So far, Rhinox is a character who has been more of a background presence in comparison to the rest of the Maximals. His main purpose has been to be a voice of reason when Optimus isn't around as well as being the most scientifically/technologically knowledged of the group - allowing him to both understand the strange planet they've landed on as well as construct devices that will aid them in their fight against the Predacons. He's also proven to be a major badass, as witnessed by his usage of duel chainguns in combat that allow him to obliterate Predacons. This episode brings the character to the forefront as he ends up becoming a Predacon.
During a hunt for Energon, the Maximals get ambushed by the Predacons. After Optimus Primal gets downed, Rhinox uses his duel chainguns in order to start a landslide that crushes the Predacons, allowing the Maximals to escape. This feat impresses Megatron, who feels he has underestimated Rhinox up until now, and tasks the Predacons with capturing him, with his plan being to turn him into one of them.
Much like Gorilla Warfare, this is an episode where the script feels more akin to something that could have been an episode of the 80's Transformers (featuring a similar 'one of the heroes goes through a personality shift' plotline), but what makes the episode so watchable are the hallmarks that elevate Beast Wars beyond your typical animated series made to sell plastic figures to children. Another aspect that makes this episode so fun is that we get to spend more time with the Predacons.
I really like this episode's opening scene - it's a fun battle sequence where Rhinox gets an opportunity to flex and show off the badass combatant side of his personality. It does a great job of establishing Rhinox and showing why Megatron views him as a potential good asset for his forces.
Rather than go and rescue Rhinox, Optimus decides that the Maximals should wait a while (even mimicing Megatron's habit of saying the word 'yes' in an elongated and exaggerated manner) before storming in. The reason for this is because the Predacons haven't realised that they've bit off more than they can chew by trying to convert Rhinox into a Predacon.
A large chunk of the episode is spent on the Predacon base, and we can clearly see why Optimus decided to hold fire, as Predacon Rhinox quickly proves that he's not one to take orders. Rather than being a soldier willing to fall in line, Rhinox instantly starts plotting to overthrow Megatron and take command of the Predacons. Rather than going all guns blazing, Rhinox initially does this covertly - sabotaging the Predacon's computer systems and taking out the Predacons one by one. This eventually gets observed by Terrorsaur, who we of course know has his own plans to overthrow the Predacons, so him and Rhinox agree to work together in order to achieve this goal.
The idea of Rhinox acting this way as a Predacon is an interesting concept. It would have been easy to make it so that Rhinox was a loyal Predacon, but that wouldn't have been as exciting. Having Evil Rhinox have his own agenda makes the episode feel more unpredictable and throws another spanner in the works. This detail gets explored a little bit more in Beast Wars' sequel series Beast Machines, but sadly it's execution isn't handled as well (but we'll get to that later).
One fun detail of this episode is Waspinator going through a personality shift after getting a knock on the head from Rhinox. This makes him believe that he is actually a Decepticon named Shrapnel. Black Arachnia refers to him as a Decepticon who fought in the 'Great War' - confirming that the Great War that Optimus referred to in the first episode was in fact the war between the Autobots and Decepticons that was depicted in the original Transformers cartoon. This is the first major link between the two shows, and as we get into the second season of the show, the series will become more and more intertwined with G1, something which helped the show win over the fans who were more cynical towards Beast Wars due to it's differences from the original show.
Megatron, being the meglomaniac that he is, isn't going to give up control easily, and realises that he got more than he bargained for in converting Rhinox into a villain, and ends up reversing the procedure since he knows that he has no chance of taking on Rhinox in a fight. This proves to be perfect timing, as the Maximals storm the Predacon base at this very moment in order to rescue their ally, leading to this episodes explosive climactic battle.
This is a fun episode that allows us to spend more time with the show's antagonists and allows a character who has primarily been a background presence to get a moment in the spotlight. It's also an episode that really begins to build the bridge between this show and it's predecessor and establishing the continuity between the two shows.
Next time: Megatron attempts to clone Dinobot in 'Double Dinobot'
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