Grapple and Hoist ally themselves with the Constructicons.
Tropes
- Alien Arts Are Appreciated: Prime and several Autobots are learning how to play basketball. Prime is surprisingly good at it.
- Ambiguous Situation: Did the Constructicons actually mean to split from the Decepticons and use the energy from Grapple's tower to get revenge, or was the whole thing a ploy by them to look better in Megatron's eyes?
- Batman Cold Open: The episode starts with Powerglide being attacked by Starscream and Skywarp.
- Easily Forgiven: Zigzagged. While Prime accepts their apology for disobeying his order to not build their invention and had it also misused by the Decepticons, he orders Grapple and Hoist to clean up the Solar Power Tower's ruins by themselves after they are checked for health.
- Friendship Moment: Hoist stays by Grapple's side the whole time, even though he wasn't the one who designed the solar tower and had no obligation to help Grapple. He also gives Grapple constant support and never asks for anything in return.
- Gretzky Has the Ball: Prime struggles with basketball terminology.Optimus: Here, Spike. Compute, quickly!
- Heroes Gone Fishing: The Autobots spend most of the episode playing basketball, not noticing the completed solar tower until it’s too late.
- Hidden Depths: Grapple, before the war, was an accomplished architect and scientist. The Constructicons actually state that they admired his work on Cybertron (although this might have been simply so Grapple'd be more open to siding with them).
- Forgot About His Powers: Grapple and Hoist could easily leap over the boulder that first blocks their path, but they don't.
- Knuckle Cracking: Megatron does this after ordering that Grapple and Hoist be sealed up inside the Solar Power Tower.
- Pride Before a Fall: Grapple is so eager to build his invention, he is willing to do so behind his leader's back and allow the Constructicons, a group of Decepticons, to help. He learns in hindsight that was a mistake.
- Properly Paranoid: Hoist believes that the Constructicons' offer to help build the tower could be a Decepticon scheme to steal it for themselves, which ends up becoming such when Megatron gets involved. Optimus warned him and Hoist earlier that their invention would be a problem if the Decepticons learn of it.
- Shout-Out: As Grapple finishes his Solar Power Tower model, he says "Here Comes the Sun!".
- Worth It: Though they built the Solar Power Tower when Optimus warned them not to, it was stolen by the Decepticons, and the Autobots had to destroy it, Hoist and Grapple feel that it was all worth it to at least see the latter's masterpiece come to fruition, if only briefly.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Megatron has Hoist and Grapple sealed inside the Solar Power Tower once said tower is completed.
