TF Prime Beast Hunters Ep 8 - Thirst

[liegeprime]

A few characters are back in action. Though this does not really move the ongoing beast plot story along. Meh :p



http://www.animeflavor.com/transformers-prime-season-3-episode-8

Thoughts away!

[SMHFConvoy]

Well it makes the next trip to Cybertron interesting...

[Kazza]

'Previously on The walking dead transformers';)... Hmm the series is drawing nearer to the conclusion, so it feels like they are wasting episodes by making these fillers.

[Bidoofdude]

Soundwave's inner troll shows yet again. Interesting with Airachnid at the end... ;)
Did she have dark energon from the start or was she able to control the infection? :confused:

[GoktimusPrime]

Perhaps she has greater control over the infection because she siphoned Energon from Silas/Breakdown as opposed to him actually draining her.

[griffin]

A classic Vampire plot... but I thought it was a bit too dark and scary for the age-group this cartoon is supposedly aimed at (8-12 year olds). Darker than it already has been since the first episode showed us a Megatron face (beady eyes and fangs) that rivals some of the scariest horror movie monsters. Not to mention the Insecticons.
I think the animators might have gone too far with some visual elements of this series, and the writers certainly pushed this episode past a G rating. This episode needs to at least be PG.
That's viewing it with a kid's eye.

Now... viewing it with an adult's eye... this was certainly one of the best episodes so far. It had a lot of funny bits, a lot of scary bits, and we get to see two missing characters featured.

Some points to note...
- great pairing of Starscream and Knockout. They can be central characters any time, feeding off each other's insecurities. The scene when they are hiding in that room, walked a very thin line... as the writers were trying to have Knockout talk about something that they can't talk about on a G-rated cartoon (sexual references). In the end, it was kinda funny in a "Simpsons" way, in that us adults know what he is saying, but kids would see it differently.
- I take it that they couldn't get David Sobolov to record Shockwave's lines, and it was too late to re-animate the scenes... as it looked stupid having Megatron talking to Shockwave via communications console, but not have Shockwave talking back.
- A sad end to Breakdown. But I guess Breakdown died some time ago... it was just sad to see it be final, that he was never coming back. I guess I just liked that he was the only Decepticon that really got to take on the Autobots one-on-one in hand-to-hand combat... and was one of the better toys (to not be released by Hasbro).
- Airachnid returns, which was unexpected, and her existence in stasis has been a tease all season. I was thinking that it was because they couldn't reanimate here, but now it looks like her control over the Insecticons was why she was never reanimated before.
- The Insecticons are allowed to leave, taking away the most powerful element of the Decepticons. Surely Airachnid couldn't control them from Cybertron. Why not close the spacebridge after just Airachnid went through.... unless it was too risky to have her standing orders (to destroy all Decepticons) be followed. At least the Predacons (now being grown) will replace the strength & power of the lost Insecticons.
- Soundwave is so badass, but in such a funny way. Walks in, stands quiet and still at the end of the hall, eliminates the enemy in half a second... pauses, walks out. Very impressive.
- No Autobots at all this episode. Not even a reference.
- Airachnid ended up as a vampire in the end... just like the classic Horror story. But as it has already been noted, she has control over the zombie state that everyone else ended up with. Maybe since all the others were drones or a mere human, it is easier for the "infection" to zombify them then some one more intelligent like Airachnid. It certainly leaves a loose end now, that may not end up being resolved in the official cartoon (with such limited screen time left, and the focus expected to be on the Predacons). If it isn't resolved, and she remains trapped on a moon of Cybertron with an army of vampires, it will spawn a lot of fan-stories or a BotCon. (not that they should theoretically survive for long without Energon to feed on)
- The faces of the vampires were a copy of the new vampires in Blade 3.

[SMHFConvoy]

Don't forget the ongoing beast hunters comic may dovetail with this episode.

[lancalot]

I think she play an important role in defeating the predacons ... cause seriously how the autobot going to do it?...

[SMHFConvoy]

If you read the beast hunters #2 preview it looks like it coincides with Thirst.

[liegeprime]

Everytime I see Airachnid she reminds me of that Disney Villain from sleeping beauty - Maleficent:D:D. Though Maleficent transforms into a Dragon - predaking in the end hehehe.

Anyways...

Yup Classic Vampire tale here. Im happy they could make a story filler like this with focus on the Decepticons. I mean, it dfoenst have to be always the heroes side that has to move anyways. We see character development here even in such minute proportions, we dynamics on how each character reacts to each other. As usual Starscream reduced to a snivelling cowardly underling vying for his lord and master's favour... although his loyalty now I guess is indeed more than what it was... whereas before it was more focused on how to sabotage his master's plan to move his own ambition , now it wreally does seem more focused on how he could please Megatron... like a puppy vying for attention. Erm who is voicing Knock Out again? I seem to hear the same voice in many other toons particularly Simpsons characters...sorry lazy to google heheheh. Anyways I like this episode even though as I said earlier it doesn't move the story to the BH direction at all.

What it does do however is cement the fact that the decepticon forces are underhanded with the loss of so much vehicons and the Insecticons lot. Thereby, as Megatron said... the urgent need for the Predacon clones project to replace said vacuum. Hmmm we still haven't seen a ravage drone for Soundwave, oh well, I guess Lazerbeak is much more useful anyways.

Im really so wishing more now they make a Cyberverse Figure Base of the Warship, include Soundwave figure prolly. Even without the figure the Base would be an awesome Playset!!

[Tallestblue]

This ep was fun, and probably has spawned a million Starscream/Knockout fan fics. I swear there was a moment there where I thought they were about to make out.
The Soundwave moment was quite amusing. the next five eps had better get the plot moving though...not long to go now for Prime.

[billygoat]

I don't know if it was intentional on the part of the writers/animators or not, but one of my favourite little details in this episodes was the appearance of Knock Out's shock staff. Have we actually seen this in the show before?

Regardless, not only did we get to see the toy's weapon in the show, but when he attempted to use it, Breakdown/Silas snapped it right in half, just like the "battle spikes" gimmick from the toy.

Just one of those little things that made me smile.

[CBratron]

I don't know if it was intentional on the part of the writers/animators or not, but one of my favourite little details in this episodes was the appearance of Knock Out's shock staff. Have we actually seen this in the show before?

Regardless, not only did we get to see the toy's weapon in the show, but when he attempted to use it, Breakdown/Silas snapped it right in half, just like the "battle spikes" gimmick from the toy.

Just one of those little things that made me smile.

We saw it in Tunnel Vision (http://youtu.be/WVbfb44BUCA?t=1m55s).

[i_amtrunks]

Finally an episode of Prime I actually would rewatch. It even had a human in it!

Loved that the spacebridge that Soundwave opened went to the moon rather than Cybertron itself, means that Airrachnid should not return to any proceedings, gets her and her insect icon pets out of the picture, removes any chance of Breakdown comings bback and means he Autobots are primed (no punintended) to be able to remove the Decepticon threat after they take out the Predacons. How they do that I am interested to see, since they have shown high invulnerable both Megatorn and Predaking are.

Not sure how exactly Airrachnid was infected but I don't care, it was a great episode, a bit too much for the younger watchers but I think many older kid will have seen much worse and scarier.

[BigTransformerTrev]

A classic Vampire plot... but I thought it was a bit too dark and scary for the age-group this cartoon is supposedly aimed at (8-12 year olds).

Bah! That's what Transformers: Rescue Bots is for ;)


a bit too much for the younger watchers but I think many older kid will have seen much worse and scarier.

True. For the older kids (8+) in the end it is alien robots doing stuff to each other, not humans throwing down or bleeding. Scooby Doo has shown vampires biting humans and sucking their blood - this didn't even have a great deal of mech fluid spilled! Watch Generator Rex or Ben 10 - when fighting humans the humans just get knocked out, when fighting robots or aliens (and TF's are both) in both those cartoons the bad guys get ripped to shreds! I work at a school and while it is possible for an 8 year old to get freaked out by this, I think the vast majority wouldn't. It's a desensitized generation and everyone enjoys a good thrill/chill.


I quite liked this cartoon (once again loving Knock Out!). I like vampires but I LOVE zombies and this took a nice bit from each horror genre.


I was ambivalent to TFP ending as I wasn't a massive fan of season 2, but season 3 is shaping up that good I am lamenting it's demise. The writers are doing an awesome job here and entertainment abounds!

[GoktimusPrime]

Bah! That's what Transformers: Rescue Bots is for ;)
I dunno... I enjoy watching TFP with my daughter, but I'm not gonna show her this episode cos I know it'll scare the scrap out of her! :(

[griffin]

He wasn't being serious, hence the wink.

We know that Rescue Bots is aimed at a younger demographic, about 4-8 y/o, with TFPrime being about 8-12 y/o... but the visuals, lighting and "striking at the viewer" element of some of these these episodes would have scared the heck out of me when I was 8.
Most kids, particularly at the higher end of that age range, may well be desensitised to it these days, but not all... and a G-rating is supposed to cover all kids, not the majority.

[sideswipes brother]

I watched it with my 5 and 6 year old and they loved it!