Underground (episode)

« Transformers: Armada ep 10 »
Not about the Autobots forming a rock group to stop Dr. Robotnik.
"Underground" 迷路 (ちか) (Chika) "Maze: Underground"
Production code	TF: A-10
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	November 1, 2002 (English) 14 March 2003 (Japanese)
Writer	Isao Shizuya
Director	Satoru Kusuda, Shigeki Hatakeyama
Animation studio	Actas Inc.
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy
Watch this episode on YouTube

The battle for the Mini-Cons leads both forces underground, and another warrior enters the conflict.

Synopsis

So... Come here often?

Underground, in the Mini-Con ship's ruins, Red Alert and Hot Shot work to salvage what they can while the kids take a passive interest. Hot Shot whines that this kind of labor isn't his forte, and Rad offers to take his place. Just then, Optimus sends a message over the PA system, instructing everybody to return to the control room to prepare to find another activated Mini-Con panel. The computer determines the panel is in an urban area, and the kids suit up. The Autobots warp to their destination.

Within the ambiguous city, the Autobots determine the Mini-Con panel is underground, and Alexis finds an entrance into the subway system for the Autobots to utilize. A problem emerges when an active train heads directly for Optimus, who doesn't have enough room to maneuver out of its path. Only at the last second is Optimus able to turn away and avoid killing the astonished train operator. The danger passed, and the Autobots split up and explore the underground, searching for the Mini-Con.

So who's the red car, then?

Hot Shot casually drives by civilians in what appears to be an underground shopping area, confused as to why the bystanders find his presence irregular. Red Alert goes alongside a train, confusing some children. Optimus Prime observes that driving around the subway system is like exploring a maze. Elsewhere, the Decepticons have infiltrated the sewer system, to Cyclonus's distaste. When Megatron has trouble maneuvering, he and the Decepticons deploy their Mini-Cons to search for them.

Following a staircase Alexis found, the kids locate a subway station that is evidently out of commission, and Alexis declares her ambition to become President of the United States. Under her administration, no subway station will fall into disrepair. Indifferent to Alexis's political agenda, the Street Action Team Mini-Cons combine into Perceptor and locate the new Mini-Con within a ceiling panel. However, the panel is inches away from Perceptor's grasp, and he can't reach it. Using a ladder, Carlos gets a grip on the Mini-Con panel and pulls it out from the ceiling, getting caught by Alexis. Rad decides they should take the panel to the Autobots when the three come under a sudden attack from a blue hook.

"Step 5. Press down on child's head."

Running from their new attacker, the kids run into an area where non-functional subway cars trap them. The kids jump into one of the cabs but find themselves trapped between their assailant and the Decepticons' Mini-Cons. Thinking quickly, the kids jump out a window and ride away, hiding in a cavern. Rad deploys Laserbeak to find Optimus.

Receiving information about the Mini-Con from Blackout, Megatron blasts his way into the sewer, while Optimus gets the same information from Laserbeak. Megatron and his cronies are the first to locate the kids, and they quickly surround them. Just then, the mysterious assailant from earlier saves the children. After the unknown robot transforms, the Decepticons manage to bury him, the Mini-Con panel, and the kids beneath some rubble.

Time for a robo-noogie, Smokescreen!

The Autobots arrive just in time to see Cyclonus pick up the Mini-Con panel and activate it, revealing it to be Drill Bit. Having won the battle by default, the Decepticons retreat. The Autobots quickly prepare to try to unbury the kids to see if they're still alive when the orange assailant emerges from the dirt, having used his body to protect the children. Hot Shot identifies the bot as Smokescreen. Smokescreen apologizes for not meeting up with the Autobots earlier, and Rad is happy to have made a new friend, who was maybe only briefly trying to kill him.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Man! Haven't they seen a car on the sidewalk before?!"

—Hot Shot is either joking, or really bad at the whole "robot in disguise" thing.

"I can't even fly in here! What a rip-off!"

—Cyclonus in the subway

"Once I become President, I'll change all that, you'll see! I'll put an end to the misuse of public property, and THEN I'll work on saving the environment, and I'll end world hunger."

—Alexis, acting like a complete hippie

"Hello, kids, looks like you picked a "dead end", if you know what I mean!"

—Cyclonus, trying to be funny but failing miserably

"Combat is not a spectator sport."

—Says Starscream, except when it is

"Ha ha! Look at those pathetic fools! They've all been buried alive."
"Uh, that's great, sir, but the Mini-Con is buried too!"
"Then why don't you go and dig it out, you numbskull? Why is it I have to spell everything out for you?"

—Megatron heaps abuse on Cyclonus again.

"Stay where you are, and nobody gets hurt. Once we have the Mini-Con, we'll be on our way. Then you Autobots can dig in the dirt all you like."

—Demolishor

Notes

Differences with Legends of the Microns

• Red Alert tells Hot Shot to quit complaining since they still have work to do in Armada. Red Alert says they're nowhere near done yet in Legends of the Microns. Hot Shot claims that he'll rest until someone needs him on the battlefield before Rad offers to "cover" for Hot Shot since he's good with computers in Armada. Hot Shot asks himself what a guy is supposed to do during a time like this, and Rad asks who he's referring to in the Japanese dub.
• In Prime's cab, Alexis tells Carlos that nobody would ever believe that a "super robot lifeform" from outer space is here to protect them.
• Armada has Hot Shot claim to detect a weak signal from the Mini-Con. Then Optimus pinpoints the Mini-Con's location as being underground. Hot Shot makes a sarcastic quip about doing more digging, and Red Alert says they risk drawing attention to themselves if they start excavating. Legends of the Microns has Hot Shot unable to get a signal. Then Red Alert says it's the same on his end before Optimus says likewise and that the Mini-Con should be close. After Hot Shot's quip, Red Alert reiterates that the Mini-Con is close.

Some changes between Armada (left) and Legends of the Microns (right).

• Armada uses the commercial bumper's music during the scene transitions. Legends of the Microns uses the correct respective Autobot and Decepticon themes from the scene transitions and bumpers.
• At the tunnel access point, Alexis calls it the subway system entrance in Armada. She calls it "a new construction tunnel leading underground" in Legends of the Microns., which is probably more fitting given the surrounding construction materials.
• Red Alert asking Optimus if he has room to move in the tunnel, and Prime's response are reworded slightly in the Japanese dub as Red Alert asks if the Autobots will be alright, and Optimus says they'll manage.
• After barely avoiding the train, Carlos says he's glad Alexis is there to protect him in Armada, and Alexis has trouble breathing with him so close. Legends of the Microns has him stating how he was afraid of almost dying instead, and Alexis tells Carlos that he's hurting her. Also, in Legends of the Microns, Optimus credits the narrow train dodge to finding the side tunnel instead of a track switch.
• When driving through the station, Hot Shot says, "Oh man!" instead of asking himself if people haven't seen a car on a sidewalk before in Legends of the Microns.
• In Legends of the Microns, Rad asks Alexis what's got her attention before she points out the entryway to the boys. She only points it out in Armada. Additionally, Alexis is redrawn with better shading in the Japanese version as she reacts to finding the passage, which now has a shadow effect missing from Armada (see right).
• During Decepticons' first scene in the tunnel, instead of previously telling Cyclonus to be quiet, Starscream agrees with him that it's a pain they can't fly in the cramped space. Starscream's internal monologue isn't about getting the Mini-Con before Cyclonus but laughing at Megatron and Demolishor's expense as they barely have room to move in their vehicle modes. In Legends of the Microns, Megatron repeatedly, and rather hilariously, swears about the cramped space.
• The kids' scene on the abandoned platform with their partner Mini-Cons is similar between the dubs, but the dialogue is slightly different.
  • In Armada, Alexis guesses the city abandoned the platform for not fitting its plans or to replace it with a new train line. After she finishes her tirade about her presidential goals, she apologizes for getting carried away. However, in Legends of the Microns, Alexis says "poor land zoning," and improperly planned construction routes caused the platform's abandonment. While Alexis rants, Carlos gets a line about Alexis giving another "lecture." After finishing, Alexis reflects on how the station was probably beautiful in the past.
  • The transform sound effect isn't heard when the Mini-Cons combine into Perceptor in Legends of the Microns; the Japanese dub removes other instances of it from the rest of the episode.
  • Carlos suggests finding a ladder to help Perceptor before seeing it in Armada. He sees the ladder first and then says he has an idea in Legends of the Microns. The Japanese dub also reanimates Carlos's mouth for his line of dialogue.
  • During the shot of Carlos trying to get the panel while Alexis, Rad, and the Mini-Cons hold the ladder, Carlos is silent, and Rad tells Carlos to hurry up.
  • Though Alexis screams when the ladder falls, Carlos barely makes a sound in Armada. The Japanese dub has him scream instead of Alexis.
  • Instead of remarking on how the panel is tightly wedged into the ceiling, Carlos says he can't hold on to it for long. His voice now sounds more strained, and Rad sounds more scared for Carlos than in Armada.
  • In Armada, Carlos screams that he's falling, and as Alexis holds him, her face is animated to show her frustration more clearly. In Legends of the Microns, Carlos does generic screaming that's shortened slightly, Alexis looks somewhat stoic, and her facial animation isn't cartoonish like it is in the English version. Meanwhile, Carlos repeats that he was scared of dying in Legends of the Microns; he thanks Alexis for "saving" him again in Armada. In Legends of the Microns, the animation for Carlos in the scene after he stops screaming is in reverse order. Additionally, the shot is tightly cropped in Legends of the Microns to have Alexis centered in the frame (see right).
• Alexis tells Rad that Smokescreen must be a Decepticon since he's "chasing" them in Armada but says he's "attacking" them in the Japanese dub.
• Rad says the Decepticons Mini-Cons know the panel is close to awakening in Legends of the Microns, rather than stating the obvious about them not stopping until they get it.
• Before Megatron blasts the tunnel, he only says the Decepticons should get going in Armada. He again gripes about having little room to move in Legends of the Microns, setting up Megatron blasting the tunnel to widen it.
• Optimus says Laserbeak's name aloud when he arrives in Armada. Prime makes a confused sound in the Japanese dub.
• Instead of noticing Rad holding the Mini-Con in his video message as he does in Armada, Hot Shot praises Rad's ingenuity. Hot Shot later speaks in Red Alert's place as the Autobots rush to the children's location.
• Legends of the Microns has the kids scream after trying to escape each Decepticon, and their screaming continues into the next shot until they're blocked again. In Armada, they scream immediately after each escape attempt, but it stops whenever it cuts to the next scene.
• Rather than his "dead end" quip, Cyclonus tells the kids that he can't allow their escape. Then Demolishor says, "Oops, too bad!"
• Megatron says he is sick of the children's games in Armada but calls Rad a fool and orders the kids to be smashed to bits in Legends of the Microns. It cuts to Cyclonus laughing maniacally instead of offering to show the kids "how the big boys play," as he does in Armada.
• In Legends of the Microns, Starscream draws his sword and tells the kids it's the end of their cheerleading instead of combat not being "a spectator's sport" (quoted above).
• After Smokescreen saves the kids from Starscream, Megatron asks the Autobot for his identity, and Smokescreen responds with, "Who knows?" in a smart-aleck tone. Armada has awkward silence during the moment instead. Megatron doesn't say anything to Smokescreen as he runs with the kids in Legends of the Microns.
• In Armada, Megatron snickers at Smokescreen and the children being buried alive but doesn't mention the kids in Legends of the Microns.
• Instead of Optimus demanding the Decepticons release the children, he asks what happened to them in Legends of the Microns. Rather than remarking how the children "brought the house down" as he does in Armada, Cyclonus teases that he is digging for them in the rubble, but finding the Mini-Con comes first.
• In Armada, Hot Shot demands to know where the kids are, and Cyclonus asks if Hot Shot will "blow a circuit" if he doesn't tell. After giving warning shots, Demolishor says they'll be on their way and let the Autobots play in the dirt after finding the Mini-Con. In Legends of the Microns, Hot Shot tells Cyclonus to move, and Cyclonus refuses. Demolishor then demands Hot Shot stay where he is unless he wants anything to happen to the kids.
• Legends of the Microns has Cyclonus finding Drill Bit in the rubble, activating him, and demanding that he scan his image once he appears. He immediately says this before awakening the Mini-Con in Armada. Drill Bit also speaks before Powerlixing with Cyclonus in the Japanese dub. Cyclonus says, "This is the best!" in Legends of the Microns as he makes the golf reference in Armada.
• In Armada, Megatron says the newly acquired Mini-Con is a waste, presumably because it bonds with Cyclonus. In Legends of the Microns, he says there's no longer a reason to stay now that the Decepticons have the Mini-Con.
• Smokescreen apologizes to the kids instead of asking if he scared them. Instead of Carlos claiming to know Smokescreen was on the Autobots' side, he calls Smokescreen bold for fighting off the Decepticons. Alexis tells Smokescreen how she thought he was a Decepticon, and he apologizes again. The kids are entirely redrawn in this scene with improved lighting and shading on their suits and better facial expressions, and Alexis's hands no longer look short and wonky (see right).
• After Rad's ending narration in Legends of the Microns, viewers can hear Hot Shot and Smokescreen's playful banter. Hot Shot says things could've been easier had Smokescreen arrived sooner, and the latter says he would have but got sidetracked.

Animation and technical errors

• The shot immediately after the opening bumper is the opening shot from "Comrade," and the errors from that episode carry over here: Alexis and the Mini-Cons and nowhere in sight, only to appear moments later.
• After realizing the new Mini-Con panel is in the city, the kids look at Optimus behind them as though he's talking when it's Red Alert who's speaking from off-screen. Red Alert isn't part of the scene in Legends of the Microns, and Optimus is the one who speaks at that point.
• The shot of Optimus and Hot Shot before the team leaves the base shows the monitor depicting the city behind them. Legends of the Microns corrects the background to be a part of the Control Room (see above).
• As the Autobots try to hone in on the Mini-Con's signal, Optimus has dialogue during the shot of Red Alert, making it seem like Red Alert is speaking with Prime's voice. The Japanese dub fixes it so that Red Alert talks before Optimus.
• Alexis's phone changes color between shots.
• When Carlos yells about the incoming train, his brief scream seems awkward because it's either shortened or placed wrong. In the Japanese dub, he screams before shouting his line, and he draws out his final word for emphasis.
• The train boy's shirt changes from orange to blue between shots. The Japanese dub corrects the mistake.
• During the shot of the kids riding through the tunnel before finding the doorway, High Wire's wheels don't move, so it looks like Rad is floating across the scene.
• In Legends of the Microns, Carlos's mouth doesn't move when he speaks while Alexis holds him up.
• Just before Rad escapes the train car on High Wire, the rock encasing the Mini-Con panel disappears.
• Rad's hair color changes to match Alexis's in two shots. This error doesn't happen in Legends of the Microns.
• In the shots of Cyclonus and Starscream in the tunnel, Starscream's left wing is missing the Decepticon symbol. The right wing's emblem is badly drawn as a simple purple pentagon.
• In Legends of the Microns, Carlos's hands are miscolored in the close-up shot of him holding onto the Mini-Con panel as it emerges from the ceiling.
• After Rad and High Wire slide under the train car, Alexis and Carlos move in the next shot, making it look like they're going down a long corridor when the train car is only a couple of feet in front of them. Legends of the Microns removes their movement, so they don't move until the next shot of them sliding under the train car.
• After the kids and their Mini-Cons arrive in the cavern, the new panel vanishes from Rad's grasp, and it's also gone as he records the message to the Autobots with Laserbeak; Grindor is also missing during the latter shot. As Rad deploys Laserbeak, Alexis suddenly has the panel, and Grindor reappears.
• The Decepticons' lasers are either miscolored yellow or Autobot-red. Two shots of Demolsihor and Cyclonus shooting proper Decepticon-purple blasts are near the end, but they turn red in the next shot in both cases.
• The laser blast from Megatron firing into the cavern the second time is yellow, although it was red when leaving his tank turret. Legends of the Microns corrects it so it's red both times (see above).
• Starscream has a low-res pixelated model when taunting the kids in the cavern after the Decepticons surround them.
• After Smokescreen saves the kids from Cyclonus, the Mini-Con panel goes missing from the rock in Rad's grasp. Legends of the Microns adds it back.
• Smokescreen's cable is miscolored blue before swinging himself at Starscream. The Japanese dub corrects it.
• In the shot of Smokescreen swinging his crane arm at Starscream, the Decepticon symbol is missing from the Decepticon's wings.
• In the shot of Red Alert, Optimus, and Hot Shot before they transform after finding the Decepticons, their vehicle modes seem angled downward, though they're on a flat surface.
  • Optimus's forward-facing transformation is animated rather absurdly, as his trailer parts are visible behind his truck cab, merging into his back as he stands up. Red Alert and Hot Shot's transformations also look weird in the shot in terms of perspective.
• As Cyclonus prepares to dig out the Mini-Con panel from the rubble, his head is drawn hideously off-model.
• Demolishor's forearms are absurdly long in the shot after he fires a warning shot at Hot Shot's feet.
• Carlos's eyes have whites in the shots of the kids trying to run from Cyclonus and later when talking to Smokescreen at the end in the Japanese dub (see above).
• Cyclonus is missing from the scene of Optimus and Red Alert dodging his blasts.
• Hot Shot is missing while Smokescreen explains coming across the kids. Legends of the Microns puts him back in the shot.

Continuity notes

• This episode is the first time the Transformers face off in an urban setting instead of the wilderness.
• This episode marks Alexis's third use of her phone after "First Encounter" and "Comrade."
• Alexis never actually becomes President of the United States—or not that we know of, but she does have a pretty big success story following Armada:
  • By 2020, Alexis becomes a diplomat on behalf of the Earth Federation.^[1]
  • By 2030, she becomes Secretary of State.^[2]
  • A multiversal newspaper called ALTernity Today revealed Alexis won the Whig Party primary for President in an unknown timeframe. She ran a platform to form a stronger alliance between Earth and Cybertron, with the conclusion left ambiguous.^[3] Alexis dreamed big and achieved some pretty positive results—even gaining recognition outside her universe! How's that for an inspirational story?
• This episode marks Smokescreen and Drill Bit's debuts. Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 comments on how this now makes the numbers of the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth even.
• Cyclonus now has two Mini-Cons that have "scanned his image," making him the first Transformer to acquire multiple partner Mini-Cons; that is, if one doesn't count Demolishor gaining Bonecrusher in "Palace."
• As of this episode, Cyclonus is the first Transformer to use the term "Powerlinx."
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Megatron stores Leader-1 inside the claw-like compartment on the left side of his tank mode (right leg in robot mode).
  • Blackout appears to drive out from behind Demolishor's turret, possibly hinting towards him using the turret's seat before being deployed. Then again, Swindle and Crumplezone seem to leap over Starscream and Cyclonus's shoulders from out of nowhere, so...
    • The episode "Palace" showed the last time Blackout used Demolishor's seat.
  • Smokescreen can use his crane hook like a wrecking ball, even before wrecking balls became cool.
  • Red Alert can deploy his left arm in vehicle mode. His laser scalpel also has a cable that extends out and can tap into Laserbeak.
• Powerlinx forms:
  • Cyclonus Powerlinx with Drill Bit for the first time, increasing his firepower in vehicle mode.

Continuity errors

He's not evil; he's just homicidal misunderstood!

• Why don't any of the kids ask why Optimus suddenly starts driving towards the approaching train? Fortunately, Alexis does ask this question in Legends of the Microns.
• Where's the track switch that Optimus supposedly found anyway? There is no track switch in the Japanese version.
• Why does Starscream want another Mini-Con after obtaining Swindle back in "Jungle," especially considering that Starscream never Powerlinx with another Mini-Con similarly for the rest of the show? He doesn't want another Mini-Con in Legends of the Microns but laughs at Megatron and Demolishor for barely having room to move in the tunnel.
• When the Decepticons deploy their Mini-Cons, Cyclonus has Longarm, Red Alert's Mini-Con, instead of Crumplezone. When confronting the kids on the subway cart, Bonecrusher appears in their place. Crumplezone finally appears when the Decepticon Mini-Cons chase the kids. In Legends of the Microns, Cyclonus deploys Crumplezone, but then Bonecrusher appears seconds later with Crumplezone nowhere in sight.
  • Swindle never reappears afterward.
  • Crumplezone appears in Bonecrusher's place in some later shots.
• Rad encourages Carlos to reach the Mini-Con, but it doesn't match Rad struggling to steady the ladder. The Japanese dub remedies this by changing Rad's line to tell Carlos to hurry, with Rad speaking in a strained voice.
• After the kids find the Mini-Con and Rad says they're taking it to the Autobots, why does Smokescreen attack them after hearing they're on the same team? Legends of the Microns fixes this plot hole as Rad says the children should regroup with the others after finding the Mini-Con; they could've been Decepticon allies for all Smokescreen knew at the time. This and Rad mentioning their alliance with the Autobots when the Decepticons surround them help explain why Smokescreen is initially weirdly threatening to the kids. Another critical detail Armada neglects is Smokescreen later revealing that he attacked them by mistake.
  • At the same time, how doesn't Smokescreen ever notice the Autobot symbol on the children's suits?
• The rock encasing the Mini-Con panel is missing just before Rad goes out the train car window and reappears as he goes through.
• As the Decepticon Mini-Cons chase the kids, Alexis states the obvious about them coming. Instead, she says the Mini-Cons will get them in Legends of the Microns.
• After the shot of High Wire, Grindor, Sureshock, and the children facing Starscream after he pulls out his sword, the Mini-Cons vanish from the rest of the episode.

Real-world references

• When Powerlinxing with Drill Bit, Cyclonus calls out, "Let the good times roll!" Likely a reference to the song "Good Times Roll" by The Cars.
• After firing at Optimus and Red Alert, Cyclonus quips that he got "a hole-in-one," a popular golf reference.

Trivia

• The kanji 迷路 is usually pronounced as "meiro," while "chika" is used for the kanji 地下 in this episode's context.
• Hot Shot passes by a mother and child looking into a store window, and on display in the store is a toy car identical to his vehicle form.
• This episode is one of the few without an opening narration.
• This episode is the first to feature Rad's new title sequence monologue, where he calls the Decepticons "a bunch of greedy bullies."
• Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 reveals that the stigma of the September 11th terrorist attacks made setting this episode in the city complex, and the production crew had to change some Transformers' attack moves so they'd avoid evoking real-life warfare.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Dans le métro" ("In the Underground")

German

• Title: "Der Mini-Con in der U-Bahn" ("The Mini-Con inside the Subway Station")
• Original airdate: This episode was never shown on TV but was dubbed in 2003. The dub premiered in 2009 with the German DVD release of the show.

Hungarian

• Title: "A föld alatt" ("Under the Ground")

Italian

• Title: "Scontro sotterraneo" ("Underground Clash")

• Alexis's line: "Hey, what are you doing, Rad?" is pronounced in an angry and irritated voice, like if she was scolding him for doing something bad. Calm down! (Although, who knows... maybe her actress was having a bad day...)

Korean

• Title: "새친구 스모키" ("New Friend Smoky")

Polish

• Title: "Metro" ("Underground")

Portuguese

• Title: "Subterrâneo" ("Underground")

Home video releases

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Legends of the Microns — Volume 3 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — Transformers: Armada — Vol:04 (Warner Music Video)
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part One (Rhino Entertainment)
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Volume 2 (TFou Vidéo) — French audio only.
2005 — Transformers: Armada — Vol:03 (Universal)
2005 — Transformers: Armada — Triple Collection (Universal)
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Volume One (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)

References