The Prisoner

« Transformers: Cyberverse ep 46 »
"We want information... information... information" "You won't get it." "By hook, or by crook, we will."
"The Prisoner"
Season	3
No. in season	10
Production company	Allspark Animation
Airdate	February 19, 2020 (UK) April 5, 2020 (USA)
Writer	Gavin Hignight
Director	Ehud Landsberg
Animation studio	Boulder Media Studio
Watch this episode on YouTube

Hot Rod and Soundwave clash over leadership of the Cybertronian resistance.

Synopsis

The Quintessons swarm outside their tower, where the Judge orders the assembled Prosecutors and Sharkticons to hunt Hot Rod down and ensure he is punished.

At Maccadam's, the mood is not good: Autobots are sitting on one side of the bar, Decepticons on the other. Maccadam cheerfully notes it's like old times, but they will need a plan to get rid of the Quintessons. And if that is the case, they might as well do it over a mug of Energon. Hot Rod and Soundwave approach the bar, Hot Rod trying to lay down a plan of attack on the Judge. Soundwave, however, states he is in charge. Hot Rod points out he doesn't even know what's going on, Soundwave shooting back that he knows Hot Rod is no Optimus Prime. Hot Rod shoots back that if it were not for him, Soundwave would still think he was at the Parade of Metals. Soundwave is not at all grateful, merely stating this means Hot Rod has outlived his usefulness, and prepares to attack the Autobot only to freeze up and start playing the parade music.

Clobber and Dead End explain that Soundwave has been like that since they found him. Perceptor does a quick scan and states this behavior is a result of his improper awakening from the Loop. Annoyed by the music, Dead End restores Soundwave via a solid thwack to the head. Hot Rod comments that it's like what happened to Hound: he and Perceptor had previously tried to free their Autobot comrade, similar to how Soundwave was, but he never properly recovered.

Hot Rod reiterates that they need to go after the Judge, but Soundwave thinks his plan is useless and stomps out, declaring he has a better plan. Clobber asks if they should go after him, which Dead End declines. Perceptor tells Hot Rod Soundwave is in no condition to be out on his own. Reluctantly, Hot Rod starts to go after the Decepticon, but Soundwave promptly returns, dragging a Prosecutor in behind him. His plan is to interrogate it, confident he can get it to tell him what it knows. But as he says this, the Prosecutor reawakens. Clobber punches it out, and Hot Rod tells Soundwave that what they need to talk to is a Bailiff.

Out in the city, Hot Rod shows Soundwave a Bailiff directing Prosecutors. Before he can rattle off a plan of attack, Soundwave interrupts with his own plan: split into teams and box the Bailiff in. Directing Whirl to take to the air, Soundwave walks off with Clobber to have a private conversation before returning and taking Dead End. As Hot Rod and Clobber avoid the prowling Prosecutors, the Decepticon apologizes to Hot Rod, saying they are like buds. As Hot Rod asks why she is apologizing, he turns to see her fists glowing. Soundwave instructed Clobber to take him out, and she has to follow orders. Hot Rod's attempts to tell the tearful Decepticon to stop do not work, as she continues to reluctantly wail on him.

Nearby, Dead End hears the sound of Clobber's assassination attempt, commenting that if it gets any louder, it will draw the Quintessons in. Observing the Quintessons are already there, Soundwave orders Dead End to call in Whirl, who lures away the Bailiff's guards. However, the Sharkticon proves capable of overpowering the two Decepticons on its own. Soundwave prepares to attack... only to freeze up and play parade music again.

Back with Hot Rod and Clobber, Hot Rod manages to get his friend to stop attacking by getting her to notice the parade music blaring out: Soundwave needs help. The two drive over to the fight. The Bailiff recognizes the Autobot just before Clobber rams him into a nearby wall, knocking the Sharkticon out. With that problem handled, conversation turns to Soundwave. Hot Rod is all for leaving the arrogant backstabber to the mercy of the Quintessons, as Dead End suggests, but he is an Autobot. A group of Prosecutors approach, and Hot Rod decides to draw them off while the two return Soundwave and the Bailiff to Maccadam's.

Hot Rod soon evades his enemies and returns to the bar, inquiring after Soundwave. Perceptor states he recovered, but it took much longer than before. Dead End informs Hot Rod that Soundwave is down in Iaconus's holding cells interrogating the Bailiff, having told everyone else not to interrupt him. Hot Rod goes down to confront him, finding Soundwave torturing the Bailiff, confident he will eventually give up what he knows. Hot Rod calls him on his tactics, saying no Autobot would ever stoop so low, but Soundwave merely retorts this is why Decepticons are superior and resumes his torture.

This proves the last straw for Hot Rod, and the two start fighting. However, he is soon overpowered. Fortunately for Hot Rod, Soundwave freezes up again. As the others enter, Hot Rod turns to the Bailiff and asks him to tell them what he knows. The Bailiff insists he doesn't know anything, except for the identity of someone who does: "the scientist". Hot Rod asks where they can find this scientist.

At the Quintesson tower, in a sinisterly-lit room beneath the chamber the Cybertronians are being held in, a Quintesson scientist is busy working away...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

Hot Rod: Clobber, we're friends.
Clobber: I know! This hurts me more than it does you!
Hot Rod: No, no, it hurts me more.

Notes

Continuity notes

• The story of Hound makes explicit the previous episode's implication that just severing someone from the Loop is inherently dangerous and ultimately fatal.
• Maccadam mentioned that Hot Rod would meet "the Scientist" in that same episode, so we know he wasn't in any real danger from Soundwave's assassination attempt.
• It is revealed that the Sharkticon featured in "The Loop" is a Bailiff, with the end credits naming him "Biter".

Transformers references

• While being "interrogated", the Bailiff name drops Nova Cronum.
• Soundwave states "Autobots are inferior and Decepticons are superior," paraphrasing one of his G1 counterpart's most famous quotes from The Transformers: The Movie.

Real-world references

• TBA

Other trivia

• Perceptor notes Hound "never recovered" from being improperly woken up. Given we haven't seen any sign of him or Hot Rod dragging around or even mentioning him at any point up until now, it looks an awful lot like Hound actually outright died.

Animation and technical errors

• TBA

Foreign localization

German

• Title: "Der Gefangene"
• Original airdate: November 28, 2020

Portuguese

• Title: "O Prisioneiro" ("The Prisoner")
• Original airdate: September 24, 2021

Home video releases

• TBA