TF Views

Mirage wrote:Yeah, even "virtual" Soundwave had it, which was weird. Overall, it was a fun idea, but probably could have been executed as well or better in a single episode. Part 2 felt a little padded out, though I did love the idea of Sari leading a Suicide Squad of sorts. Might have been better with one or two more members, though.

More than anything else, the use of all the stock transformations screamed filler. When was the last time we saw those?

Decepticon Air - So basic run down.... While the Elite Guard ship is flying through some sort of energy storm in space (to save time getting home), a surge frees Swindle who then frees his fellow Decepticons. Back on Earth, they've built a new Space Bridge and Optimus goes to help when they get a distress call. Some Decepticons escape, but 2 Starscream clones and Blitzwing are taken back to Cybertron. With Sentinel becoming Magnus while Ultra Magnus is out of action. Swindle got away with some new items and a shuttle while Lugnut ends up finding Megatron when Omega Supreme randomly tranwarps to his location.

Some interesting G1 nods in this episode. Swindle can't tell the clones apart so he gives them new helmets. Sunstorm colored clone gets a boxy G1 Seeker looking helmet while the Ramjet colored clone gets a conehead helmet. Optimus is able to get to the ship via the space bridge thanks to Swindle's "personal storage dimension" in his chest that Swindle uses to store massive amounts of items via subspace. Swindle makes mention having acquired an item from Quintessa and references a few other G1 planets.

This Is Why I Hate Machines

Seriously one of the best yet. There are so many payoffs in this one, guys. You got the action back on Cybertron, you've got Shockwave running amok with the Magnus Hammer and then taking his purple color scheme (!!!) and you've got Jazz finally getting fed up with Sentinel and ditching the Elite Guard to join the boys on Earth. This is apparently the last ep before the two part finale, and I am super excited.

EDIT: OH YEAH, and Rattrap!!

This is Why I Hate Machines:

Or, y'know, this is why I think Animated friggin' rocks.

Or, alternately, this is why I'm sad there's just two more left.

All those lil' cameo nods? That was neat, without being too forced. Anything that gets a Huffer cameo in, I'm in favor of. Plus, this episode makes great use of ol' Fanzone, who'd been gone wwwayyy to long. Plus, Ratchet. I'm a big fan of Ratchets in general, but this one looks to be the best since G1 comic Ratchet. With him having the hammer and clearly being way smarter than Sentinel, I'm wondering if he's due for a promotion in the next couple episodes...

So... Endgame parts 1 and 2... How do we feel about this? I feel kinda heartbroken, for several reasons. I'm typing on an iPod right now so I won't go into details, but let's just say that it sort of sums up my feelings about animated as a whole: made a lot of great promises, exceded expectations on some, disappointed on others. Overall it made ms happy but bittersweet because I just wanted more. I guess a series that leaves you wanted more is a success though, right? Bravo Isenberg and Wyatt et al, bravo.

I'm glad it's over. S3 had way too many fillery episodes that were just ultimately pointless.

Human Error didn't need to be two parts long, and I wanted more of Team Chaar. The crap with Wasp was also drawn out too long.

Maybe it was just me, but the whole Lugnut-controlled Omega Supreme Clones bit got old, fast.

I didn't like what they did with Rattletrap.

Plus? I don't like the toys. Yeah. At all. So no big loss to me.

I liked Endgame, but to me, it really screamed 'Season Finale tweaked at the last minute into a Series Finale'. There's way too many loose ends still dangling about, and the bit at the very end with the Autobots bringing the Decepticons back to Cybertron seemed very tacked-on. But it was cool, it really was. Despite that, I'd say that the finale of Animated pretty accurately reflected the series as a whole: Pretty darn good, but it easily could have been *even better*. I dunno, perhaps the story'll continue in a comic series (written by Isenberg, I will accept no one else) one day, but for now, at least we have some sort of closure.

On another note, back when this series was just starting, we all jokingly took bets on which main character would die at the end. The votes were almost overwhelmingly for Bulkhead, with a few people guessing Ratchet. Did anyone actually guess Prowl?

I'll never be "glad" it's over. I generally am okay with final episodes, because they can go all apeshit and screw with everything. But this, yeah, there was so much left undone.

For my money, they could have scrapped all the Constructicon episodes and replaced 'em with plot-advancy stuff. I should like the Constructicons, especially Mixmaster with his rockin' 'stache, and Dirtboss, who not only effectively got rid of Headmaster, but was sorta TF MODOK, but I just didn't.

Hey, anyone remember when the first G1 comic ended, and there was talk of the Neo-Knights getting their own series? I'd be okay with a "Society of Ultimate Villainy" comic featuring those guys vs. Fanzone, Sari, and, really, everyone else.

Didn't see Prowl's death coming at the start of the series, no. But then, I figured Ratchet would be the new Magnus at the end, so I clearly don't know nothin'.

I haven't seen the third season yet, apart from Transwarped, but I wanted to comment on the 'filler episodes'. I think this was the biggest weakness of the series: episodes that just existed in a vacuum and didn't really have anything interesting to say or any new characters to introduce. So many of the 'human supervillain' episodes fall in this category in my opinion. But even a first season episode like the one with the 'space barnacles' was one I didn't find too compelling and probably wouldn't watch again. The series seemed to be on a slow burn, often marking time between event episodes with material that was watchable but could have been more interesting if it tied into the main plot.

BWprowl wrote:I liked Endgame, but to me, it really screamed 'Season Finale tweaked at the last minute into a Series Finale'. There's way too many loose ends still dangling about,

I have to agree. Prowl and Jazz pull the Allspark back together, and we see this included even the one Starscream had in his head, but what about others like Wreck-gar, Soundwave or the Constructicons? I've read there was a scene that showed some of them still alive but had to be cut for time. As the episode is though, it kind of implies those shards were pulled as well. And then what about the Dinobots? Blackarachnia and Waspinator? The other Starscream clones who weren't on Earth? Blurr is still a cube. Sari's origins are still a mystery given we still don't really know how the protoform ended up in Sumdac's lab. What ever happened with Rodimus Prime's team or Strika's team after they took that Space Bridge?

So yeah, pretty clear they were hoping for another season but had to wrap things up with out answering a lot of loose ends. Still, it was a pretty good series finale. Just wish they had wrapped a few more things up before it ended.