My Review/Rant of Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)

My TV Show Rating Score:

5/5: It is an awesome show!
4.5/5: it is a great show albeit not perfect
4/5: It’s a good show with minor flaws
3/5: It’s overall okay/guilty pleasure
2/5: It’s bad but not awful
1/5: Look, up in the sky! It’s super bad!
0/5: MY EYEEEESSS!!!

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Greetings, folks. I am back with another TV show review for today. To conclude Transformers month, I will be reviewing the greatest, most well-created work of art I have ever watched from the franchise. Truly a memorable successor to “Transformers: Prime”….I present to you…”Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015). The King…of DOGSHIT!!!!!!!

How in the name of Primus did this series stoop this low in quality?? TF: Prime had such an amazing conclusion with flawless storytelling, animation, character development, and world-building. It had everything it needed to fully pay off with a satisfying ending; in fact, it opened doors of imagination to get us think of ways we could pick up where the story left off from “Predacons Rising” and start from there. Just when it had a bright future…Hasbro brought this into existence.

Now, I know there are some of you who will scramble to the comment section and say “The show isn’t that bad”, “Dude, it’s a kid’s show. Take a chill pill”, “Come on, bro, it’s actually pretty good”. Folks, I respect your opinions and all…but I will give no fucks at all as I rip it to pieces while I give credit where it is needed…maybe. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my rant.

I will not write a summary of this series for the sake of my sanity, so let’s just get on with it. The reasons why many fans, myself included, hate this unspeakable abomination with a passion are many, but I’ll just summarize what those reasons are as follows: bad animation, returning characters ruined, annoying new characters, lack of logic, inconsistent storytelling, and a boring formulaic setting for every episode.

Bumblebee’s the main character here, right? So let’s talk about this overrated yellow turd: Bumblebee doesn’t feel like the same guy we’ve watched in TF: Prime. Here, he acts like a narcissistic, immature leader who tries to act like Optimus. He’s also more annoying with his new leadership responsibilities. He just got his voice back, and now I suddenly wish he would stop talking and rip out his voice box again.

But Sideswipe and Strongarm are even more annoying than Bumblebee! These idiots are just unbearable to watch! They hate each other’s guts, and every time they learn how to get along and work as a team—in the next episode—they get back to their old selves as if they haven’t learned a thing. And that’s one of the main issues with this show: the characters never learn anything and stick with it due to how inconsistently episodic the show is. This is supposed to be a sequel to “Prime”, and you mean to tell me this is the same Bumblebee who killed Megatron?

And how come the Decepticons look like animals? Did Shockwave create them, mutate them, or something? Almost all the ‘Cons have some resemblance of an animalistic creature or physical features of an animal with no explanation whatsoever. And I honestly hate that. I know that Predacons and Sharkticons exist, but a vast majority of them aren’t Predacons at all. They’re just a bunch of random animal-looking Decepticons who somehow show up out of nowhere. It just makes them look generic, unappealing, and dumb.

The human characters weren’t any better either. I can’t even remember their names for the life of me, and I prefer to keep it that way. The background human characters are extremely stupid as they actually believe anything they’re told just to keep the alien robots a secret…even when they see a robot right in front of them! It just defeats the entire purpose of being robots in disguise…which is what the SHOW is NAMED AFTER!!! Hello?!?

One of the most grievous sins this show has committed, however, is the return of Optimus Prime—right after he sacrificed his life within the Core of Primus at the end of the movie. I HATED what they did to him and how insignificantly disgraceful they re-wrote his character. It made his death of none effect and pointless. He’s the same Prime, but then he had to relearn the lessons he’s already understood before he could get back to the land of the living. Are we going to forget that he’s already an experienced and wise leader as the previous show already portrayed him to be? Why does he need to learn them again? It makes him a forgetful moron than anything.

One of the most cringeworthy moments in the show was the episode where Optimus and Bumblebee had an argument about who’s the more qualified leader to give orders to the team…and it lasted almost the whole episode. Why did these writers make them act like edgy teenagers instead of seasoned warriors who trust each other’s judgment?

Optimus is grumpy, inconsiderate whereas Bumblebee is very possessive of his team. Remember when the Stunticons attacked him and his comrades? Yeah, in that episode, Bumblebee started to then micromanage his team like a damn dictator, making him no different from Megatron or Motormaster. That just proves that ‘Bee isn’t qualified for leadership at all. Absolute character assassination.

But I will NEVER forgive what they did to my boy Soundwave. He was built up in season 4 to be a big bad antagonist, yet his returning potential was thrown right out the window when he gets easily defeated by Bumblebee by slicing his tentacles…which somehow electrocutes him??? All in one episode?? Did these creators hate Soundwave or…not watch TF: Prime? It was honestly interesting he broke his vow of silence and was voiced by the beloved Frank Welker; still, they wasted his potential and did zero justice to his character.

Starscream’s return and lust for revenge made no sense at all. He miraculously survived the wrath of two Predacons (where’s Predaking?) and plotted a revenge scheme on Megatron for years up until this point? For what? “For all his crimes against me!” Dude, you willingly served him again after he brought you back into his ranks, he killed Dreadwing to save your life, and you never intended to betray him again. But then after he officially disbanded the faction after Unicron’s defeat, you then decide to go back to your season 1 self and take the throne again? It’s literally character regression, folks.

If this was something he was going to do, he should have thought about it long before he killed Cliffjumper. Oh, and speaking of Megatron, did none of these Decepticons ever learn that their former master has disbanded them? The war is over!! CUT IT OUT! Did Knockout even tell the Decepticons what Megatron said? Come on!!

The action scenes are laughably dumb, lazily animated, and generic. Why do the Autobots have tiny blasters instead of activating their own weapons? Why does Bumblebee look different? And why did Starscream revert back to his old design? This show does nothing to make up for its sheer amount of disrespect for its iconic characters and its lack of regard for continuity.

Steeljaw is probably the only interesting character in this whole series, and that isn’t saying much. Him being a rogue ‘Con who has his own agenda in making Earth his own kingdom while gathering other random Decepticons into his fold was a rather cool concept to see unfold. He should have his own spin-off show because I want to watch that instead of this garbage!

Peter Cullen deserved better, Steve Blum deserved better, Frank Welker deserved better, Will Friedle deserved better, and Optimus Prime deserved better. They didn’t need to be in this mess. I give this a 1/5: Dishonor in Disguise! For those of you who have never watched this show, I am BEGGING you to skip it and watch Animated, Prime, or Beast Wars. They are SO much better than this crap. To any of you who are fans of this show…good for you. That’s all I can say.

*Drinks orange juice*

Man, orange juice always makes me happy. Never go a day without it.

Comments

[Darth Wrex]

Feel better?

[OP Omni God-Emperor Doom]

If you wanna watch something really good ( Or more specifically read. )?

Then try reading this Transformers x Code Geass crossover by Iron117prime that I'm following for a long time.

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13151821/1/Code-Prime-R1-Rebellion

And it's almost complete sequel;

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13795604/1/Code-Prime-R2-Revolution

[MLPFollower]

Eh, you're not the only one who holds this show with contempt. Personally, I enjoyed the show as it was; the one bad thing I have to say about it was it didn't give way to a series that not only took place after this and before Rescue Bots Academy, but also have said series answer a bunch of questions since the Aligned continuity began, tie up a good load of plot threads, reuse some cut material that didn't make it in Transformers Prime, and show some fan-favorite Transformers.

If it makes you feel better, somebody actually rewrote this show to fit the tone and vision of Prime more. Give it a read and tell me what you think: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38243560?view_full_work=true

Speaking of the Aligned continuity, how would you have structured it if you were in charge of Hasbro? Would you have made every installment from War For Cybertron all the way to Rescue Bots Academy far more different than how they were released as or 50/50 on changing and keeping stuff the same?

EDIT: here are both of links to the Trivia and YMMV sections and the lists of Wasted Potentials and What Could’ve Beens.

Links:
Trivia - https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015

YMMV - https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015

Lists:

• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:

  • A recurring issue for the show in general is how many of the major villains (sans Steeljaw) don't receive enough personality or characterization for a satisfying payoff.

    • Megatronus is introduced a little over halfway through the first season and doesn't reappear until the two-part finale, and doesn't even interact with the Autobots until the second half of said two-parter.
    • The second season introduces Glowstrike as the apparent leader of Decepticon Island, but she's relegated to being a Satellite Character for Steeljaw to highlight the latter's Manipulative Bastardtendencies, and doesn't even receive the dignity of a fight scene before Steeljaw one-shots her with his Decepticon Hunters.
    • Starscream's bounty hunters don't receive much characterization beyond "Hired Gunsof Starcream". One of them, Roughedge, is implied to have been a former Autobot, but this is never expanded upon. The Insecticon bounty hunter doesn't even receive a name in the show, until Adam Beechen revealed it in a Q/A blog.
    • Menasor's dreaded reputation as a planet-destroying juggernaut would have you believe he was intended to be a milestone opponent for the Autobots, but not only is he revealed to be laughably uncoordinated and clumsy, he winds up defeated by Ultra Bee, a brand new Combiner whose components are just barely figuring themselves out, making his aforementioned reputation seem like a joke.
    • Soundwave's reappearance in "Portald" was largely praised, but his second go-around in Combiner Force built him up in the background for much of the season before he finally showed up in person and was, yet again, defeated in the span of a single episode and with almost none of the combat prowess he was known for in Prime.
    • The High Council, the Greater-Scope Villain and True Final Boss of the series, are certainly a looming presence for much of the season, and in fact the entire series, but don't physically appear until the final two episodes and only Cyclonus is an established character. Cyberwarp is just the Token Good Teammate and the other three Council members don't even have names or speaking lines, making all of the build up feel like a let down.
  • Jazz is portrayed as a war veteran, Bumblebee's old comrade in arms and a highly competent special agent to boot. Of course he only appears once in the first season and only reappears toward the end of the series as part of Optimus Prime's "All-Stars" team.

  • Aside from Bumblebee and Optimus, the only characters from Prime who make return appearances are Ratchet, Bulkhead, Starscream, and Soundwave. Some particularly glaring omissions:

    • Arcee's absence means we never see the original Team Prime reunited over the course of the show.
    • Megatron is often referenced over the course of the show, often by Decepticons who desire to see him return and lead them to victory, indicating they're unaware of, or refuse to recognize, the Heel–Face Turn he pulled at the end of Prime. Due to Megatron never appearing in person, we never see any Decepticons' reactions to what would presumably be a life-shattering revelation. There's also a double missed opportunity to develop Megatron's character and show how he's changed (for the better) during his time in exile.
    • Shockwave, despite being one of the few major Decepticons left at the end of Predacons Rising, never gets a single appearance. Considering he's one of the few who could credibly lay claim to leadership of the Decepticons, he could have served well as an overarching villain for the series - instead, the High Council is made up of characters who had never appeared before.
    • None of the human characters from Primeappear, meaning we never see how they've grown up, a reunion between Bumblebee and Raf, or the fate of Unit:E.

• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:

  • Many fans feel a post-war Cybertron in the aftermath of the events of Prime would have been ideal ground to explore, especially in the wake of Optimus Prime's Heroic Sacrifice, and especially since the IDW comics had also used a post-war Cybertron where Autobots and Decepticons were forced to coexist. Instead, we never get to see the true impact the war had on the planet, and Optimus Prime is brought Back from the Dead almost right away.
  • It would also have been refreshing to see the Autobots trying to deal with the Decepticons from a position different than that of an underdog, for a change, which wouldn't automatically guarantee that they'd get their way. When a corrupt Autobot High Council does enter the stage, they are revealed to be Decepticons, thus undermining the idea that Autobots can ever be portrayed as the villains.
  • It would also have been engaging to see how Megatron would deal with the fallout of his own tyranny. Would he try to keep the peace? Bully The Remnant into submission? How would loyal Decepticons such as Soundwave react to their leader's Heel–Face Turn?

What Could Have Been:

• According to concept work, the character that eventually became Sideswipe was originally conceived as Fastlane. In hindsight, this makes Sideswipe's immaturity and certain other attributes make more sense when compared with other versions of the character.
• Originally, the Dinobot on Bee's team would've been a female red Stegosaurusstatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif named Backlash. Ultimately, the design was Gender Flip into a hulkingstatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif designstatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif that eventually laid the groundwork for Grimlock.
• Also, Grimlock would have a retracting mouthplate and visor, making him look more like he previously appeared on this continuity.
• The reason for Grimlock's shift in personality from his earlier appearances was because he was originally going to be a new Dinobot characterstatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif . Hasbro requested that the writers change him to Grimlock in order to cash in on his appearance in Transformers: Age of Extinction. There was an attempt to keep Grimlock's personality and backstorystatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif , but it was never implemented due to the clashes of tones between the two series. Producer Adam Beechen later pulled astatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif Decomposite Character on the matter via Word of God and said that the Grimlocks are two different characters.
• Originally Unit:E would’ve returned, including a now-grown Jack who had joined the organization since the previous series (something hinted at in one of the final episodes of Prime).
• Concept artstatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif ◊ was made for Megatron. As elaborated by lead character designer Jose Lopezstatic.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/external_link.gif , Megatron was pitched around early in development, with the ability to transform into a laser pistol. However, he was rejected.

[Vigriff]

Yeah, I skipped this show.

[A Man Undercover]

I haven’t seen this show myself, but…considering the boatload of continuity problems and inconsistencies it apparently has as a direct successor to “Transformers: Prime”, I’m honestly just gonna skip it. Same with “Transformers: EarthSpark”, because that series clearly has a boatload of its own problems.

[nightshroud96]

I feel so mixed on how they handled Soundwave

[GamerDroid23]

Ah, this show. Is it weird that I kinda forgot it existed? No, it’s not. Because it’s just that milquetoast. You highlighted ALMOST everything there was to talk about with this show. First, a question or two to you, Mister J. You have stated your thoughts on Bumblebee, Sideswipe, and Strongarm. I’m curious on your thoughts about Grimlock, Fixit, and Drift,(Although I’m pretty sure what you’re going to say.)
Second, here’s a really good question. What the FUCK happened to Arcee, Wheeljack, Smokescreen, Ultra Magnus, and Knock Out?! Did they get fucking Thanos Snapped out of existence?! Apparently they don’t exist anymore in this continuity. But believe me, Knock Out got the biggest middle finger. These writers and animators didn’t use Knock Out’s character, but they felt the need to use his model from TFP… as a background vehicle. Are you fucking kidding me?! Forget scratching his finish, this is the equivalent of stripping his altmode for parts. Oh, but here’s the real kicker. Knockout would’ve made this show tolerable. Hear me out on this one. Imagine, an episode where Bumblebee and crew get an alert from signaling that there’s a Decepticon signal near a drive-in theater/ underground racetrack/ car wash,(pick your favorite), and Bumblebee and Strongarm go to investigate. Upon arriving at the scene, they split up to cover more ground, with Strongarm finding Knockout first, and accidentally scratching his paint job, causing him to get aggressive with her. They scuffle for a bit before Bumblebee intervenes to break them up. At this point, Strongarm learns that Bumblebee has a prior history with Knockout, but Bumblebee doesn’t seem too concerned with Knockout being on Earth, which is baffling to her. In fact, maybe Bumblebee greets Knockout with a friendly attitude. They return back to the scrapyard with Knockout in tow, but not in stasis cuffs. Knockout proceeds to hit it off with Sideswipe and Grimlock, with an interest in Sideswipes choice of altmode,( maybe have him be a little bit jealous of Sideswipe having a flashier finish), and Grimlock reminding Knockout of Break Down. Meanwhile, Strongarm still has her doubts about Knockout, even after learning that he technically classifies as an Autobot due to defecting from the Decepticons near the wars end, despite still having his Decepticon insignia. This results in her constantly giving Knockout the cold shoulder, simply due to her having prejudice against all Decepticons, even if he doesn’t deserve it. Eventually, she snaps at him, and Knockout leaves in silence. Everyone starts chastising Strongarm for being an ass to Knockout, but she doesn’t understand why they’re so forgiving of a former-Decepticon. Then Bumblebee walks up to her and calmly says this. “Strongarm, do you really think that people can’t change for the better?” This causes Strongarm to realize that she’s in the wrong and she goes out to look for Knockout so she can apologize for her actions. Unfortunately she gets attacked by another Decepticon, and she gets captured. Knockout finds her and manages to trick the Decepticon into thinking that he’s still one, backstabs the Decepticon and frees Strongarm. They put the Decepticon in a stasis pod back at the scrapyard, StrongArm apologizes for being a prejudiced ass to Knockout, Knockout accepts her apology, and offers a Strongarm tickets to a drive in theater as a gift. She politely accepts, and the episode ends with the moral that people can change, and that it’s not what you’ve done in the past that matters, but how you act moving forward that does. Oh and have this lesson fucking stick. Finally something funny for you. 20:55 to 21:12. Thank me later or be horrified. Your choice.

[TheClownPrinceofCrime]

5731971
That whole thing with Knockout and Strongarm is ten times better than anything we got in this ass cheeks of a show. Well done.

I’m curious on your thoughts about Grimlock, Fixit, and Drift

•Grimlock isn’t acting like the real Grimlock. And why the fuck is he green? What happened to his original color scheme?

•Fixit means nothing to me. He‘s basically Keswick from “T.U.F.F. Puppy” but a lot less funny and more annoying.

•Drift is an okay addition to this series, but it isn’t saying much. One-dimensional and boring but okay.

What the FUCK happened to Arcee, Wheeljack, Smokescreen, Ultra Magnus, and Knock Out?! Did they get fucking Thanos Snapped out of existence?!

Answer: They saw how horrendous this show is, so they packed their shit and never came back. They would’ve been ruined if they returned.