Recap / Beast Wars S 1 E 8 Double Jeopardy

After the Predacons repeatedly predict the Maximals' every move, Rattrap is suspected as a traitor. The Predacons also acquire a new member, Blackarachnia.

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• The Bad Guy Wins: While Predacons lose the day, Megatron successfully shows Terrorsaur for the fool he is and removes any chance of the Predacons following him, on top of the Predacons securing a protoform for themselves.
• The Chessmaster: Megatron gets his first real showing of this. He designed his own holding cells so that he could escape from them, and during a battle with the Maximals allows Terrorsaur to lead so that the rest of the Predacons can see what a fool he is. While he didn't know for certain if Rattrap was really a spy until the end, even that worked in his favor with the below mentioned Xanatos Gambit, either Megatron got a new Predacon in his ranks, or he got to show what a fool Terrorsaur was for trusting him.
• Crazy-Prepared: Megatron has programmed the Darksyde holding cells to open for him, in case he should end up imprisoned.
• Didn't Think This Through: Once again, Terrorsaur's attempt at backstabbing Megatron and taking over fails because of his poor ability to plan ahead. He just has Rattrap knock Megatron unconscious with a poison and then throws him in jail, not considering for a second that Megatron- who leads this ship- might have programmed the computer to free him should he be imprisoned.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Megatron suspects Tarantulas had "ulterior motives" in his choice of beast mode for Blackarachnia, but makes no comment on her gender and welcomes her as a comrade.
• Eye Beams: Terrorsaur displays this in his fight with Rattrap, which he never uses again.
• Fake Defector: Rattrap, so he could infiltrate the Darksyde and discover how the Predacons were tapping their communications.
• Foreshadowing: Rattrap's exaggerated "no way" gesture when Optimus says there's a traitor in their ranks is a hint that the two of them have planned for Rattrap's apparent defection to Predacons in order to find out how they're able to predict the Maximals' every move.
• Funny Background Event: Rattrap's gesticulation during Terrorsaur's New Era Speech.
• Head-Turning Beauty: "Oh, be still my spinnerets!" Although, in fairness, there's some In-Universe Author Appeal at work there.
• Innocuously Important Episode: Blackarachnia is introduced in this episode, rather inauspiciously for such an important character.
• Let's See YOU Do Better!: After Terrorsaur usurps his leadership, Megatron lets him lead, so that he can fail miserably.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Optimus and Rattrap kept the latter's Fake Defector status a secret in order to avoid blowing his cover. This actually leads to an angry Dinobot nearly killing Rattrap during the battle before he's stopped by Megatron.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Terrorsaur falling for Rattrap's Fake Defector cost the Predacons a huge advantage.
  • Megatron stops Dinobot as he was about to kill Rattrap to set up the below mentioned Xanatos Gambit.
• Noodle Incident: Optimus says the operation to get Blackarchnia’s status pod is the third operation the Predacons amubushed. What were the other two?
• Properly Paranoid: A villainous example, where Megatron rightfully believes Rattrap is a spy when he seemingly joins the Predacons, but then he uses this to his advantage to prove to his crew how incapable Terrorsaur is at leading them.
• Shoot Your Mate: Rattrap is ordered to kill Dinobot by Megatron to prove his loyalty. When Terrorsaur agrees, Rattrap promptly shoots him, and the distraction is enough for Dinobot to free himself from Megatron's grip.
  • Earlier in the fight, he's ordered to shoot down Optimus and although he hesitates and fires near misses at first Rattrap actually does shoot him and cause him to crash. Optimus later grumbles he didn't need to go that far to make his fake defection look convincing.
    Rattrap: What can I say? I was trying to miss.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Megatron unleashes a truly epic one on Terrorsaur when he sums up his brief reign of the Predacons: a lost battle, a missing Blackarachnia ^note  she does return by the next episode, and who knows what else damage inflicted by the Maximal Spy?
• The Starscream: Terrorsaur once again betrays Megatron.
• Transformation Is a Free Action: Averted. Tarantulas gives his position away with some Evil Gloating and Rattrap blasts him away before he can complete his transformation sequence.
• Unflinching Walk: Blackarachnia, who struts through Cheetor's onslaught despite the damage to her person and floors him with a kick.
• Unwitting Pawn: Rattrap plays Terrorsaur like a two-bit processor in his infiltration mission.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Blackarachnia just sort of disappears in the middle of the battle at the end for no apparent reason. Megatron Lampshades this during his "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Terrorsaur.
• Xanatos Gambit: Megatron demanding Rattrap kill Dinobot. If Rattrap does, then it means killing one of the Maximals. If he doesn't, then the Predacons see what a fool Terrorsaur was for letting a spy in their ranks. He didn't know if Rattrap was really a traitor or not but either outcome benefited him.