We are just about to the half way point of the new Power of the Primes cartoon, so obviously in the 5th episode, the story should really start ramping up, right?
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right?Let's take a look and find out, as we delve into "Athenaeum Sanctorum"
Ah yes, my favorite republican senator.(The following review contains heavy spoilers for the POTP cartoon. Seriously. Characters die and stuff. Proceed at your own risk.)
While last week's episode stayed pretty tight with our main cast of characters, we branch off quite a bit in terms of both plot lines, characters, and backdrops this week. Similarly unlike weeks prior, we make quite a bit of a jump in time from episode to episode. Normally episodes pick up exactly where the previous ones left off, almost like just a commercial break, but in episode 5 we see the Dinobots already out on their own after Grimlock leaves on the main quest to find the Prime Library, and with the main cast already considerably on their way trough the journey, right at the library door. For such a linear, spoonfed, slow moving series, this was actually pretty jolting for me. I had to go back and make sure I didn't miss an episode.
Anyway, speaking of the Dinobots, they just happen to run into Rodimus and Overlord, because everybody's in this damn swamp apparently. The two baddies are hot on the trail of Megatron and the Requiem Blaster.
Swamp Ex MachinimaThe Dinobots hide out on a cliff watching the two below. Overlord's upset that they can't find Megatron or the blaster, and starts randomly shooting the ground a bunch of times for some reason. Rodimus says that they're being watched, and blasts the ledge the dinos were hiding behind, revealing their location.
The pair take the dinobots hostage, and promptly start questioning them, trying to find out where the rest of the cast went.
*sigh* You know what this looks like. You don't need me to tell you what this looks like.As Overlord tries to get the information out of Snarl by sitting with him like a gossiping teenage girl, Rodimus Cron threatens Sludge. Snarl finally lets it slip that they were headed to a library, and they, with the help of Unicron taking over Rodimus' body, put the rest of the pieces together. With one final punch, Rodimus kills Sludge. Just like that.
While the scene, and the following one where the surviving Dinobots morn Sludge, work really well emotionally (as this series goes), Snarl's voice is not good, and it doesn't make a lot of sense. The Dinobots have been running circles around Windblade, Perceptor, and Victorion for four episodes now. Granted that was with Grimlock, but they were still huge and could hold their own against enemies. In this scene they just lay down and take it. Rodimus killing Sludge also brings some questions, some of which might have even been intentional: Surely Rodimus can't be THAT strong. I understand that this show is trying to establish him as unstoppable force to really be reckoned with, but at the same time even Unicron couldn't have made him this strong and unstoppable.
ONE PPPPPUNCH!!! Speaking of Windblade, Perceptor, and Victorion, we catch up with them in the next scene. They, along with Megatron, Grimlock, and Optimus Primal, are now in a frozen tundra biome, where the clue from the cave in the last episode is leading them.
Now, I'm not even going to attempt to explain the next minute and a half, but just know it is some of the wierdest, worst psuedo science I have ever heard in any form of media. Something about parallel lines that somehow meet, and infinity, and the center of the center (?????) and stuff like that.
I have, just, NO clue. Anyway, somehow they find their way to the Sanctorum, and they're all taken aback by the temple inside. It is, admittedly, a very nice set piece. Megatron runs in to use of the computer systems, and Perceptor butts in.
"What will you do?" "Oh, the exact same thing as you, but sCiENtiFiCALly!" Percy finds a page relating to the Requiem Blaster and reads it out loud. It explains that the Requiem Blaster was hidden because Megatronus killed Solus with it. The other Primes entrusted a guardian to protect it, which at some point through the generations became Optimus Primal. Why Primal wasn't able to tell them at least some of this information, the world will never know.
As everyone's distracted by the shiny computer, Rodimus and Overlord catch up, and somehow silently bring Victorion to her knees. Rodimus chokes her, (even though robots don't breathe,
but you can find an in depth analysis of this problem thanks to our Energon Pub patrons;) ) eventually tearing her head off, with her body falling to the ground. As this series goes, this is an extremely dark death. It's not played up as dramatically as I think it could have been, but it is an interesting turn. With that, the episode ends.
Aw, sick! This ancient archive of the Primes has Go90!This episode was admittedly boring, but things at least happened, which is an achievement unto itself. The darker parts were interesting, and cement Overlord and Rodimus as at least interesting to watch. I'm liking the treasure hunt/tourist's guide to the ancient temples of Cybertron story line to be completely honest, I just wish it had moved a bit faster a bit earlier. This episode wasn't nearly as laugh (or scream) out loud bad as some of the past ones have, which is progress. We really have been stuck in the swamp this entire time, so at the very least we can be happy that not only has the story found it's footing, we were also treated to several changes of scenery, which is really all I could ask for. Just please. PLEASE. Don't go back to that damn swamp.
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I leave you with an excellent GIF from our newsie Qwan. See you next week!
