T.M.I. TFP

T.M.I. is the sixteenth episode of the first season of Transformers: Prime, and the twenty-first episode of the series overall. It aired on September 10th, 2011.

Premise
Miko rushes out onto the battlefield during a fight between the Autobots and the Decepticons, who are fighting over a Cybertronian data cylinder, a device containing knowledge of advanced Cybertronian society.

Synopsis
Miko and Bulkhead are enjoying a monster truck rally on the TV, much to Ratchet's annoyance. Ratchet thinks they shouldn't be watching it, and that Bulkhead would be better off helping Optimus Prime's mission to retrieve a Cybertronian data cylinder. He interrupts their monster truck footage to explain how the cylinders were created during Cybertron's Golden Age and hidden throughout the galaxy after the war broke out. Bulkhead and Miko are bored by it all, but Optimus contacts base to ask for backup, which is Bulkhead's cue to head for the field. Ratchet hands Miko a mop, and she's so enthusiastic about having to clean up that she drops it and runs through the Ground Bridge after Bulkhead. On the battlefield, she finds the 'Bots battling Knock Out, Breakdown and a bunch of Vehicons. Immediately, she runs into trouble, as a Vehicon Bulkhead is punching staggers back towards her. She takes cover behind a pile of rock, before spotting the cylinder sitting nearby. While everyone fights, Miko runs over to the cylinder and phones Ratchet. Ratchet tries providing a Ground Bridge, but Miko can't give him precise enough coordinates to grab the cylinder. She tries pushing the device towards the Ground Bridge and even kicking it, but all that succeeds in doing is activating the cylinder. At that moment, Bulkhead spots her and runs over, only to trip and take the cylinder's charge in the forehead. With Bulkhead temporarily out, Knock Out grabs the cylinder and the Decepticons split. Moments later, Bulkhead is back on his feet, apparently none the worse for fear. Bulkhead undergoes a medical check back at base, but insists he's fine. Ratchet tells him to help Miko tidy up. After announcing Ratchet is "null vector squared", Bulkhead wonders if they have any paint.

On the Nemesis in orbit, the Decepticons have discovered that the cylinder is empty. They quickly realize the energy from the device has ended up in Bulkhead. Miko draws Ratchet's attention to what Bulkhead is painting, which Ratchet finds is a scientific formula. After another scan, Ratchet locates the cylinder's energy in Bulkhead's head. They determine that the device interpreted Miko's kick as an attack and ejected the data into Bulkhead, and the equations Bulkhead's been writing down are for synthetic energon. The Autobots are excited and collect the equations as Bulkhead writes them. Miko quickly becomes bored and wants to draw Bulkhead away from his work. Ratchet has grave news, however—the data is slowly consuming Bulkhead's mind, and by the time the formula is complete, Bulkhead's mind may be gone altogether. The other Autobots believe they might be able to get the data back into the cylinder. Miko gets out her guitar to try and distract Bulkhead, but when he doesn't recognize Ratchet's name, she figures something's up and goes to Ratchet to get the truth.

Knock Out reports that they've detected the cylinder's energy signature, and Megatron decides to go himself to avoid any more failures. Rather than Bulkhead, he and the Vehicons find Optimus, Arcee and Bumblebee. Optimus has a deal for him: If Megatron gives them the cylinder, Optimus will return it to him restored with energy.

Miko talks to Bulkhead, but he's becoming increasingly unresponsive and fails to recall her name when she asks if he remembers it. Finally, she steals his mop brush and leads him through the Ground Bridge.

Megatron is thinking on Optimus's proposal when he's contacted by Knock Out, who has detected Bulkhead's energy signature. Megatron orders him to retrieve the Autobot's head.

At the monster truck race track, Miko attempts to jog Bulkhead's memory, but he's too busy painting the formula on the wall to take any notice of her. Her sorrow is interrupted by Knock Out and Breakdown, so she manages to persuade Bulkhead to follow her and hide among the monster trucks.

On hearing they've caught up with Bulkhead, Megatron sics the Vehicons on Optimus's team. Miko tries to find somewhere outside the Decepticon jamming range so she can use her phone. Knock Out and Breakdown search for Bulkhead, until Knock Out uses a tracking device to find the Autobot. Bulkhead transforms and scrawls a glyph on Knock Out's chest, but before the outraged Decepticon can do anything, Breakdown renders Bulkhead unconscious. Knock Out then prepares to remove Bulkhead's head.

The Autobots finish off the Vehicons, only for Megatron to simply crush the cylinder and fly off. Ratchet reports that Bulkhead and Miko have left the base.

Miko takes a swing at Knock Out with the mop, but misses and falls against Bulkhead. The cylinder energy promptly triggers, firing off into the sky. Knock Out checks Bulkhead and finds the energy is gone. Infuriated, he and Breakdown are ready to take some revenge, but are forced to retreat when the other Autobots Ground-bridge in.

The Autobots return Bulkhead's comatose body back to base, where Miko tearfully blames herself for his condition. Ratchet suggests that it's too early to tell how long Bulkhead might remain like that and anything could trigger his awakening, and so Miko decides to try her guitar. After she strums a chord, Bulkhead stirs and wakes up, back to normal, much to Miko's surprise.

Autobots

 * Bulkhead
 * Ratchet
 * Optimus Prime
 * Bumblebee
 * Arcee

Decepticons

 * Knock Out
 * Vehicons
 * Breakdown
 * Megatron

Human

 * Miko Nakadai

Cast

 * Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
 * Frank Welker as Megatron
 * Sumalee Montano as Arcee
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Bulkhead/Announcer
 * Jeffrey Combs as Ratchet
 * Daran Norris as Knock Out
 * Adam Baldwin as Breakdown
 * Tania Gunadi as Miko Nakadai

Quotes
Knock Out: Come to papa.

(Bulkhead knocks Knock Out away) Bulkhead: Run to mommy!

(Breakdown attacks Bulkhead from behind) Breakdown: ''Say uncle! Say it!''

— Knock Out, Bulkhead, and Breakdown continue with humorous mid-battle banter.

Bulkhead: Hey, Ratch, check out the monster truck rally Miko took me to last week.

Miko: I compiled some highlights with my cellphone.

Ratchet: ''Innocent vehicles battling for the entertainment of human spectators? (shudders) Bloodsport!''

Bulkhead and Miko: Yeah!

— Ratchet's opinion on Miko and Bulkhead's favorite pass time.

Ratchet: That's not art - It's SCIENCE!

— Ratchet on Bulkhead's work.

Miko: ''How about our Sunday morning dune-bashings? Rocking out to Slash Monkey? Helping me with my homework? Trick question! You know I don't do homework...don't you?''

— Miko trying to get Bulkhead to remember her.

Knock Out: ''You...painted my paint job! Prepare for surgery!''

— Knock Out being over dramatic.

Errors/Notes

 * The Vehicons that the Autobots are fighting in the beginning of the episode are clearly ground units, but magically become flying units when it comes time to retreat.

Trivia

 * During his rambling, Bulkhead mentions Perceptor.


 * Optimus mentions the "no matter the cost" line, just like his Generation 1 counterpart.


 * TMI is a common abbreviation of "too much information", which is an excellent description of what happens to Bulkhead (though it doesn't exactly match the definition of the phrase).


 * Amongst Bulkhead's babblings is "the differential of one-third r cubed is r-dr-r," a gag lifted right out of the classic Simpsons episode, "Bart the Genius". Har-de-har-har!
 * Bulkhead also refers to "Clank's law", a Transformery take on Planck's law (a mathematical law relating to the energy emission of black bodies), and possibly a reference to Clank from the Ratchet and Clank games.


 * Did Knock Out and Breakdown not already know Bulkhead's vehicle mode?
 * If Megatron thought that the Autobots have Starscream in their custody at the end of "Partners", why didn't he question them about him?


 * In the beginning of the episode, Decepticons on the battlefield don't seem to notice that the Groundbridge to the Autobot base is opened right next to them.


 * The episode was first broadcast on Canada's Teletoon channel. As none of the listings mentioned the episode title, and Prime episodes lack an on-screen title, the name of the episode was originally a mystery. Its name was revealed about a week later on Zap2it's website. It would air in the United States on September 10, 2011.


 * In theory the equation does still exist, but spread between Autobot and Decepticon knowledge, such an act can prevent either side from using the formula until they can work together. Which didn't happen until Synthesis.

Gallery
Main Article: T.M.I. Gallery