tfwiki.net

Operation Bumblebee, Part 2 - Transformers Wiki

Bumblebee discovers that MECH and Starscream are responsible for his troubles while Ratchet confronts demons from his Cybertronian past.

Synopsis

How much of this does Starscream get?

With Bumblebee on a medical bed, Ratchet tells Bulkhead off for taking the scout into battle. When Bumblebee comes around, he faces Ratchet's ire as well, and Optimus Prime grounds Bumblebee until his T-cog can be recovered. Ratchet has another idea though—he offers to donate his own T-cog in a transplant. Though Optimus is uncertain, Ratchet convinces him.

Megatron is pleased with the new device Knock Out has secured—a force field generator—although Megatron's demonstration leaves him startled.

Elsewhere, Starscream and Silas find an energon deposit, though Silas would appreciate it if Starscream didn't talk so much.

Ratchet selects Arcee to do the operation, though she's less than enthusiastic. She starts by putting Ratchet in induced stasis, but before she can do the same for Bumblebee, an alarm signals the appearance of another relic from the Vaults of Iacon. Optimus calls a halt to the operation so he, Arcee and Bulkhead can investigate. No sooner have they left than Agent Fowler contacts the base. He's disappointed only Bumblebee's there to take his call, but passes on the news that he's got the possible coordinates of a MECH base. Unable to understand Bumblebee, he searches for someone who speaks English, but Ratchet is barely coherent, still recovering from stasis. Jack volunteers to pass the message on.

At this point, a "Hammertime" joke is too easy, so we won't make one.

Optimus and his team reach the top of a mountain to find Knock Out and Breakdown uncovering the Forge of Solus Prime. With it, the Autobots could conceivably create a new T-cog for Bumblebee.

MECH infuses the newly-found energon into their creation, but as it begins to stir, Bumblebee bursts through the door. Though unarmed, Bumblebee throws an industrial-sized barrel at Starscream, knocking him flat, and proceeds to shrug off the weapons fire from the MECH goons.

As Knock Out and Breakdown free the forge, the Autobots charge them. While Bulkhead tackles Breakdown, Optimus and Arcee find they have a bit of a problem getting past Knock Out's shield generator, and he pushes them back towards the edge of the cliff.

Bumblebee knocks a bunch of MECH troopers flat, jumps on their robot and tears his T-cog from its innards. No sooner is this done than he's hit by a blast from Starscream. As MECH withdraw, Starscream grabs the T-cog and threatens to destroy it.

Look at your T-cog, now back to me...

Ratchet recovers, only to find Fowler shouting at him about MECH coordinates, and the kids reveal Bumblebee has gone to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee has had enough of Starscream's gloating and belts the ex-Decepticon, knocking him flat. As the T-cog flies up into the air, Bumblebee jumps for it, but a quick blast by Starscream spells the end of that attempt. While Starscream leaves, Bumblebee is left with his shattered T-cog. Starscream meets up with MECH outside the compound, but Silas is less than impressed with him for losing the T-cog, and Starscream is soon surrounded by MECH troops.

Optimus and Arcee are forced back to the cliff edge. While Breakdown is distracted by their predicament, Bulkhead takes the opportunity to grab the Forge of Solus Prime and smack the Decepticon with it. Breakdown lands on Knock Out and for a few moments Bulkhead stands triumphant, at least until Megatron steps out of the GroundBridge and blasts him. Collecting the Forge, the Decepticons leave. Ratchet reports the situation with MECH to Optimus.

My Precious...

Starscream comes around to find MECH gone. When he sees Optimus's team arrive at the MECH base, he tries to transform, only to find his T-cog had been taken, and runs off panicking into the woods. Meanwhile, Bumblebee walks out to join his comrades, sadly holding his own damaged T-cog. Optimus radios Ratchet to prepare for surgery.

On the Nemesis, Megatron attempts to use the Forge, only to discover that it requires the power of a Prime to work. Despite this hitch, the warlord takes comfort in the knowledge that the Forge is safely away from the hands of the Autobots–and more specifically, Optimus Prime.

Ratchet finishes operating, restoring Bumblebee's old cog. Though Bumblebee's first few attempts to transform fail, he eventually manages it, and takes Raf for a drive. Ratchet, for his part, seems happy that it worked.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"You and I both know there exists a way to make him whole again."
"A transplant, but that would require a donor."
"You need look no further than the Autobot standing before you."

—Ratchet tells Optimus Prime that he is willing to make a sacrifice

"I... think I just leaked a little transmission fluid."

—Knock Out sums up how intimidating his master truly is

"Do you ever not speak?"

—Silas says what we're all thinking to Starscream

"What! Do I hear a Fuzor in need of voice-box repair?"
"What's a Fuzor!? What's going on over there!?"
"I am able! Just ask Bantor! He was all mandrill before I...put a tiger in his tank..." *crashes back against the berth*

—Ratchet manages to confuse Fowler while in half-stasis

"Oh! Get me someone who speaks anything other than BLEEP!"

—Fowler at his limit

"I am not one of your foot-soldiers! I am a consultant!"

—Starscream doesn't like taking orders from humans

"Mine's bigger!"

—Bulkhead compares hammers with Breakdown

"Time to jet—because I can!"

—Starscream, who really should learn to keep his mouth shut

Notes

Continuity notes

Once more, Starscream mentions being the one to "offline" Cliffjumper.

Transformers references

While delirious, Ratchet refers to Fuzors, and even names Bantor, a reference to Beast Wars Bantor. That said, Jeffrey Combs mispronounces the word as "Foo-zor"; Ernie Hudson delivers the correct "Fuse-or."
Optimus mentions Solus Prime, one of the Thirteen.
Knock Out unfavorably compares the results of Megatron's failed forging experiment to a "Fortress-Maximus Grade Nucleon Shock Cannon".
Megatron once again calls Optimus by his pre-Prime name "Orion Pax" from the previous episodes during his gloating.

Real-world references

Knock Out broadly references award shows such as the Academy Awards.
"Put a tiger in your tank" was a slogan of Exxon.

Errors

Once again, Starscream's eyes are completely red for the first half of the episode. It's only after Bumblebee hits him with a barrel that they are only red circles. Maybe hitting him with a heavy object is the key to making them normal.
As the Autobots spy on Knockout and Breakdown unearthing the Forge, Optimus's left hand can clearly be seen disloged from his wrist.
After the Autobots pass through the GroundBridge to MECH's headquarters in search of Bumblebee, Optimus had his battle mask drawn. When the camera pans to show Starscream behind them, his mask retracts silently, and almost invisibly.

Trivia

When Agent Fowler relays the information on MECH's whereabouts to Bumblebee, he says it really slowly and condescendingly, as if he believes Bumblebee has trouble understanding English, rather than just being mute. Gee, nice.
This is the last episode in which Bulkhead and Breakdown fight, as Bulkhead will be surprised to find his body hijacked by a human much later.
During the fight in the hangar, Bumblebee punches several MECH soldiers, sending them flying through the air. Silas survived this, so it stands to reason everyone else did, too. Cartoons, everybody! (A soldier didn't crack the prototype's lens; that was his rifle.)
It seems that the Cybertronians of this continuity are incapable of self-propelled flight outside a flight-capable alternate mode. This is in stark contrast to previous continuities. Especially ones in which even Cybertronians who didn't have flight-capable vehicle modes were regularly capable of self-propelled flight through air and the vacuum of space.
This is only the second episode that Ratchet laughs in.
When Bumblebee and Starscream attempt to transform without their T-cogs, the classic transformation sound can be heard

Foreign localization

French

Title: "Opération Bumblebee, Partie 2" ("Operation Bumblebee, Part 2")
Original airdate: ?

German

Title: "Operation Bumblebee, Teil 2" ("Operation Bumblebee, Part 2")
Original airdate: 29 October 2012

Japanese

Title: "Yūkan Henkei! Gun'i no Ketsudan" (勇敢変形!軍医の決断, "Brave Transformation! The Surgeon's Decision")
Original airdate: 3 November 2012

Brazilian Portuguese

Title: "Operação Bumblebee, Parte 2" ("Operation Bumblebee, Part 2")
Original airdate: 7 June 2013

Italian

Title: "Operazione Bumblebee, Parte 2" ("Operation Bumblebee, Part 2")
Original airdate: 12 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. 16 (Avex Trax) — Japanese audio only.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Folge 7: Orion Pax (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers Prime — Ultimate Bumblebee (Shout! Factory)
2013 — Transformers Prime — Season 2 Volume 1: Orion Pax (Madman Entertainment)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Season Two Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Season 2 Vol. 1: Orion Pax (Primal Screen)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Saison 2 Vol. 1: Orion Pax (Primal Screen)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Stagione 2 Vol. 1: Orion Pax (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio.
2015 — Transformers Prime — Operation Bumblebee (Madman Entertainment)
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.