When the aliens detect distortions to the time stream on Earth, they send their new emissary Tigerhawk to put an end to the Predacon threat once and for all.
Tropes featured:
- 11th-Hour Ranger: Tigertron and Airazor rejoin the Maximals as Tigerhawk right before the series' penultimate episode, owing to an interesting application of The Bus Came Back.
- Abandon Ship: Ahead of Tigerhawk's arrival, the Predacon Base's systems get knocked off-line, leaving them completely defenseless. Megatron has no choice but to order an evacuation, with the base destroyed mere moments after they all get outside.
- Book Ends: This episode parallels the third episode of the series, "The Web", with a particular focus on Tarantulas:
- Both episodes involve Tarantulas capturing a cat-bot Maximal and has him put on a giant spider web in his lair to perform all sorts of acts of evil on them.
- In both episodes, Cheetor is doing recon near the Predacon base and he was bested by Tarantulas, the difference here is that he was not Tarantulas' main target and thus, the spider leaves him alone after neutralizing him.
- Tarantulas's lair is blown up both times by him misfiring on something, but this time Tarantulas explodes with it and is gone for good.
- A rescue of Maximal captured by Tarantulas involving Cheetor: the first time with him as the victim, here with Cheetor as the rescuer.
- Interestingly, this is the third-to-last episode of the series, completing the parallel.
- Season Three opened with the Maximals losing the Axalon. Now it's the Predacons' turn, as they lose the Darksyde leading into the series finale.
- The Bus Came Back: Played with. Tigertron and Airazor's sparks return after being captured by the Vok back in season 2. Their sparks enter Tigerhawk's body at the end of the episode and they become a new individual.
- Call-Back: Tigerhawk greets Optimus politely, saying the Vok know him well.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: This is why Optimus is forced to intervene to stop Tigerhawk from killing Megatron. Under normal circumstances, the Maximals would gladly stand aside and let Megatron finally get his well-deserved fate. But because of the events of the preceding episode, Megatron's now carrying the spark of G1 Megatron. If Tigerhawk kills him, it'll set off another timestorm that could wipe out Cybertron as they know it.
- Chunky Salsa Rule: Tarantulas's demise is gloriously explosive, and a sign that he's gone for good this time.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Tigerhawk defeats ALL of the Predacons. The only reason Megatron offers any resistance is because he stops using his Elemental Powers, and even then his weaponry still easily shoots down Megatron.
- Didn't See That Coming: Rattrap's response to Optimus wanting to help Megatron.
- Dramatic Irony:
- The Vok send Tigerhawk to kill Megatron to prevent him from causing any more damage to the time stream. Unbeknownst to the Vok, Megatron is carrying the spark of his G1 counterpart; killing him would only cause more damage to the timeline.
- Earlier in the season Megatron had acquired the Maximal's original Sentinel security system, making any attempt by them to attack the Predacon base requiring them to get around that. After being unused all season (since the Maximals had no chance to go on the offensive) it finally is activated only for Tigerhawk's arrival to immediately short out Sentinel and its shield as he destroys the base, making Megatron's successful theft of it pointless.
- EMP: The radiation from Tigerhawk's arrival is so intense that it has this effect on several base systems, most pressingly the Sentinel shield.
- Foreshadowing: An image of the Nemesis is seen on Tarantulas’ computer, which turns out to be very significant to the forthcoming Grand Finale.
- Played for laughs, but both during Quickstrike’s trial and Tigerhawk’s attack Waspinator is showing signs of being annoyed with constantly being blown up.
- Fusion Dance: The Vok use their advanced abilities to combine Tigertron and Airazor's bodies to form Tigerhawk. Tigertron and Airazor's Sparks both merge and take control of their post-fusion body once Tarantulas extracts the Vok possessing Tigerhawk.
- Good News, Bad News: Waspinator is displeased to be sent packing by way of a Tigerhawk-generated tornado, but he says there is an upside: Inferno and Quickstrike being along for the ride instead of having to suffer abuse alone as per usual.Waspinator: At least this time, Waspinator has company!
- Improvised Cross: Tarantulas briefly crosses his fingers in a vain attempt to ward off the Vok after they leave Tigerhawk's body, impotently screaming at them to get away from him while he's at it.
- Judicial Wig: Megatron wears a white curly wig to go with the trial theme. He must have packed it along with his rubber ducky.
- Kangaroo Court: Quickstrike is put on trial for betraying Megatron and is given anything but a fair trial, even putting aside that he's obviously guilty. Waspinator is assigned to defend Quickstrike and his "defense" consists of stating that Megatron wants to execute Quickstrike for his betrayal, and that he's "down with that." He's only spared once Tigerhawk plummets towards the base.
- Killed Off for Real:
- Tarantulas is killed when he becomes victim to one of his own devices and explodes.
- The Darksyde is also destroyed — and with it Sentinel.
- Left Hanging: With only two episodes left in the series after this one, the true nature of the Vok and their intentions with Earth are never explained. The true origins of Tarantulas and the Tripredacus Council are likewise left up in the air.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Quickstrike didn't know Tarantuls' true plan last episode and he's just as pissed at the spider as Megatron.
- Loud Gulp: Quickstrike in response to Rampage and Dinobot II declaring the verdict by pointing guns at him.
- Meaningless Villain Victory: This episode effectively makes the Predacons' victory of acquiring Sentinel in "Changing Of the Guard" this, since Tigerhawk effortlessly takes down the system and destroys the Predacon base before Megatron ever had the chance to use it against the Maximals. And even before that, it was already a meaningless victory as the Predacons' constant attacks on the Ark all Season-long prevented the Maximals from ever going on the offensive.
- No Sympathy: Rattrap is unsurprisingly unmoved by the Predacon Base's destruction and the curb-stomping the Preds get from Tigerhawk. He's surprised no one else wants to high-five over it.
- Poor Communication Kills: The Vok have gained respect for Primal after his heroics against Megatron so the Vok in Tigerhawk is initially not hostile and implies the Vok wish to talk things over with him, but only after he's allowed to terminate Megatron and drops Primal into a hole in the ground when he protests before letting him explain why (Megatron has G1 Megatron's spark in him). As a result the Vok is inadvertently destroyed by Tarantulas and any hope of Primal getting any answers with them.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Megatron is fine with having Quickstrike executed, but with the latest alien threat, he opts to spare him instead in order to have one more body to throw at whatever's coming.
- Raised Hand of Survival: For trying to interfere, Tigerhawk traps Optimus in the ground. After everyone else has departed the area, Optimus does this.
- Self-Disposing Villain: Both Tarantulas and the Vok REALLY beefed it in this episode. When Tarantulas extracts the Vok from Tigerhawk, they respond by moving into Tarantulas instead. When he tries shooting them, the bullets just go through them and hit the extraction device, causing it to malfunction and pin him and the invading Vok to his lab's power supply, which then proceeds to explode. All that remains of Tarantulas or the Vok is the Predacon's Smouldering Shoes.
- Skewed Priorities: Rattrap enjoys watching the Predacons get curb-stomped by Tigerhawk, only for Optimus to point out the inherent danger of Megatron being destroyed while carrying the Decepticon leader's Spark. Given the Vok's past aggression against all of them, Blackarachnia also points out the possibility of Tigerhawk paying them a visit next.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Tarantulas's opinion of the Vok.Tarantulas: A small name for so arrogant a race.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Quickstrike over Waspinator being his defense attorney. And that's before he hears the so-called defense.
- Trash the Set: The Predacons' base is destroyed, just before the Grand Finale.
- Wham Episode: The Predacon base is destroyed, and mainstay villain Tarantulas meets his fate.
- Villainous Valor: Megatron is awestruck at Tigerhawk’s immense power, and the sheer ease at which his own forces are taken out. Doesn’t stop him from engaging Tigerhawk himself when he’s challenged directly, and making it clear he won’t go down easily.
- What Have I Become?: After Tigatron and Airazor's Sparks take control, Tigerhawk looks himself over and asks this.
- The Worf Effect: Tigerhawk effortlessly takes out Megatron and the rest of the Predacons all on his own. He's then easily disabled by Tarantulas's spider drones (albeit when they mount a sneak attack after Tarantulas has likely had time to study Tigerhawk and come up with a plan).
- You're Insane!: Tigerhawk to Tarantulas. The latter gleefully doesn't deny it.
