Here's the thing, I found season 1 of G1 on DVD for pretty cheap. After I got it, I searched around to see what getting the entire series would entail. After some research, I decided that I'd just skip the rest of the series and only get the '86 movie... but what significant events happened in season 2? What major plot points would I miss if I did that? I'm not too worried about seasons 3 and 4. The post-movie stuff (save an episode or two) just doesn't sound like it's terribly interesting or good. The only reason I'm even interested in the movie is because it's such an iconic part of the G1 canon and because it introduced Unicron (who is seven kinds of badarse... ) I'm just wondering how "jarring" the leap would be.
Well, they tell some backstory and you get a lot of origin stories on combiner groups and whatnot, but other than that, nothing mind blowing. However, I still think it's foolish to just skip season 2. Season 3, you only need Dark Awakening and The Return of Optimus Prime, but season 2 is just as vintage G1 as the first season.
Well... Season 2 and the movie were put into production at roughly the same time, so a lot of the characters introduced in Season 2 didn't make the cut. Especially a lot of the new combiner teams from the tail end of the season. I'd still say it's worth picking up though, as it's twice as long as the first season was. A lot more character identification and just more fun with those characters (you know... before they all get killed off). Hell, I wouldn't skip Season 3 either.
Season two introduces us to several combiners as well as a few other characters like Blaster. I have the entire DVD Leadership of Matrix set and still trying to find the movie my self. I find it hard to watch the entire set sometimes without having that movie since the movie takes place between seasons 2 and 3. When watching season 2 and season 3 together without the movie, your like. What the hell happened? Who is Galvatron, who the fuck is Rodimus Prime and what happened to Megatron and Prime and what not. I'd get season 2 as well. Heck, get all of them. But don't watch season 3 till you've seen the movie.
Plot-wise, I don't think you'd be missing much of anything since Season 2 didn't really do anything significant beyond introducing new characters. Most of those new characters do show up in the Movie, though most of them don't do anything significant. Season 2 will give you a brief look into the (limited) characterization of the Season 2 characters, but you don't really need to know the Season 2 characters for the Movie.
Season 2, in my opinion, is fun - they kinda had found their groove by that point, and they were okay with just telling all manner of ridiculous and goofy stories about Autobots getting shrunk, strange monsters and beasts, goofy-as-all-get-out "conquer the universe" attempts by Megatron, etc. There are a whole truckload of character-of-the-week episodes in season 2. Some of them are fun, some of them are facepalm-worthy. I mean, the real gold of the original series is season 1, but if you don't want to give up on the awesomeness that is season 1 without squeezing more fun out of the original show, check out season 2.
To me, seasons 1 and 2 go hand in hand. Though season 2 didn't have a lot of stand out episodes, there are several good ones. If you have to skip a season, skip season 4 (Rebirth).
Fully half of all the G1 episodes are in season 2. The whole run was around 100 episodes; season 2 has around 50 of them, so you'd be jettisoning that many of them. The Transformers wasn't known for its plotlines, but there are a couple that are significant for providing backstory of sorts. Some of it promptly forgotten: The Search for Alpha Trion (the introduction of Female Autobots who "rescue their boyfriends"), The Secret of Omega Supreme, and War Dawn. Although, on the other hand, if you skip season 2 you'll spare yourself from B.O.T. and Hoist Goes Hollywood. >AM<
Dude you have to buy Season 2... Season 1...16 episodes, Season 2...49 episodes.. Season 3..30 episodes...and finally Season 4 .. The Rebirth..3 episodes.. get them all
I wouldn't recommend skipping Season 2. If anything, just skip Season 3 since you don't seem to care too much about it.
I'd sooner skip season 1 then season 2, if I had to skip one. Season 2 is where they really hit their stride and most of the best remembered episodes come from.
Skipping Season 2 means skipping: -drunk Decepticons -Brawn learning the value of scientists -learning what a mack daddy Powerglide and Seaspray are -Spike and Rumble meeting in the jousting field -Blitzwing taking over the Decepticons with a football coach -finding out Optimus Prime HATES big game hunters So yeah, lots of prime '80s cheese. I guess it depends on the type of cartoons you like!
Wow. Lots of love for season 2. I may just change my mind about skipping it. The idea was kind of born out of a mix of continuity minimalism (just getting what I consider to be the "core" series canon*) and (to be honest) cheapness... Season 2 is two DVDs (Season 2 part 1, and Season 2 part 2) meaning I'd be looking at paying (at least) twice the price I did for season 1. * = This is why I was specifically asking about what parts of the plot are covered in season 2. If I only took, say: WFC, G1 Season 1, and the '86 movie together as my own personal "G1" continuity, what chunks of the story would be missing, if any.
You could tell by the tone of Season 1 that the writers were trying to maintain a semi-adult, serious tone to the series. Season 2 just got silly and childish (while still being campy and fun) in a lot of ways, yet remained entertaining.
There wasn't an overarching story throughout Season 2. It can be skipped and you won't miss any setups of the original film. There's a time jump of 20 years in story time anyway.
Season 2 was the best part of G1.... PERIOD..... It just was soooo fun to watch and had some great moments. Plus the theme song ftw!
