TulioDude wrote:Sabrblade wrote:For Beast Wars, "Dark Voyage" is my pick.
Anything that stands out for you in particular in this episode?
IMHO, "Dark Voyage" is the quintessential episode of Beast Wars.
It provides not only a rich display of characterization for nearly every Maximal but also shows off just how important their Beast Modes are to their survival. Dinobot, Rattrap, and Cheetor all grow a little bit over the course of this episode, gaining a new respect for Rhinox by its end, as well as having learned to better hone their survival skills in the forms that they often took for granted, their beast modes.
We also get a clear example of just how potent and severe the effects of energon can be, which is crucial to the storytelling of Beast Wars in its first season since energon was the whole reason that the characters even first came to this planet (that is, before Season 2 retconned that) and scanned beast modes in the first place. The episode even features Stasis Lock taking effect at the end, fully illustrating the extent of what energon radiation can do, as well as an R Chamber restoring Rhinox at the end, showing how Stasis Lock is dealt with.
It also provides an excellent demonstration of how dangerous and competent the likes of Scorponok, Terrorsaur, and Waspinator could be. All three of them (Waspinator especially) would eventually be best remembered for their slapstick misfortunes, but when the fliers show up near the end to engage the Maximals at their most vulnerable, it's actually an intimidating moment for the two of them.
The dangerous journey back to the Axalon also offers glimpse at many of the show's environments, such as rocky terrain, a foggy jungle, and a high waterfall. Along the way, this journey is a very atmospheric experience, with the low camera angles and the eerie music used during the scene with the boa constrictor painting a picture of just how primitive and feral this show's world really is, a world that many other episodes take for granted as just background scenery.
But in this episode, it's as if the world's untamed wilderness is out to get the Maximals, who fight tooth and nail against the odds for one simple goal: To get back home. In that sense, this episode serves as a metaphor for the entire series. A small group of individuals stranded in the middle of nowhere, fighting to survive everything that comes their way, as they struggle to return home. It's almost poetic.
And with how dire things get by the end, with four Maximals in Stasis Lock, Rhinox left alone and still blind, and the ominous threat of the Predacons still up in the air (literally), that shot of Optimus descending from the fog to rescue his fallen comrades just as Rhinox himself succumbs to Stasis Lock... is a heavy sigh of relief. The Maximals went through hell and back in that episode, so much that the happy ending feels well earned.
And all that is achieved without any of the G1 fanservice that would later dominate the show in its final season, show just how good Beast Wars can be on its own.
) But with Decepticon victory. This is an excellent showcase into the mindset of Galvatron and why his victory is a bit more ...chaotic than anyone else's.
