Master Blaster

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

During an attack on the Maximal base, Optimus is hit with a burrowing cyberbug that allows Quickstrike to take control of his body. Tarantulas and Quickstrike form an alliance in order to destroy the Ark and Megatron. Tarantulas convinces Megatron to use the spark of the original Megatron to upgrade himself as Optimus did. Once Megatron absorbs his namesake’s spark, Tarantulas has Optimus (controlled by Quickstrike) drop Megatron into the lava. Blackarachnia manages to stop Tarantulas, using her past knowledge of his work. After he was thought to have “died”, Megatron rises from the lava, having now become a gargantuan red fire breathing dragon.

Our Take

This is a busy hour that crams in a body-snatching plot, a secret alliance, and the biggest twist of the season, and somehow it mostly holds together. The Optimus-as-puppet stuff is fun, and the final reveal lands with real weight even if the animation budget shows its limits during the base attack. Worth your time, especially since the fallout carries straight into the endgame.