The Thrill of the Hunt
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 Sadly, no tumbleweeds. | |||||||||
| "The Thrill of the Hunt" | |||||||||
| Season | 1 | ||||||||
| No. in season | 7 | ||||||||
| Production company | Cartoon Network Studios | ||||||||
| Airdate | January 19, 2008 | ||||||||
| Written by | Andrew Robinson | ||||||||
| Directed by | Ben Jones Shunji Oga | ||||||||
| Animation studio | The Answer Studio | ||||||||
| Continuity | Animated cartoon continuity | ||||||||
 Watch this episode on YouTube
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While the Autobots encounter a mysterious muscle car creating havoc in Detroit, Ratchet keeps flashing back to his "tour of duty" in the Great Autobot-Decepticon Wars.
Contents |
Synopsis
While debating the ethical dilemma of an auto parts store with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, Ratchet's old war wound tingles, making him think that trouble's ahead. Just then, the lights in the city go out, and the trio is confronted by a spiked muscle car with red headlamps. Thinking it's a human out for a joyride, the Autobots go after the car. At a critical moment in the chase, Ratchet experiences a flashback to his days in the Great War...
Field tech Ratchet is in the middle of a war zone with a Decepticon barrage falling down around him. Communicating with Supreme Commander Ultra Magnus, he says he found the object of his mission, an Autobot intelligence officer named Arcee. She is badly damaged and in need of immediate repair. Ratchet uses his EMP generator to deactivate her temporarily, allowing him to replace her leg, despite Arcee's concern that the EMP could wipe her memory core.
Ratchet flashes back into the present and is nearly run over by the muscle car, but is pushed out of the way by Bumblebee. The Autobots regroup at headquarters and Optimus inquires of Ratchet's well-being, but the crusty old bot doesn't want to talk. Meanwhile, the TV news is broadcasting a live, high-speed chase between the police and the strange car, and Ratchet experiences another flashback.
In the middle of the repair to Arcee, Ratchet loads her up and starts to evacuate the area, only to be caught and smacked down by a bounty hunter.
Ratchet's thoughts are snapped back into the present as the Autobots begin the chase after the muscle car anew. Ratchet finally recognizes the muscle car as an old nemesis, Lockdown. The past haunts him again...
Ratchet and Arcee are now prisoners of Lockdown, who explains his work as a bounty hunter and his lack of allegiance to either side in the war. He also says he has a fondness for taking weapons and parts from his quarry as trophies and upgrades. This time, he's taken Ratchet's EMP generator.
Flash-forward to the present, where Prime finally forces Lockdown to stop. The bounty hunter incapacitates Prime with the EMP weapon, and they both disappear. In his hideout, Lockdown explains to a tied-up Optimus Prime about the bounty on his head for killing Megatron. Optimus explains that he didn't kill the Decepticon, but Lockdown doesn't care as long as he gets his bounty. Then he gets to work on removing Prime's grapplers and installing them in his own body.
The Autobots scan the city for Prime, but don't have much luck until Prowl finds that Lockdown's ship is sitting in the middle of the old downtown area, cloaked as an ordinary warehouse. Before they roll out, Ratchet refuses to join the rescue mission, though without explanation.
Finished with his chop job on Optimus, Lockdown converses with Blitzwing, who is evidently the one who put the price on Prime's head. Lockdown requests payment, but Blitzwing wants results first. If those satisfy him, then the upgrade reward will satisfy Lockdown. The Autobots arrive at Lockdown's ship and attack. Lockdown dispatches Bulkhead and Bumblebee without much trouble. Prowl is a bit harder for Lockdown to handle until the bounty hunter drops him with an EMP blast. Before he can take any more trophies, Ratchet arrives and confronts Lockdown. The bounty hunter recognizes the old bot as the source of his EMP generator, and Ratchet vows that he'll never take another trophy again, but the medic too falls to the EMP. However, when Lockdown thinks he's beaten the doc-bot, Ratchet reveals he was playing dead, being immune to the effects of his own weapon, and throws Lockdown around with his magnetic powers, knocking him unconscious. Inside Lockdown's ship, Ratchet finds Prime and frees him, but Lockdown—himself "playing possum" after Ratchet's attack—stops them from leaving. Ratchet takes him out again, and once the bounty hunter's pinned down, Ratchet forcibly removes the parts Lockdown stole from Prime. He remarks that he would have used his EMP generator to remove them painlessly, but he no longer has it. Lockdown offers to return the generator if Ratchet will use it. The act brings on another flashback.
In order to avoid interrogation from Megatron, Arcee asks Ratchet to use his EMP generator on her to wipe her memory core, which contains critical access codes for the Autobots. When Ratchet and Lockdown struggle for the device, it overloads and goes off. Ratchet and Arcee leave Lockdown's ship just before some part of it detonates, but when Ratchet inquires of her condition, Arcee doesn't know who she is or where they are, a result of the EMP blast.
In the present, Ratchet mockingly asks Lockdown if he wants the generator to ease his pain, while Lockdown tightens his grip on a rod. As Ratchet moves to take the EMP generator back, Lockdown prepares to strike, but Ratchet hits Lockdown with a magnetic blast before he can do so. Ratchet denounces Lockdown for turning a medical tool into a weapon and zaps Lockdown's ship. He then escapes with Optimus as the ship crashes into a river.
Back at headquarters, Ratchet repairs Prime's grapplers and then finally opens up to Optimus about his war experiences.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
Ratchet: Augh, it's primitive. It's barbaric. There ought to be a law against it!
Optimus Prime: It's just an auto supply store, Ratchet.
Ratchet: You mean they actually sell spare parts on the open market? What kind of malfunction would be crass enough to buy this stuff?
Bumblebee: Hey, guys, check out my new horn!
- —Evidently, Bumblebee is crass enough.
Optimus Prime: You two okay?
(Ratchet shoves Bumblebee off of him)
Ratchet: We're FINE!
Bumblebee: You call that fine? You FROZE up like a crankcase in December!!
Ratchet: I did not FREEZE UP! Must've been a... glitch in my systems.
- —Sure it was, Ratchet. It wasn't like you had a flashback recalling a traumatizing event caused by the very car that nearly slagged you just then...
Hothead Blitzwing: You have Optimus Prime? Hand him over at once! That Autobot will pay for what he did to our leader!
Lockdown: Yeah, speaking of payment, I'm gonna need mine first.
Icy Blitzwing: Patience, my bounty-hunting friend. You will not be disappointed with your upgrades, provided I am not disappointed with your results.
Random Blitzwing: Ooooh! I wanna see him turn into a fire truck! Can I? Can I, ha-ha, can I? Ahahahahahahahaha!
- —Blitzwing, Blitzwing and Blitzwing negotiate with Lockdown.
"I'm impressed. It's been eons since the last time anyone got the drop on me."
"The next time will be much sooner!"
- —Lockdown and Prowl engage in some foreshadowing.
"I'm not good with names and faces, but I never forget a trophy."
- —Lockdown, best buddy of Kraven and the Predator.
"Time was I'd use my EMP generator to do this painlessly. Too bad I don't have it anymore."
- —Ratchet, right before ripping Prime's grapplers out of Lockdown's arm, forgetting that children are watching.
"How're you healing?"
"Arm's as good as new, thanks to you."
"That wasn't what I meant."
"Let's just say I have a much better appreciation for what you went through back in the day and why you don't wanna remember it."
"It's not that I don't want to remember. I have to remember… for those who can't."
"Still, I don't suppose it hurts to talk about it sometimes… with a trusted friend."
"So, what do you wanna know?"
- —Ratchet and Optimus Prime
Notes
Transformers references
- Bumblebee's new horn plays the traditional melody of the phrase "Ro-bots in Dis-guise"!
- Due to being an unaligned Transformer, the insignia on Lockdown's chest resembles a Generation 1 rubsign.
Real-world References
- Ratchet's line, "Don't call me sir. I work for a living," is a common sentiment of sergeants and other non-commissioned officers in the armed forces.
- Ratchet's other line, "I'm a medibot, not a field commander!" is based on Doctor McCoy's oft-repeated line from Star Trek, "I'm a doctor not a…".
Animation errors
- After Bulkhead says "Hey no fair!" Ratchet transforms into robot mode and skids on the ground. At that point, Ratchet's pupils are black, but when he stops skidding, they turn white.
- Blitzwing changes from Hothead to Icy personality abruptly and without either a transition animation or a sound effect.
- Bumblebee's face is colored black before Lockdown can hack off his stingers.
- When Lockdown attaches his "hook hand", part of his neck is coloured white instead of black.
Continuity errors
- During the news broadcast sequence, if the EMP is enough to shut off the lights in Lockdown's wake, how are the pursuing police vehicles not affected? Is he just projecting the EMP out to both sides?
- Lockdown manages to get out from under a car dropped on him from a height by Ratchet, but is helplessly pinned under a shelf.
Trivia
- This episode reveals how the right half of Ratchet's chevron got broken and why his left arm has a missing piece. Both were caused by Lockdown. However, it would seem that it wasn't the first time his chevron snapped off.
- Susan Blu reprises her role of Arcee from the Generation 1 cartoon series.
- This is the first episode in which we see Animated Cybertron, albeit in a flashback.
- This is also the first episode to not feature any of the main human cast.
- This episode refuted fans who had worried the series would be too kid-oriented, as it features a heavy atmosphere, themes of guilt and post-traumatic stress, suggested torture, and one of the good guys inflicting quite obvious pain on the villain for no real reason beyond revenge.
- As Prime and Ratchet talk at the end, you hear the saddest rendition of "More than Meets The Eye" ever.
- Prowl's wheels make the same noise as Lockdown's chainsaw.
- Blitzwing's face-swapping feature makes a different noise in this episode than in other episodes.
Foreign localization
French
- Title: "L'instinct du chasseur" ("The Hunter's instinct")
- Original airdate: ???
German
Italian
- Title: "Il Brivido della Caccia" ("The Thrill of the Hunt")
- Original airdate: 8 November 2008
Spanish (Latin America)
Japanese
- Title: "Nuguenai Kioku" (ぬぐえない記憶, "Unwipeable Memories")
- Original airdate: 1 May 2010
- Ratchet does the intro
- Cut: Optimus and Bumblebee suggests that Ratchet should go out a little more.
- Cut: Ratchet and Bumblebee's small argument after Lockdown gets away.
- Cut: Ratchet and Optimus' short conversation before Optimus goes to check on the monitor
- Cut: Optimus assuring a civilian that insurance will take care of his dented truck.
- Cut: Ratchet explains to the rest of the Autobots who Lockdown is.
- Cut: A few seconds of the Autobots with no luck of finding Optimus before Prowl finally figures out where Lockdown's hideout is.
- Cut: Ratchet and Lockdown's short conversation before Lockdown hits Ratchet with the EMP Generator.
- Cut: Ratchet painfully tears off one of Lockdown's stolen trophies
- The Otoboto family segment has Hiroyuki holding a "Trans-quiz" with Tatsuya and Yūka (Yūka rather reluctant at the silliness of it). Questions include: what was Optimus' other name when G1 aired in Japan in 1985 (A: Convoy); and what was the name of the game that was released on the Famicom in 1986 (A: Convoy no Nazo, answered by Megumi). Megumi tells Hiroyuki that he has a phone call and Hiroyuki promptly asks "Are you Bill Gates?", along with several questions in near-perfect English, before leaving the living room and his family mystified.
Polish
- Title: "Gorączka polowania" ("The Thrill of the Hunt")
- Original airdate: ???
Portuguese
- Title: "A Vibração da Caçada" ("The Thrill of the Hunt")
- Original airdate: ???
Home video releases
- DVD
2008 — Transformers Animated — Season One (Paramount) — English and Spanish audio.
2008 — Transformers Animated — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2008 — Transformers Animated — Volume One: Blast from the Past (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2008 — Transformers Animated — Volume Eins: Drachenkämpfer (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2010 — Transformers Animated — Vol. 2 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.
2013 — Transformers Animated — Season One (Madman Entertainment)
2014 — Transformers Animated — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
