"More Than Meets the Eye" Part II
Written By George Arthur Bloom

"We are going to create a tidal wave-one that will send enough power surging through that dam to make all the Energon Cubes we need!"

Synopsis

....."In search of precious energy, the Autobots venture forth into outer space; but the evil Decepticons attack them. Four million years later, the Autobots and Decepticons are re-activated. The Decepticons convert oil into Energon Cubes, and leave workers and their Autobot rescuers trapped as we begin the second episode of The Transformers....."

....."My arm! It's jammed in here! I can't get it out!" yells Huffer, pleading for help. He is soon helped by Brawn, who is told by the other Autobot that the two things he hates are fire and water (both of which are what he is surrounded by in great capacity). Naturally, Brawn notices the irony of Huffer's situation, and the two take off.
.....Elsewhere, Optimus Prime frees Spike and Sparkplug as he orders Trailbreaker to use his force field on the fire. With the help of Wheeljack, who volunteers his services, Trailbreaker is able to put out the fire quickly.
.....Prime also gets a hand, as Jazz uses the winch in his arm socket as a line for Prime, who acts as an oversized boogie board as he is pulled to a somewhat stable piece of the wrecked platform. Sparkplug thanks Prime for saving their lives, even though he has no clue who the Autobots are.

"We're Autobots....We're from Cybertron, a planet far from Earth."

.....Spike is amazed when Prime tells them where they are from, and for good reason. When Prime poses his belief that only the Autobots can stop the Decepticons, Sparkplug poses the possibility that he and his son can be of help, given that they know more about Earth than the Autobots do. Intrigued, Optimus agrees, and a friendship is forged.
.....Later, at Autobot Headquarters, Spike writes in his diary about the Autobots, still somewhat in awe of the Autobots. Upon finishing, he stumbles upon a small tape player (which is really Soundwave, who had been observing Spike up to this point unseen) and brings it inside, placing it on a random shelf. Spike then spots Trailbreaker, and asks him about why and how he transforms. The first part he answers, as their other forms are for disguise. "Besides," he replies, "it sure beats walking."
.....Heading off to the repair area outside the main portion of the wrecked ship, Trailbreaker presents this question to Hound and Mirage. Hound puts it as simply as possible and just transforms. He adds another trick by making a human male appear in his driver's seat.

"Now watch this!"

It's not really a person, it's a hologram. Wondering what else the Autobots are capable of, Spike is answered by Mirage, who tops Hounds gimmick and then some.

"Now you see me....now you don't."

.....When Mirage has reappeared, Spike wisely notes that the disappearing act is "the best disguise of all". Hound then offers to give Spike the ride of his life, and after Spike has put on his seat belt, they are off.
.....After Hound speeds off, Soundwave transforms and releases Ravage, whom he orders to begin collecting data about Earth's resources from Teletraan 1. His search begins to produce images of various power plants, drilling stations, and the like. Satisfied, Soundwave transforms again and begins recording what Ravage's searches reveal.
.....In the barren desert, Spike and Hound discuss their respective homeworlds, with Hound admitting that Cybertron was "nice and peaceful" before the Autobots and Decepticons began fighting. Hounds speeds on through the desert as the two head for the base....
.....Upon returning to headquarters, Spike stumbles upon Soundwave's espionage efforts, and is shocked when the tape player he retrieved transforms into a Decepticon.

"Who.....Who are you!?!"

Soundwave calls for Ravage, and the two run as fast as they can (or, at least, as fast as Soundwave can) out the front entrance, and are spotted by Optimus Prime himself. Soundwave and Ravage are separated, with the larger Decepticon escaping, and Ravage being caught by Brawn and Bumblebee. However, the two Autobots are distracted by Soundwave's escape, and Ravage darts free. The rest of the Autobots trap Ravage in a dark corner of the volcano's precipice. Hound and gears transform, turning on their headlights. Ravage is spotted when Prime orders Gears to turn on his infrared light, and Jazz and Prowl fire an energy net that captures the Decepticon spy.
.....Later, at Decepticon Headquarters, Soundwave finishes playing back the data that he had received from Ravage, and is complimented by Megatron for a job well done. The next target will be Sherman Dam, an electrical power station/dam that has a capacity of 1,750,000 kilowatts (the largest in the Western Hemisphere). Starscream points out that the quoted output is nowhere near what is needed to make the all-important Energon Cubes. Angered yet again, Megatron points out that they are going to create a tidal wave that will generate enough power. This attack will begin....at sunrise.
.....The next morning, Rumble is dispatched along the river, and begins creating the tidal wave that Megatron needs. Satisfied with Rumble's early results, Megatron leads the other Decepticons towards the true prize: the power plant itself.
.....At Sherman Dam, the workers notice that one of the gauges is going completely nuts. One of the workers gets really agitated, and begins slamming the output meters, in the vain hopes that the needle will stop dancing all over the display perimeter. The worker's actions (and that of every other worker within earshot) are ceased when one of their colleagues shouts from a platform above, "The river's rising! Man your emergency stations!"
.....Meanwhile, news of the disturbance spreads quickly, and is picked up by Teletraan 1, who is being monitored by Spike and Jazz. Spike becomes increasingly excited as he reads the bulletin, noting both the tidal wave and it's effects: the power output has reached ten times that of normal (which means simply that California is going to beg the Deceps for some of that extra power ;)). Jazz is a little more relaxed, but agrees that something is up.

"Could be the Decepticons, alright. I'll tell Prime!"

.....Spike's fears, however, are quite warranted as the dam begins crumble as the water rushes through the floodgates. Then, things go from bad to worse. The power station's walls begin to crack as well, and burst as Megatron, Skywarp, and Starscream walk in.

Blowing another gaping hole in the building, this time in the ceiling, Megatron immediately tells the workers who he is, and what he expects of them. Meanwhile, the Autobots struggle to arrive at the scene before the Decepticons destroy everything, as the dam continues to crumble under the pressure, and the workers get more and more fearful.....

.....Despite the protests of one of the workers, Megatron continues his plan happily as he knows that the energy output is nearing its apex-just as he wants. Like the previous attack on the oil rig, the Decepticon Commander orders Starscream to use his Null Ray, and Soundwave, his Energon Cubes. This time, however, Reflector is tapped to gather the energy as Megatron demands that they move as fast as possible.
.....Meanwhile, the Autobots arrive along the river, and discover the extent of the damage. Prowl asks Prime if he thinks that the Decepticons are behind the disaster, and is quickly answered by Megatron, who fires at them and taunts. Prime orders the Autobots to take to the skies, with Hound and Spike staying behind. Hound wants to find out if they've discovered the heart of the tidal wave. Naturally, he finds Rumble, and the two start brawling.

.....Meanwhile, Ironhide and Bumblebee land further downstream, and find the river flooding a small village. Ironhide quickly transforms, and has the other Autobot jump in the back seat, where a cannon is waiting. Ironhide drives in front of the surging waters, and Bumblebee creates a new riverbed of sorts using the laser. It claims some crops, but the (very appreciative) townspeople are saved, however.
.....Optimus commands the other Autobots to invade the power plant, creating a standoff between them and the Decepticons.

"Stick it in neutral, Megatron! You're not going anywhere!"

Naturally, a battle ensues as Sparkplug wisely leads the power plant's staff away from the melee. At the same time, Mirage charges Skywarp and Thundercracker, but is tossed over the edge of the walkway they are on and grabs onto the lower awning, rescuing Cliffjumper when the latter Autobot shows up a bit late.
.....Prime and Megatron also go at it, with the Autobot Leader attempting in vain to knock down his nemesis. Instead, Megatron knocks Prime down to the edge of the platform, hanging on for dear life....
.....Starscream is also at work, although he isn't involved in the main struggle or helping to get the Energon Cubes away to a safer place. Instead, he's busy plotting in the bowels of the plant, and produces a slingshot of sorts, with a compact ball of energy as his stone.

"So long, Autobots....Here's one Starscream's been saving for you...."

His projectile immediately explodes upon hitting the control console for the dam's various turbines, creating a shockwave felt through the entire place. Megatron is immediately knocked backwards, and is able to keep his balance only by grabbing the frame to the entryway behind him. Prime gets a chance to charge Megatron, especially since the Decepticon Leader is far too busy scolding Starscream, and telling him to start saving the all-important Energon Cubes. Optimus uses the opportunity well, and knocks his opponent outside the plant, and onto the top of the dam itself.
.....Beginning the battle in earnest, Optimus turns his right hand into a glowing, lightsaber-like axe, and Megatron turns his right hand into a purple ball-and-chain. Prime taunts his opponent, resulting in Megatron knocking him down, but only momentarily, as the battle has barely begun for the two....
.....At the same time, Spike waits at the riverbank, hoping to see a sign, any sign of how Hound is doing. Below, Hound is still fighting Rumble, and is knocked out as Rumble pushes off the Autobot and heads for the surface. The Decepticon is met by Spike, and immediately tries to harm the human when Spike tries to impede Rumble's progress. Prime hears Spike's Cry for help, and Megatron quickly knocks him off the dam, and into the water below as the Decepticons escape......

.....Jazz sees Optimus trying to work his way through the river, and throws him a line, allowing the Autobot to escape the choppy waters. Spike, meanwhile, has been knocked out by Rumble (who has since left the scene). Waking up, the young human decides to find out what happened to Hound, and frees the Autobot from his rocky prison. Hound in turn saves Spike when his air begins to run out, and takes care of him once he gets him to the surface.

.....After Hound has made sure that Spike is alright (and after the two thank each other for saving their mutual hides), the Autobots hold an impromptu meeting at the power plant. Mirage suggests that the Autobots should forget about the Decepticons and return to Cybertron. Prime disagrees, and declares that they must fight the Decepticons, as the Decepticons will be unbeatable when they return (at which point they will have stripped Earth bare of its resources). Huffer brings up the point that they aren't fighters, to which Optimus replies, "We must have courage, Huffer. We can't ignore the danger-we must conquer it."
.....Unfortunately, the Decepticons make a number of raids across the globe after the attack on Sherman Dam, none of which are opposed or even discovered by the Autobots. After these strikes, Megatron receives a status report from Soundwave: not only is the new space cruiser nearly finished construction, but the Decepticons require a mere 3,000 Astro-liters in order to be ready to return to Cybertron. Megatron notes that they need only one more source of energy, and Soundwave quickly suggests the Ruby Crystals of Burma, to which Megatron wholeheartedly agrees. As they pass by Reflector's efforts to organize the cubes, they hear a noise, which is revealed to be some scheme concocted by none other than Starscream, who is blasting a small mountain with a laser cannon power by two large stacks of Energon Cubes.

When asked by a visibly irritated Megatron about what he's doing, Starscream joyfully replies that he's testing the Energon Cubes, and that they work! Megatron is highly indignant when he tells his Air Commander in not as many words, "No shit, Sherlock," and throws a mini-tantrum as he kicks the cannon, and declares that they now need two strikes, which is a major waste of time. Soundwave chimes in, reporting that rocket fuel is a pretty nice source of energy, too.
.....This tidbit of info proves quite useful to a few unintended observers-primarily, Spike, Sparkplug, and Trailbreaker.

"Despite your stupidity, Starscream, our mission will succeed! First, we strike the Burma Crystal Mines, and then we'll locate the rocket fuel we need." 

Sparkplug declares that this is the information they have been waiting for, and decide to radio to base. At Decepticon Headquarters, Megatron is still lecturing Starscream, and reminds him of one of the truest maxims of leadership.

"Power flows to the one who knows how. Desire alone is not enough."

The strike force is then formed, and the Decepticons head for the mines.
.....Meanwhile, Trailbreaker and his human passengers are engaged in general conversation when two of the Decepticon jets attack. They call for help, and are obliged when Sideswipe and Sunstreaker arrive, and they damage one of the jets, causing them both to retreat, but not before damaging Sunstreaker's new paint job.
.....Later, at the mine, Megatron brags to Soundwave about his plans for conquest.

"I will build the Ultimate Weapon, to defeat the Autobots, to control the planet, to conquer the universe!!!"

.....Outside, the Autobots discuss on how to get to the Decepticons, when Wheeljack presents a bomb that is capable of burying them "forever".

Sparkplug comments that he has worked the mines before, and knows his way around. Bumblebee also volunteers, and the two take the bomb into the mine, but not before Wheeljack warns that the timer is set to 60 seconds, and cannot be stopped once it has been set.
.....Bumblebee takes in the awesome sight of the crystals, which reflect the light in a way that Sparkplug declares as being "almost alive". The two are interrupted, however, by the sound of two voices further along the mine shaft.

"You know, Skywarp, I can't wait to get back to Cybertron. Earth's so flat."
"Yeah, heh-heh, I know what you mean, Thundercracker....."

After narrowly escaping the notice of the two Decepticons, Bumblebee and Sparkplug discover the other Decepticons, who are on the verge of pulling out. After being urged on by Sparkplug, a reluctant Bumblebee places the bomb along one of the support beams and starts the countdown.

.....Immediately after running from where they placed the bomb, the two run into Skywarp and Thundercracker.

They vainly attempt to rush their foes, only to be quickly knocked out. Time, however, is quickly running out....30....29....28....27....
.....Outside, the other Autobots begin to worry about their friends, who have yet to return.

"I don't like it. Something's wrong."

Ironhide volunteers to go and check it out, but Prime immediately refuses.

"No! I'll go. I'll use Roller; he's small enough to get in there without being seen."

Optimus instead goes himself, telling the others, "Stay there. If I'm not back in five minutes, come get me," before transforming.
.....Meanwhile, Thundercracker and Skywarp finish toying with Bumblebee, knocking him to the ground.

The two joke rather callously as to whether or not they should wrap their presents for Megatron, with Thundercracker adding, "Heh, maybe we oughta wrap 'em up and put a little bow on them!"
.....Prime simultaneously arrives at the mine entrance, and releases Roller.

"It's up to you, Roller. Find out what's going on in there. And be careful!"

Roller speeds off as the final seconds tick off. 4....3....2....1....0! The resulting explosion causes all hell to break loose in the main room of the mine as the Decepticons don't even know what hit them as they vainly try to save themselves. Prime is affected too, as he feels the explosion through Roller in addition to being blasted of the plateau edge by the shock of the explosion.

"Roller!"

Optimus begins to tumble down the side of the mountain, to the horror of the other Autobots, and Spike.....

"PRIME!!"

....."In the next episode of The Transformers, the Autobots create an astonishing illusion to trap the treacherous Decepticons, and Optimus Prime risks his very existence as the Decepticons rocket back to Cybertron with enough energy to rule the universe, all in the third and final part of The Transformers!"

Commentary

.....The cliffhanger at the end of Part I ends with some serious suspense, and "More Than Meets the Eye" Part II continues this to great effect. The episode starts with the image of Huffer caught in the girders, struggling to get free as Johnny Douglas' superb suspense theme plays for the first time in the series. What's somewhat disappointing is how whiny Huffer comes off as being in his few lines in this episode, a theme that would be used a little bit too much throughout the series. Brawn, however, has a much more auspicious debut as he saves Huffer, and appreciates the humor of Huffer's predicament.

"Thanks, Brawn! Let's take off!"

.....One graphical inconsistency with Part I appears as all of the girders are silver in color, as opposed to the orange color of the previous episode. Even odder is how the review of the previous episode has the girders as being silver too-which implies that the color was changed between the initial and final cut of the episode (as Marvel and Sunbow were known to send back footage to be re-done if it didn't meet the expectations of them, or of Hasbro). It's also the first concrete evidence of Sunbow's habit of using preliminary animation in the bumper animation for the multi-part episodes.
.....There's also a lot of teamwork going on in the first scene. Someone obviously forgot to tell George Arthur Bloom that the blatant, Filmation-style moralizing isn't necessary (especially when, unlike your average Filmation cartoon, there's no point to it). Also, Spike and Sparkplug are extremely tiny in relation to the Autobots, at least in the first two scenes. This seems to be done to increase the "awe factor" that is present in the episode's second scene, which shows very much that it's only the second half hour of the series.
.....Regardless, the scene with Spike and Trailbreaker are very fun, even though Bloom's intro to the scene (which has Spike writing in his diary) sucks. Of course, it's likely the source of the enmity against the humans that a lot of people in the Transformers online community seem to have. The fact that Spike's diary entry seems to re-state a number of painfully obvious points doesn't help much, either. Thankfully, the focus is placed on establishing Soundwave's infiltration of Autobot Headquarters, and the character development of Spike, Hound, Trailbreaker, and Mirage.
.....I like how Hound and Mirage's powers are introduced, as it serves not only to foreshadow events in Part III, but it's used to help educate Spike about some of the things that the Transformers can do besides transform. Although it must be noted that this is one of the few times that a hologram created by Hound acts like a real hologram. Also of note is how this, the first scene in Wheeljack's workshop, occurs before the alcove has been ceded to that Autobot. Another touch of morality (this one imposed by Hasbro, I'll bet) is Hound telling Spike to buckle up. Funny, given that many states (including my home state of Vermont) didn't even have seat belt laws in 1984....
.....Soundwave looks extremely imposing (and impressive, as well) when he orders Ravage to enter Teletraan 1.

"Ravage! Enter Teletraan 1. Acquire knowledge of Earth's resources."

.....Hound's comments about life on Cybertron before the war are quite telling. From this one line of dialogue sprang a huge backstory, one that would eventually become known as the Golden Age of Cybertron.
.....The chase after Spike discovers Soundwave is played totally for suspense, and to good effect. My only problem is an animation issue: 

Gears' infrared light is the same color as Prime's leg, which is especially bothersome if your TV is a bit older (or has had repairs to the picture tube, which I think is the case with the one I have here) and the borders of the screen (as seen in my captures) are fully visible, obscuring Gears' (miscolored) hood (to say nothing of how Prime's leg isn't correctly visible behind the light). Otherwise, the scene is a great look at how the Autobots deal with invaders (which is not too common of an occurrence on the series).
.....The attack on Sherman Dam (which would be attacked at least two more times during the first season) is awesome in its ability to build up suspense leading to the end of Act 1. Megatron has one of his most memorable moments when he storms into the power plant through one of the walls and blasts a huge hole through the ceiling. He's in complete control, and the human workers are scared shitless because of it. Even better, the Autobots are literally in the middle of nowhere.

.....There's a bit of an accident with the character animations, as the worker voiced by Dan Gilvezan suddenly becomes a whole lot thinner after the commercial break.

"I tell you it's gonna blow! This whole place is gonna go sky high!"

Another boo-boo shows up as Bumblebee is suddenly able to fit inside Ironhide when the two start on their part of the flood relief.

"Stop talkin', tighten your shock absorbers, and get in. We're gonna build a new river."

.....Despite the screw-ups (the second of which is purely a writing error), the battle is extremely well done. The music is perfectly paced, the dialogue nice (although one of my former roommates at UNR, Jon Hull, has pointed out that the car references are a bit thick around this point in the miniseries), and the animation solid. We get even more examples of the Autobots flying, but blame for that mess lies with the story editors.
.....The true highlight of Act 2, however, is the fight between Megatron and Optimus Prime, especially when it spills out onto the top of the dam. Prime starts things off nicely by accusing Megatron succinctly of what even Megatron himself will attest to: his penchant for destruction.

"You destroy everything you touch, Megatron!"

I just love how Frank Welker answers Peter Cullen's blatant machoistic delivery by replying (in more words), "So what?"

"Because everything I touch is food for my hunger-my hunger for POWER!!!"

The energy weapons are a truly unique touch, and the animation is truly up to the task (as evidenced by how the view of Prime with his axe is prominently displayed on the cover of the Rhino VHS release of this episode). The trash talk between the two is really nice, and Optimus does his best to royally piss off Megatron (and uses He-Man's familiar method of psyching out his enemies), although he does end up losing (although it's due to his concern for Spike).
.....The second use of Jazz's cable to rescue Optimus is a bit redundant, but still a nice touch (although the use of the sound effect for Sheila's Cloak of Invisibility from Dungeons & Dragons is omitted this time). Also nice to see is the camaraderie between Spike and Hound as they save each other (although the dopey expression on Spike's face when he comes to is worthy of many off-color jokes). While I can't deny that Bumblebee and Jazz make the best choices as friends for Spike, I always feel that an opportunity was missed when Hound was denied the chance to work with Spike, as this episode shows.
.....While decidedly in the script as filler material, the powwow after the battle is still very well done, although later episodes would be able to integrate this type of discussion between the Autobots, as seen in "A Prime Problem", "Traitor", and "The Master Builders", among others. Also designed as filler is the scenes showing the Decepticons raiding various sources of energy. Another animation error occurs here, and you have to be quick to catch it.

For whatever reason, the effect for the Energon Cubes (which was, like most laser-type animations, added in by a mixed-exposure method in Marvel/Sunbow cartoons) wasn't synched up correctly, and Soundwave doesn't have any legs for a moment. The mistake is later repeated (and far more obviously) when Reflector is stacking the cubes at Decepticon Headquarters.

"We need one more source of energy, Soundwave."
"The Ruby Crystals of Burma?"
"Right. They're the richest source of energy on the face of the Earth."

Based on how the Reflector in the rear is completely obscured by the mostly white glow, the Reflectors in front have more transparent glows (gee, how technical of me.....). This is also why the series eventually settled on a solid pink/purple color for the Energon Cubes later on in the series.
.....The animosity between Megatron and Starscream starts to reach its normal level as Starscream does something that royally tees Megatron off. And, as is somewhat usual, Starscream is being perfectly logical in his concerns-he just is doing the tests without asking his leader first.

"Starscream, what in the universe are you doing!?"

Megatron's overconfidence in his plans shows for the first time, and Starscream does what any good scientist (which is what the Decepticon Air Commander would be revealed as later on in "Fire In the Sky") would do: test. Of course, since Starscream is so arrogant in his contempt, no one can blame Megatron for getting so angry with Starscream. Why Starscream is spared is still a bit of a mystery, but would definitely become clear as the series progressed: Starscream is smart, and really good at his job.
.....I'm surprised that no jokes were made by Spike, Sparkplug, and Trailbreaker as they spied on the Decepticons, as that would become standard Sunbow policy. Although, it's also because the Sunbow villains got really outlandish as time went on.
.....A couple more introductions occur as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker show up to help save Trailbreaker's proverbial bacon. Again, characters are introduced in a fairly consistent manner (relative to the rest of the series). Of course,  the most character development these two got was that Sunstreaker's voice got more vain as his character's vanity increased! (Hey, I love Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, but it's the truth.) It's also of note that the Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker clones (sometimes called the "Seekers" by online fans) start appearing in force. Due to the difficulties with clarity (and continuity), they'd be replaced with Reflector clones in most of the rest of first season.
.....The short scene showing the mine is so filler. However, how much do you want to bet that Frank Welker was able to do his lines in one take? Also of note is the fact that Megatron is still trying to conquer the entire universe. A sign of things to come....?
.....The next scene starts with a wonderfully animated image of Optimus Prime.

"There they are..."

He looks shiny and new, which seems to be series code for, "Prime's getting fucked up now, kids." Regardless of the hidden messages, the scene is nice. However, given Wheeljack's reputation for screwed up inventions, isn't it ironic that his first invention (as shown on the series) is a BOMB??? Just this alone makes it easy to explain why everyone has faith in the thing.
.....It's also a bit convenient that Sparkplug has worked the mines before. A line about how he was like a mechanic would've made a lot more sense. But the rare opportunity to see Sparkplug and Bumblebee working together is worth it. It's not often that the two characters really interact, even though they are both almost inexorably connected to Spike, and are in a rather high number of episodes. Conversely, Skywarp and Thundercracker are used to good effect here, as well. Thundercracker's comment about Earth being "too flat" is totally prophetic, given how the short view in Part I (as well as just about every other view and/or reference in the 1984-produced episodes) implies that Cybertron has some seriously deep and perilous crevices.
.....Note to anyone who enjoys the last minute and a half of this episode: You've automatically lost your right to complain about Dragonball's method of stretching time. Of course, DB (and more accurately, DBZ) went a little bit further (as the five minutes Frieza tells Goku that Namek has left stretch out into some 10 episodes), but you've still lost your right to bitch, so shut up. :) Regardless, the episode ends with a classic Sunbow cliffhanger, as Prime rolls over down the mountainside, the Decepticons are buried inside the rock, and God-knows-what happens to Sparkplug and Bumblebee.

Final Verdict

.....The only way I can properly describe "More Than Meets the Eye" Part II is that it's busy. In fact, it's a lot like the second act to most Sunbow cartoons in that it leaves you at the edge of your seat as the plot builds lots of tension and excitement, which will be resolved at the climax of the story. This is an extremely effective idea, and provides an urgency not possible in a four or five episode string, but gives the chance for more development than a standard two-parter. To be honest, this particular episode leans heavily towards action, and not development (although that's not to say there isn't any-Spike, Mirage, Trailbreaker, Hound, Megatron, and Starscream get some serious growth). There are a few animation errors, but they're mostly due to the infamous problems of coloring the three jets (Screamer, Skywarp, and Thundercracker) and the issues with the Energon Cubes (which is more of a problem with the photography than the animators themselves). This episode should (obviously) be viewed in conjunction with the other two parts, but has some very strong merits individually.

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