They're not much, but they're all we got.
While the Autobots are held captive by one of their deadliest foes, Sari must recruit a team of "Substitute Autobots" to rescue them.Tropes:
- Actor Allusion: To combat Soundwave, Wreck-Gar pulls out an accordion. Laserbeak destroys it.
- An Aesop: As everyone notes towards the end, Christmas is about appreciating what you have, your loved ones among them.
- And Your Reward Is Edible: Sari offers barrels of oil for Scrapper if he agrees to help her take down Soundwave.
- Batman Gambit: Soundwave exploits the Automen's desire to leave the virtual reality by luring them into a trap where he can finish their reprogramming.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: The Autobots and the humans have been brainwashed by both Soundwave and the Sound Wave toys respectively.
- The Bus Came Back: After 20 episodes of being absent, Wreck-Gar returns for his final appearance.
- Call-Back: Apparently after getting blown away by the oil rig explosion, this is where Scrapper ended up.
- The Chains of Commanding: After all this, Sari can sympathize with what Optimus has to deal with on a regular basis.
- Christmas Episode: The second half of one, which, bizarrely, premiered in April.
- Continuity Nod: Wreck-Gar still wants to be a hero. It's good that at least that stuck with him...
- Didn't Think This Through: "Your strategy is flawed, human. I can now focus all control on Optimus Prime."
- Dumbass Has a Point: When Sari points out the Autobots are behaving like an effective unit despite being "mindless zombies," it's Scrapper who points out that it's because Soundwave is pulling the strings.
- Foreshadowing: As Sari notes, the fact that a brainwashed Prowl didn't attack her despite having an opportunity to do so suggests that Soundwave doesn't have complete control over him.
- From Bad to Worse: After learning all of the Autobots have been captured, Sari discovers that Soundwave has mind controlled the human population and ordered them to destroy her. And later on Soundwave controls the Autobots.
- Hope Spot: Prowl manages to escape the virtual reality, but he's subdued by Soundwave before he can free the others.
- Hypocritical Humor: Spoken by Wreck-Gar: "Don't you hate it when somebody can't make up their mind?"
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Sari tries to at first reason with the Autobots being controlled by Soundwave.
- Instrument of Murder: Optimus ends up using Laserbeak (who has been transformed into a guitar) to kick Soundwave's ass.
- Irony: As Soundwave's takeover begins, we see Fanzone had been given one of the toys, with the box's tag reading, "A machine even you could love."
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Powell has spent the better part of his appearances in the show being nothing but trouble. He essentially kicked Sari out of her home despite only being a child, took over her father's company, and kept Headmaster from going to jail note with some Loophole Abuse. All this, on top of stealing Sumdac's designs of Soundwave. All this is made worthwhile when Soundwave's machinations leave Powell fussing that everyone will want a refund, starting with Sumdac.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The whole fiasco financially ruins Porter C. Powell.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Scrapper remarks his original name for Snarl was Slag, but the Dinobot considered it an insult. This reflects the term's negative usage in the United Kingdom and Hasbro changing the name to avoid bad sales.
- Literal-Minded: Sari tells Wreck-Gar to cover her. He immediately drops a blanket on her.
- Madness Mantra: Characters mind-controlled by Soundwave can only say "The techno-organic must be destroyed".
- Misfit Mobilization Moment: Snarl, Scrapper and Wreck-Gar become Sari's temporary teammates because they're the best she has. None of them are technically Autobots, but they try their hardest.
- Multi-Part Episode: The second half of Human Error.
- Mythology Gag:
- The Autobots under mind control to rampage is clearly based on the G1 episode "Attack of the Autobots" though ironically G1 Bumblebee escaped the technique.
- Soundwave finally says his most iconic line (or at least a similar version of it): "Soundwave superior, Autobots inferior."
- Soundwave being destroyed but his key component being saved by Laserbeak as he flies off to ensure Soundwave will return is a reference to when the same thing happened to him in Transformers: ★Headmasters.
- No Ontological Inertia: The destruction of Soundwave’s body sends out an energy wave that causes all the Soundwave toys to immediately fall apart, freeing the people of Detroit from their mind control.
- No True Scotsman: Grimlock denounces Snarl, saying Dinobots are no one's pets.
- Non Sequitur, *Thud*: "Ha-ha! The mighty Wreck-Gar is no match for... the mighty Wreck-Gar. Wait, whose side am I on again? Ohh..."
- Only Sane Man: Sari becomes this to the Substitute Autobots quickly, due to her teammates being Wreck-Gar, Scrapper, and Snarl.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The Substitute Autobots consist of a scrappy, tiny techno-organic doing her best to keep the team together, a former Decepticon who is only in Sari's cause for oil, a cheerful but easily-influenced garbage robot and a silent Dinobot who acts more like an animal if anything.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Soundwave's second color scheme in the virtual world.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The brainwashed Autobots have red eyes to signify they're under Soundwave's control.
- Remembered I Could Fly: Scrapper is found stranded on Dinobot Island, unable to find a way off. When Sari reminds him that he's a Constructicon and he could build himself a boat, Scrapper wonders why he never he thought of that before.
- Token Evil Teammate: Scrapper becomes this to the Substitute Autobots, due to being a Decepticon, though he acts civil to his teammates and doesn’t try to betray them at any point.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Laserbeak escapes with Soundwave's remaining module.
- Waxing Lyrical: When Scrapper fires snowballs at Bulkhead and Ratchet:Scrapper: Take that, and that, and that! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
- What Have I Done: Optimus when he is tricked into thinking Soundwave made him axe Sari to death.
- With Friends Like These...: When Bumblebee (inadvertently) commands Wreck-Gar to destroy Sari, she sarcastically declares this after he leaves.Bumblebee: The techno-organic must be destroyed.
Wreck-Gar: Oh, okay! [picks up Sari]
Sari: Yaah! Hey, heroes don't attack their teammates!
Wreck-Gar: Right! I am Wreck-Gar! I'm a hero! Try to keep that straight, will you? Hyaaah! [Runs off]
Sari: Uugh. With heroes like that, who needs Decepticons? [Laserbeak charges at her] I didn't mean that literally! - World-Healing Wave: Soundwave's defeat ends up sending out a wave that destroys the Sound Wave toys, freeing everybody from their mind control.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Essentially Sari's reaction to seeing Wreck-Gar.
