The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)



Chaos erupts on Earth when the Decepticons return and massive "Death Towers" erupt in strategic locations across the planet. Can the Autobots stop Scorponok's final attempt to destroy the world?


 * English/Malay dub name: "The Last Battle on Earth, Part 1"

Detailed synopsis
As Battleship Maximus races after Scorponok in the final leg of their journey back to Earth, strange happenings are afoot down on the planet itself. In an ancient theater in Athens, Greece, Wingspan and Pounce disrupt a group of tourists when they emerges from beneath the ground, accompanied by a large machine that launches a sinister satellite into orbit. At the same time, off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal, Predaking and Bruticus sink the luxury liner "Queen World". News of these attacks reaches Spike and Carly at Autobot City, and although they attempt to map the location of the Decepticons' staging base using the information, they are more concerned with the fact that these attacks have come just as the continuing operation to restore past damage caused by the villains around the planet has reached a crucial stage. Refusing to halt the plan, Spike dispatches the Protectobots, Throttlebots and Autobot clones to attend the situation.

Back out in space, Battleship Maximus pushes all its systems to the limit to catch up with Scorponok. Wheelie is eager to get into the thick of the fighting, and teases the brooding Daniel, who is dwelling on the apparent death of Sixshot, and the possibility of war on Earth. Believing that Scorponok has reached Earth at this point, Chromedome apologizes for accepting Sixshot's challenge and delaying the group, but Pointblank tells him that it is in the past, and not to lose his fighting spirit for the battles in the future - immediately leading to a serious ribbing for Chromedome from the other Headmasters over his new "best friend." Fortress contacts Autobot City, and Metroplex gives him the bad news, even as Battleship Maximus plunges into Earth's atmosphere... an unpleasant trip for the surprising hitchhiker clining to the hull - Sixshot!

Meanwhile, the mysterious Decepticon activities on Earth continue, with the emergence of a mysterious metal tower in Canberra, Australia, where the Protectobots battle Bruticus. Elsewhere, in South America, another one of these "Death Towers" appears, and the Throttlebots and clones investigate and find Predaking waiting for them. At that point, Battleship Maximus sets down on Earth, and is met by Metroplex, who reveals these new developements to the assembled Headmasters and Targetmasters. The Targetmasters head off to investigate the South American Death Tower, while the Headmasters confer on the situation; Fortress realises that the two Death Towers are on the same latitude in the Southern Hemisphere, and expects to see two more appear in the North before long, suspecting that they are part of Scorponok's plan to blow up Earth. In the middle of the meeting, Arcee rushes in with the bad news that Spike's aircraft has made an emergency landing in the Andes Mountains while on the way to South America. The distressed Daniel, unsure if his parents are alive or dead, insists on accompanying the Headmasters on the search for the downed plane. While the team departs in the Trainbots, Fortress meets with Punch, hoping he has information on Scorponok's landing site. Alas, Punch has little to offer - Scorponok landed in the Strait of Gibraltar and Punch (as Counterpunch) disembarked, but the giant scorpion vanished before he could even turn around.

Meanwhile, the Targetmasters arrive in the midst of the battle in South America, and Pointblank downs Predaking with a single shot. Sureshot attempts to scan the Death Tower, but just then, it surges with energy so powerful that it causes his scanner to blow up. As the watch, a crackling stream of energy flows from the tower's peak, with the same thing occurring in Australia. There, Wingspan and Pounce arrive to inform Bruticus that they are pulling out; Defensor attempts to pursue, but the energy from the Death Tower blasts him out of the sky.

In the Andes, Daniel, Wheelie, the Headmasters and the Trainbots arrive at the scene of Spike's rough landing, where several people - Spike included - are attempting to hoist up several unfortunate passengers who have fallen down a crevasse, including an unconscious Carly. Daniel demands to be allowed to rescue his mother personally, much to the surprise of his father, and performs the task admirably. They report back to Battleship Maximus on their success, where Fortress has deduced that the Death Towers are drawing energy from the Earth's core.

Elsewhere, Bruticus and the Decepticon clones cross paths with Sixshot, and are suscpicious when he does not know that they are supposed to redezvous with Scorponok at the North Pole. Bruticus is sent on ahead as the clones talk about the plasma energy-collecting satellite they put into orbit; having gained enough information from them, Sixshot suddenly lashes out at them, decapitating them and departing.

Back at Battleship Maximus once again, Daniel and co. return aboard the Trainbots, just as the Targetmaters arrive to report their findings. Their scans had revealed that the Death Towers are composed of a mysterious substance from an ancient civilsation known as "Crysmag metal," which emits electro-magnetic radiation when it comes into contact with energy. Just then, the third Death Tower bursts from beneath the ground in Washington D.C., and Scorponok's plan to destroy the Earth grows one step closer to completion...!

Stats
Original airdate: 25th March 1988

Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Continuity errors

 * The Protectobots are shown to be on Earth here, when they were on Planet Master back in "Operation: Destroy the Decepticons."
 * Likewise, at various points over the last few episodes, Wingspan, Pounce and the Predacons were all shown to be part of Scorponok's team out in space. In fairness, it's not particularly clear from this episode whether or not Scorponok has made it back to Earth by the time these guys conduct their attacks, so there may not be any error, (or they been sent on ahead to Earth when Scorponok stopped in the asteroid belt in "Duel on the Asteroid") but the implication is that that they have been hiding on Earth all along.
 * The Throttlebots really looked like they went to the the junkyard in the sky waaaay back in "Approach of the Demon Meteorite", but all six of 'em appear fit and healthy in this episode.

Transformers references

 * No trace of the Decepticons could be found on Earth back in "Miracle Warriors, The Targetmasters (Part 1)." Precisely where they have been hiding will be revealed in the next and final episode.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * This episode originally aired in a double-bill with "Duel on the Asteroid" on March 25th.
 * The precise location of the Death Tower in South America is not mentioned in the original Japanese version, but the Malaysian dub decides to present it as Santiago, Chile.