Real Life and TF: Prime
So the grandparents are falling apart as seems to be a common thing in my family when you hit those late 70's early 80's and as such instead of leaving this month or next month for basic my recruiter has me back on the waiting list so that way I can help out around here until my grandparents are back on their own two feet and power through sheer stubborn will and some intervention from doctors to help that along. A mixed blessing in a way, but that is life for ya.
Though the halt has let me follow the pilot episodes for Prime which I wasn't certain I'd get to see until months after everyone else has rewatched them enough times to recite them. So I'm going to tl;dr my thoughts so far on the show. So yeah run away now because I'm going to ramble.
Okay so plot I am giving a big thumbs up because I like the approach they are going with it and pray fervently that they keep this tone and feeling through the series. It has its moments of silliness and just typical day vibe in certain scenes which then actually makes the action and darker scenes that much more jarring when you go from watching Raf and Bumblebee playing videogames to sitting up and worrying just a smidge as tiny humans are running this way and that as metal feet (and other body parts that were once connected to a body) start falling around them or seeing Starscream actually torturing a human to the point he becomes incoherent. (Even if most of the torture was done off screen.) Which I think a few people might gloss over if they don't stop and think passed the amusement of Fowler talking like a kid and remember how he ended up asking for pie and cookies. Oh I know there will likely be episodes in the future that will probably be nothing more then fluff to pad out the plot a bit; and that is fine by mean as if done right those episodes can make you feel more for the characters seeing them in typical everyday hijinks brought about by humans and transformers sharing the same space and all.
The Humans:
Fowler: At first I was afraid that he was going to be another Galloway when he was first introduced, as to be that character you are supposed to hate and contrast him to the kids. Luckily it doesn't seem that is going to be the case. Sure he'll probably still come off as a hard ass and the one who will call out the bots on things, but in a way they need that. Especially as this is how a national secret should be handled. No super secret organization like NEST where you risk the secret being told each time you let more and more people in on the secret. No, it's coming off as just only key figures in the places of power knowing about this and Fowler being the one who has to stress the importance of what can and can not be done by the bots, from a human perspective in keeping everything underwraps. After all from the way he was chewing them out about robot fight club in episode 2(?) shows that a lot of effort has to be put in to cover something up. Unlike how bayverse tries and acts like giant robots fighting in a populated city or blowing up pyramids can be covered up.
That and he got huge bonus points of cool during the entire interrogation scene, because you can just understand how dedicated he is to his job and protecting national security. Personally he seems like he would like nothing better then to see the autobots leave earth for good, but he isn't stupid and knows it would be a bad idea to let Starscream find out where they are being hidden by his own government. The man deserves respect for his sheer defiance and bravery in the face of such blatant motives and outcome of his life when Starscream finally got fed up with him or found no more use for him. I can see myself liking him no matter how much of an ass he comes off as later on down the line, just because of what was shown here of him.
Jack: I can see where some people would consider him a Sam clone in the first episode, as they did make his intro eerily similar to Sam's in the first movie. However I loved him from the word go and with each new episode the reason why I felt this became more and more apparent. He's the sane one of the kids, because frankly if we all stop and think past the fangirl/boy reaction of 'giant alien robots, squee' that we believe we would have on actually meeting one, his reaction to it all seems the most believable. You can actually see that he thinks and sees the negative side to this and what it could lead to if the autobots were not quick enough to keep the humans out of harms way. That and just the fact he quietly takes charge of the other two, it's not in your face obnoxious or anything. Just a resigned sort of understanding that as the oldest and better able to understand 'human culture' as was pointed out when he mentioned curfew to Optimus and in a way had to explain such a concept to the big guy, he's the one that has to make certain that the whole protection thing doesn't cause even more problems like getting cops involved and such.
Last nights episode cemented it even further my love of this boy, because he's completely rational even when you can tell he's freaked out by everything. He sees just how dangerous this entire thing can be and though part of him wants to stay he's looking at this in a non-selfish way. I can already see eyebrows raising at this, but hear me out. When he made his decision to cut ties and go on with his normal life it was done in a pretty damn calm manner considering everything. I mean Fowler, a grown man and agent of the government who knew the dangers when he got involved being kidnapped and had something done to him that was on the side of bad juju, the amount of trouble they can cause just by being in the way and thus needing protection, and Raf's little breakdown in the control room all showed that this is not some awesome adventure that was going to be all fun and games. You also could tell he was also doing this for Raf's sake as well in cutting ties and would probably have not been alone in walking down that space bridge if it was not for the fast friendship that popped up between Raf and Bumblebee.
Also, until otherwise stated, I'm working off the assumption that Jack has no father figure in his life right now. As being the only one who had a parent officially shown (Miko's host parents showing up on her phone and Raf's phone conversation with his mom don't count as official intros to me.) only had one parent shown and the conversation never once mentioned his father. As would be typical when the discussion of 'his' motorcycle came up when his mother saw Arcee in the garage. Meaning that his mom is probably all he has and he is all his mom has left family wise, and his cutting ties in last night's episode was not just out of fear and being freaked out by everything. He's getting out so that the possibility of his mom coming home to an empty house because he got killed by an evil alien robot doesn't happen.
Jack is just an overall good kid who is actually responsible and level headed and instead of the writers throwing that in our face every five seconds like a lot of shows and games do when trying to convey the good qualities of a character, here Jack proves it in little actions and decisions that you can miss in the grand scheme of things.
Raf: Adorable. It is the first word that popped into my mind as soon as they showed him sitting there making car noises as he played with a remote control car. He is definitely going to be the innocence of the kid trio due to his age and his outlook. As he comes off as a bit shy or socially awkward without it being over the top. He actually reminds a lot of some kids I used to have in my classes who were a might too smart for their age, but were not as knowledgeable in typical 'status quo' interactions that you find in most school settings. He's not an outcast, but probably ends up forgotten and blending into the background amongst most of his peers. I will admit to eyebrow raising on his computer smarts and his age, but considering things and how the kids in G1 could do things they shouldn't have been able to do I figure it's a homage to such or more specifically he reminds me of Chip Chase in that regard. He's probably also there as to 'translate' any technobabble that the writers throw in for the benefit of the other kids and the viewers at home. Yet it's not the only thing he is there for. He has his own quirks and personality that are his and not just shoehorned in to make him more then the walking human macguffin when it comes to the humans saving the day that happens from time to time in every transformers series.
I feel he's going to be the binding force between such differing personalities that are Miko and Jack, because he is vulnerable without coming off as wimpy or pathetic, and feels like the one who will be peacemaker when the other two rub each other the wrong way. Already he's what makes them drop their differences to get back on track or see past the squabbling, though it was probably not intentional, when he curled up into that little ball of scared cuteness in the control that made Miko and Jack jump to comfort him and forget about the argument they were having moments before. Not to say they won't give him moments to shine, but I see that as his development arc when it comes to his time with Bumblebee, because I just see Raf having confidence issues that will get worked through by hanging out with these older kids and the bots.
Miko: I want to hate her deep down, but I can see what the writers are probably planning on doing with her and her role in all of this. Considering how jarring her personality is compared with the rest of the cast and even the tone of the plot. She's the foil to many of the others. The spoiled child to Jack's responsible act, the assertiveness to Bulkheads complacency in terms of throwing caution to the wind. She's the one who will take the first step because, despite how we feel at times as fans of this franchise, the humans do play an important part to the story whenever it is set on Earth and the only way to get Jack and Raf involved and not hanging out at the base like good little boys is to either have them always being kidnapped, or chasing after Miko because she leaped before she looked. Now not to say this will be her only role, as in time I can see even Jack being reckless and getting into the thick of things if he believes he's helping a friend in any way he can once he is fully entrenched in the life of the autobots.
No I think she's going to be the major arc in terms of character development in regards to the humans. She's the naive, over excitable one who doesn't really see just what it is she is getting herself involved in, and with the tone of the show going as it is. I see her as being the audience in a way as she goes from seeing this like a way to cut boredom out of her life, to the actual seriousness of what it all means. It seems hopeful to think such, but if the level of writing I've seen so far of this show remains up to this standard then I have high hopes that this is the probable likelihood of Miko and her getting in the way currently.
Also a fun little trivia fact back from my anime watching days. Miko is commonly used in animes as a title for the shrine maidens of temples and are usually depicted as having great spiritual powers. I'm pretty certain this didn't cross their minds when they were picking out her name, but it is funny to think about in this regard.
The Autobots:
Optimus Prime: Why is his mouth so flat? He just hits that right balance of competent leader and soldier without actually coming off as knowing everything and anything. His comment about human culture in regards to the kids and their curfew just seemed so natural to me for someone who tries to learn what he can of the life of these little organics, but not at the cost of being vigilant to his duties of his men and in fighting their war. I know a lot of people went bwhuh when he up and decided to protect the kids, assign them guardians, and keep the knowledge of such away from Fowler, but if you think about it in the broader scheme of things it makes sense for what sort of fall out he was probably picturing.
Here he suddenly finds out that two of his soldiers, after years of not being seen, coming back with not one, but three human children that now have knowledge of their existence. He knows that just that initial contact has already pretty much put those three at the top of hit lists of the enemy because just ignoring the three and hoping the Decepticons won't try and take them is a fragile hope. More then likely the three would be snatched up and dangled like so much bait in front of his face. He can't exactly throw them in a box and hide them away until everything is over with as that goes against his own belief in freedom for all sentient beings, not to mention the fallout with the U.S. government if he even breathed such around them. Which brings him to that little problem. He knows that though meaning well and believing they are doing it for the safety and own good of the kids, that letting the government handle the kids would make them seem that much more of a weak link to him and his team if the Decepticons found out. Let alone the hassle it would cause if they came under attack and none of his team could get there in time. That guilt would lay entirely on him and bring even more complications to an already complicated situation going on with hiding in plain sight of the masses. He chose the best course of action that he could see in that situation to allow him to protect and keep such loose ends close by.
That and he probably also saw this as a good way to have his team gain a better perspective and personal interest in protecting the human race, as it seems for the most part they are fringe observers of the planet and mostly seem to protect the inhabitants and such because it's what autobots would do. Now though he has his team balancing on a knife edge by having them gain a vested interest in protecting earth, and having them become too invested in these three individuals and thus having their judgment compromised.
His dynamics with Megatron also just make me want to see more of how that will play out as everything moves along and whatever else the dark energon has/will do comes into play. I especially want to see more of the past friendship that used to be there from Prime's perspective since I just can't see them mentioning such and not doing anything with such a hook into character development. Especially when the typical confrontations start happening and the hesitation to end this struggle by killing Megatron when he is at Prime's mercy, that is enough time for Megatron to escape. I mean there is so much potential in seeing how Prime became who he was just in the writers going into flashbacks of life before Megatron and Optimus went from friends to enemies.
Ratchet: At least you're back in a color spectrum I can actually see, unlike your Bayverse counterpart who is such a god awful color my own eyes can not actually see it. I don't care what anyone says, but Ratchet is my favorite autobot for this series. He just is so wonderfully gruff and sarcastic that is then counterbalanced with his loyalty and analyzing. He's snarky and bristly without having to fall on the trope of being an old war veteran like they did in animated, but you can still see in little hints and such that he's not mean to be mean and I can see him going from outright wanting the kids gone as he is doing now, to still trying to get rid of them but only in a half hearted way that speaks more of him trying to shelter and protect them; by having them get away from the epicenter of the conflict.
I'm also digging the way that they're making him out to be a non-combatant. Not that he doesn't or can't fight, but that he is better off in a role that is not on the front lines getting hacked to pieces. He apparently is the base mommy as the only reason it seemed that he even went with Optimus to the robot graveyard was because of the fact his small unit was now mostly on babysitting detail. He also doesn't seem to be equipped with any sort of fire arm as the little scalpel cameo could have easily been blasted away when it jumped at him instead of just swatting and dodging as he was doing, and when the zombie robots came after them he pulled out hand knives. Impressive hand knives, but compared to the ones Optimus pulled out were hardly anything. I'm hoping they keep this aspect as it shows that Ratchet didn't need to be a walking armory to survive this war and that he really is dedicated to the actual medical side of it all and not whenever the plot needs him to be patching someone up.
They also better expound on the whole dynamics between him and Optimus that Megatron was hinting at during the zombie fight. Because you can see that they are putting Ratchet in the role of advisor, sounding board, and basically the devil's advocate for Prime and I want to know how that came about even if its only in extra content via comics.
Bulkhead: YESSSS, I am happy that the writers realized that the heavy hitting big guy does not need to be all brawn and no brains for this series. He seems more like a recruit who hasn't quite found his niche in the team dynamic then a bumbling idiot like they were making him out to be in Animated. He knows he's the damage sponge (to use rollplaying and mmorpg slang here) and the one who will get and take a lot of abuse in a fire fight, but it doesn't mean he's just there only for the fight scenes, and his awkwardness when Miko was going on about him being in charge and such you can just tell he's lacking a bit in confidence on any sort of leadership skills he might have. I also liked and hated how he took the fall when Optimus berated him on allowing the kids to come with him. Liked because it shows that he isn't going to shuffle blame away from himself, and hated it because it was blame he didn't really deserve. though this could be a nice angle for character growth as he learns to stand up when he needs to and when he should back down and such.
He's like the average guy in a war that though doesn't specialize in anyway like others is still a needed part to it all, and just someone you'd want to sit down with and talk. He's laidback enough that he can deal with things that come at him without being too overly stressed about it. Like when it came to Miko tagging along on his rescue mission. Instead of freaking out and stressing he just found a way to make it work despite the added complication.
Arcee: Having read the first graphic novel and seeing how she is in the show, I am almost tempted to label her the tough chick/lone wolf of the cast. Yet she's more dynamic then that when I actually stop and look at everything. She's just competent. The one who I'd definitely would want watching my back because I just know she'd take the task to spark and be there. That and I think that she's probably like that due to her size, because she pretty much is the smallest of the bunch and probably gets underestimated all the time due to this, so she probably has it as second nature to prove she can hold her own and even outmatch those with bigger guns and thicker armor then her.
Her dynamics with Jack are just love as well because you can really see just how deep she can care and how she tries to play it off and slips from time to time. Her entire speech when getting Jack up and on the road to the base showed a sort of natural protectiveness that goes beyond war and duty. Especially when she yelled after Jack to leave a note because she knew his mother worries adding more dynamic layering to her in my eyes and I will be disappointed if through all of this her and Jack don't gain some sort of brother-sister relationship as the season progresses.
Bumblebee: At first I was wary when it I heard they were going to make him mute like he is/was in bayverse. Yet I am growing fond of him because of it. He's just so animated in his movements and facial expressions that a voice would just ruin it. I also am thankful they didn't give him a gimmick like bayverse 'bee with his radio clips and such. He's definitely the kid appeal for the show, but not to the point that he doesn't fit with the rest as they managed so far to keep him balanced between goofy and soldier.
I think what sold him to me was, for some odd reason, the comment Arcee made about how Jack could watch cartoons with Bumblebee when he mentioned it was Saturday. As it just gave me this vivid image of 'bee watching in fascination a Saturday morning line up, and in a way gaining an understanding of humanity that the rest of the bots are missing out on. Yeah they're tailoring him as the youngest or such from what I can guess, but he's still a valuable soldier and this is me crossing my fingers that they do a bit of a story arc for him showing how he can still be this upbeat and optimistic sort of light for the rest of his team while having gone through all he has probably gone through. Especially as even the HUB website writes that his lack of voice is due to serious battle damage Ratchet can't seem to fix for some reason, and would add a depth to his character that would be missing if they just glossed over his part in the war before earth.
The Decepticons:
The Eradicons: For a bunch of nameless cannon fodder I just want to adopt the lot of them. I mean, they have so much personality and little quirks for being what they are and it shows to me just how much thought and effort is going into this series.
Starscream: I will admit it here and now that I never really got into the whole Fan of Starscream that a lot of fandom seems to be a part of. Yet this one I think I could roll with and get that club membership if he stays on this sort of course. He's just so creative in a way that I just didn't really see with other incarnations of him. He still comes off as an opportunistic and treacherous bastard, but it's not in your face or played up and out of proportion that it just seems silly. This one is subtle about it and plays it in such a way that his not ending up deactivated yet makes sense. He thinks about everything and sees what would best benefit him with the least amount of threat in being destroyed. Even when a plan fails he tries to have something else in place as a just in case. He's the kind of creep I expect to be able to cause a mutiny just because he comes off as competent and won't fully come out against Megatron unless he is certain he can get away with it.
If anyone were to throw out a phrase about how if he and Megatron were to ever truly be on the same page as one another that it would be a frightening thing, I would have to whole heartedly agree. Because I can't even imagine what sort of havoc could be had if this Starscream were to be fully loyal to Megatron and did not spend time trying to overthrow him in various ways.
Megatron: I have to applaud the writers on this guy. Even in his more overly dramatic moments he still comes off as completely in control and knowing exactly what he is doing. Already he's showing signs of being a complex sort of character that can suck you in given half a chance. I already mentioned how I want to see the dynamic of his and Optimus relationship before they ended up on opposing sides, but I have to stress it even more when talking about Megatron. Already I see overtones of that camaraderie that was once there, but now twisted and changed into a mockery of such. The possessive vibe and complete focus he has in concerns with Optimus speak of something much more complicated then enemies. Almost as if he's trying to prove something to his opposite with each action and how he draws attention to it for Optimus to see.
Coupled with the fact that the dark energon is probably going to make him even more unbalanced as time goes on this dynamic should also change and come even closer to an obsession then it already is, and I pray and hope I am on the right track in concerns to this just because of how much they can do with it.
The cruelty and depravity that he can fall into is a very deep and dark well of potential that the writers can make this version of Megatron one that would make anyone shiver in fear of him, while still being in horrified awe of what he can accomplish. Add that he doesn't broadcast his plans and thus the rest of the cast and even we as viewers have to piece it together from what is found or given to us makes it even more of hook in watching and observing him just because you want to know what he'll do next or just what it is he truly is planning with everything he has done so far. There's a lot of potential in building him up into bad guy that will be remembered and I can only sit back and see just what they will do with him and this potential.
Soundwave: In my humble opinion he is going to be the one to watch out for. Something about him just drives me to watch and be wary of him despite how downplayed he has been so far in the past four episodes. Especially when I see how he interacts with Starscream but still managing to make you see he's loyal to Megatron. He scares me in a way because of what seems to be implied in that he may not always be shown on screen, but that he is there watching and observing everything. A fact that hit home with me when he replayed the clip of Megatron ordering Starscream to do nothing and await his order, especially as if he had been in the scene when that had taken place I had missed him. Which shows that he blends far too well into the background of the Decepticon base, which can be a very dangerous thing with how he is being set up as the spy/intel gatherer/communication bot.
Some people I've talked to seem to not see that as they site how easily he follows orders, but that actually makes me more wary of him. He feels like one who is going to do something that will make everyone sit up and notice and only when you stop and look back on previous episodes will you see the hints of such going to happen.
It's hard to pin point and I'm not certain how many others feel the same nebulous feeling of such like I am, but if he doesn't become a major contender in this show I will be greatly saddened. Especially with how already they have him set up like a rarely seen spider waiting for someone to vibrate a strand of his 'web', and his web appears to be the entire communication network of at least the U.S. if not the world when you then recalled how within moments of Fowler making his call to his superior Soundwave was replaying it for Starscream.
General fan squee:
-Raf and Bumblebee I hope they are never parted because I will probably bawl like a bereft calf if 'bee has to make that sad face again when he thought Raf was going to go away.
-Am I the only one that's started shipping Soundwave/Starscream?
-Megatron/Optimus is going to be a very twisted sort of OTP with a lot of torture oh yes.
-Taking bets now on how long before they start bringing in new characters to sell more toys.
-Soundwave is pretty, I don't know why I think that but I find his design so and I can't stop from thinking that.
-Dude not even half a season in and already Unicron is being mentioned, but no mention of Primus...yet.
-I already have plot bunnies...that mildly disturbs me considering the last pilot is tonight and the series won't start up again until February was it?
Though the halt has let me follow the pilot episodes for Prime which I wasn't certain I'd get to see until months after everyone else has rewatched them enough times to recite them. So I'm going to tl;dr my thoughts so far on the show. So yeah run away now because I'm going to ramble.
Okay so plot I am giving a big thumbs up because I like the approach they are going with it and pray fervently that they keep this tone and feeling through the series. It has its moments of silliness and just typical day vibe in certain scenes which then actually makes the action and darker scenes that much more jarring when you go from watching Raf and Bumblebee playing videogames to sitting up and worrying just a smidge as tiny humans are running this way and that as metal feet (and other body parts that were once connected to a body) start falling around them or seeing Starscream actually torturing a human to the point he becomes incoherent. (Even if most of the torture was done off screen.) Which I think a few people might gloss over if they don't stop and think passed the amusement of Fowler talking like a kid and remember how he ended up asking for pie and cookies. Oh I know there will likely be episodes in the future that will probably be nothing more then fluff to pad out the plot a bit; and that is fine by mean as if done right those episodes can make you feel more for the characters seeing them in typical everyday hijinks brought about by humans and transformers sharing the same space and all.
The Humans:
Fowler: At first I was afraid that he was going to be another Galloway when he was first introduced, as to be that character you are supposed to hate and contrast him to the kids. Luckily it doesn't seem that is going to be the case. Sure he'll probably still come off as a hard ass and the one who will call out the bots on things, but in a way they need that. Especially as this is how a national secret should be handled. No super secret organization like NEST where you risk the secret being told each time you let more and more people in on the secret. No, it's coming off as just only key figures in the places of power knowing about this and Fowler being the one who has to stress the importance of what can and can not be done by the bots, from a human perspective in keeping everything underwraps. After all from the way he was chewing them out about robot fight club in episode 2(?) shows that a lot of effort has to be put in to cover something up. Unlike how bayverse tries and acts like giant robots fighting in a populated city or blowing up pyramids can be covered up.
That and he got huge bonus points of cool during the entire interrogation scene, because you can just understand how dedicated he is to his job and protecting national security. Personally he seems like he would like nothing better then to see the autobots leave earth for good, but he isn't stupid and knows it would be a bad idea to let Starscream find out where they are being hidden by his own government. The man deserves respect for his sheer defiance and bravery in the face of such blatant motives and outcome of his life when Starscream finally got fed up with him or found no more use for him. I can see myself liking him no matter how much of an ass he comes off as later on down the line, just because of what was shown here of him.
Jack: I can see where some people would consider him a Sam clone in the first episode, as they did make his intro eerily similar to Sam's in the first movie. However I loved him from the word go and with each new episode the reason why I felt this became more and more apparent. He's the sane one of the kids, because frankly if we all stop and think past the fangirl/boy reaction of 'giant alien robots, squee' that we believe we would have on actually meeting one, his reaction to it all seems the most believable. You can actually see that he thinks and sees the negative side to this and what it could lead to if the autobots were not quick enough to keep the humans out of harms way. That and just the fact he quietly takes charge of the other two, it's not in your face obnoxious or anything. Just a resigned sort of understanding that as the oldest and better able to understand 'human culture' as was pointed out when he mentioned curfew to Optimus and in a way had to explain such a concept to the big guy, he's the one that has to make certain that the whole protection thing doesn't cause even more problems like getting cops involved and such.
Last nights episode cemented it even further my love of this boy, because he's completely rational even when you can tell he's freaked out by everything. He sees just how dangerous this entire thing can be and though part of him wants to stay he's looking at this in a non-selfish way. I can already see eyebrows raising at this, but hear me out. When he made his decision to cut ties and go on with his normal life it was done in a pretty damn calm manner considering everything. I mean Fowler, a grown man and agent of the government who knew the dangers when he got involved being kidnapped and had something done to him that was on the side of bad juju, the amount of trouble they can cause just by being in the way and thus needing protection, and Raf's little breakdown in the control room all showed that this is not some awesome adventure that was going to be all fun and games. You also could tell he was also doing this for Raf's sake as well in cutting ties and would probably have not been alone in walking down that space bridge if it was not for the fast friendship that popped up between Raf and Bumblebee.
Also, until otherwise stated, I'm working off the assumption that Jack has no father figure in his life right now. As being the only one who had a parent officially shown (Miko's host parents showing up on her phone and Raf's phone conversation with his mom don't count as official intros to me.) only had one parent shown and the conversation never once mentioned his father. As would be typical when the discussion of 'his' motorcycle came up when his mother saw Arcee in the garage. Meaning that his mom is probably all he has and he is all his mom has left family wise, and his cutting ties in last night's episode was not just out of fear and being freaked out by everything. He's getting out so that the possibility of his mom coming home to an empty house because he got killed by an evil alien robot doesn't happen.
Jack is just an overall good kid who is actually responsible and level headed and instead of the writers throwing that in our face every five seconds like a lot of shows and games do when trying to convey the good qualities of a character, here Jack proves it in little actions and decisions that you can miss in the grand scheme of things.
Raf: Adorable. It is the first word that popped into my mind as soon as they showed him sitting there making car noises as he played with a remote control car. He is definitely going to be the innocence of the kid trio due to his age and his outlook. As he comes off as a bit shy or socially awkward without it being over the top. He actually reminds a lot of some kids I used to have in my classes who were a might too smart for their age, but were not as knowledgeable in typical 'status quo' interactions that you find in most school settings. He's not an outcast, but probably ends up forgotten and blending into the background amongst most of his peers. I will admit to eyebrow raising on his computer smarts and his age, but considering things and how the kids in G1 could do things they shouldn't have been able to do I figure it's a homage to such or more specifically he reminds me of Chip Chase in that regard. He's probably also there as to 'translate' any technobabble that the writers throw in for the benefit of the other kids and the viewers at home. Yet it's not the only thing he is there for. He has his own quirks and personality that are his and not just shoehorned in to make him more then the walking human macguffin when it comes to the humans saving the day that happens from time to time in every transformers series.
I feel he's going to be the binding force between such differing personalities that are Miko and Jack, because he is vulnerable without coming off as wimpy or pathetic, and feels like the one who will be peacemaker when the other two rub each other the wrong way. Already he's what makes them drop their differences to get back on track or see past the squabbling, though it was probably not intentional, when he curled up into that little ball of scared cuteness in the control that made Miko and Jack jump to comfort him and forget about the argument they were having moments before. Not to say they won't give him moments to shine, but I see that as his development arc when it comes to his time with Bumblebee, because I just see Raf having confidence issues that will get worked through by hanging out with these older kids and the bots.
Miko: I want to hate her deep down, but I can see what the writers are probably planning on doing with her and her role in all of this. Considering how jarring her personality is compared with the rest of the cast and even the tone of the plot. She's the foil to many of the others. The spoiled child to Jack's responsible act, the assertiveness to Bulkheads complacency in terms of throwing caution to the wind. She's the one who will take the first step because, despite how we feel at times as fans of this franchise, the humans do play an important part to the story whenever it is set on Earth and the only way to get Jack and Raf involved and not hanging out at the base like good little boys is to either have them always being kidnapped, or chasing after Miko because she leaped before she looked. Now not to say this will be her only role, as in time I can see even Jack being reckless and getting into the thick of things if he believes he's helping a friend in any way he can once he is fully entrenched in the life of the autobots.
No I think she's going to be the major arc in terms of character development in regards to the humans. She's the naive, over excitable one who doesn't really see just what it is she is getting herself involved in, and with the tone of the show going as it is. I see her as being the audience in a way as she goes from seeing this like a way to cut boredom out of her life, to the actual seriousness of what it all means. It seems hopeful to think such, but if the level of writing I've seen so far of this show remains up to this standard then I have high hopes that this is the probable likelihood of Miko and her getting in the way currently.
Also a fun little trivia fact back from my anime watching days. Miko is commonly used in animes as a title for the shrine maidens of temples and are usually depicted as having great spiritual powers. I'm pretty certain this didn't cross their minds when they were picking out her name, but it is funny to think about in this regard.
The Autobots:
Optimus Prime: Why is his mouth so flat? He just hits that right balance of competent leader and soldier without actually coming off as knowing everything and anything. His comment about human culture in regards to the kids and their curfew just seemed so natural to me for someone who tries to learn what he can of the life of these little organics, but not at the cost of being vigilant to his duties of his men and in fighting their war. I know a lot of people went bwhuh when he up and decided to protect the kids, assign them guardians, and keep the knowledge of such away from Fowler, but if you think about it in the broader scheme of things it makes sense for what sort of fall out he was probably picturing.
Here he suddenly finds out that two of his soldiers, after years of not being seen, coming back with not one, but three human children that now have knowledge of their existence. He knows that just that initial contact has already pretty much put those three at the top of hit lists of the enemy because just ignoring the three and hoping the Decepticons won't try and take them is a fragile hope. More then likely the three would be snatched up and dangled like so much bait in front of his face. He can't exactly throw them in a box and hide them away until everything is over with as that goes against his own belief in freedom for all sentient beings, not to mention the fallout with the U.S. government if he even breathed such around them. Which brings him to that little problem. He knows that though meaning well and believing they are doing it for the safety and own good of the kids, that letting the government handle the kids would make them seem that much more of a weak link to him and his team if the Decepticons found out. Let alone the hassle it would cause if they came under attack and none of his team could get there in time. That guilt would lay entirely on him and bring even more complications to an already complicated situation going on with hiding in plain sight of the masses. He chose the best course of action that he could see in that situation to allow him to protect and keep such loose ends close by.
That and he probably also saw this as a good way to have his team gain a better perspective and personal interest in protecting the human race, as it seems for the most part they are fringe observers of the planet and mostly seem to protect the inhabitants and such because it's what autobots would do. Now though he has his team balancing on a knife edge by having them gain a vested interest in protecting earth, and having them become too invested in these three individuals and thus having their judgment compromised.
His dynamics with Megatron also just make me want to see more of how that will play out as everything moves along and whatever else the dark energon has/will do comes into play. I especially want to see more of the past friendship that used to be there from Prime's perspective since I just can't see them mentioning such and not doing anything with such a hook into character development. Especially when the typical confrontations start happening and the hesitation to end this struggle by killing Megatron when he is at Prime's mercy, that is enough time for Megatron to escape. I mean there is so much potential in seeing how Prime became who he was just in the writers going into flashbacks of life before Megatron and Optimus went from friends to enemies.
Ratchet: At least you're back in a color spectrum I can actually see, unlike your Bayverse counterpart who is such a god awful color my own eyes can not actually see it. I don't care what anyone says, but Ratchet is my favorite autobot for this series. He just is so wonderfully gruff and sarcastic that is then counterbalanced with his loyalty and analyzing. He's snarky and bristly without having to fall on the trope of being an old war veteran like they did in animated, but you can still see in little hints and such that he's not mean to be mean and I can see him going from outright wanting the kids gone as he is doing now, to still trying to get rid of them but only in a half hearted way that speaks more of him trying to shelter and protect them; by having them get away from the epicenter of the conflict.
I'm also digging the way that they're making him out to be a non-combatant. Not that he doesn't or can't fight, but that he is better off in a role that is not on the front lines getting hacked to pieces. He apparently is the base mommy as the only reason it seemed that he even went with Optimus to the robot graveyard was because of the fact his small unit was now mostly on babysitting detail. He also doesn't seem to be equipped with any sort of fire arm as the little scalpel cameo could have easily been blasted away when it jumped at him instead of just swatting and dodging as he was doing, and when the zombie robots came after them he pulled out hand knives. Impressive hand knives, but compared to the ones Optimus pulled out were hardly anything. I'm hoping they keep this aspect as it shows that Ratchet didn't need to be a walking armory to survive this war and that he really is dedicated to the actual medical side of it all and not whenever the plot needs him to be patching someone up.
They also better expound on the whole dynamics between him and Optimus that Megatron was hinting at during the zombie fight. Because you can see that they are putting Ratchet in the role of advisor, sounding board, and basically the devil's advocate for Prime and I want to know how that came about even if its only in extra content via comics.
Bulkhead: YESSSS, I am happy that the writers realized that the heavy hitting big guy does not need to be all brawn and no brains for this series. He seems more like a recruit who hasn't quite found his niche in the team dynamic then a bumbling idiot like they were making him out to be in Animated. He knows he's the damage sponge (to use rollplaying and mmorpg slang here) and the one who will get and take a lot of abuse in a fire fight, but it doesn't mean he's just there only for the fight scenes, and his awkwardness when Miko was going on about him being in charge and such you can just tell he's lacking a bit in confidence on any sort of leadership skills he might have. I also liked and hated how he took the fall when Optimus berated him on allowing the kids to come with him. Liked because it shows that he isn't going to shuffle blame away from himself, and hated it because it was blame he didn't really deserve. though this could be a nice angle for character growth as he learns to stand up when he needs to and when he should back down and such.
He's like the average guy in a war that though doesn't specialize in anyway like others is still a needed part to it all, and just someone you'd want to sit down with and talk. He's laidback enough that he can deal with things that come at him without being too overly stressed about it. Like when it came to Miko tagging along on his rescue mission. Instead of freaking out and stressing he just found a way to make it work despite the added complication.
Arcee: Having read the first graphic novel and seeing how she is in the show, I am almost tempted to label her the tough chick/lone wolf of the cast. Yet she's more dynamic then that when I actually stop and look at everything. She's just competent. The one who I'd definitely would want watching my back because I just know she'd take the task to spark and be there. That and I think that she's probably like that due to her size, because she pretty much is the smallest of the bunch and probably gets underestimated all the time due to this, so she probably has it as second nature to prove she can hold her own and even outmatch those with bigger guns and thicker armor then her.
Her dynamics with Jack are just love as well because you can really see just how deep she can care and how she tries to play it off and slips from time to time. Her entire speech when getting Jack up and on the road to the base showed a sort of natural protectiveness that goes beyond war and duty. Especially when she yelled after Jack to leave a note because she knew his mother worries adding more dynamic layering to her in my eyes and I will be disappointed if through all of this her and Jack don't gain some sort of brother-sister relationship as the season progresses.
Bumblebee: At first I was wary when it I heard they were going to make him mute like he is/was in bayverse. Yet I am growing fond of him because of it. He's just so animated in his movements and facial expressions that a voice would just ruin it. I also am thankful they didn't give him a gimmick like bayverse 'bee with his radio clips and such. He's definitely the kid appeal for the show, but not to the point that he doesn't fit with the rest as they managed so far to keep him balanced between goofy and soldier.
I think what sold him to me was, for some odd reason, the comment Arcee made about how Jack could watch cartoons with Bumblebee when he mentioned it was Saturday. As it just gave me this vivid image of 'bee watching in fascination a Saturday morning line up, and in a way gaining an understanding of humanity that the rest of the bots are missing out on. Yeah they're tailoring him as the youngest or such from what I can guess, but he's still a valuable soldier and this is me crossing my fingers that they do a bit of a story arc for him showing how he can still be this upbeat and optimistic sort of light for the rest of his team while having gone through all he has probably gone through. Especially as even the HUB website writes that his lack of voice is due to serious battle damage Ratchet can't seem to fix for some reason, and would add a depth to his character that would be missing if they just glossed over his part in the war before earth.
The Decepticons:
The Eradicons: For a bunch of nameless cannon fodder I just want to adopt the lot of them. I mean, they have so much personality and little quirks for being what they are and it shows to me just how much thought and effort is going into this series.
Starscream: I will admit it here and now that I never really got into the whole Fan of Starscream that a lot of fandom seems to be a part of. Yet this one I think I could roll with and get that club membership if he stays on this sort of course. He's just so creative in a way that I just didn't really see with other incarnations of him. He still comes off as an opportunistic and treacherous bastard, but it's not in your face or played up and out of proportion that it just seems silly. This one is subtle about it and plays it in such a way that his not ending up deactivated yet makes sense. He thinks about everything and sees what would best benefit him with the least amount of threat in being destroyed. Even when a plan fails he tries to have something else in place as a just in case. He's the kind of creep I expect to be able to cause a mutiny just because he comes off as competent and won't fully come out against Megatron unless he is certain he can get away with it.
If anyone were to throw out a phrase about how if he and Megatron were to ever truly be on the same page as one another that it would be a frightening thing, I would have to whole heartedly agree. Because I can't even imagine what sort of havoc could be had if this Starscream were to be fully loyal to Megatron and did not spend time trying to overthrow him in various ways.
Megatron: I have to applaud the writers on this guy. Even in his more overly dramatic moments he still comes off as completely in control and knowing exactly what he is doing. Already he's showing signs of being a complex sort of character that can suck you in given half a chance. I already mentioned how I want to see the dynamic of his and Optimus relationship before they ended up on opposing sides, but I have to stress it even more when talking about Megatron. Already I see overtones of that camaraderie that was once there, but now twisted and changed into a mockery of such. The possessive vibe and complete focus he has in concerns with Optimus speak of something much more complicated then enemies. Almost as if he's trying to prove something to his opposite with each action and how he draws attention to it for Optimus to see.
Coupled with the fact that the dark energon is probably going to make him even more unbalanced as time goes on this dynamic should also change and come even closer to an obsession then it already is, and I pray and hope I am on the right track in concerns to this just because of how much they can do with it.
The cruelty and depravity that he can fall into is a very deep and dark well of potential that the writers can make this version of Megatron one that would make anyone shiver in fear of him, while still being in horrified awe of what he can accomplish. Add that he doesn't broadcast his plans and thus the rest of the cast and even we as viewers have to piece it together from what is found or given to us makes it even more of hook in watching and observing him just because you want to know what he'll do next or just what it is he truly is planning with everything he has done so far. There's a lot of potential in building him up into bad guy that will be remembered and I can only sit back and see just what they will do with him and this potential.
Soundwave: In my humble opinion he is going to be the one to watch out for. Something about him just drives me to watch and be wary of him despite how downplayed he has been so far in the past four episodes. Especially when I see how he interacts with Starscream but still managing to make you see he's loyal to Megatron. He scares me in a way because of what seems to be implied in that he may not always be shown on screen, but that he is there watching and observing everything. A fact that hit home with me when he replayed the clip of Megatron ordering Starscream to do nothing and await his order, especially as if he had been in the scene when that had taken place I had missed him. Which shows that he blends far too well into the background of the Decepticon base, which can be a very dangerous thing with how he is being set up as the spy/intel gatherer/communication bot.
Some people I've talked to seem to not see that as they site how easily he follows orders, but that actually makes me more wary of him. He feels like one who is going to do something that will make everyone sit up and notice and only when you stop and look back on previous episodes will you see the hints of such going to happen.
It's hard to pin point and I'm not certain how many others feel the same nebulous feeling of such like I am, but if he doesn't become a major contender in this show I will be greatly saddened. Especially with how already they have him set up like a rarely seen spider waiting for someone to vibrate a strand of his 'web', and his web appears to be the entire communication network of at least the U.S. if not the world when you then recalled how within moments of Fowler making his call to his superior Soundwave was replaying it for Starscream.
General fan squee:
-Raf and Bumblebee I hope they are never parted because I will probably bawl like a bereft calf if 'bee has to make that sad face again when he thought Raf was going to go away.
-Am I the only one that's started shipping Soundwave/Starscream?
-Megatron/Optimus is going to be a very twisted sort of OTP with a lot of torture oh yes.
-Taking bets now on how long before they start bringing in new characters to sell more toys.
-Soundwave is pretty, I don't know why I think that but I find his design so and I can't stop from thinking that.
-Dude not even half a season in and already Unicron is being mentioned, but no mention of Primus...yet.
-I already have plot bunnies...that mildly disturbs me considering the last pilot is tonight and the series won't start up again until February was it?