A wounded Spike is turned into an Autobot Frankenstein's monster to save his life.
Autobot Spike (Japanese title: "Frankenstein Spike") is the first episode of the second season of The Transformers and is the seventh episode in The Transformers series overall. It is overall the seventeenth episode of the G1 Era of Transformers.
Detailed synopsis[]
The Autobots gather around Sparkplug's worktable in Autobot Headquarters for a demonstration. Using spare parts and human ingenuity, Sparkplug has cobbled together a large robot he has dubbed Autobot X, and with a flip of a switch sets him loose. He immediately runs amok -- groaning, growling and smashing everything in sight. It takes Trailbreaker, Prowl and Ironhide to bring him down. Sparkplug apologizes to Optimus Prime for the mess and recommends Autobot X be put in storage.
Before this can be done, the party is interrupted by an alarm. Decepticons are attacking the new Air Force rocket base. The Autobots roll out to the base and engage the Decepticons. During the battle, the rockets and their fuel are inadvertently destroyed, and Megatron orders a retreat.
To cover their escape, Megatron creates a diversion for the Autobots; he blasts Bumblebee while Spike Witwicky is riding in him. The attack leaves Bumblebee damaged and Spike comatose. Spike is taken to Metro Hospital, where the doctors suggest that if Spike's mind could be transferred somewhere else, they would be able to operate on his fragile body.
Wheeljack and Sparkplug transfer Spike's mind into Autobot X's body, hence the name Autobot Spike. However, as a side effect of the transferral process, Spike's mind is in an extremely unstable state. Angry and confused about his new body, Autobot Spike rampages, destroying several computers and machines in Wheeljack's shop.
Optimus Prime is able to subdue Autobot Spike without damaging his mind. To keep Spike calm, Wheeljack tunes Teletraan I to a television station, where cruel Fate just happens to have scheduled an airing of the movie Frankenstein. Spike is roused to anger, convinced he is a "monster," and begins to rampage again throughout the Ark, and then he escapes. Bumblebee leaves afterwards to look for his best friend and help him.
Alone in the wilderness, Spike suffers from the conflict between his own mind and what there is of Autobot X. Will he use his new body and powers to help the world like Optimus Prime, or conquer all Humanity? Bumblebee arrives and tries to get Spike to come to his senses but failed.
At least he's not a Headmaster.
Laserbeak informs Megatron of Spike's new Autobot body and unstable mind, and Megatron forms a plan to trick Autobot Spike into destroying the Autobots. Megatron soon finds Spike with Reflector's help. Autobot Spike attacks, but Megatron has other plans. Spike's unstable mind makes it hard for him to think, and he is easily twisted by Megatron to side with him against the Autobots. However, little did Spike and the Decepticons know, Bumblebee heard everything and left to go get his fellow Autobots for help.
After finding his friends, Bumblebee informs Optimus Prime that Megatron is telling lies to Spike and he's starting to believe him, which he feared would happen. Bumblebee brings the Autobots to Spike's location, but they are unable to fight against the vengeful being for fear of destroying Spike's mind. Only after Autobot Spike shoots his father off the edge of a cliff does he realize what he has done. At once, he saves his father and turns on the Decepticons.
Finally, Spike's mind is returned to his human body after the surgical operation is successfully completed. And Bumblebee asks what it would be like to transfer an Autobot's brain into a human body.
Spike will never be placed in a robot's body again. Never?
Stats[]
Original airdate: September 23th, 1985
Written by: Donald F. Glut
Featured Characters[]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Regulars
Guests
|
On TV
|
Notable quotes[]
"Wow! It's like some kind of robot Frankenstein Monster!"
"Franken-what, Spike?"
"Aw, it'd take too long to explain, Bumblebee."
- —Spike and Bumblebee. Upon Autobot X's unveiling.
"Another Autobot? Even if it works, who needs it?"
- —Ratchet is a 1984 purist.
"He's not supposed to do that!"
- —Sparkplug referring to Autobot X destroying Autobot Headquarters.
"So you Decepticreeps like to fly, eh? Well, take off!"
- —Brawn after kicking Soundwave.
"Hmmm... If only there were a way of separating Spike's mind from his body while we work..."
- —Spike's doctor clumsily moves the narrative along within earshot of Autobot X's creator.
"He wants a battle--let's give him one!"
- —Starscream, referring to the now-mechanized Spike.
"I must say, you've improved your appearance since our last encounter, Spike!"
- —Megatron, upon meeting Spike in Autobot form.
Notes[]
Animation and/or technical glitches[]
- Not much to report.
Continuity errors[]
- Pretty clean, actually.
Transformers references[]
- The three Reflector components, while speaking in unison, refer to themselves as "I".
Real-world references[]
- Autobot Spike watches the movie Frankenstein. Nice going Wheeljack...have an unstable guy who's a patchwork of parts watch a movie about a monster who is a patchwork of parts. That won't cause problems.
Miscellaneous trivia[]
- When Optimus Prime tries to subdue Autobot X/Spike, he fires his ion blaster from his shoulder, like an RPG launcher.
- Ratchet is standing behind Wheeljack when Wheeljack "volunteers" him to help improve Autobot X. Ratchet has a comical surprised reaction to the news.
- Other than Fire on the Mountain, this was the last episode of the original series broadcasted in order on the Hub.
