Transformers: Prime - ''Scrapheap''

Spoiler Level: High

Wow, now this was a fun episode!  And I have to give credit where it's due-- the human kids, Jack, Miko & Raf, work really well in this episode.

The Autobots have found something Cybertronian buried in the arctic, so they bring it back to base.  And something starts to make its way out...

Wandering the base, Raf meets a cute little  robot critter, and instantly befriends it.  He still has it with him when he sees the rest of the Autobots, who immediately freak out like elephants confronted with a mouse.  The scene is humorous enough on its own to begin with... of course we know the little robopet is not going to be all that it seems, but I was expecting a Tribble homage or something.

But then the cute little bugger sprouts rows and rows of sharp pointy teeth and starts tearing into the Autobots like a buzzsaw!  "Oh, it's just a cute little bunny!" my daughter called out, imitating John Cleese in Holy Grail.

It totally shocked the heck out of me, and yet I should have seen it coming from the moment they called it a Scraplet!  I've read the original G1 comics, and I definitely read the Scraplet issues, but (shame on me) I had absolutely no memory of it.  So instead of being a Tribble knock-off, this episode was bringing a comic book element to the screen, something that I always love.  So this show gets mega bonus points for that touch.

And wow, was it done well.  Hearing Bulkhead describe how they devour Transformers from the inside out was down right horrific.  Counter that with Bulkhead screaming like a little girl when the lights go out, and you have a balance between terror and humor worthy of Peter David or Robert Shearman.

Miko's assertion that "because we're not metal, the Scraplets can't hurt us" seems pretty flawed to me.  I mean, look at those metal teeth!  If those critters wanted to hurt humans, they obviously could; but luckily for them, they only want to eat metal. I would imagine that human flesh would be pretty nasty to them.  So it's not that the Scraplets can't hurt them so much as they won't hurt them.  Therefore the humans actually serve a very useful purpose in this episode-- rather than being the hindrance I usually accuse them of being, they were the only ones who could save the Autobots.  That's a good, balanced portrayal.

All in all, this may have been the best episode yet.

As of this writing, this episode is still available to watch for free at http://www.hubworld.com/transformers/shows/prime/videos.