History Recap / TransformersPrimeS1E20Partners

* SayingTooMuch: When Arcee tells Starscream how Airachnid killed her partner, he's outraged and rants how she is stealing the credit for ''his'' handiwork. He failed to ask ''which'' partner Arcee was talking about, but she managed to figure it out herself after his bungled VerbalBackspace: Arachnid killed her earlier partner Tailgate, meaning that Starscream was the one who killed and later zombified Cliffjumper. ''Whoops''.

* IdiotBall: Starscream for [[MeaningfulName screaming out loud]] to Arcee that he's the one who killed Cliffjumper. NO Starscream (G1, Armada, Animated, Bay-verse) has done something ''that'' stupid.

* AccidentalPublicConfession: Starscream is infuriated that Arachnid has likely took credit for him killing Cliffjumper. Unfortunately for him, he was still talking to Arcee at the time and pretty much exposed himself.

* SayingTooMuch: When Arcee tells Starscream how Airachnid killed her partner, he's outraged and rants how she is stealing the credit for ''his'' handiwork. He failed to ask ''which'' partner Arcre was talking about, but she managed to figure it out herself: Arachnid killed her earlier partner Tailgate, meaning Starscream was the one who killed and later zombified Cliffjumper. ''Whoops''.

* SayingTooMuch: When Arcee tells Starscream how Airachnid killed her partner, he's outraged amd rants how she is stealing the credit for his handiwork. He failed to ask ''which'' partner Arcre was talking about, but she managed to figure it out herself. Whoops.

** Megatron is furious that Arachnid had abandoned Starscream to the Autobots. Sure, Starscream is a frequent traitor always gunning for Megs' leadership, but if he is tempted to give up any Decepticon secret to the enemy, that would be bad.

* SayingTooMuch: When Arcee tells Starscream how Airachnid killed her partner, he's outraged to hear Airachnid's stealing the credit for his work. Whoops.

Aboard the ''Nemesis'', Starscream confesses his sins before Soundwave and claims to have made peace with his position as second-in-command. He goes to the bridge where Airachnid is telling Megatron about one of his indiscretions, a failure to disclose the location of the crash site of the ''Harbinger'', a Decepticon transport ship that crashed on Earth while containing an experimental weapon. Megatron orders Starscream to lead Airachnid to the crash site to retrieve the weapon.

Elsewhere, Arcee stands at Cliffjumper's graveside and talks to her old partner, promising to find the Decepticon responsible for his death.

Meanwhile, Starscream and Airachnid reach the ''Harbinger'' crash site, but Airachnid is deliberately cagey about what the weapon is that they're looking for. She's impressed by the fact that Starscream was the one who terminated Cliffjumper, but reveals she knows about the fact that Megatron was planning to terminate him at the Energon mine. They burrow their way down to the buried wreck, and Airachnid accesses the ship's computer to find the location of the cargo. Starscream warns that the signal might alert the Autobots.

Indeed, at that moment, Ratchet alerts Optimus that the base sensors have detected an ancient Decepticon signal.

While searching the ship, Airachnid finds that corridor leading to the location of the weapon ends in a stone wall. It appears that the ship broke in half before crashing, and the weapon is in the other half of the ship. Starscream won't tell her where the other half is, so she binds him in a web and threatens him until he blabs. She leaves him stuck there with the suggestion that she 'might' come back, but runs into the Autobots in a corridor. Forced to double back, she drills her way through the ground and is followed by Arcee, much to Optimus' concern.

On the surface, Airachnid swiftly gets the better of Arcee, but Prime's arrival forces Airachnid to retreat in 'copter mode. Optimus reminds Arcee that trying to seek revenge for Tailgate's death isn't a good idea.

Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Bumblebee resurface with Starscream as a captive, and they're all surprised when the Decepticon says he wants to switch sides and join the Autobots. Optimus, Arcee, and Bulkhead have a brief discussion and decide to take Starscream along, for now.

After locating the other half of the ''Harbinger'', Airachnid pulls the experimental weapon, a staff, from its container.

The Autobots arrive at the stone arch. Optimus believes they should seriously consider letting Starscream join the team because allowing the Decepticons redemption will be important to establishing peace. He leaves Arcee guarding Starscream, and takes Bumblebee and Bulkhead to find the other half of the ''Harbinger''. As Prime's team approaches the ship, Airachnid begins opening fire with the staff, a weapon named the Immobilizer, and freezes Bulkhead in place.

Meanwhile, Starscream tries to convince Arcee that he's safe to let go, but inadvertently lets slip that he was the one who killed Cliffjumper when he believes and laments that Arachnid will take credit for the deed. He frantically attempts to convince her that it was a mercy killing, but Arcee doesn't buy it. She throws down the key to the cuffs so he can free himself and make it a fair fight between them, but he tricks her into getting close enough that he can wound her with his claws.

At the ''Harbinger'', Optimus and Bumblebee take cover behind a rock, but Airachnid burrows underground, coming up behind them and zapping Prime with the power of the staff, freezing him in place. Bumblebee starts exchanging fire with the Decepticon.

As Arcee and Starscream fight, Starscream taunts her by asking if Tailgate was weak like Cliffjumper.

Airachnid gloats over her new trophies, but the dust kicked up by Airachnid's weapon strikes on a nearby rock and gives Bumblebee an idea. He blasts the rock face some more, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Airachnid sweeps the cloud with the Immobilizer, and when the cloud clears, Bumblebee stands motionless. While Airachnid goes back to talking to Prime, Bumblebee sneaks up behind her and sucker punches her. It is clear that he only pretended to be frozen in order to trick Airachnid. As the Immobilizer is thrown into the air, Bumblebee shoots it and it shatters. Airachnid flees under fire from Bumblebee.

In his fight against Arcee, Starscream gets the upper hand, kicking her around brutally. As he moves in to finish her off, she reveals she's been playing possum and delivers a series of blows that brings him down. Arcee has her blades at Starscream's throat, ready to kill him, when she realizes that they're being watched by Bumblebee. She lets Starscream limp away and collapses.

Back on the ''Nemesis'', Megatron is '''furious''' at Airachnid, not because she failed to retrieve the Immobilizer, but because she left Starscream in the hands of the Autobots, meaning they now have ample opportunity to extract Decepticon intelligence from Starscream. Megatron swears to Airachnid that she will be punished for deserting his second-in-command, much to her dismay.

At the Autobot base, Ratchet has repaired the Immobilizer and used it to unfreeze Optimus and Bulkhead. Arcee has also been repaired, but blames herself for chasing away Starscream.

Elsewhere, Starscream bashes his clamp bonds against a rock wall, shattering them. He realizes that he is now an independent, beholden to no one and flies off to consider his next move.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Starscream had been on Earth for years and had previously checked the Harbinger for anything useful, so naturally Airachnid doesn't either without booting up its computer, something Starscream never did because it would attract the attention of the Autobots.
** Megatron is outraged that Airachnid left Starscream with the Autobots. She lies and says [[NeverMyFault Starscream cost them]] the Immobilizer. Megatron doesn't care, what Starscream did doesn't change that he's Megatron's second in command and if he's a prisoner to the Autobots he could hand valuable intelligence on a silver platter.

* YouFool: Airachnid when Bumblebee destroys the Immobilizer.

* InMemoriam: The episode ends with a dedication to Capt. H. L. Cullen, the elder brother of Optimus' voice actor Creator/PeterCullen]], who served as the inspiration for Optimus' voice, and who died before the episode aired.

-->"You're tougher to scrap than your former partner... at least the one I scrapped. Was Tailgate weak like Cliffjumper?"

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: This version of Optimus is more than willing to give his opponents a second chance for redemption, as opposed to his Michael Bay counterpart who just thinks of tearing off their heads with axes. This doesn't last long since as the show progresses this Optimus becomes far more ruthless and accepting of violence.

-->'''Megatron:''' You left Starscream with ''the Autobots?!'' Do you have any notion as to the consequences of your blunder?!\\

'''Megatron:''' I don't care about some trinket! My second-in-command is a prisoner of the enemy, which means ''all'' Decepticon intelligence could be at the fingertips of the Autobots!!

** Megatron is enraged with Airachnid when he finds out she left Starscream in the hands of the Autobots, even when she (falsely) claims it was Starscream's fault they lost the Immobilizer. This isn't necessarily because he cares about Starscream, but because Starscream is still his second in command, meaning that any and all Decepticon intelligence could be revealed at any moment to the enemy.

-->'''Airachnid:''' But, my lordship, it was Starscream's incompetence that cost us the Immobilizer.\\
'''Megatron:''' I don't care about some trinket! My second-in-command is a prisoner of the enemy, which means all Decepticon intelligence could be at the fingertips of the Autobots!

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: This version of Optimus is more than willing to give his opponents a second chance for redemption, as opposed to his Michael Bay counterpart who just thinks of tearing off their heads with axes. Though as this show progressed Optimus does become far more ruthless and accepting of violence.

* RealityEnsues:
** Starscream had been on Earth for years and had previously checked the Harbinger for anything useful, so naturally Airachnid doesn't either without booting up its computer, something Starscream never did because it would attract the attention of the Autobots.
** Megatron is outraged that Airachnid left Starscream with the Autobots. She lies and says [[NeverMyFault Starscream cost them]] the Immobilizer. Megatron doesn't care, what Starscream did doesn't change that he's Megatron's second in command and if he's a prisoner to the Autobots he could hand valuable intelligence on a silver platter.

* BlatantLies: Airachnid claims she lost the Immobilizer thanks to Starscream. Megatron doesn't care about the Immobilizer, his concern is that Airachnid left Starscream with the Autobots and the damage they can inflict thanks to the intelligence Starscream could give them.

* PragmaticVillainy: Megatron is enraged with Airachnid when he finds out she left Starscream in the hands of the Autobots, even when she (falsely) claims it was Starscream's fault they lost the Immobilizer. This isn't necessarily because he cares about Starscream, but because Starscream is still his second in command, meaning that any and all Decepticon intelligence could be revealed at any moment to the enemy.
* PreMortemOneLiner: Starscream gives Arcee one when he's about to deal the killing blow after incapacitating her.
-->'''Starscream:''' Now, prepare to reunite with your [[TitleDrop partners]].

** Arcee did take a nasty hit, but when she gets knocked down, she lies there and mumbles quietly. When Starscream leans in close to gloat, she delivers a beatdown.

* TranquilFury: Starscream goes silently berserk over Airachnid calling him her own personal native guide after Megatron instructs Starscream guide her to the Harbinger.

* PragmaticVillany: Megatron is enraged with Airachnid when he finds out she left Starscream in the hands of the Autobots, even when she (falsely) claims it was Starscream's fault they lost the Immobilizer. This isn't necessarily because he cares about Starscream, but because Starscream is still his second in command, meaning that any and all Decepticon intelligence could be revealed at any moment to the enemy.

* RealityEnsues: Starscream had been on Earth for years and had previously checked the Harbinger for anything useful, so naturally Airachnid doesn't either without booting up its computer, something Starscream never did because it would attract the attention of the Autobots.

* RealityEnsues: Starscream had been Earth for years and had previously checked the Harbinger for anything useful, so naturally Airachnid doesn't either without booting up its computer, something Starscream never did because it would attract the attention of the Autobots.
** Megatron is outraged that Airachnid left Starscream with the Autobots. She lies and say Starscream cost them the Immobilizer. Megatron doesn't care, what Starscream did doesn't change that he's Megatron's second in command and if he's a prisoner to the Autobots he could hand valuable intelligence on a silver platter.

* PuppyDogEyes: From Bumblebee ''and'' Starscream to Arcee.

Meanwhile, Starscream tries to convince Arcee that he's safe to let go, but inadvertently lets Arcee know that he was the one who killed Cliffjumper. He frantically attempts to convince her that it was a mercy killing, but Arcee doesn't buy it. She throws down the key to the cuffs so he can free himself and make it a fair fight between them, but he tricks her into getting close enough that he can wound her with his claws.

* NobodyHereButUsStatues: Bumblebee plans to get Airachnid by pretending to be hit with the Immobilizer

** When Arcee challenges Starscream to a fight for accidentally admitting that he killed Cliffjumper, the Seeker plays up his cowardice when she throws him the key to his cuffs, giving the captive an opening to slash her in the gut whan she's about to pick it up. Arcee's wound gives Starscream a massive advantage in the ensuing battle.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Megatron ''thinks'' this is the case upon learning Airachnid left Starscream with the Autobots, thus endangering Decepticon intelligence. While that is not the case, Airachnid's actions were the final impetus for Starscream to go on his own way. [[spoiler:Starscream's next appearance is in Season 2's "Orion Pax" trilogy, where his status aides the Autobots and harms the Decepticons.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: As Arcee acknowledges, her actions allow Starscream to escape and rob the Autobots of valuable intelligence.