The Autobots and the Elite Guard pursue Wasp, each with their own agenda. However, Blackarachnia has Swoop capture Wasp in her latest attempt to get rid of her organic half. Jetfire and Jetstorm attack the Dinobots so Sentinel can get in, learning of Elita's fate while Wasp emerges as Waspinator.
Tropes:
- Alternative Character Interpretation: In-Universe, Optimus and Sentinel both have differing beliefs about Blackarachnia's decision to web herself and the exploding Waspinator.Optimus: She sacrificed herself to save us.
Sentinel: More like she sacrificed Wasp and used his transwarp field to bug out! Either way, we're rid of them both. - An Aesop:
- Fix your mistakes and/or resolve your problems while you still can, or else you'll spend the rest of your life regretting it.
- No matter how hard you try, sometimes, you can't save everyone. While you can offer your help, it's up to them to choose whether or not to take it.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Sentinel balks at Blackarachnia claiming to know him.Sentinel: There is no way I would ever have anything to do with a mutant freak like you.
Blackarachnia: That's not what you said when you dragged me along on your little treasure hunt to a Decepticon warship. You remember. The one with the unstable energon cubes and the spiders! - Bait-and-Switch: Bumblebee finally tries to apologize to Waspinator for the latter's wrongful imprisonment. To this, Waspinator has one thing to say:Waspinator: (In his normal Wasp voice) Wasp... Wasp forgive Bumble-bot.Bumblebee: (Hopeful) Really?Waspinator: (Back in his deep, raspy Waspinator voice) But Waspinator never forgive!
- Call-Back:
- Blackarachnia is still using the lab on Dinobot Island and manipulating the Dinobots ever since the ending of "Black Friday".
- Sentinel learning who Blackarachnia deliberately echoes the exchange when Optimus found out.Sentinel: Elita-One?
Blackarachnia: It's Blackarachnia now, Sentinel, thanks to you and Optimus.
Sentinel: But I... I thought you went off-line.
Blackarachnia: Well, least you two managed to get your stories straight.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: When trying to talk to Wasp, Bumblebee sheepishly tries to explain that Longarm tricked him and everyone, explaining it badly enough that it frames Bumblebee as an idiot that refuses to acknowledge his own actions. So of course, Wasp refuses to go with them.
- Downer Ending: Sentinel learns of Elita's fate and reacts as well as you'd expect, Blackarachnia has mutated Wasp into Waspinator, the both of them reject apologies and redemption, and the two disappear to places unknown, possibly never to be seen again. But at the end, Optimus and Sentinel apologize to each other, though acknowledge that the damage is already done.
- Foil:
- Bumblebee and Optimus's personal situations. Both of them have yet to formally apologize to someone they've wronged in the past because they don't believe they have to since it wasn't actually their fault. And sadly, by the time they do apologize, it's too late; both Waspinator and Blackarachnia refuse it. Though he apologizes to Sentinel, Optimus realizes this trope is in play when he tells Bumblebee to stop dancing around the problem and just apologize.
- When Sentinel learns about Elita's true fate, he tries to deflect responsibility and claims that he was the only one that tried to do something about it. Optimus, though with good intentions, said very similar things back in "Along Came a Spider". At least now, Optimus realizes that he needs to apologize and tries to do it.
- Hope Spot: After Bumblebee makes his sincere apology, Wasp does forgive him. Waspinator, however, is a different story.
- Internal Reveal: Sentinel learns what really happened to Elita on Archa-Seven. He doesn't take it well.
- Ironic Echo: "No 'bot is innocent" is said by Sentinel to Optimus, only for Blackarachnia to later say it to his face, driving home how cold and unforgiving his philosophy sounds coming from someone else.
- Irony: Despite her repeated efforts to cure herself, Blackarachnia finds that Sentinel is more disgusted by her mutation than even she is and says it's not that bad.
- It's All My Fault: Optimus tells Blackarachnia to leave Sentinel alone, saying he (Optimus) was the one who left her behind.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Sentinel is right in a sense that Elita-One went off-line a long time ago. Ditto when he chews out Optimus for not preparing him for this reveal.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: While Blackarachnia certainly did terrible things for the sake of becoming pure Cybertronian again, she was still a sympathetic figure that Optimus wanted to save, especially after she goes out of her way to leave the antidote to her venom for him as promised, giving Optimus hope that there was still good in her. Here, she takes advantage of Wasp and uses him as a test subject for a dangerous experiment to see if she can change herself back, not caring if he lives or dies in the process.Optimus: I thought you hated being part organic. Why did you do the same thing to Wasp?
Blackarachnia: Isn’t it obvious? If I could change him back, then I can change myself.
Optimus: And what if he goes offline in the process, like you almost did?!
Blackarachnia: Well, that’s the price of science, isn’t it? - Jurisdiction Friction: When cornering Wasp in the city, Optimus and Sentinel argue over who has authority. They're both Primes, but Optimus is supposed to oversee Earth, but Sentinel is next in line after Ultra Magnus. Sentinel insists he is "Primer Prime" in this situation, which Optimus insists is ridiclous.
- Mandatory Line: Averted with Ratchet, Prowl, and Bulkhead. They appear at the very end when the Elite Guard is about to depart, but they don't say anything. (Ratchet even silently motions for the others to leave so that Optimus and Sentinel can talk privately.) Jazz does get a couple lines during this scene because Phil LaMarr also voices Jetstorm.
- Mythology Gag:
- Wasp finally becomes Waspinator. At the end of the episode, we see him pulling himself together after being blown to pieces, just like his Running Gag in Beast Wars, only this time it's Played for Horror.
- He also mutters that beloved phrase, "Waspinator have plans."
- At the end, Blackarachnia says "You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!" upon seeing a giant gorilla, cheetah, rat, and rhino staring at her.
- Sentinel refers to Snarl as "Horn-head," which was Rattrap's frequent nickname for Rhinox.
- Wasp finally becomes Waspinator. At the end of the episode, we see him pulling himself together after being blown to pieces, just like his Running Gag in Beast Wars, only this time it's Played for Horror.
- Never My Fault:
- When Blackarachnia reminds him of how the "little treasure hunt" was his idea, Sentinel is quick to change subjects by pointing out that Optimus was the one who left her behind.
- Downplayed with Optimus. He once again notes that he was responsible for what happened to Blackarachnia, but he acknowledges how he never really apologized to Sentinel for forcing him to leave her behind after their falling out.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sentinel saying that they'll have Wasp arrested despite him being innocent and now knowing Shockwave is the spy because he's a menace instead of handling it reasonably like Optimus only further alienates Wasp.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: We see part of the fight on screen, but while Optimus, Sentinel, and Bumblebee were in the compound, Jetstorm and Jetfire managed to defeat all three Dinobots. And they thought it was fun.
- Rejected Apology: Waspinator says that while Wasp would've forgiven Bumblebee, Waspinator doesn't.Waspinator: [speaks in Wasp's voice] Wasp forgive Bumblebot.
Bumblebee: Ho-oh... really?
Waspinator: [back to Waspinator's voice] But Waspinator never forgive! - Scream Discretion Shot: Done during Wasp's mutation into Waspinator.
- Sequel Hook: At the end, we see that Blackarachnia and Waspinator have been transported to a jungle somewhere, with Waspinator muttering that he has plans...
- Shout-Out: Blackarachnia's TransWarp machines are a reference to The Fly.
- Stealth Insult:Sentinel: I was misled by bad intelligence.
Optimus: Huh, that's putting it mildly. - That Man Is Dead:
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Jetstorm and Jetfire rag on Sentinel for his fear of insects, but Optimus tells them to cut him a break since he's been through a lot. Jazz is stunned.
- Unwitting Pawn: Wasp is just a guinea pig for Blackarachnia's experiments. Waspinator is pissed when he finds out.
- We Meet Again: Blackarachnia when confronting Sentinel in the lab.
- Wham Shot: When Sentinel strikes Blackarachnia with his lance, we learn she's actually been wearing a helmet the entire time to cover up the true extent of her mutation.
