Up the Swamp Without a Paddle: Machinima Transformers Power of the Primes Episode 3 Review!

It's been a few weeks since Power of the Primes, the third and final installment of the Machinima series of Transformers cartoons, and this Tuesday brought with it episode 3, "Without Warning". The previous two episodes haven't lived up to many expectations, will the third be any different? Tune in as we take a look at the episode to find out. Read on!

(Note: The following review contains spoilers for the Machinima Power of the Primes cartoon.)

So, we start out again in the swamp, a place that the cast somehow hasn't been able to move on from for the entire show so far, with Victorion still being tossed around by Predaking, a new character in the show who just arrived last episode. Windblade tries to help by...shooting Victorion several times.


*rubs temples*

Perceptor tries to find a way to help that consists of actual helping, as Volcanicus, the combiner made up of the dinobots, starts to gain consciousness again after being shot to the ground by Predaking in the last episode. He promptly starts chasing after the Predacons for revenge.
We catch up with Megatron, who approaches the shiny thing he was distracted by in the last episode, and it turns out to be a giant energon waterfall that looks like a Matrix, with the insignia of the various original Primes stamped on it.

Perceptor tries to distract Predaking from attacking the others, and soon all three of the main cast are being chased by two giant combiners.


*Record Scratch* *Freeze Frame* "Yep, that's me. I bet you're wondering how I got here..."\

Something to touch base on here briefly is the random inclusion of assorted slow motion shots peppered in here or there through the episode. They are painfully out of place, and haven't been a part of the show so far, (or either of the other shows, if memory serves) so they're a bit of a jarring change. They remind me of the infamous split screen edits that randomly popped up in the second half of the previous series.

We also catch up with the main baddie of this series, Megatronus, who has released the Enigma of Combination to place it in a shrine of sorts, at the head of the well of sparks, deep in the heart of Cybertron.


Oh God*** it it's just the ******* Infinity Gauntlet, isn't it?!?

As he sets the the Enigma within the altar, we're treated to another flashback from the days of the original Primes. Solus begs Megatronus to return the Requiem Blaster so she can destroy it, promising she'll craft him more weapons in exchange. She mentions she doesn't want to fuel his, *ahem*, appetite for destruction, if you will.

Megatronus promises he'll take care of the blaster, but Solus grabs it from his back. They fight over it, accidentally triggering it to fire. A beam is launched off the surface of Cybertron, killing Solus in the process. Megatronus mourns her as the spark drains from her optics.


something something topical gun control joke

He watches a spark fall into the well, and comments that his henchmen are doing their job, further confirming no one else lives on this **** planet. He opens a briefcase to reveal the Matrix of Leadership to add it to the shrine.



Fun is not something one considers when watching a terrible cartoon, but this...doesn't put a smile on my face.

Back in the swamp, our heroes are still being chased by the two combiners, when they reach the obvious conclusion of trying to make them fight each other. The pacing of the scene is literally slowed down because of another slo-mo shot. To make matters worse, Windblade talks, in the middle of the shot, at normal speed. I just... I just don't know anymore.

After running a long distance from where they first landed and met the Dinobots, they all get launched off a cliff by one of Predaking's blasts, but neither of the Combiners see it coming, so they fall as well, farther into the canyon. The heroes have a moment to regroup and find...Megatron and his giant Matrix waterfall?!? ******* what?!?

The Miraculous Teleporting Megatron; Wherever The Plot Needs Him To Be.

But the newly reacquainted group doesn't have long to chat, as Predaking and Volcanicus show up again, having magically climbed a giant cliff face in justa handful of seconds with no other signs or clues that they were approaching.
Megatron enters the Matrix building and tells the others to wait there. The episode ends.

Oh my God.

I said last week that the show felt like it was just sitting here spinning it's wheels, and this episode illustrates that perfectly. The main cast have been in the swamp for all three episodes now, and for the majority of that time simply being chased around in circles. They're accomplishing nothing, and it's getting extremely frustrating. This episode could basically have been the first, practically beat for beat. "Find enemy. Fight enemy. Figure out how to beat enemy. Run away. Repeat." The glaring plot holes and continuity errors are ridiculous, and the end of this episode is the first time I've actually shouted at my screen because of these shows. If I have to search for a positive, I like the idea of the various relics combining their power to create...something. It's fairly cool, if a little overdone by other shows. Entertainingly bad, but little more. See you next week.

Thanks for reading my review of Episode 3, you can find it on go90 and the Transformers Tumblr if you wanna watch it for yourself. Come back and tell me what you thought of the episode, and what you thought of my review! I'll see you next week when we take a look at episode 4!