I suppose her little smile could have been one of victory or a personal triumph. At the very last moment, whilst retreating, she had managed to fire off an accurate shot that could have ended Megatron's life once and for all. It might not have been so much a smile of pleasure or satisfaction that she was about to kill Megatron, but a smile of accomplishment of one of her objectives: to make sure Megatron stayed dead this time.

Having talked about the meaning behind Arcee's disconcerting little smile tho', I gotta say that that wasn't what I found most striking and unsettling about her in the ep.. It was her complete lack of hesitation to kill someone (even if it was Megatron) whilst he was in a vulnerable state. If the target is deserving enough and there is justification for taking their life in Arcee's opinion, cold execution without compassion, mercy, fairness or honour becomes acceptable. How different was Arcee in that moment from a cold-blooded Decepticon killer like Airachnid? In fact, Arcee may have been acting strongly on a desire for revenge there in wanting to kill Megatron whilst he was helpless. As Airachnid had killed her first partner, Tailgate, in cold blood whilst he was helpless, Arcee may have wanted to return the favour to a helpless Megatron. She was essentially echoing Airachnid's execution of her old partner, but on Megatron. Revenge is sweet!

 

That´s why I like Arcee. She´s cold and merciless. Probably one of the best representations of the character so far.

So what of Megatron is helpless. He´s the leader of the enemy army.

 

Let's step back and look at the situation here: Arcee and Bee had just infiltrated the Decepticon ship, remained hidden only feet away from several powerful Decepticons, performed the mind patch, retrieved the data to save Optimus' life, got an escape route just in time, and managed to pop off a shot that might kill the Autobot's greatest enemy. I'd say that's a pretty good time to smile, wouldn't you?

She aced the mission, saved her leader, *and* possibly killed Megatron to boot. I don't think anyone would have to be mentally disturbed to be happy at that point.

 

I figured she did it to destract the 'cons long enough to escape.


jD001

 

Ummmm what about demolisher ???? completely and literally unarmed it didnt look like there was any remorse going on during that scene. Punk ass deception. lol

There is no reading into the moment. Someone said it right the first time Arcee is just damaged goods she is pretty cold. She is a great character and definately the best character I have liked in a lonnnnng time and she alone makes TF Prime shine.

which is especially impressive because most female TF characters are cliche or just not interesting and she is just a well written character. Im pretty sure something as important as a smile when killing megs is on the writers script that doesnt go in there with out authorization.

The two most boring characters in Prime are oddly the two best characters in the Movie versions Prime and Bee.

hows that for irony

 

First..let me say that..nope, your original post may not have alleged any type of gender bias, but as usual other posts will sum it up to her being a femme.. so she must be bitchy and disturbed, right?? NO, of course not, and as a femme myself, I do pick up on the underlying statements when they are posted.(not just in this thread, but others too) Also, I feel that we should recognize Arcee as a soldier and warrior bot first, femme last--actually to the point that it's a non-issue. So while you believe in equal rights, and I'm glad you do, until you walk a few miles in my high heels, you truly don't see and hear the same unfunny comments and statements the way I do. Now, that being said, yeah, I think we all have the right to point out that her motives aren't gender biased, heavens no, nor were they the actions of a deranged femme either.

For your second quote...Ask yourself this---If Arcee had been the one lying on the table, unconscious and unaware, do you really believe that Megatron would have taken the shot??? Of course, he would, look how quickly and without emotion he cut Cliffjumper in half..with a smile, perhaps a smirk?
You see, this is what amazes me about this fandom, Megatron would smirk and cut somebot in half and he's admired for being a ruthless leader but let Arcee try to finish the job that the space bridge started and she's deranged and warped.   I just think folks should see the characters in a fair and equal way..that's all. Thankfully, most folks do.

I think all of us need to remember, first, this is fictional series..based on robots.  
Second, a lot of what we are posting about is a tempest in a teacup. It's not world events, not even close..but this is a series for children and we adults shouldn't be ranting and raging over some fictional characters actions, good, bad or ugly. It's supposed to be fun and enjoyable.  
We all have our impressions of these bots and cons and we should give the writers and producers credit..we find quite a bit to discuss about TFP don't we?
That being said, I think we see this character as a strong warrior, with flaws like many soldiers who have fought battles for so long and hard-and lost so many friends and colleagues. Perhaps we can even call their actions mistakes..but wouldn't that make them more like humans?? Hmmmmm??
Another discussion perhaps.  

 

She had the same bad energon , that got her high in shadowzone.

 

FYI, there's a heated thread about a similar topic going on in the movie forum, and this discussion is touching on some of the same points...

How aggressive and/or bloodthirsty are Autobots allowed to be? How much should their actions be limited by the fact that they're the good guys? Some people think the Autobots should be paragons of goodness and never show any aggression at all, and some think that they're in a war and therefore have to sometimes be violent in order to protect the innocent.

Arcee saw an opportunity to kill a helpless Megatron, and she took it. My opinion is that she's a competent soldier who isn't going to waste a perfect opportunity to deal the enemy a crippling blow. It doesn't make her disturbed, it just means she's willing to do what it takes even if it doesn't entirely match up with Autobot ideals.

Easy there, friend! I'm a girl and tend to be sensitive about that sort of thing too, but I don't think anyone in this particular thread is blaming Arcee's actions on her gender. I haven't seen any "she just has PMS, har har" type comments, just discussion about how her terrible experiences in the war may have affected her. It's actually very non-sexist to portray her as an experienced soldier and complex character overall, so kudos to the writers for that.  

 

Dude, if I was faced with the momentary demise of a long-hated enemy I would be smiling. Though I am kinda damaged...

 

Well, think about what she's been through that we've seen. I get the impression that her own personal history is rife with more tragedy than some of the others like 'Bee and Bulkhead.

I can absolutely see her taking satisfaction in ending the author of all that misery. It's a huge blow she was about to strike for the war and the Autobots. Just because there was a personal aspect of it hardly makes her deranged.

Mind you, Optimus wouldn't smile. We've seen that he regrets what Megatron has become. Arcee may never have known Megatron before, not giving her that perspective.

- Coeloptera

 

  Another good reason to avoid the movie forum..it gets old.

Hey friend, hello there!  ..glad you're sensitive about these things too, but it has existed in this forum, and the cumulative snarky comments have just gotten old. I'm glad she's so well liked overall but as usual, they'll always be 1 or 2 comments (or threads started) that's just not called for..and getting old and sooooo redundant. I think we agree, she's an awesome warrior, period.