Kremzeek!



'''An electric pest annoys everyone. Including the viewers.'''


 * Japanese title: "Panic - The Kremzeek!"

Detailed synopsis
At the Decepticon base, Megatron is working on some electrodes for the Decepticons' new energy magnet. When Starscream comes to complain, an energy-based lifeform which calls itself Kremzeek jumps from Megatron's experiments and begins wrecking all their gear. Megatron is impressed, thinking that Kremzeek will make an effective weapon against the Autobots. Temporarily containing it in a circuit trap, Megatron has Thrust take them to the Autobot base, where they deposit Kremzeek.

Breaking free of his trap, Kremzeek goes on a rampage, shorting out the Autobots' circuits. Sparkplug Witwicky realizes that his new insulating foam might work and manages to coat Optimus Prime, Blaster, Inferno, and Bumblebee, which prevents Kremzeek from entering them and playing havoc with their systems. However, Kremzeek manages to jump into Teletraan I, shorting it out, and then riding Sky Spy's transmissions to another location...Japan.

The remaining active Autobots take Omega Supreme to Japan, but the massive mechanoid is shorted out on arrival by Kremzeek, who then jumps into a train, which the Autobots pursue. Heading towards a city, Kremzeek plays havoc in an arcade, then enters Shibuya Manufacturing Corporation. Within the company's factory area, the Autobots meet Dr. Soji Yoshikawa, who theorizes that radio waves might affect the creature. Blaster work his magic and then tries to merge Kremzeek with his own energy supply. Unfortunately, this creates a whole multitude of Kremzeeks.

As they rampage around Japan, the Autobot leader theorizes that a large energy source could draw the Kremzeeks together and reunite them. At the Decepticon base, the energy magnet is ready, and the Decepticons first target a passing warship. Back in Japan, the Autobots have finished preparing a tower to absorb the Kremzeeks, but one manages to slip inside Blaster. When the remaining Kremzeeks are reunited, they merge in a massive form. At that moment, Megatron activates the energy manget, drawing the world's energy sources to the Decepticon base. As the Autobots begin to feel the effects of the loss of energy, Prime realizes that this whole thing has been a distraction by Megatron. That leads Blaster to think of a plan: Why not let the Decepticons deal with Kremzeek?

Kremzeek, who is getting sleepy from the energy drain, is directed to the energy magnet and collides with it. It done blows up real good. After the Decepticons retreat, the stolen energy is returned to its rightful place. Yoshikawa theorizes that they could disperse Kremzeek's energy, which would kill him. Despite Bumblebee's objections that killing him is wrong (What the frag is wrong with you, Bee?) Prime causes Kremzeek to disperse. Returning to the mainland, Blaster admits that he sort of misses Kremzeek...at which point the solitary Kremzeek that jumped into him earler jumps out, and the pursuit begins again. Sadly (or thankfully), there's no time to see what happens next.

Stats
Original airdate: December 27, 1985

Written by: David Wise

Featured Characters
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notable quotes
"Yes, Kremzeek! You will be my ultimate weapon against the Autobots."
 * —Megatron displaying how desperate he was getting by that point.

"This is no time for games, Sparkplug!" "Who's playing? I'm savin' ya!!"
 * —Optimus Prime and Sparkplug Witwicky

"Alert! Alert! Evil Martian flangoes have invaded supermarkets across the planet. They have come to steal Earth's ammonia."
 * —Teletraan I's funniest line in the series.

"Choco rations down 2 grams! Doubleplusungood!"
 * —Teletraan I's second funniest line in the series.

"So what do we do when we catch him?" "I don't know." "You mean you don't have a plan?" "Who's had time to think of one? Hang on!"
 * —Blaster and Optimus Prime

"Oh, here comes that sinking feeling..."
 * --Optimus Prime on seeing a multitude of Kremzeeks

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * When Jazz is attacked and shorted by Kremzeek in the first act, his few lines are done by someone other than Scatman Crothers.
 * Moments later, when Ratchet and a few other Autobots come in to see what's wrong, another Jazz is with them.
 * Whilst on the command bridge of the Energon Magnet, on at least two separate occasions, Starscream's mouth is replaced with three lines that look like a mouthplate animation. However, When he speaks, His mouth returns.

Continuity errors

 * If Sparkplug's insulating foam prevents Kremzeek from getting inside the Autobots, how did he get inside Blaster on two separate occasions?
 * When Blaster is retuned by the doctor to capture Kremzeek, he instantly changes to his boombox mode in the next frame without going through the animation for it, making it appear as if a small chunk of the episode was cut out. Strangely, despite that, you can still hear Blaster's transforming sound effect.
 * On that note, why didn't Kremzeek cause Blaster to short-circuit?
 * Megatron rides inside Thrust to drop the box holding Kremzeek into Autobot headquarters. Since when can Megatron fit inside Thrust?

Transformers references

 * This would not be the end of Kremzeek. He would return again as an easter egg in Dreamwave and Kiss Players, not to mention having a small cameo in Transformers: Animated. Sam Witwicky even has a little Kremzeek figurine on his desk in the Transformers movie comic adaptation.

Real-world references

 * A sign advertising a distinctly Godzilla-esque monster movie called Hojoni is seen in this episode.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * When Teletraan-1 is scrambled by Kremzeek, he first babbles the above line about ammonia being stolen, then proceeds to start speaking in Newspeak a la George Orwell's 1984.


 * Writer David Wise recycled this plot for an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and possibly other shows.

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