Transformers Prime S01E16 Operation Breakdown

[GoktimusPrime]

i thought bulkhead had lots of character development being able to rise above it and actually go and rescue breakdown and i like how starscream is slowly getting the rest of the decepticon in his pocket

I generally agree, although I would be hesitant in saying his development was a "lot". But it was certainly present. It was interesting to also see Miko contribute as the catalyst to Bulkhead's development too. It's not too often that we see Miko do anything constructive, but it was good to see her instilling Bulkhead with a "warrior's conscience". I like how Miko helped Bulkhead to rationalise that while he hated Breakdown with a passion, he at least deserved to die a warrior's death... at Bulkhead's hands.
It was kinda reminiscent of relationships between rivals that we've seen before, e.g.:
+ Cyclonus & Ultra Magnus
+ Carnivac
+ Bludgeon
+ Dinobot
...etc.
Although the difference being that Bulkhead's warrior ethics were externally motivated, whereas with those other Transformers listed above have a more intrinsic sense of warrior ethics. And it's arguable that Bulkhead's warrior ethics was fairly shallow anyway, because at the end he still gloated about how his one-upmanship over Breakdown...

But it was also interesting to see moral conflict in Breakdown too - particularly after the Decepticons came to the rescue and Starscream ordered Breakdown to destroy Bulkhead. Even when Breakdown chose to follow orders, he didn't do it with the same personal relish that he normally does - his line of "Tough break" indicated some level of regret in having to execute his duty.

And I know some people don't like MECH, but I do like the idea of having an organisation of humans as antagonists. My reasons include:
+ Gives the Autobots an alternate form of complication other than just Decepticons. And they're also a threat to the Decepticons too.
+ Why shouldn't humans be able to pose a threat to Transformers? The Transformers aren't Gods. While humans are physically fragile compared to Transformers, their intellect makes them capable foes, especially if they can upgrade their technology with Cybertronian tech. We've had human antagonists before in Transformers, e.g. III/RAAT, Lord Chumley, The Mechanic, Circuit Breaker, the Road Jammers, COBRA, Sector 7, The Headmaster, SUV etc. -- and IMHO as far as human antagonists go, I much prefer MECHA over _any_ of those super-lame human villains from Animated! <shudder>

[Oilspill]

I've been trying to get into this show too, but more and more it has just been feeling like a chore to watch. I'm a fan of Adam Baldwin, but even he couldn't make this episode enjoyable for me.

And man, they have still not worked out how to write Optimus Prime. Prime's Prime has got to be one of the least interesting characters ever.

Graphics are good, animation is good (as in the movement of the characters), and the designs are pretty good. But it just lacks soul.

[bassbot]

i thought bulkhead had lots of character development being able to rise above it and actually go and rescue breakdown and i like how starscream is slowly getting the rest of the decepticon in his pocket

I agree with ya there.

Although, it is often lacking in depth or heart - but this ep got me with Bulkhead.

[RageOnTheRoads]

What GoktimusPrime said.

It's nice to see little branches in the character trees, and with Starscream "employing" more cons it's going to be interesting to see how this pans out.

The build up is a little slow but I am beginning to think more and more that there is potential here.