"It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, have callously murdered one of our finest soldiers, the patriot Impactor." - Megatron, opening episode 3.
"Amazing. Every word of what you just said was wrong." - Luke Skywalker.
While Megatron spins the events of Episode 2 to his own ends, the very-much-alive-but-injured Impactor is found by none other than Ratchet. Except this is War For Cybertron, not G1, and Ratchet is not an optimistic medic, he's a cynical engineer-turned-healer who regrets designing weapons to end the war more quickly and now fixes and mens warriors from both sides (or neither) to atone for his actions.
So, naturally Ratchet takes Impactor to his makeshift field hospital. The Decepticons don't take care of their wounded, and the Autobots don't have the Energon.
There is the usual level of uncertainty, debate and hesitation at Autobot Command. What if we find the Allspark? What if we take it off Cybertron?
This contrasts sharply with discussions at Decepticon HQ. Starscream is in full flow, undermining Megatron's plan to use the Allspark to reformat the Autobots into Decepticons. These new 'Cons would not be "true, pure Decepticons" but would "dilute" their warrior heritage. It appears Starscream is a Dalek or a war criminal who advocates ethnic cleansing - genocide - instead.
Jetfire calls out Starscream's insubordination, and Megatron (doing his dramatic 'overhearing while entering thing) states it plainly: "Anyone who has a problem with my vision for Cybertron will not have a place in it." There are no ifs and buts here, and if the Autobots don't get their collective alt modes in gear, they are going to get completely wiped out, and soon.
Elita, Optimus's advisor (or critic) directly challenges his what ifs, which are replaced by a crazy scheme with the episode 1 space bridge. Prowl: "This is madness." Elita: "It's worse - desperation."
The Decepticons' interrogation of Ultra Magnus is not working, so Megatron gives Shockwave free rein to get results. There are no compromises here; Megatron's ends justify any means necessary.
Mirage and the Autobots, meanwhile, prove Starscream's point that reformatted Autobots wouldn't be true Decepticons: Mirage can't hold a Decepticon holographic disguise for more than five seconds at a time. Having said that: Mirage producing disguises and holograms!! Yes!! Somebody read his tech specs! He barely manages to hold his disguise together for long enough to exchange greetings with Skytread and Spinister, and the rest of the Autobot patrol has to wade in. Optimus remains a shadow of his later self, and can barely hold his own against Skytread. He really needs to hit the gym or something. The Autobots manage to chase the outnumbered Decepticons off, so that they can meet Ratchet at his field hospital. Wheeljack needs Ratchet to repair the space bridge so that Optimus can send the Allspark off-planet.
Ratchet's hospital is like all military hospitals: filled with walking wounded, under-resourced and failing. Pretty much everything Optimus says in this scene ("This is admirable, Ratchet," and so on) just sounds patronising and pathetic. Optimus is weak. He's indecisive; useless in combat (except to help is troops retreat); lacking any kind of strategy... I really hope he gets the Creation Matrix/of Leadership soon, otherwise he might just as well pack his bags and give up.
The Bots present their plan to Ratchet. His reply: "What, just so you can take this war to another planet?" Like Earth?
There's a touch of history between the elitist, upper-class Mirage and the born-to-slave Impactor (and Megatron). So they did read Mirage's tech specs and his biography!
The interrogation of Magnus continues with red electricity instead of white, and with a staged escape by Magnus. You don't really think the Decepticons let him 'escape' by accident? Megatron knows Magnus has too much honour to shoot Megatron in the back - he said the same of Optimus in episode 1. As he says to Magnus: always take the shot. The Autobots really are going to get slaughtered if they don't start pulling the trigger more often. I know Megatron = bad and Autobots = heroic, but I'm struggling to support this current batch of heroes and their lack of decisive action.
Ratchet agrees to help the Bots fix the Spacebridge, but he's not doing it for the Autobots, and I don't blame him. Impactor (Decepticon, complete with all-in-one homing device and comm unit) demands to accompany them, and despite Autobot reservations is allowed to join the trip. He's supposed to become the leader of the Wreckers, but he's not off to a good start giving away the location of Autobot command. Maybe it was accidental, but I'm not buying it.
In a tragic coincidence, Magnus concedes to Shockwave's torture at the same time as Jetfire and Skywarp pick up Impactor's signal. This forces Jetfire's hand, as he will not slaughter the Autobots in their base, while Skywarp will not hesitate. Jetfire shoots Skywarp in the back (where Magnus would not) and allows Skywarp to flee.
Megatron closes the episode as he started it, the Autobots "defiling Cybertron's holiest relic" and "destroying the Allspark". He seems unstoppable, especially as he concludes with his own chilling interpretation of the Autobot maxim: "till all are one".
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