by Decepticon Stryker » Mon Nov 14, 2022 4:25 pm
- Motto: "Peace through Tyranny, Tyranny through Strength, Strength through Stealth"
- Weapon: Null-Ray Rifle
Only saw the first two episodes but I liked it, I really did. Action scenes were cool to look at especially that opening scene where Elita takes on Swindle and Hardtop (really clever use of her kibble as skates).
There’s definitely more to Mandroid than the trailers have let on as seen during his conversation with Twitch and Thrash, and I’m excited to see a human villain that’s actually a threat to the Transformers again. Silas came close and before that was… Meltdown, I guess? Kinda? Sorta? Not really? And I love the fact that the two main bots are entirely new characters (well, as long as you ignore the fact that Thrash’s name is recycled). This is something that needs to be a staple in every Transformers show going forward: at least one brand new character being a significant part of the main cast. I’m leaning more towards Twitch being my favorite of the two, as I felt we got to know more about her than we did Thrash. I guess this os the double-edged sword with new characters, not having any sort of past incarnation to look back on can make it difficult for me to have an opinion about them when they’re first introduced.
The kids were ok too, Robby’s wanting to go back home and then choosing to stay arc was rushed when it was introduced, then swept to the side for the rest of the pilot, and then rather hurriedly resolved. Mo, on the other hand, feels more mature than Robby at times, and I found her eagerness to bring the Terrans into the family to be heartwarming. I did love the family being together though, kind of a chaotic yet orderly fun-loving mess that reminds me of my family. Dot clearly has a lot of backstory with Megatron and I really hope that’s expanded upon as it seems there was a lot of stuff between them that happened after the war but before the show starts, maybe she’s the reason he’s turned good? I love Alex’s enthusiasm about Transformers (the fact he can tell who’s who based purely on the nose they make when they transform is absolutely amazing. However, outside of that it feels like he was only there to give the kids, Terrans, and audience exposition about the War, and I hope that he gets to do more than just that.
As for returning characters: I’m really liking how Elita’s starting to appear in shows now after being mostly forgotten since Animated. Optimus’ design is growing on me, but the more he keeps that faceplate up, the better (his chin’s massive). It’s going to take me awhile to get used to Tudyk’s voice because hearing someone that isn’t Cullen, Chalk, or someone channeling Cullen or Chalk is really throwing me for a loop, and I’m ok with that. There’s clearly something that happened between Optimus and Dot that appears to have driven a wedge between them, and I’m willing to bet that her relations with Megatron have something to do with it. Bumblebee is… there. Ok. Still has those door wings that I’ve come to hate (thank you very much 2007 game console edition) but I haven’t seen enough of him to actually formulate an opinion on his character yet.
And now we come to the Decepticons. Hoo-boy I love Megatron! Seeing him have a personality other than brooding, calculating tyrant (don’t get me wrong I love those versions of him too) is refreshing. His fusion cannon confuses me though, instead of singular blasts like an actual cannon, it’s more of a beam like a proton pack. Of course, it’s not specifically referred to as a fusion cannon (even the toy descriptions just call it a ‘blaster’) so I guess it works… It was pretty neat seeing the Insecticons (well 2/3’s of them) and Skullcruncher make an appearance, and I hope that they actually get to do more in the show than just be there for the pilot only to be arrested and never seen again. Swindle, who makes his first onscreen appearance since Animated (geez, can’t believe his last appearance was that long ago), was fun too see and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him. And then there’s Hardtop. Freaking. Hardtop. I love his Cyberton toy and I thought that was going to be it for him. A toy and maybe a few cameos in the background of some comics. But seeing him as an actual character in an actual show is nothing short of amazing to me and I really hope there’s more deep cuts like this throughout the series.
Anyway, that’s just my thoughts on it. I liked it. Gonna get Paramount+ in order to watch the rest. I’d say a 3.5 out of 5, maybe a 4, I don’t really do ‘X out of X’ rankings.