The Decepticons resurface after a long time of hiding, killing Autobot warrior Cliffjumper to make their mark. When the Autobots investigate this sudden attack, they end up meeting a group of humans who get caught in the crossfire.
Tropes:
- And This Is for...: Arcee as she pummels a Vehicon cries out, "THIS! IS! FOR! CLIFF!"
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Subverted when the other Autobots are literally seconds too late to help Cliffjumper.
- Played straight both times when Arcee goes back for Jack and when Bulkhead arrives at Arcee and Bumblebee's aid.
- Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Cliffjumper is the series' first official victim of this trope.
- The Blade Always Lands Pointy End In: Cliffjumper's horn does this when broken off by the Vehicons.
- Blinded by Rage: Optimus implores the other Autobots not to fall into this trope with the loss of Cliffjumper.
- Blood from the Mouth: Cliffjumper, by the time he's brought before Starscream, is leaking Energon badly. He's even coughing some up.
- Chekhov's Gun: One of Cliffjumper's horns that was broken off is found in the dirt by Arcee and she takes the piece of her friend to the Autobots' memorial service.
- Continuity Nod: Transformers: Exodus is the basis of the Prime continuity's backstory, according to
Word of God. However, Exodus has the split between Optimus and Megatron causing the war, whereas this episode implies with the line "In war, ideals change" that their split happened during the war. It's all neatly vague enough to imagine that "war" in this instance could have been a metaphorical summation of Optimus and Megatron's ideological conflict with the council, rather than actual battlefield warfare, and in any case, "One Shall Rise, Part 3" would later give a more detailed account of this period that retconned the characters' history back in-line with the depiction seen in Exodus. - Curb-Stomp Battle: In contrast to how they would be portrayed, later on, the Vehicons are clearly seen kicking Cliffjumper's ass, and later two of them were clearly winning the fight against Arcee and Bumblebee until Bulkhead arrives.
- Defiant to the End: Even weakened and held prisoner, Cliff never stops teasing and backtalking to Starscream.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: When Jack first comes across Arcee in her vehicle form, he looks at the motorcycle in admiration, calling it beautiful. He then caresses his hands on the seat. If he only knew that motorcycle was actually a female robot in disguise...
- Dragon Ascendant: Starscream. But don't remind him that he is - Cliffjumper found that out the hard way.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- The Decepticon mooks, Vehicons, are much more effective here. 5 of them successfully capture Cliffjumper. 2 of them actually come close to defeating Bumblebee and Arcee - the pair are saved by Bulkhead's appearance and the cons escape unarmed. Never again do the Vehicons display such competence; each Autobots plow through dozens of them with little to no effort.
- In additions, the Vehicons had guns popping out of hidden panels in their vehicle modes in the pilot. This effect was dropped for all characters except those whose vehicle modes had visible weaponry (Starscream, Megatron, Shockwave, and Vehicons with jets as their alt-mode).
- Establishing Series Moment: The episode starts off with a conversation between Cliffjumper and Arcee, then a fight with Decepticons where Cliffjumper fights them alone, doing well, then he's captured, and unceremoniously murdered by Starscream in cold energon, to kickstart the Darker and Edgier tone the series is going for.
- He's Back!: Megatron has returned!
- Hidden in Plain Sight:
- Seemingly taking a page from the IDW G1-inspired comic series, the Autobots are exceptionally careful about staying in their alternate mode and avoiding any attention. The Decepticons show a similar attitude, and while they're more willing to draw weapons...
- Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: They're more willing to kill human witnesses that sees a giant space robot as shown when Starscream orders the two Vehicons to destroy Jack along with Arcee. It is such that the human kids are placed under Autobot protection because Optimus fears the kids will be mistaken for Autobot allies just for stumbling across a confrontation.
- Killed Off for Real: Poor Cliff.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: The two vehicons immediately hit the road, without hesitance, once Bulkhead enters the fight.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Megatron's first line being a declaration of his return references this series being Frank Welker's return to the role he originated in The Transformers.
- Little "No": Arcee gives one when she sees one of Cliffjumpers' horn. Ratchet also gives one when Cliffjumper's life signal goes offline confirming everyone's fears.
- Meaningful Funeral: In addition to mourning Cliffjumper's loss, the Autobots resolve to protect the planet from the Decepticons.
- Mythology Gag:
- Miko asks Bulkhead if he uses a wrecking ball as a weapon, a nod to his Transformers: Animated counterpart.
- Lots of references to "three years ago" as the last time the Decepticons and Megatron were seen. At the time the episode aired, three years ago was the year that Transformers (2007) came out in the cinema, by Prime showrunners Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
- Cybertron has been rendered uninhabitable by the war. This is not just established by Exodus and the War For Cybertron games but was also part of the Transformers Film Series canon and IDW Publishing's earlier Generation 1 comics.
- When introducing themselves to the kids, Optimus claims "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron", the same word-for-word descriptor his movie counterpart used in the 2007 film.
- The image of Cybertron from space that appears during Optimus's exposition reuses the model from War for Cybertron.
- In this series, Energon is represented as a naturally glowing blue crystal. This is not the first time it has been represented in this way.
- Oh Scrap.: The main cast give these off several times throughout the episode:
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Arcee unleashes her fury on two Vehicons over her partner's death. It doesn't work...
- Stuff Blowing Up: For those unfamiliar with Transformers, this is the part where you learn that Energon + ammo = kablooie.
- Tempting Fate: "Do I ever need backup?" — You do this time around, Cliff.
- True Companions:Jack: Friend of yours?
Arcee: Family. - We Hardly Knew Ye: Cliffjumper is quickly and unceremoniously killed off not five minutes into the episode. Subverted later on, while he remains dead, he isn't forgotten, as he is regularly addressed within in the series, unlike most dead characters in Transformers.
- Wham Shot: At the urging of Soundwave, Starscream activates the Spacebridge and a being emerges as it opens, revealing himself to be Megatron. Cue...
- Wham Line:Megatron: Decepticons! I have returned.
