Plagued by nightmares about G.H.O.S.T. taking away the Terrans, Robbie goes on a nightly fox-watching with Twitch instead of sleeping. They end up running into G.H.O.S.T. Special Agent Schloder, who mistakes Twitch for a child-kidnapping Decepticon.
Tropes:
- Anxiety Dreams: It's revealed that Robbie has been suffering from nightmares about Twitch and Thrash getting taken away for some time.
- Bait-and-Switch: The Terrans and the Malto kids get themselves stuck in what Robbie clearly identifies as a Decepticon-trap. Then a shadowed figure approaches them from above. It turns out to be Optimus Prime, who was using the trap to try and capture the "Decepticon" Schloder reported.
- Everyone Has Standards: When one of Schloder's cadets tries to shoot Twitch while she's still carrying Robbie, Schloder grabs the cadet's gun and tells him off for endangering a civilian child.
- Failed a Spot Check: When the two meet again at the ranger station, Schloder somehow doesn't realize that Robbie is the same boy he watched get "kidnapped" by a "Decepticon" the night before.
- The Ghost: Megatron isn't seen in this episode, but kids and Terrans accidentally enter his training room later on.
- Irony: Schloder's job is to hunt down Cybertronians, and he's experienced enough to recognize the tell-tale sound of them transforming. But he utterly fails to notice that he's being driven around in one for the majority of the episode.
- Nightmare Sequence: At the beginning of the episode, Robbie suffers a nightmare about losing Thrash and Twitch to G.H.O.S.T. and being completely helpless to stop it, along with a scary version of Optimus telling him not to trust the happiness he feels, as it could be taken away in a moment.
- Not So Above It All: Agent Schloder conducts himself as a consummate professional, but one look at Bumblebee's vehicle-mode, a limited edition Cool Car, has him geeking out and immediately try to "confiscate" the car for his investigation.
- "Not So Different" Remark: After Optimus opens up to her and admits that he's actually not sure if G.H.O.S.T.'s approach to mending Autobot-human relationships is any good, but feels he has to play along to rectify the damage done by his people during the war so humanity won't fear them as violent invaders, Dot begins to sympathize with him and admits that they might not be so different after all.
- The Precious, Precious Car: An odd example with Bumblebee. He's both the precious car in question and the one who doesn't want said car to get dirty under any circumstances. He becomes increasingly hostile toward Schloder, as Schloder keeps doing things like trying to enter him with food or butt-checking him to make his doors work.Alex: (mumbling to Bumblebee) Don't worry, we'll use your cup holders for drinks, and we won't eat anything with crumbs.
(Bumblebee revs his engine angrily)
Alex: We won't eat anything. Got it. - Professional Butt-Kisser: Deconstructed. During Dot's official initiation into G.H.O.S.T., Optimus won't stop singing the organization's praises and emphasizing how essential they are for the future of humans and Autobots. However, when Dot finally calls him out on how over the top and condescending the whole spiel is, he drops the facade and admits that he agrees, but that he simply doesn't have any better ideas on how to integrate his people into Earth society, so he just goes along with whatever G.H.O.S.T. says.
- Wham Shot: The penultimate scene of the episode reveals that G.H.O.S.T. is running an underground prison where they lock up every Decepticon they capture, seemingly indefinitely.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Dot's reaction to G.H.O.S.T.'s cheesy and self-congratulatory initiation, led by Optimus.
