THE ULTIMATE DOOM, PART ONE​

​

This episode is the first of another trilogy in this season, and it is so far one of my favourite episodes in this series and it will continue to be so if it continues to be as good as this was. I like the concept of Megatron's plan to pull Cybertron into Earth's orbit and use it to extract Earth's energy, thereby destroying Earth. I loved that cliffhanger at the end where Optimus is manipulated by Megatron into activating the third and final pylon, thus completing Megatron's plan and pulling Cybertron into Earth's orbit. It's ironic, really; Optimus fought against the Decepticons to defend humanity, whereas he, even though he was manipulated, was instrumental in its destruction. As for the Autobots' the fight with Sparkplug and the mind-controlled humans, I would have at least fought back or killed some of the slaves; after all, there's genocidal extraterrestrial robots who want to destroy your home planet, killing some of the Decepticons' distractions would have, in my opinion, been necessary. However, I can understand why the Autobots weren't too keen on fighting back; they don't want to harm any of them and they want to protect them from Megatron's Decepticons.

Now, moving onto animation errors, I noticed that whatever damage Cliffjumper did to Decepticon Headquarters magically vanishes when they leave, and that the third pylon beam isn't exactly aligned with the Decepticons. As always, I love the characterisation of the Autobots and the Decepticons, and the same applies to Doctor Arkeville. I like the concept of a mad scientist who has sided himself with the Decepticons, even if they despise all of humanity; he reminds me somewhat of a human Shockwave. Both of them are Decepticon-allied scientists whom often pursue their own agendas at the cost of their leaders'. For some reason, I think that Doctor Arkeville slightly physically resembles Dr. Wily from Mega Man; it might just be me, though. I should also mention that I like the concept of humans being mind-controlled to fight the Autobots. It creates a moral dilemma: Should they kill the humans and defeat Megatron now, or should they let themselves be attacked and be distracted while Megatron pulls Cybertron into Earth's orbit? I hope that the rest of the trilogy is as good as this one.​

 

Now, when you finish the trilogy, let me know when and where you spot the hunter green Seeker. THAT is basically who I treat CHUG Acid Storm as.

 

Actually it was worse, he called him 'Crystal Nurse', as in nursemaid or nanny.  

And any company that goes with the Rhino masters would have the same stupid added mistakes.  

--Moony

 

Do you mean this one?

Spoiler: Acid Storm

-----​

THE ULTIMATE DOOM, PART TWO​

So, this episode continues right off the previous one. First of all, I loved the narration by Victor Caroli at the beginning of the episode; he seems to fit the general Sci-Fi theme of Transformers. I love the general attitude Megatron has concerning Doctor Arkeville; he treats him as less of an equal like Arkeville originally expected, but more like one of his minions: He threatens Arkeville when he steps out of line and he's clearly manipulating him by promising him that he'd be the overlord of (what's left of) Earth. Also, I believe this is one of the first times Megatron has actually attacked Starscream in this series? I know he's done that before; it just seems like it'd be something he'd do more often, especially because Starscream's a well-known self-serving traitor who wants to usurp Megatron. Before, he seemed to just chastise and insult him. To be honest, if I were Megatron, I would have probably killed Starscream by now; he doesn't seem to exactly be the most competent commander. Anyway, I like how they're still proceeding with the whole "humans being mind-controlled by the Decepticons" sub-plot, and I also like how it's starting to effect Spike: He's started to become increasingly upset because his father, Sparkplug, is one of the major victims of this brainwashing. Also, I want to know how the hell Ironhide managed to shoot at several rocks, which somehow manages to block the arising flow of lava forming from the volcano. Okay.

As for animation errors, the sides of Sludge's face was grey and yellow when he was looming over the forest. That, and at one point, Grimlock's head seems to magically disappear for a split-second while no one else seems to notice. Also, I like the shining effects surrounding the trailer when it rolls in when Optimus transforms during this episode; my theory is that his trailer arrives from Optimus's subspace compartment, if they have one, at least. Also, I like how Optimus feels regret for his involvement in the demise of Earth; it shows that he still isn't infallible, which is a change, especially compared to some other cartoons. As I said before, I like the concept of humans being brainwashed by the Decepticons in an attempt to distract the Autobots and to enslave humanity. One of my few gripes I have with this episode is the geological impossibilities in this episode, especially when Ironhide somehow managed to stop lava from escaping the volcano. Somehow that worked. Somehow. Aside from that, I loved this episode and am looking forward to watching the final part of this.

 

No, this one:

Acid Storm (2008) - Decepticon - www.tfu.info

 

Ah, OK! Thanks for correcting me!

[SIZE=3][SIZE=3][COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 0)]-----[/COLOR][/SIZE][/SIZE]​

THE ULTIMATE DOOM, PART THREE​

​

So, this episode concludes this trilogy that I've watched over the past three days, and, in my opinion, it was as good as the other ones. Concerning Doctor Arkeville's characterisation, Megatron's line about, to paraphrase, how Arkeville should submit to the Decepticons and that it would suit him well to not be in the ranks of Starsceam confirms my suspicions that Doctor Arkeville was a mere pawn in Megatron's schemes; one of his minions who he initially treated as an equal, but eventually became increasingly domineering as time went on. Also, I like how over the course of the series the alliance between Arkeville and the Decepticons slowly wears away; it's clear that the Decepticons are less moral then him, in that the Decepticons are willing to eradicate entire planets to get what they want. Also, I'm interested in seeing how the Arkeville-Starscream alliance plays out in future episode; it's definitely a surprising change in the status quo for this series, though I highly doubt it'll last long. Also, I just thought: At least a few million people died throughout this cataclysm; there was a ton of natural disasters ensuing worldwide because of Cybertron. I'd personally estimate it's in the tens of millions. On that note, why did Starscream try to suck the energy out of Doctor Arkeville's brain when there's natural disasters left, right, front and centre? You know, decisions like this is why Megatron is still the Decepticon leader.

Now, as for the animation errors, I noticed that Soundwave's Decepticon insignia disappeared while the Autobots escaped from Decepticon Headquarters, the two Seekers that accompany Shockwave are suddenly able to change colours and identities and Spike's pupils disappear when his brainwashed father pulls a gun on him. Also, I loved Victor Caroli's narration at the beginning, as I have said before; I think that he will be narrating all episodes that are two parts or more. Finally, I must come up with the names of the Seekers and the Watchdogs that appear in this episode; it's interesting that there's more generics than just the Seekers and Reflectors in the Decepticon ranks. I loved that they showed the fight on Cybertron, but I'm a little disappointed that they didn't use the Rainmakers again; if they're still online, then they probably could have been added to the fight or they could have replaced some of the generics. Finally, I have noticed that the writers and the scripts have named the episodes beyond part one, part two and part three: Part One is called "Brainwash", Part Two is called "Search" and Part Three is called "Revival". It's just something that I found to be interesting.

So, up next is Countdown to Extinction!​

 

Good thing, you had seen the G1 series, too also Acid Storm is the lime green Seekers along with Ion Storm and Yellow Storm in Divide and Conquer not the hunter green Seeker in Ultimate Doom story arc.

 

A fun bit of trivia regarding Ultimate Doom: due to its featuring of Skyfire, and that character's troubled inclusion in the Japanese version of Transformers, Ultimate Doom ended up being the series finale in Japan. All of the episodes with Skyfire in them (except one, where Skyfire's scenes were edited out) aired at the end even though it created a few continuity issues.

 

COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION​

​

​

So, this episode concludes this episode seems to follow on several months after the end of the Ultimate Doom trilogy. So, I like the concept of Starscream (if briefly) going rogue and planning his own schemes. It seems inevitable by this point: Starscream clearly isn't loyal to Megatron, though he's likely loyal to the Decepticons. So, if he wants to become the leader of the Decepticons, it'd probably serve his character well at this point. Also, the Decepticons here in general are quite pathetic: They're divided amongst themselves (Starscream and Arkeville were concocting their own plot and those who remained are fighting amongst themselves - literally. That, and Megatron had the Decepticons retreat after he was just pushed into a lake. I'm going to presume that Doctor Arkeville died after this episode: After all, he's trapped on a hostile planet, unable to move at all. Also, the Decepticons might have found him at some point, and it would have gone as you would expect. Also, I'm somewhat surprised at the Autobots at Starscream's presumed torture; I don't mind it, I'm just surprised that they included that. Anyway, how does Starscream somehow manage to fly to Cybertron within four hours? I'm going to assume that it's now in the Milky Way, but still, it'd probably take at least a few days (and that's being lenient considering the fact that they're alien robots) if not several months.

Now, as for animation errors: There was two Brawns repairing the dam, and then one of the Brawns suddenly possesses the ability to transform into Gears. Probably. I mean what I'm trying to say is that Brawn is suddenly changed to Gears. Oh, and Starscream's air intakes are light grey instead of red when Doctor Arkeville boards his jet mode. When I first watched this, I was surprised when Victor Caroli narrated the introduction: It didn't seem to be a continuation of The Ultimate Doom Trilogy at first. Also, this is the first episode to introduce Frenzy, and that with this episode, entire arguments and flame wars have been birthed: FIRRIB (Frenzy is Red, Rumble is Blue) or FIBRIF (Frenzy is Blue, Rumble is Red). Compared to the last few episodes, this one is quite calmer than the others (The Autobots are repairing the damage done from Cybertron, whereas The Ultimate Doom Trilogy dealt with the possible destruction of Earth); I wonder if things will kick up again before the end of the season. Finally, I do like the continued usage of Cybertron and Shockwave; it continues the universe's world-building. I hope that they'll be used again in the future.

So, up next is A Plague of Insecticons!​

 

A PLAGUE OF INSECTICONS​

So, as evident by the title, this episode introduces the Insecticons. As for the Insecticons themselves, I like their personalities and abilities, but I find their actual voices to be quite annoying. As for their abilities, my favourite out of all of them is Bombshell's ability to brainwash others by using cerebro-shells, which I'm sure will come up later, and the Insecticons' ability to clone themselves. After this episode, I don't think the Decepticons will need any more Seeker or Reflector generics... if the Insecticons are allied with them that day, that is. Also, by this point, I think it's obvious that Megatron should brainwash half of his troops: Starscream's Starscream, Thundercracker would have helped out Skyfire in the draft for Fire In The Sky and the Insecticons betrayed him in this episode. Anyway, the Insecticons are better off on their own than part of the Decepticons. At least then they won't be held back by half of the Decepticons being defeated within a minute or two and, if this episode suggests anything, they're stronger than most of the Decepticons and the whole clone shtick helps as well. I like the allusion to the Insecticons being locusts, especially concerning the fact that they attack the farmers' crops throughout the episode and that they seem to be obsessed with food. Now then, if the Insecticons had departed the Nemesis the same time as it crashed on Earth, and presuming they had conveniently awakened several months after their kinsmen did, how did they not recognize Megatron? I mean, Megatron has to be a recognizable figure in Cybertronian society, especially considering he's the leader of the Decepticons.

Now, moving onto animation errors, I saw that Reflector was late to the battle when Megatron ranted about the Insecticons betraying him and consuming theire energon, all of the Insecticon clones magically disappear after the first commercial break, and Thundercracker is coloured to be dark blue as he fills the energon cubes rather than his usual medium blue. So, this episode has kicked things up slightly by introducing some new characters, though it's definitely less intense than The Ultimate Doom Trilogy, and it seems to be kicking things up less than the next episode, which will introduce the Constructicons. I don't mind the Insecticons talking in unison, I'd just like them to have their voices drop an octave or two, or just be a little easier on the hearing. Also, I noticed that Starscream didn't appear in this episode, which means that he's likely recovering from Megatron's torture, which was heavily implied by both Megatron and the Autobots. Then again, neither did Skywarp, Frenzy or Ratchet. After what happened last episode, I'll be surprised if Megatron didn't just outright kill him. If I were Megatron, I probably would; he'd probably just betray me again after begging me to spare him. Also, thinking about it now: Sideswipe, how is digging a tunnel underneath the parade faster than backtracking a mile or two to find another way around? You really don't seem to be all that intelligent if you think that's a faster way of travel.

So, next up is Heavy Metal War, the final episode of this season!

 

Cybertron was only pushed away from the Earth - it didn't leave the solar system. And as established in Fire in the Sky, Starscream has engines capable of interstellar flight, so flying to Cybertron wouldn't be all that big a deal for him. Would probably be a bit longer than 4 hours, tho. XD

Wasn't it hilarious that they DROVE to Bali, an island all the way on the other side of the Pacific?   I also think the Insecticons voices were nearly perfect -for them- like annoying cicadas.  

--Moony

 

Really? That's interesting. So, would most of the other Decepticons have similar engines? Yeah, it would probably be longer than the four hours (if I remember correctly) established in the show. I thought that Cybertron was pushed half-way across the galaxy; I might have remembered that wrong. Yeah, it just being pushed away from Earth makes more sense.

I thought it was funny, yes. As for the Insecticons' voices, I think they're a bit ear-grating, though they'll probably grow on me later on.

 

No, he's apparently the only Seeker that does...but then its been a long while since I read my Transformers: Universe (from the 80's, that is, with the bios Budiansky wrote) so it may be that that's just fanon, based on Fire in the Sky.

--Moony

 

Well, his profile in Universe says that, concerning his speed: “Starscream is one of the fastest flyers of the Decepticons, reaching speeds up to Mach 2.8. he can climb to sub-orbital altitudes of 52 miles and nose-dive down to near ground level in mere minutes.”

An image of his profile is here: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fe/ed/80/feed80323b65e7d5de665da9039b0963.jpg.

 

HEAVY METAL WAR​

​

​

I noticed that this episode seemed to be influenced by anime, and this was especially notable in Optimus and Megatron's duel. I think the time I truly began to notice it was when Optimus threw that boulder at Megatron during said duel. I'm interested in seeing if there's any more Laws of Cybertron; if there's one on honourable combat, then I'm sure that it'd be likely that the writers could bring up another one that could hypothetically send the Decepticons tumbling through space. I have to admit that I was surprised at the Decepticons' apparent deaths at the end of the series. I didn't think that this series would actually do something like that, especially because it'd mean that there would be less toys to sell (probably). Though, it's more than likely that they survived; again, there's a few more seasons. I remember that I once thought that things would kick up again nearer to the end of the season, and I definitely wasn't disappointed; we were introduced to the Constructicons and Devastator. I was anticipating a Combiner to eventually arrive, and it definitely is a good idea to end a season with a large event: in this case, creating a Combiner.​

As for animation and technical errors, I noticed that Devastator's head suddenly changed from having eyes when he had his monologue to having one big visor, I noticed that Skywarp was coloured the same as Starscream at some point during the fight and I also noticed that Bumblebee's insignia was missing when the Autobots cheered inside their headquarters after finding out that Megatron did indeed cheat. Out of all of the Constructicons introduced, I have to say that I like Scrapper's personality the best: His surprising modesty as a member of the Decepticons, and he's also surprisingly loyal to Megatron, especially compared to the likes of Starscream. I also like the Constructicons' voices and think that they suit their characters, and I prefer their voices to the Insecticons' from last episode, even though the Insecticons' voices suited their characters.

So, we will next start off Season Two with Autobot Spike!

 

AUTOBOT SPIKE​

Well, that was a good new opening for this season! I saw several new characters that I'm sure will be introduced in the series there (Blitzwing, Omega Supreme and Astrotrain are some of them if I remember correctly) and I think that the animation was more vibrant and fluid than it was in the previous opening. Anyway, as for the episode, I think that the concept of a human having his conscience transferred to a Transformer shell via the Cortexitron (not named as such in-show; it's just found out that its name was revealed on Ask Vector Prime, which I found on TFWiki) was a little weird, though they did execute it well enough. I'll admit that it wasn't one of the first things that would have come to my mind as an idea for a plot in The Transformers, and I think that it would have improved this episode had they named Autobot X something more original, like "Amalgamous" or "Mishmash" or something along those lines. Anyway, I did like the concept of a human, if briefly, joining the Decepticons because of manipulations on the Decepticons' part; it's quite different from the typical "eradicate all organics/enslave all humans and use them to make energy" motives we normally get regarding humans.

As for animation errors, I didn't really notice any major ones, though Sparkplug did fall off of the edge of the cliff for quite a long time. Personality-wise, I found Autobot X to be interesting, though he was still Spike. He was clearly conflicted between anger and resentment at his current condition, and his loyalty to the Autobots. It resulted in him briefly joining the Decepticons, though he eventually saved Sparkplug and had his conscience replanted into Spike's body, which was an interesting change of pace even if the status quo was reset. If I were going to improve this episode, I would have made this change either permanent or have it last longer so it impacts the Autobots and Sparkplug more; from that point, they could just make some more plots about Autobot X's instability. For me, Autobot Spike was a decent introduction to Season Two and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the season.

 

You know, if you have nothing positive to say or don't want to read the threads, it's actually quite fucking easy to just stay out of them.

Apparently not. He hasn't replied since you have. Also, it's awesome to see your comments on another viewers G1 thread. It's fun to go back and compare your replies here to the other thread.  

The animation errors seemed to calm down as the series progressed. They're still there but way less frequent. When I did my blog, the g1 series was in a 'live style' and I remember having to type insanely quick to detail and error I saw and most of the time another would pop up before I could finish. It was entertaining. It also led to me discovering the exact methods used by animators to create G1 which is extremely interesting within itself. Particularly the way things glow like the energon cubes!

 

Give Em hell Capt. Love it when ya get feisty LOL

 

New perspectives are always a good thing.


Also, I relish the animation errors. I'm going to hit this up with a rewatch once I get it on DVD, and I'm going to mark down every accidental Diaclone appearance. Stuff like that entertains me.




And yeah, if that clown doesn't pop back in here ever again it'll be too soon.

 

CHANGING GEARS​

I think that the concept of Gears being altered to become obedient to the Decepticons is quite interesting; his personality being altered to a more upbeat, positive one is definitely different from how it's usually done. Usually, it's portrayed as someone being brainwashed into obedience via hypnosis or something along those lines. It's definitely, to me, a more interesting way to mind control someone since it hasn't been used as much. How many times did Megatron punch or berate Starscream in this episode? He punched Starscream twice in the first act and threatened him at one point and later on knocked him out of the way when Starscream attacked the friendly Gears. Not only that, but the Decepticons in general got their arse handed to them throughout this episode: first the Autobots capture nearly all of them, and then they are defeated near the end so badly that Megatron's troops basically say "fuck it" and retreat to (presumably) Decepticon Headquarters without Megatron giving the order. Also, the Solar Needle Megatron uses to absorb energy from the Sun seems to be a proto-Sun Harvester from Revenge of the Fallen; the resemblance is definitely there. Was Michael Bay inspired by this episode to use it in his movie's plot or was it a coincidence?

As for animation and technical errors, I noticed that this episode in particular seems to have a bad habit of having different voices say the lines of different characters, such as when Starscream says "Your circuit stays right here" in Skywarp's voice. Was his voice box malfunctioning or was he mocking him? There was also Starscream's intakes being red instead of grey. Also, the Autobots' weapons are strong enough to outright decimate trees? Jesus, I'm surprised they haven't destroyed cities! Then again, they normally seem to fight in secluded areas and places with a low population density. I found the ending to be a little humerous, with Gears being jokily abandoned by his men, who leave him to rant to himself. Also, the episode notably used a ton of stock footage: especially Megatron slapping Starscream, Optimus's transformation sequence and Soundwave ejecting Laserbeak/Ravage. I know it's to save the cost of producing the episode, but still it's a lot more noticeable than usual. I think it's just usually Optimus's transformation sequence that I notice.