Transformers: Animated season 2 episode 1–The Elite Guard · 2:07am May 3rd, 2021
Grading Scale:
A (fantastic episode)
A- (an excellent episode with at least one flaw)
B+ (a great episode with a couple of flaws)
B (a good episode which still could have been better)
B- (a good episode with numerous flaws but still rewatchable)
C+ (a decent episode)
C (eh... it’s not terrible but not good either)
C- (it’s not worth rewatching although it does have good elements)
D+ (a bad episode with a few good things in it)
D (a really bad episode with wasted potential)
D- (a terrible episode with badly written characters and butchered moral)
F (horrible and unwatchable)
Greetings, folks. I am back once again with more Transformers: Animated reviews! This time, we are moving unto season 2 of the series now that I have covered season 1. Tonight, I will be reviewing the first episode of the season by the name of The Elite Guard. Now, this episode did a nice job properly introducing to us the Elite Guard—Ultra Magnus, Sentinel Prime, and Jazz. Not only will I talk of the overall quality through my subjective point of view but also express my thoughts on each member. So here we... go:
First of all, this episode was actually quite interesting in terms of seeing how Optimus and Sentinel reunite for the first time in years (or stellar cycles Cybertronishly speaking) and how they feel towards each other. This episode shows us how he was somewhat a pushover and allowed his rival to disrespect him and his team until he finally stood up for himself by telling him off, putting him in his place. This is one of those episodes that does a great job in handling Optimus’s character well.
Secondly, I really would love to know how the hell Megatron managed to recover so quickly after being nearly exploded from the previous finale. But that really isn’t an issue to me personally; it’s just something I’ve always wondered. Anyway, it was nice seeing him hide in a secret mining cave and scheme with his subordinates while keeping Isaac Sumdac prisoner for his own plans. Oh, it’s also interesting that they chose that same cave that we saw from the Nature Calls episode where Sari and Bumblebee fought off the space barnacles. That’s a nice callback!
Now, let’s talk about each of the Elite Guard members, shall we?
Let me be honest here: I really don’t love this version of Magnus that much. He has an awesome design and hammer though; outside of that, he has a boring personality, a stoic demeanor, does nothing much except exposition dumps with no emotion, activates his hammer whenever the plot demands it, and is rather dull. Overall, he’s a bland character in this series. Jeff Bennett was doing great voicing him, but I like him more as Prowl and Mixmaster than his other characters. Were they trying to make him the modern day Optimus Prime version or something?
Dear Primus, I always hated this motherfucker of a character. This smug-ass dipshit is the number one character I hated the most and always wanted to punch him in the face and tear off his everlasting fucking smirk. Geez, Townsend Coleman had to endure voicing his dialogue all this time, huh? I wonder if he hated his character too. For someone who was inspired by The Tick, he had a massive chin. Chinformers! Chins in Disguise!
Ahh, nice to see Phil LaMarr voicing this good character. Jazz was such a cool and wholesome Autobot in this series and was the only one who actually warmed up pretty well to Prime, his friends, and the humans. Although I’m not a big fan of Jazz in general, this version of the character was still very enjoyable to watch. His relationship with Prowl was likewise well-written as they are both Cyber-Ninjas.
Overall, this episode was both good and bad—bad because of Sentinel Prick. Nonetheless, the positives overcome the negatives in this episode. I give it a B+! It’s truly a great way to start this season. Oh, and the way this episode ended was a brilliant foreshadow of what will be revealed in the case of Sari Sumdac. 😉
Peace!
Here he comes, THE CRIMSON CHIN
Since were talking about the Elite Guard, I think it's only fitting to give each of them some time in spotlight, starting with the coolest cat ever created on Cybertron, Jazz.
That's better than what I call him...Shithead Prime
1. Phill LaMarr, Jazz's voice actor, has openly claimed he did not attempt to emulate the late Scatman Crothers, voice of the original Jazz from the Generation 1 cartoon, instead opting for a more low-key, calmer personality.
2. Jazz doesn't react at all to Bumblebee's summation that Sentinel's a glitch-head (all due respect). Maybe he's not getting much in the way of job satisfaction...
3. Jazz's vehicle mode is reminiscent of a Porsche 911.
And finally,
4. The Allspark Almanac II revealed that, had a fourth season of Animated gone into production, Jazz was to become part of the main cast, replacing Prowl, just as Ironhide was to take Bulkhead's place.
P.S. Sentinel Prick?
What is this?
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Explain.
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Like, who's the characters? And in overall what show is this about exactly? I never heard of it.
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Basic overview: Animated follows the adventures of a small crew of Autobots who come into possession of the all-powerful AllSpark artifact. Stranded on Earth and living among the population of Detroit, they face off against a series of human villains and their mighty Decepticon foes, who seek to possess the AllSpark. Though they were originally a lowly space bridge repair crew, these five Autobots must rise to their circumstances to deal with threats large and small. The show debuted on Cartoon Network in late 2007 and lasted for 3 seasons.
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Oh okay. Thanks for explaining that to me.