WOAHHH WE'RE HALF WAY THERE, WOAH-OH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER.
That's right! Somehow we're almost half way through the second Machinima Transformers series, Titans Return. The episode brings new threats, the loss of old freinds, and the appearance of some new ones. So, heat up some Turkey Day leftovers, and let's dive into the fourth episode of Transformers Titans Return!
We open with the Mistress of Flame in her Prayer chamber, where she prays to the original 13 Primes. This scene, again, is sort of teasing the next animated series, Power of the Primes, with the name dropping of the Primes and the use of their symbols on the floor. I'd prefer this method of tying the shows together over throwing it in at the last second like the previous series did with the Titans.
Her meditation is interrupted by who she thinks is Megatron, but is really Overlord, a new addition to the series. It is then we are introduced to one of the biggest issues with this episode...
...SPLIT FRAMES!!!They're so bizarre and out of place, and haven't been used at all in this show (or the previous show, if memory serves), but are suddenly in every other shot. They're not very well framed, either, with the direction of each section being really confusing and not focused on a specific thing. They're quite distracting and I hope this isn't a running change.
Anyway, back to the plot. Overlord arrives, bringing his extremely goofy voice with him. It's this weird sort of Colonel Sanders/New Orleans accent mix that is just so ridiculous for this character it almost kind of works.
He sounds like he's about to play some ragtime in the steamship down by the Bayou,
or offer the Mistress a 5 dollar Fill-UpThe Mistress tells this new threat he's not supposed to be in the sacred chamber, and then just gets punted across the room. She retrieves her hammer and just starts wailing on him to no avail. It is by far the funniest moment of the series so far, and, matching Overlord's character overall, is just ridiculous and incredible at the same time.
This is the equivalent of that old Cartoon cliche where the bigger character yawns while holding the smaller character back with a hand on their foreheadShe finally gets one good hit in, but then returns to the inconsequential wailing. She calls in some security drones, but their shots do nothing. I understand what kind of fight scene they were going for here, sort of a Star Wars-like "Bad-ass new villain character comes in and just dominates other character who makes their final stand against him" scene, but it just doesn't work. Whether that's because I'm unable to take it seriously, or some of the direction, lines of dialogue, and movements are just a beat or two off, I don't know. I think it would have been a more emotional scene had we actually seen the Mistress getting injured. Every time she gets tossed around, she just gets back up, looking good as new. Some damage here or there, some energon dripping our of her mouth, anything like that would have gotten the emotion and tone I think they were trying to convey across.
Overlord tosses the Mistress into the light of the Prayer Chamber, which electrocutes her, and she eventually dies, in a pool of Energon, on the floor.
Ooh, she's smokin' and crispy, just like my Nashville Hot chicken tenders, with 11 herbs and spices! While this is all going on, it's revealed that the missile launched by Fort Max actually has Emissary inside of it. He jumps off the rocket and takes control of Metroplex, telling the titan he's here to help. Metroplex says he's too late to aid in the battle, but Emissary insists, giving him LASER EYES. No, seriously
All I want is Metroplex with frickin' LASERS coming out of his eyes.While the battle rages on anew, the combiners are still working to fix up Fort Max. Computron discovers that, while all his weapon systems are functioning, his Transformation cog is destroyed. Victorion decides to fire all weapons systems at Trypticon, even though they have the potential to hurt or kill Metroplex in the process. While the lasers are sill soaring through the air, the episode ends.
This episode was...interesting to say the least. I'd be inclined to call it the worst episode so far, but I honestly don't think it is. I mean, sure, it's goofy and ridiculous, but it at least feels like there's something actually happening. That's a quality that past episodes have been lacking, and I've mentioned that all through-out the reviews. When looking at the episode as a whole, the pacing is by far the best of the series. Everything chugs along, with a satisfying amount of action, conflict, and story. New characters are making their way into the story which is a nice change, as well. Very little felt awkward or unnatural. The split screens were annoying, yes, but they're tolerable. It will be interesting to see where the plot goes from here.
...and that's episode four! Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, and I'll see you in December following the release of episode 5! Thanks for reading!
Still it was cool to see the titans finally use some weapons. Starscream is in control, and he knows it, and is happy about that. Metroplex is Cyclops from X-Men evidently. 
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