Operation: Bumblebee, Part 2

Operation: Bumblebee, Part 2 is the fifth episode of the second season of Transformers: Prime. It is the thirty-first episode of the series overall.

Synopsis
Bumblebee discovers that MECH and Starscream are the ones behind his troubles. Meanwhile, Ratchet faces demons from his Cybertronian past.

Plot
With Bumblebee on a medical bed, Ratchet tells Bulkhead off for taking the scout into battle. When Bumblebee comes around, he faces Ratchet's ire as well, and Optimus Prime grounds Bumblebee until his T-cog can be recovered. Ratchet has another idea though—he offers to donate his own T-cog in a transplant. Though Optimus is uncertain, Ratchet convinces him.

On board the Nemesis, Megatron is pleased with the new device Knock Out has secured a force field generator. Although Megatron's demonstration leaves Knock Out a bit startled and states he leaked a little transmission fluid.

Elsewhere, Starscream and Silas find an energon deposit, though Silas would appreciate it if Starscream didn't talk so much.

Ratchet selects Arcee to do the operation, though she's less than enthusiastic. She starts by putting Ratchet in induced stasis, but before she can do the same for Bumblebee, an alarm signals the appearance of another relic from the Vaults of Iacon. Optimus calls a halt to the operation so he, Arcee and Bulkhead can investigate. No sooner have they left then Agent Fowler contacts the base. He's disappointed only Bumblebee's there to take his call, but passes on the news that he's got the possible coordinates of a MECH base. Unable to understand Bumblebee, he searches for someone who speaks English, but Ratchet is barely coherent, still recovering from stasis. Jack volunteers to pass the message on.

Optimus and his team reach the top of a mountain to find Knock Out and Breakdown uncovering the Forge of Solus Prime. With it, the Autobots could conceivably create a new T-cog for Bumblebee.

MECH infuses the newly-found energon into their creation, but as it begins to stir, Bumblebee bursts through the door. Though unarmed, Bumblebee throws an industrial-sized barrel at Starscream, knocking him flat, and proceeds to shrug off the weapons fire from the MECH goons. As Knock Out and Breakdown free the Forge, the Autobots charge them. While Bulkhead tackles Breakdown, Optimus and Arcee find they have a bit of a problem getting past Knock Out's shield generator, and he pushes them back towards the edge of the cliff.

Bumblebee knocks a bunch of MECH troopers flat, jumps on their robot and tears his T-cog from its innards. No sooner is this done than he's hit by a blast from Starscream. As MECH withdraw, Starscream grabs the T-cog and threatens to destroy it.

Ratchet recovers, only to find Fowler shouting at him about MECH coordinates, and the kids reveal Bumblebee has gone to deal with it. Meanwhile, Bumblebee has had enough of Starscream's gloating and belts the ex-Decepticon, knocking him flat. As the T-cog flies up into the air, Bumblebee jumps for it, but a quick blast by Starscream spells the end of that attempt. While Starscream leaves, Bumblebee is left with his shattered T-cog. Starscream meets up with MECH outside the compound, but Silas is less than impressed with him for losing the T-cog, and Starscream is soon surrounded by MECH troops.

Optimus and Arcee are forced back to the cliff edge. While Breakdown is distracted by their predicament, Bulkhead takes the opportunity to grab the Forge of Solus Prime and smack the Decepticon with it. Breakdown lands on Knock Out and for a few moments Bulkhead stands triumphant, at least until Megatron steps out of the Ground Bridge and blasts him. Collecting the Forge, the Decepticons leave. Ratchet reports the situation with MECH to Optimus.

Starscream comes around to find MECH gone. When he sees Optimus's team arrive at the MECH base, he tries to transform, only to find his T-cog had been taken, and runs off panicking into the woods. Meanwhile, Bumblebee walks out to join his comrades, sadly holding his own damaged T-cog. Optimus radios Ratchet to prepare for surgery.

On the Nemesis, Megatron attempts to use the Forge, only to discover that it requires the power of a Prime to work. Despite this hitch, the warlord takes comfort in the knowledge that the Forge is safely away from the hands of the Autobots - and more specifically, Optimus Prime. Ratchet finishes operating, restoring Bumblebee's old cog. Though Bumblebee's first few attempts to transform fail, he eventually manages it, and takes Raf for a drive. Ratchet, for his part, seems happy that it worked.

Autobots

 * Bumblebee
 * Ratchet
 * Optimus Prime
 * Arcee
 * Bulkhead

Decepticons

 * Megatron
 * Knock Out
 * Breakdown
 * Soundwave
 * Vehicons

Humans

 * Rafael Esquivel
 * Jackson Darby
 * Miko Nakadai
 * William Fowler
 * Leland Bishop
 * MECH Commandos
 * MECH Surgeon

Others

 * Starscream

Cast

 * Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
 * Sumalee Montano as Arcee
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Bulkhead
 * Jeffrey Combs as Ratchet
 * Frank Welker as Megatron
 * Steve Blum as Starscream
 * Daran Norris as Knock Out
 * Adam Baldwin as Breakdown
 * Clancy Brown as Leland Bishop
 * Josh Keaton as Jackson Darby/MECH Surgeon
 * Andy Pessoa as Rafael Esquivel
 * Tania Gunadi as Miko Nakadai
 * Ernie Hudson as William Fowler

Errors

 * Once again, Starscream's eyes are completely red for the first half of the episode. It's only after Bumblebee hits him with a barrel that they are only red circles. Maybe hitting him with a heavy object is the key to making them normal.
 * As the Autobots spy on Knockout and Breakdown unearthing the Forge, Optimus's left hand can clearly be seen dislodged from his wrist.
 * After the Autobots pass through the Ground Bridge to MECH's headquarters in search of Bumblebee, Optimus had his battle mask drawn. When the camera pans to show Starscream behind them, his mask retracts silently, and almost invisibly.

Trivia

 * When Agent Fowler relays the information on MECH's whereabouts to Bumblebee, he says it really slowly and condescendingly, as if he believes Bumblebee has trouble understanding English, rather than just being mute.
 * During the fight in the hangar, Bumblebee punches several MECH soldiers, sending them flying through the air. Silas survived this, so it stands to reason everyone else did, too. Cartoons, everybody! (A soldier didn't crack the prototype's lens; that was his rifle.)
 * It seems that the Cybertronians of this continuity are incapable of self-propelled flight outside a flight-capable alternate mode. This is in stark contrast to previous continuities. Especially ones in which even Cybertronians who didn't have flight-capable vehicle modes were regularly capable of self-propelled flight through air and the vacuum of space.
 * This is he second episode that Ratchet laughs in.
 * When Bumblebee and Starscream attempt to transform without their T-cogs, the classic transformation sound can be heard

Gallery
Main Article: Operation: Bumblebee, Part 2 Gallery