Get a Clue TFP

Get a Clue is the eighth episode of Season 3 and the fifty-third overall of Transformers: Robots in Disguise.

History
Strongarm flexes her detective muscles to solve a baffling series of Decepticon thefts; she may need to stand up to her teammates in order to bring a perp to justice.

Synposis
Fixit searches for anyone who wants to help him sort capacitor sprockets and finds Strongarm weightlifting forklifts. When she mentions she misses the Academy, as it's the time of year when cadets choose their specialty to focus their studies, Fixit helps her by bringing up a list of specialties so she can select one, though she can't decide which she should choose. The Decepticon alarm sounds and Fixit pinpoints the signal to a construction site.

The Autobots arrive at the site just after the 'Con has moved in. Bumblebee sends Strongarm and Drift to cover the gate while he takes the others to search inside. Grimlock finds a busted-open-and-emptied explosives locker, shortly before he's attacked from behind. Bumblebee and Sideswipe find him moments later, but the 'Con is already gone and, though Fixit widens his scan, he is unable to locate the Decepticon. Strongarm recalls the teachings of her old instructor Dropforge, which inspires her to ask Bumblebee if she can try out her detective skills. She starts taking pictures of the crime scene, and finds some auto paint on a nearby tree.

The Autobots return to the scrapyard, where Fixit wires Grimlock and Drift up for a combiner-related experiment. The pair end up magnetically fused together temporarily, and Strongarm summons them to the "war room". This turns out to be so Strongarm can fill them in on what she's worked out — they quickly locate a car that matches the paint they found, so Strongarm is dispatched with Denny and Russell to interview the potential witness. The witness turns out to have not seen the perp, but overheard him talking about "shinies" and "step one". As the trio start heading back, Fixit contacts them to let them know there's a Decepticon signal at a fireworks factory. Strongarm, increasingly using crime-noir type language, drops off the two humans and heads off.

She arrives at the factory around the same time as the rest of Bee Team, but before she can fill them in on what she's found, the team comes under attack from fireworks. After Grimlock is knocked down, she manages to shoot another firework headed towards him and the team take cover. The 'Con emerges, wreathed in smoke, and manages to speed past them before they can fire, leaving Strongarm to accidentally try and arrest Bumblebee in the confusion. Fixit attempts to get a lock on the Decepticon's signal, but it repeatedly appears and disappears at different places, leaving the Autobots bewildered.

Back at base, Strongarm puzzles over the evidence and why she can't work out the case. Bumblebee gives her some encouragement and she suggests the next target may be the Crown City Armory, though she immediately casts doubt on the idea as potentially being too simple. With Strongarm unable to work out the Con's nature, the team heads to stake out the armory. As the stakeout drags on, Strongarm wonders if she was wrong after all, but her doubt is cut short by an explosion in the armory. They move in to find the 'Con is a Crow Decepticon. Strongarm gives chase, using an unfinished overpass to give her the height to take down the flying Decepticon. Grimlock uses his traditional finishing move to make sure the Decepticon stays down.

Fixit explains the 'Con is Boostwing, a more intelligent Crow Decepticon than average, but Strongarm and Russell aren't satisfied with the resolution. Strongarm volunteers to go out on patrol, and Russell accompanies her. She's realized that Boostwing may have a partner, explaining how he could be in many places at once and where the stolen fireworks may be. On Russell's hunch, they head to the Crown City Gold Depository, and arrive to find it under attack. After calling for backup, Strongarm heads inside and finds another Crow Decepticon, Boostwing's brother Jacknab. During the resulting fight, Jacknab kicks her into a pile of gold bars, but she overloads her blaster, knocking him down. She's surprised when a third Crow Decepticon brother, Pilfer, arrives, and the pair of 'Cons quickly outmatch her, threatening to steal her optics for Boostwing. The rest of the Autobots arrive to lend a hand, keeping the brothers busy, and giving Strongarm time to use a net filled with gold bars to bring the two 'Cons down, the pair being dutifully arrested.

Strongarm later explains her reasoning to the other Autobots and they compliment her on her work. Sideswipe makes a mumbled noise which to his surprise, she's able to correctly deduce was an apology for doubting her judgment earlier.

Autobots

 * Bumblebee
 * Strongarm
 * Sideswipe
 * Grimlock
 * Drift
 * Fixit

Decepticons

 * Boostwing
 * Jacknab
 * Pilfer

Humans

 * Denny Clay
 * Russell Clay
 * Teenage Boy

Quotes
"The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the ordinance."

"Huh? Where'd you learn language like that? Been hangin' out on the south side'a Kaon?"
 * —Strongarm's inner noir detective effectively baffles Sideswipe.

"Sir! Permission to perform a thorough investigation?!"

"...isn't...that...what we're doing?"

* Strongarm gives Bumblebee puppy-dog eyes*

"...okay, okay. Permission granted."
 * —Strongarm knows Bumblebee can't resist an earnestly eager expression.

"...whatever it is, I CONFESS!"
 * —Grimlock has no poker face at all.

"We need to find out what makes you Autobots meld into your Ultra Bee Team Combiner form."
 * —A product-name-dropping Fixit knows what the most important things are.

"You two have the right to silent mode operation."
 * —Strongarm slaps the cuffs on Jacknab and Pilfer.

Continuity notes

 * "Crow Decepticon" is an awkward bit of renaming. The first of this type seen in the series, Filch, was not given any kind of "species" identifier. Later in "True Colors", "Corvicon" was used to describe "shiny"-obsessed bots, then the book Bumblebee Versus Scuzzard confirmed the connection by calling her a Corvicon directly. But in this episode, it's only "crow Decepticon".
 * The Crow Decepticons in this episode don't seem to be much larger than the Autobots, whereas Filch was significantly larger.

Prisoner manifest

 * In stasis: Crustacion, Ragebyte, Zorillor, Springload, Boostwing, Jacknab, Pilfer

Transformers references

 * Bumblebee swears "by Ratchet's rusty knee-joints".

Real-world references

 * To catch Boostwing, Strongarm drives through some barricades and off the end of an unfinished freeway ramp, a maneuver most famous from The Blues Brothers.

Trivia

 * This is the first time Ultra Bee is named on-screen.
 * Strongarm is now the second character in the aligned continuity to have an interest in detective movies. The first was Chase.