Transformers: Prime suffers its first setback with “Darkness Rising, Part 3,” an episode which is disjointed and suffers from an overload of extroverted personalities. There are some enjoyable moments tucked into the mix, however, the end result is a subpar installment.

The episode opens strongly with a brief sequence in which we see the Autobots bonding with their new human charges. Arcee takes Jack on a thrilling drive — allowing him to enjoy the experience “without getting shot at.” Mika and Bulkhead go off-roading, fueling Mika’s thirst for extreme adventure. Bumblebee and Raf play a video game. It’s a short, but important character sequence, demonstrating how close the Autobots and humans are becoming.

From here, the episode launches into another strong sequence when the “infected” piece of machinery from the previous episode attacks Ratchet, only to be blasted and stomped into spare parts by Optimus Prime. This sequence is also a success, reestablishing the element of danger in the series.

From here, though, the episode begins to falter. Megatron heads off on some secret mission — as do Optimus Prime and Ratchet. The departure of the Autobots leads to an attempt at humor that doesn’t work quite as well as intended. Arcee is left in charge of the base, but she inexplicably heads off on a recon mission with Bumblebee, leaving Bulkhead to look after the humans. We’re then treated to Mika’s “jam session” and an appearance of Agent Fowler.

These scenes highlight some of the important aspects of the humans’ characters such as Mika’s love of everything loud and Fowler’s almost fanatic desire to protect humans — once he discovers the presence of Mika, Jack and Raf at the Autobot base. But the scene isn’t especially entertaining.

Fowler leaves and is abducted by Starscream. Raf then somehow manages to hack into the government’s top secret security tracking systems and Bulkhead heads off to rescue Fowler, unwillingly joined by Mika. Jack and Raf follow, leaving the base utterly empty, concluding the misguided running gag of leaving the base with someone else in charge.

The best part of these scenes comes from the action scene in which Fowler’s helicopter is attacked by one of Soundwave’s drones. The choreography is solid and Fowler’s character manages some fun one-liners. But the developments from the kids are just too much of an overload of the most overt parts of their personalities — Raf being way too much of a wiz and hacking the governments systems, Jack rushing off like he’s a hero, Mika being way too enthusiastic. These are good parts of their characters, but they needed to be in smaller measure (or at least, only ramp up one of them at a time).

Starscream’s interrogation of Fowler is also a bit … odd. Fowler is strung up by chains and I find it strange at best that Starscream would be so … delicate … with such an “inconsequential” creature. True, Starscream actually tortures Fowler with Energon, but one has to wonder just what Starscream expects out of the confrontation. In any event, Bulkhead calls for reinforcements … and he gets Jack and Raf, leaving the resolution of the matter to the next episode.

The rest of the story provides a bit of a history lesson. Optimus Prime explains that in the ancient Cybertronian wars, battles were fought over Energon deposits on other planets. One such epic battle took place on ancient earth. And Prime believes Megatron will use his Dark Energon to reanimate the Transformer corpses left over from the battle. Which is precisely what Megs does. It’s interesting, but it’s not integrated all that well into the rest of the episode. Still, the sight of zombie Transformers is pretty cool and should pay some dividends down the road.

Overall Grade: C

On the whole, “Darkness Rising, Part 3” is an episode that is a cut below its predecessors. Transformers: Prime remains off to a strong start, but if it indulges too much in the overload of the kids, then it’ll be difficult for the series to maintain its momentum.

Topics: Agent Fowler, Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Jack, Megatron, Mika, Optimus Prime, Raf, Ratchet, Sci-Fi, Soundwave, Starscream, TV Reviews
Filed under: Prime

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