An unexpected win? Maybe.
Last time on Beast Wars,
Rattrap’s prank almost gets people killed. He used Rhinox’s new non-lethal
security system to tie Dinobot up in ropes. Dinobot, rightly pissed off, breaks
free and tries to stab him. He misses and hits the computer console and causes
the new system, Sentinel, to register all the Maximals as intruders. The others
escape but Rattrap elects to try to get to the computer core and deactivate
Sentinel to make up for his mistake. He has a lot of fun while doing it, as he
finds most of Sentinels security features to be cute at best. Rattrap does get
the system shut down and has a good laugh at everyone when they assumed he died
for a minute. Meanwhile, Tigertron is put on the trail by Optimus of a Predacon
plot. He discovers Terrorsaur, Blackarachnia and Waspinator in a cavern beneath
the base. They are preparing to blow a hole into it with a sonic emitter. He
steals the emitter, and scares off the Predacons by using it as a bomb. This
causes a huge sink hole to form just outside the base… which I guess they fill
in between episodes? Because the hole is never seen or mentioned again. It was
the 90s, continuity could only go so far. Enough recap. Let’s get to it.
We open on the Predacons working on
an experimental Energon refinement process. Megatron seems extremely excited
about it… right up until the crystal explodes and turns to dust. He orders
Terrorsaur to get another crystal, only for his minions to turn on him.
Cheetor, who is watching from a spy camera the Maximals had been able to set
up, is shocked to see Terrorsaur, Waspinator and Scorponok turn on their boss.
The others are watching with him and Dinobot notes that it looks serious this
time. A fight breaks out, the Predacons hitting their Energon stockpile and the
camera cutting out. The explosion is big enough that they feel the shaking from
the Darksyde at the Axalon. The Maximals go to check out the base, finding the
crashed ship smoking a new and the building deserted. Rhinox uses a scanner and
determines there are no lifeforms on board. Dinobot is skeptical, but Rattrap
insists that Rhinox’s equipment doesn’t lie. Optimus declares they might have
to accept an abrupt end to the Beast Wars.
Inside, they still don’t detect any
life signs. Rattrap suggests they start looting the place. Optimus insists on
caution, only taking Transwarp and other space flight parts to repair their
ship, as the Darksyde is still a Predacon ship and could be dangerous. Rattrap
pokes at Dinobot, saying maybe he should start searching first. Dinobot,
weirdly, agrees and walks off to look around. Rattrap is extremely flummoxed by
Dinobot, saying that he is pushing all Dinobot’s buttons but isn’t getting a
reaction and how weird that is. Optimus just shakes his head and just asks,
“haven’t you figured that out yet?” Dinobot is obviously having some
conflicting feelings about the death of his nemesis and former crew.
Dinobot leads the others deeper
into the base to the engine area. He then almost immediately turns to search
around some more. Rattrap asks what they’re going to do about Dinobot. Optimus
counters, asking why he thinks they need to do anything. Rattrap
believes that Dinobot may turn on them at any moment now that there’s no other
enemy to fight. Optimus doesn’t think so. Rhinox activates the engines and
opens them up. Optimus tells Rattrap to get the others, as they have what they
need.
Dinobot is looking around some more
when Tarantulas’ legs appear on the wall behind him. He turns to fight, only to
find Cheetor holding a set of disembodied legs. I guess Tarantulas just left
spare parts lying around. Weirdo. He starts laughing at spooking Dinobot, but
Dinobot…quotes Shakespeare? “Alas, poor Tarantulas, I knew him.” Dinobot is
clearly not processing his former allies’ deaths well. Rattrap stops Dinobot
from attacking Cheetor and says they’re heading out.
The Maximals minus Dinobot begin
working on engine repairs. Rattrap still wants to discuss Dinobot, but the
others are focused on fixing the drive and getting back into Space. Optimus
lays out the plan, that they’ll need to retrieve the pods floating in space
first and foremost. Cheetor wants to head right back out into galaxy
exploration, but Rattrap and Optimus agree that they’ll need to head back to
Cybertron for repairs first. They don’t bring up the golden disk at all, but I
assume that they assume Megatron kept it on him when the explosion happened,
and it was destroyed. Rattrap announces that he can hear the dames crying for
him already. Dinobot comes in and suggests they’re crying because he’s coming
back. Rattrap laughs at the comeback, saying it’s lame but a sign that Dinobot
is feeling better. Dinobot admits why, he’s decided to stay on the planet. He’d
thought it over and realized that on Cybertron he’d be a Predacon criminal, so
he’s going to stay on the planet. He figures as the best warrior and most
advanced life form on the planet, he can just be the unquestioned ruler. Of a
deserted planet. Optimus tells him that he understands but advises against this
decision. Ya know, because he’ll either die or be driven insane by solitude,
eventually. Dinobot says that eventually can be a long time. He salutes his
former commander and comrades before walking off, much to everyone’s chagrin,
Cheetor especially.
Dinobot starts wandering the planet,
I guess looking for a fight. He scares a white rat, and it falls into a large
hole. He walks on without noticing. We dive into the hole and see the rat get
gobbled up by… Tarantulas. Turns out, the Predacons are all alive, having
secreted themselves into a cavern near their base and using signature dampeners
that Blackarachnia designed to hide themselves. They’re also all feeling
extremely claustrophobic after being stuck down there for an unspecified amount
of time. We get the background on how this happened, Terrorsaur tripped over a
cable that led to the spy camera, alerting the Predacons to its presence.
Seeing an opportunity, Megatron had his minions fake a coup and their
destruction, to get the Maximals to take the parts they need from the Darksyde
and repair the Axalon. They’ll then attack when the Maximals finish and their
guard is down and steal the ship. They’ll use the ship to collect the pods,
boost their forces and continue to do evil things. After finishing yelling at
Terrorsaur that no one leaves until the repairs are done, some debris falls on
Megatron’s head. The Predacons look up to see Dinobot looking down. I guess he
heard their voices when they started arguing. Dinobot runs as the Predacons
Terrorize and follow him. Terrorsaur and Waspinator are the first out and
Dinobot shoves a boulder onto them and crushes them. He runs as the other
Predacons transform, saying that he must warn Optimus and the others.
We jump over to Tigertron entering
the base. He says that it’s weird entering an artificial structure, which is
odd when you remember his structure is artificial. The others are preparing to
take off. Rhinox activates the engines and they rather loudly kick on. The ship
starts to rise. Rattrap, still feeling good about their apparent victory, says
that he’s going to take Tigertron to this sweet little hole in the wall he
knows. He’s cut off by Optimus announcing Dinobot’s name. We see Dinobot
running toward the ship. Cheetor is excited at the though of him coming back
with them, Rattrap annoyed by this change of mind… right up until the Predacons
come into frame. Dinobot takes a shot to his back and drops. He drives the
Predacons back with laser eyes. Optimus heads out to save Dinobot. Rhinox tells
him that the ship is taking off in 2 cycles (minutes) and that with the damage
it’s sustained he can’t afford to stop the takeoff. Optimus tells him not to,
that if he and Dinobot aren’t back in time they need to just go. He makes it a
priority order when Rhinox objects, Transforms, grabs a riot shield, and leaps
out the entry bay. Cheetor grabs a shield and follows. Tigertron Maximizes to
help too, but Rhinox demands he sits back down and work the ships autocannons
to help Optimus and Cheetor.
Outside, a full on battle is being
waged. Optimus tells Cheetor to give him
cover while he goes for Dinobot. He flies in and grabs him, the limp Dinobot
saying this is strategically unsound. Optimus tells him he can complain on
Cybertron. He’s shot down by Terrorsaur, though. Cheetor is shot by Megatron
while trying to help. The Predacons run for the ship, but Tigertron gets the
guns online and blasts them all back. Optimus hits his limit and reverts to
Beast Mode. Cheetor is able to drag himself onto the loading platform. Optimus
limps his way back to the ship with Dinobot, throwing his injured ally onto the
platform as it rises. He leaps after it, Cheetor grabbing his hand. Scorponok gets up, however, and being a sore
loser shoots their clasped hands, causing Optimus to drop. Optimus falls to the
ground. Personally, I’d risk the damage to Transform and fly after them, but
maybe his bell was rung by the fall. Megatron chases after the ship and leaps
onto it.
Cheetor and an injured Dinobot come
onto the bridge. Dinobot croaks that they should have left him behind, Rattrap
yells at him for trying to spoil Optimus’ sacrifice, and Megatron walks in to
reveal that it has been thoroughly spoiled already. He shoots each of the
Maximals except Rattrap. Megatron grabs him before he can transform, intent on
crushing him like a rat in a trap for some reason. I guess he hates rats
specifically. Whatever. Rhinox gets up, saying not a chance, grabs Megatron and
slams him into the floor. He drops Megatron out the open airlock.
Unfortunately, in the scuffle Megatron’s tail-sword-thing was thrown and
stabbed into the ship’s computer. The ship starts dropping, Rattrap starts
screaming they’re going to die. Suddenly they see something in the sky. “Is it
a bird?” Dinobot inquires. “Maybe a plane?” Rhinox postulates, “No,” Rattrap
announces, “It’s Optimus!” They then play a variation on Superman’s theme song
from the 70s as Optimus flies up, catches the ship, and uses his overworked
jets to slow its descent. I love these kinds of bits.
Later, Optimus asks for a damage
report as Cheetor and Tigertron hug him. Rhinox says that it’s bad, the ship
won’t take off again. Dinobot is hurt but in the CR chamber so should be fine.
Cheetor asks how Dinobot and Rattrap are doing. We pan over to Dinobot and
Rattrap, who are fighting as the CR chamber boots up to repair Dinobot. Optimus
notes that they’re taking the setback pretty well. Cheetor says that he won’t
have them any other way as the credits roll.
As far as Megatron plots go, this
one was downright devious. Faking their deaths in order to get the Axalon
flying again as an escape attempt was brilliant. I commend the Preds for being
able to stay in a cavern in Beast Mode for at least a day or two as the
Maximals gather, transfer, and install the parts to the Transwarp drive. Sure,
Terrorsaur was starting to freak out and they were maybe an hour from
Tarantulas and Waspinator killing each other but they didn’t. If you’re
wondering what plot type this is, I count it as a one-off-technology episode as
the Maximals never try to get a spy camera in or around the Predacon base
again. This episode also did a good job exploring Dinobot’s psyche and what he
feels his place is in Transformer society. He’s truly an outcast, working with
the Maximals, but will undoubtedly be considered a criminal by both their
superiors and perhaps something worse by the Predicon command. The show has yet
to confirm how “in the know” the Predicon leaders are, so he could very well
have betrayed a sanctioned but clandestine mission after Megatron betrayed him.
The idea that he’d just stay on the planet is wacky, but I can see how he came
to that conclusion. Tis better to rule in hell than serve in heaven, I guess. I
should note that technically, Dinobot is my first introduction to Shakespeare.
He’s apparently a fan, as he quotes and/or adapts several monologues from
Hamlet specifically to process his feelings as the show goes on. Weird right?
It was Beast Wars and the 90s Gargoyles, where a villain is confirmed to be the
literal Macbeth from Macbeth, that was my introduction to classical works. I
liked how Rattrap and Dinobot’s relationship was further fleshed out in this.
By this point, they’ve been stuck on this planet together for several weeks, if
not months, and they’ve clearly formed the friendship archetype of “we’re
constantly bickering but we enjoy it.” Rattrap might still be a little
distrustful of Dinobot, but it’s pretty clear he’s about as bummed at Cheetor
that Dinobot is staying behind. Also, props to Cheetor for being the one
character emotionally mature enough to admit he’s going to miss his friend.
Like, Optimus dismissed Dinobot like an officer, Rhinox didn’t say anything,
Rattrap was in denial, but Cheetor’s like “but come on, man, lets go home!” the
whole time. He might be reckless, but the kid is the most honest. And that’s
all I have to say about that. So… next month I’ll be doing Guardians 3, Spider-Verse
2, and Rise of Beasts. We’re probably going to do a few more Beast
Wars episodes along with them and do all Secret Wars in August. But
we’ll see how things go. Have a good night, everyone.
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Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero
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