A look at the most recent episodes of Transformers Prime.



Orion Pax Pt. 1"     
Following the events of the season 1 finale, Optimus Prime has lost all memory of ever being a Prime after using the Matrix of Leadership to send Unicron back into stasis; his memory has
been reset to when he was still the data clerk Orion Pax. Megatron takes advantage of this, telling 'Orion' that the Autobots are evil, taking him onto the Nemesis and setting him to work
on a project deciphering Autobot encyptions from the Iacon records. Back at base, the other Autobots are distraught at this turn of events, and upon discovering that Jack has the Key to
Vector Sigma, they hatch a plan to get their leader back.


Comments:  An unusual and exciting turn of events. Of  course, Optimus has to return to being himself eventually but seeing him as essentially a different character and loyal to the Decepticon cause was an interesting idea for the show. It's also interesting that Prime trusted Jack to have the key to Vector Sigma should anything go wrong.

Verdict :  Excellent. I can't wait to see what happens. 




"Orion Pax Pt. 2"     
With the help of information from Starscream, the Autobots commandeer the Decepticon's Space Bridge to send Jack and Arcee to the Transformers' home world of Cybertron, with a plan to use
the information stored in Vector Sigma to restore Optimus's memories. Meanwhile, after a run-in with Starscream, whom Megatron claimed was dead, 'Orion' begins to wonder if Megatron is
telling him the whole truth...

 
Comments:  Another interesting part of the story. To be honest, I don't know if this storyline really needed to be stretched out over three episodes (two likely could've done the trick). It was cool to see Arcee and Jack get sent to Cybertron in the story. Orion Pax begins to wonder exactly what's going on and whether or not he's being told the whole truth or not...

Verdict:  Excellent.


"Orion Pax Pt. 3"     
On Cybertron, while on their way to Vector Sigma, Jack and Arcee are attacked by a savage creature called an Insecticon, as well as a swarm of Scraplets. On the Nemesis, 'Orion', becoming
ever more curious about who he really is, begins to rebel against Megatron and uncover the elaborate lies put in front of him.


Comments: A large part of the story takes place on Cybertron, which is awesome. We see the Scraplets again and are introduced to the Insecticons (who will re-occur several times over the season). Jack gets to save the day and Orion Pax, after rediscovering his past, stands up against Megatron. But is he strong enough to take on his former enemy without the Matrix?

Verdict:  Excellent. A worthwhile conclusion to the three-parter.


"Operation: Bumblebee Pt. 1"
While investigating an energy signal that could potentially lead to a relic from the Vaults of Iacon, Bumblebee is ambushed by M.E.C.H, who knock him out and steal his T-Cog, the organ
that allows Transformers to scan vehicle modes and transform. Discovering that he is no longer able to transform into vehicle mode, Bumblebee has no choice but to stay at base, which leaves
him frustrated. Meanwhile, as M.E.C.H attempts to use Bumblebee's T-Cog in one of their own robots, Starscream approaches Silas and suggests an alliance with M.E.C.H., offering his
knowledge and advice on Cybertronian technology and how it works.


Comments:  This is another story that is a bit padded out and could've been told in one episode really. Regardless, we get a Bumblebee spotlight story for a change. It's quite the story, involving elements of what exactly makes a Transformer a Transformer and if one can survive without their primary ability intact.

Verdict:  Excellent.  


"Operation: Bumblebee Pt. 2"
Ratchet, still feeling guilty about failing to repair Bumblebee's voice box during the war, volunteers to give Bumblebee his own T-Cog via transplant. The resulting operation is
interrupted, however, when an alarm signals the discovery of another relic from the Vaults of Iacon, a legendary hammer known as the Forge of Solus Prime. While Optimus Prime, Bulkhead and
Arcee are out retrieving the hammer, Agent Fowler calls the base to inform the Autobots of newly discovered coordinates to a M.E.C.H. hideout. Seeing an opportunity, Bumblebee storms the
M.E.C.H hideout on his own to get his T-Cog back.


Comments:  The conclusion to an excellent character driven episode about Bumblebee (ironically, one of the more overexposed characters in the Transformers mythos. Yet they managed to do a really good job of it here).  We also get a better idea about what MECH is up to in this story with the TF tech and it foreshadows a future episode very well.

Verdict:  Excellent.


"Loose Cannons"
Wheeljack returns to Earth in pursuit of the Decepticon Dreadwing, who is responsible for the death of the Autobot Seaspray (who was also a member of the Wreckers), and asks for Team
Prime's help in apprehending the Decepticon. While Bulkhead is naturally excited about seeing his best friend again, Optimus Prime quickly becomes annoyed with Wheeljack's reckless and
aggressive manner and disregard for civilians.


Comments:  The return of Wheeljack adds a new character to the mix (albeit, the token rebellious archetype but it's still better then nothing). We are also introduced to Dreadwing--a new Decepticon who is identical in design to the deceased Skyquake but colored differently (way to save on the animation budget there. :)  Dreadwing immediately gets our attention--he's an efficient killer but one with a system of honor (unlike his peers). Both excellent additions to the cast.

Verdict:  Excellent. Another well done episode.


"Crossfire"
Megatron sends Airachnid, Breakdown and Dreadwing on the trail of a potential Energon source, but what Airachnid doesn't know is that Dreadwing and Breakdown have actually been ordered to
kill her for potential treachery. She soon catches wind of this though, killing Breakdown and running off into the woods. Upon arriving at an abandoned Energon mine, Airachnid finds
Starscream cowering from a large Insecticon. She uses her abilities to control the creature and calls Megatron to challenge him to a fight to the death, planning to use the Insecticon to
kill Megatron so she can claim Decepticon leadership...


Comments:  Treachery at its best! Having gained a competent loyal warrior in Dreadwing, Megatron decides he no longer has any use for the unstable Airachnid. He arranges for her to have an "accident" away from the ship--but she's too smart to fall for that and Breakdown is apparently killed in the scuffle. We also discover Insecticons on Earth and see what kind of punishment Megatron can really take.

Verdict:  Excellent. A busy and entertaining episode of the series. It seems like it just keeps getting better and better as it goes.



"Nemesis Prime"
M.E.C.H produces a clone of Optimus Prime, named Nemesis Prime, and sets it loose on a military base, where it proceeds to wreak havoc. The United States Military immediately blames the
real Optimus for the chaos, and they order the Autobots be shot on sight. While Agent Fowler tries to convince his superiors that Optimus did not attack the base, the Autobots try to track
down Nemesis Prime and clear their names.

 
Comments:  A good episode in general although one wonders how M.E.C.H is able to seemingly accurately reproduce Optimus Prime's strength and weapons so well with no explanation. We also learn a little bit more about their organization--are they really terrorists or some kind of Black Ops group? And what will become of Silas after this episode's resolution?

Verdict:  Excellent. I await M.E.C.H's next move in the show.



"Grill"
Following from the events of the previous episode, Agent Fowler is sat down to explain recent events to his superior, the cynical and disbelieving General Bryce. Threatened with a military
tribunal and Team Prime's termination, Fowler tries to convince the General that the Autobots are still on the military's side, but the General believes that Optimus Prime went rogue and
has perished, failing to fully understand that Nemesis Prime was not the real Optimus.


Comments: They finally did it. Those maniacs! They did a clips show! There's a sure way to annoy viewers and kill interest...oh well. I guess maybe the show's budget demanded such a compromise this instance...

Verdict:  Average. Nothing new to see here. Move along...



"Armada"
Bulkhead accidentally becomes trapped on board the Decepticon warship, the Nemesis, while on a scouting mission, and tries to escape without being discovered. Meanwhile, Starscream and
Airachnid both send their newly gained armies (Starscream's being five clones of himself, and Airachnid's being an enormous swarm of Insecticons) to the Nemesis, both with the order to kill
Megatron.


Comments:  This was a weird episode but a good one. Starscream clones himself from some blank Protoforms, all of whom strike out to the Nemesis to take on Megatron. Meanwhile, Airachnid launches her new army of Insecticons against Megatron as well. A busy but entertaining episode and a good return to form.

Verdict:  Very good. I do hope Starscream took that spare T-Cog out of that clone for himself...




"Flying Mind"
Following the events of the previous episode, The Nemesis has crashed on a mountainside and its engines are badly damaged (thanks to Bulkhead). Megatron attempts to restart the engines with
Dark Energon, which works, but has an unexpected side effect: the ship develops a mind of its own and starts to rebel against its own crew. With the ship flying out of control and both the
Autobots and Decepticons frozen in stasis, Jack, Miko, Rafael and Agent Fowler are left as the only ones who can stop the ship's rampage.


Comments:  Another episode that was a bit out in left field, but pretty good overall. Once again, we learn Dark Energon is not something to be  trifled with lightly. We also see the advancement of the Artifacts story arc, which was first begun in the Orion Pax three-parter. 

Verdict:  Very good. Not quite perfect but still pretty good for what it was.



"Tunnel Vision"
Having discovered the locations of four relics from the Vaults of Iacon hidden across the globe after the Nemesis had successfully decoded it, the Autobots split up into small groups and
head to each location simultaneously to retrieve them. Arcee, Bumblebee, Jack and Miko travel to New York City to find the first relic which is buried deep in the city's underground subway tunnels. During their search though, Arcee and Bumblebee are attacked by Knock Out and an Insecticon who are also searching for it. Jack and Miko have an encounter with a burly subway worker named Vogel who believes that aliens are hiding out in the subways.


Comments:  And so the treasure hunt begins. A pretty good first part...I get the feeling from Fowler's comments at the end that maybe he's observing another mission going on simultaneously that we'll see next... As always, an entertaining episode. I also loved that Miko was jealous of Jack--an actual hint of characterization from a character who's usually one-note (that note being, "let's charge in without thinking").

Verdict:   Excellent. Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.  







(Episodes synopsises courtesy Wikipedia.org)