TFP - Darkmount, NV - Review

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As always, SPOILERS


TRANSFORMERS PRIME, EPISODE 53: "DARKMOUNT, NV"

Or "The tower is only slightly less of a stupid name than "Dark Star Saber."




ALRIGHT BABY WE'RE BACK! Whoooo! ARE YOU EXCITED?!!!!!! Okay yeah I'm not gonna do that, let's just get this ball rolling.

Last time, I mentioned the Season Two finale "Darkest Hour" as a potential game changer after a sea of status quo prevented it from ever becoming such. That's because a number of significant events have occurred to really pound that in. The Decepticons built a permanent base of operation on Jasper, Nevada; the Autobot's home is blown to kingdom come; and the Autobots are separated from one another. Even amongst all the shit the bots dealt with (Giant World destroying Devil Gods, Optimus suffering amnesia, millions of Vehicon deaths—all except the last which could have been game changers on their own), this is the one that honestly feels like they're altering the Autobot's comfortable little niche and keeping it that way.

And to "Darkmount, MV's" credits, it's doing a damn good job of it so far. Yeah, I like the episode _{(Help me.)} There's a scene around the beginning of the episode that really hammers it in ya that shit has hit the fan. After Megatron blows up the armed soldiers, the camera reveals a couple of shots of the now ruined, empty Jasper (looking even more gray.) There's no music and no one is bellowing dramatic dialogues, it's just moody and silent. For Prime, this is an incredibly atmospheric way to get the message across. Kudos.

No sign of the Predacons yet, but sneak peeks already revealed Shockwave makes 'em anyway and dude doesn't appear until the end of the episode. BTW, I'm writing this episode without trying to spoil the Singapore aired episodes, so just a heads up.

Any who, I really dug the individual focus on each of the characters and they're struggle to adapt to the new changes in their lives. Wheeljack's been kidnapped, but being the unmitigated badass he is, quips despite Starscream's tormenting (but who takes Starscream seriously anyway?) Ratchet is MIA and the only Autobot's whose fate we don't know just yet. Bumblebee and Raf get the smart idea to paint job the former and damn, I really like it. The added black really works on Bee.




But wow, these must be the most technologically inapt Decepticons ever. Apparently a paint job is all that's needed to blend in. Does Cybertronians not have something else to detect their own kind beyond a fresh coat of paint? When they mean "robots in disguise", they really mean "robots in disguise"Meanwhile Miko gets a refresher course to not call anyone on her cell or risk exposure. Then they head to some secret emergency base they planned to go to in the event they get separated. Smokescreen rescues Optimus and just derps around for the rest of the episode. About the only interesting thing with their scene is Optimus tiredly saying there is "no hope." Given his determination and general status as a symbol of hope for the other Autobots, this is a pretty big deal. Honestly, I buy it. The last couple of episodes in Season Two had a couple of moments where Optimus just seem fed up (in his usual sedated way). Okay, I'm really only thinking about one scene in "Inside Job" when Optimus frustratingly screams to the Heavens after Starscream took the Omega Keys, but OP's never done that before, I think. But it resonated with me because damn, this stoic freak is...well, freaking out. Now Cybertron is dead for realz and he's dying, so I get the whole, "What is the fucking point, we lost" vibe. It must also be a big blow to the guts to Smokescreen who fan worships Optimus.

Naturally Jack and Arcee's story is by far the most interesting. Jack texting his mom is a pretty dumb move, but I actually like this. Jack's been through scuffles before and he's risked his life to help the Autobots win a war, but in almost all those situations, he acted as a third party supporter who just wanted to get involved (in his own reasonable ways because he is not Miko.) This time, it's far more personal. His home's been ravaged, he's been separated from his friends, and his entire life has been turned upside down. I can understand a simple act of vulnerability, even from an exceptional kid like Jack. In the long run, he's still a sixteen year old. June's brief moments are good; I love that she's pressing on and nursing the wounded soldiers, but still worrying for her son.



The best part between Arcee and Jack is how much the two have come since the start. Notice Jack is involved in Arcee's fight with the Vehicons. He distracts them long enough for Arcee to kill 'em off. This is a major contrast to Season One's "Predatory" where Arcee reluctantly accepted Jack as a partner, let alone a junior. Treating Jack as her equal this time around shows the bond and growth these two have formed. Thumbs up, Transformers Prime, I really liked it.

Also Airachid is alive. Damn, that pod can survive an explosion? Fucking shit. The possibility of her return entices me because I like Airachid, haters be damned! On the other hand, what could they possibly do with her? Arcee's journey is over and whatever she and Airachid had has been played out. Even by the time "Crossfire" aired, it was already redundant. At best, I'm hoping for one last episode between Airachid vs. Arcee, but depending on what they do, it could be just as tedious.

There are a couple of other complaints. Okay, Megatron calls Fowler to negotiate and say he wants peace among humans because the Autobots are defeated, so there's no point in fighting, they just need a place to stay now. This is after he opened up his tower's giant can of whoop ass LAAAAZZZEEEEER BEAAAAAAAAAAAM towards an army of tanks and helicopters. I refuse to believe there weren't any survivors. Hell, even during the phone call, Megatron threatened to shoot Washington, DC. Megatron, honey, I don't think that's how you negotiate for peace! To Fowler's credit, he doesn't buy a lick of it and why shouldn't he? Unlike that big dumb shark, Fowler isn't stupid.

Also, Fowler managed to establish a cover story for Jasper by saying its destruction was the cause of meteor showers.

NO.

This is flimsy on a number of levels. The first and most obvious being that THERE'S A GIANT DEEPTICON TOWER STANDING IN THE GODDAMN TOWN. IT'S ONLY MISSING ONE SAURON EYE SHORT OF BEING EVEN LESS INCONSPICUOUS. IT'S REALLY KIND OF HARD TO MISS. Even if the outside public and media were within a certain amount of distance that they couldn't see it, you're telling me no Jasper residences have seen it either? Fowler said every civilian was 100% evacuated. In this age of cellphones and easy camera and internet access, someone is bound to have taken pictures or spread the words of "OMG GIANT ALIEN TOWERS AND ROBOTS!!!!" Why is this show still trying to cover up the Cybertronian's secret? The cat is out of the bag! Let it wander free! This is a lame ass excuse to try and keep justifying the "robots in disguise" moniker. I swear more humans in Griffin Rock know who the Rescue Bots are than these people do and that island is a giant conspiracy. I am seriously concerned for the population of Planet Earth. I think having Unicron as its mommy really fucked these people up.

But overall, "Darkmount, NV" is a good episode. I wouldn't say it's as emotionally intense as the "Orion Pax" trilogy, but Optimus potentially dying is less surprising than him losing his memories given his incarnations die a fucking lot. Otherwise, the episode is off to a good start. Let's see how long this last.
AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE



BONUS OBSERVATIONS

LIGHT OF JUDGEMENT: So Megatron's giant tower can shoot laser beams to hit wherever the shit he wants? Like Kefka does in Final Fantasy VI? I approve!

CANNON FODDER: Fowler tells his superior that every civilian in Jasper, Nevada were successfully evacuated from the town in what I can only assume is a censorship thing the writers likely had to do. In the same episode, Megatron destroys an entire line of tanks and helicopters with his LAAAAAAZZUUUUR BEEEAAAAM. Granted, we don't see bodies, but I refuse to believe they all survived that.

DOWNLOAD IDENTITY: Miko said she downloaded a game on her cellphone. My guess is that she likely downloaded it prior to the black out and the scene implies this, too. BUUUUT Miko said she "just downloaded" the game, indicating it was VERY recent. So I gotta ask, if the kids can't call anyone to ensure their safety, wouldn't downloading games technically fall under a similar radar? I mean, I assume she's downloading from a wireless or something and she's gotten have a screen name, yes? The Cons couldn't pick up on that and locate her? I don't know how this works, but wouldn't that still count as risky?

BEST LINE: "NOT a riddle, Starscream." Pwned.

WORST LINE: "Smile Jack, you're on Decepticon TV." Honestly, I never liked the whole, "Smile, you're on candid camera" line. I've been hearing similar lines like this in other shows a lot lately, is there some sort of revival of that series going on? Also, while we're on top of it, I hate the Candid Camera theme song.

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