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- Review: Transformers Animated "Home is Where the Spark Is"
Review: Transformers Animated "Home is Where the Spark Is"
- By Matt Zimmer
- Published 05/6/2008
- Transformers Animated
- Unrated
Matt Zimmer
Matt Zimmer has been a member of online fandom since 2004.
View all articles by Matt Zimmer
"Home is Where the Spark Is" is one of those episodes of shows with story arcs that seems to set up things that are coming later on in the series. You know bigger and better things are coming but you find it somewhat trying getting there. Spoilers are ahead.
The episode starts off with Optimus Prime matching wits with a costumed human Supervillain who calls himself the Angry Archer, who seems to be a riff on the DC Comics hero Green Arrow. Easily dispatched by the Autobots, the episode shifts gears to the Autobots' home base and focuses on the ninja-type robot Prowl. Prowl has an appreciation for the stillness and beauty of nature that none of the other Autobots have much time or patience for. While setting up the conflict between him and the more rough and tumble rest of the group, the episode shows that Megatron (who is dismantled in Professor Sumdac's lab) is trying to both get his hands on the All-Spark, and destroy the Autobots at the same time.
The episode has some cute scenes with the human girl Sari, especially her telling the Autobots a ghost story and having the 'Bots play a futuristic version of Twister.
When micro robots sent by Megatron come to spoil the slumber party Bumblebee has to take Prowl's lessons on staying still and moving carefully to heart. The idea of the brash young hero learning things from the wiser older one is a staple of animation and genre shows in general, but it's kind of amusing to see these human archetypes played out by giant robots.
The animation is very smooth this episode and I'm getting used to it. The musical score and voice work are pretty good too, especially Jeff Glen Bennett as Prowl and Corey Burton as Megatron. The show doesn't seem like it focuses as much on the Transformation aspect of the characters as the eighties show and that's a shame. But it doesn't hurt the show itself at all.
I wish the episode had done more than give us tantalizing hints at the threat Megatron possesses. About the only real important story-point the episode addressed was the fact that Megatron learned that Starscream was the one who betrayed him in the pilot. Other than that the episode was quite ordinary and seemed to be interested in letting the audience know the characters better than giant robot slugfests. That's an interesting direction to go and I hope it pays off. It just didn't this week.
The episode starts off with Optimus Prime matching wits with a costumed human Supervillain who calls himself the Angry Archer, who seems to be a riff on the DC Comics hero Green Arrow. Easily dispatched by the Autobots, the episode shifts gears to the Autobots' home base and focuses on the ninja-type robot Prowl. Prowl has an appreciation for the stillness and beauty of nature that none of the other Autobots have much time or patience for. While setting up the conflict between him and the more rough and tumble rest of the group, the episode shows that Megatron (who is dismantled in Professor Sumdac's lab) is trying to both get his hands on the All-Spark, and destroy the Autobots at the same time.
The episode has some cute scenes with the human girl Sari, especially her telling the Autobots a ghost story and having the 'Bots play a futuristic version of Twister.
The animation is very smooth this episode and I'm getting used to it. The musical score and voice work are pretty good too, especially Jeff Glen Bennett as Prowl and Corey Burton as Megatron. The show doesn't seem like it focuses as much on the Transformation aspect of the characters as the eighties show and that's a shame. But it doesn't hurt the show itself at all.
I wish the episode had done more than give us tantalizing hints at the threat Megatron possesses. About the only real important story-point the episode addressed was the fact that Megatron learned that Starscream was the one who betrayed him in the pilot. Other than that the episode was quite ordinary and seemed to be interested in letting the audience know the characters better than giant robot slugfests. That's an interesting direction to go and I hope it pays off. It just didn't this week.