[7.4/10] This one does a nice job of filling in the rest of the backstory and conflict (or most of it, anyway). While there’s still good questions about where exactly Silverbolt and Rhinox are, “Master of the House” explains why our heroes lost their memories, why there’s no one else on Cybertron, and what Megatron’s overall goal is in a reasonably satisfying fashion.
The answer to the first two questions is “because Megatron unleashed some sort of virus.” We don’t really know the finer details of it yet, but the gist of the idea is that it wiped out most of the Transformers but spared the Maximals, presumably because of their beastly physiology, only giving them memory loss. That’s why the Oracle guided them -- so that it could make them immune and ready to save the planet. It’s a good setup for the show, and a nice excuse for why a show with limited processing power isn’t going to present us with a million different Transformers hustling and bustling around Cybertron.
I am still enjoying the Blade Runner-esque setting though, even as it does feel noticeably empty. It occurs to me that it resembles the main setting of ReBoot, a show animated by the same studio, so there’s probably some reused assets amid the virtual/techie look of the place. But it works for a robot city, so I have no complaints.
I did once again enjoy the design work here. For one thing, there’s an element of slight body horror to Cheetor and Black Arachnia’s transformations here, which is an interesting move. I don’t know how I feel about Cheetor’s backwards legs, but otherwise, this is a nice introduction for the pair’s robot forms. Likewise, I loved the new Megatron design, with his swivel arm drapery look being nicely creepy, matched with another remix of his dragon look. While occasionally the show still has a stop motion-y jerkiness, the animation continues to be a source of improvement.
The thematic and spiritual conflicts here work well too. Optimus is now officially about balance, with transformations only occurring when the soul is at peace and accepting the “balance” between animal and machine. Megatron, by contrast, represents the opposite of the concept of balance, wanting to eliminate anything organic, viewing anything beastly as the equivalent of a sin, and desiring to let the mechanical triumph over the biological.
Likewise, Megatron is going for one giant digital mind, with each of his minions being drones rather than people. Optimus, naturally, opposes that, crediting his allies for their individuality. That’s a pretty stock conflict, but I like how it’s realized here, with the heroes’ unpredictable actions taxing Megatron’s processing power to where he loses control himself.
In the same way, I enjoy how the idea of emotional balance manifests. Megatron, when taxed in that fashion and reminded of his own beastie past, loses his grip and reverts to his old beast mode. Similarly, when Optimus feels the guilt of failing to have prevented these events, he feels anger and loses the calm that allowed him to maintain his robot form.
Overall, it’s some sharp material. It seems better suited for a movie than an ongoing T.V. show, to be frank, but there’s surely plenty of wrinkles that can be added to give us more weekly mini-conflicts. All-in-all though, it makes for a good start to the series.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-08-28T01:07:21Z
[7.4/10] This one does a nice job of filling in the rest of the backstory and conflict (or most of it, anyway). While there’s still good questions about where exactly Silverbolt and Rhinox are, “Master of the House” explains why our heroes lost their memories, why there’s no one else on Cybertron, and what Megatron’s overall goal is in a reasonably satisfying fashion.
The answer to the first two questions is “because Megatron unleashed some sort of virus.” We don’t really know the finer details of it yet, but the gist of the idea is that it wiped out most of the Transformers but spared the Maximals, presumably because of their beastly physiology, only giving them memory loss. That’s why the Oracle guided them -- so that it could make them immune and ready to save the planet. It’s a good setup for the show, and a nice excuse for why a show with limited processing power isn’t going to present us with a million different Transformers hustling and bustling around Cybertron.
I am still enjoying the Blade Runner-esque setting though, even as it does feel noticeably empty. It occurs to me that it resembles the main setting of ReBoot, a show animated by the same studio, so there’s probably some reused assets amid the virtual/techie look of the place. But it works for a robot city, so I have no complaints.
I did once again enjoy the design work here. For one thing, there’s an element of slight body horror to Cheetor and Black Arachnia’s transformations here, which is an interesting move. I don’t know how I feel about Cheetor’s backwards legs, but otherwise, this is a nice introduction for the pair’s robot forms. Likewise, I loved the new Megatron design, with his swivel arm drapery look being nicely creepy, matched with another remix of his dragon look. While occasionally the show still has a stop motion-y jerkiness, the animation continues to be a source of improvement.
The thematic and spiritual conflicts here work well too. Optimus is now officially about balance, with transformations only occurring when the soul is at peace and accepting the “balance” between animal and machine. Megatron, by contrast, represents the opposite of the concept of balance, wanting to eliminate anything organic, viewing anything beastly as the equivalent of a sin, and desiring to let the mechanical triumph over the biological.
Likewise, Megatron is going for one giant digital mind, with each of his minions being drones rather than people. Optimus, naturally, opposes that, crediting his allies for their individuality. That’s a pretty stock conflict, but I like how it’s realized here, with the heroes’ unpredictable actions taxing Megatron’s processing power to where he loses control himself.
In the same way, I enjoy how the idea of emotional balance manifests. Megatron, when taxed in that fashion and reminded of his own beastie past, loses his grip and reverts to his old beast mode. Similarly, when Optimus feels the guilt of failing to have prevented these events, he feels anger and loses the calm that allowed him to maintain his robot form.
Overall, it’s some sharp material. It seems better suited for a movie than an ongoing T.V. show, to be frank, but there’s surely plenty of wrinkles that can be added to give us more weekly mini-conflicts. All-in-all though, it makes for a good start to the series.