Wheeljack invents a device capable of immobilizing anything. While the Autobots test it out, a young woman named Carly accidentally distracts Ironhide from guard duty, which leads to the Decepticons stealing the Immobilizer for themselves. Ironhide wonders if he's still cut out to fight alongside the Autobots, while Carly attempts to fix the mistake she made.
Tropes:
- 10-Minute Retirement: Ironhide blames himself for the Decepticons getting away with the Immobilizer and tells Optimus that he's retiring from active duty. When he learns that Carly has been captured by the Decepticons, Ironhide heads out to rescue her and decides he still has what it takes to help out on the battlefield.
- Drowning Pit: Carly is held inside a cell inside the Decepticons' headquarters when the bomb she rigged outside their base explodes and starts flooding her cell. The Decepticons are quite content to keep Carly locked up and watch her drown, but luckily Ironhide arrives just in time to rescue her.
- Feeling Their Age: Ironhide feels like he's getting too old to fight alongside the Autobots after a few slip-ups, and he briefly resigns from active duty to avoid holding back the rest of the team.
- Hyper-Destructive Bouncing Ball: Skywarp fires a "bouncer bomb" at the Autobots, but it starts bouncing off the trees in the forest and endangers his fellow Decepticons. Soundwave has to use Megatron's gun-mode to shoot the bomb and stop it before it can hit them.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Wheeljack claims that the immobilized river is now the hardest substance in the world. Brawn takes this as a challenge and tries to shatter it with his fists, which has no effect.Wheeljack: Right now, that water is harder than any substance we know.
Brawn: Not harder than my hydraulic knuckles!
[Brawn punches the frozen river, but nothing happens]
Brawn: I take that back... - It's All My Fault: Ironhide feels guilty for the loss of the Immobilizer, since he was distracted while on guard duty and wasn't able to stop the Decepticons from ambushing the Autobots. Meanwhile, Carly blames herself for what happened since she was the one who distracted Ironhide and tries to make amends by taking out the Decepticon headquarters on her own.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Bumblebee acts as Spike's wingman and gets him to ask Carly out for some "emulsified CO2 with lactic acid"... or chocolate soda in human terms.
- Taking the Bullet: Spike accidentally activates the Immobilizer and Wheeljack is blasted while he pushes him out of the way, leaving him completely petrified.
- Tempting Fate: Megatron boasts that he always gets what he deserves after stealing the Immobilizer. Immediately afterwards, the immobilized river the Decepticons have been standing on is returned to normal and washes them away.Megatron: The most important thing I get what I deserve! And I always do!
[The river returns to normal and sweeps the Decepticons away]
Trailbreaker: You deserved that, all right, Mega-jerk!
