Grill (episode) - Transformers Wiki

This article is about the Prime episode. For the G.I. Joe human, see Grill (G.I. Joe).

Agent Fowler has some explaining to do under the threat of military tribunal and Team Prime's termination.

Synopsis

Agent Fowler steps into General Bryce's office to provide some explanations. Bryce first asks about Optimus Prime's recent death, and Fowler clarifies that the body the military have is Nemesis Prime, though Bryce has trouble swallowing it. Fowler explains a bit about MECH and wonders if some of MECH's men are special forces like Silas. Under further questioning, Fowler relates more about the Autobots and their war, and his own involvement in helping Team Prime. Bryce asks him to run through the identities of the Autobots in Team Prime, and comes to the death of Cliffjumper. Bryce reiterates that all they have to go on regarding Optimus Prime's recent defection to the Decepticons is Fowler's report, and the current debriefing is a result of concerns about the potential danger the Autobots pose, with the possibility of a military tribunal later and potentially the termination of Team Prime.

Fowler insists that the Autobots are very careful about protecting humans, but lets slip about the kids. He quickly covers the mistake by claiming they're civilians working with the Autobots and valuable team members, carefully leaving out the fact that they're minors. Bryce seems mollified, but asks why Megatron hasn't been terminated yet, which leads Fowler to mention Unicron. Bryce decides that Fowler needs a psychological evaluation, though after Fowler clarifies that he didn't say "unicorn", the evaluation is called off. Fowler also relays how both Starscream and Airachnid have gone rogue, and that the Autobots have gained valuable intel from the former. Though he says Optimus thinks Dreadwing could be converted, Fowler doesn't agree. When questioned about Optimus's recent defection, Fowler is confident that Optimus is firmly an Autobot. He mentions the current Decepticon hunt for ancient Transformer artifacts, and has Optimus himself look through the window and converse with Bryce. General Bryce is convinced and dismisses Fowler.

Featured characters

(Characters in italic text appear only in clips from previous episodes.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Soldier, too close."

—Agent Fowler doesn't like close ups of his face

"It defies all logic, Bill. Dark energon? Then you go on record saying that you believe in magical horses with horns on their heads."
"What?"
"Do you deny previously reporting that Megatron helped defeat a unicorn?"
"Oh? That's what you...? Unicron! The ultimate evil! Permission to strike this from the record."

—General Bryce makes the second Unicron/unicorn joke in 25 years, and Agent Fowler avoids a psychological evaluation.

Notes

Continuity notes

• Being a clip show, this episode shows bits from virtually every episode of the series up to this point.
• Like Miko in "One Shall Rise, Part 1", General Bryce mistakes "Unicron" for "unicorn".
• Fowler's dialogue makes a reference to the title of "Loose Cannons".
• We finally get an explanation for why Fowler can fly a jet without a flight suit. At some point (most likely before "Darkness Rising, Part 1"), Ratchet modified the air pressure regulators in Fowler's jet. Fowler also makes a comment about the jet being a VTOL, which explains the maneuvers it made in "Loose Cannons".

Transformers references

• Fowler notes that Bumblebee got his voice box torn out during the "war for Cybertron".
• At one point, Fowler refers to Nemesis Prime as a "knockoff".
• Fowler refers to the Autobots as "autonomous robotic organisms", just as Optimus previously did in "Darkness Rising, Part 1".

Trivia

• As previously revealed on the package of the Ultimate Opponents Entertainment Pack, Silas's real name is Leland Bishop. Newly revealed in this episode is his former military rank of Colonel.
• Aside from all the clips shown in this episode, the only Transformer to appear physically in this episode is Optimus Prime.
• A shot of Airachnid screaming Jack's name from "Predatory" is played without dialog, presumably to avoid having to pay Gina Torres an additional fee.
• When Bryce asks Fowler for a headcount of the Autobots, Wheeljack isn't mentioned, despite Fowler's knowledge of his presence on Earth (he even had a face-to-face discussion with Jackie!).
• General Bryce mentions that the "five-stars" are upset. In real life, the five-star rank is not currently active in the United States military, being last awarded in 1950 to General Omar Bradley.
• The camera is shown to be on its last battery throughout the episode. The battery promptly runs out as soon as Optimus Prime appears.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Question de confiance" ("Matter of Trust")
• Original airdate: ?

• The name of Unicron is pronounced differently just for this episode, in order to make the unicorn joke work. It is pronounced the English way to make it rhyme with the equivalent of unicorn (licorne).

German

• Title: "Agent Fowler im Verhör" ("Interrogating Agent Fowler")
• Original airdate: 6 November 2012

Japanese

• Title: "Tokumei Henkei! Fowler no Sōsa File" (特命変形!ファウラーの捜査ファイル, "Mission Transformation! Fowler's Investigation Files")
• Original airdate: 1 December 2012

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "O Interrogatório" ("The Interrogation")
• Original airdate: 13 June 2013

Italian

• Title: "Graticola" ("Grill"), "Sotto pressione" (2017 airing, "Under Pressure")
• Original airdate: 18 October 2012

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

DVD

2012 — Transformers Prime — Season Two (Shout! Factory)
2013 — Transformers Prime — Vol. 18 (Avex Trax) — Japanese audio only.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Folge 8: Der falsche Prime (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Season 2 Volume 2: Battle for Supremacy (Madman Entertainment)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Season Two Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Saison 2 Vol. 2: Nemesis Prime (Primal Screen)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Season 2 Vol. 2: Nemesis Prime (Primal Screen)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Stagione 2 Vol. 2: Nemesis Prime (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio.
2015 — Transformers Prime — Intégrale Saison 2 (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime — The Complete Season 2 (Primal Screen)
2015 — Transformers Prime — La Seconda Stagione Completa (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio.

Blu-ray

2012 — Transformers Prime — Season Two (Shout! Factory)
2015 — Transformers Prime — Season Two Collection (Madman Entertainment)