Transformers: EarthSpark Season 2

Not bowled over by the premiere.

Weirdly, I felt it was a little too action-packed. I like the show because of the family dynamics, and they only really leaned into that at the end.

Breakdown's vision of a family life with Aftermath was pretty funny. This isn't exactly a franchise known for goofy comedy.

While watching that annoying game of keep-away, I was like "Do you know what the Autobots need? Pockets." Seriously. They were making this a bigger crisis than it needed to be.

I expect the season will get better as it goes along. 2 1/2 stars.

Better.

The Quintessons had a better gimmick and design on the old show.

The stuff with Mo and her dad was corny but that's all right.

I like her telling Thrash she's sorry she got him into this and him telling her he's sorry she got him into this too.

Cute. 3 1/2 stars.

Shockwave retrieving the information on the drive is a no-brainer ending. It's a fucking drive. I like that it's enough to have Starscream compliment him.

Bots can change their alt-modes at will? This will be hella-convenient for the Hasbro toyline. Although perhaps not as convenient as the repaints the Autobots got in season 3 of Transformers Prime.

If this is so, Shockwave needs to change his vehicle mode. It looks weird. It is NOT very toyetic. I mean, I guess that shouldn't actually matter, but it DOES look weird.

Ravage's design is cool but if you think a giant panther turning into a giant cassette is lame, remember on the old show they inexplicably had a giant panther turning into a TINY cassette which made no fucking sense whatsoever.

Interesting episode. 3 1/2 stars.

Weird Al is a good choice for Cosmo, but I think Animated had the better idea in making him Wreck-Gar.

I should have seen Cosmo coming. The green and yellow spaceship was a dead giveaway.

The Malta stuff was kind of lame (even when it's enjoyable it's ALWAYS kind of lame) but that's normal.

I'll tell you, I loved the teaser. It was fascinating to see a Decepticon legit bartering with a human. It makes the world seem bigger and more believable. I also take note that when the Fair Maestro refuses to sell him the shard, he leaves. The Maltas, the supposed good guys, steal it instead. Of course they had a right to it, but the different behavior with a Decepticon and Autobot friendly Terrans was noted by me.

Cosmo seems to take Megatron being an Autobot in stride. If it were me, I'd have more questions. But that's Weird Al for you.

Pretty good. 4 stars.

When I saw Matt Wayne wrote this I was excited. He's amazing! This episode? Not so much.

Honestly, I would not like to be tied to Jawbreaker either. He's annoying.

I guess I didn't like the ending because it was totally predictable. Predictable stories aren't always bad, but this one grated.

Meh. 2 1/2 stars.

This is a good incarnation of Transformers. I can concede that.

But the thing is, even when you watch a GOOD Transformers cartoon it will inevitably make you cynical. Why is Spitfire a twin of Twitch? So the toyline will not have to create an expensive new sculpt and can simply repaint the Twitch toy as a variant. Whether it's a good show or not, I think it's damning that such a thing as maximizing merchandise profitability effects things like character designs and storytelling. I view not just most animation as an art form. I believe that about most works of fiction. Even GOOD Transformers cartoons veer far too close to commerce for me to feel anything but disgust over that fact.

I fucking HATE it when an actor in a movie or a producer calls it "product". It means they value the wrong things. Because of stuff like this I feel the Transformers franchise does as well.

Marvel movies get a lot of shit for supposedly not being cinema, and made by committee. And yet I don't think a single thing in them was decided to help a toyline, much less help a toyline be cheaper. I get that Marvel Movies have become fast food, and cater too much to the tastes of low-brow audiences. But I find that a fair way to make a movie, and a fair way to make art. Making art to sell merch? I don't find anything artistically pure about it. Making basic movies that most people without high standards will enjoy? Not a sin (although not exactly admirable either). Creating a villain for the sake of repaints and not having to use expensive new tooling? Not acceptable in any way.

I just realized this is the first time we've seen Bumblebee this season. I get that the show is about the Maltos, but Bumblebee, Optimus and Megatron are serious assets to the show, and should be used more.

I could have sworn Megatron had an Autobot insignia instead of a Decepticon one. I must be misremembering something.

Why is the cave water being stolen not brought up? It is never a problem for the rest of the season. So what was the point of it?

Do not confuse art and commerce, producers. They are two separate things, and should never be mixed. Commerce can FOLLOW art, but it should never GUIDE it. This episode put the franchise's biggest sins about that into sharp, unpleasant focus. 2 stars.

Technically, it's a good episode but it should not be occurring with an empathic family. There is no credible reason Spitfire wouldn't be automatically found out.

I also don't approve of what happened to Wheeljack. I understand Transformers is the franchise that kills robots. I don't have to like it. 3 stars.

It's a solid comedy episode. The comic timing in the climax is superb. But I question it being the penultimate episode of the first part of the season. Wheeljack DIED last episode. Shouldn't there be a funeral and shouldn't everybody be somber and bummed out? And considering nothing in the episode pinned it to a specific point in the season, they should have placed it BEFORE "Spitfire". Nothing would change except it wouldn't feel completely inappropriate.

Optimus, when Jawbreaker thinks your poses are lame, you need to rethink your life choices.

It was SO good. And the absolute wrong episode following Wheeljack's death. 4 stars.

URRRGH. I questioned killing off Wheeljack. I questioned them not mourning him. And if they had brought him back to life with everybody else at the end, I would have praised the series for not bothering to do that. Instead he feels like a loose end.

Shockwave allowing Robby to pass with the Emberstone in the first part sort of told us which way the wind was blowing with the rest of the Decepticons.

I also saw what was going to happen to Aftermath and Spitfire coming.

I don't mind Starscream as a villain. But him becoming a pure monster sort of lessens the episode where he bonded with Hashtag. I don't think this episode was worth that.

I will say I didn't like Robby's "inspirational speech". It used too many Franchise specific terms like "Emberstone" and "cave water" to sound credible. That's not how real people talk. It was the kind of insular monologue you'd see on Pokemon. It might mean something to the kids obsessed with the games and toys in the audience. But it leaves adults cold and confused. I wasn't exactly confused. But I'm adult. I WAS left cold.

I HATE insular franchise talk, and think it is the bane of all kiddie cartoons. But the truth is it's not just kiddie cartoons that engage in it. They just happen to be the worst offenders.

I really liked the first season. Am I a cynical asshole who must tear down everything he previously praised? Or am I merely hep to this show's tricks and they no longer impress me? Possibly I am viewing this while I'm in an off mood? No clue which of those things is it (or even if it IS one of those things) but I very much hope the next batch of episodes is better. And also do something about poor Wheeljack. 2 1/2 stars.