Transformers Prime: Season Two showed me that maybe there is something to watching an entire season back-to-back. I will readily admit I wasn’t a fan of the second season when it aired on Hub. The season is largely composed of stand-alone episodes following a simple formula: Decepticons hatch plot; unnecessary humans find some way to get captured/ make things worse; Autobots foil plot; Starscream whines; fin.
Watchable? Sure. But compared to the tighter scripting of the first season, it was a bit of a letdown. However, while the week between episodes is great for building tension, it absolutely kills the ability to make connections between episodes. Yes, there are still stand-alone episodes, but watching them in sequence revealed the smaller connections tying the entire season together better than I had originally thought.
Season Two begins with the aftermath of Unicron’s attack. The Chaos Bringer is defeated, but Optimus has lost his memory and reverted to his pre-Prime persona of Orion Pax. As the Autobots try to find a way to "reboot" Prime, Megatron plays up his friendship with Orion and tricks him into becoming a Decepticon. This eventually leads into the season’s main plotline, the search for a collection of ancient Cybertronian artifacts.
Even on a second watch, Transformers: Prime still doesn’t shake off the feeling that we’ve seen this all done before. The overarching plot trumps previous Transformers series in numerous ways, but at the same time, it is still a show about big robots hitting each other, so there’s only so much that can be done. Characters feel like they are stuck in status; even though they learn new things through their adventures, there’s very little in the way of character growth.
As much as I want to just write my issues off as me overthinking what is a "kids' show," the darker, "not your typical kids' show" themes make it hard to not want something more. Season Two takes a couple of really dark roads, which is incredibly enjoyable. Stories still boil down to the "White Hat/ Black Hat" mentality, but some of the twists and plotlines manage to make that basic concept something you’ll want to watch. If only there was more to it.
A second watch also revealed how quickly some of the larger plotlines are wrapped up. A couple of neat ideas are left on the table, but I wasn’t really disappointed since it beats having something drag on for longer than it should.
I did enjoy the opportunity to finally watch a season in HD. My cable company doesn’t offer an HD version of Hub, and I’d previously watched the series on DVD, so it was fun to see some of the smaller details I was missing. The difference between the DVD and Blu-ray versions isn’t massive, but the smaller details found in the HD transfer are worth the purchase.
Transformers Prime: Season Two ships with two extras: a Season Two retrospective panel and a Larry King interview with Peter Cullen. I’ll let you guess which of the two was my favorite.
The roundtable discussion features at least a dozen people representing all aspects of the Transformers: Prime universe. There are several members of the production crew, along with a few executives from Hasbro Studios. Considering how many people rotate into the panel, it is impressive to see that everyone is able to get their point across.
But it’s the "Optimus Prime: Up Close and Personal" that really makes it worth delving into the extras menu. Filmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2012, the thirty-minute panel is just pure magic. There are no massive revelations, but hearing someone discuss a character he’s been voicing since I was six is fascinating stuff.
Transformers Prime: Season Two isn’t terrible. It’s a great series and something Transformers fans should enjoy. I just wish the series would take that next step towards something bigger. It doesn’t have to be something as trauma-inducing as Transformers: The Movie (though that would be awesome), but there are plenty of animated shows out there that manage to aim towards a younger audience while aspiring to something bigger.
