[6.4/10] This one was fine. There wasn't much to it really. It’s a pretty basic story about Cheetor being overzealous which is fine, but it’s not like it’s dramatized especially well. Cheetor’s already just such a generic hotshot character, and if this actually humbles him a little going forward it could be useful, but this strikes me as one of those life lessons that’s forgotten in a week.
Still, there’s a couple of redeeming qualities to this one. First and foremost, I love how it sells Tarantulas’s creepiness. There’s a mad scientist quality to the way he webs up Cheetor, and his creepy dialogue and willingness to suck out Cheetor’s mech fluid, not for nourishment but just for “the enjoyment of the act” sells him as a weirdo sadist. That, frankly, gives him more of a personality than some of the other bots and makes him memorable.
There’s also some interesting work done in terms of the visuals. The opening zoom into the Maximals’ ship was a cool way to get going, and I really liked Cheetor’s nightmare sequence. It does a better job of dramatizing his hubris and fear of getting toppled when trying to prove himself than any of the on-the-nose dialogue does. The digital cityscape backdrop (presumably Cybertron?) makes for a cool setting, and the editing and quick cuts help sell the dream-like atmosphere.
There’s also something to be said for Rattrap’s part in all of this. I like his jerk with a heart of gold routine here, after he feels guilty for accidentally goading Cheetor into going after the mega cannon by chastising him for losing it in the first place, and then goes out to rescue him. Rattrap’s got attitude, and a certain Joe Pantoliano quality to him, which helps make him more memorable as well.
Still, this one is pretty basic overall, with a thudding moral and some nonsensical action sequences to boot. Hopefully this is still just the show’s early growing pains.
Review by Andrew Bloom
VIP9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-05-24T20:42:52Z
[6.4/10] This one was fine. There wasn't much to it really. It’s a pretty basic story about Cheetor being overzealous which is fine, but it’s not like it’s dramatized especially well. Cheetor’s already just such a generic hotshot character, and if this actually humbles him a little going forward it could be useful, but this strikes me as one of those life lessons that’s forgotten in a week.
Still, there’s a couple of redeeming qualities to this one. First and foremost, I love how it sells Tarantulas’s creepiness. There’s a mad scientist quality to the way he webs up Cheetor, and his creepy dialogue and willingness to suck out Cheetor’s mech fluid, not for nourishment but just for “the enjoyment of the act” sells him as a weirdo sadist. That, frankly, gives him more of a personality than some of the other bots and makes him memorable.
There’s also some interesting work done in terms of the visuals. The opening zoom into the Maximals’ ship was a cool way to get going, and I really liked Cheetor’s nightmare sequence. It does a better job of dramatizing his hubris and fear of getting toppled when trying to prove himself than any of the on-the-nose dialogue does. The digital cityscape backdrop (presumably Cybertron?) makes for a cool setting, and the editing and quick cuts help sell the dream-like atmosphere.
There’s also something to be said for Rattrap’s part in all of this. I like his jerk with a heart of gold routine here, after he feels guilty for accidentally goading Cheetor into going after the mega cannon by chastising him for losing it in the first place, and then goes out to rescue him. Rattrap’s got attitude, and a certain Joe Pantoliano quality to him, which helps make him more memorable as well.
Still, this one is pretty basic overall, with a thudding moral and some nonsensical action sequences to boot. Hopefully this is still just the show’s early growing pains.