W.W.O.D.? TFP

W.W.O.D.? is the fifth episode of Transformers: Robots in Disguise.

Premise
Beleaguered Bumblebee must learn to lead in his own way as the team struggles to bring in a brutish Decepticon whose stasis pod has been discovered by human authorities.

Synopsis
Bumblebee attempts to give a presentation on where they've found stasis pods, though Fixit becomes distracted by the idea that the location map resembles Megatron. While Bumblebee continues with his presentation, Sideswipe attempts to administer a wet willy to Strongarm and ends up face down on the ground. As the pair continue to fight, Bumblebee laments that he's not the leader Optimus Prime was. He attempts to contact Optimus for advice by talking into some mirrors, however he gets no response. Meanwhile, Sideswipe scales a pile of junk, threatening to tip it onto Strongarm, and Bumblebee has to knock the cadet out of the way. The pile falls on him instead, adding to his misery.

After digging himself out, Bumblebee decides what he needs to do is to try to emulate Optimus, however his attempt at an Optimus impression just results in his team falling about in laughter. Fixit reports he's detected a Decepticon signal, which Denny backs up — a news report reveals that a stasis pod has been found by humans and is now housed in the Crown City Museum of Natural History and Sciences where scientists are working to open it. Denny comes up with a plan to infiltrate the museum, involving him posing as an archaeologist, and Russell insists on coming too.

Sometime later "Nevada Flieber, noted archeologist" is telling the museum staff that he's come with an important artifact to give them, and Russell hams it up as "McPlank". The staff are keen to take them on a tour. The Autobots haul up behind the museum, with Grimlock covered in a tarp. Strongarm and Sideswipe shortly end up tangled up in the tarp and struggle with each other. Bumblebee pulls the tarp off shortly before Denny opens the loading bay door and pulls the fire alarm. The museum's staff and visitors evacuate, leaving the museum empty. Entering the building, the team stops to admire an Old West display, and Bumblebee gives an explanation that just leaves the others confused. He again tries to do an Optimus impression, but the rest of the team leaves to hunt for the stasis pod before he can finish. Denny turns around to find Russell is gone as well. Narrating his own adventures as "McPlank", Russell quickly finds the stasis pod, however it promptly breaks open, revealing a buffalo-shaped bot.

The bewildered Decepticon says he was sent by Contrail to wise up a bot, and smashes through a nearby wall in search of an exit. Sideswipe finds them, but is smashed aside as Terrashock bounds off down a corridor. Sideswipe and Russell give chase, ending up at the loading bay where Bumblebee and Denny are waiting. Fixit fills the team in on Terrashock, the Buffaloid enforcer, and Bumblebee realizes they've got a problem on their hands. Bumblebee tries to break out the Optimus impression again to describe his plan to lure Terrashock to the museum's grand hall. However, none of his team members were impressed.

Terrashock finds the cowboy display and mistakes an animatronic buffalo for another enforcer. Strongarm finds him stomping on it, but proves unable to stop him on her own. Terrashock then stumbles on the museum's planetarium and mistakes it for a transmitter. While he's disoriented by the star patterns, Grimlock appears and attempts to head butt Terrashock, but he ends up unconscious. Continuing to search for the outside world, Terrashock is confused by an audio-visual presentation on water and Sideswipe pounces on him, only to be thrown against a wall. In the main hall, Bumblebee is lamenting his lack of leadership skills when Terrashock bounds into view. Despite Bumblebee's attempt to catch him, the Decepticon head butts him through the front of the museum, transforms and drives off. Bumblebee picks himself up in front of a crowd of humans, however Denny and Russell cover for him by claiming he's an animatronic exhibit.

The trio head back into the museum where Bumblebee comms the others to tell them he's heading for the loading dock. Optimus puts in a ghostly appearance to talk to Bumblebee, and dispenses the advice that Bumblebee is not him. Optimus disappeared before he can clarify further to Bumblebee. Russell suggests Bumblebee needs to lead like himself instead of trying to be like Optimus. Gazing at the cowboy exhibit gives Bumblebee an idea. Bumblebee joins the rest of his team at the loading dock and they head out to find Terrashock.

The Decepticon is zooming down a nearby highway, yelling for Contrail when they catch up with him, and whooping like cowboys, they zigzag through the traffic to pull alongside him. He transforms and starts bounding along the other side of the road, until Bumblebee is able to nudge him back to the right-hand side. As they spot some low scaffolding ahead, Bumblebee hauls in front of Terrashock and slams on the brakes, sending the Buffaloid tumbling down an exit ramp before Grimlock does a cannonball, flattening him. To maintain the Autobots' cover, Russell gives an announcement suggesting to the stunned onlookers that it was a promotion for a stunt car rally. The victorious team, Terrashock loaded on Strongarm's trailer, heads off into the sunset.

Autobots

 * Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
 * Will Friedle as Bumblebee
 * Constance Zimmer as Strongarm
 * Darren Criss as Sideswipe
 * Mitchell Whitfield as Fixit

Decepticons

 * Khary Payton as Grimlock
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Terrashock

Humans

 * Ted McGinley as Denny Clay
 * Stuart Allen as Russell Clay

Quotes
"That's the worst Starscream imitation ever!" "No one puts Terrashock in a tiny box!" "Hey, are you the bot that Contrail sent me to wise up?"
 * —Sideswipe does not have a high opinion of Bumblebee's Optimus act.
 * —Terrashock upon being freed.

"Prrrobably not?"

"'Course you're gonna say that. What do you think I am? Stupid?"

"Is that a trick question?" "[talking to an animatronic buffalo] What are you doing here? Did Contrail send you? He said I was his only enforcer."
 * —Terrashock and Sideswipe

"No need to call the rest of the team for this genius."

"Ain't nobody stealing my job!"
 * —Terrashock worries about job security while Strongarm watches from afar.

"The museum's been working on some new animatronics! Watch! Hey, big guy! What's the density of mercury?"

"The density of mercury is, uh, bzzt, error, bzzt, error." "Cowboy Grimlock. I like the sound of that."
 * —Denny Clay tries the old Rescue Bot cover-up trick with Bumblebee.
 * —Grimlock

Continuity notes

 * Fixit makes a reference to Megatron.
 * Sideswipe thinks Bumblebee's Optimus impression is supposed to be Starscream.
 * Contrail appeared in Transformers: Exodus.
 * Optimus notes that he can only contact Bumblebee when the Primes believe his need is dire.

Prisoner manifest

 * In stasis: Underbite, Hammerstrike, Bisk, 4/5ths of Chop Shop, Terrashock
 * On probation: Grimlock
 * Known at large: Steeljaw, 1/5th of Chop Shop (possibly unknown to Bee)
 * Countless others all missing, presumed at large

Real-world references

 * "W.W.O.D.?" is short for "What Would Optimus Do?", a reference to the popular "What Would Jesus Do?" meme which has previously been adapted for other famous characters.
 * Russell and Denny's disguises are an obvious homage of Indiana Jones and Short Round.
 * The episode's score features music patterned after the main themes of the Indiana Jones films and The Magnificent Seven.

Trivia

 * The Internet Movie Database credits this episode under the title "A Day At The Museum", which is actually the French title for this episode.
 * Nevada Flieber and McPlank's adventures include finding the Flengi Tribe in the lost city of Pantra, and recovering the Sammurabi idol from Cartagascar.
 * The first thirteen episodes of the series, this included, first premiered in Mandarin on Chinese streaming video site M1905.

Gallery
W.W.O.D.? Gallery