Episode Review - TF Prime Ep 54: Scattered

[GoktimusPrime]

Click here to read plot synopsis

Watched this on a YouTube video with SHOCKING quality. Gah.

spoilers ahead

spoilers ahead

spoilers ahead

spoilers ahead

spoilers ahead

spoilers ahead

spoilers ahead

Thoughts:
+ I like Shockwave. He's the first Shockwave to appear on a show that's inspired by G1 comic Shockwave - i.e.: devoid of emotion and a slave to logic. I like Animated Shockwave too, but he's more like G1 cartoon Shockwave (sounds like him too ). But really this Shockwave is most like Fall of Cybertron Shockwave (which of course makes sense since they're "clearly" all part of the same continuity, right fellas? ) -- this is most noticeable in the whole 'mad bio-scientist' aspect which is unique to the Aligned Shockwave character. The way he talked about experimenting and cloning the Predacons hearkens back to the way he created the Insecticons and Dinobots in FoC. But yeah... I like this sort of "evil Spock" like character to Shockwave.
+ I like Shockwave's approach to interrogating Wheeljack vs Starscream's... instead of using a club, let's use a scalpel (i.e. cortical psychic patch).
+ SMELTING POOOOOOOL!! (and in Darkmount no less)
+ The way Wheeljack escaped from the Smelting Pool looked awesome... I can't wait to see that again in better quality! But yeah, I liked it because it didn't feel quite as "munchkiny" as Wheeljack's previous Drift-like appearances... this was more like Buzz Lightyear -- "This isn't flying, it's falling with style!"
+ Someone remind me again... how did the Autobots know where to find the Harbinger?
+ The origins of the Predacons is interesting. Not quite what I was expecting, it works well.
+ Predaking is HUGE! Now I understand why they're releasing an Ultimate Class version. Sticklers for show scale might wanna wait for the Ultimate version (not saying that it'll be WORTH paying that price point though... but if scale matters that much...)

[Bidoofdude]

I too liked Shockwave a lot. He was so boss!!!
Predaking was a bit lackluster for me (where's my close up of his butt?)
I really liked Wheeljack and Smokescreen in this. They took a lot of charge and their skills were awesome.
The sort of post-apocalyptic city was pretty awesome and worked well with the hiding bit. NO ONE IS SAFE!

Shadow Strike BB looked kind of cool. Just need a deluxe now!!!

[GoktimusPrime]

The sort of post-apocalyptic city was pretty awesome and worked well with the hiding bit. NO ONE IS SAFE!

^agree.

It's not too often that we see a dystopic Earth in Transformers, it's somewhat reminiscent of what happened to Chicago in Dark of the Moon, and New York in G1's "Rhythms of Darkness." But what I found odd was the seemingly underwhelming military response. Throw a bunch of tanks and helicopters (what, no jet fighters??) at Darkmount, in a single gung-ho charge with seemingly no strategy!

In Dark of the Moon we saw the military attempting to sneak operatives in by air and sea. In Rhythms of Darkness we saw surviving humans waging guerrilla warfare against the Decepticons (as taught by the late Rodimus Prime), and even then, the rest of the world were actually planning on nuking NYC! The humans' military response here seems really underwhelming. And now that Ultra Magnus is here and acquainted with Fowler, they really should be cooperating and forming something similar to N.E.S.T. Isn't it just basic logic to ally yourself with local combatants against a common foe? Unless the show is just going to portray the U.S. military/government as being so incompetently stupid that they wouldn't even attempt this... or use BETTER strategy (guerrilla warfare would be a much more sensible option when faced against a superior enemy force - that's what Wheeljack and Bulkhead were attempting! (and did succeed in blowing up at least one Energon mine )).

"This is our war now and we will win it as we always have, with a coordinated military strategy." - Theodore Galloway (Revenge of the Fallen)

[Bidoofdude]

To me, Magnus and Fowler are like people that look like their dog.\
This calls for Totally Looks Like!!

[Kazza]

Well the introduction of Ultra Magnus gave me hope for the autobots. But I'm quite surprise Optimus Prime would think Smokescreen would make a worthy Prime. I would of chose Arcee. I got really mad at Ratchet for feeling hopeless and giving up when they were at the junkyard. Oh how I wanted to smack him so much.

[GoktimusPrime]

Well the introduction of Ultra Magnus gave me hope for the autobots. But I'm quite surprise Optimus Prime would think Smokescreen would make a worthy Prime.

Well it's not like he had much choice. Congratulations Smokescreen, you came first in a one-bot race. Still... it could've been worse.

[griffin]

Most of that happened in Episode 55 (Prey)... I'm guessing you watched the 3-part story that aired in Singapore a couple weeks back.

[GoktimusPrime]

Oops, yeah I did. That shockingly appalling video doing the rounds on YouTube. I'm gonna watch 'em again in HD after they've aired properly in the US.

[griffin]

Just be aware that it has spoilers for a later episode. It might be unintentional, and on a related topic, but so was this one.

[GoktimusPrime]

Fix'd.