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Serpent's Eye: A PRIME PROBLEMReview by RakshaMegatron asserts his leadership position ("I give the orders"), but you'll notice he does so in order to protect the impetuous Starscream, who is ready and willing to plunge down into the crevice without a second thought. What is the auto-scout, really? For a long time I puzzled over whether this might not be yet another creation of Soundwave's, because of the way Megatron spoke when it was sent into the crevice: "Do not permit the auto-scout to make contact ... those crystals are deadly!" - as though it were something of importance that should be safeguarded. But, other evidence weighs against this, and shows that it's only a non-sentient probing device. Megatron directs Soundwave to send an auto-scout into the crevice (not *the* auto-scout, or "Auto-Scout" as though it were a name), which indicates it's just one of Soundwave's many ways of bringing back information about the environment. Also, there was no reaction when it was destroyed, either from Soundwave or Megatron ... just a lost probe, some resources squandered. And what they learned from it, was potentially worth much more. Also notice, during the release of the auto-probe sequence: Soundwave hits the eject button even before Megatron finishes his command, as though knowing exactly what his leader's wish would be in this instance. A very nice bit of Megatron/Soundwave teamwork there ... showing how well they know each other and how comfortably they work together. Lots of evidence of Megatron's exceptional intelligence in this episode, starting with his immediate recognition of the corlonium crystals upon Soundwave's description. It's telling also that Starscream, the supposed "scientist," hasn't the foggiest clue, which underscores the fact that I've never been able to picture Starscream as a scientist, "Fire in the Sky" notwithstanding. But more comments on the topic when we reach that episode. Megatron warns Starscream a second time to stay well back from the crevice. By emphasizing the danger, he's making sure Starscream doesn't do anything foolish, while at the same time asserting himself and putting Starscream in his place. He's the leader and will tolerate no questioning of his position, but he's a leader who cares about the safety of his underlings - even Starscream. Megatron's somewhat cryptic comments to Starscream regarding his plans, indicate that he's been thinking of how best to use this find for some time already. Presumably the corlonium readings were first investigated as a potential energy source, seeing as the Decepticons under Megatron's guidance followed up on any possible lead - and I'm sure Megatron already suspected what they'd truly found. Unable to use it as a source of power, he shifted toward plans to use it as a weapon - the typical Decepticon practical approach. Make use of anything you find in a way that will further your cause. Brief aside: I love the Temporary Base of Operations (tm) - one of several we've seen in the series. A classic Megatron touch. Sure enough, the Autobots blunder right into the scene, just as Megatron predicted. Jazz and his comments on the colored light show reminded me of why I so tremendously dislike that character, above and beyond your run-of-the-mill Autobot. He thinks he's sooo cool. Blech. A nice touch by Starscream was to call Optimus "Floptimus Prime." That would make a great Con-Quest quote, in fact.... :) Prime shows his colossal arrogance by thinking he really did best 3 jetwarriors in a fair fight ("I'm sorry there are only three of you..."), totally unaware that they were sent out to keep him busy and nothing more. Prime's hubris is almost the end of him right then and there ... but such, unfortunately, was not to be yet. I find it fitting, though, that after he insults Laserbeak as a "tinfoil turkey," he gets blasted into unconsciousness. Laserbeak doesn't get enough credit - he's actually quite a powerful little fighter. More than once, he's almost single-handedly finished off Prime, and this episode was one of those times. Interestingly enough, a recurring theme on many UK artifacts is "Laserbeak vs. Prime." It's not as uneven a match-up as one might at first think. Also, no evidence of Laserbeak's supposed "cowardice" here - he plunges right into the battle and goes after one of the most dangerous foes out there. At this point, one might question the wisdom of taking pictures of the unconscious Prime rather than blasting him into oblivion. While from a strategic point of view, this was a mis-step on Megatron's part, I can fully understand his desire to bring his enemy to the most humiliating and painful end possible. It may not have been the wisest decision, but it was the most understandable, the one based on emotion and passion and the desire for justice. This element of Megatron's nature is one of the things that makes him so tremendously compelling and believable as a character. Given the choice of finishing off his hated long-time enemy in a quick and painless fashion, vs playing out the delicious irony of having his own warriors kill him, I can understand the emotion behind the decision. "The Autobots themselves will punish him for us" - punish him for his crimes against the Decepticons and against Cybertron. Megatron's use of the phrase "the fallen gladiator" to describe Prime, was interesting to me personally, because it harkens back to a phase of Megatron's life that I've partially explored in my own fanfic universe. Here's one of the rare points where I'm willing to mix in a bit of comics continuity with the cartoon, because you'll recall that Megatron in the UK comics continuity was at one point a gladiator in the State Games. And (at least the way I've addressed that part of his background in fanfic), gladiators at that time often fought to the death. A fallen gladiator was almost by definition a dead one; a live one was obviously unbeaten. A live one such as Megatron. Moving on ... we see another of Megatron's many brilliant devices, the duplicator machine and remote control. The Autobots never came up with inventive stuff like this! Notice while Laserbeak is taking holographic scans of Prime, there's no hint whatsoever of a matrix inside him.... Once back at the Autobot base, Megatron's Prime clone addresses Ironhide as "Bumblebee" ... which is very understandable, really. There's no reason why Megatron should know who's who among the 'Bots - they're just not important enough to bother with. This echoes my own experiences when I was first getting into the cartoons ... it took me literally years to be able to tell all those minicars apart, simply because I never found the characters interesting enough to pay much attention to them. That aside, Megatron talks his way out of that awkward moment easily enough.... Teletran-One's scan of both Primes once again reaveals no trace of a matrix, lending weight to my claim that it simply doesn't exist in the pre-Movie universe at all. Both Prime copies are identical - indicating how perfectly Megatron has assembled his cloning machine. By contrast, I don't think Prime came up with one single innovative invention during the whole series. Laser rifle sharpshooting contest - well, no problem for Megatron to make his clone win that one..... Meanwhile, back at the Temporary Base of Operations (tm), Megatron sends Teletran-One false readings about an increased energy output from the corlonium crystals, in order to evoke more Autobot interest. And manages it flawlessly, without anyone suspecting. Damn, he's good. :) Ironhide takes over? Does he do so by right of being second-in-command, or does he just force his way to the forefront? Is he accepted as temporary leader by virtue of being the oldest and the one who's known Prime the longest and best - or does he really have the position to pull rank like that? It's never made clear. Though I always envisioned Ironhide as holding a position among the Autobots much like Soundwave holds among the Decepticons: the leader's trusted friend; not the official second-in-command, but the one whom the rest of the troops (including the leader) ultimately look to for guidance, regardless of his actual rank. I always found it fitting that those pairs of characters (Megatron and Soundwave, Ironhide and Prime) were each voiced by one voice actor. The Autobots blunder into Megatron's trap for a second time. Heh. Starscream at this point obviously admires Megatron's work ("The Autobots are gloriously confused"), but still wants to move too fast. Megatron is biding his time until the moment when he can take them all out, not just a few. He and Starscream once again have the same goal, but again Megatron is thinking it out more fully. If we grant that he should have had Prime killed in the first place, but didn't out of a love of irony, then he has to play out the resulting situation to its most advantageous end - and simply taking advantage of the Autobots' confusion wouldn't be nearly as effective as leading them all to their doom. I can't help but love how Megatron toys with Starscream a bit - though I bear no malice against Starscream, and it's clear at this point that Megatron doesn't either - he's just in that kind of mood, and is amusing himself a little. Though I'm surprised that Starscream really is that dense sometimes, that he didn't pick up on it. When Megatron first talks about having the Prime clone kill a Decepticon, it sounds for all the worlds like he's willing to sacrifice one of his troops for the ploy - but anyone who knows him at all, would be aware that he'd never do a thing like that. This is the leader who constantly pulls his warriors back from potential destruction in order to seek a safer approach to their goals. But Starscream takes the bait and immediately starts sorting through his mental files to see who he can "volunteer" for the job - someone he dislikes, whom he can perhaps get out of the way. It's apparent to me that he's hinting toward Soundwave ("It should be a trusted officer, to make it look really good"). Starscream refers to himself as "the pride of the Cybertron War Academy" - a neat glimpse into his background. Again, this is no scientist. He was trained as an air warrior, and a damn good one - perhaps the best ever to come out of the Academy. His own boasts, arrogant though they may be, in this case have a basis in fact. Laserbeak once again shows his skill and power as he hauls Starscream back to base, where Megatron explains his true plan to Starscream. Even at this point, where Megatron should perhaps be aggravated at the delay, he's actually very calm and patient with Starscream. He's had his moment of fun ... now back to work.... Starscream smiles upon being given his new toy, the control of the handsome clone. :) Listen to the background music during the line "Now the time has come for Starscream to sacrifice himself in battle" ... all the way through to the point where the Starscream clone leaves the base. That's the sequence I've always refered to as the "Decepticon Battle Theme Music." One of my favorite bits of music in the whole series. Starscream and his clone both respond with an enthusiastic "As you command, Megatron!" Now he's happy again, and even sounds sincere and respectful, and eager to play his part. Megatron wants to enjoy letting the "puny human" watch the Autobots die - again, an element of poetic justice that I fully understand and can relate to. After all his years of struggle, there's some vengeance due now, and Megatron deserves his moments of vindication where he can get them. Outside, Thundercracker is ready to blast to bits the Autobot he's gotten hold of, and isn't pleased to be told to hold his fire. This is no traitor! Once again the tech spec text is proven to have no relation to the nature of the characters as shown on the cartoon. Who is that Autobot he's holding, anyway? Gears? See, I don't even recognize them all myself, they just never were significant enough to notice. So why should Megatron know the difference between Bumblebee and Ironhide? :) Also of significance is how Thundercracker doesn't hesitate to speak to Starscream rather harshly ("Did you have a blow-out in your brain box?"). Sure, the Decepticons are a military organization and discipline is maintained, but this isn't a group that's kept in line through fear - there's definitely room for some more casual association. I love the sarcasm in the Starscream clone's voice when he says "the great Optimus Prime".... There's no surprise among the Autobots to see what looks like Prime killing a Decepticon - it's obviously something entirely in keeping with what the real Prime would do. Who claims Autobots aren't killers? Prime - not the clone! - calls Trailbreaker "Trailblazer" ... though I seem to remember it happening in at least one other episode...? Perhaps it's a nickname he uses. The Autobots themselves acknowledge "The real Prime would save Spike ... even if we'd never get those weird crystals." Remember that at this time, the 'Bots still think the crystals are a tremendous power source, one that might even propell them to victory. Prime would gamble the future of his whole species against a useless outsider. The ending, once again, made me laugh, though more in contempt this time at Spike's ludicrous statement "I'm sorry I couldn't hang onto Megatron." Not only useless, but stupid too. Floptimus Prime pat-pats him on the head ... good little roach.... Summary: This is an episode that gets better and better upon subsequent viewings. The first time through, all that really caught my attention was that glorious opening sequence. The rest seemed mostly about the Autobots trying to figure out which one was their real leader (not too bright, are they?), which held little interest for me. But in fact, the whole episode is a wonderful interplay between Megatron and Starscream, and it showcases their association beautifully. Megatron displays so many facets - he's brilliant, authoritative, commanding, informal, relaxed, humerous, vengeful, paternal, protective, dedicated. Starscream, for all his assets, can't see past his own shortcomings - and Megatron alternately takes advantage of that for his own entertainment, and ultimately tries to teach him lessons in the process too. There's an amused tolerance shown by Megatron toward Starscream throughout the whole story - even an affection. Starscream, in turn, while displaying some token bristling under Megatron's leadership, can't entirely suppress his admiration for Megatron's intelligence and command ability. This is the Starscream/Megatron association at its very best. The astoundingly beautiful art and animation sure didn't hurt either. My one very minor complaint would be that I'd have liked to see Megatron get out there and fight too - it's very unlike him to sit in his base and send others into battle - but in this case, he had to have the overview needed to orchestrate the whole scenario. I'm not sure I want to get into giving episodes a letter grade or a grade on a scale of 1-10 - but if I were doing so, well ... this one ranks right up there. Back to the Serpent's Eye Index Back to The Serpent's Lair |