Our episode begins where we left, the cruiser opens fire on Optimus and Cheetor as they near the base. What follows is essentially a long battle, so I'll put the highlights:
- Rattrap launches himself from the control room using a previously unseen ramp and lands on top of Ravage's ship, using a welding torch and later his beast mode teeth to cut into the hull.
- Quickstrike is shot off Rampage's back and crushed by the large transmetal's tank mode.
- Rampage takes out the Axalon's shields, but he's forced to take cover from Rhinox and the Chainguns of Doom.
- The Transwarp cruiser prepares a large Missile, aimed by Tarantulas, to fire on the Axalon. But Rattrap cuts his way in on time. He throws two sticky detonator charges on Tarantulas' hands. The explosion takes him out along with Ravage, whose last words are:
Decepticons Forever!
- The cruiser crashes, Rampage managing to avoid getting crushed (Rattrap rides the missile a la Doctor Strangelove). The missile launches, aimed at Rampage.
This takes about a third of the episode. Optimus notes it's not over. Something turned Ravage against them, and Megatron is not returning to base. The Maximals make to follow, with Cheetor carrying Rattrap, and Optimus carrying Rhinox. Hrrrm Optimus, why bother with Passengers when you and Cheetor could no doubt catch up to Megatron, double team him and force him to land? This is the same kind of thinking that ensured you'd arrive too late to save Dinobot. Come on. Learn from your mistakes. Or even better, have Rhinox shoot Megatron while you carry him. Or Rattrap, who has his gun out as he rides Cheetor. One shot to the thrusters and it's over! But no. in fact Optimus tells them to stay with the group and not try to get closer to shoot Megatron. God Optimus, you deserve whats coming to you.
Optimus notes that if Megatron's found what he thinks he's found, then the battle is just starting.
At the mountain, Blackarachnia and Silverbolt finish their tunnel, inbetween taking time to be all sappy and romantic. Inside the cave they find a large golden ship. The Ark. The ship that brought the original Autobots to Earth. It crashed following a Decepticon attack, and in 1984 the volcano (Mount St-Hilary) will erupt, awakening the Autobots and Decepticons and beginning the Great War. Blackarachnia plans to seize it... to do what? The thing's not exactly capable of flight anymore. What does she want it for *? I guess if anything it does make a relatively Megatron-resistant place to hang out.
We do get a re-enactment of the Ark's history from More Than Meets The Eye Part 1 in glorious CGI. The duo's Squeeing is interrupted when Megatron shoots them, causing Silverbolt to hit the Ark's shield and take further damage. He then shoots their tunnel, preventing the rest of the Maximals from following. Geez Optimus, aren't you glad you didn't try shooting him?
As the Maximals dig, Megatron notes that Blackarachnia has the access codes to Teletraan 1, the Ark's computer, from the Golden Disk. He threatens Silverbolt to make her cooperate, and she relents when he makes it clear he'd kill him, though she pretends its only because she wants to avoid capture. The two enter the Ark, but Megatron tells Blackarachnia to keep the Maximals busy with Teletraan 1's defenses. The Maximals are too late, and soon have to contend with Teletraan's plasma cannon. Eventually Rattrap manages to cause it to backfire, somehow knocking Blackarachnia down.
Megatron makes his way to the Ark bridge, monologuing as he passes Stasis Locked Decepticons like Starscream, Soundwave and his own namesake, nearing his goal...
The Maximals can't open the door fast enough however. Ya know Optimus, it would go faster if you helped Rhinox rather than let him do it alone. I am starting to think you might be on Megatron's side for god's sake.
To be continued?
Well the Agenda three parter is no doubt one, if not the most well remembered multi part episode in the whole franchise, let alone Beast Wars. And with reasons. For one, it takes balls to use plot points from who had first aired over a decade ago and use that as the entire basis of your season finale. And even without that, the entire three part is well executed, despite the occasional plot-induced idiocy.
Ravage was a great choice for a character to bring back: One of the more iconic Decepticons, yet not one of the more plot important one. Part 1 on its own did great and Ravage's inclusion only made it better. Part 2 is a bit the weakest link of the three parts. Not a whole lot happen. The fight scene with Inferno was clearly just there to fulfill the required action quota. Otherwise, there's very little meaningful that happens to justify the episode's runtime, other than making Silverbolt kind of a giant asshole. You could fit the necessary plot elements into 5 minutes. Still, it offers breathing room to the great climax of part 3 III.
- Yes, part III's title uses roman numerals unlike part 1 and 2.
- Blackarachnia's claim that the Great War started in 1984 brings a question. The war started long ago, on Cybertron, is that not considered part of the Great War? Would historians later divide the two conflict (maybe separated by the relative lull where both sides leaders and great warriors were lost?).
- Optimus references Generation 1 toy's die cast metal parts: "Die Cast Construction, it's a lost art".
- Rattrap calls his roadster mode "Knievel Mode".
- This episode begins a recurring goof where Teletraan's name is pronounced Teletron.
- I generally avoid mentioning the various paradoxes of Megatron's actions. Though the most often pointed one is this: In both cartoon and comic continuity, Optimus' death here would most likely cause the Matrix of Leadership to not reach the hands of Hot Rod. This would in turn lead to Cybertron's destruction at the hands of Unicron. So Megatron's final plan would in fact destroy that which he sought to conquer, and in fact most likely would also wipe him from history and dear god I've gone cross-eyed.
- Megatron's line at the end seems aimed as much at the Maximals as they are at the audience itself. Indeed, without Optimus Prime, the humans would fall prey to the Decepticons.
- Well, season 2 is over. Let us commemorate it in our own ways:
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