Hotshots TFP

Hotshots is the third episode of the first season of Transformers: Rescue Bots.

Synopsis
Doc Greene races through the streets of Griffin Rock in his out-of-control experimental solar car, pursued by Charlie Burns and Chase. Heatwave uses his ladder as a ramp so the Doc doesn't crash into some parked cars, and Boulder and Graham attempt to stop the car with an improvised spike strip. Unfortunately the car has a tire replacement system so the spike strip is ineffective, and the car starts heading up Old Canyon Road towards a busted bridge. Chase finally manages to catch up and, transforming, grabs the rear of the car and brings it to a halt. Doc Greene announces that apart from the control problems, the experiment was a success.

In the aftermath of the rescue, Kade, Graham and Dani are interviewed by reporter Huxley Prescott, but Dani is annoyed that she didn't get to contribute during the operation. Elsewhere the Rescue Bots are cleaning themselves, and Blades feels equally underutilized. Heatwave grouses that all of them are under-appreciated for their work and the humans get all the credit. Dani pays a visit to Doc Greene, who is working on a new newspaper dispenser to replace the one he accidentally ran over (the replacement is slightly out of control). She asks about a scoop claw for Blades, and the Doc turns out to have an old one, once used for logging, in storage. Dani is soon installing it on a less-than-enthusiastic Blades. The other Rescue Bots are unable to hide their amusement at the affect the claw has on his robot mode, but the discussion is cut short by the report of a rock slide. The Rescue Bots roll out and start smashing boulders, but when Cody spots a huge boulder, the three ground-based bots prepare for the impact—only for Blades to grab it in his scoop claw.

Blades is noticeably preening when they return to base. During the next few rescues, Blades and Dani use the scoop claw to solve each problem, leaving the other Rescue Bots with nothing to do. Kade and Graham complain to Dani, and when Cody tries to intercede, he's told the problem doesn't concern him. He goes down to the bunker instead, where Heatwave is preparing to remove the scoop claw from Blades, and is told much the same thing by the Rescue Bots. Dani arrives to take Blades out on patrol, and Cody, though annoyed by the others' dismissal of him, opts to go along to see what he can do to mitigate the problem. Cody and Blades talk to Dani, and she realizes she's been too hard on them. As a lightning storm moves in, Dani opts to go back to base, but too late, as Blades is hit by lightning. Dani sends a distress transmission as Blades makes an emergency landing at the bottom of a cliff. The trio prepare to wait for help, but more lightning starts a forest fire which threatens to broil the two humans sheltering in Blades like snickerdoodles. They use Blades's scoop claw to scale the cliff, though the chain gives out just as they reach the top and it turns out they're still trapped with the fire swiftly moving in. Blades attempt to fly them out is cut short by his damaged tail. Luckily the other three Rescue Bots arrive and Heatwave douses a way through the fire to Blades so they can carry the injured Autobot back down the hill. In a subsequent interview, Dani gives some credit to Cody and the Rescue Bots. Blades, having spent some time in the stasis pod, returns to announce they salvaged the scoop claw, but will use it less liberally from now on. Cody heads out to play basketball with his siblings.

Autobots

 * Chase
 * Blades
 * Heatwave
 * Boulder

Humans

 * Doc Greene
 * Charlie Burns
 * Dani Burns
 * Cody Burns
 * Kade Burns
 * Graham Burns
 * Huxley Prescott

Quotes
"Hey, how about we drop down on his roof to slow him down?" "Helping out is good; dropping's OK; bouncing, I'd like to discuss a little further."
 * —Dani and Blades

"You know if there's mud to be found, Boulder's gonna roll right through it." "I'm part tractor. It's what I do."
 * —Heatwave and Boulder

"What? Does it make me look fat?" "Oh, not at all, Captain Leadbelly."
 * —Blades and Heatwave

Continuity notes

 * The Rescue Bots still have the stasis pods from their ship, which they're using for repairs in a similar manner to CR chambers.

Real-world references

 * Doc Greene's solar car bears a suspicious resemblance to the DeLorean DMC-12 time machine from the Back to the Future movie trilogy.
 * During the car chase, Doc Greene and Chase briefly engage in Scooby Doo style chasing back and forth across the screen.
 * Blades worries that the humans will cook like snickerdoodles in the forest fire.

Animation & technical errors

 * During the rock slide, there are houses at the bottom of the mountain when the Rescue Bots arrive, but in subsequent shots looking back down the mountain, there's open countryside behind them.
 * Several of the trees appear to be burned up before the fire spreads to them.