Megatron Rising - Part 1

Prime begins to doubt his leadership abilities as the Decepticons mobilize for a big invasion of Earth.

Stats

 * Written by: Marsha Griffin
 * Directed by: Irineo Maramba, Ciro Nieli, & Kentaro Mizuno
 * Original airdate: March 29, 2008

Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes
Optimus Prime: "The fate of the Earth and Cybertron hang in the balance and all I've got in my command are a bunch of undisciplined, insubordinate MALFUNCTIONS!"
 * -Optimus Prime has quite the bad temper when he's dissatisfied with his troops. Yesssss.

Bumblebee: "What is your damage, Prime? Sari is a part of this team!" Optimus Prime: "Considering your own history of mistakes, you aren't exactly the greatest character witness, Bumblebee."
 * —Ouch.

Lugnut: "And the universe will rejoice! All hail your grand and glorious return!" Starscream: "Okaaay, what's his malfunction?" Calm Blitzwing: "Technical glitch. It happens." Crazy Blitzwing: "A lot, actually! Ahahahaha!" Lugnut: "It is not a glitch! It is Megatron, and he commands us to deliver him the key!" Starscream: "Megatron?! Did you just say Megatron? Did he just say MEGATRON?! THERE IS NO MEGATRON! MEGATRON IS OFFLINE! TERMINATED! I DID IT MYSELsaw it myself."
 * Starscream, master of deception.

Starscream: Lugnut! Blitzwing! Do as our mystery caller commands! Track the energy signal and find that key! Meanwhile, I will locate the source of the transmission. Lugnut: And locate our grand and glorious leader! Starscream: Uh, fine, yes, whatever.
 * —Master of deception, we say!

"Evil forces are about to invade this planet and destroy everything in their path. If we want to survive, we must join forces and fight them together." "Dinobots not need robots to fight! Dinobots destroy robots!" "In case you haven't noticed, Dinobots are robots."
 * Optimus Prime gives Grimlock a dose of reality.

Megatron: "Look what the capacitor dragged in." Starscream: "Megatron?! Alive? And looking...magnificent, as always." Megatron: "Starscream. How good it is to be reunited with such a devoted and faithful subject in my time of need." Starscream: "I would have come sooner, o grand and illustrious leader, but naturally we all assumed you perished at the hands of the Autobot scum. What...great...joy to discover you did not." Megatron: "Yes. Delight is written all over your face."
 * Megatron and Starscream exchange warm and heartfelt pleasantries.

"YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!"
 * Starscream seriously freaks out when Bumblebee shoots him.

Lugnut: "We have come for our glorious leader, Megatron!" Megatron: "I am here, Lugnut." Lugnut: "Oh, Master, I am not worthy! I am not worthy...what happened to your body?" Megatron: "...long story." Calm Blitzwing: So, you didn't have voices in your head..." Crazy Blitzwing: ...you had a head in your head!"
 * Decepticon reunion.

"Decepticons? But, you told me you were an Autobot." "And I hated every moment of that humiliating charade."
 * Isaac Sumdac finally learns the truth, and from Megatron himself.

Continuity errors

 * Despite her initial sarcasm, Sari has apparently forgotten (or is willing to forget) how Blackarachnia's use of the All Spark key nearly killed Sari herself and all organic life for miles around. She also doesn't seem to mind being kidnapped onto a rooftop again.  Lesson: Never betray a kid's trust; it makes them act REALLY stupid.


 * Not so much an error as just an oddity: When Starscream stands over a dangling Bumblebee on the Sumdac Tower rooftop, Megatron sends a power surge through a roof fixture and zaps Starscream. When the scene cuts back to the roof a few minutes later, Bumblebee's back on the roof, which he likely managed while Starscream was stunned, and Screamer's confronting him again.  However, with no time given for them to talk or react about the transition, the previous roof scene may as well not have happened.


 * When Prime is attempting to call Bumblebee back to base, and Ratchet tells him to let him go, Ratchet's war wound mysteriously re-appears for the duration of the episode, even though it had been repaired several episodes earlier.

Animation Errors

 * The size of Megatron's head fluctuates greatly between scenes, appearing gigantic even compared to large characters.
 * When Sari is telling Blackarachnia about the Autobots taking away her key, her right leg is drawn awkwardly....almost as if it's growing out of her skirt.

Transformers references

 * Lugnut conversation with Megatron has Starscream answering to it as if it was directed to himself, when Lugnut talks about having failed his master Starscream replies with a "Just dont let it happen, again.


 * The scene in which Bumblebee spots Starscream through a hole in Sumdac Tower is strongly reminiscent (and likely a purposeful homage) to the scene in the '86 movie in which Hot Rod sees Starscream and the Decepticons through a hole in the Autobot shuttle on the way to Autobot City.


 * Prime finally refers to Dinobot Island by that name.

Real-world references

 * Ratchet's remark to Blitzwing about prying the key from his cold,offline servo is a reference to an NRA slogan originated by Charlton Heston.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * The R/C Plane Sari was flying resembles a MiG-15 Fighter.
 * This is the first episode in which we see an extended transformation sequence for Starscream.
 * Grimlock said the Dinobots will destroy robots, and Prime points out that they're robots. Then it appears when the Autobots are leaving that this caused the Dinobots to start attacking each other.
 * When Megatron's energized body sends out cables to its detached hand, in which Prof. Sumdac is sitting, the hand grips around Sumdac, then is yanked under the flooring and over to the body, where it opens back up — Sumdac is gone.