My Review of Transformers: Animated season 2 episode 4-Garbage In, Garbage Out · 2:15am May 24th, 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, everyone! Here is my review of season 2 episode 4, "Garbage In, Garbage Out"! I must say that I was really happy to see a new character in this series when this aired in 2008 as I watched. However, it is not just any new character... it is the legendary Transformer character by the name of Wreck-Gar voiced by none other than "Weird Al" Yankovic! This is probably his secondary appearance following his debut in the 1986 film "The Transformers: The Movie", and ever since I watched this version of Wreck-Gar, I really liked him a lot. Plus, this show was my introduction to the character, and he remains to be the only version I like.
I really liked they brought in Weird Al to voice him considering the fact he sung the song "Dare to Be Stupid" in the movie. Heck, he even referenced that song by directly quoting the phrase itself in this episode! Pure respect to the writers for that G1 callback. Cheese Sandwich, meet your Cybertronian twin brother!
He literally made this episode an amazing one to watch and a highly amusing episode. In fact, I liked the approach they made for him: a new robot created by the Allspark fragment who has no idea who he is and what his purpose in life is. Then he looks at himself and sees he's a garbage truck filled with garbage and is constantly derided by people as a reckless walking pile of garbage. Thus, he is given the name of Wreck-Gar for short (as said by Angry Archer).
Outside of the guest star and his character, the episode was really great as it focused also on the character of Ratchet. He struggled to be a kind and polite old mech despite his natural grumpiness and rudeness. It was a perfect way for him to develop as a character once he crossed paths with Wreck-Gar, complete polar opposites of each other. Ratchet is cold and moody whereas Wreck-Gar is bubbly and warm.
Especially during the ending, we learn that it is important to decide for ourselves who we want to be in life and never allow anyone to discourage us or tell us otherwise. It is up to us what we decide to become as we grow up. I really admire that moral.
The only flaw this episode had is the weird animation. As the show progressed, the animation started to slowly decline little by little. Don't worry, it gets worse by season 3 which I will talk more in depth in the future. Besides that, this episode was great. I give it an A-.
Peace!
Personally, I liked the G1 Wreck-Gar better.
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I know this is irrelevant to your comment, but I just realized today was the day this show ended (May 23rd 2009). Oh, the feels!!! I still wish we got a fourth season. I miss this show so much.
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(Pat shoulder)
It's finally time to talk about one of my favorite characters in Animated. Everybody. Check-gar, Wreck-Gar. However since the episode also has some interesting stuff to talk about, it would be a shame if I didn't say anything about it. Time to look at all the junk and see the treasure.
1. Originally, the creators wanted Eric Idle to play Wreck-Gar, as he was the original voice for his Generation 1 namesake. As Idle was busy with the production of Spamalot, Weird Al was selected instead.
2. Wreck-Gar's head is an old-fashioned portable TV set, complete with channel selection dials, antenna and a handle for transport. As art director/character designer Derrick J. Wyatt has admitted to being heavily influenced by Gainax shows, this may well be a visual cue to FLCL, along with the resemblance to the original Wreck-Gar's head and his "TV talk" persona. Plus, in the music video for "Dare To Be Stupid", Weird Al's head turns into a TV at one point.
3. Wreck-Gar's line "I dare to be stupid!" is something of a double-callout, as the Weird Al song "Dare to Be Stupid" was featured in the original Transformers movie during the battle against the Junkions, and Wreck-Gar himself is voiced by Al.
4. Speaking of Al, did you know Al himself has been an accordion player since the age of 7? That's why Wreck-Gar pulls out an accordion in a later episode.
5. Transformers Animated story editor Marty Isenberg stated in an interview that the idea of a garbage bin that Wreck-Gar can pull anything out of was inspired by comedian, Harpo Marx.
6. Among the things that Wreck-Gar throws at Ratchet and Bumblebee when they meet is a motorcycle resembling the alt mode of the original Wreck-Gar.
7. Weird Al stated in a Q&A at BotCon 2009 that Wreck-Gar ended up working with Detroit's sanitation committee. Sounds like he's living the American dream!
8. Wreck-Gar interprets Lugnut's incoming rocket punch as an invitation to a high five, and he happily delivers the universal greeting. Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong.
9. The Animated incarnations of Spike and Carly, who made a cameo in the pilot episode, reappear with speaking lines and even get their names called out. In the process, Corey Burton reprises his post-Movie voice for the adult Spike Witwicky.
10. Remember when I explained why Laserbeak wasn't in Soundwave's debut episode? The same thing with Lugnut's battle mace. Derrick Wyatt and Marty Isenberg admitted at BotCon 2008 that they didn't know that Lugnut's toy had the battle mace, as it was a Hasbro creation. Once they learned of its existence, they slipped it into season 2, and it makes its only appearance in this episode.
11. Even Megatron gets annoyed by Lugnut's constant worshipping. Sound familiar? (cough)Beast Wars Inferno.
12. In an interview, Derrick J. Wyatt revealed that during "Weird Al" Yankovic's recording session for Animated, Tom Kenny wasn't scheduled to show up, but came anyway just so he could introduce his son to Weird Al. Dawwwwww.
And finally...
13. Did you know that Wreck-Gar is the mascot of a cereal called Garbage-O's? Here's a link to the archived site.Do you dare to be stupid? Ingredients include: dilithium, iron filings, scrith starch, chakan oil, budianskium basil, protocultured yeast, grated gears, chemical X, janick jaAm, m'kraan crystal salt, heinlein honey, melange extract, and aluminum mallard. It also has 17% dalekium.
Update: here’s something I forgot to include last night that I think you might enjoy.