A Fistful of Energon
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 Has the Allspark Power line ended yet? Is it safe for redecos to come out now? | |||||||||
| "A Fistful of Energon" | |||||||||
| Season | 2 | ||||||||
| No. in season | 7 | ||||||||
| Production company | Cartoon Network Studios | ||||||||
| Airdate | May 24, 2008 (Canada) May 31, 2008 (USA) | ||||||||
| Written by | Andrew Robinson | ||||||||
| Directed by | Irineo Maramba Matt Youngberg Makoto Fuchigami | ||||||||
| Animation studio | Mook | ||||||||
| Continuity | Animated cartoon continuity | ||||||||
 Watch this episode on YouTube
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Prowl goes off on his own to capture the fugitive Starscream, but finds some competition in the form of a Decepticon bounty hunter.
Contents |
Synopsis
As the Elite Guard's ship proceeds on its journey, an explosion rocks the hull, and out flies Starscream, declaring vengeance against Megatron once again.
On Dinobot Island, Prowl and Bulkhead are on the lookout for their feral friends in response to reports of some rampaging going on. Prowl has been sent along with Ratchet's EMP generator and some stasis cuffs, but doubts he will need them since the Dinobots are such gentle spirits when left alone and he has always been able to reason with them. Grimlock soon contradicts Prowl's perspective by charging into the clearing like an angry rhino. Prowl is still determined to take it easy on the big guy until Grimlock's jaws get dangerously close to a nest filled with adorable little baby birdies. Using an EMP blast, Prowl quickly incapacitates Grimlock.
Prowl and Bulkhead are both surprised that it came to that, but Prowl rationalizes that he did what he had to do to save the little birds. At this point, he notices a thorn stuck in Grimlock's paw as the likely source of the Dinobot's extra aggression. With some advice from Ratchet over the comm, Prowl uses controlled bursts from the EMP to stabilize the affected area, and Bulkhead yanks out the spike. Grimlock sighs in relief, and everything is all better.
Before they can head home, however, Ultra Magnus contacts the Autobot base with a message that Starscream has escaped and was last seen headed back to Earth. They would have sent that message sooner, but it seems their tachyon transmitter has gone missing. Megatron, who has been intercepting the message, takes a look at his own tachyon transmitter and sarcastically wonders where the Autobots' could have gone. He then wastes no time putting out a bounty on the escaped Decepticon traitor.
Back on the island, Prowl is feeling pretty tough after taking down the big, bad Grimlock all by himself and is already contemplating a similar hunt for Starscream. At the very least, while they're in the neighborhood, he and Bulkhead use Teletran-1's sensitive scanners to locate Starscream's AllSpark fragment...on the Moon. Prowl believes they have everything they need to go after him right away, but Bulkhead reminds him that Starscream is a little out of their league if it's just the two of them. Prowl agrees, but as soon as Bulkhead is off the ship and his back is turned, Prowl takes off in the ship's emergency shuttle by himself and heads for the Moon.
Prowl tracks the AllSpark fragment to the remains of the Decepticon warship. Optimus and Ratchet try to warn him how crazy his plan is and order him to return, but Prowl disregards them with some unconvincing fake static and heads inside the ship. He believes the mission of apprehending Starscream is best suited to a single bot built for stealth. Then, as he's sneaking around, his target finds him first and asks him derisively whom he's seeking here. Way to use that stealth...
Before Starscream can fire his null ray, a well-placed shuriken disables it. The fight begins, and thanks to the EMP, Prowl manages to hold his own. Starscream eventually gets in a direct hit, but on a hologram. The real Prowl gets into position, and an EMP blast knocks out the Decepticon. As soon as the fugitive is stasis-cuffed, a newcomer walks up and offers to take the bounty off his hands. It's Lockdown...wearing a poncho? He and Prowl start to fight over the prize. Meanwhile, Starscream comes to and yells at them to stop fighting because (as he says) he is afraid of rusting well before anybody wins. Neither combatant appreciates Starscream's comments, and both yell back at him to shut up and to lie still. He follows their orders and keeps silent for some time. But soon the fighters notice that their "prize" is silent for a bit too long. Looking down, they discover that he has already released his stasis cuffs and escaped safely. Outside, Starscream (who is strangely brown-coloured) blasts Prowl's shuttle and flies off toward Earth. Lockdown decloaks his own ship and takes pursuit, with Prowl hitching a ride on the hull.
Lockdown is finding it difficult to locate Starscream's Decepticon signal when Prowl ambushes him, deflecting a counter-attack with a shield mod borrowed from Lockdown's own display case. Once they're at a standstill, Prowl points out that he knows how to track Starscream's AllSpark fragment, but he'll need Lockdown's sensors to do it. Thus a partnership is created, and Lockdown offers his new friend a few more upgrades to make sure they get the job done right.
Lockdown's ship touches down in Detroit and disguises itself as a building again. Lockdown and Prowl transform and roll out, with Prowl enjoying the feel of his new samurai armor/sidecar. They track the signal to a highway where Starscream is cowering beneath a bridge. When they confront him, they notice that there's something wrong with him. He behaves considerably more cowardly than usual, and is painted considerably more purple. Prowl shows off his upgrades, flying circles around the fleeing Decepticon and eventually taking him down with an EMP blast. Lockdown is impressed. With the bounty secured, he contacts Megatron and arranges a meeting at an abandoned warehouse. Prowl is shocked to learn the two-faced bounty hunter he'd partnered with had been working for someone evil. When Starscream begs Lockdown not to hand over him to Megatron, Prowl tells him to calm himself and attempts to cross Lockdown. Seeing their partnership is no long profitable, the bounty hunter incapacitates Prowl, tying him up with a bola, and drives off with his bounty in tow.
The other Autobots show up to untie their errant companion and chew him out, but Prowl is more interested in continuing pursuit of Starscream. The rest of the team follow, but point out that Prowl is starting to sound too much like Lockdown, as the mods are going to his head.
They almost catch up with Lockdown and the purple Starscream when they're stopped on the road by the arrival of another Starscream. This one sports a brown and off-white color scheme and is something of a sycophant... He attempts to negotiate a pact with the Autobots to work together and destroy Megatron, but Prowl turns down the offer and attacks. Using his new arsenal, he leads, disarms, and disables the brown Starscream. It's a cool but messy victory. Ratchet scolds Prowl for not just taking him out with a single EMP blast. Prowl attests that his way was more fun, but Ratchet points out all the collateral damage he caused, including a knocked down bird's nest with its eggs broken all over the sidewalk. On the contrary, Starscream praises Prowl's "fine and effective sneak attack" and even doubts if he is really an Autobot "from top to toe". Prowl feels awful upon realizing what he has done, but chasing Lockdown is still more important for him.
Prowl sneaks into the warehouse where Lockdown had set up the meeting with Megatron, intending to prevent the Decepticon leader from dealing with Starscream. Megatron declares his intention to punish Starscream exemplarily. But before he has the chance, Prowl accidentally gives away his presence. Megatron orders Blitzwing and Lugnut to take "the Autobot offender" in charge, but the other Autobots burst in, bringing yet another Starscream. Before anyone can figure out which is the real one, the two Starscreams open their cockpits to reveal a pair of ticking time bombs. The real Starscream's voice announces that it was all part of his plan to take his enemies all out at once. Megatron isn't about to sit around and be blown up, though, so he shoots the skylight and calls for the Decepticons to transform and rise up. Lockdown escapes safely, though rewardless.
The blast will take out half the city, so Prowl uses his mods to weld the Starscreams together and jam their jets on so they rocket straight up into the atmosphere. The explosion doesn't harm the city (besides setting off a lot of car alarms) but does do a number on the fleeing Decepticons.
While Lockdown is escaping from the planet again, he contacts Prowl and offers a permanent partnership, since they're so much alike. Prowl turns down the offer, claiming it was fun while it lasted, but the super-charged bounty hunter life just wasn't his style. With all his upgrades shorted out or gone, Prowl detaches the one mod that got out without a scratch, Ratchet's EMP generator, and returns it to its rightful owner.
Later, Starscream sits within his new base aboard the wreckage of the Decepticon warship and watches an announcement from Megatron stating that the bounty on the fugitive has been increased, but whoever captures him had better make sure it's the real deal. Starscream himself is furious that his trap failed, but it doesn't matter, as he has plenty more decoys where that came from...
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons |
|---|---|
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Quotes
[Ratchet and Prime are communicating with Prowl and Bulkhead over the radio]
Ratchet: Prowl, any sign of the Dinobots?
Prowl: Negative, Ratchet. I'm starting to think those reports of rampages were nothing but exaggeration.
Optimus: We're not taking any chance, Prowl. That's why I had Ratchet lend you his EMP generator and those stasis cuffs.
Prowl: Still, I hardly think they're necessary. The Dinobots are territorial, but if left alone, they're perfectly happy.
[Grimlock roars, then runs out of the forest, charging the Autobots]
Bulkhead: He doesn't look too happy to me!
- —The Autobots are Dinobot hunting...and things are not going well.
"Me Grimlock...better."
- —Grimlock after Bulkhead removes the spike, but before he passes out.
"I'm afraid Sari and Bumblebee left on an important fact-finding mission this morning. To someplace called... 'Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom'."
- —Optimus Prime gets duped.
"Prowl, exactly what line of JUNK CODE is scrambling your software?!"
- —Prowl is in hot water with Ratchet.
"Personally, I've always found Bumblebee's fake static to be a lot more convincing."
- —Ratchet doesn't get duped.
Starscream: You call this a fight? I'll rust before someone wins! And I'm in a vacuum!
Prowl and Lockdown: Will you keep quiet?!
- —Prowl and Lockdown tell Starscream where to stick it.
"No! No, please! Leave me alone!"
"Maybe it's me, but that doesn't sound like the Starscream I know..."
- —His reaction to Coward Starscream's plea for mercy leaves one wondering if Lockdown has ever met the real Screamer...
Sycophant Starscream: Well, if it isn't my favorite band of plucky little Autobots.
Optimus: Autobots, prepare for battle!
Sycophant Starscream: Wait, you misunderstand. Noble Optimus Prime, wise Ratchet, stealthy Prowl and mighty...eh...
Bulkhead: Bulkhead!
Sycophant Starscream: Ooh, that's too bad.
- —Starscream pulls a Bumblebee
"Did you really think I would offer so little a challenge? I allowed you to capture these clones to fulfill my plan to eliminate you all! Especially you, MegaFOOL! Mwa-hah-ha-ha-ha! In moments you will be blown to bits, and I will become the Supreme Leader of ALL DECEPTICONS!"
- —Speaking through his clones, the real Starscream's speech-making tendencies are undimmed, even if he now prefers to do it from a safe distance.
Megatron: Attention all Decepticons. I, Megatron, am increasing the bounty on the traitor Starscream. Only this time, make sure you find the real Starscream.
Starscream: Curse you Megatron! What does it take to destroy you? Oh well, plenty more where they came from.
- —Starscream intercepting a transmission from Megatron.
Notes
Transformers references
- The Starscream clones are, of course, a reference to the Seekers of Generation 1, most notable for being hordes of disposable Decepticons in "More than Meets the Eye" (and then kinda vanishing save for rare appearances later).
Continuity notes
- It seems that since the events of the last episode Bulkhead has grown a taste for oil, as he can be seen drinking it when he and Prowl are first on Dinobot Island.
- Starscream's cloning process will be revealed in "A Bridge Too Close, Part I", using pieces of his Allspark fragment to power them and explaining why they show up on the Allspark scanners in this episode. Exactly where he got the raw material for the clones won't be revealed until "Endgame, Part I", in which we're told they're made from the protoforms stolen back in "Five Servos of Doom".
- It's not the first time in Animated that an Autobot sacrifices a new upgrade to launch a bomb that could destroy Detroit into upper atmosphere.
Real-world references
- This episode contains numerous references to A Fistful of Dollars, including the title, Lockdown wearing a poncho in his first appearance, and the Mexican standoff scene in the warehouse.
- A Fistful of Dollars is, in turn, a Western adaptation of Yojimbo, which also accounts for Prowl's samurai armor.
- Grimlock's foot problem recalls "The Lion and the Mouse", an Aesop's fable about a mouse who befriends a lion by pulling a thorn out of his paw. Or the tale of the Christian Saint Jerome, whose life was saved by the lion he'd helped when he later encountered it in a Roman circus. Or the story of Androcles and the Lion...it's been done a lot.
- Five Banners Roller Coaster Kingdom is a reference to the Six Flags chain of amusement parks and possibly Magic Kingdom as well.
Animation or technical errors
- The large spike stuck in Grimlock's foot is nowhere to be seen in the full-body shots previous to Prowl discovering it.
- The dialogue suggests that the spike is jammed through Grimlock's foot, but the animation shows it merely stuck between his toes.
- When Lockdown first appears, his head is missing the design across his forehead.
- Just after mud-coloured Starscream tells the Autobots of his plan in joining forces, his mouth disappears.
- Ratchet's war wound disappears when he's telling Prowl to get rid of his mods, just after his showy (and destructive) capture of the red Starscream clone.
- After Lockdown's ship lands and he and Prowl transform, Lockdown's head is seen forming the engine block. In the next shot, his engine emerges from the hood, where his head previously formed it.
- Blitzwing's "missing wings" bit from "Mission Accomplished" returns when we first see him.
Continuity errors
- When Starscream tells them he'll rust, in a vacuum, Lockdown and Prowl tell him to shut up, an action that should be impossible, given that sound cannot carry in space. In fact, during all the time spent in space, the characters interact with each other as if they were under atmospheric conditions - of course, they could have open commlinks to each other.
- Why doesn't anyone notice that the Starscreams are different colors? Sure, the coward's paint job isn't that noticeable, but wouldn't they notice that the other guy's orange?
Trivia
- This episode was first aired in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- Bumblebee and Sari are absent from this episode, with Optimus saying that they're on an "important fact-finding mission" (an amusement park). Therefore, we don't get to see if Sari's hair grew back since last episode.
- Lugnut and Blitzwing, on the other hand, appear but say nothing, as do Jazz and even Sentinel Prime. Result!
- The clones seem to embody elements of Starscream's personality, the purple Starscream representing Starscream's cowardice and the reddish-brown Starscream representing Starscream's sycophantic, flattering nature. This is confirmed to be the case in "A Bridge Too Close, Part I."
- Both altered-color clones use Starscream's original colors as a base, but the sycophantic one runs towards "hotter" colors playing up the red and white (a little devilish, perhaps?), while the cowardly one has colors more on the "cold" end, leaning into purple and stony grey.
- While you could be forgiven for assuming Prowl's armor was a Hasbro idea, it actually predates the toy. Hasbro decided to make a toy of it after watching the episode.[2]
- The other Autobots, and eventually Prowl as well, treat his upgrades as a bad thing. In the story, this makes sense because Lockdown acquires his trophies by hacking them off other Cybertronians, a practice the other characters had previously shown to find extremely distasteful (at best). Oddly, this goes against everything Hasbro wants us to believe.
- While Ratchet seems to be the moral compass of this episode, the day is only saved by Prowl's use of his upgrades.
- Why is Prowl so surprised that Lockdown is working for the Decepticons? That's exactly what he was doing the last time they met. And Lockdown specifically tells Prowl that Starscream has a large bounty. With that, along with knowing Starscream is a traitor, this one really is on Prowl.
- Apparently Starscream put a few extra zeros in when programming the timer on the clones. His plot might have worked if he hadn't given Megatron three minutes to run away.
- Exactly why does Lockdown wear a poncho? Apparently it's a handy dandy stealth device. That's right people, stealth poncho! No good ninja pretending to be Mexican should be without it.
- When the probe from Teletran-1 deploys, there is a Star Trek communicator chirp clearly heard.
- When the Ark shuttle lifts off behind Bulkhead, there is a Star Wars hyperspace docking ring engine sound able to be heard.
- This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "Transformers Animated Volume 10", with "Rise of the Constructicons" making up the other half. It was also adapted in book format as "Starscream Flies Again".
Foreign localization
French
- Title: "Pour une poignée d'Énergon" ("For a Fistful of Energon")
- Original airdate: ???
Spanish (Latin America)
- Title: "Un Puñado de Energon" ("A fistful Of Energon")
- Original airdate: 25 October 2008
German
Italian
- Title: "La Potenza non è Tutto" ("Power is not Everything")
- Original airdate: 28 February 2009
Japanese
-
- New stock footage of Starscream transforming and delivering the warning, with Prowl doing the intro.
- The Otoboto family segment has all four members participating in a quiz contest, Hiroyuki wondering where the announcer's voice is coming from in a no-fourth-wall moment. The first question asks what was the second half of the title to 2007 Transformers' sequel. They respond with "Revenge"—each family member writing the individual katakana "リベンジ" separately. The prize for the second question is the gold Lucky Draw Optimus figure, although it has nothing to do with Transformers—it's regarding 5-time Olympic judo medalist Ryōko "Yawara-chan" Tani.
Polish
- Title: "Garść Energonu" ("A Fistful of Energon")
- Original airdate: ???
Portuguese
- Title: "Um Punhado de Energon" ("A Fistful of Energon")
- Original airdate: ???
Home video releases
- DVD
2009 — Transformers Animated — Season Two (Paramount) — English and Spanish audio.
2009 — Transformers Animated — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2009 — Transformers Animated — Volume Five: Fistful of Energon (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2009 — Transformers Animated — Volume Fünf: Der Doppelte Starscream (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2011 — Transformers Animated — Vol. 6 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.
2014 — Transformers Animated — Season Two (Madman Entertainment)
2014 — Transformers Animated — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
References
- ↑ Yes, it's true. Blitzwing went the entire episode without switching personalities.
- ↑ http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html
