Metal Attraction
From Transformers Wiki
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 Sadly, they don't fuse into a powerful being. | ||||||
| "Metal Attraction" | ||||||
| Season | 1 | |||||
| No. in season | 18 | |||||
| Production company | Hasbro Studios | |||||
| Airdate | July 9, 2011 | |||||
| Written by | Nicole Dubuc | |||||
| Directed by | Todd Waterman | |||||
| Animation studio | Polygon Pictures | |||||
 Watch this episode on YouTube
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The Autobots try to claim a magnetic weapon called a "polarity gauntlet" before the Decepticons get to it.
Contents |
Synopsis
Ratchet reports to Arcee and Jack that there's an incoming vehicle, which they initially assume to be a Decepticon, but they relax when it turns out to be June Darby in her car. Jack's less than enthusiastic that his mother's come to check up on him again, but the mood changes when Ratchet detects an unusual magnetic flux.
Soundwave has also picked up the magnetic signature, which Megatron recognizes as a Decepticon weapon. Breakdown volunteers to secure the invention. Megatron is skeptical of Breakdown's abilities following certain recent events, but Breakdown insists.
Miko and Raf arrive back at base with Bulkhead, but their high spirits drop when they realize Jack's mom is there. Arcee and Jack prepare to go conduct a routine diagnostic, but June's questioning about how safe it will be makes Arcee irritated. Ratchet asks Bulkhead to go and investigate the magnetic disturbance, and when Miko announces she's going too, Bulkhead is obliged to tell her to stay at base. Finally, June's questions become too much for Arcee, and she opts to go with Bulkhead.
In a desert area, Breakdown breaks apart some rocks to find the device he's after. No sooner has he picked it up than Airachnid puts in an appearance, clouts him and grabs the weapon. Breakdown recovers quickly and begins fighting Airachnid, until she burrows up from beneath the earth and drags him down, leaving him buried. She picks up the device and is ready to leave, when Breakdown pulls himself free of the ground, and the pair charge at each other.
Arcee and Bulkhead trudge through the rocks, discussing how Jack's mom is a killjoy, and Miko, who has quietly tagged along, asks if they can ban her from the base. Arcee calls for a GroundBridge, but Miko talks her out of it, then requests Bulkhead play some rock music. Arcee tells him to shut it off, as it's not exactly stealthy, and they soon find Breakdown and Airachnid fighting. Leaving Miko a safe distance behind, the two Autobots leap into combat, surprising Airachnid, who has just gotten the upper hand. Bulkhead tosses Arcee into the air, and she shoots at the pair before charging at Breakdown, but Airachnid insists on facing Arcee herself. After a few minutes' fighting, Bulkhead and Arcee overcome their opponents, but Breakdown grabs the weapon and activates it. Warning him that it isn't a toy, Airachnid retreats underground, and Arcee and Bulkhead find themselves being dragged towards each other. The weapon hoists them into the air before slamming them back against some rocks. Satisfied, Breakdown transforms to return to the Nemesis. Miko finds her phone stuck to Bulkhead's chest and Arcee stuck to Bulkhead's back.
Driving along a road, Breakdown is ambushed and entangled in a web.
Ratchet realizes that the weapon Breakdown has is a polarity gauntlet and says their best bet to get Arcee unstuck is to get the gauntlet back. Arcee insists on Miko returning to base, and Miko complains loudly that she sounds just like Jack's mom, which June naturally hears over the comm link.
At an old gas station, Airachnid tries on the gauntlet. Breakdown, securely webbed to the side of the building, suggests they could take it back to Megatron together, but she's not keen on rejoining the Decepticons and thinks the gauntlet will be perfect for keeping everyone else away. Bulkhead trudges up to the gas station to confront Airachnid, who tells him to put his hands up and turn around. He does so, and Arcee promptly opens fire, managing to shoot the gauntlet out of Airachnid's hand. The device activates and drags everything metal towards it, including Breakdown, who is pulled free of the webbing and shuts the gauntlet down. Bulkhead and Arcee begin awkwardly fighting Breakdown and Airachnid. Bulkhead manages to deck Breakdown and turns to face Airachnid, but then Breakdown uses the gauntlet to drop an oil derrick on the 'Bots.
Pinned under an unconscious Bulkhead, Arcee is menaced by Airachnid. Fortunately, Bulkhead comes around in time, and the pair stand up, now separated. Arcee attacks Breakdown, but Bulkhead finds himself no match for Airachnid, who grabs the gauntlet and uses it to draw Arcee to her. Bulkhead blasts Breakdown into another oil derrick, while Arcee and Airachnid fight. Arcee eventually gets possession of the gauntlet and uses it to polarize everyone so that they repel metal. Airachnid uses her webbing to snatch the gauntlet back and transforms to escape, but Bulkhead grabs onto her helicopter mode and throws her into Breakdown. With the gauntlet secured, Arcee and Bulkhead head back to base, where they give it to Ratchet, and June apologizes for being overprotective.
On the Nemesis, Megatron is unhappy when Breakdown returns apparently empty-handed, but Breakdown reveals he has Airachnid stuck to his back. Airachnid tells an amused Megatron that she is happy to return.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
|
Quotes
June: So... where's Optimus?
Ratchet: On a scouting mission with Bumblebee. Sorry to disappoint.
June: And I wore heels and everything...
Jack: MOM!
- —June makes Jack uncomfortable with a few choice words.
"Allow me to redeem myself, master. What I have lost... is a constant reminder that I must never again fail you."
- —Breakdown rather darkly references his new eyepatch.
"It was a lovely burial."
- —Airachnid says after literally putting Breakdown six feet under...
"A scout should be silent but deadly."
- —Arcee unwittingly makes Bulkhead and Miko's day.
"Still up for a truce, muscles?"
"Only because I hate Bulkhead more than I hate you."
- —Airachnid and Breakdown decide to look at the bigger picture.
Megatron: Breakdown, you dare to return empty-handed?!
Breakdown: No, Master.
[Turns around, revealing Airachnid magnetized to his back]
Megatron: Airachnid... it has been some time.
Airachnid: Lord Megatron... what can I say? It's good to be back.
- —The Decepticons get an unexpected addition... and an expected pun.
Notes
Continuity notes
- Breakdown was bested by humans and lost his right optic in "Operation: Breakdown".
Transformers references
- Ratchet notes that Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are on a "scouting mission", but since Prime is part of the same continuity as Rescue Bots, and around this time the Rescue Bots needed Optimus and Bumblebee, there's a pretty good chance we know where they actually were.
Real-world references
- The episode title appears to be a belabored nod to the film Fatal Attraction.
- Bulkhead and Arcee appear to perform a Fastball Special in combat. This is not the first time a Bulkhead has used this move.
Errors
- Mere moments after Bulkhead states that he is polarised and can’t touch metal, he grabs Airachnid out of the air and throws her at Breakdown. Is she not made of metal, or did the gauntlet's effects wear off that fast?
- Cellphones are primarily made of plastic, which is not attracted to magnetic objects. The gauntlet also took Miko's change, which is also not magnetic. Yet the gauntlet didn't attract Miko's belt buckle or earrings. Huh.
- A magnetic field that powerful should have wiped the electronics in Miko's phone.
- When Arcee is stuck to Bulkhead, she can still move her arms and legs. If the magnetic force were strong enough to hold her to him, her limbs would also have been stuck.
- Arcee's head jewel is miscoloured in several shots, pink in some, grey in others.
Trivia
- Breakdown's new optic patch was hinted at during BotCon 2011 when an artist from the series was requested to sketch Breakdown by a certain Transformers fan: the artist asked what episode had just been screened, thought for a moment, and soon provided an image of Breakdown with an optic patch.[1]
- During this episode's original airing, the commercial bumpers were backwards: "we now return" was played at the start of each break and "we'll be right back" was played at the end.
- As of this episode, we finally have a mention of Jack's father having left him and June.
Foreign localization
Brazilian
French
- Title: "Attraction métallique" ("Metallic Attraction")
- Original airdate: ?
German
- Title: "Metallische Anziehung" ("Metal Attraction")
- Original airdate: 20 January 2012
Hungarian
- Title: "Fémes vonzalom" ("Metal Attraction")
- Original airdate: 1 February 2012
Indonesian
- Title: "Senjata Magnet" ("Magnetary Weapon")
- Original airdate: 25 September 2012
Italian
- Title: "Attrazione tra metalli" ("Attraction Between Metals"), "Attrazione Metallica" ("Metallic Attraction", 2017 airing)
- Original airdate: 26 November 2011
Japanese
Korean
- Title: "Jaseok Mugi" (자석 무기, "Magnetic Weapon")
- Original airdate: 25 October 2011
Polish
- Title: ?
- Original airdate: 28 December 2011
Spanish (Spain)
- Title: "Atracción metálica" ("Metallic Attraction")
- Original airdate: 26 November 2012
Home video releases
- DVD
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One (Shout! Factory)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Volume 4: Strength in Numbers (Madman Entertainment)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Folge 5: Metallische Anziehung (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
2012 — Transformers Prime — Staffel 1 - Das Bündnis (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
2012 — Transformers Prime — Vol. 9 (Avex Trax) — Japanese audio only.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Saison 1 Vol. 4: Une alliance inattendue (Universal Pictures France) — English, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish audio.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Vol. 4: Improbabili alleanze (Universal Pictures IT) — English, Italian, Dutch, French and Spanish audio.
2013 — Transformers Prime — Season One: Unlikely Alliances (Universal Pictures UK)
2014 — Transformers Prime — Saison 1: L'intégrale (Universal Pictures France) — English, French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish audio.
2014 — Transformers Prime — Ultimate Autobots (Shout! Factory)
2015 — Transformers Prime — Season One (Universal Pictures UK)
- Blu-ray
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One (Shout! Factory)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Season One Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2012 — Transformers Prime — Staffel 1 - Das Bündnis (EDEL:kids) — English and German audio.
External links
- ↑ Vangelus revealed this during the "Operation: Breakdown" episode of TFW2005's "WTF Primetime" podcast
