resulting fight is a bit on the awkward side, given that the two combatants are stuck together, and Bulkhead is able to open a comm channel to the other Autobots, transmitting the noise of the fight to them. Realizing their friend is in trouble, the other Autobots leave Lugnut lying in his crater, and race off to aid Bulkhead in battle.
The fight between Mixmaster and Bulkhead winds up damaging the refinery's main fuel tank, which begins leaking oil everywhere. Dirt Boss proceeds to remove his control shell from Mixmaster, and plants it in Bulkhead instead, intending to use the Autobot to ignite the oil and send the refinery up in flames. Mixmaster is distressed at this prospect, given that he is still stuck to Bulkhead, but neither Dirt Boss nor Scrapper are particularly bothered.
The other Autobots soon arrive at the refinery and nearly run over Professor Sumdac, who quickly brings them up to speed. Suddenly, Bulkhead comes storming towards the Autobots, whirling his wrecking ball (and Mixmaster) as he and Scrapper follow Dirt Boss's command to attack. Luckily, Ratchet is able to magnetically extract Dirt Boss's control shell, and Bulkhead uses some of the spill oil to loosen his wrecking ball and disconnect himself from Mixmaster. He then hurls the Constructicon at Scrapper, but when the two collide, their metal bodies create a spark that sets the refinery ablaze. Worse yet, Scrapper's fist has become lodged in Mixmaster's chest drum, but as the pair struggle to free themselves from each other so they can make themselves scarce, Dirt Boss leaps on Scrapper's head and takes manual control of his body, refusing to let either of them chicken out. The Constructicons wind up on top of the main fuel tank as the Autobots try to fight the fire below, but it soon becomes apparent that the heroes can't stop the tank from blowing. Sumdac suggests using the plasmadynamic thruster to TransWarp the tank away, and Bulkhead reprograms the device to do the job. Bulkhead hurls the thruster onto the top of the tank, and it and the Constructicons are warped away, materializing just off the shores of Dinobot Island seconds before the tank explodes.
With the Constructicon threat dealt with, the Autobots return to the crater to take Lugnut back into custody. Unfortunately, someone has beaten them to it: Lugnut has been liberated by Ramjet, who promises he'll never speak a word of the whole embarrassing affair.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
Bulkhead: These AllSpark fragments should give the power core a boost.
Sumdac: Be careful, Bulkhead! We don't want to overload it.
Bulkhead: Relax. When it comes to space bridges, I know what I'm doing.
[The floor starts to give way beneath them]
Bulkhead: But I'm not so hot at structural integrity!
- —Bulkhead and Sumdac learn that there are flaws with building a giant space bridge in a tower.
Scrapper: [viewing the forklift he's just hauled up] What the slag is that?
[Forklift transforms into Dirt Boss]
Bulkhead: If I had to guess, a forklift, a Headmaster unit, an Allspark fragment, and a whole lot of trouble.
- —Dirt Boss's first transformation speaks volumes to Bulkhead.
Dirt Boss: What are you cogs looking at? You want a piece of me? Try it and you'll be going to the scrapyard in a cracker box.
Bulkhead: Whoa! Someone's got a big chip on his engine block.
Dirt Boss: You ever tried working for a livin', tiny? Takin' orders from the man? "Move this! Move that!" Well, forget about that! I'm in charge now!
Scrapper: [whispering to Mixmaster] Heh, heh. Who stalled and made him boss?
Dirt Boss: That's Dirt Boss to you! Ya got a problem with that? [fires cerebro-shell into Scrapper's forehead]
Scrapper: What? No! Ow! Ah!
Dirt Boss: Ya got a problem? [Scrapper hits himself] Ya got a problem? [Scrapper hits himself] Ya got a problem? [Scrapper hits himself]
Dirt Boss: Bulkhead to Prime; I think we've got a problem.
- —Dirt Boss establishes his position in the pecking order, something Bulkhead seems to have a problem with.
Dirt Boss: Bots like us, we helped build this city, an' now we're gonna take a piece of it back, wit' interest.
[Mix and Scrap cheer]
Scrapper: Uh, but how?
Dirt Boss: Think about it: The city runs on energy. Electric, solar, natural gas and oil.
Mixmaster: Did he say 'oil'?.
Dirt Boss: Yeah. And who's gonna 'protect' all that oil? We are.
Scrapper: Now you're talking!
- —Dirt Boss initiates Phase 1 of his plan, which the Constructicons go with as usual.
Mixmaster: Who puts the 'crude' in 'crude oil'?.
Scrapper: Mixmaster and Scrapper, that's who!
[They chug down some oil]
Dirt Boss: [Knocks a barrel out of Scrappers hands] Yo! What's the matter with you? We didn't steal this oil just so you cogs can guzzle the profits!.
- —Dirt Boss is less than impressed with his mooks usual habits.
"Tell 'em there's a new boss in town: Dirt Boss!"
- —Dirt Boss, every chance he gets.
Bulkhead: Humans, what can you do?.
Dirt Boss: 'What can you do?' I'll tell you what we can do! We can squeeze 'em for every last drop of oil they got.
Scrapper: We can?
Dirt Boss: The Fossil Fuel Refinery has the biggest oil supply in the city. But if we take 'em offline, we'll have the biggest supply. The city will have no choice but to come to us for oil/ No one can stop us! [Laughs]
Bulkhead: No one except me!
Mixmaster: And how are you gonna stop us, Bulky?
Bulkhead: [Swings his wrecking ball] Like this!
- —Dirt Boss initiates Phase 2 of his plan, and Bulkhead definitely has a problem with it.
"Will you slag that annoying little pipsqueak already?!"
"Who're you calling "pipsqueak", short stuff?
- —Dirt Boss and Bumblebee engage in height cracks.
"Oh, I so don't have time for this."
- —Optimus Prime, in desperate need of some leave.
"Uh, you promise me you will, ahem, never speak of this to Megatron..."
"Oh, I promise."
- —Lugnut and Ramjet engage in epic foreshadowing of something that, sadly,
probably won't beis never brought up again.
Notes
Animation or technical errors
- Bulkhead is shown with the other Autobots as Lugnut crashes to the ground.
- One of the Detroit Powell Press editions has a headline typo: "RACKETEERS STRIKES OIL" should read "RACKETEERS STRIKE OIL".
- During Dirt Boss's debut scene and when he's telling his plan to blow up the fossil-fuel refinery, the position of his mouth switches several times from the middle of his face (at the "W" shape) to the bottom, and presumably correct, position.
Continuity errors
- When Bulkhead confronts Mixmaster and Scrapper, they speak to Bulkhead as if they remember the events that transpired in "Rise of the Constructicons", saying that they "don't work for no crankin' Autobots anymore" and referring to Bulkhead as "Bulky". While nothing says they can't have regained those memories by some point, if that's the case, it wasn't shown when this happened.
- More AllSpark fragments are shown in the beginning of the episode, yet all the previously collected pieces the Autobots found were placed into Omega Supreme last season. It's possible the Autobots have found some more since then, off-screen, but it seems an odd thing to omit, plus they would have only had between the end of "TransWarped" and the start of this episode to do so, which doesn't seem like a long time.
Transformers references
- At least one Detroit paper is titled the Detroit Powell Press. Porter C. Powell has corporate investments everywhere, it seems.
- The Headmaster unit was recovered last episode.
- The Fossil Fuel Oil Company's logo is Generation 1 Sludge doing an impression of the Sinclair Oil logo.
- This isn't the first series to have a space bridge in a tower.
- Several dockworkers are dressed in the standard Generation 1 cartoon costume.
Real-world references
- The Detroit Powell Press is a reference to a real-life Detroit paper, the Detroit Free Press. Minus the freedom.
- Scrapper and Mixmaster are found drinking heavily in a manufacturing plant that is deconstructing luxury cars piece by piece. Striptease, anyone?
- The climactic scene with Dirt Boss on top of the oil tank is closely based on the ending of the gangster movie White Heat.
Trivia
- The Detroit newspaper business is incredible; within what is apparently a single night of Constructicon rampage, the Detroit Powell Press puts out three separate editions announcing the new threat. Either that, or the Autobots spend a long time focusing on hauling Lugnut out of his crater and nothing else. (Though really, it's impressive that newspapers even still exist in the future...)
- It appears that Lugnut has accepted Starscream's clones (or at least Ramjet) as part of the main Decepticon force. Apparently, being Starscream's duplicate is fine as long as you worship the GLORIOUS Megatron.
- What exactly did Dirt Boss hope to accomplish by climbing up to the top of the oil tank, again?
- An exploding oil tank in the middle of Lake Erie is probably going to be a real mess, isn't it?
- There is also a Decepticon forklift named Dirt Boss in the Revenge of the Fallen toyline. This is supposedly completely coincidental.
- This episode marks the final appearance of Mixmaster.
