"Cop-Tur! Activate the Stealth Device!"
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Dramatic Capture Series
- Thread starter Sabrblade
- Start date
Speaking of space ubers, I know Omega socked Astrotrain that one time, I believe, but have Sky Lynx and Astrotrain ever tussled?
Not to my knowledge. By S3 Astrotrain was very much just another mook rather than a transport, and not one widely used in general -- since there was a new triple-changer to promote, and a fairly set main Decepticon cast in Galvatron/Cyclonus/Scourge/however many Sweeps are needed to sprinkle dialogue across). And I don't think Sky Lynx really had a lot of one-on-one confrontations.
But I may be forgetting a lot.
But I may be forgetting a lot.
One time, and very briefly, in "The Big Broadcast of 2006".
Sky Lynx and Astrotrain only ever tussled at the start of 'Big Broadcast of 2006' what's interesting is, that episode also featured Omega Supreme's only appearance. He was taken down by a blast from Galvatron's cannon which was set to 'cartoon mode' fortunately for Omega.
Should note, though Astrotrain called Sky Lynx 'Autobot' rather then by name but he really went in. ("Right! the gloves are off!"), Sky Lynx arch nemesis always seemed to be Predaking.
Also Omega curb stomped the Sweeps, Cyclomus suddenly remembered he left the dryer on and fled with the rest.
Should note, though Astrotrain called Sky Lynx 'Autobot' rather then by name but he really went in. ("Right! the gloves are off!"), Sky Lynx arch nemesis always seemed to be Predaking.
Also Omega curb stomped the Sweeps, Cyclomus suddenly remembered he left the dryer on and fled with the rest.
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Apropos of nothing, YouTube recommended Triple Takeover the other night, so I settled in to check it out. I don't think I'd ever seen it before, not in full at least. I'm more familiar with Blitzwing from FFOD than from this, and was thrown by how thick the voice effect on Astrotrain was. (Apparently the wings are only colored like this in two season 2 episodes, but most of season 3, thanks to AKOM. So... are these colors onscreen more often then, and can a case be made for them ending up being the "correct" colors? I don't have a horse in that race, myself, just idly wondering.)
It's... Interesting. Some immortal lines ("you're either lying or you're stupid", "no planet ever lost its orbit...", "I'll splatter [your mind] on the wall and see for myself", "I'm looking for the LEADER of the Decepticons"), but so much weirdness. Long stretches of action (mainly the Autobot siege on Blitzwing's "zone defense" labyrinth) go totally unvoiced, not even as reactions to attacks iirc. It's like a silent movie set to music. Some bits seem unfinished or weirdly assembled, or at least the action isn't clear (Prime just... headlights through gunfire from Megatron and Starscream; the Decepticon battle royale just... Ends offscreen). And of course the usual Old Cartoon casual internal continuity handling and "just go with it" plot (a single water main causes a flood that reaches rooftops of multistorey buildings, or Autobot-waist height; Astrotrain puts a computer in a train and it can respond to voice commands). It's definitely memorable and not boring, and the very idea of an immensely powerful Decepticon knowing he is and wanting to be in charge... And then asking the first human he encounters, a hapless football coach, for advice on how to do that? Wonderful.
It's a FUN episode, with the cons getting to do a LOT. The titular takeover kicks off almost immediately with no fluff (even the opening scene establishing the motivation with the Mount Rushmore of 'cons is awesome) and we don't even see an Autobot until well into the plan taking shape. Blitzwing and Astrotrain enact delightfully shortsighted plans that are fun to watch (and are incredibly successful on Blitzwing's part, as he takes out multiple Autobots). Prime is pretty fun in this too, with his whole "sitting out the infighting" and saucy taunting of Megatron. But the Autobots then offering to let him sit on them is just... Ooookay.
I love how much interaction the Decepticons get. The triple changers bro-ing it up and dunking on Starscream, the Seekers mocking Astrotrain and taking bets on Megatron winning, Starscream actually getting out-usurped.
Due to a number of factors (including waiting to see what SS86 Astrotrain looks like, and preferring to hold on to LG Blitzwing) I still won't be getting the Dramatic Capture set. But it's a great set that makes a lot of sense, and the cartoon colors look well-executed.
It's... Interesting. Some immortal lines ("you're either lying or you're stupid", "no planet ever lost its orbit...", "I'll splatter [your mind] on the wall and see for myself", "I'm looking for the LEADER of the Decepticons"), but so much weirdness. Long stretches of action (mainly the Autobot siege on Blitzwing's "zone defense" labyrinth) go totally unvoiced, not even as reactions to attacks iirc. It's like a silent movie set to music. Some bits seem unfinished or weirdly assembled, or at least the action isn't clear (Prime just... headlights through gunfire from Megatron and Starscream; the Decepticon battle royale just... Ends offscreen). And of course the usual Old Cartoon casual internal continuity handling and "just go with it" plot (a single water main causes a flood that reaches rooftops of multistorey buildings, or Autobot-waist height; Astrotrain puts a computer in a train and it can respond to voice commands). It's definitely memorable and not boring, and the very idea of an immensely powerful Decepticon knowing he is and wanting to be in charge... And then asking the first human he encounters, a hapless football coach, for advice on how to do that? Wonderful.
It's a FUN episode, with the cons getting to do a LOT. The titular takeover kicks off almost immediately with no fluff (even the opening scene establishing the motivation with the Mount Rushmore of 'cons is awesome) and we don't even see an Autobot until well into the plan taking shape. Blitzwing and Astrotrain enact delightfully shortsighted plans that are fun to watch (and are incredibly successful on Blitzwing's part, as he takes out multiple Autobots). Prime is pretty fun in this too, with his whole "sitting out the infighting" and saucy taunting of Megatron. But the Autobots then offering to let him sit on them is just... Ooookay.
I love how much interaction the Decepticons get. The triple changers bro-ing it up and dunking on Starscream, the Seekers mocking Astrotrain and taking bets on Megatron winning, Starscream actually getting out-usurped.
Due to a number of factors (including waiting to see what SS86 Astrotrain looks like, and preferring to hold on to LG Blitzwing) I still won't be getting the Dramatic Capture set. But it's a great set that makes a lot of sense, and the cartoon colors look well-executed.
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I don't kink shame. This is a safe space.
I am glad you got to experience this episode. While super cheesy (like a lot of G1) when I was a 13 year old watching this for the first time, I just absolutely loved it. I always liked the Triple Changers, which were a new concept at the time, and to have an episode that highlighted them in this way was just perfect for me.
I'm not kidding when I call it the GOAT episode.
Is it the best episode of tv Transformers has ever produced? No. Not by a long shot.
It is, however, the most entertaining. And not even in a "so bad it's good" way. In a "this is nuts, and Larry Strauss clearly knows that and is leaning into it" sort of way.
And the dialogue snaps on every level.
Is it the best episode of tv Transformers has ever produced? No. Not by a long shot.
It is, however, the most entertaining. And not even in a "so bad it's good" way. In a "this is nuts, and Larry Strauss clearly knows that and is leaning into it" sort of way.
And the dialogue snaps on every level.
Triple Takeover is a golden age Simpsons episode dressed as giant robots and I love it.
I really gotta rewatch that episode sometime.
Do it. It is the greatest episode.
It's not funny in the way G1 episodes are typically funny. It feels 100% intentional. The writer was on a quest to turn in the most ridiculous script that his boss would be forced to accept because there's nothing technically wrong with it. The plot and dialog are surreal silliness but completely logical. Point A leads to Point B leads to Point C. It's all straightforward with direct consequences. But the consequences are insane.
It's not funny in the way G1 episodes are typically funny. It feels 100% intentional. The writer was on a quest to turn in the most ridiculous script that his boss would be forced to accept because there's nothing technically wrong with it. The plot and dialog are surreal silliness but completely logical. Point A leads to Point B leads to Point C. It's all straightforward with direct consequences. But the consequences are insane.
It's a stupid episode, but it's fun. A lot of Transformers fiction is lacking the fun factor in recent years.
Define "recent years", because Cyberverse (post-Season 1), BotBots, Rescue Bots, Rescue Bots Academy, and at least certain episodes of EarthSpark (moreso in the first season) were jam packed with fun.
The Netflix shows, IDW2, the Energon Universe comics. I'd throw in RotB, going from what I've heard, but I haven't cared enough to watch it.
I'll give you some of those (the Netflix trilogy, especially; that was grueling), but most of the ones I listed were also contemporary releases to those.
Season 1 of Cyberverse strikes me as an odd exclusion.
Then again, the Velocitron episode...
Actually, yeah, first season was more somber and grim than "fun", despite the premise, wasn't it?
The first season really struggled to juggle being both an anthology series and an ongoing narrative, like it had great difficulty finding its footing. There's a reason the show's strongest supporters say that it really took off once the second season started, since it was no longer shackled to either the anthology format or the shared mandates with the Bumblebee movie (e.g. Bee speaking through his radio and having amnesia), and could really cut loose and just have fun doing whatever the show wanted to do from seasons 2-4.
I like season 1 overall, I like how they handled Bee's radio speak better then any other non-movie series. I liked them using the amensia plot to world build. But yeah, its very disjointed and it takes most of the season before it starts to really have an idea of what it wants to do; around the time they find Teletraan X. Another part of Season 1 that I loved, such a sassy little AI. But Season 2 indeed just takes what was starting to work in season1 and runs with it and improves on everything.