[7.3/10] Sign me up for more Depth Charge. I think this is where I must have dropped off the show as a kid, because I have only the faintest memories of him. (If anything, I think one of my friends had the toy, and that’s what I’m remembering.) This episode’s main purpose is to introduce him as a new player in the proceedings, and it does a good job of it.
For one, he makes for a unique figure event before we get his backstory. I’ve often complained that the fights on this show, whatever flash and spectacle they have, are hard to care about because they have no consequences. Theoretically, the scrap between Depth Charge and Rampage is the same, since we know it’s unlikely they’ll get rid of either one of them so soon.
And yet, it may be my favorite fight in the series so far. There’s something visceral and personal about their confrontation, which comes through both in their attitude toward one another and how the fight plays out. Rampage ripping one of Depth Charge’s chest plates off of him feels skin-crawlingly uncomfortable. Their skirmish is much more up close and personal, giving it a tactile sense of anger and brutality that this show can’t usually pull off.
The pair also just have a strong dynamic with one another. Rampage treating this as a game, talking like a serial killer and reveling in his opponent’s pain and fear gives him a creepiness that’s unique on the show. Likewise, Depth Charge’s determination and underplayed anger come through in an equal and opposite way.
That’s before we learn what their history is. The backstory is fairly trite, but still effective. Depth Charge was a Rampage’s warden on a penal colony. Rampage broke out and killed everyone except Depth Charge. Depth Charge is out for personal revenge and “justice,” having hunted Rampage down and turned him over to the authorities. But rather than kill him, like Depth Charge wanted, they turned him over to Optimus Primal and Rhinox, who promptly lost him, leading us here.
That creates a strong dynamic not just between Depth Charge and his quarry, but between him and the rest of the Maximals. It adds that personal motivation to his quest to kill Rampage, but also makes him bitter and resentful toward Optimus and his team. It positions him to fill that “jerk with his own code” role that Dinobot used to play in the team dynamic, and it’s nice to have someone who’s not evil questioning Optimus’s decisions again.
Overall, there’s still a lot of the show’s usual nonsense at play, but Depth Charge is the most interesting character the show’s introduced in a while.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-08-08T18:36:25Z
[7.3/10] Sign me up for more Depth Charge. I think this is where I must have dropped off the show as a kid, because I have only the faintest memories of him. (If anything, I think one of my friends had the toy, and that’s what I’m remembering.) This episode’s main purpose is to introduce him as a new player in the proceedings, and it does a good job of it.
For one, he makes for a unique figure event before we get his backstory. I’ve often complained that the fights on this show, whatever flash and spectacle they have, are hard to care about because they have no consequences. Theoretically, the scrap between Depth Charge and Rampage is the same, since we know it’s unlikely they’ll get rid of either one of them so soon.
And yet, it may be my favorite fight in the series so far. There’s something visceral and personal about their confrontation, which comes through both in their attitude toward one another and how the fight plays out. Rampage ripping one of Depth Charge’s chest plates off of him feels skin-crawlingly uncomfortable. Their skirmish is much more up close and personal, giving it a tactile sense of anger and brutality that this show can’t usually pull off.
The pair also just have a strong dynamic with one another. Rampage treating this as a game, talking like a serial killer and reveling in his opponent’s pain and fear gives him a creepiness that’s unique on the show. Likewise, Depth Charge’s determination and underplayed anger come through in an equal and opposite way.
That’s before we learn what their history is. The backstory is fairly trite, but still effective. Depth Charge was a Rampage’s warden on a penal colony. Rampage broke out and killed everyone except Depth Charge. Depth Charge is out for personal revenge and “justice,” having hunted Rampage down and turned him over to the authorities. But rather than kill him, like Depth Charge wanted, they turned him over to Optimus Primal and Rhinox, who promptly lost him, leading us here.
That creates a strong dynamic not just between Depth Charge and his quarry, but between him and the rest of the Maximals. It adds that personal motivation to his quest to kill Rampage, but also makes him bitter and resentful toward Optimus and his team. It positions him to fill that “jerk with his own code” role that Dinobot used to play in the team dynamic, and it’s nice to have someone who’s not evil questioning Optimus’s decisions again.
Overall, there’s still a lot of the show’s usual nonsense at play, but Depth Charge is the most interesting character the show’s introduced in a while.