Auto Berserk
After having his logic circuits damaged in battle, Red Alert feels rejected by the Autobots and allies himself with Starscream.
Summary
After the Autobots sucessfully test a new super-weapon, called the Negavator, they are attacked by Soundwave and the cassettes who attempt to steal it for the Decepticons. While most of the Autobots exit the bunker to fight, Red Alert stays behind to guard facility and operate the Negavator. At first Inferno stays to protect Red Alert, but is eventually lured away by the call of battle, despite Red's protestations. Defeated, the Decepticons retreat, but not before Rumble fires a rocket into the control room, which causes the console Red Alert was operating to explode. The Autobots return to assist him, but the odder-than-normal Red Alert brushes off their help, accusing Inferno of betraying him. However, Red Alert's injuries go deeper than the surface. His logic chips have been affected, and he begins to feel as though everyone is against him.
As the Autobots escort the Negavator back to Autobot headquarters, the Decepticons launch a sneak attack in a ravine that Red Alert does not detect due to his insecurities and his damaged state of mind. Optimus Prime and Ironhide are buried under the rubble caused by Rumble's landslide while the Decepticon jets attemp to take on the remaining Autobots, only to be thwarted when Smokescreen sprays dark cloud of exhaust over them obscuring their sensors and causing them to crash. With the Decepticons defeated a second time, Megatron retreats, leaving Starscream behind. When Optimus Prime questions Red Alert about his lack of a warning on the attack, he instead accuses the Autobots of wanting to do away with him, and runs off at the suggestion that they repair his logic circuits. Starscream, observing this turn of events, follows Red into the city.
As the other Autobots try to find Red in the city, Starscream sucessfully gains the trust of the paranoid Autobot by sharing his similar situation, and together they form a partnership to steal the Negavator and bring both Optimus Prime and Megatron to account for their respective betrayals. Meanwhile, the Autobots have brought the Negavator back to the bunker and secure it in the lowest level while they recharge. Hoist and Inferno are concerned that Red Alert's logic circuits will explode if they do not find him soon. Red leads Starscream to a secret entrance into the bunker, but are unaware they are being observed by Ravage, and in turn, Megatron, who seems to be content to let the pair of traitors do the dirty work for him.
Inside the bunker, Red Alert and Starscream narrowly avoid death at the hands of the tunnel drone, but manage to set off the alarms in the process, alerting the Autobots. Commandeering the Negavator, they blast their way out of the holding chamber and use the elevator to arrive on the top level. Awaiting them are the other Autobots, who mistakenly believe Red Alert is some kind of hostage to Starscream, until he tells them their intentions. At this point, Megatron and Decepticons enter, causing a sputtering Starscream to agree with his leader that he was merely delivering the weapon to the former. When Red Alert realizes Starscream's duplicity, he attempts to fire the Negavator, only to be pulled out of the cockpit and blasted with the Decepticon's null ray. Unbeknownst to the Decepticons, the null ray blast serves to stabilize Red's logic circuits, and they seemingly force him to use the Negavator on the Autobots. Unfortunately for Megatron, Red Alert instead sets the self-destruct mechanism on the superweapon, causing the Decepticons to flee.
The Autobots run as the Negavator explodes. Discovering that Red Alert is still inside, Ironhide, then Optimus Prime attempt to enter the blaze to save their friend, but Inferno insists on doing it himself, perhaps as penance for his earlier desertion of Red. Inferno saves Red Alert from being crushed even as the remorseful Red tells the gun-slinging fire truck to leave him behind. Outside, the other Autobots cheer as Inferno carries the injured Red Alert out of the flames. Red attempts to apologize for all the trouble he has caused them, but Optimus Prime is the one who accepts the blame, for it was his insistence of testing the Negavator that started their problems. Prime declares they are glad to have Red Alert back, and commends both he and Inferno for their bravery. Red replies that with friends like the Autobots, its easy to be brave.
Stats
Original Airdate: 16 October 1985
Written by: Antoni Zalewski
Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
|
†-Soundwave calls for Buzzsaw, |
Guests
|
Notable Quotes
"Uh don't forget your tape recorder."
- -- Human military pilot telling his co-pilot as the Autobot weapon demonstration is complete, not knowing that the tape recorder is actually Soundwave.
"My beautiful bunker is rubble!"
- -- Grapple as the Autobot bunker is damaged by the Decepticons.
"Someday I want to build something that doesn't get trashed."
- -- Grapple as he begins removing rubble from the destroyed bunker that he designed.
"Why can't anyone see it?! Inferno wants my job!"
-- Red Alert as he spirals down into paranoia.
"If I crash, I'll take an Autobot with me!"
- -- Ramjet, covered in a smoke cloud and heads towards the ground.
"I've got morons on my team!"
- -- Megatron as he was trying to target the Autobots with the Negavator but the crashing Ramjet threw him out of the weapons cockpit.
Other Notes
Animation and/or Technical Glitches
- When Soundwave is ejecting his tapes, Frenzy sort of comes out twice, but his colors are replaced with Ravage's half-way out.
- In one scene on Red Alert's door it says "F D D", as opposed to "F ⌂ D" (where ⌂ is a Fire Dept. badge).
- Thrust's colours are off at one point as he is red and black instead of the normal red and white.
- Grapple's head colors change in this episode, from completley white in the previous one, to gray and white. This last color scheme is the one used from this episode on.
- When Ironhide walks past Optimus Prime with the intention of rescuing Red Alert from the fire of the Negavator's destruction, his right arm clips right through Prime's left arm.
- As Optimus Prime and the other Autobots stagger out of the fire and smoke, Optimus Prime's eyes are closed (apparently to shield them against the smoke) much like a human's.
- Did no one notice that Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker for an unknown reason talked backwards!?
Continutity Errors
- When Soundwave is ejecting his tapes, and calling their names, he calls for Buzzsaw, but Laserbeak is ejected instead, and seen throughout the episode.
- It is unclear why the fire chief is merely angry at Ironhide for manhandling his car, but is surprised when he sees Ironhide transform, commenting that he needs to take a vacation. Are giant robots common in this city, but transforming giant robots aren't?
Transformers References
- References
Real-World References
- References
Miscellaneous Trivia
- Frenzy actually tackles Optimus Prime... strong little guy....
Keywords
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