Episode Review - BH Ep56 - Rebellion

[griffin]

Season 3, Ep 4 - Rebellion (12th April in America) Team Prime wages war against the Decepticon citadel.

[GoktimusPrime]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/spoileralert.jpg




+ Ultra Magnus was a more enjoyable character in this ep.
+ Good to see the humans collaborating with the Autobots, though I thought it could've been handled better. Michael Bay's been criticised for making the Human Alliance too human-centric... I felt that TFP's Human Alliance was too Autobot-centric. If Autobots and humans are going to ally themselves, I'd like to see some form of balance. Heck... the Autobots have better cooperation with the children than they do with the United States Air Force! :eek:
+ I noticed that the Jet Vehicon "General" who got knocked out was a straight up repaint of the Jet Vehicon -- i.e. he looked like the toy. The others have a different head.
+ It probably would've been more logical for Shockwave to, ya know... disarm and restrain the Autobot prisoners. It's almost as if the writers forgot that the Transformers have stasis cuffs (http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/c/ce/Partners-ScreamPrisoner.jpg). Or maybe the Decepticons just don't believe in using them (oh wait, they do (http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/9/97/Triangulation-DreadwingwithcapturedStarscream.jpg) :rolleyes:) I guess the 'Cons must've misplaced them. Yyyeeaaahh...
+ Fowler shows off how tank he is by flying a jet fighter in a tie and suit again! Phwoar!
+ I'm glad the Forge of Solus Prime is depleted. I was afraid for a second that the Autobots were all gonna give themselves a whack with the hammer and make themselves all "Beast Hunter." (-_-)
+ Wait... so Predaking can survive the explosive destruction of an Energon Mine, but he can't last three seconds in the freezing Arctic?! What is he, an oversized Scraplet?!? :confused: Optimus Prime and Arcee were able to last much longer than that... guh. :rolleyes:
+ So where's the new Autobase? I certainly hope they're not using the Harbinger only to have the Deceps conveniently forget about it.

[griffin]

Found out why the voice of Ultra Magnus was so familiar - Michael Ironside (you'd recognise him if you saw him). And George Takei returning to Transformers as Alpha Trion.

The episode wasn't too bad either, mostly because it was the climax of the last three episodes, so was mostly action.
Shockwave proved himself pretty bad-ass, despite "suggesting" to Megatron that he wasn't much in the way of military. I guess deception is logical, for strategic purposes.
Not sure why a half-dozen human missiles were considered more powerful than Cybertronian weaponry... to require them to destroy Darkmount instead of the Autobots.
I think the Forge of Solus will remain a plot device to later save (rebuild) Cybertron, but I still think it is stupid that it just happened to run out of power (for what it is, what it has done, and how old it is).


I think there is a break of a few weeks (of re-runs) before episode 5 airs... which is how this final year will play out since it only has half as many episodes.

[Tallestblue]

Pretty much exactly what I thought would happen happened in this episode.
That is to say it was enjoyable, but predictable.

[CHILENO20]

Michael Ironside was a great choice for UM. Brings a real gravitas to the role. The episode itself was enjoyable, as have the first three, but as Goktimus pointed out, a little bit lacking in some areas. Though we need to remember that in the end it is kids program and some of the stuff wont make much 'logical' sense to us grown ups. :D Still it ws pretty good and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

[Bidoofdude]

Liked this episode. It was good that Magnus became a little more lenient and understanding of the others.

SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT!!!


Although I was hoping for Smokescreen to get a little time as Prime, Optimus' return was pretty epic. If only the toy was that AWESOME!!!! :eek::D

Megs vs Magnus was a pretty cool showdown and Shockwave was pretty cool as well. :cool:;)

[BigTransformerTrev]

This was the most enjoyable episode I have seen in a long time! Frankly - it rocked! Had my new BH Optimus toy sitting in its box for a few weeks - gotta go grab it out and make him zoom around now! :D

Only downside - Miko saying 'rad' - shut the hell up Miko :mad:! You were the only sucky thing in an otherwise outstanding episode. Best I've seen since the end of season 1 :D

[drahsrebu]

Loved this episode!!! Primes return was epic, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Michael Ironside as UM is a great choice and digging bees new paint.

[GoktimusPrime]

Though we need to remember that in the end it is kids program and some of the stuff wont make much 'logical' sense to us grown ups. :D
Beast Wars was still primarily created as a children's programme, but still successfully managed to engage an adult audience. Also as G1 voice actor Michael McConnohie says, children aren't stupid. Don't treat them like idiots. I reckon most kids watching that scene where Wheeljack took his swords out would've thought, "Why didn't the Decepticons take his swords away??" Think back to our own childhood -- we often laughed at this kind of stuff even in the G1 cartoon... like when Chip Chase tore a floppy disk apart with his bare hands! :eek:

[Sinnertwin]

Think back to our own childhood -- we often laughed at this kind of stuff even in the G1 cartoon... like when Chip Chase tore a floppy disk apart with his bare hands! :eek:

I still can't do that. And ive been trying since 1985
But you're right, kids are far more intelligent than we sometimes give them credit for.

[ILikeSoundwave]

And where did Knockout go in this episode?, on a vacation?:D

[GoktimusPrime]

I was watching this episode again while doing the housework (as ya do), and I noticed this...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/prime_wheeljack_swords_zps1db17e52.jpg
Wheeljack grabs his sword handles and pulls his swords out, but there are still two sword handles sheathed on his back after he's drawn his swords and uses them!! :eek: :confused:

So wait... how is this possible?? Does he have four swords? If so, why don't we see four sword handles before he draws the first pair? At first I wondered if this has been a long standing anomaly that I've just failed to notice before (or maybe I'd noticed it and forgotten about it), and I was gonna post about this in the "Things you never realised about Transformers" thread... but then I went and watched a previous episode - the scene where Wheeljack is Starscream's prisoner - NO sword handles! So obviously there are moments where his swords are absent, other times when they're present... and times like this where they're extra present! :eek:

Go home swords... you're drunk.

[lancalot]

wow Gok you got keen eyes :eek:..hey arnt you suspose to be doing the housework :p.. Thinking they rushing to put the epi out fast and was too lazy to remove it from the model ..

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I found this episode a little dull to be honest. Very predictable. I also thought the animation of Optimus as he flew in and punched Megatron looked very awkward. Despite all that momentum he had from flying in, it looks like he is trying to wash most of it off as he span around twice. Another whacky bit was when he grabbed Megs and chucked him at the gun energy source, all of a sudden he is flying right in front of the gun cannon, like he is in the exact same spot as from before Megatron attacked him.

That really took me out of the moment.

I liked the quote'looking robust" ha ha ha! I also really dig Ultra Magnus. Predaking is finished all ready? But it was a clever way to take him out and a nice reminder of the Scraplets ep. Hmm, continuity.:D

On a side nite, I did see an advert for teh BH toys, with little animated Ops and Bees fighting with Predaking ala Toy Story. It was pretty cool. Maybe that's where some of the budget has gone, and only the 13 episodes:p

[Zommael]

I'm afraid I'm with those who thought this episode was a little on the boring side. I thought the previous episodes provided some great set up that could have been used to maintain the whole season, albeit with the Autobots getting OP back, but still being on the run from the Decepticons who are gradually taking control. Instead all that got wrapped in four episodes. I hope given that this is a shorter season we do get more of a season-long arc rather than waste of time episodes, but I don't really see how that will happen with the status quo having been restored. I also felt OP should have been mad at Smokescreen for doing what he did and that no real explanation was given as to how he was reformatted. Given his prominence in the toyline the way Predaking was taken out sucked and he needs to come back and be more of a threat.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, "Coming of the Fuzors Part 2" had the same premise but handled it a lot better IMO. :)
e.g.:
+ The new 'Cons weren't uber-powerised-then-powered-down like Predaking. We had the two Fuzors, who bolstered the ranks of the Predacons and gave them an advantage, but individually they weren't shown to be extraordinarily powerful or easy to beat like Predaking was.
+ Whereas the Autobots were taken captive - unshackled and not disarmed, the Predacons took no prisoners. The Maximals were beaten with a freakin' millimetre of their life and would've been killed if not for Optimus Primal's timely return. Optimus Prime's return was convenient in stopping the Decepticons from using Darkmount's fusion cannon against the humans, but our heroes (the Autobots) were in no imminent danger... and were obviously capable of freeing themselves whenever they wanted to. In CotF, the Maximals desperately needed salvation! Rhinox had a freakin' massive hole in his chest! :eek:
+ Optimus Prime did that very fancy/stylised (and highly unrealistic) twirly moves -- Optimus Primal transformed into his new artillery robot mode and "brought the rain." ;) The great thing about that was that it's not even an official mode for the toy (the instructions and stock photos never show it; most probably never intended to be a mode for that toy by HasTak) -- it was basically a fan mode that the animators had made up themselves! This clearly showed that the animators actually played with the toys! (because Hasbro always sent them samples of the toys for them to 3D scan and render as CGI models). :D This of course wouldn't happen in TF Prime where the models are made concurrently with the toys, and not afterwards. :rolleyes:

This...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/tfpbhoptimusmegs_zpsa79ae4f4.jpg
...was not as cool as this:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/primal_pewpew_zpsd8121a01.jpghttp://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/th_pewpewgirl.gif
:cool: :D

[Bidoofdude]

Is there another episode today in the US? :confused:

[Omega Metro]

I'm really finding this show to be very bleak, boring and predictable. And will Predaking speak and transform? Or is he a mute like Soundwave and BB?

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/tfpbhoptimusmegs_zpsa79ae4f4.jpg

Well said!

And I am gonna save this gif:cool:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/th_pewpewgirl.gif

[Shirokaze]

Just watched this ep last night. Wasn't too bad, but like you guys have already mentioned, quite predictable. Was kind of looking forward to seeing Smokescreen reformatted into a Prime even though I knew it wasn't going to happen :p

[Gasaraki]

Pros:
- Optimus Prime entrance was quite something... liked the way they made him not say anything for a few moments, made me thought perhaps it's Smokescreen after all... but nah.
- Shockwave is badass!! Awesome how he looks up at Darkmount imminently collapsing, calls Soundwave for a ground bridge, and just saunters through when it comes. No one's gonna make this guy do anything other than on his own time!

Cons:
- Too bad no more radical story arc for Smokescreen...
- Predaking once again quite neutered... I look forward to how they might handle the robot reveal and intelligence upgrade.
- All back to status quo again unfortunately, with Prime back, and Darkmount removed. They had opportunities to take the show places, but play too safe I think.