Divide and Conquer, Fire in the Sky, S.O.S. Dinobots, Fire on the Mountain, and War of the Dinobots

Transformers! More than meets the eye! Autobots

wage their battle to destroy the evil forces

of the Decepticons! Transformers! The Autobots

save the skies! Transformers! Hello there and

welcome to the second episode of the TFG one

podcast recorded on boxing day December 26 2008

I am your host Michael Blanchard Hey there everybody

it's Michael Blanchard with the TFG one podcast

I Had an excellent Christmas. I hope everyone

did as well. Have a good holiday season On the

first supplemental episode which I put out on

iTunes the 19th of December I talked about the

New segments I want to feature on the podcast

display case recent DVD acquisitions and poetry

corner I'm not going to go into those today,

but You know maybe in episode 3. I'm also putting

together on the weeks that TFG1 does not air

a regular review episode, supplementals, discussing

just different things that interest me and stuff

like that. I know it's not directly Transformers

related, but, you know. Anyway, let's, oh, also,

just please leave email and feedback on iTunes.

Best way to help the podcast out here is to leave

feedback on iTunes. Write a review please. Also

you can email me at tfg1podcast at gmail .com.

I love reading emails from listeners, so please

email in any of your questions. Today I'll be

reviewing five more episodes of the Transformers

Generation 1 cartoon. So here we go. I'm afraid

your button pushing was too little too late.

Mission leader to Decepticon headquarters. Acknowledge

Megatron. Megatron here. Report mission leader

Starscream. I have achieved complete success.

All the factory's energy is ours. Return with

the energon cubes. When I receive the new coordinates

for the space bridge, we will transport them

to Cybertron. As you command, Megatron. But surely

you wish to commend me for my efforts. After

all, I was... Autobots! I knew the Autobots wouldn't

let me down. Optimus Prime! Very perceptive.

You outnumber Prime 3 to 1! Gang up and destroy

him! With pleasure! Alternate tech angle! I'm

with you! Optimus, are you all right? Affirmative,

but keep back! I'd rather bash Prime one -on

-one, but when Megatron says gang, Thundercracker

gangs! You blew it, Thundercracker, but I won't!

Wrong! As usual, Skywarp! First up today is Divide

and Conquer. To synopsize this episode, we start

out the episode at a weapons factory where Chip

Chase is talking with a computer tech. They're

discussing Chip updating their systems to maximize

the weapons output the factory produces. A Decepticon

attack brings Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker

and Soundwave to this factory to steal the energy

to make energon cubes. The computer tell Tech

tells chip that they there's nothing they can

do Chip then pushes a bunch of buttons and calls

in the Autobots Optimus primes prime arrives,

but is outnumbered three to one Starscream and

the other Jets attack him and He through the

heat of battle blasts the computer He must shield

the humans from the explosion The Autobots quickly

arrive on the scene Megatron tells Starscream

not to fight them and to escape with the energon

cubes the Autobots attempt to prime Basically

folks I The script reading really isn't working

out so basically to synopsize this episode Optimus

Prime gets damaged beyond repair He needs a part

from that is only on Cybertron called a Cosmetron.

It is on Cybertron in Wheeljack's workshop So

the Autobots must travel across the space bridge

to Cybertron When they get there Shockwave attacks

them they escape They get to Wheeljack's workshop,

they get the part, they get it back to Earth

in time to save Optimus Prime. There is a battle

between Prime and Megatron like there is in every

episode. And then it pretty much ends after the

Decepticons retreat. Now for my thoughts. Peter

Cullen, as Optimus Prime, is the coolest thing

ever. Plus, he does a great near -death type

scene in this episode. In this episode, when

Chip and the Autobots go to Cybertron, Megatron

alerts the Decepticon jets there to hit them

with acid rain. My question would be, are these

three jets possibly Cybertronian modes and colors

of the future Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet? The

Megatron Starscream power struggle is kinda wearing

on me. I mean, almost every other episode they're

going at each other. Starscream mentions he should

lead the Decepticons in every episode so far.

It's just silly. That pretty much sums up Divide

and Conquer. So the next episode is Fire in the

Sky. Starscream, why are you so concerned about

this creature? Because I knew him once, a long

time ago on Cybertron. Again, this time on million

boats! Awesome, cyber motor relays are useless.

Memory monitor activating! You knew him? His

name is Skyfire. Observe his history as it was

recorded before his icy imprisonment. Skyfire

and I were both explorers from Cybertron. That

must have been shortly before our final falling

out with the Autobots. Yes. Skyfire and I were

exploring what was an uncharted planet at that

time. This one. We detected no intelligent life

on the surface, but Skyfire insisted we look

closer. A polar windstorm came up suddenly, and

Skyfire and I were separated. I circled half

the globe searching for him, but he was gone.

And now, millions of Earth years later, you have

found... To synopsize this episode, we start

up this episode with the Autobots and Spike having

a snowball fight. Optimus Prime is very skeptical

about a snowstorm in July, so he accesses Teletran

1 and finds out that the Decepticons are stealing

the Earth's heat energy to... freeze up the planet.

We find the Decepticons pumping out the Earth's

heat energy. Rumble is using his pile drivers

to break the ice in the cavern. Skywarp teases

him and Rumble then takes one giant blast at

the ice causing a small avalanche. They then

see something hidden within the ice. Starscream

asks them why they are just sitting around. Megatron

comes in and sees the discovery. He then states

to Starscream to clear more of the ice because

it looks like a giant robot of unknown classification.

Back at Autobot headquarters, Optimus Prime is

remote piloting Teletran 1's Sky Spy over the

Arctic Circle and they spot what the problem

is. They then head out to the Arctic Circle to

stop the Decepticons. At the excavation site,

The Decepticons have fully uncovered the robot

and they are trying to revive him. Starscream

boasts that he once knew the robot back on Cybertron.

His name is Skyfire. Starscream tells the story

of how he and Skyfire were exploring an uninhabited

planet which just so happened to be Earth. They

got separated and Skyfire got buried under ice

from a polar windstorm. Megatron tells Skyfire

the Decepticon caused that they are out to get

energy to revitalize Cybertron and that they

are only against the evil Autobots and Optimus

Prime. We then cut back to the Autobots heading

to the excavation site where the Decepticons

are. They approach and come upon Skyfire who

demands that they identify themselves. Skyfire

sees that they are Autobots and says that they

must be destroyed. Skyfire starts firing upon

the Autobots, creating a small ice glacier. Spike

falls into the freezing cold water. Sparkplug

pulls his son out of the water, but Skyfire keeps

blasting. Skyfire is confused for a moment when

hearing the humans cries for help, he goes to

aid them. They don't want his help though, even

though he says he doesn't want to hurt them.

They ask him then why does he wear the symbol

of the evil Decepticons? And he tells them that

only the Autobots are evil. Spike tells them

he has things backwards. So Skyfire takes them

to Megatron to prove to them that the Decepticons

aren't evil. Prime tells the others, Autobots,

to cease fire because they may hit Spike or Sparkplug.

The Decepticons imprison the humans. I almost

said Autobots. Whoops. And Skyfire states that

it is wrong. Prime tells the Autobots to transform

quickly and move in quietly. But Gears stops

because he thinks they're falling into a trap,

which then Gears, Hound, Ironhide, Ratchet all

fall into a cavern from the ice cracking. Bumblebee

reports to Prime that Hound, Ironhide, Ratchet

and Gears could be lost in the tunnels forever.

If they find Spike and Sparkplug though, Cliffjumper

frees them, the other Autobots end up spying

on Megatron and the energy draining operation.

But Megatron spots them and they are captured.

Megatron then has Soundwave release Ravage to

see if there are any other Autobots nearby. Ravage

runs into them and Prime blasts him. They then

drive away. As they do, Bubblebee causes a mini

cave -in on Ravage to keep him from following

them. On the surface, Starscream has the Autobots

detained in front of the energy crystal. He tells

Skyfire to destroy them, but Skyfire refuses,

saying that he is a scientist and not a warrior.

And that the Autobots that they have captured

have done no wrong. Starscream fires upon Skyfire,

knocking him down, and then he blasts the Autobots,

but he also hits the crystal. After Starscream

walks away, Hound stops his hologram projector

and explains to Skyfire that they are okay. Ratchet

and the others get Skyfire behind some cover

and start to repair him. Megatron gets a report

from Laserbeak that the Autobots are still functioning

and he throws an energon cube at Starscream's

head. Starscream realizes it was one of Hound's

holograms, the Decepticons head out to attack

the Autobots. The battle then takes place between

the warring factions and Optimus Prime and Megatron

get into a crystal sword fight. Which Prime wins,

but Skyfire comes up behind him and Megatron

tells Skyfire to destroy Optimus Prime. Skyfire

refuses, he discards the Decepticon symbol and

puts on an Autobot one. He then throws Megatron

over the icy glacier after which Skyfire and

Starscream get into an aerial battle and Skyfire

knocks Starscream down. The Autobots... All cheer

for Skyfire. Skyfire attempts one last blast

but he cannot keep his altitude. He crashes into

the ice as the mountain crumbles over the energy

crystal. The Autobots mourn his loss and the

episode ends. The only note I really have on

this episode is when Prime transforms to move

in on the Decepticons his trailer is not attached.

Where did it go? Where'd they put it? I believe

that this might be the only time we ever see

Optimus Prime in the G1 series driving without

the trailer, but I could be wrong. This flub

also continues several times throughout the episode.

It's nice to see more Autobots and Decepticons

in each of the episodes as the series progresses

to introduce more characters. As I said before,

I really don't have a whole lot of notes in this

episode. The animation was pretty good. I didn't

really notice that many flubs other than the

Optimus Prime thing. So, on to the next episode.

I've been working on a little research project.

I designed these new memory components to upgrade

the Dinobots' brains. They'll make them smarter

and easier to control, I hope. But Optimus Prime

decreed that the Dinobots must never be activated

again. Any better ideas? We have to do this quickly

before the Decepticons get wind of it. Okay,

guys. Cross your transistors or something. Dinobots?

Awaken! Go! Save Autobot friends! Save our leader,

Optimus Prime! Do you understand? Save... friends...

Next up is SOS Dinobots to synopsize this episode

We begin at Autobot headquarters where we hear

rumblings within the walls Ironhide thinks it's

the Decepticons But can pick up no Decepticon

energy signatures They dig into a cavern in the

side of the volcano and find dinosaur bones.

The Autobots are very interested in learning

more about these dinosaurs and Spike agrees to

educate the Autobots on them. Afterwards, we

see a power plant and reflector taking pictures

while Soundwave gets audio from the humans talking

on the platform above them. They then leave this

area to head back to Decepticon headquarters.

Spike takes Hound to a museum to learn about

dinosaurs, and Hound captures several images

for his holograms. Back at Autobot headquarters,

Optimus Prime is very impressed with the information

on the dinosaurs and gives Ratchet and Wheeljack

the authorization to build robot versions of

the dinosaurs. So the creation of the new Autobots

gets underway. At the Decepticon base, Megatron

has devised a plan to harness the energy of the

Great Falls, and the Decepticons head out to

attack. Meanwhile, at Autobot headquarters, Wheeljack

and Ratchet unveil the Dinobots' Grimlock, Sludge,

and Slag. Optimus Prime requests a demonstration.

of their power, but the Dinobots go berserk,

and they need to be deactivated after causing

massive damage to the base and Teletran 1. Prime

orders Wheeljack to destroy them, but Wheeljack

begs him not to do that. They instead seal the

Dinobots in the cavern that they found the dinosaur

bones in. At the falls, the Decepticons attack.

Hound and Spike are out doing a few patrols.

They pick up Decepticon activity, Prom tells

the Autobots to transform and roll out. All but

Bumblebee. He is to stay and guard the base.

On the way to the Great Falls, the Autobots do

not see any Decepticon activity. And Hound says

that they are there, because he can still read

the electronic signatures. The Decepticons ambush

the Autobots and the battle begins. Megatron

looks... hooks up his fusion cannon to the output

of the Great Falls, making the blast ten times

as powerful. He blasts the ledge where the Autobots

are on and they fall over the falls. Bumblebee

disobeys orders and picks up Spike. They get

back to Autobot headquarters and Ratchet says

he can't interface with Optimus Prime anymore.

Bumblebee replies that's because he may already

be offline. Wheeljack has made an upgrade to

the Dinobots' brains, and even though Optimus

Prime decreed that they were to never be activated

again, Wheeljack activates them because they

have no other choice. He tells them to go and

save their Autobot friends and their leader,

Optimus Prime. Grimlock says the Dinobots will

do as they are told, for now. The Dinobots and

Wheeljack arrive just in time to save the other

Autobots, and the Dinobots give the Decepticons

the worst pounding that they have had so far.

After attempting to beat the Dinobots by transforming

himself, Megatron calls for a full retreat. Optimus

Prime states that he has no reprimand for Wheeljack

or Bumblebee, and the Dinobots may stay among

them because they have proven their worth this

day. That about sums up this episode. Now for

my thoughts. When the Autobots are captured by

the Decepticons and put into energy chains, Optimus

Prime's body is way off model. He is shown in

all dark blue like navy blue, except for his

windshield and the gray on his face. The episodes

that are not continuing story arcs like 1, 2

and 3, 2 and 3 and 4 parters seem to be just

hero of the week or villain of the week type

deal where the Decepticons do something and the

Autobots devise a plan to defeat them. I love

seeing the Autobots again. I haven't watched

these... these specific Dinobot cartoons in a

while. Grimlock and Swoop are my two favorite

Dinobots. Even though so far Swoop hasn't been

built yet, I really don't have much else for

this episode. There were no real memorable quotes

either. Now on to the next episode. We'll let

you play kick the can with what's left of Megatron

and his merry machines! Okay, Windcharger, let's

go! The Autobot Jet is afraid to fight! Wrong

again, you dipstick tape deck! I'm too darn big

to sneak around like this. Oh, Autobots! Finish

him off! Just what I always wanted! Next up today

is Fire on the Mountain. To synopsize this episode,

Brawn and Trailbreaker are driving along and

they spot Starscream and Thundercracker. I'm

sorry, folks. I can't stop laughing. I just tried

to record this part of the podcast and realized

that my microphone was all the way behind my

ear and you could barely hear me at the time.

So this is a re -recorded version. Brawn and

Trailbreaker spot Starscream and Thundercracker

who are attempting to steal some steel rods for

Megatron. Brawn and Trailbreaker... get hit with

Starscream's missiles and get the house brought

down on them, the Decepticon jets escape with

the steel rods. At Autobot headquarters, Optimus

Prime is puzzled as to why the Decepticons would

steal those metal beams. Spike launches the Sky

Spy satellite and tells Prime that if there is

any Decepticon activity on the entire planet,

the Sky Spy will let them know. In the Andes

Mountains, the Decepticons are at an ancient

Incan temple believed to house a crystal that

stores the greatest energy source on Earth. The

Decepticons raid the temple and start harnessing

the energy. Laserbeak is flying around surveying

the area when he spots the Sky Spy. He reports

this to Megatron by telepathic beams. Megatron

then uses the energy crystal to destroy the Sky

Spy. However, the defective steel that Starscream

and Thundercracker stole was unable to hold the

crystal's power inside the weapon frame. So Megatron

and Soundwave go to the nearby mining town to

get the metal needed for a suitable weapon frame.

In the Arctic, Wheeljack and Sideswipe are trying

to defrost Skyfire. They succeed and transform

for home base to pick up Brawn and Windcharger.

The plan is for Braun and Windcharger to distract

Megatron and Soundwave while Skyfire heads to

the Ink and Ruins to see what the energy readings

are coming from. Braun and Windcharger can't

handle Megatron and have radioed Skyfire for

assistance. Megatron has transformed and Soundwave

is using him to attempt to blast Braun off the

face of the Earth. When Charger and Skyfire execute

a great maneuver to save Braun just in time,

they head back to the Autobot base to get reinforcements.

Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots board

Skyfire. They fly to Peru and split up. Skyfire

is sneaking around the Incan temple trying to

see what Starscream and the other jets are doing.

In the mining town, the Decepticons are stealing

metal rods and the Autobots crash the party.

The fight begins, a Megatron drops his fusion

cannon and Bronn picks it up and uses it on Megatron.

A girl is in danger from the battling robots.

Spike and Bumblebee swoop in and pick her up.

She tells them of the ancient crystal of power

and she will take them to where it is. Skyfire

attempts to climb the stairs to the pyramid to

destroy the Decepticons new weapon. But Thundercracker

stops him and then Starscream blasts him. Megatron

and Skywarp have all the steel they need in the

mining town. Megatron then creates a rock slide

to hinder the Autobots from following them. The

Autobots fire at the rock slide, stopping it

from crushing the humans. Megatron tests out

the new weapon frame. It works perfectly. Bubblebee

and the kids find the secret entrance into the

temple. They find that the Decepticons have captured

Skyfire and Spike attempts to repair him. When

Ravage comes up behind them, Bubblebee attempts

to hold him off, but can't. The Autobots head

towards the temple where Megatron starts firing

with the energy weapon on them. The battle begins

and it's all out warfare. Inside the temple,

Spike almost has Skyfire repaired, but Mumblebean

needs help. He can't hold off Ravage much longer.

Skyfire is repaired just in time. He flies out

of the temple and joins the battle. Skyfire destroys

the weapon frame and the energy emitting from

the crystal is free flowing into the sky. The

battle rages on. Optimus Prime makes it to the

top of the temple and throws Megatron off of

it. The Decepticons then retreat. Wheeljack has

created an invention to seal up the energy geyser

the Autobots head for home and the girl that

they save tells bumblebee that she wants him

to meet her sister's convertible and Bumblebee

just kind of gushes that sums up this this episode

here Now for my thoughts on this episode The

episode was good. The animation was solid for

the most part. I think almost every episode I've

seen the Autobots and Decepticons off -model

The worst instances of this are the three jet

seekers. Sometimes Thundercracker has Starscream's

colors, sometimes Starscream has Skywarp's colors,

and so on and so forth. I love the scene where

Optimus Prime holds Megatron over his head and

throws him off the temple. The scene where Soundwave

is firing Megatron at Braun is very fucking cool.

That imagery is awesome. There really wasn't

too much else to note in this episode, ladies

and gentlemen. It was a pretty good episode.

I like how they are increasing the storylines

for the different characters, not just focusing

on Optimus Prime and Megatron or Starscream and

Megatron and stuff like that. I like how they've

introduced Skyfire after a while. I'm pleased

with the Dinobot spike. I think I'll have Wheeljack

and Ratchet build two more. Wow, can Chip and

I help out? A Stegosaurus is a great model for

the first Dinobot. But for the second, how about

giving the Autobots a little extra flying power?

A Pteranodon! Excellent choices, Chip. We'll

start building them right away. Stego -whatsis

and Pteranohusis? Is there anything you don't

know about, Chip? There is an odd instability

in the energon cubes. You picked a wonderful

time to notice it. I knew something like that

would happen, Megatron. But you wouldn't consult

with anyone before choosing your... What?! Transform!

The worst is over. The danger has passed. So,

yeah, and the last episode of the day is War

of the Dinobots. To synopsize this episode, we

open this episode with Chip Chase looking through

a telescope at an... at an... at an observer...

holy shit... at an observatory. He spots an unfamiliar

meteor that is heading for Earth. He and his

professor cannot get a reading on it, so they

call in the Autobots. Optimus Prime says they

must get to it before the Decepticons do, and

they're going to bring in some heavy backup.

Ratchet and Wheeljack creation the Dinobots.

Meanwhile, the Decepticons are studying the Dinobots.

Megatron orders Soundwave to find out that Dinobots

quote -unquote soft spots or weaknesses. Soundwave

arrives at the meteor site and transforms, spying

on the Autobots. When the meteor lands, Optimus

Prime blasts a piece of it off so that they can

analyze its properties. They leave for the base

and leave the Dinobots to guard the rest of the

meteor. Prime tells Spike that he is very pleased

with the Dinobots and that he and Chip can help

Wheeljack and Ratchet create two more. At the

crash site, Soundwave scans the brains of the

Dinobots and reports his findings back to Megatron.

Megatron's plan is to use the Dinobots' weaknesses

against the Autobots, and then have the Dinobots

help the Decepticons take over the universe.

Megatron gets the Dinobots to turn on the Autobots.

He then tells the jets to haul off the meteor

to a place that he has selected. Back at the

Autobot base, the new Dinobots Swoop and Sarl

are being created. Wheeljack calls Optimus, Trailbreaker

and Chip into his lab and tells them that the

meteorite is amassed with unstable energy and

will soon explode. Trailbreaker shields the piece

that Wheeljack has been testing and it explodes.

Optimus Prime tells them to finish the new Dinobots

and he'll be back soon. Ratchet and Wheeljack

are introducing the new Dinobots to the rest

of the Autobots, and they select Sideswipe, Blue

Streak, Ironhide, and Prowl to stop the Dinobots,

if they can. The test is completed and the new

Dinobots are ready for action. At the meteor

site, Optimus Prime arrives and is puzzled when

neither the Dinobots or the meteor is there.

Then Slag fires upon Optimus Prime, telling him

that he no like enemy. Prime tries to reason

with Slag, but Grimlock and Sludge appear as

well, and they are going to stomp Prime. Optimus

says he does not want to fight them, but they

leave him no choice. Optimus Prime and the Donobots

get into a battle. After thinking that they have

destroyed Prime, they see him moving again and

the battle continues, until we cut to the end

of it where Grimlock radios Megatron and states

that the battle is over and they will bring Optimus

Prime to him. The Dinobots then fly off with

Prime. At the new location of the meteor site,

the Decepticons are siphoning off its energy,

but Starscream tries telling Megatron that its

energies are unstable and Megatron doesn't listen.

The Dinobots bring Prime to the Decepticons and

even in his weakened state, he tells Megatron

that the meteor will explode. Megatron thinks

he is lying until he sees the energon cubes exploding.

Swoop and Snarl, the new Dinobots, are on their

way to the new location of the meteorite. Once

they get there, the newest Dinobots fight Grimlock

and the others, the meteor is at a dangerous

point and explodes. Prime tackles Grimlock to

get him out of the blast path of the meteor.

Grimlock then turns on Megatron and tells him

that he is a bad leader and he tried to turn

them away from Optimus Prime and the Autobots.

He is about to shoot him when the Decepticons

retreat. Grimlock gives Prime his gun back just

when the rest of the Autobots and their human

friends arrive. Grimlock apologizes to Optimus

Prime and the Autobots head back to base. That

about sums up this episode. Well, for my thoughts.

I really liked this episode. It is a funny off

-the -wall type of episode. The Dinobots fighting

each other was great. I am very unsure if we

ever see that again. There was no power struggle

this time between Megatron and Starscream. There

weren't that many sound or animation flubs either.

Swoop and Snarl looked awesome in battle. It

is amazing how many Transformers characters they

introduce in each episode. I truly believe in

these early seasons that Sideswipe is meant to

be like a Hot Ride type character. One of my

favorite quotes from the episode is Ironhide

saying, tricky aren't you, you dino dodo. Thank

you for listening to the TFGone Podcast. This

has been your host Michael Blanchard. Please

tune in next week, Friday January 2nd when I'll

be doing another supplemental episode most likely

about my favorite cartoons. And the Friday after

that, January 9th will be the next episode of

the TFG1 Podcast where I'll be reviewing the

final six episodes from Transformers Generation

1 Season 1. Those being The Ultimate Doom Parts

1, 2, and 3, Countdown to Extinction, A Plague

of Insecticons, and Heavy Metal War. You may

send emails with questions and comments to tfg1podcast

at gmail .com. Until next time.