Lockout

Lockout is the twenty-first episode of Robots in Disguise season 1.

Plot
Steeljaw and his gang break into the scrapyard to free their fellow Decepticons.

Synopsis
Denny has the Autobots hauling pieces of a roller coaster—it was a steal!—into the scrapyard. Grimlock pauses to ask Russell about football, and the boy proceeds to try to teach him, Strongarm, and Sideswipe the game. Unbeknownst to the gang, Steeljaw and his gang are scoping out the scrapyard from the bushes, and Steeljaw sets his sights on the stasis pods. Putting his plan into motion, Steeljaw has the hapless Kickback gagged and tied to a tree to serve as bait for Bumblebee. When the Autobots come for Kickback, he quickly escapes his confinement and flees, and Bumblebee realizes something is amiss. Bumblebee attempts to call Fixit and fails, and the team quickly rushes back to the scrapyard. Fixit, Russell, and Denny are set upon by the Decepticons, and Steeljaw adjusts the place's defenses to emit a subsonic pulse that will cause pain to Autobots or Dinobots. The Autobots arrive on cue and are unable to enter the premises, even after disabling their audio receptors.

Steeljaw has them surrender their weapons lest the humans be killed. Back at the control console, Steeljaw orders Fixit to release the Decepticons from their pods, but the little guy tries to stall as much as possible until the Clays are threatened. Though Denny is despondent, Russell observes that Underbite is more interested in some tasty metal than keeping watch on them. The two flee into the scrapyard, but don't go unnoticed for long.

Steeljaw commands Thunderhoof and Clampdown to recapture them, and the dream team only gets going when Steeljaw blows his top at them. The two spend half of their time together ripping into each other physically and verbally, and the Clays use the bought time to agree to challenge their captors. Thunderhoof and Clampdown are lured by Russell and Denny outside the scrapyard and into the latter's new roller coaster, taking the two for a wild ride through the woods. Denny and Russell intend to catch the Decepticons by having them slide into a waiting containment unit, but Clampdown wises up in time to stop their sliding. Russell is able to escape, but Denny is recaptured by Clampdown.

Russell rejoins the Autobots outside of the scrapyard, and upon learning that attempts to go over or under the subsonic field have failed, hits on the idea that Mini-Cons might be able to breach the premises. While Grimlock, Strongarm, and Sideswipe create loud distractions around the place, Bumblebee and Drift construct a catapult to launch Jetstorm and Slipstream to the control console. The two Mini-Cons are able to make it in and begin tangling with Airazor and Divebomb, and disable the subsonic field. The rest of the Autobots enter and clash with the Decepticons while Bumblebee goes for Steeljaw. As the battle rages, Denny is swayed into resealing the Decepticons' stasis pods just as the Autobots are struggling to contain their emerging prisoners. Enraged, Steeljaw leads his pack out of the scrapyard, having lost the day. Bumblebee allows him to flee, resolving to double their defenses. At the pack's base, Steeljaw is throwing a tantrum and scares out his pack, giving him some alone time. As he fumes, he is then contacted by a dark entity claiming to be the first Decepticon. The entity informs Steeljaw that he was responsible for the crash of the Alchemor and the Decepticons' freedom. Steeljaw is unimpressed with the entity, even after demonstrating he can still affect things on Earth from another dimension. The entity orders Steeljaw to build a gateway for him, and in exchange, he will rule Earth with the freed Decepticons of the Alchemor. The entity disappears as Steeljaw agrees to serve him… for now.

Autobots

 * Bumblebee
 * Strongarm
 * Sideswipe
 * Grimlock
 * Fixit
 * Drift
 * Slipstream
 * Jetstorm

Decepticons

 * Steeljaw
 * Underbite
 * Thunderhoof
 * Clampdown
 * Fracture
 * Airazor
 * Divebomb
 * Kickback
 * Quillfire
 * Octopunch
 * Terrashock

Humans

 * Russell Clay
 * Denny Clay

Thirteen

 * Megatronus

Quotes
Russell: Is that a roller coaster!?

Bumblebee: Your dad bought it. He said it was a 'steal'.

Strongarm: He claimed 'steal' was just an expression, but I'm concerned.
 * —Denny's enthusiasm concerning his latest purchase causes Strongarm to call his innocence into question

"Workin' on my touchdown dance. Did you like the move?"

"'Like' is a very strong word."
 * —Russell receives some A+ parental encouragement from Denny

Kickback: I'm sensing a bit of hostility here. All I want is to be on the team.

[Fracture duct tapes Kickback's mouth shut]

Fracture: Congratulations, you're on the team. This is your first mission.
 * — Fracture explains The Pack's induction methods with enthusiasm

Kickback: I don't suppose you Bots could use a sidekick?

Strongarm: No, we already have Sideswipe.

Sideswipe: Hey!
 * — We don't need more of a bad thing

"Smooth move, officer butterdigits."
 * —Sideswipe reckons that Strongarm should spend less time zinging and more time creaming.

"We don't have a chance! Not with all these enormo-robo-crooks waiting to stomp us at any moment."
 * —Denny Clay doesn't believe in "the harder they fall" principle

"I shall bring honor to our team and our missiiaaaaaaaah"
 * —Jetstorm takes to the air.

Prisoner manifest

 * In stasis: Hammerstrike, Bisk, Chop Shop, Terrashock, Filch, Minitron, Springload, Ped, Quillfire, "that one with all the eyes", Malodor and the Skunkticons, Nightstrike, Vertebreak, Octopunch, Groundpounder, Headlock
 * Known at large: Steeljaw, Thunderhoof, Underbite, Clampdown, Kickback
 * Released: Grimlock
 * Countless others all missing, presumed at large

Real-world references

 * After the stunt with the roller coaster goes wrong, Denny and Russell attempt to escape using a Rube Goldberg device.

Trivia

 * Even though Steeljaw's silhouette has been seen on the prisoner manifest since the very beginning, this is the first time his profile has been brought up.
 * Even Clampdown has the decency to knock Fixit out of a verbal loop.