Secrets of the Original Scripts, Part Five - the end of season 2!
Chris McFeely
interesting as it went on, as these are the final few episodes left to
do from season 2.
AUTO-BOP
- Poplock's name isn't hyphenated, so you know.
- Here's an odd one. The thug who tries to get rid of the Bop Crew,
voiced by Chris Latta, is named "Furg."
THE SEARCH FOR ALPHA TRION
- I don't think anyone contests the spelling of her name any more,
these days, but yes, the script does spell it "Elita One."
- Elita seems a lot happier that they've found the supply room in the
script. Rather than the calm "Excellent" she delivers in the finished
episode, the script calls for: "Excellent! Wonderful!"
- Unfortunately, this script proves not to shed any light on some
errors. Ironhide talks of guards at the spacebridge, but they aren't
any, and the script contains nothing more on the issue. Starscream's
first line after Elita's stasis field wears off is apparently a
response to some unspoken line, but that unspoken line is not in the
script, either.
Boo. I was hoping there'd be something interesting in this script,
like names for the two unnamed female Autobots.
THE GIRL WHO LOVED POWERGLIDE
Bugger all.
HOIST GOES HOLLYWOOD
The two movie stars are named Harold Edsel and Karen Fishook. This is
the only time Karen's last name is in the script, though, so I'd
wonder if it's not a typo and meant to be Fishhook, the correct
spelling of the actual fish-hooking object.
This amuses me - when Sunstreaker says, "Hey boys, we're gonna be
movie stars!" the word "boys" is in quote marks. There's no hint of
this in the way Corey Burton delivers the line, but a) he's mimicking
the director, who calls them "boys," and b) also seems to be kind
sarcastic, as if to say that they're not "boys" at all, being giant
robots and all. :)
While Harold Edsel is consistently referred to as Harold in the lines
of dialogue, whoever was writing this dialogue script up wasn't paying
attention. In the left column, identifying the speaker, he's
"Harrison." D'oh!
"Dash Jordon," not "Dash Jordan."
I hadn't noticed it in the episode until I read it in the script, but
when the first, harmless explosion goes off during the
spaceship-filming scene, the Autobots laugh, presumably because the
explosion is so pathetic. The director comments: "It's great, we'll
work it in!"
STARSCREAM'S BRIGADE
BigBot.Com has the ORIGINAL original script for this episode, and
there, its title is "Thirty Seconds Over Megatron." Well, it had
another working title too - this script labels it "The Mutiny of
Starscream!" Yes, with the exclamation mark.
In the finished episode, Prime describes the Decepticons' need for
energy as "incessant," while in the script, he calls it "insatiable."
The script contains no explanation for why the five Combaticons can
recharge with only four Transformers having been captured. The
original-original script, on BigBot.Com, however, did - Brawl didn't
recharge.
After Bruticus is formed, in the script, Megatron sums up his
feelings: "Uh oh!"
Oh jeez. The guy who wrote this up script must have half dozed off
towards the end. "Stunticons unite to form a mega-soar!" Lord.
THE REVENGE OF BRUTICUS
Between Onslaught's line about "planetary liberation" and Shockwave's
training session, Starscream utters: "Ad lib sounds of buffeting."
Before Prime gives the order for the Autobots to attack, Sideswipe
calls the Insecticons "home wreckers."
Apparently in response to Kickback's spitting out the wire he was
eating, a line from Shrapnel is dropped where he says: "Taste isn't
everything! Everything! Everything!" Two repetitions, too.
Prime gives the order for the Autobots to spread out, but it's dropped
in the finished episode.
When Tracks misses Shrapnel with his missiles, Shrapnel taunts:
"Missed me! Missed me!"
When Shockwave grabs onto Starscream out in space, Screamer's line is
cut short in the finished episode - "Let go, you lousy space-leech!"
When Onslaught starts to says "I can direct the course..." does it
sounds to you like he's in mid-sentence? If so, it's cause he is. In
the script, this is the second half of his sentence, with the first
half seeing him specifically state that the reason he can direct the
movement of Earth is because he's combined his "high tech missile
guidance systems" into the space bridge. Guidance systems, y'see.
When the Protectobots arrive, a woman in tears cries, "Our home! It
was chewed to shreds!" causing Blades to angrily proclaim, "I wish I
could get a piece of those mutants!"
Now THIS is interesting - throughout this script, Groove is named
"Cruiser"!
In the finished episode, there are two interrupted lines by
unidentified speakers - "A fire's broken out at the-" and "We got a
blaze that's-". Neither of these lines are in the script. They may
fall under the section of ad-libs that comes after Hot Spot helps the
farmer.
After Prime says, "The Earth is safe," Megatron adds - "Safe for OUR
control."
After Megatron says, "Goodbye, Bruticus!" Prime adds - "And good
riddance!" That's a rather un-Prime like thing to the say after the
destruction of a lifeform, so it's better it was dropped.
MASQUERADE
As Drag Strip and Dead End steal the generator, a soldier cries out,
"Secure the generator! Don't let them...!" prompting Dead End to
wonder, bored, "Why do you humans even bother?"
The guard's expository line about the world's most perfect ruby is not
in the script.
I think Allan Oppenheimer didn't catch what was supposed to be another
of Breakdown's mispronunciations - in the finished episode, Breakdown
says: "He's gonna jeopardize the mission!" but in the script, it
specifies that he was to say "jeaprodize." At first, I thought it was
just a typo, but the word is in quote marks, like Breakdown's other
mispronunciations.
After going on fire and being put out, Breakdown was to "whimper
unintelligibly."
At the beginning of act two, a very nifty little scene is dropped. In
the finished episode, Menasor just yells, "Destroy fake Stunticons!"
and that's it. But in the script, each of the Stunticons has something
to say afterward.
Drag Strip: Yes, we'll destroy them!
Wildrider: (cackling) With supreme pleasure!
Dead End: If you insist.
Breakdown: Murdalate them!
Motormaster: Rip 'em apart!
Menasor: Quiet! Confuse Menasor!
Another scene is dropped when Bumblebee and co. find the beaten up
Autobots. After Grapple says, "We'll be fine," it goes on...
Wheeljack: We just need a minute... to pull ourselves together...
Ratchet: You'll be okay... sooner than you think!
Hound: But not soon enough. We'll never get to Prime in time!
Tracks: They're on their own!
When Megatron is surprised that "Motormaster" has forgotten what the
weapon does already, Jazz thinks to himself, "He could be catchin'
on!"
The script has a problem with it - the 23rd page reprints text from
pages 10 and 11, from the scene where the Autobots wonder what the
Stunticons are up to. This isn't Metrodome's fault, though - on most
of the scripts, the page number is included as part of the original,
scanned text, and this page IS labelled 23. Someone at Sunbow screwed
up back in the day.
In response to the Autobots forming Menasor, the Stunticons (also
merged) utter "Ad-libbed groans and confusion." Menasor snaps: "No
talk! Confuse Menasor!" Another scene like this follows after Megatron
readies his cannon:
Wildrider: Destroy him, Menasor!
Drag Strip: And make it hurt!
Menasor: Stop talk! Confuse! Real Menasor... destroys!!
Following this, Windcharger screams as Menasor's sword hits the
Autobots, and he states that his circuits are shorted and that he
can't maintain the magnetic field, which is why they fall apart.
Megatron's line, "Ah yes, I believe I have my target!" comes before
Windcharger says this, and hence before Prime says "no needs for
disguises," instead of after it like in the finished episode.
B.O.T.
Oh, God. With the last few episodes, I'd skimmed the scripts before
sitting down to make these lists. I haven't look at this script at all
until now. B.O.T. = Worst. Episode. EVER.
Swindle's client is named "dictator" in the script. His accomplice
outside, who asks if she should "dust" Swindle, is identified as
"shadowy figure."
SNERK! When Roland makes his quip about lasers being dangerous, he is
described as sounding: "Smart-assed and smirking." Ah, swearing AND
alliteration!
Groove is STILL "Cruiser" in this script.
And that's it for "B.O.T." Thank goodness.
And that's it for season two! Metrodome's release of all of season 3/4
is in August, and I may just wind up doing this all over again!
Chris
David Minter
>
>STARSCREAM'S BRIGADE
>
>Oh jeez. The guy who wrote this up script must have half dozed off
>towards the end. "Stunticons unite to form a mega-soar!" Lord.
At least, it wasn't Mega-Sore.
>THE REVENGE OF BRUTICUS
>
>Between Onslaught's line about "planetary liberation" and Shockwave's
>training session, Starscream utters: "Ad lib sounds of buffeting."
So, Starscream is supposed to say... what? "MMMM! Chicken! OH!
Rolls! MUNCH! Mashed potatoes! *JAY SHERMAN'S EATING SOUND*"
>Before Prime gives the order for the Autobots to attack, Sideswipe
>calls the Insecticons "home wreckers."
The Wreckers?! :)
>Now THIS is interesting - throughout this script, Groove is named
>"Cruiser"!
Hmmm, did they not all have finalized names yet at that point?
Chris McFeely
> Rolls! MUNCH! Mashed potatoes! *JAY SHERMAN'S EATING SOUND*"
I considered making a joke like that, y'know, but thought the better
of it. ;)
> >Now THIS is interesting - throughout this script, Groove is named
> >"Cruiser"!
>
> Hmmm, did they not all have finalized names yet at that point?
It would appear not. I bunged it into google, and Tengu appears to
have made some posts about it in the past, saying it was in the show
bible, but it doesn't appear in the copy that's online, and the
information doesn't seem to have become exactly widespread.
Notably, though, Groove is never referred to by name *in dialogue* in
season 2, either in finished episodes, OR in scripts. It's just the
left column, identifying the speaker, that calls him Cruiser. He
wasn't actually referred to by name until, I believe, "The Return of
Optimus Prime." I'll be curious to see how long the "Cruiser" name
sticks around in the season 3 scripts before he gets named in
dialogue.
Chris
Shockwave 75
> At the beginning of act two, a very nifty little scene is dropped. In
> the finished episode, Menasor just yells, "Destroy fake Stunticons!"
> and that's it. But in the script, each of the Stunticons has something
> to say afterward.
>
> Drag Strip: Yes, we'll destroy them!
>
> Wildrider: (cackling) With supreme pleasure!
>
> Dead End: If you insist.
>
> Breakdown: Murdalate them!
>
> Motormaster: Rip 'em apart!
>
> Menasor: Quiet! Confuse Menasor!
>
I'm actually glad this was dropped. I've never been a fan of the idea
that the component bots can still speak individually while in merged
form.
I think it kind of goes against the whole point of s gestalt. If they
can still speak, and think individually, how can their minds be merged
to form the mind of the gestalt?