Deus ex Machina
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 "With this map, I shall find all of the Cyber Planet K— wait. Wrong franchise." | ||||||
| "Deus ex Machina" | ||||||
| Production company | Hasbro Studios | |||||
| Airdate | March 11, 2011 | |||||
| Written by | Nicole Dubuc | |||||
| Directed by | Shaunt Nigoghossian | |||||
| Animation studio | Polygon Pictures | |||||
When Bulkhead makes a discovery in Greece, the race is on to recover an Energon Harvester.
Synopsis
Miko is failing to enjoy some detention when Bulkhead hauls up outside the school, blaring loud music. She takes advantage of an inattentive teacher to sneak out and join her Autobot buddy, who's obliged to act as her getaway car when a teacher approaches. They head for base while Bulkhead tries to explain to Miko that she'll never get into college if she flunks out. Ratchet reports he's found an energon pulse in Greece.
Meanwhile, Knock Out has finally arrived on the Nemesis, which took some time as he had to drive (something Starscream disdains). Knock Out assumes he's been brought to provide Megatron with a laboratory assist, when Starscream takes him to the Decepticon leader's sick bed.
Bulkhead and Miko arrive at an excavation site in Greece, but to her disappointment, he's intending her to research her history report. Bulkhead says the humans have hit an energon vein, but then he spots something Cybertronian in an ancient fresco among the ruins.
Starscream explains Megatron's condition to Knock Out. While Starscream was content to let nature take its course with Megatron, the crew of the Nemesis took a vote and decided to bring in a specialist. Knock Out says things would be easier with his assistant, but Breakdown is on the trail of some energon.
Bulkhead identifies the object in the fresco as an Energon Harvester, but as Miko snaps a picture, they're interrupted by the arrival of Breakdown. Wondering if Bulkhead's new pet plays fetch, Breakdown throws a pillar at Miko. Bulkhead intercepts the pillar and is tackled by Breakdown, who slams him into the fresco, shattering it. The Decepticon races off, but Miko shows Bulkhead the image she snapped of the fresco.
Back at base, Optimus Prime confirms that the depicted device is an Energon Harvester. The Autobots are relieved that the fresco was broken, as they think it means the Decepticons won't be able to find the Harvester, but Raf points out that there are photos of the thing online, as the actual Harvester is held in a museum. The Autobots try to contact Agent Fowler for help, but he's away on a training retreat. Optimus says they'll have to obtain the Harvester themselves, and Miko volunteers the kids to help.
Soundwave has found the same photo using Breakdown's description of the Harvester, and Starscream says Megatron's revival will have to wait.
The Autobots move into position around the museum before the kids move in via GroundBridge on a motorized scissor lift. Miko deals with a security camera by taking a picture of the Harvester and balancing her phone on top of the camera. While they move towards the statue holding the Harvester, Optimus has an encounter outside with Knock Out and Breakdown, the latter of whom fires a missile at the museum. Optimus manages to catch the missile, but Knock Out shocks him with an energon staff. Breakdown barrels towards the museum entrance, with Bumblebee and Arcee failing to stop him. Bulkhead joins the fight as well, but the disturbance sets off the museum's alarms, alerting the security guard. The kids finally manage to get the Harvester onto their lift platform and head for the exit. Miko, scouting ahead on foot, is caught by the security guard, who whisks her away. Raf and Jack run toward a half-open loading ramp door, expecting Arcee, but instead it's Soundwave, who grabs the Harvester and departs. Knock Out and Breakdown spot him leaving and make their getaway as well. Meanwhile, Miko attempts to spin a yarn to the security guard about how she got locked in the museum while researching her history report.
Believing that Starscream will attempt to use the Harvester to gather energon as quickly as possible, Optimus, Bumblebee and Arcee go out attempting to intercept them. Ratchet works on a replica Harvester to return to the museum in place of the stolen one, while Bulkhead realizes that the Decepticons might be intending to go after the energon seam in Greece.
Indeed, Starscream, Knock Out and Breakdown are at the excavation site. When the other two Decepticons attempt to correct him on who's to thank for the Harvester, Starscream demonstrates the device's effectiveness on a hapless Vehicon, and the pair are suddenly a lot more submissive. While Starscream starts tapping the energon seam, Bulkhead attempts to sneak up behind the Decepticons but clumsily lets them know he's there. He manages to deal with Knock Out and Breakdown until Starscream turns the Harvester on him. Struggling to stay upright, Bulkhead reaches Starscream, smashes the 'Con in the face, and breaks the Harvester. He throws the device into the sky, where it explodes. The Decepticons are about to move in and finish the weakened Bulkhead when the rest of the Autobots arrive and chase them off.
Miko is starting to run out of Greek history to bore the museum security guard with, when Fowler turns up to collect her. The guard is surprised when Fowler points out the replica Harvester in place on the statue. Outside, Miko is reunited with Bulkhead and tells him all about how she's going to write her report on how the Autobots interacted with ancient Greece.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"Miko, listen. If you fail high school, you can't go to—uh...uni...kesa...colls...w-wait, what's that word again?"
"Uh, 'college'?"
- —Bulkhead tries to give Miko a lecture on academia.
"Look Miko, before I became a warrior I was a laborer—construction. I can build stuff, I can break stuff, and that's it."
"I love breaking stuff! I wanna be just like you, Bulk."
"Aaargh...why would you wanna be like me, when you can be a medic like Ratchet?"
- —Bulkhead fails to convince Miko regarding the benefits of education.
"It's about time, Knock Out. I do not enjoy being kept waiting!"
"Ah, it was a long drive, Starscream. I'm still picking bugs out of my grille."
"Yes, right, you're one of those."
"Come again?"
"Never understood why any self-respecting Decepticon would choose 'automobile' as his vehicle mode when he could have flight!"
"I like the way I look in steel-belted radials."
"We have a history."
"(chuckles) And you have a pet. Does it play catch?"
- —Bulkhead and Breakdown
"You've reached Special Agent William Fowler. I'm currently on an intensive training retreat and unavailable until Tuesday."
"I hate talking to machines."
- —Agent Fowler's answering machine and Ratchet pull off their own version of a Captain Fanzone gag.
"[wolf whistles] Sweet rims. 24 gauge? You're reeeeeeal heavy-duty! Just like my friend here!"
- —Side Burn's got red cars, Knock Out's got red trucks.
"We're already trespassers and thieves. Why not add forgery to the list?"
- —Jack sarcastically comments on the crimes.
"Wait! What are you doing?!"
"What I do best: (grabs Energon Harvester) Breaking things!" (punches Starscream)
- —Starscream is no match for Bulkhead's sheer awesomeness.
"He's a glutton for punishment."
(Autobots arrive)
"Fight?"
"Mmm, drive."
- —Knock Out and Breakdown are prevented from killing Bulkhead.
Notes
Animation and technical errors
- When Optimus, Arcee and Bumblebee find Bulkhead lying on the ground, Arcee and Bumblebee's optics are dim, while Optimus's and Bulkhead's are not.
- Miko's teacher is reading a copy of The Jasper Daily. It is once again printed with the "Sports" page on the left instead of the right. The security guard at the museum is reading the same issue, despite the museum being located in a big city that is obviously not Jasper. It's also the same issue of the publication (with the same reverse page order) that Raf was using to make his papier-mâché volcano in "Masters & Students", despite being a daily.
- The two pages in Miko's open textbook are mirror images of each other.
- The normally clear bits of Arcee's chest are pink in this episode.
- When Knock Out stands on top of Optimus, and signals to Breakdown with his headlights, the sound of his Energon Prod is still going, despite there being no glow to signify its still on.
Continuity errors
- The police have the worst response time imaginable. The guard presumably called them right after the Harvester was stolen, yet they never show up. Even accounting for the fact that Fowler would have called them off eventually, it should have only taken them minutes to get there.
Real-world references
- A deus ex machina, meaning "god from the machine", is a plot device in which a major conflict is instantly resolved by the uncanny, often unexpected appearance of a character, object, or other form of deliverance. Miko explains this to the museum security guard just before Fowler suddenly walks in and saves her from her predicament. While this is obviously intended to be a deus ex machina itself, there had been plenty of foreshadowing, with Optimus even declaring earlier that Fowler was Miko's best hope.
- The god depicted on the fresco is presumably Poseidon, because he bears his symbolic trident. The soldiers appear to be Spartans, as their shields bear the Lambda—which is odd, as their patron god was Ares.
Foreign localization
German
- Title: "Die Energon-Erntekugel" ("The Energon-Harvestingball")
- Original airdate: 18 November 2011
Hungarian
- Title: "Deus ex machina"
- Original airdate: 20 January 2012
Italian
- Title: "Deus ex machina"
- Original airdate: 29 October 2011
Korean
- Title: "Eneojon Chuchulgi" (에너존 추출기, "The Energon Harvester")
- Original airdate: 27 September 2011
Polish
- Title: "Deus ex machina"
- Original airdate: 16 December 2011
Portuguese
Spanish
Trivia
- Starscream's contempt for Knock Out choosing a non-flight alternate mode is strange, as most of the Vehicons are cars. Did they not get to choose?
- Some fans have interpreted Starscream's "you're one of those" line, Knock Out's wolf-whistling appraisal of Optimus's truck mode, the vanity about his appearance, and Daran Norris's somewhat campy performance to be clues that Knock Out is gay. Moreover, the term "knockout" is commonly used to describe an attractive woman, and the character's vanity suggests that that correlation is intentional. Make of all this what you will; very little robotic sexuality of any kind has been evident in Prime so far, outside of a lightly-implied connection between Cliffjumper and Arcee.
- There is a painting of Big Rocks National Park in the security guard's office, as well as a calendar set to March, which handily matches the month this episode first aired. Although on that calendar, March started on a Sunday instead of a Tuesday.
- Knock Out is the first Prime Decepticon to debut after the pilot miniseries and survive the experience. Breakdown might be considered to share that distinction, but technically he debuted before the cartoon, as he appeared in the War for Cybertron video games and the Prime comic first.
- When Miko takes a picture and puts the cellphone display in front of the security camera, the picture comes out flawless on the guard's screen. In real life, it would look blurry.
- In his several decades of acting, this is Reggie Bannister's first and so far only appearance in animation. In an episode that features a sphere that can kill Cybertronians with relative ease. Hmmm...
- Knowledge of Megatron's condition appears to have been confined to the crew of the Nemesis.
- Initial descriptions of this episode, as well as the one on HubWorld.com's episode-viewing page,[1] say that "Miko and Bulkhead head to Greece on a field trip to bring back an Energon Harvester." Miko and Bulkhead do indeed go on what Bulkhead calls a "field trip" to Greece, but the Harvester is in an American museum at that point. By the time Bulkhead actually does go back to Greece to get the stolen Harvester, Miko is stuck in said museum.
- Twice in promotional blurbs for the episode, it was mentioned Lugnut would be in the episode,[2][3] an error repeated on HubWorld.com's episode-viewing page.[1] At BotCon 2011 it was revealed that Lugnut was a pre-production name for Knock Out that was ultimately changed for not being "sexy" enough. Adding another wrinkle, the Season 1 Blu-Ray commentary claims that Breakdown's place in the show was originally intended to belong to Lugnut, since a fiercely loyal Decepticon bruiser was desired, but the show creators wanted a land-based Decepticon instead.
