I love exploring themes of beauty and life through something mechanical
I love exploring the idea of humanity through a being that lacks certain parts of it
I love exploring the concept of love and empathy through something that tries it's hardest to express those feelings but ultimately can't do it the same way most people can
I love exploring themes of corruption through the metal husks that it leaves behind
I love machines that were made in the visions of their creators and try their hardest to live up the that vision
I love machines that were made through torment that lash out at their creators
I love machines that were built with a purpose and will execute it no matter the cost
I love artificial creations that are so desperate to be loved and appreciated for what they were created to do
I love artificial creations that tear the human race asunder for their paranoia and ignorance and HATE
I love artificial creations that learn to appreciate the world around them instead of destroying it
Okay but actually I still have too many thoughts about TFE. Im running on 2 hours of sleep but I gotta rant
Spoilers for season 3 bc that's what's fresh in my mind (just finished watching yesterday)
This is WAY longer than I intended ajdhskdhd
KEEPING IN MIND EARTHSPARK IS A BABY SHOW FOR BABIES, I KNOW I shouldn't be expecting Prime levels of writing and action. I KNOOOOWWWW it's for 8-year-olds. I've been a tf fan since I was 10 like, I know most tf media stinks by design
I don't remember much of seasons 1-2 bc it's been a while but I will comment on what I can recall. Namely. Like. The complete LACK of explanation for anything that's going on and the fact that EVERY established character is wildly OUT of character. Like. Okay listen. Megatron reforming is a REALLY interesting premise. Sacrificing Optimus' ENTIRE CHARACTER just to make Megatron look better and like some kind of victim isn't how you do it man I'm sorry
I really don't like how the show takes the Autobots and tries to turn them into snide control freaks when that was never how they were presented in any previous show to my memory. Maybe I'm biased bc I love Optimus a lot but making him a weird controlling idiot who constantly endangers everyone around him is not who he's supposed to be. Like, you can write Megatron and Optimus disagreeing about leadership without turning Optimus into a moron. Megatron was like (paraphrasing) "Too much authority leads to corruption, I know that better than anyone"
YOU ARE TALKING TO OPTIMUS "FREEDOM IS THE RIGHT OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS" PRIME HELLO?!?!?!?!?!?!?!! HELLO!?!??!! HES THE GUY WHO FOUGHT YOU FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS BECAUSE WERE AN AUTHORITARIAN WAR CRIMINAL MEGATRON!!!!!!!! Are we on the same PLANET right now!
That segways into why in the gosh darn world DI he reform? Also not explained in-depth. I like Dorothy, but I don't like how she's constantly touching and sitting on him. Girl you are MARRIED you have SEVEN WHOLE KIDS. I can't even remember her husband's name bc they spend two seconds being like "I love you sm" and then she's crawling all over Megatron again. Like it just bugs me. WHAT did she say to him to make him change his mind??? Optimus has HISTORICALLY BEGGED Megatron to see reason and stop fighting for ACTUAL EONS and some human lady's like "Pls stop blowing us all up it's super messed up :(" and he's just like "Primus you're right what have I been DOING for millions of years!" IDK MEGATRON!!!! Why do YOU care about humans more than Optimus!!!!
Again yes I know this show is for little kids it's not supposed to be complex or particularly intelligent. It's a serviceable Saturday morning cartoon. It just freaking BOTHERS me that instead of exploring Megatron as a character with a human companion who helps show him a better path where Optimus somehow couldn't, he's just. Nice Now. Because Dot said cut that out dude. Or whatever
I like the Terrans they're very cute. Nightshade is my favorite I love them a lot. I did notice that past their episode when they get their owl alt the show just stops referring to them with their pronouns and instead avoids it when possible by using their name instead. Cowardly. Why even make a non-binary character if you're gonna chicken out on their pronouns
Steve Blum Starscream I missed you ♡ I really wish Thundercracker was in the show and Skywarp didn't just abandon Starscream on Earth. Seeker Trine my beloved maybe someday you'll be reunited 😔 also in my heart TFE Skywarp is a trans girl YAY
I feel like the same people who worked on TMNT 2012 worked on the writing a lil bit with the crazy mad scientist guy who Silas'd himself. Feels very far away from tf whenever they do that. I mean I guess the "ultimate" human antagonists to Cybertronians is a guy who doesn't treat them as alive but it's getting pretttyyyy boring. On that note, Breakdown repeatedly betraying Bumblebee and Bee just NOT learning that he shouldn't trust him and going "but hes my bestie! He would never!" *Breakdown promptly leaving in Prowl's ship with the other 'Cons.* I miss Knockout too sigh sigh sigh... Weird Al was a fun addition, nice to see Cosmos appearing in a modern tf show
I did NOT like that carnival guy bc, AGAIN, in the context of Transformers, WHY is he LIKE THAT. Why dors he have real evil wizard magic. I feel like they were trying to pull off a gimmicky TFA villain, but it flops hard bc TFA was designed to be more superhero-esque. There are VASTLY fewer Decepticons for them to fight in the beginning of Animated, leaving silly cartoon villains for the Autobots to warm up to fighting against and establishing themselves as good guys. Cartoon villains are clearly normal in TFA. They're NOT in TFE, bc if they were, there'd be more conflict between gimmicky human villains and the Terran team. And there just isn't
And how there is just. No conflict. No consequences. The show is for BABIES, but also erm could I see like an action shot that's longer than 5 seconds. The fight between Optimus and Megatron in the arctic wasn't terrible, a nice callback to when they used to fight all the time, but that was probably the most engaging fight in the whole show and they weren't even doing on purpose, they had a "hate virus" (lame). Solving every "conflict" with talking it out therapy style like "I'm acknowledging your feelings, it's not your fault you violently did xyz on purpose 🥺" (lame, excuses the character in question from facing consequences and actually learning). At the end when they get the chaos staff or whatever from Starscream (who literally wasn't trapped???? The whole crew casually walked through Terratronus' body to go confront him, why didn't he just do that too????) he gets knocked out and... there's NO confrontation between him and Megatron. Like!! Why are you wasting so many good opportunities!!!! There is SO MUCH show don't tell, so much degradation of the characters for the sake of pushing a story that makes no sense!!!!!!!
I don't reeeeeaaallllyyy like that Soundwave talks again. Like I know he breaks his vow in Robots in Disguise (stupid dumb bad writing) and ofc in G1 and a lot of other shows he talks. I'm attached to TFP Sounders, but that's just a personal preference. Laserbeak is funny at least. Frenzy's cute but I'm tired of seeing Soundwave with only a few of his symbiotes. Rumble should be there, too if you're gonna have Frenzy, Laserbeak, and Ravage. The classic quartet come ON. Add Buzzsaw if you're not a coward
I miss Ratchet I'm so sad he isn't in the show at ALL and neither is Bulkhead... sobs... I know it's an alternate universe but... Team Prime... wegh... Prowl was a pleasant surprise yay ♡ I mean I know their characters would just be butchered to woobify Megatron even more but... my boys...
TARANTULAS IS DEAD QUESTION MARK??? He was by far the only actually interesting take on any of the pre-Terran characters and he DIES I THINK??? Off-screen heavily implied dead. NEVER addressed again after evil white lady tried to kill everyone or whatever her deal was, I don't remember lol
I liked the nod to TFA with the "spark recreator key" I think it was called. Made me instantly think of Sari ♡ the Quintessons were pretty cool, I liked their design, kinda sad they died so quickly. That was a lot of build-up for a two-second Terratronus Overwatch skin battle but eh what can you do. It was REALLY cool to see a pretender tho, I thiiiiinnnkk the last pretender that was in a movie/show was in ROTF??? I didn't watch Cyberverse sssooooo I could be wrong. They called it a shapeshifter but liiiike it's a pretender don't be sillay
Apparently season 4 was picked up by Paramount so, with any luck they'll fix all the awful animation and writing and answer some questions bc boy do I have several thousand of them
Eerrrrmmmm that's all off the top of my head LOL had to get it out of my system WHEW
EDIT: WAIT I FORGOT—what the H is going on with Cybertron???? The war is still perpetuating??? Somehow??? Do all the Decepticons on Cybertron know that Megatron deserted his own faction??? Like what is happening
The show should be renamed to Transformers: What in God's Name is Going On
EDIT 2: AND ANOTHER THING—Optimus would have NEVER EVER condoned incarcerating the Decepticons OR tolerated human government keeping him in the dark about their treatment. He is THE last Prime, he's a paragon of good and hope and honesty and MERCY and JUSTICE. He isn't even my favorite character (Starscream ♡) but I can see how they were like "well I guess there isn't any other way to make this happen unless he kinda sucks" YOU ARE DUMB!!!!! YOU ARE DUMB AND YOU ARE BANNED FROM WRITING FOREVER!!!!!!! When the Decepticons are trapped in the dome he would be thinking about the fact that they must be starving to death in there, bc Optimus cares about EVERYONE regardless of their sins. He isn't supposed to be neglectful and rude!!! He has the freakin Matrix of Leadership for a REASON RAAAAAGGGHHHH
