Something wicked this way comes, and Megatron will be prepared.
Last time on Beast Wars,
Tigertron called it quits. The white tiger Maximal saved Cheetor and Dinobot
from a Predacon aerial attack, but in his zeal to defend his friends took a
wild shot that unfortunately set off the Predacon’s weapons cache and caused an
avalanche that killed his tiger companion Snowstalker. After burying her, he
announced to Dinobot and Cheetor that he’s finished with the fighting and
wanton destruction their war has caused. He storms off. Cheetor is sent back to
base for repairs while Dinobot stays behind to ‘converse’ with Tigertron. He
tries to use the ol ‘survival of the fittest’ idea to get Tigertron to accept
that their battle is necessary. He also reminds Tigertron and us that if
Megatron gets off the planet with even a little of the massive amount of
Energon it has, he’ll restart the Great War all over again. Tigerton insists
that the war will never end until Transformers decide not to fight it. This
pisses off Dinobot to no end and he tries to goad Tigertron into fighting him,
but the big cat refuses. Optimus joins them and orders Dinobot to back off.
Dinobot leaves and is spotted by the Predacons who decide killing him would
earn them big points with Megatron. Optimus gives Tigerton his condolences but
also tries to more gently persuade him not to give up the fight. Their
discussion is interrupted by the gun fire and Optimus rushes to save Dinobot.
He personally takes out Terrorsaur and Waspinator, but Inferno finally gets him
and Dinobot in his crosshairs. Tigertron saves them, blasting Inferno from the
sky while shouting “You will leave the wild alone!” Tigertron accepts that he
can do more to defend the planet’s wild landscape fighting with the Maximals
than by not fighting at all and the war goes on. Enough recapping. Let’s get to
it, shall we?
The episode begins with Tigerton
spotting a glowing mountain in the distance. We cut to Megatron who is dozing
in the Darksyde when his computer gives him a priority alert, for his
ears only. It informs him that there’s an energy anomaly of alien origin and
shows him a display of the mountain. Megatron is intrigued by this information
and ominously announces that “This could be it.”
We return to the mountain which is
shaking violently as Inferno tunnels into it. Within the mountain is an alien
monolith, this one with a golden disk displayed upon it with Alien symbols
etched upon it. Inferno transforms and flies over to steal the disk. He pulls
on it with all his might, but he can’t get it to budge. Worse, despite only
being in the cavern in robot mode only moments, he’s starting to his an Energon
surge. He finally rips the disk free and flies away, cackling madly.
Back at the Darksyde,
Megatron tells us that he’d been expecting this kind of artifact to appear at
some point, and he’s pleased they got their hands on it. He congratulates
Inferno and dismisses him to get repairs. Inferno salutes and thanks his Queen.
Megatron sighs and says he wishes Inferno would stop doing that.
Optimus flies through the area
where Tigertron had seen the mountain. He flies by a Predacon device that
launches something after him. He notes in his report that he can’t seem to find
the source of the anomaly that Tigertron reported when the object flies past
him. Optimus follows it. The device is revealed to be a hologram projector, and
it shows Megatron’s big head. Megatron cuts to the chase and says that he wants
to speak with Optimus in person, alone, on neutral ground. Optimus is skeptical
as the Pit at that statement and asks Megatron why he’d even consider doing
that. Megatron boldly states that he wants to discuss a Truce.
Megatron and Optimus meat on a
mountain top, converting to Beast Mode to remove any risk of weaponry. Megatron
gets right to it, saying that something has come up that requires his undivided
attention and that he doesn’t have time to fight the Maximals right now.
Optimus points out that in his experience, when Predacons ask for a truce,
they’re just buying time to reload. Megatron does admit that’s usually true,
but insists this time is different. He also says it really doesn’t matter, as
they both know Optimus will accept the truce even if he doesn’t trust Megatron.
When Optimus asks if Megatron takes him for a fool, Megatron says he takes him
for a Maximal.
Later, at the Axalon, the
others take the Truce idea about as well as you’d think. Rattrap and Dinobot
are both vocally against it. Optimus tells them that he had to accept, because
Megatron was right, as a Maximal, Optimus has to at least try to give peace a
chance. Even if it’s insanely unlikely. Rhinox guesses that this has something
to do with the anomaly and Optimus agrees, he knows whatever that is, it’s got
Megatron so scared that he doesn’t want to even think about the Maximals right
now. The Maximals need to know what Megatron knows and immediately form a plan
of action. They have the idea of sending Rattrap into the Predacon base, again,
unarmed to not violate the rules of the Truce. Dinobot says that Megatron will
surely think of this plan himself and be on guard for it, to which Optimus
cryptically says, “So? Let him.”
In the Predacon base, Tarantulas
hacks into the Predacon’s Transwarp engine using Megatron’s voice code and
begins to steal a Transwarp cell. Waspinator spots him and demands to know why
he’s stealing the cell. When Tarantulas doesn’t immediately answer, Waspinator
demands he answer now. Tarantulas casually throws a smoke bomb at Waspinator to
distract him. He slips around Waspinator and says, “The Answer is simple,” he
then shoves Waspinator deeper into the vault and throws a bomb at him before
finishing the thought, “I’m leaving,” and locking Waspinator inside with it.
The bomb goes off and Waspinator is blown to pieces. Megatron, who was watching
the whole thing, tells his T-Rex head-hand that Tarantulas obviously hacked
into his data tracks and is making his own plans. He admits that he’d normally
punish treachery like this, but thinks the current situation calls for letting
Tarantulas play out his hand in this game. But he decides Tarantulas needs
watching, so orders Blackarachnia to stop doing whatever she was about to do to
a frog she’d captured and check out the disturbance on the Transwarp level. He
relaxes back into his chair and says that the next move is Optimus’s.
We cut to Airazor flying Rattrap
towards the Darksyde. He complains about the lack of dignity this mode
of transport gives him, with Airazor telling him that if he lost a few kilos
this would be easier on everyone. They’re shot at by the Predacon’s proximity
defenses, their autocannons pelting them with fire. Airazor is a fast flier,
though, and gets Rattrap to the ground without being shot down. Rattrap
transforms and complains he feels naked without his guns. Airazor transforms
and opens a channel to Megatron, who is… brushing the T-Rex head-hand’s teeth…
so I guess he’s also washing his hand. She asks if this sort of hospitality is
part of the Predacons idea of a truce. Megatron is extremely obvious that he
knows that Airazor is there to spy but plays along to turn off the autocannons.
He tells her that he will insist that she leave his airspace to preserve the
truce. Airazor agrees, but then Megatron adds that she needs to take the rat
too.
Airazor and Rattrap report back to
Optimus. Their mission was ‘a failure’ but they’re all smiles. As it turns out,
this is all part of the plan. As while Megatron was distracted by the at this
point obvious move to send the Maximals resident Spy-Guy into the Predacon
base… he completely neglected to think that they might send anyone else in.
Tigertron slips into the base while the defenses are down, a snow-white Tiger
in a black ship, but no one is the wiser.
In his lab, Tarantulas finishes
working on the Transwarp cell. He announces that it’s fully functional, it just
needs some special programming. He’s interrupted by Waspinator’s head getting
kicked into his lab and Blackarachnia’s arrival. We zoom out to see Megatron
watching this from one of the CR pits that he’s using as a hot tub. While
Tarantulas is distracted, he uses a special override to hack into the cell and
add his own special programming.
Tigertron hears Megatron’s evil
laugh as he walks the base. He transforms and does his best to sneak around the
patrols.
Back at the Axalon Cheetor
sorts through the Maximals archive of Alien artifacts and asks Optimus if he
thinks Tigertron will find anything. Optimus admits he’s not sure, but they
need to find something, anything about what is going on. They know that aliens
were present on the planet, that the planet has mysteries like their artifacts
and the huge Energon deposits, and whatever knowledge Megatron has at his
disposal has scared him.
Tigertron hacks into the Darksyde
computer using a pelvis cable and a early 90s vr display. He gets into their
system by solving a Rubix cube in the form of Megatron’s head and discovers the
Megatron’s files on the alien disk. Terrorsaur finds him searching, though, and
announces that curiosity has claimed another cat. In his room, Megatron
pontificates to Inferno that a storm is coming unlike anything the Transformers
have seen before. He claims that his original plan of gathering Energon and
conquering Cyberton seem so… small to him now and that he will soon be tasting
REAL power. He laughs maniacally and Inferno looks confused. Terrorsaur puts a
gun to Tigertron’s head and tells him not to move. Tigertron reminds him that
they have a truce, which Terrorsaur admits that he knows, but his trigger
finger might forget. Tigertron says that he’ll remind it, and tackles
Terrorsaur while transforming back to beast mode. Megatron runs after him,
shouting at Terrorsaur to GET HIM, but not to shoot as they have a truce.
Tigertron is caught in a pincer by Terrorsaur and Scorponok, but dives through
a hole in the wall and the two collide with each other.
Outside, Tigerton sets up a flare
to warn the others he’s heading their way. The whole Predacon army is on his
tail. Rattrap calls it in and the Maximals prepare to get him clear without
using their blasters. Dinobot initially prepares to attack anyway but Optimus
insists that they’ll hold to the letter (if not the spirit) of the Truce and
find ways to help Tigertron without fighting. Dinobot sees a large boulder near
a hill and gets an idea. Optimus and Airazor fly in. They spot Inferno, and run
a slight diversion tactic, Optimus circles around to come up behind him while
Inferno is distracted by Airazor and rips the fuel line to Inferno’s thruster
from him. He runs out of gas and crashes into the ground. Rhinox and Cheetor
stop Terrorsaur from chasing Tigertron by holding up a big metal plate that he
runs headfirst into. The spiders find Dinobot and an obvious pit trap that he’d
set up. Tarantulas and Blackarachnia leap over it… jostling the boulder free
from Dinobot had precariously positioned it and crushing them both. Dinobot
laughs. Terrorsaur frees himself by transforming. Rattrap goads him into
charging with an actual matador cape. At the last second, he pulls the cape
aside and reveals Rhinox’s huge rhino butt. He collides into it and Rhinox sits
on him. Dinobot remarks that this was peaceful, and Optimus agrees that it was
very peaceful. To add insult to injury, Rhinox sits down on Terrorsaur and
makes himself comfortable.
The Predacons limp back to base.
Scorponok says that that was a close one. Megatron agrees… saying that when
serving bait, presentation is key.
Back at the Axalon, they ask
Tigerton what he’d found. He tells them that Megatron has found an alien golden
disk, like the one Megatron initially stole that set off this whole thing. He
says that Megatron has translated the symbols on the disk and learned that the
aliens that built the artifacts like the flying island and Stonehenge are
coming to the planet and that he doesn’t think they’re happy. A massive storm
starts rolling in as Optimus says, “That’s just prime.”
This episode was a great set up to
the two-part season finale. The twenty minute format of the show makes a lot of
plots feel rushed, but this one was paced out well enough in my opinion to set
the stakes. The aliens are coming, Megatron knows about them, has the disk that
might give him the edge, and is seemingly maneuvering the Maximals into doing
something about it. This final arc of season one does a lot to reinforce the
idea that this version of Megatron is in fact a tactical genius. Yes, he’s been
foiled multiple times throughout the season, but aside from maybe the Maximals
almost getting off planet, almost all those plots were chump change compared to
what he’s working toward. At every phase of this episode he got the Maximals to
do what he wanted, he even anticipated their altered plan, and while he’s
putting a worried face up when dealing with Optimus, his scenes alone make it
clear he’s more relaxed than he’s been putting on. I also liked the sight gag
of him talking to and pampering his T-Rex head. It’s just a cute little bit,
like his beast mode head is his dog while in Robot mode. There’s also the added
mystery of whatever Tarantulas is doing. We’ve seen that he is also aware that
something big is coming and has made attempts to get off planet before, but
he’s clearly getting desperate if he’s making such obvious moves in front of
Megatron. I do feel a little sorry for Waspinator spending most of this episode
in pieces, the guy gets no respect. So ya, the owners of the planet are coming,
and they’re probably upset. This is going to suck for everyone involved. Have a
good night, everyone, see you all tomorrow with the beginning of the end.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/137436051?pr=true
Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social
No comments:
Post a Comment