To impress a girl who likes him, Jack is challenged to a race against a school bully. However, while Jack's willing to enter the world of street-racing, Arcee isn't...but Bumblebee is. Meanwhile, Knockout is being pressured by Starscream to continue his work on repairing Megatron...and is annoyed that their doctor keeps taking time off to go street racing.
Tropes:
- Acting Unnatural: Miko and Raf's attempts to lie to Optimus. He isn't fooled.
- Alien Arts Are Appreciated: Knockout likes street racing, even though he dislikes humans.
- Big Sister Instinct:Arcee: 'Bee, do not engage. Your first priority is to keep Jack safe...*murmurs* until I get my hands on him.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: Starscream's punishment to Knockout, rather than seriously punish him, he just scratches his chest build. Knockout and Breakdown both consider it terrible.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Just as it seems like Knockout is about to get away with his hostage, Prime shows up, rips off his door, rescues the human hostage, and chases the Decepticon away. All in barely a minute.
- Disappointed in You: Optimus doesn't sound too happy about seeing the Autobots this time around, and they all show it.Optimus: We must first get this boy to safety. Explanations can come later... from all of you.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Knock Out runs a guy off the road for keying his vehicle mode."You scratch my paint, I scratch yours."
- A Father to His Men: Optimus comes in to save the day when the Autobots need him most...and acts like a disappointed father shortly afterward (as they did all sneak out without his permission).
- Fascinating Eyebrow: Optimus' response to Miko and Raf's Acting Unnatural is to do this, utterly unconvinced.
- It's Personal: When Jack wants to race just to impress Sierra, Arcee refuses. When Vince calls Arcee ugly, though...Arcee: That's it! The Yahoo's going down!
[...]
Arcee: Winning isn't enough, Jack. You want to make him cry. - Major Injury Underreaction: When Optimus rips out Knock Out's door. He only complains about how hard to replace it is, like it's torn clothing and not an injury.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: Knock Out's reaction to Starscream's "cosmetic" punishment. Maybe not so much of an overreaction, seeing as Breakdown also winces when he watches it happen.
- Mistaken Identity: Jack (correctly) assumes that Knockout took Vince because he thought that Vince was Jack... and he was targeting Jack because he thought that Jack was "Bumblebee's human friend" (Raf). Justified in that the Decepticons don't spend enough time around humans to be able to distinguish one from the other.
- Mugging the Monster: The drag racer who scratched Knockout's paint job gets driven off a cliff.
- Oh, Crap!: Knock Out got one when Starscream tells him that his punishment will be "cosmetic."
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Starscream to Knock Out on his rank:Starscream: It. Is. LORD!
- Save the Villain: Vince isn't as bad as the Decepticons, but he's a school bully who goes out of his way to humiliate Jack in front of his crush. But, when Knockout mistakes him for one of the Autobots' human allies, he kidnaps him to lure the Autobots into a trap and has to be rescued by Prime. He's unconscious when rescued, and never thanks Jack for saving him. Nor does he stop bullying him, as later episodes show.
- Stealth Insult:Starscream: The day our master emerges from stasis, I will graciously relinquish the title. But I believe that outcome is unlikely - something to do with the quality of the medical care around here...
- Took a Third Option: Jack can't compete in Vince's race without Arcee, but Vince will decimate his social life (and chances with Sierra) if he doesn't show. What does he do? Ask Bumblebee to race with him instead.
