Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari get more than they bargained for when they head out to the remote woods to investigate a mysterious energy signal.
Tropes:
- Ass Shove: This is implied when Prowl wonders how Bumblebee smuggled extra tech on their way to the campsite. Cue Shy Finger-Twiddling from Bumblebee.
- Bait-and-Switch Boss: The Space Barnacle monster (revealed to be Megatron's headless body) gets taken out mid-way through the episode, with the Space Barnacles spreading onto Prowl and making him the primary threat.
- Bears Are Bad News: Bumblebee thinks so, one reason he didn't like the woods. This despite the fact that he, as a Cybertronian, can't possibly be hurt by a bear.
- Big "NO!": Bumblebee when Prowl breaks his media player.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Optimus has no idea what sneezing is, so when he tries to comfort Sari about getting a cold, he says that he's sure she'll stop "backfiring" soon.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing:
- When Prowl gets pinned to a tree by the Space Barnacle monster, the Barnacles covering the pickaxe are directly touching Prowl, an early sign they're about to spread onto him.
- Just before Bumblebee and Sari lock themselves in the furnace room, the Space Barnacle-infected Prowl swipes at Bumblebee, his Space Barnacle-covered arm making direct contact with Bumblebee long enough to spread onto him.
- Foreshadowing: Sari’s key detects a Cybertronian energy signature coming from the Space Barnacle monster. While Prowl and Bumblebee guess that the Space Barnacles picked up residual energy from their ship, the ending reveals that it may also have to do with the fact that the Space Barnacles were controlling Megatron’s headless body.
- Hive Mind: The Space Barnacles.
- Ignored Epiphany: Towards the end, Sari tries to get Prowl and Bumblebee to realize they could learn a thing or two from the Space Barnacles. It was made up of nature and technology, working together. The two autobots hang their head, humbled. But in the least, Bumblebee saying Prowl still owes him his video player implies he learned nothing from this.
- Innocuously Important Episode: On the surface, this seems to be a Filler episode - and it would be, if it weren't for the Wham Shot below, which will have very serious implications for the season finale. Oh, and the mines that Sari and Bumblebee come across? They'll show up again in Season 2 in a major way.
- Nothing Is Scarier: We never see what the Space Barnacles do to the construction worker, though we do see him alive and well in Sari, No Ones Home.
- Rage Breaking Point: After being pestered by Bumblebee's gadgets too many times, Prowl breaks the media player, much to Bumblebee's dismay.
- Scream Discretion Shot: When an unlucky lone construction worker gets attacked by the Space Barnacles.
- Shy Finger-Twiddling: Done by Bumblebee when Prowl asks where he found the extra space to bring loads of tech.
- The Snack Is More Interesting: Sari doesn't think of camping much other than roasting marshmallows.
- Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Parodied when Bumblebee challenges the Space Barnacles to a duel. This only results in Sari getting embarrassed, Prowl getting annoyed, and the Space Barnacles getting the drop on them.
- Toxic Friend Influence: It is implied that because of Sari's ways, Bumblebee has become too comfortable sitting at home playing video games and watching TV all day.
- Unable to Retreat: When Prowl falls under the control of parasitic Space Barnacles, Sari comes up with a plan to trap him in the mines long enough for her and Bumblebee to get help from the other Autobots. Unfortunately, Bumblebee misinterprets Sari's instructions by luring Prowl into the mine and then sealing the entrance to the inside, thus trapping them both with the infected Prowl.
- Unexplained Recovery: The construction worker that gets attacked by the Space Barnacle monster at the beginning of the episode makes his return in Sari, No Ones Home, with no explanation on how he survived being given.
- Wham Shot: Done when Isaac Sumdac finds the body of his "friend" Megatron.
- Women Are Wiser: When it comes down to strategy in a battle, Bumblebee is not a very sharp thinker. He admits Sari is correct when she stops him on every decision that he announces to do, especially when Bumblebee suggests they go back and get the others for help in dealing with a barnacle-infected Prowl, only for Sari to point out he'll just lead Prowl into the city. When Sari suggests they trap Prowl in the mine, Bumblebee makes the mistake of trapping them both with him.
- Zombie Apocalypse: Barnacle-infected Prowl and Bumblebee behave similar to zombies.
