Last time on Beast Wars: Optimus died! What new, fresh development!
The Maximals stand by the computer in disbelief, nothing but static on the scanners. Blackarachnia makes use of the distraction to GTFO. Rattrap asks for a report, the computer tells him the Planet Buster is destroyed, but Rattrap obviously doesn't care. He asks about Optimus.
The predacons celebrate, congratulating their leader. Megatron thanks them by hitting his subordinates. He plans to immediately strike the Maximals while they are grieving. But the almighty Primus writers have other plans. The sensors detect a Quantum Surge, a gigantic shockwave emanating from where the explosion occurred, heading for the planet. The Maximals, still grieving get the same message, as they realize Blackarachnia is gone. The situation is bad on both ships: Shields are spent from the Planet Busters' assault. Both base cannot hope but endure the onslaught of the Quantum sure, though Rattrap swears he will not let Optimus' sacrifice be wasted by dying by from space debris.
Blackarachnia wanders through the ship, but Tarantulas' voice stops her, telling her to go to his body. His core consciousnesses was transferred into her body when she downloaded his data tracks. And he can hurt her if she refuses to obey.
The Quantum wave hits the planet, rocking both ships, causing all Transformers to feel pain. Soon it is followed by white lines, causing certain members on both sides to glow white. On both sides, Transformers are knocked about. On the Darksyde, Terrorsaur and Scorponok, both glowing, hit each other's platform, both of them plummeting into the lava below. Waspinator is knocked off his platform into a CR Tank.The Quantum wave passes, as the camera sweeps over a burned, ever more damaged Axalon, featuring a large crack in the neck. Blackarachnia awakes, and Tarantulas tells her to recover his body before the Maximals revive. Maximals begin to come to. Airazor and Tigatron first, then Rattrap and Cheetor. Only Rattrap and Cheetor look different, both sporting new, metallic appearances, and robotic beast modes. Both have also "transport" modes, a roadster for Rattrap, and jets for Cheetor, who is REALLY bad at handling them. Rattrap sends Tigatron and Airazor to find Blackarachnia, figuring the surge must've knocked her out too, she can't have gone far.
In the Darksyde, Waspinator comes too, amazed he's alive. He sees Megatron, who has also changed, now being metallic (and much less silly looking).
Blackarachnia finds Tarantulas' body in a cell, but it has changed. She turns off the laser grids and takes it. Inferno awakes and re-attaches his head.
In his pod, Rhinox see Optimus' death in a dream, and Optimus' spark hovering amongst countless others. He's awoken by Rattrap and demands to know where is Optimus and what happened. Rattrap obliges. Inferno decides to return to the royalty.
Rattrap finishes filling in Rhinox and Dinobot. Though Dinobot begins to make a claim for leadership, in a mirror to Chain Of Command, but Rhinox almost chokes him and tells him he's not in the mood and Dinobot acquiesces. Blackarachnia makes her way out of the Axalon, and cheers at her accomplishment, only to realize Airazor's got a gun to her head, as does Tigatron. Huh. Déjà Vu. However she's saves when Megatron fires on the pair with Waspinator. The Maximals inside the base realize they are under attack, and Rattrap and Cheetor go to show off the new toys kids can buy fight the Predacons while Rhinox and... Dinobot? Try to get sentinel online.
Why Dinobot? Why not keep Rattrap and sends Dinobot, who is, ya know, a soldier whose repeatedly shown to be one of the Maximals' heaviest hitters? Because this episode is a commercial for the Transmetal Toys. That's why.
We get an admittedly fun (if LONG) fight where all three Transmetals show their new forms and ability. Megatron now has a flight mode with roller blades. Megatron is displeased with Blackarachnia, intending to kill her, but she points out that since he lacks Terrorsaur and Scorponok, they must be dead, and he needs all the troops her can muster since the Maximals are all functional. But midway through the fight, Tarantulas forces her to ditch Megatron and bring her body back to base. Coz ya know, he'll be way better when Megatron decides to cap Blackarachnia with his mind still in her.
Inferno busts on the bridge, shooting Rhinox and wrestling Dinobot, until Rhinox recovers and tosses him out the elevator. Outside, Megatron has won (Cheetor, continuing to fail at flying, collided with Rattrap), but as he prepares to execute them, he sees his most loyal soldier, and goes to check on him. However the enraged sound of a pissed off Rhinox with his gattling gun makes Megatron decide it's better to retreat if he wants to live. He returns to Beast modes and takes off with Inferno.
Rattrap remarks how the Beast Wars got a whole lot weirder. In a wasteland, three stasis pods have crashed. Two of them begin to scan for lifeforms, but the computers mention DNA scanner failures. A hand bursts out of the third, non-scanning pod.
Aftermath is like Before The Storm, a part of the two parter that follows but got separated out. And it feels that way. Little gets done. There's the excitement at the new Transmetals, but most of the episode is a big toy commercial, like the battle at the end that makes up almost a third of the episode length and is filled with "look what the toys can do" kind of scene (like Rattrap and Megatron playing chicken). It's not bad, but for a season opener... It is rather weak overall. That said we get our first view at the show's MUCH improved CGI. Especially character movements, and joints, who look MUCH better than the first season.
- The gimmick for Transmetals rested on three things: Fully robotic Beast modes, semi-organic robot mode (featuring scales, skin or fur), and alternate "transport mode" for the beast modes, that allowed the character to somehow travel faster.
- Cheetor's Transmetal CGI model annoys the crap out of me. When he's seen from below in beast mode, you can see his shoulders and upper arms for his robot mode. Only his toy is actually designed to HIDE THOSE. In fact, Cheetor's toy seen from the belly hides almost all of his robot bit. Why is his CGI model WORSE at hiding kibble than the toy!
- Waspinator was supposed to die, but his popularity with the fans caused the creators to save him and just knock him into the CR Tank rather than the lava.
- There's a pattern to who transmetalized this episode: Only the character not issued from Stasis Pods, and who were not in CR Chambers at the time. Two future character will however break this pattern.
- Terrorsaur and Scorponok both appeared to Transmetalize as they fell into the lava. This was done so they could be brought back via handwave if the writers wanted to. The gimmick of a characters changing to Transmetal and being thrown in lava only to come back would be used in season 3. The duo would return as Transmetals in comic form.
- Rattrap coins the term Transmetal, but Megatron will be seen to use it regularly. Great minds think alike?
- In a Call-Back to Chain Of Command, Rattrap assumes command with Rhinox away. He'll continue to act as unofficial field commander for the next two episodes.