Decoy (episode)

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Staring contests last a lot longer when you don't have the ability to blink.
"Decoy"
Season	1
No. in season	8
Production company	Entertainment One Nickelodeon
Airdate	November 11, 2022 (Paramount+) February 24, 2023 (Nickelodeon)
Writers	Isabel Galupo
Director	Alex Kwan
Animation studio	Icon Creative Studio
Watch this episode on Paramount+

While the Maltos train with Arcee, an encounter with rogue cassette-bots puts Optimus and Megatron at odds.

Synopsis

A bird in the hand...

At an abandoned factory, Ravage is being pursued by Optimus Prime, attempting to recover the ID badge she stole from Agent Schloder. While Prime fires futilely at the wily Decepticon, Megatron is similarly engaged nearby with Laserbeak, who swoops in to take the badge from Ravage. Though Megatron manages to momentarily incapacitate Laserbeak, he's interrupted by the arrival of Frenzy, who lands a sneak attack and grabs the badge before escaping into the nearby forest. As they begin searching for her, Optimus chastises Megatron for going easy on the criminals, but Megatron rebukes him, claiming the theft to be just a childish prank and that the cassette-bots are harmless. As Optimus finally grabs Frenzy, she and the other cassette-bots unleash their Tri-Tone ability, creating powerful sonic waves that overwhelm Optimus and Megatron's sensors. Now free, the three resume harassing the two faction leaders, with Megatron refusing to use his fusion cannon on the small bots.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee is attempting to teach the Terrans about using decoys. Unfortunately, Thrash and Twitch fundamentally misunderstand the concept, leading them to simply begin fighting and claiming they each "decoyed" the other. Back at the farm, Bumblebee once again attempts to explain the use of a decoy to distract an enemy, inadvertently rhyming and leading Robby and Mo to turn the the lesson into a song:

"Draw the enemy's eye away; Then boom-bang! Ruin their day!"

However, they're interrupted as Mo receives a phone call from Optimus, asking her to let Bumblebee know his comms aren't working—and he needs backup. The Terrans are eager to join the fight, but Bumblebee declares they're not ready and that someone more experienced—by which he means himself—will need to go. Just as he says this, the group receives an unexpected visitor: Arcee, who's stopped by to check up on Bumblebee. The others are awestruck by Arcee, having heard the stories of her many adventures, while Bumblebee, seeing an opportunity, decides Arcee will be their substitute teacher for the day and drives off. Though momentarily confused, Arcee quickly takes to her new role and gives the four her first lesson: digging trenches.

As Bumblebee arrives, he finds Optimus and Megatron continuing to struggle against the nimble cassette-bots, causing heavy destruction to the factory. Optimus chastises Bumblebee for not sending someone else, worrying about questions that may arise if G.H.O.S.T. discovers he is alive. Fortunately, Bumblebee packed some spare restraining bolts and uses them to catch Frenzy and Ravage, mode locking them in cassette mode and placing them in Optimus's trailer. Megatron retrieves Laserbeak, but refuses to place the last restraining bolt on him, finding its use inhumane, and places him inside with the others. As Bumblebee bolts Laserbeak, Megatron questions G.H.O.S.T.'s treatment of the Decepticons to Optimus, who reminds him of the bargain G.H.O.S.T. made with the Cybertronians and the oath he took, but Megatron declares he wanted to save their people, not imprison them. Their debate is ultimately interrupted by Bumblebee, who reminds them they should be going.

As the exhausted Terrans and humans finally finish digging the trenches, Arcee compliments them on their good work...then tells them to fill the trenches again. This leads to a series of increasingly mundane tasks given by Arcee to the students, including perimeter patrol, hay-stacking, and tractor-polishing, increasingly grating on their nerves. Finally, Twitch has had enough and refuses to continue, with her siblings agreeing and pointing out how much better Bumblebee's instruction was. Arcee stares at them sternly...then laughs, telling them they finally passed her test. Seeing their confusion, Arcee explains that she was trying to teach the kids to speak up if something doesn't feel right, lest they allow others to take advantage of them. When Robby lets slip that the reason Arcee was subbing was because Bumblebee was heading on a mission, Arcee decides that they should all follow.

Things remain tense as Optimus and Megatron transport the prisoners, continuing to debate G.H.O.S.T.'s trustworthiness, with Bumblebee attempting to lighten the mood with stories of training the Terrans. Unbeknownst to any of them, Laserbeak manages to send out a distress signal, and an unknown figure appears behind the convoy as they enter a tunnel, releasing an electromagnetic pulse that disables the restraining bolts. Now freed, the cassette-bots burst from the trailer and regroup with the figure, revealed to be their master, Soundwave. The Decepticon orders the cassette-bots to attack Megatron, leaving him to square off against the three alone while Optimus and Bumblebee attempt to fight Soundwave off. The two Autobots are quickly overwhelmed, but help arrives in the form of Arcee and the Maltos. As the Terrans help Megatron, Bumblebee is knocked off a cliff by Soundwave, and his arm becomes trapped under a boulder at the bottom, rendering him immobile. Soundwave transforms to jet mode to finish the trapped Autobot, but is prevented by Arcee, who grabs onto him and forces him to land. Optimus and Megatron follow him down, with Megatron attacking his vengeful former subordinate, while Arcee frees Bumblebee and he runs off to protect the kids.

Back at the top of the cliff, the cassette bots unleash their Tri-Tone attack, putting the Maltos on the back foot. Robby exclaims they need something to block out the sound, prompting Mo to begin singing their song from earlier. As the others join in, even the cassette-bots can't help but sing along with the catchy tune, giving the Terrans an opening to attack. While each cassette-bot is occupied with a different opponent, Bumblebee catches all three off guard, taking them down in short order. Down below, Megatron is temporarily caught off guard by Soundwave calling him a traitor, but he is saved from an oncoming blast by Optimus, and the two reaffirm their commitment to protecting all Cybertronians. Now in sync, Optimus and Megatron work together to overpower Soundwave, as Arcee delivers the final blow and knocks him out.

As the prisoners are loaded into Optimus's trailer, Arcee excitedly talks about all the exciting drills and lessons she intends to put the kids through, but Bumblebee reaffirms that she was just a substitute and that teaching them is his responsibility. Arcee grins; that was Bumblebee's test, and he just passed as well. Optimus congratulates Bumblebee on a job well done, though he still orders Bumblebee to write up a full field report as punishment for disobeying orders. As the others drive off, Megatron thanks Optimus for having his back and apologizes for what he said. Optimus too apologizes, agreeing to release the cassette-bots if Megatron will vouch for them. Megatron destroys the restraining bolts, warning the cassette-bots not to waste this lone second chance they are being given. As they retreat, Ravage runs back in the opposite direction despite Frenzy's protests.

Later at G.H.O.S.T.'s holding facility, Soundwave is placed in containment. Upon being left alone, he declares the decoy operation was successful and uses his sonic pulses to create a small gap in his cell's barrier...as Ravage emerges from his chest and leaps right through it. Given reconnaissance orders by Soundwave, she takes off, observed with glee by the occupant of the next cell: Starscream!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Field report: Twitch still hasn't fallen for my amazing decoy. Fluffy Ears remains cute."
"And a horrible source of cover."

—Thrash attempts to show off his stealthiness to Bumblebee.

(sigh) "I miss adults."

—Bumblebee needs a break from teaching.

"Optimus, does it not concern you that our human allies control where Decepticons live and what form they take, even in so-called times of peace? This is not freedom."

—Megatron calls out Mr. "Freedom is part of my catchphrase" on Decepticon rights.

Megatron: Hah!
Optimus: Something funny to you, Megatron?
Megatron: Just that you cannot trust G.H.O.S.T. with the knowledge of your own scout, yet you are content to deliver every Decepticon you encounter into their hands!
Bumblebee: ...doesn't actually sound like he thinks that's funny.

(hums decoy song) "Curse that annoyingly catchy tune!"

—Even the mighty Megatron isn't immune to ear worms.

"Do not make this personal, Soundwave!"
"It already is."

—No love lost between Megatron and Soundwave.

"What even is a cassette anyway?"

—Robby makes all the old-school fans age another 30 years with just one line.

"Perhaps your leadership style is not so different from my own..."
"Or maybe you're growing to appreciate mine."

—Megatron and Optimus, ro-bros for life.

Notes

Continuity notes

• Both Soundwave and Starscream were previously shown among Megatron's troops in Alex's story back in "Secret Legacy, Part 1"; this is the first time we're getting a look at their "real-world" designs.
• Soundwave's cassettes were mentioned in passing in the previous episode.
• Also from the previous episode, the raccoon that accosted Bumblebee has taken up residence on an old tractor at the Maltos'.
• Optimus tells Bumblebee to update Teletraan-1 with his report, which was last seen in G.H.O.S.T. HQ in "Classified". Considering G.H.O.S.T. isn't supposed to know Bumblebee is alive, that, uh...may be a little tricky.
• G.H.O.S.T.'s Decepticon holding facility was first introduced in "Classified".
• Starscream sports red optics in his brief appearance at the end of the episode, yet all subsequent appearances thus far have shown him to have blue optics- even in flashbacks. What significance this has, if any, is unknown for now.

Transformers references

• Though Soundwave no longer transforms into a tape deck, his minions all retain the (very large) cassette alternate modes of their Generation 1 counterparts; even Robby comments on their dated nature.
• Starscream is voiced by Steve Blum, who previously portrayed a different Starscream in the Prime and Robots in Disguise cartoons.

Real-world references

Animation and technical errors

Trivia

• This episode marks the first appearance of a female incarnation of Frenzy (and decked out in purple, dodging the whole red/blue thing). Notably, she appears on her own rather than accompanied by her usual counterpart Rumble.
• Ravage infiltrating G.H.O.S.T. for Soundwave and Starscream remains unresolved, outside of Swindle referencing an "original plan" while breaking out in "What Dwells Within". A deleted scene for "Warzone", uploaded by storyboard artist Stephanie Ressler, revealed that Ravage was to steal a remote for Starscream that would open Shockwave's stasis pod to attack Megatron when he is at the Spacebridge Memorial Park for the anniversary of war's end.^[1]

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Le leurre" ("The Bait")
• Original airdate: December 7, 2022

German

• Title: "Köder"
• Original airdate: December 7, 2022

Hungarian

• Title: "Csalétek" ("Bait")
• Original airdate: December 7, 2022
  • Though given a high-pitched voice, Frenzy is a male in this dub.

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "Armadilha" ("Trap")
• Original airdate: December 23, 2022

Italian

• Title: "L'esca" ("The lure")
• Original airdate: November 11, 2022

Home video releases

DVD

2023 — Transformers: EarthSpark - Season 1: Episodes 1-10 (Paramount)