Episode Review: Transformers S02 Ep19 – “Megatron’s Master Plan, Part 1”

“Tank crews, prepare for combat!”

The episode opens with the Mayor of Central City officially opening a solar energy facility. If you’ve been following Transformers, you can probably guess who would be interested in it! As it turns out, the facility was donated by the mayor’s opponent, Sean Berger, who is watching events unfold menacingly from his office. The Mayor doesn’t even have time to finish his speech before the Decepticons show up to rumble the party.

Starscream, Ramjet, Dirge, and Thrust fly in. As they attempt to steal energy from the facility, Berger’s tank crews emerge from it and start an offensive against the Decepticons. It doesn’t last long though as Starscream’s null rays obliterate them.

Optimus Prime turns up with a team of Autobots and they immediately get to work on repelling the Decepticons. Tracks and Smokescreen in particular show some nifty combat manoeuvres and the Decepticons retreat. Greeted by adulation for saving the day, the Autobots accept an invitation from the Mayor to be honoured at City Hall.

“Greetings Mr Berger… I trust your flight wasn’t too unpleasant….”

Berger is frustrated that the Autobots seemingly foiled his attempts to be the hero of the day. As he ponders what to do, a cassette tape transforms and reveals itself to be Laserbeak! Laserbeak grabs Berger, and takes him to his leader!

Megatron sets about trying to convince Berger that he, and the humans have been deceived by the Autobots, and that in fact, the Autobots are evil and the Decepticons are good. He promises Berger control of the city if he will help them, but first, Berger wants proof.

Berger takes a news chopper to a location instructed by the Decepticons. Sure enough, the “Autobots” show up with energon cubes and start draining energy from an oil field.

While the cameras roll, Megatron and his troops put on quite a show for the cameras in repelling the Autobots and saving the humans.

The show convinces Berger that Megatron’s claims are true, and he flies off ready to tell the world.

“I never knew humans had such exquisite taste!”

At “Autobot Day” the Autobots are about to be honoured, but Berger gets his tapes played on the TV networks, showing the Autobots acting with evil intent.

Optimus Prime takes his troops back to base while the Mayor launches an investigation, but it seems clear the public have already been duped.

As the Autobots ponder what they can do, Sean Berger arrives at Autobot base with a legion of tanks, and orders the Autobots to surrender. In a shock to all, the Mayor is with Berger and places all Autobots under arrest. Optimus Prime orders his warriors to comply.

Meanwhile Berger continues the campaign against the Autobots and they are subjected to a trial. Spike senses something fishy going on and manages to get hold of the video footage of the Autobots. He finds that the tape contains images of the Decepticons revealing that they are wearing Autobot disguises to create the false footage. He’s unable to get the evidence back to the court before the Autobots are sentenced to being banished from Earth.

“Wherever we go, we’ll miss you. You and Spike and Sparkplug have been true friends”

Berger kindly donates a spacecraft for the Autobots to be exiled in and the Autobots are blasted into space. Megatron infiltrates the Ark, and uses Teletraan-1 to change the destination of the ship carrying the Autobots from Cyberton, to the Sun!

Key Scenes, Plot Points and Characters:

Laserbeak carrying Berger to Megatron is a great scene, a reminder of the robots in disguise theme of the show. Great attention to detail was paid in this episode, with scenes of reporters asking for public opinion on the Autobots after the fake footage was released. The interplay between the Mayor and Berger, with his quest for power was very well done too. I feel that the score of this episode really set the tone for the atmosphere that the writers were trying to create too.

The Verdict:

An atmospheric and well written episode. 10 energon cubes out of 10!

Afterthoughts:

This is a really good episode. As I really paid attention to it, I started to appreciate it even more than I had done in the past. As I reflected on it, there really was nothing I could fault about it, so I had to give it 10 out of 10!

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About Steve Shreeve 68 Articles
When he isn't writing about Transformers, Steve runs Shreeve Health and Fitness, using his online training service to train people in any location. Steve loves Transformers and Star Trek, retro toys and cartoons, sharks, and nature.