Hurrah for avoiding a potential Headmasters Chromedome situation!

Even as a head this Megatron manages to be a lot more competent and threatening than most other Megatrons.

The interactions between humans and Cybertronians are a highlight of the franchise, and I'm very glad that Earthspark seems to have brought them back to the forefront after several years where humans didn't get much attention from the franchise.

Sari's key is this show's version of Leader-1 magic, but with fewer endearing dial-tone moments.

As the wiki puts it, Professor Sumdac is the dumbest smart guy ever.

This actually is a really good idea to avoid the Decepticons maintain a threatening air...but it does come at the cost of reduced focus on the Decepticons and their often-entertaining antics. The human villains also seem to be rather divisive in the fanbase (though I really enjoy them for the most part), so I don't know how well this tactic would work in subsequent shows.

Cute.
I have to admit that I have a soft spot for the Archer and his ridiculous pseudo-Shakespearean dialogue.

That really is too bad. Though we will at least get references to Submaurader/Gilmer and Bomb-burst/Blood later in the show.

This will not be the last time Prowl raises this question by hiding in trees. Unless all trees have developed the ability to hold the weight of thousand-pound robots in the future or something.

As a lifelong introvert, I can relate to Prowl here. Being around people is hard.

Now, now, Megatron. Don't lose your head over Starscream's betrayal...

No one blames Sari here. Unless you're going to be an engineer (or a mathematician) what point is there in learning about how to find the angles of a triangle?
Oh, well. It's probably still more useful than calculus.

Sari has perhaps the best evil faces in this show. She missed her true calling as a Decepticon.

How did Professor Sumdac get any success in the business world? And how has Sari managed to survive as long as she has with only him to raise her?
Unless Tutor Bot was the one to manage all of her meals....

Maybe Sari has a glitchy copy of the game.
Or the animators screwed up...

"And two minutes later the base was invaded by Lio Junior and Kicker Jones!"

Can you give us a more complete explanation, Leader-1?
Sparkplug Leader-1: Beep boop beep!
Oh, of course! That explains everything!

Maybe the reason that this factory is abandoned is because some idiot put flamethrowers on the end of manipulator arms.

This is pretty cool. Prowl will get to use a similar move later on in the show.

Yet more proof that Energon wouldn't have been a total trainwreck if anyone involved (besides the voice actors) had actually put effort into it.

This is why Animated Bulkhead is great.

I appreciate the fact that the Autobots in this show have to consistently use their brains to win fights rather than being able to solve all their problems with firepower or brute force.

Apparently selling Prowl toys by making him look super cool was more important than portraying motion sensors in a logical way.

Percussive maintenance! It works every time!

Maybe he's referring to the knowledge Sumdac got from his body?

Did Hasbro give the show-writers a mandate to advertise Twister or something?

 

Episode 1: Transform and Roll Out:


Ahh, Transformers Animated. Just listening to that opening theme, the remix of the G1 theme gives me major nostalgia. In fact, this series was the first Transformers show I watched as a kid so my reviews will be clouded with my love of the show.

When little 7-year-old me sat down and watched this for the first time, unknowingly I would be sucked into this franchise for life.

It’s a simple 30 second intro that wastes no time showing us our heroes and villains. When I think of Transformers intros, I always think of this as the definitive one.

And we start the show proper with stock footage of G1. Funny thing is that as a kid I would watch this three-part episode on repeat all the time, because it was the only Transformers dvd I had and I was always interested in that montage. Like, what was it? Where did it come from? Little did I know my parents would give me the G1 cartoon boxset for Christmas the next year, but that’s a story for another time.

“What a load of Scrap metal!” The very first line in our new show ladies and gentlebots.

What I love immediately about this scene is that Ratchet insinuates that the stock footage might just be propaganda, and the real “Great War” was horrific. His characterization really reminds me of an old military vet that wants nothing to do with the past or war, but can’t quite escape it.

Speaking of Ratchet. This Ratchet is my Ratchet, his grumpy yet kind demeanour is what I love about his personality, and of course went on to inspire the Prime version of his character. His beer belly and defeated attitude just add flavour to his character to me.

Optimus Prime is honestly great. I love this version of him. Instead of leading Autobot forces against evil, he’s a military academy dropout leading a ragtag group of ‘losers.’ But he still loves what he does, and has so much passion for it.

I simply adore out introduction to both Bulkhead and Bumblebee. You have Bulkhead hanging from a cliff by his wrecking ball, and Bumblebee stomping on the rock to try to free his friend. It’s really cute.

And Prowl gets his introduction by destroying some stone with a shuriken, standing off to the side all stoic and sorts. There is nothing much to say about him except he’s kinda a dick in these early episodes, but thankfully he does mellow out a lot as the season progresses.

I adore Bulkhead and Bumblebee being rude to Ratchet before he smacks him upside the head. It’s like telling your old uncle or grandpa they’re about to kick the bucket. Honestly, these character interactions make me realise they have already spent a whole lot of time off screen together before we see them here.

The face palm Prowl does during Optimus’s speech. I love it.

“Bad choice of words, Big bot.” Bumblebee reminds me so, so much of Rattrap.

As a kid I was so confused as to why the Allspark just wasn’t a cube like in the love action film. It always bugged me. And to be honest, it still kinda does.

And there we see Sentinel with his annoying attitude and his big chin. The less we speak of this…tick the better.

What I love about these character designs is that when we see characters like Ratchet and Ultra Magnus, they look old. You can just feel it in the vibe of the designs.

“It’s probably just a deception scout ship.” “They would never invade Autobot space.” You can really see just how complacent and arrogant the Autobots became after they won the war.

The deception warship is so huge. It gives off an aura of intimidation and evil when you first lay eyes on it.

“It’s a command ship. I’d recognise the marking from the history vids.” Prime is such a nerd.

When Ratchet says “Megatron.” The look on his face mixed with the tone of his voice really makes me think he’s having a flashback right now.

Oh wow! I never knew Spongebob was a deception. Oh, wait Starscream! I meant Starscream.

Poor Megatron. Imagine having to put up with Starscream, Lugnut, Blitzwing and Blackarachnia for so long.

Blackarachnia’s sarcasm is the greatest.

As soon as Megatron appears on screen you know he means business, and apparently all of his underlings do too. His design reminds me of Super Megatron from ‘return of convoy’ and the 2007 film.

“Emergency defence system: Codename Omega.” That foreshadowing tho.

I like how Megatron says he spent 4 million solar cycles searching the galaxy. It reminds me of the 4-million-year gap in the G1 cartoon.

When Megatron dented Starscream’s wing he winced in pain. It makes me think what parts of the body do they feel pain in?

Ahh, classic Starscream putting a bomb on Megatron’s back. Although he is a little dumb for falling for it.

Megatron flying into the autobot ship, ripping it up and beating up the autobots makes me think of him as a horror movie character. I also love how physically bigger and more powerful the deceptions are compared to the autobots, it really makes them a larger threat.

Optimus using the repair claws/hands to restrain Megatron is really smart. See Optimus really is a nerd.

Megatron fighting off the Autobots with an arm ripped off. What did I say about him being a horror movie villain?

I find it immensely funny that while Starscream in speaking his fake speech, everyone has already fled in the escape pods.

How did Starscream survive being incinerated by the space bridge blast?

I do like that anime effect of Starscream being incinerated. Reminds me of what happens when someone dies in Gurren Lagann.

Megatron being sucked out of the airlock is just brutal man.

Some people think the 50 year timeskip is excessive, but personally it gives a reasonable timeframe for earth to go from normal technology to advanced robotics, even if the prof is using deception tech.

I love that transition of going from the ocean and revealing the city.

And we finally meet the best human character in all Transformers cartoons- Sari, who is chasing her robot dog trying to get her ‘key’ hint hint back. There is not much I can say about Sari at this point. She’s pretty basic as far as characters go right now, but that will change soon.

So, Sari can’t go to school with the other kids… I wonder why that is?

And of course, our first ‘villain’ is a giant robo roach. Ugh.

I forgot to mention but that kid with brown hair sounds a lot like Ben from Ben 10.

This is where part 1 ends so I will be back soon to ramble about part 2.

 

Episode 2: Transform and Roll Out: part 2​

And we start the episode with the authorities trying and failing to fend off the giant robo roach.

Of course, Sari is conveniently stuck inside the laboratory for the Autobots to save her.

That is some surprisingly fluid animation of the robo roach grabbing the fireman’s hoses with its tentacles.

Interesting that the Autobots wake up from a bit of the robo roach contaminating the ship.

The start of the running joke of the Autobots not understanding human culture starts here with Optimus thinking the vehicles are the “Local Lifeforms.”

Interesting thing to note that the Autobots all have rescue vehicles as their theme. Optimus is a fire truck, Bumblebee is a cop car, Prowl is a police motorcycle, Ratchet is an ambulance, and Bulkhead is a swat car.

Bulkhead trying to talk to the drones is really cute.

And of course Sparkplug is the ‘owner’ and Sari is the ‘pet.’

Sari rightfully freaks out about talking cars until she quickly gets over it and finds the fight ‘cool.’ (not before being captured by the robo roach tho.) I mean I can’t blame her.

Is this the first time we’ve had anime like stock footage in a western Transformers show?

“I’m Bumblebee.”

“I’m Sari.”

“Oh, don’t be. I like my name.”

What a classic joke.

Bumblebee holding Sari while fighting off the drones is so adorable.

Ratchet’s finger had a sub stick in it. Nice.

And Prowl has a giant hole in his chest. It’s always cool seeing the inner workings of a transformer.

How can Sari breathe underwater? Why did the Allspark scan Sari? Well, perhaps she is more than meets the eye.

And here we have Sari’s ‘get out of jail free card.’ Key. A lot of people have problems with this saying it destroys all narrative tension, but I think otherwise. Her key adds a lot of fun things into the story.

Bumbleebee says Sari followed him home like a lost puppy. Heh.

I adore how supportive Bulbleebe is of Sari. Like, he lifts her up to the table to help heal Prowl. He’s proud he made a new friend.

I’m surprised Ratchet of all people allowed Sari to put a strange key into Prowl’s chest.

I like how the Autobots got an award ceremony and everything. It reminds me of G1 when the Autobots where public figures. It’s a nice change of pace that having them being in disguise all the time.

…And of course, Starscream finds about the allspark.

Episode 3: Transform and Roll Out: part 3​

I adore how Bulkhead just started walking through traffic after some guy just yelled out how he would better off walking. He’s such a loveable oaf.

Ratchet getting tons and tons of fines for parking in a no parking zone is a great running gag.

Lmao Sari traumatised Prime telling him about sex.

Ahh, the run-down car shop/repair shop. It’s interesting to see the Autobots not have a high tech base for a change.

We see Starscream watching the Autobots from his chair. He finally gets up for once and starts blasting these military planes out of the sky. I’m sorry but I just can’t take this version of Starscream seriously. I just keep thinking of Spongebob.

I do love the entrance Starscream makes when he flies down and blasts Optimus and co. It really makes Starscream of all people feel like a threat.

“I am the exalted leader of the decepticons.”

“I thought that was Megatron.”

Never change bulkhead. Never change.

There is a weird slo mo effect when bumblebee gets shot by scarscream. It makes sari look weird when she yells out his name.

Bumblebee must be tiny to be able to fit into that bullet train thing.

It’s nice seeing Prowl finally team up with the other members of his…team, instead of being a dick.

Sari is a little manipulative, crying to get her own way.

Is this the first time a decepticon has acknowledged that their faction name’s roots come from deception?

It’s nice to see Ratchet in action, grabbing Starscream by the legs with his magnet lasers.

I like how Bumblebee caught the Allspark with his hand while in vehicle mode. It reminds me of when it would happen occasionally in Roots in Disguise 2001.

Imagine if Galvatron used the Matrix of Leadership as a giant laser in the 86 movie, cause that’s what Starscream is doing here. It is cool as hell tho.

All the cracks in Prime after his fight with Starscream look cool as hell.

As yes, our obligatory “Prime death scene.” You can’t have a new series without Prime dying at least once.

Both Prime’s death and resurrection and the whole final battle with Starscream feels more structured like a movie then three separate episodes. And yes, I know this was a feature length special premiere, but a lot of those are just three episodes strung together that usually don’t fit well, but these three do.

That is some great animation where the Allspark puts its power into Sari’s key.

I do like the little detail of Prime’s spark beating like a heartbeat.

NO! BAD SARI! Don’t lay on Optimus Prime’s face! DON’T KISS HIM!!

All jokes aside, the little montage of the Autobots helping rebuild parts of Detroit Starscream destroyed is a nice touch.

As a kid that reveal that prof sumdac had Megatron’s head in his labs literally blew my mind as a kid. It’s such a great plot twist. One of the good guys helping the bad guy?! That fried my 7-year-old brain.

All and all that was a great pilot movie. It established all our characters and gave us plenty amounts of good humour and action. It even ended on a little tease for the future. Easily a 4/5 for me.

 

EPISODE 05: TOTAL MELTDOWN
LLLLLLLLLLLLeeeeeettttttttttttt'sssssssssssssss get ready to pay royalties to Michael Buffer!!!!!!!

Spoiler

Youtube

Tubi release
Transformers: Animated S01:E05 - Total Meltdown

Last time out we teased the introduction of human villains with a tiny segment that gave way to a larger and slightly more Decepticon-focused main plot.

This time around we start with a human villain and never really stop. To the point that the Decepticons don't even show up at all.

It's a ballsy choice that might backfire eventually if fans get antsy for more Decepticon-focused plots, but in the mean time this is a chance to help grow this unique world and its array of non-Cybertronians to oppose the Autobots by giving them a human(ish) baddie that's actually a threat and is specifically gunning for the Autobots (and Prof. Sumdac) instead of just being up to no good.

What also makes this interesting is that while the Angry Archer bit from the previous episode only needed Optimus to show off that he was way out of the archer's league, Meltdown has an advantage over the bots and his defeat requires a bit of brainpower and cleverness on their part.

Unfortunately while they have to be smart to beat Meltdown, they apparently don't have to be smart along the way. As several times in the fights they act as if they've figured out the path to victory or a weakness to exploit and fall into the trap of believing that everything is going to be smooth sailing too early. Sure it could be necessary for some bots (like Bumblebee) or maybe once for everyone as they adjust to facing a human opponent, but it unfortunately is repeated enough to make the Autobots look kind of foolish. Also Prof. Sumdac is made to look kind of dopey in general as he seems out of sorts to the point that it makes you wonder how he achieved the financial success he has without someone essentially playing babysitter to him. Like when we get to instances where your 8/9 year old kid shown to be more clever and aware than you, an apparent millionaire/billionaire super-genius (and not just in a way that implies Sumdac is "rich in smarts, poor in sense". He just comes across as hopelessly unaware at times) it might be a problem.

Still, this was a mostly enjoyable episode that continued to expand the Animated universe without even needing its major villains to push things along.

Spoiler

-The Autobots want to learn more about Earth when Optimus says they have to keep their optical and auditory sensors open, Bulkhead's all for that. Which means trasnforming his back kibble into a chair so he can kick back with a barrel of oil.

We're only a step away from a bot with a la-z-boy recliner alt mode​

One (and only one) of bulkhead's toys can do this! (It's the leader-class one)

-The TV is turned on. Bulkhead comments that images of a car refueling look like it hurts (which might be a dirty joke if you want to take it that way) and then Prowl is disconcerted by a demolition derby.

So the channel is changed and we get a true representation of human culture: professional wrestling!  

-Ok, it's not pro wrestling It's just some guy in a wrestling ring selling "biochemical upgrades"

-I was wrong. It is pro wrestling as the guy, Prometheus Black, is running a man vs machine match to show off how machines are inferior. And no sooner does Ratchet question what self-respecting bot would be dumb enough to participate.

Bumblebee. The answer is Bumblebee (and Sari)

So... What's his entrance music? My guess would be "You're the Best" by Joe Esposito (aka that song from The Karate Kid)​

-His opponent is a tiny, withered looking guy named Cyrus "the Colossus" Rhodes. Bumblebee mocks his size only for a pair of pistons on his back to activate and swell him into a massive muscle-bound monster.

Vince McMahon is desperately asking why he couldn't have something like this (you know, before he was forced out chose to gracefully retire​

Prometheus Black is noted Swedish character actor Peter Stormare. I'm hard pressed to think of a single thing he's most known for because he tends to be a bizarre, memorable thing in a lot of the shows and movies he's appeared in.

Though he hasn't spoken yet, Cyrus Rhodes is Corey Burton doing Corey Burton things. Obviously visually/conceptually he's largely based on Batman villain Bane. His name evokes the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world, an allegedly 100+ foot tall statue that once stood in the harbor of the ancient city of Rhodes in Greece. Additionally since this is a plot that riffs on pro wrestling he may also be a reference to influential classic Dusty Rhodes, who was often considered one of the most charismatic performers and sharpest minds of his or any era (though ironically he wouldn't be a physical inspiration here as Dusty was notorious for being average sized but with a very portly build).

-Bumblebee gets his skidplate handed to him by the massive Rhodes.

-Meanwhile up in a luxury box Captain Fanzone is being buttered up by Black seemingly as a way to get the Detroit police department to go in on bio engineering instead of using robotic assistance.

-Fanzone is interested (while Bumblebee continues to get worked over and healed by Sari's key) until he starts using his speed to outmaneuver Rhodes.

-But Rhodes retaliates by juicing up even further and punching Bumblebee out of the ring. However Fanzone isn't impressed as Rhodes is just a rage monster

"Stand and fight. What are you, yellow?" Rhodes asks.

Haha.

-Just as Bumblebee is about to get crushed by a car the Autobots show up. While Black remarks that there's no off switch on Rhodes so he can't just call him off.

It's the most dangerous location in any wrestling company: The parking lot​

-Bumblebee takes offense to numerous size-based comments by teh Autobots (which mostly aren't direct at him until a couple are)

-a car alarm causes Rhodes some intense pain, distracting him long enough for the Autobots to get the jump on him. This feels important.

-Fanzone has seen enough and says that Black's contract with the city will be cancelled. So... they had a contract? I thought the point of this was to secure one. What's with all the demo work and schmoozing if the contract is already in place?

-Back at his lab, Black uses a piece of Bumblebee that he picked up after the fight to synthesize an acidic compound to beat the Autobots. However Black's financier notes that the fallout of the wrestling match has eaten away their funding and connections.

You can almost feel how slimy he is through the screen.​

*TRIVIA*
This backer is eventual recurring character Porter C. Powell. Voiced by Bumper Robinson (as this show made exceptional use of its small cast) he was supposed to be a one-off character but the show staff liked him so much that he became a recurring antagonist.

-Back at Sumdac Systems, Professor Sumdac shows off his latest invention for the police department. It doesn't look familiar at all. Especially not to any sort of police robot from another sci-fi franchise which has been set in Detroit. Nope.

You have 5 seconds to comply​

If only one of the police department guys was played by Kurtwood Smith.

-It fails spectacularly, blowing up during the test. But mostly as the mayor, Fanzone, and two other unnamed dignitaries depart I am mostly distracted by the unidentified pair in the back. The woman has an oddly "normal" looking design compared to the extremely stylized Animated art style while the guy has sideburns and looks kind of like a generic Bruce Lee riff.

Sadly we'll never know anything about these two in canon.​

-Prof. Sumdac is confused about how his robot could've exploded, so Sari grabs a piece that looks rusty and corroded and takes it to Ratchet, who confirms sabotage with some unknown corrosive chemical that is even dangerous to Autobot alloys.

-He says the tests he has to run will take a couple of hours, leaving Bumblebee unimpressed and the duo of Bulkhead and Prowl to make more short jokes. Look at that! Prowl getting in on the team bonding!

He's not exactly cool, but he's getting there!​

-Sari says they have to warn the professor about the potential danger so Optimus orders everyone to transform and roll out and we get a nice stock sequence of Optimus, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead transforming. Gotta eat up some time

-And then we cut to the fully mutated Prometheus Black now calling himself Meltdown and looking like the love child of Clayface, the Toxic Avenger, and a disco-themed gag villain. It's irrelevant but his name has a Transformers history as it's cribbed from a Decepticon Micromaster from G1 that nobody remembers.

Still less slimy than Porter C. Powell​

-Now he can produce and shoot acidic compounds from his body.

-Alarms start going off as Meltdown takes out the receptionist and makes his way into the building and Prof. Sumdac seems more confused and annoyed than actually concerned. He's not really making a case for being a responsible adult in all this. Sari tries to get him to understand the seriousness of the situation but she's too late as her message arrives just as Meltdown steps off an elevator (or through a door or whatever)

-Turns out it's not going to be so easy to save the professor as the Sumdac Systems tower has an automatic forcefield that goes up when there's trouble.Probably would've been good to know about that before Bumblebee slammed bumper-first into it.

-Ratchet uses his magnetic powers to rip a hole in the shield, but then they're set on by Colossus Rhodes, who's new and improved. Sari and Bumblebee make it through the hole but Bulkhead gets stuck and prevents Prowl from following.

Ha ha! Butt joke.​

-Sumdac has figured out who Meltdown is, which might be the smartest thing we've seen out of him so far.

-After some tinkering Sari manages to get the forcefield down, which is kind of odd considering before she could just turn the key and do exactly what she wanted.

-Bulkhead grabs Meltdown and almost melts his hand off but before that gets settled we check back in on Optimus and Prowl struggling against Rhodes. At least until Optimus accidentally figures out that a nearby bell tower disrupts Colossus' steroid feeders and renders him paralyzed.

-Bumblebee takes a hit of acid for Bulkhead and Optimus rushes in to cover Meltdown with the bell he used before, figuring "that should hold him." Pretty presumptuous to believe that would work.

-Ratchet and Sari do manage to figure out a way to contain him though with the Sumdac towers forcefield. That was easy.

-And so everyone apologizes to Bumblebee for making fun of him while still (accidentally) making fun of him in the process. But it's fine because as the hero of the day Bumblebee has an even bigger ego than he did before.

​

-Also hey, no Decepticons at all in this episode.

Pros
+A legitimately threatening human villain

+and one that's not specifically out to get the Autobots

+Everyone has to use their brains a bit more

+No Decepticons at all in this episode is a fun twist



Cons
-The presumptivenses of the Autobots believing they've figured out a solution several times when they should know it's not over yet is kind of silly and gets old quickly

-Professor Sumdac is made to look like a but of a dope.

 

Oh yeah, there was no significant fanservice in this episode or the previous one, so no tracker updates.

 

Forgot to add the title and starter bits to the last episode. Whoops.  

Also while there's still a half hour to go here, happy new year everyone. We're into our 4th calendar year for this project now (G1 launched in May of 2019. Time flies when you're talking about robot toy commercial cartoons.

 

Happy New Year, everybody!

I do, since my mind is semi-submerged in the gutter at all times.

First off, I have been wondering for fifteen years what the hell that accent was, you have finally freed me! Second, I believe he was Godbrand in the Castlevania Netflix series. Great character, albeit underused.

I'm sure we'll never see that guy again. Yep, total flash in the pan!

"Glitches leave!"

Micromasters only exist to give their name to better characters.

I like how Meltdown is accidentally right about Sumdac getting lucky. If Isaac hadn't found Megatron, Sumdac Systems probably wouldn't even exist!

 

I'm honestly not sure if it's any sort of real Swedish accent. At least it's not one I recognize (having been exposed to a fair # of Swedish accents from hockey players). It almost makes me think that it's something he adopted just sounds indistinct and creepy because he tends to use it in almost anything where he's not explicitly playing a particular nationality (and even some instances where he is).

According to IMDB yes he was Godbrand in Castlevania. I tried looking back to find another thing he's been in where people might go "oh yeah!", especially a live action role to put a face to the voice. The first thing I can come up with is the crazy cosmonaut from Armageddon. He also did a long-running string of Volkswagen ads where he played a weird pseudo-German engineer guy who wanted to "unpimp ze auto"



It's this guy. He's in tons of stuff and usually plays a creepy weirdo.

 

Bulkhead really is such a smart character. Would Optimus ever do that? no.

Bumblebee and Sari have the best dynamic of any characters in this show so far. Bumblebee's childish nature is just pushed into overdrive by Sari being a little shit.

Yep! That is totally a reject Ben 10 alien. Hell, it probably was. Both shows aired around the same time and shared some designers.

 

Happy new year everybody!!

I like Sari too, she IS definitely one of my favorite humans in TF fiction. She has her annoying moments of course but so does any other kid, and overall the good outweighed the bad for me.

I have a question though for people who watched the show when it aired, or who were in the fandom at that time -- how unusual was it for a boys' cartoon like this to have a girl as its main human character? All the other TF media I know have a boy as the main human (even in Armada it was clear that Rad, not Alexis, was intended to be the main human), and if there was a girl she was never the sole or even the main human and is always accompanied by boys. This is understandable because TF is a boys' toyline, and for those reasons back in the G1 days the creators actively sought to keep female presence in the story at a minimum to the point where no Transformers were female (until they suddenly were, in that G1 flashback episode that introduced the female Autobots). Of course attitudes would have changed in the two decades between G1 and Animated, but I was wondering if Animated was unusual for its time.

Vietnamese, not Thai.

According to TFwiki the liner notes of one of the Micron Legend soundtrack CDs did say that Alexis is Vietnamese-American (I don't have this CD so I can't confirm). A CD for Micron Legend would have come out years before Ask Vector Prime or the Allspark Almanac, and while the canonicity of the liner notes can be disputed, the Vietnamese ethnicity itself doesn't seem to have been a total invention by the Allspark Almanac authors.

Watching a few episodes ahead, and I think the use of the human villains plus the fact that these Autobots aren't seasoned soldiers make it possible for the episodes to be less formulaic. That was one of my issues with Cybertron -- after a certain point it certainly felt like it was always Optimus Prime going into Super Mode (or later, linking with Leobreaker or Wind Saber) and/or everybody summoning Cyber Keys left and right to eventually save the day.

Wait, Prowl wasn't the one being the jerk here...

I'm OK with this in the early stages of the show because these Autobots are just a crew of repair bots. Their first battle against the huge horrific mutated roach monster thing had shown they have a ways to go in figuring out how to be an effective combat team.

Pre-mutation Prometheus had blond hair and an orange complexion in his human form, which is an interesting combination.

Yeah something as powerful and magical as the Allspark Key really needs some clear in-universe limitations or ground rules set on its use, otherwise it just starts to look like writer's whim when she remembers or forgets to use it.

 

I did Buffer last time. This time, in honor of the episode, I'm gonna go WWF instead.

I own it and will show it off.  

I... how does it look like it hurts? How do you refuel, Bulkhead?

BAH GAWD, KING! IT'S A PIER-SIX BRAWL! STONE COLD! STONE COLD IS HERE!!!!!!!!!

MANKIND DID IT! MICK FOLEY DID IT! MANKIND HAS ACHIEVED HIS DREAM, AND THE DREAM OF EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN TOLD, 'YOU CAN'T DO IT!'

I might've gotten into wrestling during Hulkamania, but my favorite period was definitely the Attitude Era.  

Bumblebee is starting to let his inner Hot Shot take over as in being a dumbass... but at least he's still entertaining.

Nah. It's David Flair's entrance music.  

Right now the ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan look on in envy of Rhodes.

I beg your pardon! Dusty Rhodes was not fat. That was all of his charisma bursting out!

he also had one of the best themes ever.

"Hard times is when you work thirty years at a job and they give you a gold watch!"

"Rhodes is stomping a mudhole in Bumblebee and walking it dry!"

Definitely a big flaw, there.

I need to take a shower just looking at him, and I know what he'll do later on!

Hey, if you're gonna steal from a movie, steal from one of the best ever made!

And sadly...

yes. This was a thing. I have no words.

Meltdown's design is a... a thing. Also,

Disco was honestly pretty underrated. He was athletic, fun to watch. I have seen FAR worse.

Good thing that was a robot and not a person...

So Sari specifically mentions it's for when the tower is 'under attack'. Who the hell is going to attack the tower?!

That's gotta be more than a little uncomfortable...

Right now Bane is taking furious notes at protecting his biggest weakness.

that honestly seems like a very weird weakness to me.

Also, one thing I'm gonna note and commend is how clever Bumblebee and Meltdown are inside. When the elevator's out, bumblebee uses his tires to race up the shaft. And Meltdown, instead of chasing after, simply melts through the floors.

to the show's credit, they do have Ratchet point that out.

happy 2023, all!  

So, Leader-class Bulkhead!



He's a big green SWAT van. He's so cute!   I don't know why he came with the missiles, though.

Transformation is, again, quite intuitive and fun to do. Animated honestly had one of the best toylines in the franchise.



And here he is, sitting and chilling.   The left arm's claw has a slider that opens and closes the claws. the right has a spinning saw blade. He's big and chunky, and comes with a headmaster helmet that fits over his head. When plugged in it changes Bulkhead's stock phrases into stuff the Headmaster says.

 

So Ratchet starting with this show is basically just Kup, is he not?

 

The writers guide actually emphasizes "He's not Kup"
Ratchet's personality's inverted from Kup, since he keeps his war stories to himself, instead of being a talespinner...

 

For a boys show at the time i wouldn't say it was unusual. I mean most main characters where male, but a lot had supporting and occasionally side female characters. Take Ben10 for instance, a show that aired around the same time. You had Ben, obviously, but you also had Gwen who played a major role. Myself and my childhood friends never really thought anything of it. If anything she was 'cool.' she acted like 'one of the boys' and when everything about her was revealed, that was just icing on the cool cake.

 

Still probably mostly main characters were boys in action shows but becoming a bit more normal for girl characters to not just be passive characters. On the same channel as Animated, Cartoon Network, there was ensemble/team shows like Ashoka in Clone Wars or Raven/Starfire on Teen Titans.

 

EPISODE 06: BLAST FROM THE PAST
Jurassic Park is frightening in the dark
All the dinosaurs are running wild
Someone let T. Rex out of his pen

Spoiler

Youtube

Tubi release
Transformers: Animated S01:E06 - Blast From The Past

This was fun.

If you read any of the reviews of Dinobot episodes during the G1 rewatch then you know I'm a big dinosaur nerd and a huge Dinobots fan. So this one is right up my alley. And even without that aspect it's still mostly pretty enjoyable to watch Megatron continue to slowly scheme is way towards being freed from his prison.

It also gives us a nice dynamic between Bulkhead and Prowl that plays into the two bots' opposing personalities and mindsets and ends up resolving in a nice and satisfying way.


The one big thing that bothers me quite a bit is that once again we're relying on Professor Sumdac being an oblivious idiot in order for Megatron's plan to work. Having that happen once is fine. Twice is pushing it. But we're 6 episodes (or 3 if you want to look at it that way) in and this is like 2 and a half times that something is banking on the Professor being completely unaware and unable to see the screaming neon obvious signs in front of him that are begging him to pay just a little bit of attention. I get that his character is supposed to be a bit obtuse but it wouldn't kill them to stretch this out just a little bit even with slightly compressed 13-episode seasons.

That one quirk was enough to really knock some points off the final grade but Animated has still built itself a strong foundation with its start. It simply needs to avoid eroding some of that goodwill on an ongoing basis or else it's going to reach a point where the frustration can't be outpaced by positivity.

Spoiler

-We begin with Bulkhead plowing through rows of parked cars as the Autobots pull up to Sari's take on an educational tour of Earth history: a theme attraction that's totally not Jurassic Park. Really, it's not. I swear, guys, any similarities between it and Jurassic Park are purely coincidental. So banish any thoughts of things going horribly, horribly wrong like in Jurassic Park because they won't. Because this is different.

-I mean for one thing the dinosaurs are robots and not genetically engineered clones.

-Tutor bot says that many of the dinosaurs seen here are from the Jurassic period. About that...

Stegosaurus: yes!
unspecified sauropod (Brontosaurus or Diplodocus or something like that): Probably!
Tyrannosaurus Rex: Nope. Cretaceous period.
unspecified Pterosaur (Pteranodon, or Pterodactyl, or whatever): Nope. also Cretaceous
Triceratops (not seen in the initial pan but we know it's going to be here because there's something incredibly familiar about the other 4 particular species/types of dinosaurs the show has chosen to spotlight): Nerp! Also also Cretaceous.

So... 2/5 is... well it's something alright! In total fairness the tutor bot says "many of the animals" which means "not all of them". But in my defence "many" usually means "a majority" or at least more than 40% of a small sample of just 5 species that we see.

I'm Liege Nemesis and thank your for listening to my nerdy dinosaur ted talk.

-This semi-correct factoid does let us know that Cybertronians are 10 billion years old.

-The Autobots are quite taken with the dinosaurs. Which also feels familiar.

-But then everything goes to scrap when Bulkhead shakes a tee, which causes the Pteranodon to fall from the tree, in turn severing the head of a Triceratops bot, which sticks into the gut of a T-Rex bot and causes it to collapse with additional collateral damage that includes the tutor bot. Good job, Bulkhead!

-Back at Sumdac Systems Megatron examines the wreckage and Tutor Bot's dinosaur lesson to figure out how he can create the sort of body and system he needs to reassert himself.

-Tutor bot's extended lesson includes mention that dinosaur bones eventually became fossil fuels. I'm going to be the biggest buzzkill in the world here, but it's also an example to get real, topical use out of an old standby:



"It turns out that Tutor Bot's lecture is that it isn't entirely true. The hydrocarbons that form the basis of modern petrochemicals and fossil fuels are largely composed of the remains of the decayed remains of plants. Coal, for example, is almost entirely ancient plant matter. So no, your car is largely not running on recycled dinosaurs, sadly. It is a little bit, but it's mostly recycled greenery."

Look at that, legitimate science from Wheeljack and not just jokes about stuff exploding? What is going on?



-Professor Sumdac enters the lab and Megatron finally makes his presence known by speaking to his human captor. One cut later and the professor has filled Megs in on everything that's happened and Megatron tries to claim that he's an old friend of the Autobots and that his existence needs to be kept secret. It's a good thing that the professor is dense enough to not notice the extremely obvious red flags in Megatron's behavior. Giant screaming warning sirens that all shout "EVIL!" that he cheerily ignores because he's not good with people and robots are people in this universe.

-Back at Autobot HQ Bulkhead is doing tai chi or something and is extremely clumsy at it.

and then he crushes Prowl. Whoops.

-Prowl powering back on after Bulkhead is lifted off of him has a cool distortion and static effect as well as being black and white until he gets up to full power.

-Sumdac and Megatron get the dinosaurs fixed and are giddy about it, with Megatron getting an aside about how they're prototypes for his army of attack drones. All that's missing is an evil laugh. But it makes sense because this Megatron isn't the hammy evil laughing type most of the time.

-Elsewhere Prowl has taken Bulkhead out to an island on Lake Erie to train away from anything important that he might smash.

Turns out there really are islands on Lake Erie. No giant robots though.​

-Prowl's lesson is pretty much just him saying "do this" while being precise and graceful which Bulkhead decidedly isn't.

-Back at Dino Drive, Professor Sumdac introduces the Dinobots. A T-Rex, Triceratops, and Pteranodon

*Ding* Fanservice (G1) for the name and species combo

-But Megatron chooses this time to activate his plan, taking over the Dinobots and setting them on the assembled humans and Autobots.

-Bulkhead is paralyzed by his attempt to follow through on Prowl's lesson and the risk that he could do more damage. Which proves to be prescient since his first action ends up having him trip over a car and take Prowl out.

-Ratchet and Bumblebee try to combine their powers to make an EMP but at the same time Sari's key begins to glow and she then supercharges Bumblebee. This rips the synthetic flesh off the Dinobots and causes feedback in the Dinobots and in Megatron.

-Professor Sumdac is confused about what happened, vows to figure out what went wrong if he has to take them apart, and when Prowl objects to it being extreme he says "well, they're just machines." Prowl seems offended which would make sense but these are supposed to be simple, non-sapient robots made by a human and not Cybertronians as far as anyone knows. Prowl being offended that the Dinobots would be disassembled or by Sumdac's "just machines" comment feels like him getting offended by the human enslavement of toasters and smart watches.

Also look at that, the Dinobots are even more familiar now (but not enough for another ding)

Him king.​

-Back at Sumdac's lab Megatron laments that the primitive resources on Earth are insufficient for his needs and that he faces the grim prospect of being locked in this lab for a long time.

Guess which two words in that phrase the T-Rex Dinobot hones in on and starts repeating?

That's right! Facelab!  

-Megatron begins to theorize that the Dinobots might have sparks. But the newly christened Grimlock decides he's the leader and won't listen to Megatron. Instead he hears Tutor Bot's lesson that "cars and trucks eat dinosaurs" and are thus bad. So Megs convinces them to destroy vehicles as the enemies of dinosaurs.

-Tutor bot also shows the Autobots' stock transformation footage.


Grimlock's speaking voice is David Kaye, putting his long history of voicing cybertronian t-rexes to good use.

Neither of the other two Dinobots, Swoop and Snarl (because poor Snarl couldn't catch a break. First he gets his movie gig taken away and now his Triceratops bro hijacked his name because someone complained that Slag is offensive in England) are voiced. In the west at least. In Japan they say their own names like Pokemon. Mostly apparently so that they can actually make a pokemon reference joke out of it during the closing credits/next episode preview.

-As the Dinobots break out of the lab they are cordoned off by the cops who are utterly ineffective at stopping them.

-Prowl takes the fact that the Dinobots learned to talk in stride (though it's really only 1 of them)

-Bulkhead suggests they lure the Dinobots to a safer area where they won't cause as much collateral damage. Optimus commends the suggestion while Prowl and Bumblebee are shocked.  

-Because I think someone might bring it up, the fact that Grimlock refers to the Autobots as "Car robots" doesn't count as fanservice in my books because I have sincere doubts that the term is being used as an homage to the Japanese name for the 2000/2001 anime series. I like my fanservice nods to be concrete rather than vague or generalized enough that they could just as easily be a reference to absolutely nothing in particular.

-Prof. Sumdac recognizes that Megatron must've added some of the unexpected "features" to the Dinobots like fire breath. But somehow he takes Megatron's plaintive "please don't tell my Autobot friends I experimented because I wanted to make myself a new body" excuse in stride. Because you absolutely need flamethrowers and other unexpected things just to get a new body, right?

Again, I understand that Isaac is supposed to be one of those absent-minded professor types that doesn't think things through and has been so wrapped up in his work that his socialization skills have atrophied, but come on. Mysterious robot head admits to testing out dangerous weapons in an early prototype that could've been prone to malfunctions and unexpected behavior and he only thinks "that's fine. you didn't mean it."

-Back at the fight Ratchet covers himself from the flamethrower attack by pulling up the ground under the park/field they're on. The "ground" is a large steel plate that he can magnetize with his powers. So... what's the grass planted on? Because it looks like real grass and not some kind of artificial turf.

-Finally, after like 15 minutes of fiddling around Prowl recognizes that getting Bulkhead to his approach of calm, measured action and deep thought doesn't work. Took him long enough.

-So Bulkhead does what "he does". Smash stuff! With one shoulder tackle he takes out not-Snarl (Seriously, I do not like giving him Snarl's name. I get why they can't use Slag anymore, but this isn't fair to actual Snarl who always gets the short end of the stick.)

After toppling him with the hit, he gets up and says "scuse me" just like Not-Snarl... I mean Slag did during the Quintessa scenes of The Movie. sooooo.....

*ding* Fanservice (G1)

-Then he takes out Swoop by plucking him out of the sky (with some serious hangtime on the jump). That just leaves Girmlock vs Bumblebee and Ratchet. Which quickly turns to 3-on-2 as the other Dinobots immediately recover

-Bumblebee's comment about the Autobots getting "the tar kicked out of them" clues Optimus in to use the nearby tar pit.

Why is there a tar pit in the middle of Detroit? And why wasn't it lighting on fire during the firefight? This doesn't look like the dinosaur park. Unless the "tar" is actually just melted asphalt.

-Ok, it doesn't light on fire from direct Dinobot attack, but it does melt more and sink the Dinobots deeper.

-With that the Dinobots are neutralized and Prof. Sumdac arrives and says that he's sorry for the chaos and that they are slated to be melted down in the morning because of the danger they pose.

-Prowl objects but Optimus agrees that the danger they pose is too great. too bad he can't just seal the Dinobots haphazardly in a cave like in G1.

-Flash forward to the next morning when Prof Sumdac arrives at the energy cage the Dinobots are contained in to find it powered down and the bots gone.

So.... didn't he leave the place guarded or anything? You know just in case any of the multiple enhanced human supervillains or Decepticons that we know exist might come by to steal the dangerous and extremely powerful robot dinosaurs?

-Of course it wasn't any baddies that took the Dinobots. It was Prowl and Bulkhead who set them free in a caldera sort of thing on the island in Lake Erie so they could stomp around to their heart's content without endangering anyone.

Huh. Where have I heard of a plot like that before?

And just to keep them safer Prowl uses a holographic projector contained in his Autobot insignia to create a fake canopy of treetops to cover them.

That's a weirdly specific use for his insignia. Also if he pulls it out to leave behind and project the hologram, then how does he have the insignia in place again in the next wide shot?

It's maybe slightly less weird than Perceptor's "magic do-everything insignia" thingy​

-Birds poop on Grimlock's nose and he flips out at them, causing a last-second shock twist that's not a twist at all if you know your Transformer history: he transforms to robot mode! and produces a flaming sword! And already has an Autobot insignia on his chest, which seems like an odd choice given that the implication is Megatron did a bunch of the fabrication and production himself.

By the power of Grayskull!​

Fanservice Tracker
G1: 2 (total: 7)
Beast Wars: 0 (total: 3)
Overall: 2 (total: 10)

Pros
+Dinobots!

+A nice dynamic for Prowl and Bulkhead

+It's good to see Megatron scheming



Cons
-Most of Megatron's plans and not getting caught rests on Professor Sumdac being an idiot.

-Justice for actual Snarl

 

he who is tired of Weird Al... is tired of life.

I sadly came in too late to the watch-through.  

So, checking... Jurassic park III came out in 2001, and Jurassic World in 2015. Man, the original really did leave a massive footprint on our pop culture psyche, didn't it.

Oof, not good, show. The sad part is there was a GI Joe episode called the Primordial Plot where they state the dinosaurs Cobra cloned are from the Cretaceous period... and all dinosaurs shown are from that era. It's not a good look when a show from the 1980s does their research better.

Holy shit! That's gotta be one of the oldest numbers we've been given in the franchise!

Well, to be fair they're dinosaurs. They're just inherently cool.   

Whoa! When even Wheeljack is getting this stuff right?  

On the one hand, this could show how smart and clever Megatron is, manipulating Sumdac. On the other... Sumdac is probably just that dense, isn't he.

I do love it when the shows do stuff like this. Little touches add up.

Prowl, Bulkhead isn't you.

I'm... not sure that's scientifically accurate, but then again this is Transformers. This franchise took 'physics' out behind the woodshed pretty much episode one of Sunbow.

it's pretty weird. He doesn't even bat an optic sensor when tutor bot gets wrecked. And aren't there non-sapient machines on Cybertron? It does remind me of G1 Tailgate's bio, where he can't distinguish between Cybetronian lifeforms and human-made machines. I really do wish that would be sued one of these days in a show or comic...

I did like the transition they did from here to the lab.

if only... but again, very clever way for grimlock to get his name.

No matter the continuity, Grimlock's a rebel!  

Megatron is the platonic ideal of the phrase, 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.'

He sounds pretty bored.

Sumdac, how do you even remember to breathe at this rate? Megatron being clever and maniuplative can only take this so far. Hell, I think Megatron should've held off revealing himself a while.

Okay, good on them for not having Ratchet's powers be too bullshitty.

Sometimes you just gotta be you.

I'm with Optimus at least as-is. I know we've got meta-knowledge about what they'll be, but to him, they're some dangerous machines that have gone way out of control.

I'm gonna guess that's simply where his hologram projector is stored inside his chassis.

The Dinobots have... robot modes? This is my shocked face!

Okay, last couple of times were some really good toys. Here is one that is... not. Starscream.



Here he is in jet mode. And no, I can't get that top gap closed any more. He's got some landing gear. Unfortunately when properly transformed, his missiles point out the back, so not too good there.

transformation is quite auto-morph heavy. In the Cybertron thread, I said Supreme-class Starscream felt like an oversized KO of the Voyager-class toy. Well, that's the same here. This feels like an oversized KO of the Activators.



Any time someone says, "The Animated toys don't need updates! They're fine as-is!" all I can think of is Starscream. he is NOT fine as-is, and could use some serious improvements! He can't hold together too well. There's two flapws on his back that are supposed to fold out, but a slight breeze causes them to fall off! His hands are permanently in the damned bicep curl pose. The back wing assembly has trouble staying in place. Overall this is a very flawed toy.

 

I am very much not a fan of Animated's take on the Dinobots. First off, they couldn't be assed to do all five and stopped at just three. But it seems like they didn't even want to do three because Swoop and Slag Slug Snarl are just utter non-entities who don't even talk. Grimlock talks, but he's just a fucking idiot like G1 Season 3 Grimlock. It's like the writers vaguely remembered the G1 cartoon and thought "let's make the Dinobots even dumber!"

Also, I just find it weird they're still using fossil fuels in the 22nd century.

 

Fairly certain Wyatt's a G1 cartoon guy over G1 comics/toy bios so think that's why this is only modern version of the Dinobots that goes for the show version origin of them (built on Earth).

Ha, funny story. The only TF stuff I'd seen by this point were Armada, Cybertron, and the first Bay movie so watching this episode I was actually surprised to see the Dinobots transform at the end when I first watched this episode back then since I had no concept of G1.

 

Since we're doing Prime next, I just realized. Prime is the first TF show since G1 to get to 65 episodes, isn't it? If this show had gotten Season 4, it would've ended with 55 episodes.

Unofficial curse for this franchise.