Deep Metal

 

Season 3

 

Reviewed by Omicron the Ice Queen

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Hello all people and bots!!  I’m Omicron the Ice Queen!  But you most likely know that already by reading my name under the title.

You’re rambling again Queen.

I am?

Yes.

Oh, sorry.  Any-who, today my ‘assistants’ and I are going to go talk about the Beast Wars episode Deep Metal.  I might add that this is one 
of my favorites BW episodes.

That’s just because Depth Charge came in it.

True.  Now let me introduce two ‘helpers.’  First there’s the Oh-So-Screechy-One.

She’s right about that you know Starscream.

Feh.

Heehee... Then there’s the one and only Skyfire.

I’d ask how I could fit in your kitchen...but I don’t think I want to know...

It’s based off of sub-space technology.  ANY-ways let’s get this show on the road!  

ONWARD!!!!!!!!!!! 

~~~~

The Review starts!

The Maximals are working hard on getting the defenses working to protect the Ark from the Predacons who want, most likely, to blow it up.  

Or at least blow up all the Autobots onboard.

Rhinox is frustrated because his attempts to salvage what is left of the Axalon and use it to defend the Ark are failing, badly.  

Optimus Primal explains that he must try harder until the Maximal elders send help.  Rhinox is convinced that the elders do not even 

know where the crew of the Axalon is (either that or they just don’t care about them).  Optimus Primal is unable to deny that possibility

 and in a rare irregularity he remains silent.

Meanwhile somewhere in an unknown place in outer space, a lone figure travels in a Cybertron vehicle called a Starhopper.  The bot is

 shadowed so you can just see his optics and a little bit here and there.  This is for dramatic purposes.  The guy locates what he

 wants "Protoform X", the protoform with an indestructible spark who is now known as Rampage (you know the psycho crab).  

The onboard computer warns him that the Maximal government has set Earth as off limits, but the passenger does not care, 

you can tell he doesn’t like the Maximal elders.  He sets course for Earth anyways.  Suddenly, a temporal anomaly grabs his

 ship and pulls it in!  Slowly and most likely painfully, a quantum wave begins hitting the bot, beginning a transmetallization process.

Back on Earth, Cheetor’s flying around and sees the Starhopper begin to descend on Earth. He contacts Optimus who immediately 

transforms into aerial mode and races to the scene.

Outside the Ark, Inferno (now with the rank of sub-commander) and Rampage prepare to attack the old ship.  However, Rampage 

suddenly feels a familiar presence and stalks off on his own.  This leaves Inferno attacking the Ark by himself.  Blackarachnia and Silverbolt, 

both on guard duty react ‘quickly’ and flip a switch and a large boulder falls on top of Inferno.

Meanwhile, Rampage has figured out where he thinks the Starhopper will crash.  Cheetor is surveying the area and pays dearly for it with a 

missile to the side, causing the metallic cat to fall into the sea and sink to the bottom.

Underwater, the Starhopper is well on its way to meeting the sea floor.  It scans the water for a beast mode for the bot.  When it does it opens 

up and reveals its occupant: Depth Charge.

(Queen’s note: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ^__^)

He quickly transforms into beast mode, a manta ray, and glides through the water looking for X (crab cakes) but he stumbles onto Cheetor first.  

He ends up saving the cat.  Leaving Cheetor (after he makes sure he’s okay) on a rock surrounded by water, he is awake but unable to fly away.  

Depth Charge jumps back into the water to hunt for Rampage. 

Elsewhere, Megatron sends Waspinator to salvage Inferno.  Quickstrike is dispatched to find Rampage and find out how Rampage has been 

avoiding Megatron's detection.  Which I might add, we never DO find out how.

In the water, Depth Charge searches for Rampage.  Crab cakes has gone with his beast mode and buried him self under a lot of rocks, why?

  To ambush Depth Charge of course!  The two struggle, each trying to gain the advantage.  Depth Charge, in a desperate attempt to get Rampage

 off of himself fires his thrusters, sending both of them blasting out of the water.  Rampage rips out a chunk of armor from Depth Charge's beast 

mode head and fires a blast on the same spot.  Depth Charge realizes how to gain the advantage and charges towards a cliff.   Rampage hits a

 cliff side and gets a very sharp rock impaled in his chest as Depth Charge crashes off in the distance.

Optimus Primal reaches the small island that Cheetor is on and is very surprised to hear that Depth Charge has come to Earth.  He also doesn't

 seem very happy about the fact.

The battle between Rampage and Depth Charge continues as Rampage rips the rock out of his chest, we can see his immortal powers

 kicking in when it heals.  He approaches Depth Charge (who is half unconscious in beast mode on the beach) and prepares to fire. 

 However, before he can do so, Depth Charge escapes by transforming into his robot mode.  Each warrior trades a salvo of blasts until 

Depth Charge throws his tail/spear into Rampage's cannon, causing a back blast and knocking the Predacon crab over on his back.

Depth Charge grips his side in pain and stalks over to Rampage, with every intention of finishing the job.  He aims his weapon to fire, but

 Quickstrike appears on the scene, blasting Depth Charge into unconsciousness.  Quickstrike starts to brag just as two missiles knock him 

off his feet as Optimus Primal and Cheetor arrive on the scene.

At the Ark, Optimus Primal explains that Depth Charge was in charge of protecting colony Omicron that Rampage had destroyed when he was

 still "Protoform X".  It was Depth Charge who captured Rampage the first time and brought him to the Maximal High Council.  He wanted 

Rampage destroyed, but the High Council refused, choosing banishment instead.

When Depth Charge emerges he does not recognize Optimus Primal at first.  Soon, he figures out who Optimus is and argues with the Maximal

 commander over the fate of Rampage.  Optimus tells Depth Charge that the fight against Megatron is more important now than ever due to the 

discovery of the Ark.

Depth Charge does not care however and leaves the Maximal base, taking off into places unknown.

Underwater, Rampage finds Depth Charge's ship and destroys it, stranding Depth Charge in the Beast Wars that are raging!

~~~~

All in all I think at was one of the best BW episode!

You’re just saying that because of Depth Charge.

Yes, partly.  But this episode had a lot of good things about it.  For one Rampage seemed to really shine in this episode. 

We see the same pain and terror lusting creature introduced in "Bad Spark".  He is both powerful and nearly indestructible.  

As it was indicated by his rapid healing capability.

The X-factor!

No that’s X-man.

You don’t get it.

Umm...

Hehehe.

Depth Charge's number of fingers seems to shift from scene to scene.  

In some scenes he has four fingers then five.  This is most noticeable during his final battle with Rampage.

It’s an animation error; Mainframe didn’t have that much given time to animate it.  Another interesting thing to note that 

Depth Charge is positively huge, the second largest Maximal next to Optimal Optimus.

This seems to indicate quite a size difference exists between different Cybertronians in this time frame.

The fish is bigger than S1 Primal and Megatron put to gather.

That’s true, and I think it was awesome.

This episode establishes that among the salvage from the Axalon, the CR chambers were recovered, allowing wounded Maximals

 to get repaired. 

It also establishes that knowledge of the Ark as a legendary ship to Maximals.

I’ve established that I’m getting bored here.

Party pooper!

Feh.

Any-who, its time for the ‘Ask-The-Oh-So-Smarter-Than-Us-Skyfire’ question run.

Riiiiight.

Hehehe.  Hey, wait!  I can do this! 

Yeah right, not after what happen LAST time!  Now, why did Depth Charge get "transmetallized" when passing through the temporal field? 

 Hehehe, I like that word: transmetallized. ^_^

The initial quantum surge that created the Transmetals has passed, but residual effects from it are still present on past Earth.  

This caused Depth Charge to get a transmetallized body.

...Cool...

I could have done that.

Shut up you dork-bot, or ask a question.

Feh.  What was the temporal field Depth Charge passed through?

The temporal field Depth Charge passed through was the same one produced by the disturbance BW Megatron created when he fired on

 Optimus Prime's head in "The Agenda Part Three". 

...Show off...  Can Depth Charge's ship mode travel into space?

Well--

OOO!! OOO!! I know this one!!  I want to answer it!!

......

......Okay......go ahead Queen.

Writer Larry Ditillio believes that he can.  An original draft of the "Deep Metal" story had Depth Charge traveling into space at a critical

 moment in the story.  However, Mainframe Entertainment decided that a spaceship for Depth Charge was better, hence, he is riding in 

a Starhopper at the beginning of the episode.

......

......

What?

......

......

END!

 

Reviewed by: Omicron the Ice Queen