A look at the most recent episodes of Transformers Prime.


Predacons Rising (TV Movie)
(now out on DVD/Blu-ray/streaming as well)




Synopsis:  Not long after Megatron's demise and restoration of Cybertron, the Autobots celebrate as Bumblebee is promoted to warrior class by Optimus Prime. The festivities end, however, when Optimus sets out on a journey to find the AllSpark, the source of creation on Cybertron, and takes Wheeljack with him to find it so that new life can flourish. Ultra Magnus is left in charge in Prime's absence to hunt down the missing Starscream, Shockwave, and Predaking with the other Autobots. Meanwhile on Earth on the ocean floor in Megatron's body, his consciousness is reawakened by Unicron, who seeks to destroy his arch-enemy Primus, the very core of Cybertron, and requires Megatron's body. Unicron reformats Megatron into a new body with new upgrades before heading to Cybertron. Back on Cybertron, Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen continue to search for the Decepticons in the Sea of Rust, but are soon attacked by Predacons Skylynx and Darksteel. After a brutal fight, Magnus is severely damaged and Smokescreen barely makes it through the space bridge with him. The damage is so critical that the Autobots are forced to call in Ratchet from Earth for assistance while the Autobots deduce that the two new Predacons must be creations of Shockwave. Meanwhile Starscream and Shockwave are revealed to have restarted "Project: Predacon" and plan to create an army with Skylynx and Darksteel being their first creations.
     Set on finding answers, Bumblebee leads Bulkhead, Arcee, and Smokescreen to track Predaking, who has taken refuge near the grave sight of hundreds of Predacon bones, and ask his help in finding his two new brothers. However, Predaking refuses, having not forgiven the Autobots for destroying the first batch of Predacons on Earth. Bumblebee, after interrogating Knock Out, leads the Autobots to the Decepticon fortress Darkmount to find answers, but they are soon confronted by Unicron in Megatron's body. As Unicron fights the Autobots, they are forced to the lower levels where Bulkhead, Arcee, and Smokescreen almost fall into a smelting pit. However, time bought by Bumblebee allows the Autobots to escape through a Ground Bridge portal. Unicron, enraged by his failure in his weak form, decides that he needs a greater weapon.
    Meanwhile in the Theta Scorpii asteroid belt, Optimus and Wheeljack arrive in Ultra Magnus's ship where the AllSpark, which itself is pure energy stored in a container of Alpha Trion's creation, is adrift. Optimus heads out to find it, but is soon troubled with a plasma storm. Despite Wheeljack's insistence to turn back, Optimus keeps going and eventually retrieves it, though their ship is damaged by an asteroid, and they set course of Cybertron. Meanwhile, the Autobots try to contact Optimus from the Nemesis, but the asteroid damage destroyed their transmitter, making them unable to contact them. With Optimus and Wheeljack not available and Ultra Magnus wounded in action, Bumblebee becomes the temporary leader of the Autobots.
    Meanwhile however, Predaking searches for Skylynx and Darksteel, but is found by Unicron. Megatron, within who seeks to have his body back, deceives Unicron to talk to him, withholding Predaking's betrayal to him. Predaking, believing Unicron to be Megatron, immediately attacks him, but Unicron gains the upper hand and defeats him before reading his mind and finding the bone yard. Unicron then puts Megatron under eternal suffering for his deception. Meanwhile Starscream, Shockwave, Skylynx and Darksteel find the Predacon bone yard, but are soon confronted by Unicron, who they assume is Megatron until he clarifies who he is once more, before being attacked by Skylynx and Darksteel, but they fail. Unicron then uses the power of Dark Energon to resurrect the Predacons into undead Terrorcons, whose first move is to attack Shockwave. Meanwhile, the Autobots detect Megatron's signal through Unicron, and also detect the Terrorcons, which are headed for The Well of All Sparks, the most direct route to Primus himself.
    Bumblebee decides to lead a counter attack with Bulkhead, Smokescreen, and Arcee on the Nemesis, while Ratchet stays back at Kaon with Ultra Magnus. However, Starscream sneaks aboard the ship, and frees Knock Out and the few Vehicon troops, and tries to retake the ship, only to be betrayed by Knock Out, who once again tries to join the Autobots, but is accepted this time. Meanwhile, Predaking arrives at the bone yard where he finds Skylynx and Darksteel, and orders them to help him recover the remains, though the two are less than willing to follow, which results in a massive brawl where Predaking is the winner. Not long after, Shockwave arrives and suggests that they help the Autobots instead.
    At the Well of All Sparks, Unicron's army arrives, but the Nemesis arrives and attacks them, and the Predacons soon join them. After a brief fire fight, the Nemesis is shot down just above the Well. As Unicron charges their way, the Predacons join the Autobots in an alliance. Predaking, Skylynx and Darksteel attempt to fight off the Terrocons, only to be forced into the well with them. At that point, Optimus and Wheeljack return, but the ship is shot down. Optimus briefly engages Unicron, and tries to snap Megatron out of his possession, but to no avail. Before Unicron can destroy Optimus, however, Bumblebee uses the Polarity Gauntlet to stop him while Optimus attends to the AllSpark. Unicron follows him and shoots him down before attempting to destroy the AllSpark, only to find the container empty and Unicron's Anti-Spark is pulled out into the device, trapping Unicron inside it forever. As a result, the Terrorcons are destroyed and Megatron regains control of his body. However, as Starscream tries to talk Megatron into attacking Optimus, he reveals that his time under Unicron's control has soured him towards tyranny and no longer wishes to be a Decepticon, then angrily disbands the group when Starscream tries to press the issue, flying off afterwards to start a new life. Starscream then flies back to Darkmount to revive the Decepticons in his name, only to be confronted by Predaking, Skylynx, and Darksteel, intent on getting revenge for their abuse.
    In the aftermath, Optimus reveals to the Autobots that he emptied the AllSpark into the Matrix within him, but can no longer be separated from either, requiring him to sacrifice himself to restore Cybertron completely. The Autobots try to talk him out of it, but Optimus states that the Matrix cannot be restored again, and the age of Primes will have to come to an end, but recognizes each Autobot, even Knock Out, as a Prime in their own right before taking off into the core as the Autobots watch. As Optimus plunges into Primus, thousands of sparks of all the deceased or unborn transformers emerge from the Well, one of which includes Prime's own spark. The film ends with Optimus remarking that his death will not mean the end to anything, but a new beginning - "simply put, another transformation."


(Synopsis courtesy Wikipedia.org)





Comments:  An interesting and mostly satisfying ending to the Prime saga. I did find it a bit hard to believe that Megatron could be reformed so simply after eons of waging war on everyone. I feel like his death would've been a better way to finish his story (better yet, why even have him come back at all? Why not just have had Unicron possess his lifeless body?) It also would've been nice to see the kids one more time, even if just in a token fashion. Also, I guess Airachnid's story is done. She's marooned on the Cybertronian moon somewhere... it seemed like her story was a set-up for something in the future, but apparently not (why'd they even bother to bring her back then?)


Verdict:  Good.