Recent years have brought about a resurgence of Transformers related works— which in general is quite a glorious thing— but with each new iteration I prepare myself to be met with more mediocrity in the shadow of one of my favorite childhood memories. I won’t say that any of them have been overwhelmingly disappointing (I actually liked the first Bayformers, and TFA had a few surprises as well) but they also have not especially impressed me either.
This definitely changed when Transformers Prime came around.
I braced for mediocrity again and was met with—rather brutal—secondary character death within the first 20 minutes of the mini-series premiere. And not a “nobody” either, but a well known Gen1 classic. Oh-ho? Are we serious? Maybe this series isn’t screwing around. Or perhaps it’s a ploy, a hook, to make us think that. Hmmm… Regardless, it kept me watching, intrigued.
I stayed with it through half the season, enjoying the different episodes with character and setting development, as well as some smattering of over-arching plot. Though my attention wandered near the middle (mainly due to lack of time), when I finally came back to it and started approaching the season finale, the show reiterated to me, “NO, we are decidedly NOT fucking around here.”
It’s been a quite few years since I dropped that many exclamations of “Oh SHIT”, ‘WHUUUUUT!?”, “Holy FUCK”, “That’s NOT right!” and “Nooooooo!!” in a 4 hour period. Maybe they’re going for shock value, or maybe they really want this fork of the TF universe to go somewhere new and interesting. The beautiful thing, is that they are doing it while still keeping a great deal of old lore relevant and core to the story.
Speaking of soul-breaking shock value, below is an excerpt from the teaser for Season 2, due to start in a month. Season 1 ended on a cliff hanger, and this little tidbit is like the studio saying, “Nope! We meant it!” D: :D *makes indescribable noises and flails uncontrollably*
Characters
For me, the characters are the meat and the plot is the potatoes in any story. This series has several classic characters reinvented and presented in ways that I both am thrilled and disturbed by — which is to say I enjoy them all. There are too many to talk about them all, so I’ll just touch on a few that have touched me.
Megatron - I’m not phased by much, but there is something about the way he presented in some scenes, and the notions that are implied just with silent looks, body language, lighting and dramatic pauses, that give me the hee-bee gee-bees. He is by far my favorite presentation of this character. It’s the unsettling combination of cold-hearted wickedness, twisted sensibilities, a little bit of madness combined with hyper-intelligence. The mixture makes him unpredictable in an incredibly unsettling way. There are several interations he has with Starscream and the human kids that made me shiver. As antagonists go, he has an incredible effect on the viewer.
Optimus Prime - He is the essence of the character and more, but it’s the ‘more’ part I like. This Optimus is emotionally detached and very much on the straight and narrow for his values, which is classically canon, but it’s so perfect it’s like both a shield and a mask. Then there are moments where it comes down and you see his pain, and you realize how much he’s sacrificed to be the exemplary leader he is, and how willfully he bears the burden for us all. And when even he struggles with those values, the grim moments where he decides it’s finally time to forsake them are breathtaking.
Ratchet - His character development I love the most. He starts the series as all but hating humans, tolerant of them only because Optimus and the others have accepted them. Regardless, they are a nuisance, lesser beings not unlike like vermin infesting the base. He is not cruel, but nor is he kind. By the end of the series Ratchet turns that around, when he’s forced to realize that he’s come to accept them and even care deeply for the youngest, Raf, when the child is in mortal peril. But it’s that same terrible moment when he realizes he cares, he also realizes he is helpless to render aid (his role as the team’s medic) because he’s been too prideful to learn human biology. (all my sobs)
Starscream - One of my favorite G1 characters and one of the strongest personalities in the TF universe. Where they went with him in this series I am delightfully intrigued by. It is both thrilling and disquieting. He is definitely Starscream— cunning, dastardly and egomaniacal— but his flaws play more havok and misfortune on his story that ever before. Season one shows us a clear downward spiral as he descends into it, finally resulting in his going rogue. It is tragic and beautiful development, I can’t help but feel for him, and am eager to see what’s become of him. (PS, if he joins with MECH, I am going to shit bricks. Just, NO! D; )
What was black and white now sees shades of gray.
Transformers has always been, at its core, about good versus evil. Freedom versus tyranny. Protection versus destruction. This series does not fail in that respect. But it does make us realize the lines blur sometimes, and there is gray in between. I really appreciate that many of the characters falter from their core values at some point. I’m glad there are a number of “neutral” entities, who both help and hinder sometimes. And I love that there are “evil” humans. I love this the most, because their existence repeatedly forces Optimus to internally question one of his core values— “Is all of humanity worth protecting?”
In closing, Transformers Prime does a nice job of staying within it’s rating for younger audiences while still having tremendous appeal for the older audience they know they have. If season one is any indication, we’ll have an interesting ride ahead of us in season two. I only hope they haven’t used all the tricks up their sleeves yet.
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The Delightful Surprise that is Transformers Prime
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