From kendrick@io.com Mon Nov 13 14:57:15 CST 1995
Article: 25951 of alt.toys.transformers
Path: news.io.com!io.com!not-for-mail
From: kendrick@io.com (Kendrick Kerwin Chua)
Newsgroups: alt.toys.transformers
Subject: TF Weekday 11/10 - Dweller in the Depths
Date: 13 Nov 1995 14:29:43 -0600
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TF Weekday Nov 10 1995 - Dweller in the Depths

The EI/AD: Trans-organics, the Quintessons' first attempt at sentient
slaves, are the evil inventions for this episode.

The plot: A rival group of Quintessons plots vengeance as the Autobots
install a new power core on Cybertron. A three-headed Quint scientist
recounts the legend of trans-organic experiments, until now regarded only
as legend by the Quintessons. They trick the Decepticons into exploring
the depths of Cybertron, presumably for the power core. Instead they
uncover the trans-organic lab, and release tons of cyborg monstrosities.
The Quints plan to allow the trans-organics to destroy the Transformers
and then take over. Destruction of the monster who destroyed one of the
three-faced Quintessons heads is only a side benefit.  Followed by the
Autobots, both sides face down an energy parasite, which turns robots into
energy vampires. The only ones to escape that are Magnus, Arcee, and
Galvatron. While the leech eats up energy and tunnels towards the new
power core on the surface, Magnus and Arcee run to Perceptor, vampires hot
on their heels. Perceptor recognizes their condition as a unique form of
energy deprivation, and zaps them all to normal. The normalized Autobots
chase off the normalized Decepticons. As the leech attaches itself to the
power core, the Autobots activate the emergency safety, launching the
core into deep space. Coincidentally, it happens to hit the Quintesson
ship, and the leech consumes the Quintessons. The Autobots struggle
without a regular power source, and the Decepticons run away.

The characters: What a poor excuse to get the Transformers into a horror
setting, even if it is a good story. Which means, of course, that you
have Magnus and Arcee in the stock roles of big hulking guy and poor
defenseless woman against hordes of red-eyed monsters. Which also means
that the only character who gets to show off any uniqueness at all is
Perceptor, who's stuck in the genius scientist role of the horror movie
(gee, imagine that.) Nice characterization with the three-headed Quint
though, who actually gets to think about personal vengeance and
achievement over the forwarding of Quintesson goals.

The plot holes: I wish there were a better explanation of why the
trans-organics existed, and why they were so idiotically useless. More to
the point, I wish there were a better explanation of why there's this
rogue group of Quintessons running around making deals, and why none of
them happen to have five faces. The energy vampire element is cheap but
effective, even if it's totally implausible.
   But the biggest hole... Are we to presume that Cybertron has an
interior of stone and organic spooge? Vector Sigma is supposedly at the
center of Cybertron, and the trans-organics were stuck at the bottom of a
shaft that 'led nowhere' as far as anybody could remember. So just where
do we get all these walls covered in pumice and slime?

Moving pictures: Nice metal surfaces, like they had in Nightmare Planet,
but everybody is way out of proportion and the transforms are rather
stale. Check out Kup's transform when he tries to rescue Arcee from the
leech's net; he more morphs into his truck mode than actually rearranging
parts like we're used to. Cool scenes of Galvatron running around in the
stone tunnels, reminiscent of the Galvatron we see during the Unicron
story arc in the U.S. comic. Check out Magnus' huge nose as he runs down
the corridors too, that's a strange detail.

The cuts: Can't tell. Second time I've seen this episode. And the first
time I was flipping back and forth between it and Voltron on the other
indy channel. :)

Toys they should reissue: Anybody ready for a new Perceptor in laboratory
grade black and chrome? Yes, I know I keep saying that, but I think
there'd really be a market for the 'smart guy.' You know, it's the old
Spock syndrome, where the smart character gets really popular for some
strange reason (probably because people secretly long to be intelligent,
despite their intellectual failings.)

Quotables:
"Can this be... the end... of little Wreck-Gar?"

KKC, now has a Junkion character on a certain TF MUSH called Tinker-Bel,
which explains why we've been seeing nothing but Junkion quotables
lately. :)
--
Kendrick Kerwin Chua - "London? You put the Eiffel Tower back... in London?!"
kendrick@io.com - WTB: 1980s Transformers, US and Japanese, and GIJoe figures
Necronomcon FAQ home page at http://www.io.com/~kendrick/necronomicon or anon
FTP at io.com:/pub/usr/kendrick -Personal home at http://www.io.com/~kendrick