Beast Wars Episode Dissection: 'Power Surge"
X-posted to beast_wars
I know I added a bunch of people to my F-List recently, many of them TF and Beast Wars fans. So if you're new, feel free to jump right in to the discussion and don't feel shy about going back and reading or commenting on previous episodes, I'd love to know what you think. :)
I love Terrorsaur, he’s a less intelligent, less snooty and stuck-up version of Starscream and he’s pretty-looking too. I got a good giggle out of him eating a bald eagle in the beginning. Poor birdy, no wonder Airazor has it in for Terrorsaur later in the series.
During his flight that Terrorsaur discovers a flying mountain that’s filled with energon crystals at its core. Like it was established in episode 2, Cybertronians can’t stay in root mode for long near a large energon source without Dire Consequences. But even knowing this Terrorsaur just has to examine the energon crystals. Curiosity killed the Predacon and all that.
When he touches the energon he gets hit with a shock that (in addition to looking rather painful) super-charges his systems. Being a good little Starscream-wannabe, the first thing he does when he realizes his new and improved status is try and overthrow Megatron. He also shows a great deal of his predecessor’s impulsiveness, not thinking through the changes and the possible consequences thereof, instead just taking off to deliver a beat-down.
At the Predacon base, Megatron and the other Preds are installing an automated gun - probably the same one that Cheetor tried to retrieve in episode 3. I like series continuity, don’t you? Anyways, Terrorsaur calls Megatron out - by calling him a coward - pot calling kettle black much? With his super-powered weaponry Terrorsaur manages to defeat Megatron and blast him off a cliff and he tumbles to the bottom in multiple pieces.
Poor Scorponok’s frightened little “…Megatron?” sounded like a kid who’s just lost his mommy. By the way, have you noticed that he has some freaky-looking eyebrows in beast-mode?
Terrorsaur orders the remaining Predacons to prepare to battle against the Maximals and (sub?)consciously imitates Megatron’s verbal tic while he’s at it. He’s quite an ambitious little bugger isn’t he? Megalomania must be catching. However, before anything else can happen, Terrorsaur starts glitching and his scanners warn him that he’s low on power; the implication being that the super-charge from the flying mountain doesn’t last long and needs to be replenished. Not willing to reveal the source of his power to the other Predacons, he mumbles some excuses and books it back to the mountain; a curious Tarantulas sneaks off after him.
Meanwhile Scorponok, like a broken record, keeps insisting that he’s second in command - even though it’s clear he really doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing. Waspinator gets fed up and pointedly tells Scorpy to get with it.
Meanwhile Cheetor has been watching all the action and bolts back to the Axalon to warn the Maximals. After he blurts everything out in a decent impression of G1 Bluestreak Optimus manages to calm Cheetor down enough to get the whole story. Rattrap is skeptical about the ‘floating mountain’ but Optimus takes it seriously enough to try and locate it and Terrorsaur.
Dinobot, while he doesn’t show up in this episode, apparently is out on patrol which he seems to do a lot, particularly in these early episodes. I guess at the moment he’s the closest thing to a self-sufficient, long-range scout they have. Also I suspect Optimus may have booted him from the base so that he and Rattrap could cool down after the last episode’s conflicts.
Locating the mountain on the base’s scanners Rhinox and Optimus muse that the Flux Vortex unstable energon is what’s causing it to defy gravity. Pseudo-science FTW! Optimus decides that the best option is to destroy the mountain to keep it out of Predacon hands and he enlists Rattrap to help him blow it up.
As it turns out Rattrap isn’t such a big fan of heights, I hope for Optimus’ sake he doesn’t get airsick! They arrive at the mountain in time to see Terrorsaur re-energizing - just say no to drugs kids. Interestingly he almost is like a junkie having to continually get a fix.
The Plan is for Optimus to distract Terrorsaur so that Rattrap can set his demolition charges. Rattrap whines and complains, but Optimus is having none of it. Interestingly he never outright orders Rattrap to do anything, which is in keeping with his non-military background.
Optimus leads Terrorsaur away, showing some impressive aerial skills as he eludes the Predacon. Meanwhile as Rattrap sets the charges he’s ambushed by Tarantulas who had followed Terrorsaur to the mountain to discover the source of his power and claim it for himself. In the sky, Terrorsaur eventually manages to injure Optimus and bring him down, but just as he’s about to strike the killing blow he again starts glitching from depleted energon levels. Good timing, huh? Then again, it would make sense that combat would deplete energy resources faster than otherwise.
Rattrap fights Tarantulas (who sounds like a cross between Shelob and Taz when he’s angry) and eventually manages to beat him with a little bit of creative fighting and humorous ‘splating’ on the spider’s part. Seeing Terrorsaur alone and deducing that Optimus lost, Rattrap realizes he has no way off the mountain when the charges explode. Just as they go off - triggering the rest of the unstable energon to explode - Optimus appears, but as it turns out he can’t fly either. He and Rattrap do a death (and physics) -defying leap off the mountain as it comes apart, and manage to land in the forest (relatively) unhurt.
As they sort themselves out, Optimus gives credit to Rattrap’s actions and Rattrap, probably because no one else is around to hear, expresses his own admiration of his leader. It’s interesting that Rattrap is embarrassed to be seen complimenting or even being nice to someone else. He puts on the mean, tough-guy act every bit as much as Dinobot does, though in a different way.
Terrorsaur manages to escape the destruction of the flying mountain and moans about the lost of his power source. Then he comforts him that he at least got rid of Megatron. Are those famous last words I hear? As he arrives at the Darksyde, who should emerge but Megatron, back in one piece and looking very ticked off. At the sight, the treacherous Terrorsaur literally turns white and looks like he’s about to wet himself in fear. I think we can imagine where things go from there!
Quote of the Episode:
Rattrap: You do know... that was crazy, right?
Optimus: Eh, sometimes crazy works.
Previous Episode Disscussions:
1. Beast Wars (Part 1)
2. Beast Wars (Part 2)
3. The Web
4. Equal Measures
5. Chain of Command