by Sabrblade » Sun Feb 21, 2016 1:11 am
- Motto: "Can't do a job halfway. What's worth doing is worth doing well, I say."
- Weapon: Saber Blade
Episode 27 -
Lots of strong elements within a rather so-so story.
Optimus being depicted as an old wounded warrior who insists he can keep going in spite of everyone's concerned protestations is an interesting take on the character. We've seen Optimus be persistent before, but the sheer level of stubbornness he displayed in this one had him act less like the mighty, heroic, and fatherly figure he's usually seen as, and instead more like an old codger who wants to prove himself to those darn whippersnappers who think they know better. It's almost like he was being written more like Kup or Animated Ratchet rather than Optimus. But, as a result, this showed us a side of Optimus we really haven't seen very much of before. For once, Optimus is part of a team of bots who are far more separated from his generation than normal. Here, he has no peers, no "old friends" besides the already much younger Bumblebee. Everyone around him is a junior of his juniors, making him stand out less like a parental figure and more like a grandparental figure. This Optimus is old and aged, and he knows it, but still wants to prove his mettle in spite of that. It's almost like Optimus is showing an insecurity towards his age and condition, as though he's trying to not just convince the others of his usefulness and capabilities, but himself as well. While Sideswipe will undoubtedly learn a lesson about respecting his elders in his disrespect towards Optimus, it's sure seems like Optimus himself will be the one to also learn a lesson of his own, one about his not needing to push himself so much to be useful or appreciated.
Speaking of Sideswipe, I kinda liked this angle of him showing little respect towards Optimus. His calling Optimus "Pops" leading to Optimus berating him for doing so was a little surprising given how most Autobots in Aligned media generally treat the guy named "Optimus Prime" with the utmost respect and reverence. To see Sideswipe be so unimpressed by Optimus, especially given the big spectacle Optimus's appearance in the season 1 finale was, is not something I ever saw coming. The two of them also beginning things on not-so-good terms also opens up numerous possibilities for relationship growth and dynamics for the two in the rest of the season, as it's rare for there to be a series where Optimus doesn't really like one of his teammates that much. That berating he gave to Sideswipe also makes me wish he had done so to Ratchet back in the Prime cartoon whenever Ratchet would either speak out of line towards Optimus or question Optimus's actions like when the Omega Lock was destroyed. Whenever these happened, Optimus would either just stand there in silence looking disappointed at Ratchet or try giving some pontificated speech to make his case. Here, however, Prime basically just snapped at Sideswipe and put him right in his place. Firmly.
As for the rest of the episode, where do I even begin to discuss how fun a character Overload is? The guy basically has the body build of a brawling macho man... and he's instead of theatrical thespian! Ha! SO did not see that one coming. Dave Fennoy made this character such a hoot in his small amount of airtime that I eagerly anticipate seeing more of him both next episode and hopefully throughout more of the season. Though, his connection to Bumblebee is kind of uninteresting. He injured Bee back in the War for Cybertron and now Bee wants payback. Like, so much that Bee has completely fixated his whole world on taking Overload down. I get that the guy hurt Bee in the past, but Megatron took away Bee's voice! How much worse could Overload have done that the mere sight of him would be enough switch Bee into Revenge Mode, when such was never the case for whenever Bee saw Megatron (the guy who stole Bee's voice). The vengeance subplot doesn't really strike me as being all that interesting, to be honest. But thankfully the Decepticon it pertains to is entertaining enough on his own. I wonder if Optimus might recall the illusionary Decepticon he fought in the Realm of the Primes when he sees Overload and if he'll point any visual resemblance the two have,
Meanwhile, seeing as how the Cyclones were captured prior to this episode, I guess that means the six shorts from Hasbro's website really were meant to be their own thing and not chopped-up pieces of a larger episode. Consider them "Season 1.5" or something. Oh, and has it been mentioned that the two Cyclones are voiced by none other than STEVE BLUM!!! That's right, Steve Blum is in this show now! And he also provided the "voice" for Polar Claw. One can only hope that The Man with the Sexy Voice will get to take on larger voice roles later in this season.
Overall, while the story felt rather pedestrian with just being some setup for things to come later, the little bits it had here and there were definitely interesting in their own right.
"When there's gold feathers, punch behind you!!"Shadowman wrote:This is Sabrblade we're talking about. His ability to store trivial information about TV shows is downright superhuman.
Caelus wrote:My wife pointed out something interesting about the prehistoric Predacons. I said that everyone was complaining because transforming for them mostly consisted of them just standing up-right. She essentially said, 'So? That's what our ancestors did.'
But you can see why I had assumed it was the same, in my defense. 
