The first two seasons of G1 were incredible, and the movie was absolutely stellar. But after the movie, people's opinions of G1 start to fall apart. Season 3 is usually regarded as the cartoon's fall from grace, and season 4 (if you can even call a 3 parter a "season") is regarded with mass hatred. I think season 3 is just as good as the rest of the series prior, and while i do actually hate season four, I want to hear you guys' opinions. Do you like Season 3 and Season 4? Abd why do you think these seasons aren't rated that highly? Is it the different cast of characters? Is it the moste sci-fi stories? Also, whete do you guys think the season 1-2 cast is in season 3 for the most part? I for the life of me can not figure it out. I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

 

I know I like season 1-2 better than I did season 3. It wasn't that season 3 was completely bad but I think alot of the writing was weaker and some of the art style seemed to suffer more as well (except for Call of the Primitives which I loved). I can tick off more episodes I didn't care for in season 3 than I can for the first two seasons which among them are Carnage in C-Minor, Nightmare Planet, and Money is Everything. As for the Season 4 "Rebirth" arc, I actually liked it and for what it was. Optimus Prime was back; it had the only US animated appearance of one of my favorite characters, Sixshot; and it had Alpha Trion and Vector Sigma play a bigger role toward the end. Despite the awfully convenient way it was tied up at the end, it made a somewhat decent closing story for the G1 series, IMO.


As for the remaining season 1/2 cast that were never seen again, as far as I'm concerned, if their death was not shown in the movie or referenced later like Huffer's, then I like to think they are still alive somewhere. I just wish they would have thrown in a few here in and there even as background characters if nothing else.

 

I love Season 3! The Decepticons are initially in a weaker position, and even when they find their leader is completely bat-shit insane. He and Cyclonus have an interesting relationship. The Quintessons are thrown into the mix, and I love it when Transformers is more than just Autobots and Decepticons. You have Starscream's ghost making things interesting in a few episodes as well as a few episodes where the Autobots and Decepticons are working together.

In fact, I greatly prefer Seasons 2 and 3 to Season 1, but that's just me.

Funny enough, I used to hate Season 3, but as time goes on the more I appreciate it because I began to see it with an open mind and love it for it what it was and not for what i wanted it to be. I used to not like that Season 3 did not have a lot of the original characters, but now I think that was a good thing. Sure, I would have loved to see more of guys like Cosmos and Beachcomber and Swindle and Astrotrain and Blitzwing, but at least they were still alive.

Season 4 is a little too rushed for my taste and does not get enough time to show off its many characters, but man does it introduce A LOT of cool characters. Sixshot, Punch-Counterpunch, I could go on.

 

Opposite opinion here.
I like the movie and season 3 the least.


Sure, season 4 was poor script and poor execution, but oh boy, the 1988 and 1989 character designs were so much better.

 

In order from best to worst for story and characters: TFTM, Season 3, Season 2, Season 1. For animation and writing: Season 2, TFTM, Season 3, Season 1.

 

I prefer the Movie and the following two seasons for the more scifi style and designs but there are plenty of episodes i like from the first two seasons.
I dont have a lot of intrest in the se 1+2 autobots simply because earth car or jet altmodes dont really do it for me alltough i've come to appreciate them better recently.
I think the main reason for the hatred is the abscence of the se 1+2 characters followed by the very different style in stories.

 

I like the movie because it wasn't afraid to blow your favourite characters straight to hell as violently as a PG 13 movie about robots could...

Season 3 felt like it was trying to hard and I hated what they did with Grimlock in that season.

I absolutely LOVE season 4 however, maybe it's just because I'm a sucker for big ensemble cast but I can't get enough of it. Also maybe it's just me But it seems like Rebirth had the smoothest animation in the whole series and it looks amazing

 

It's just you, bro. I look at The Rebirth and my eyes bleeeeeeeeeeeeed.

 

I've always felt more of a personal connection with the post movie episodes. Since I didn't really become a Transformers fan until the movie, about 90% of my Transformers toys were post movie characters.

 

This. The dinobots were never the sharpest tools in the shed during season 1 and 2 but they were a force to be reckoned with and were pretty defiant at times even refusing orders at times from Optimus himself. They were also pretty amazing in the movie too. I loved the whole Grimlock "kick butt" scene and when they stormed the court room on Quintessa and I even didn't mind the whole story telling scene and meeting with Wheelie. But what they did to them in most of season 3 was bad. The lowest point was Grimlock actually serving drinks. You have someone who was a warrior in the first couple of seasons then they reduce him and all the other dinobots to comic relief roles in season 3. The only moment in season 3 I liked with Grimlock is when he gained his increased intelligence and created Computron.

 

Season three is personally my favorite. It's not perfect, and there are flaws. But those same flaws are shared in a greater amount by season two (which is, I think, the weakest season).

Yes, season three reducing Grimlock to comic relief was a mistake. But a strength was the core Autobot cast. Yeah, the intro the new toy thing was done as well, sometimes obnoxiously, but Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Kup, Arcee, Springer and Perceptor were mostly the main characters. A smaller crew... which later shows like Beast Wars, Animated, and Prime would go on to do.

Season three has some of the best episodes of the series: Webworld, Dark Awakening, Dweller In the Depths, The Burden Hardest to Bear, Fight or Flee, Chaos, Ghost In the Machine. Not saying it didn't have its duds: Carnage In C-Minor, Grimlock's New Brain, The Face of Nijika, etc. I think Five Faces of Darkness would have been much better received if the animation wasn't horrendous.

Season's Rebirth was a disaster... maybe had it been five episodes instead of three as originally intended. But it had elements I liked. Reduce introducing the new characters a bit, and focus it on the Key to the Plasma Energy Chamber. Galvatron's master plan. The restoration of Cybertron... hell, even Spike being the one to stand up to the Decepticons and it would have worked a lot better.

Season two was more of a mixed bag for me. It had its highs: The Key to Vector Sigma, War Dawn, Desertion of the Dinobots, Starscream's Brigade, etc. It also had some terrible lows... B.O.T. might be the worst episode of G1, and a contender for worst single episode in the entire mythos.

I think season one was the most consistent season, though.

But I liked the Movie cast. I liked shifting it to a sort-of space opera. And god knows I love Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge.

Different strokes for different folks... but ultimately, I think season three is an era worth looking at that doesn't deserve the scorn it sometimes gets.

 

Season 3......... the cartoon's fall from grace,
Season 4 ..........regarded with mass hatred

where are you getting these ideas?
forgetting how fans reacted then, i find most modern opinions on seasons 3 and 4 to be mostly positive