Beast Wars Episode 9 - A Better Mousetrap

 

It's quite common for TV shows (even the very best) to have the odd episode (or in some cases, seasons) that aren't quite up to scratch in comparison to some of the show's best episodes. For instance, The Great Divide is quite commonly regarded to be the weakest episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and some point to The Simpsons episode 'The Principal and the Pauper' as being the moment that began the iconic show's nosedive into mediocrity. While a lot of Season 1 of Beast Wars is pretty watchable, there are the odd episodes that don't quite hit the highs that the show will go onto in later episodes. This brings us onto this episode, an episode that is fine, but not a particularly great one.

This episode's plot is divided into two plots running somewhat concurrently with each other. The first plot involves the Predacons drilling under the Maximal base to plant a sonic emitter that would allow them to access the base and attack it from the inside, and then we've got another plot where, after activating the Maximal's new defence system before it's ready, Rattrap finds himself trapped inside the Maximal base, and has to avoid it's several attacks in order to shut it down and allow the other Maximals access back into their base. Both plots don't really have much to do with each other, and we mainly just intercut between the two of them.

Much like last week, this is a Rattrap focused episode. It's interesting that, like with The Web and Equal Measures where we got two Cheetor episodes in a row (at least, if we go by the show's broadcast order rather than the production order), we now get two Rattrap episodes in a row. I can only speculate that Hasbro thought broadcasting these two episodes one after the other might help to further boost the sales of Rattrap's toy. Like in Double Jeopardy, Rattrap has to use his ingenuity and skills in order to navigate the Axalon in order to shut down Sentinal, the ship's new defence system. These segments can sometimes feel like an early 3D platformer like Crash Bandicoot (which was released a month prior to this episode's first broadcast), particularly the scene where Rattrap is surfing through a flooded corridor.

There's things I like about this particular plot - I like that it's showing the Maximals thinking of new ways to combat the Predacons and prepare for the possibility of a Predacon entering the base (which happens to be exactly what the Predacons are planning), and I like that it's Rhinox who is developing this new system - further establishing Rhinox as the Maximals technical/scientific expert. Dinobot doesn't feel the system is effective enough since he wants to kill the Predacons, and Sentinal is programmed to disarm and apprehend the Predacons rather than kill them.

The ending of the episode is also pretty clever, where we as the audience as well as the Maximals are lead to believe that Rattrap has been killed once Sentinal goes offline. The Maximals pay their respects, and we get to learn what they think of him. Even Dinobot admits that, while he has no love for Rattrap, he will miss him, and Rhinox refers to Rattrap as his best friend. Then the screen begins to go to black with a circle surrounding the Maximals (as if to signal the end of the episode) only to cut back to reveal Rattrap exiting the Axalon and greeting his allies. 

The Predacon plot line isn't as interesting. We don't get as much characterisation for the Predacons asides from Blackarachnia being placed in charge of the mission, and she still has yet to come out of her shell beyond being the show's only female Predacon. However, we do get to see Tigatron single handedly take them on and reassuring Optimus that he doesn't need assistance to take on the Predacons. It's also nice to see that, while Tigatron operates in the wild separate from the other Maximals, the two parties are still in contact with each other and will give each other any intel that might be of interset to the other side.

While this isn't a bad episode, and has plenty in it to make it a worthwhile watch, it isn't anything special in the grand scheme of things. 

Next time: Optimus Primal gets infected with a virus in 'Gorilla Warfare'

Beast Wars Episode 8 - Double Jeopardy

 

Last episode saw our first introduction of a new character with the appearence of Tigatron. That episode did a good job of building up the reveal of the new character and then showcasing him being a badass in order to convince the audience to go out and buy his action figure. This episode sees another new character join the cast, this time joining the ranks of the Predacons. However, unlike Tigatron, this new Predacon ends up taking a backseat as we get a story focused on Rattrap.

After a stasis pod crash lands in an icy region, Optimus and Dinobot go to recover the pod only to find the Predacons have managed to beat them to the pod. After a brief battle, the Predacons manage to get the pod and take it back to their base. Since Rattrap was the one who lead the Maximals to the pod, his loyalty to the Maximals is put into question, leading to Optimus sending him on a mission into Predacon territory to prove his loyalty. After getting ambushed by Terrorsaur, Rattrap surrenders and swears alliegence to the Predacons - is this a rouse, or has Rattrap truly gone over to the dark side?

One great thing about this episode is that Rattrap finally gets an episode focused on him. Up until this point, the character has primarily been utilised for comic relief - mainly making snarky remarks and complaining about the situations he ends up in against his will. This time, we get to see what he brings to the Maximals. 

Of course, Rattrap's defection is a clever rouse on Optimus and Rattrap's part - but what's clever is that we don't know this until the very end of the episode that this was the plan all along. Optimus is the first one to express his doubts of Rattrap's loyalty, which shocks the rest of the Maximals who all vouch for Rattrap. For the whole episode, we're lead to believe - much like the Maximals, that Rattrap has joined the Predacons for good...

Then once Rattrap is alone on the Predacon base, he begins sneaking around, and we find out that his defection was a ploy to sneak onto the base. We don't know the purposes of this, but he does end up finding what he's looking for - a Maximal chip, which it turns out was allowing the Predacons to monitor Maximal communications. At the end of the episode, we then learn from Optimus that the plan was for Rattrap to enter the base to find out how the Predacons were monitoring their comms, and that this plan was to be done in utmost secrecy.

This episode really shows how resourceful and clever Rattrap is - kind of placing him as the James Bond of the Maximals. His small size is useful for sneaking around and investigation, and he seems clever and resourceful enough to get out of sticky situations. While he is also handy with a gun, he's not as used to full scale warfare - which puts his actions in previous episodes into perspective where he was reluctant to put his life on the line.

Terrorsaur also uses this to his advantage, as him and Rattrap proceed to offline and capture Megatron, allowing Terrorsaur to take command of the Predacons. What this episode shows us is that Terrorsaur is way too ineffectual to lead the Predacons. This is something that Megatron uses to taunt Terrorsaur once he breaks free and the Maximals begin attacking the base.

The one disappointing aspect of this episode to me is Blackarachnia - who serves as not only the show's first new Predacon since the opening episode, but also the first female character to be introduced into the show. While she does later grow into one of the most interesting and compelling characters in the entire show, in her first appearence, she doesn't really get given much to do. This is bizarre seeing as the show's primary purpose is to sell toys, so clearly this episode should be making the target audience want to buy her action figure.

This is just speculation on my part, but this might have something to do with how these kind of action toylines are heavily marketed towards young boys, and while girls do enjoy these shows as well, sadly a lot of toy manufacturers tend to focus on demographics and place things into boxes (i.e. girls like this, and boys like this), and assume that boys won't want to buy an action figure of a female character. As an example, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a show notable for featuring a lot of strong female characters, but Mattel never released toys of these characters as they assumed that boys wouldn't want them. Because of this kind of mindset, it's possible that Hasbro wanted to downplay the female characters as they assumed that the boys who were the primary target audience of the show wouldn't want them, so felt promoting them was a waste of time (which might not be so farfetched, given how the show's only other female character barely appears in the show).

In spite of my gripes with Blackarachnia's lack of involvement in this episode, I feel this is a fun episode that allows Rattrap to have a moment in the spotlight after mainly sitting on the sidelines in previous episodes.

Next time: Rattrap ends up trapped alone on the Axalon in 'A Better Mousetrap'

Beast Wars Issue #2

 

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THIS ISSUE

The first issue of IDW's new Beast Wars comics got things off to a great start - retelling the events of the show's new episode in order to get newcomers to this iteration of the Transformers franchise up to speed while also including new elements in order to prevent the whole thing feeling like a complete rehasing to those already familar with the conflict between the Maximals and Predacons. The first issue ended with the two factions crashing on an unfamiliar prehistoric planet, with the characters then taking on the forms of various animals. Following this set up, this second issue instantly begins to take the story in a different direction to the TV series that inspired it. 

The plot of this issue is primarily spent with our various characters investigating their new surroundings, allowing us more time to get to know these new versions of the characters. At the same time, a mysterious alien race observes from the distance - taking a keen interest in the planet's new settlers.

The first characters we get to spend time with this issue are Rhinox and Rattrap - and both characters feel exactly like their counterparts from the TV show. Rhinox begins by surveying the planet with the ship's scanners, and is bemused at to how various different ecosystems which shouldn't normally coexist with each other are able to coexist, and is equally confused about the presence of a floating mountain. This is perfectly in line with how he was in the TV series, where he was the most scientifically minded of the Maximals. He quickly loses patience when he notices that Rattrap isn't paying attention, and seems more interested in the juicy fruit that he's currently eating. 

One thing I thought was intriguing about this issue is the inclusion of The Vok. They aren't named in this issue, but they were the mysterious alien race who made occasional appearences throughout the Beast Wars TV series. Their agenda wasn't really explained as such in the TV series, and what they were after seemed to change every time they appeared. What's interesting is how we instantly see them talking to each other, and they express concern about how the Maximals and Predacons could disturb some kind of project they're working on. However, they are also intrigued about these new settlers, and claim they aren't above wiping out the entire planet if they cause too much of a disturbance. Like the TV series, there's a real sense of intrigue and mystery surrounded the Vok, and I'm interested to see how this is played out in future issues.

On the Predacon side, we get some interesting characterisation for Scorponok. As I've expressed when discussing the TV series, I've found him a bit of a one note character who doesn't really go beyond being Megatron's loyal second in command. Here, we learn that he's one of Iacon's top codebreakers, and we can see that he's impatient with regards to just waiting around on the base, and insists on Megatron providing him with orders.

We also get some moments with Dinobot and Tarantulas. Tarantulas seems to be more interested about some curious readings that he's uncovered than surveying the planet (possibly the Vok), which matches the TV series where he was the character who was the most interested in the Vok. This brings him into conlfict with Dinobot - possibly something which will lead to the character's inevitable defection to the Maximal side. Dinobot wants Tarantulas to focus on surveying the planet rather than whatever else he's investigating, but Tarantulas doesn't pay him any attention - reminding Dinobot that the Predacons only follow Megatron as long as their interests align. Another nice touch with regards to the Predacons is that we see that, much like in the TV series, Megatron is the proud owner of a rubber duck.

For me, however, the character who has really stolen my heart this issue is newcomer Nyx - the Maximal's pilot. I already thought she was a great character based on the time we spent with her in Issue 1, but this issue has made her my favourite character in the comic series thus far. She seems incredibly excited and enthusiastic about the situation she's in, and is ecstatic when Optimus asks her to test out her new bat form and survey the planet. We can also see that she's also willing to put other priorities first since, in spite of her enthusiasm, she knows the ship needs to be fixed and she really needs to stay on board to get the ship back in working order. 

She also gets a fun (albiet brief) chase sequence with Terrorsaur, who ambushes her. We can see from this sequence that, while she's in danger, she's not above making wisecracks as she taunts Terrorsaur for being unable to catch her. This of course provokes the Predacon into transforming back to robot mode, using his wrist cannons to down her, allowing him to take her back to the Predacon base.

This issue is a lot of fun, and does a good job of showing readers that this is not going to be a retelling of the TV series with a couple of new characters thrown in. I'm hooked on this version of the story, and I look forward to reading future issues to see where this story ends up going.

Beast Wars Episode 7 - Fallen Comrades

When discussing a property like Transformers, you definitely need to acknowledge that it primarily exists as a means to sell toys. While various iterations of Transformers have been able to tell a compelling story while marketing said toys, understanding the roots of the brand allows you to understand certain decisions behind things that happen in the various TV shows, films, and comics (most infamously beginning the 1986 Transformers movie by traumatising it's young child audience by brutally killing off most the beloved characters from the TV show since their toys weren't being made anymore).

Unlike the original Transformers series which shoehorned in new characters/toys to buy in practically every episode, Beast Wars has a much smaller number of characters with only a handful of characters in each faction. While this adds a lot to the show's enjoyment factor as it allows for more compelling characterisation and storytelling, it of course limits opportunities to show off what other toys are available. Like I said when discussing the opening episode, the show found a way around this through the inclusion of stasis pods orbiting the planet that would come down whenever Mainframe had time to model a new character. 

Which leads us to this episode, the first episode to introduce us to a new character since the show's first episode. As a result, this episode is the one that feels the most like an advertisment for a toy, but thankfully it isn't something that gets in the way of the episode telling a compelling story.

At the start of the episode, a stasis pod enters the planet's atmosphere and lands on the planet. This is tracked by both the Predacons and that Maximals. Rather than going for the protoform straight away, the Predecons decide to ambush the Maximals instead, with the aim being to take out Optimus, the only Maximal with flight capabilities. When this succeeds, the Megatron sends his Predacons to beat the remaining Maximals to the Protoform in order for them to reprogram it as a Predacon.

This episode is great for establishing the importance of the stasis pods and why they are of interest to both sides. Obviously, the pods contain new Maximals, so the Maximals wish for them to remain within their ranks. On the other hand, the Predacons also see this as an opportunity to go recruiting, and if they're able to beat the Maximals to the stasis pod, they can reprogram the Maximal to a Predacon.

The bulk of this episode is primarily a race between the two groups to see who will get to the stasis pod first. The tension is quite high throughout the episode, since whoever is able to get to the stasis pod first will have the advantage in numbers - tipping the odds slightly more in their favour. What adds to this tension is that the Maximals are at a disadvantage since the one flier they have is out of action, meaning that Rattrap, Rhinox, and Cheetor need to reach the stasis pod on foot whereas the Predacons still have Waspinator and Terrorsaur.

Speaking of which, the Predacons approach to the stasis pods arrival is a pretty clever plan. Rather than rushing straight for the Stasis Pod, they decide to anticipate that the Maximals will have the same plan, and instead opt to ambush the Maximal base and take out Optimus, therefore increasing their chances of getting to the stasis pod first.

This of course causes some divide with the Maximals. Optimus is adamant that they leave immediately, believing that the Predacons will also be heading after the statis pod, and wishing to beat them to it. Dinobot, being a former Predacon himself, of course suspects that his former associates will be planning something, and tries to disuade Optimus from heading out. Of course, Optimus heads out anyway and ends up getting offlined by the Predacons, meaning he needs to stay back at the base with Dinobot and recover while the other three head off after the stasis pod.

A lot of this episode takes place in a snowy landscape. This is a nice change of pace from the more rocky and grassy regions that we've spent a lot of time in during previous episodes. While of course the CGI has dated by today's standards, the snowy regions do look great for 1996.

Now we get to this episode's star - Tigatron. While he doesn't appear until the very end of the episode, he makes a really good first impression during his brief appearence. This makes sense, of course, since the idea of the sequence is to make the children watching want to go out and buy the Tigatron toy. Him appearing at the end is what makes the episode as a whole feel like a toy commercial, but this isn't a negative as the whole show in and of itself is a toy commercial - it's just this moment in particular feels explicitly like the show is trying to sell you a specific product.

In spite of this, it is a great moment. Both groups have met at the stasis pod, and it looks like the Maximals have won. However, Megatron plays upon the Maximal's empathy by threatening to kill some nearby white tigers. Of course, this forces the Maximals to stand down. Then as Megatron opens the Stasis Pod, it's empty. This is when it's revealled that the new Maximal has already awoken - and he was one of the white tigers. Tigatron then transforms and proceeds to single handedly take out the Predacons, forcing them to retreat.

This moment of badassery really helps to sell the audience on Tigatron, and he himself is an interesting character from his brief screentime. His identity circuits were damaged when his stasis pod crashed on the planet, which meant that when he awoke from cryosleep, he was unsure of who he was. His decision to fight the Predacons was made when the Maximals stood down to protect the white tigers. He opts not to come back to the Maximal base since he's more in tune with his Beast Mode, so prefers to stay in the wild. However, he does consider his fellow Maximals to be his allies. This is an interesting direction for the character, and it sets him apart from the other characters in the show.

Another interesting thing about Tigatron is that he initially wasn't going to appear in the show - his place was going to be taken by the character Wolfang. However, he got switched out for Tigatron simply because the Tigatron toy was simply just a recolour of Cheetor - this meant that Mainframe only had to modify Cheetor's character model in order to create Tigatron.

In spite of it feeling a bit more blatantly like a toy commercial near the end of the episode, this is a great introduction to a new character, and in it's own right, is an action packed and enjoyable episode with all the hallmarks that we've come to expect from the show (i.e. strong characters, great writing, and tense action sequences). By the episode's end, the Maximal's have strength in numbers - but for how long?

Next time: Rattrap's loyalty is questioned in 'Double Jeopardy'

 

Beast Wars Episode 6 - Power Surge

 

One of the few complaints I've had about some of these early Beast Wars episodes has been a lack of characterisation for the Predacons. As the series villains, most of them tend to have more of a background presence in the early episodes - being more or less voiceless grunts. This episode, we get some more characterisation for the Predacons and get more of a feel of the dynamics between their ranks.

The plot of this episode involves Terrorsaur discovering a floating mountain which contains a large quantity of Energon. This gives Terrorsaur more than enough power to overthrow Megatron, and take command of the Predacons. These events are observed by Cheetor, who goes back to base to inform the Maximals of this, who then determine that the best cause of action is to detonate the mountain in order to prevent the Predacons from making use of this tactical advantage.

The highlight of this episode is that it allows us to spend more time with the Predacons asides from Megatron so we can get more of a feel for their personalities. While some of these characters have had some sprinkles of personality so far, this time we get to see how the Predacons interact with each other, and how they each react when Megatron is disposed of shows the dynamics within the ranks.

We'll start with Terrorsaur, since he's the one who gets the most focus this time around. A couple of episodes back in Equal Measures, we got a hint of his more traitorous nature when he proposed for a truce with Dinobot - the aim being the two of them could work together in order to overthrow the Predacons. This essentially positioned him as being the Beast Wars equivilent to the original Transformers equally traitorous Decepticon Starscream, who took every possible opportunity to overthrow Megatron and take command of the Decepticons.

Of course, the first thing that Terrorsaur does upon finding the Energon mountain is seize the opportunity to take out Megatron in order for him to take command. He quickly takes out Megatron and then quickly beings planning to attack the Maximals. However, in his arrogance he doesn't realise that this power boost is only temporary, so he quickly needs to go back and get another boost in order to maintain his dominance over the Predacons. Another nice touch is that, when in command, he appears to adopt Megatron's tendancy to say the word 'yes' in an exaggerated way.

Next, we come to Tarantulas. This episode shows a more scheming and calculating side to the character. When Terrorsaur takes on Megatron, he instantly notes that Terrorsaur has never had this much power prior to this. When Terrorsaur is forced to flee, he then appoints Tarantulas as leader in his absence. However, Tarantulas isn't interested in leading, so he just leaves and instead spies on Terrorsaur - hoping to learn the secret of his newfound power and then harness it for himself. This adds an intersting dimension to the character, and possibly hints that he has his own agenda separate from the other Predacons.

So far, Scorponok hasn't made too much of an impression since he's pretty much just a one note character - he's second in command, and he's loyal to Megatron. This is the same here, but what makes it more interesting is that his loyalty doesn't extend to Terrorsaur when he takes over. In fact, he is horrified when Terrorsaur takes out his commander. He's also unhappy when Terrorsaur appoints Tarantulas as second in command. Since Tarantulas doesn't seem to care for the post, he just leaves Scorponok in charge. Scorponok then orders Waspinator, the one remaining Predacon, to restore Megatron. As for Waspinator, this episode shows that he is essentially happy with just being a cog in the machine as he instantly asks Scorponok for orders once he's left in charge.

While this is definitely more of a Predacon heavy episode, the Maximals do get a look in as well. Rhinox is able to show off his scientific knowledge by determining exactly why the mountain is floating since everyone else seems confused about how it could possibly be happening. Rattrap is as snarky as ever, refusing to even humour the notion of a floating mountain until he physically sees it - even doubting Optimus's sanity when he determines that such a thing currently exists. 

Rattrap also gets to have a brief showdown with Tarantulas on the floating mountain. After setting the charges to explode it, Rattrap gets ambushed by the Predacon, and Tarantulas seems to be particularly enthusiastic to take on Rattrap. After all, there is some history between the two of them after Rattrap infiltrated his lair to save Cheetor in The Web. 

Optimus also gets to have a showdown with the overpowered Terrorsaur. This is a great fight since, so far, Optimus has been shown to be a more than competent fighter who is able to stand his ground against his opponents. However, in this instance he finds himself outmatched due to Terrorsaur's immense power, meaning he has to flee from him until Terrorsaur gets depleted of his immense power. 

This is a really fun episode of the show, which shines through the interactions between the various characters and allowing us to see the dynamics between the various Predacons. The story might not be one of the strongest, but like a lot of early episodes of the show, it's the characters and their interactions with each other which makes it shine.

Next time: The Maximals find a potential new recruit in 'Fallen Comrades'