Transformers Rewatch Original Season 3E

Starscream's Ghost

To continue his defection story, Octane (Should have been Blitzwing) visits planet Junk. Since the movie the Junkions have been full on Autobots, but he is not attacked BECAUSE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN BLITZWING! Why don’t they care!? At least we get a mention of the last episode and that Galvatron is pissed at him again.
Octane has a space ship now…. with pictures of hot female Autobots loaded in. Nothing weird about that. Moving on.

Galvatron somehow hid a bomb in the junk Octane picked up, maybe Laserbeak spied on him and we didn’t see it? It doesn’t matter much as the Autobots and Decepticons all hang out in space all the time now. 

He’s rescued by a ship of weird aliens, who take him to the Autobots. Grrrr, yet another moment that would have been a perfect follow up for Blitzwing.
Hey! It’s Sandstorm again! More new toy time. Sandstorm mocks Octane for being an older model. (Which he wasn’t… but do you know who was? BLITZWING!!!!!)
Ugh. The Combaticons. To escape them, Octane (who turns into a tanker truck or cargo plane) got into Sandstorm, whose helicopter form is the same size as his dune buggy mode. I have a headache now.
They head to a space station with weird, organic (but bi)g aliens. Hey, it’s that cackling lizard guy again. He’s a bounty hunter now, and human sized. This will go well. He’s so tiny. Why did Galvatron hire him when he has an army. Oh yeah. He’s crazy.

Cyclonus and the Sweeps seem like they know where Octane has been the whole time and are only now attacking when they’re going to Cybertron. It’s a trojan horse trick. Cyclonus continues to be a master strategist. Scourge continues to be a weasel.
Wait, there is a Decepticon crypt for the movie deaths on Cybertron???? No wonder they lost the fight. They must have built it during those same days. Either that or they snuck back to build a tomb. With Autobot security, this is not a stretch.
THE GHOST OF STARSCREAM! GASP! Who has a history with Blitzwing…Dang it.

Half transformed Octane is a nightmare to behold. 
Cyclonus threatens to take command of cowardly Scourge’s Sweeps. He’s got a mad leader and useless minions. Poor guy.
With his possession powers, Starscream is now Deadman. I missed Screamer.
Sandstorm… is a helicopter… in space. And I have a headache once more.
Aerialbots to the rescue AGAIN! Seriously, are they the only ones you can send?
No one questions Starscream's possessions based only on voice. Some Decepticon is going to come down with robo-strep and get blown to heck for his troubles.
Finally! Rodimus versus Galvatron in one-on-one combat! I’m not sure why or how this is Starscream’s plan, or what he could possibly achieve by that. But at least they elevated Rodimus Prime to battling the Decepticon leader. And in that battle he batters the snot out of Galvatron. Sadly, this takes place entirely off screen. Poor choice there, team. It’s like they hate him.
Galvatron is back and blasts the tar out of Cyclonus (after Starscream ghosts out of course).

My boy does not deserve this. Starscream moves to Scourge and … oh. That’s it. Weird.
Autobot LORE agaiiiiin ,
It doesn’t mention Springer is a triple changer. Justice for my green, three formed friend.
 

Season Three, Set Two’s Rhino DVD clunky CGI menu is a damaged base and damaged Rodimus Prime… because they hate him.
 

Ghost in the Machine

This is a straight up two-parter with “Starscream’s Ghost” which was less obvious when the daily airing series showed them a whole week apart. However, it starts with Starscream possessing Scourge again, because they needed to show them out of order…sad.
Galvatron’s first instinct is, “Kill the crazy guy.” You’d think he’d have sympathy for that. Meanwhile, Cyclonus has no idea what’s going on. This in in spite of being possessed yesterday.
Here are the Predacons again, they are very much the wrong color scheme for Decepticons.
Starscream steers Scourge to Unicron’s head (still a replacement Cybertron moon. That seems unsafe.) Cyclonus scores more “where did his intelligence go” points for instantly assuming Scourge is joining the Autobots. Maybe watch where he went?
Starscream in Scourge switched on Unicron’s head. That was surprisingly easy. I’m sure it will be fine. Unicron needs the eyes of Metroplex, who is a city. I feel like those would be too small for an entire planet.
Hey Spike! Nice to see you! The humans get a lot less screen time this season. I didn’t expect to, but I miss them.
Blaster guards Metroplex with three little guys. Bumblebee and the annoying ones: Powerglide and Warpath. The annoyingness is vastly overwhelmed by seeing Spike and Bee together again. Woo hoo! Great nostalgia for old fans. (Yes, I realize for the original run, by “old fans” I means “fans who watched the show a year ago.”)

Scourge broke Metroplex's eye. That’s going to be a problem I bet.
Ooh! Cool shot of what happens to folks inside Metroplex when he transforms. Short form, its bad. They should not be in there.
Now there’s an enraged and blind city sized robot stomping around earth. I’m sure this will also be fine.

Starscream has a plan… because he is Starscream. 

It is a terrible plan, also because he is Starscream. 

They can get an extra eye from Trypticon, who now lives on Char with ALL the Decepticons. This will be fine.
Oh, look he’s met Runamuck and, um, what’s his name. I miss roll calls. (*looks it up*) Runabout. The "battle chargers" who could be pulled back and roll with a crappy pop-up transformation into generic space cars. I really do think they gave more visible roles to the worst toys to push them.  
Nifty! Astrotrain is there too. It is old timer’s week. (Except for Blitzwing, he said, beating a dead horse.)
Meanwhile, the Movie Gang of Autobots are assembling to keep an eye on the Unicron head shenanigans. So much for the old timers. 

Although I am surprised they didn’t notice the giant head in orbit that they are monitoring suddenly has eyes again. New characters… still morons.
Starscream is so much fun. I can see why he had to come back.
Unicron now needs Trypticon, and Starscream is going to lie to the moon sized head with telepathy about having just been there. This will be fine. 

Oh, he needs Trypticon’s Transformation Cog. That was clearly "the thing" before Sparks. I kinda doubt that will fit too, but maybe its more of a spiritual part. 

Starscream possessed Trypticon. So why does he need a new body? Oh, because even the dumb Cybertronians push him out after a while.

Unicron wants his head on Cybertron. This will be fine.
Wait, Trypticon can neutralize weapons? Why didn’t he do that before? Or, y'know, ever - to the Autobots?
Wait more, Unicron has body growing vision? That’s handy. (Duh, I knew that from the movie, it seemed more complex there than eye beams, however.)

The movie Autobots FINALLY notice something and blow Unicron away. (Like physically away from the planet.)  Starscream helps because as soon as he gets a body, he betrays his ally immediately. But that’s why we love him. 

No LORE short on this one. Far too much crazy going on.
 
 

The Dweller in the Depths

There are lots of horror themed ones this season. Gasp! Paul Dini!!!! (That's not horror, just an awesome writer who is one of the key reasons the DCAU was as good as it was.)
More of the one faced Quintessons. Oh, the really old one has several faces but they’re all the same. They put a great deal into Quintesson design considering they didn’t get any toys till later generations of the franchise and rereleases.  
Hmm, ancient Trans-Organic Quintesson experiments. Foreshadowing to future series? Or (more likely) the writers wondering, “How do we fill all this creative space?”
Char is actually very pretty. Those background artists never phoned it in. 

Galvatron is (as usual) not pleased with his Unicron created corps. This issue of his is probably why he keeps trusting the Quintessons when they betray him every single time. Megatron would never fall for that. (*looks at Starscream*) Or maybe he would. 

Galvatron- “You all look alike.” Dude, the Quintessons are the most variably appearing group on this show.
Whoah, I know the Autobot alarm systems suck but the Decepticons just walked onto Cybertron undetected? Oh, they were detected, here comes the new Autobots for a movie gang clash. 

Ultra Magnus is the field leader again, while Rodimus Prime hangs back on the command deck. I guess Rodimus is more of a Picard leader than a Kirk.

These are very Toho looking monsters dwelling deep within Cybertron. There’s one that looks like Angillas, a Kong but with tentacle arms, and, um… a bear.

Also, a snake and a lizard with a bear trap on his back. Maybe they’re not Toho looking after all.
GAH! Those aren’t even the worst of it. The BIG ONE is a slug- lamprey thing with Doc Ock arms. What the hell were they smoking? And not to stop with a ridiculous look… it turns the Autobots and Decepticons into Cybertronian energy vampires.

ARCEE!!!!!!!! Oh, sorry, no. But everyone else except her and Magnus got turned. Too bad Perceptor is the only one with a brain left, they could have solved something this nuts faster with Ratchet and Wheeljack. (RIP guys.)
Galvatron and his unturned allies get lost leaving Cybertron. This is a mechanical Spinal Tap moment of epic proportions.
Oh look, Galvatron is facing Ultra Magnus again. Sigh.
WOO! Arcee firing Galvatron’s gun for the win.
This is like the third or fourth massively lethal thing uncovered on their own world. Did the Autobots check ANY of Cybertron when they took over? Considering their enemies of NINE MILLION (and twenty) years were living there, they might have wanted to scout around a bit.
Yeah! Perceptor fixed the vampires. See? He is the only smart one left. 

Rodimus’s big plan: Launch the new giant power core away, with the Slug-Lamprey-Vampire thing holding on to what is a ginormous food source for it. Won’t that just make it huge, and free roaming? 

Oh well, it ate the Quintessons and is now loose to rampage through space. Well done everyone.
Morons.
And here’s the Decepticon lore. Sigh.

And yes, all three of these "horror themed" episodes premiered in October.

Click to Continue

Click here for the Transformers Index