Release the Beast, Primal!
Last time on Beast Wars, rescue
almost came for the stranded Transformers. The Maximals high command sent transwarp
probes through time and space to try to find them. The Maximals detected the probe’s
arrival but couldn’t reach it with their damaged ship. Rhinox came up with the
idea that they could make a relay to send a copy of their Transwarp drive
signature to draw the probe’s attention. They build a relay in Predacon territory
as it’s the clearest area they could build in. Tigertron is brought in to help
with perimeter surveillance. After taking out Waspinator, he’s attacked by
Tarantulas and a new device. The device, a transforming lens, hits Tigertron
and forces him into Beast Mode and locks him into it. Cheetor is also locked up
in Beast Mode and captured. The Predacons figured out that a probe is in the
area and vowed to stop it. Using the lens, the Predacons lock up the Maximals
in Beast Mode and destroy the relay before the probe arrives. Cheetor and Tigertron
free themselves and repair themselves and drive off Megatron. Sadly, Optimus
tells Cheetor that they aren’t going home just yet. Enough recap. Let’s get to
it.
The episode opens with Optimus and
Dinobot out on ecological survey. Optimus is enthused when they find a new
plant specimen, while Dinobot is… annoyed. He rightly points out that they
could be in the crosshairs of a Predacon attack at any moment, but Optimus
counters by saying he’s an explorer first and foremost, and he refuses to stop
learning because their little war is going on. Optimus says that learning the
environment can lead to strategic advantages, a counter to Dinobot whining
about how they should be devising battle strategies. To try to speed things
along, Dinobot attempts to transform and blast the plant out, but Optimus stops
him and uses his simian feet to move the boulder the plant is under. Dinobot
leaves in a huff, saying that the plant can teach Optimus nothing about beating
Megatron (foreshadowing) before blowing on the plant. The plant then moves,
rearing back and launching a spiny seed at Dinobot’s back. It sticks to his neck
and Dinobot has a panic attack at not being able to reach. Optimus pulls it
off, dropping the plant and revealing that the spiny ball was its seed. Dinobot
vows to shoot his dinner salad going forward. Optimus says that they need to
find another specimen, just for Scorponok to leap out and ask, “How about an
Arachnid?” I just know he was waiting out there for an opening line, he’s that kind
of dork. He launches a missile at them. They Maximize and fight back. Scorponok
keeps them pinned down with missile attacks. Optimus sees a boulder about to
drop on Dinobot and tries to warn him, but it drops and pins him. Optimus runs
to help him, but Scorponok launches a “cyber bee” at him, saying he prepared it
just for him. Optimus is able to shoot Scorponok and send him over a waterfall.
The bee clamps down on Optimus’ chest as Dinobot frees himself.
…
The show acts like we don’t need to
be told what a cyber bee is, but this is the first time he’s used one. Like Soundwave
before him, Scorponok can launch smaller robots to use as recon drones, his preference
being small bees he can fit into his claws. He uses them much, much less often
than Soundwave, though. I think the grand total is 3 times.
Back at the base, Cheetor yells at
Dinobot for not watching Optimus’ back like he was supposed to. Rattrap tells
them to save the fight for his birthday, and asks Rhinox what the scans are
saying. Rhinox says the bee attached to his chest is fusing with his internal
systems. They can’t remove it, as that will kill Optimus. And them, as the bee
has a mine attached to it that will destroy everyone in sprinting distance when
it goes off. Oh, and Optimus can’t Transform while it’s attached. Cheetor asks
what could this be for. Dinobot says that he knows Scorponok’s work and that
the “viral mind” that Rhinox mentioned in his overview of the bad situation was
designed to turn Optimus into a coward. He’ll have an antidote, though. We then
learn that Scorponok is terrible at designing viruses as Optimus blows himself
free of the CR Chamber and asks who wants some. The bee is clearly driving
Optimus into a rage, screaming at everyone that no one is taking the bee off
him and that he fears no one. Rhinox grabs him before he can hurt anyone, and
Dinobot points out that Scorponok is an idiot. Cheetor tells Optimus to fight it,
but Optimus is barely keeping the rage back. He tells the others to take his
weapons and lock him up.
Back at the Predacon base, Megatron
visits Scorponok at his work station. Scorponok says that he got him with the
bee and that he prepared one dose of antidote like he was told. Assuming
Optimus is curled up in a cowardly ball, Megatron predicts that Optimus will
try to lead the Maximals on a desperate raid to get it back and thus be destroyed
in the final battle of the Beast Wars. Thus proving that even the most
intelligent minds can’t predict things with faulty data.
Optimus, meanwhile, is being kept
in a holding cell with energy bars. He’s slamming into the bars and trying to
escape. Cheetor watches from an observation area. Optimus screams at him, and
then apologizes, saying that it’s hard to control. Cheetor gives him words of
encouragement. Optimus thinks he can’t fight it but maybe he can control it and
use it to their advantage. The others are having a meeting. Dinobot says that they
should use the berserker state to their advantage, give Optimus as many weapons
as possible and send him to reign destruction. Rattrap and Rhinox point out
that that’ll destroy their friend, which isn’t okay. Optimus comes in with
Cheetor and agrees to the plan. He thinks he can control the rage and channel
it at the Predacons. The others are apprehensive but are willing to try… right up
until Optimus shoots one of the security cameras by mistake and starts shooting
left and right in a fury. Rhinox and the others try to tackle him but he throws
them off. He says that this is the only way to destroy the Predacons and if
they’re not willing to help him he’ll do it himself. He flies off.
Cheetor outfits himself with guns
and prepares to go out. Dinobot is trying to be the voice of reason,
shockingly. He realizes that there’s no strategy to Optimus’ attack or in just
following him to back him up. He thinks it’s best to do what Optimus, when not
hopped up on rage, would do… negotiate. You can tell he feels dirty even saying
it.
The Predacons pick up a signal from
the Maximals. Cheetor warns them that Optimus is extremely pissed and will fly
in to destroy them and asks that they just hand over the antidote. Megatron isn’t
worried and says any Maximal that enters their territory will die. He slaps
Scorponok aside for his incompetence. Cheetor is pissed that negotiating didn’t
work and blames Dinobot for tipping off the Predacons. Dinobot laments that
only Optimus can think like Optimus, and they’ll have to think on their own to
help.
Optimus bursts into the Darksyde
and starts laying waste to the Predacons. Tarantulas is the first to be sent
against him and Optimus walks through his machine gun fire to slam him against
the wall and impale him with his own dart. Megatron orders Blackarachnia and
Terrorsaur to defend the perimeter from the approaching Maximals and for
Waspinator to stop Optimus. Waspinator says he will get him… and lasts less than
fifteen seconds before being beaten unconscious. Poor guy. Terrorsaur and
Blackarachnia head out to face the Maximals.
Optimus, damaged and tired, hears
Cheetor’s voice telling him to not let go of his old, real self. The Maximals draw
enough cover outside to allow Cheetor to run in while in Beast Mode. Optimus
reaches the lab, but the antidote isn’t on the stand. Megatron arrives holding
it, he compliments Optimus’ new tactics and gives Optimus an ultimatum. If he
wants to antidote, he needs to swear his allegiance to Megatron. He thinks
Optimus can’t refuse, as to refuse will lead to his death. Optimus decides to
embrace a third option, if he’s going to die anyway, he’s going to take
Megatron with him. He rips the Cyber Bee off his chest and hucks it at the
retreating Megatron, saying he learned this trick from a plant. Megatron runs
into the bowels of the base screaming for Scorponok. Cheetor runs in and grabs
the antidote before it can fall and break and injects Optimus. With the virus
taken care of, they run outside, Cheetor yelling at the others “Time to fade,
heroes!” Inside, the bomb goes off and does significant damage to the Predacon base.
Sometime later, Optimus is fully repaired
but under observation. Optimus wakes up to Dinobot standing over him. Dinobot
says that it was his shift, but that its good to have Optimus back. Optimus
asks if he means back home or back to normal, and Dinobot says both as he walks
out. Optimus looks over at his bedside table and sees the fully bloomed flower
from earlier there as a houseplant. Oh, that was nice of Dinobot to fetch.
This was a good episode, especially
for Dinobot. While he’s been warming to most of the Maximals over the course of
the show, he’s kept a “shoot them now, ask questions later” mentality about Megatron
and the Predacons that has kept him from really joining the Maximals. With Optimus
infected with the rage virus, he was able to see this ideal brought to its most
perfect form and it legitimately disgusted him. While advocating for violence constantly,
as his faction want to do, seeing kind and intelligent Optimus turned into a
raving lunatic that couldn’t stop to think even for a moment shook him to his
core, I think. Optimus taking what he learned from the seed throwing plant and
using it on Megatron highlighted a key point about him, that learning is a strength
not a distraction in this war of theirs.
Optimus Primal isn’t a Prime, he’s not a chosen hero meant to lead the
Maximals to salvation (yet), he’s a scientist and a ships captain and he is at
his best when he approaches situations tactically. Taking away his intelligence
doesn’t make him a better warrior, it makes him a liability. This was also a
good moment for Cheetor. He’s incredibly trusting and looks up to Optimus.
Seeing Optimus at this low point was troubling to him, to the point he was
willing to believe that Optimus could hold the rage back despite virtually no
evidence. And actually that trust was vindicated in Optimus still thinking
tactically at the moment where it counted. Good on ya, Cheetor, you know
Optimus better than anyone. So yeah, good episode for the good guys. Next time,
Rattrap runs a maze. It’s much more interesting than it sounds.
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Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero
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