Bulkhead and Arcee (with Jack and Miko tagging along) are investigating an old Decepticon mine, which may still have traces of Energon. Miko, being herself, decides to run in and explore the mine. Bulkhead runs in after her, and Arcee (after some convincing from Jack) agrees that they'll help get Miko. Seconds after they enter, Megatron and Starscream arrive, much to Starscream's worry and confusion. Megatron simply tells him to move it, and they enter.
The two Autobot teams explore the mine, with Miko having fun as she plays with the echoes. Megatron finally reveals why they're there; he's known the whole time about Starscream's attempts to take over, such as the mine, where he's been hoarding Energon for his own personal use. Unbeknownst to them, Jack and Arcee are nearby, watching. Just as Starscream is about to be killed, he sees them and shouts. The resulting fight causes a cave in that buries everyone but Starscream (who flew out in time) to be buried in rock.
Starscream debates simply flying back (celebrating Megatron's demise), only to realize that Megatron has survived way worse, and that he's probably still online. He decides to go and try to save Megatron, as his saving Megs' life will give him a reason to keep him around.
Miko wakes up, and finds that she and Bulk are stuck in a cavern with a weakened ceiling, which is only being held up by Bulkhead. Miko starts trying to dig them out, but Bulkhead tells her it isn't worth it; there's no fresh air, and she'll use it all up faster if she exerts herself. She doesn't listen, focusing on helping Bulkhead.
Jack wakes up with Arcee nowhere nearby, but he manages to find a Decepticon drill. With a small effort, he gets it working, and uses it to start tunneling around, looking for his friends. After drilling through one rock, he finds Megatron, who's still alive. Megatron tells him to simply end it. Jack refuses, saying killing Megatron while he's defenseless isn't what Optimus would do. He hops on the drill and continues his search.
Miko is growing exhausted and losing air, while Bulkhead's arms are starting to give out. He has Miko bang on his foot with a rock, trying to alert Arcee. She does so, and they hear drilling, thinking it's Arcee...only for Starscream (looking for Megatron) to enter the cavern.
He starts toying with them, mocking Bulkhead for his predicament while threatening and trying to catch Miko. Bulkhead manages to kick him in the face. Before Starscream can do harm to either of them, Jack bursts through the wall with the drill, knocking down Starscream. Bulkhead yells at Miko to go, which she tearfully does. She keeps insisting they save Bulkhead, only to finally agree to leave the caves when Jack admits that Megatron is there.
Starscream continues to toy with Bulkhead, telling how he'll be rewarded for bringing in an Autobot prisoner...only for Arcee to arrive and put a gun to his helm. She gets him to raise his arms (now holding up the cave ceiling) while she and Bulk leave. Megatron later digs himself free and finds Starscream holding up the ceiling and begging for mercy.
Now outside the caves, the four return home, wondering if they should've killed Megatron when they could. Jack insists that it isn't what Optimus would have done.
Tropes:
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: As he faces the business end of Megatron's cannon, Starscream actively grovels on his knees, crawling for his life.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: Starscream menacing Miko For the Evulz, as Bulkhead tries to support the ceiling. (Doesn't stop Bulkhead from kicking Starscream in the face for it.)
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Miko asks Bulkhead if he got out of the cave-in okay. She turns and sees him holding up the cave ceiling.Bulkhead: Peachy
- Atlas Pose: Bulkhead. Later Starscream.
- Berserk Button: Megatron is rather soft-spoken when berating Starscream and trying to kill him, but not when 'Screamer brazenly lies to his face.Megatron: DO NOT TAKE ME FOR A FOOL, STARSCREAM!
- Big Damn Heroes: When Jack pilots the drill into the chamber, he rams it into Starscream and saves Miko. Then later Arcee to Bulkhead when he was trapped with Starscream.
- Blatant Lies: Starscream insists that he wasn't hording energon for himself immediately after Megatron literally ripped a piece of it from the mine.
- Boring Insult: Megatron to Starscream. He claims to have put up with Starscream attempting to overthrow him numerous times because he took amusement in his failures, but by this episode things had started to bore him and he is no longer considered useful. If not for Arcee and Jack being spotted, he would have executed Starscream right there.
- Bottle Episode: The entire episode takes place in an Energon mine, and Arcee, Bulkhead, Jack, Miko, Megatron, and Starscream are the only characters to appear.
- Character Development: To Miko's credit, after this episode she's a little better about running into danger.
- Dirty Coward: As per usual with Starscream, he attempts to abandon Megatron in the fight against Arcee under the cave.Megatron: STARSCREAM! YOU DARE ABANDON ME?!
- Double Meaning: The episode title refers to someone at their lowest point of status, as well as a bottom of a pit or cave.
- Everyone Knew Already: Despite Starscream's lies, Megatron already knew that he has been hording energon for himself even before the Space Bridge incident. Thanks to Soundwave being his most loyal spy, he also knows that Starscream took his Dark Energon shard in an attempt to finish him off, and later tried to create his own undead army, linking his recently replaced arm to the fiasco.
- Hold Your Hippogriffs: The kids have picked up some Cybertronian vocabulary. Namely, the word "scrap" note
- Honor Before Reason: Jack passing up the opportunity to finish a trapped Megatron with the drill. He asserts that Optimus would never do that, which is why he won't.
- Hope Spot:Miko: Arcee found us!(the wall bursts open to reveal...)Starscream: Ah hahahaha! Put any doubt of my allegiance to rest! (seeing Bulkhead and Miko) Huh?
- Hypocritical Humor: Starscream when Bulkhead remains defiant against him."Er... yes, begging for mercy would be quite pathetic, wouldn't it?"
- Hypocrisy Nod: See Hypocritical Humor. Judging by his intonation, Starscream is perfectly aware of his hypocrisy in this moment.
- Idiot Ball: So even with all the information he just amassed of how much of an unreliable, dishonest backstabber Starscream is, even after putting a Fusion Cannon to his head and preparing to blow him away — Megatron is still surprised Starscream won't hesitate to abandon him at the first opportunity? Even after giving out Starscream-centered plot summaries of "Masters and Students", "Sick Mind" and "Shadowzone"?
- A small one for Starscream. He tries to explain that all energon has been extracted from the mine so he could later have it for himself. To Megatron. Who is a former miner.
- Ironic Echo: "Well, now who has hit rock bottom?"
- It Amused Me: Megatron claims he only kept Starscream around this whole time as a court jester.Megatron: "The fact is, Starscream, despite your treachery, I've allowed you to carry on this long because I took a certain delight in following your string of failures."
- Kick the Dog: Starscream takes the time to menace Miko in a distinctly creepy way, just because Bulkhead can't protect her.
- Load-Bearing Hero: Bulkhead for most of the episode.
- Made of Iron: While it makes sense that Miko would be okay (because Bulkhead protected her during the cave-in), Jack (despite falling a significant height onto a rocky floor) is totally fine.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Miko gets shades of this when she and Bulkhead get trapped in the cave which is not only short on air, Bulkhead is straining to prevent the ceiling from crashing down on top of them, then Starscream just happens to bust into where they are. She nearly got them both killed because of her impulsiveness.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Miko running into the cave got the Autobots into the rocky dilemma they face in this episode, and by extension the reason Megatron doesn't have time to blow off Starscream's head. Whether it's Miko's fault for being impulsive or Bulkhead's fault for being negligent to stop Miko is your call.
- No Man Left Behind: Miko insists on trying to dig out of the cave to save Bulkhead, even though she knows that exerting herself in this way will waste oxygen and diminish her own chances of survival.
- Not Afraid to Die: Megatron goads Jack to finish him off.
- Oblivious Mockery: "If you think I'm gonna beg for mercy, Starscream, forget it!"
- Oh, Crap!: Starscream's expression clearly reads this when he hears Arcee's blaster charging up behind him.
- Papa Wolf: It doesn't matter if Bulkhead has his hands full; you threaten Miko, you're not gonna get away with it. Starscream learns this the hard way when Bulk kicks him in the face.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Starscream is quite delighted over the thought of Megatron dying in the cave-in, but then he remembers that the guy has already survived substantially worse than that. Between that and the likelihood that the other Decepticons would eventually arrive to look for Megatron, an annoyed Starscream resigns himself to trying to look good by rescuing him.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Megatron gives Starscream the mother of all dressing downs that encapsulates why 'Screamer has been allowed to get this far despite his constant scheming to overthrow him: it amused Megatron. Not only was he completely aware of Starscream's previous plots, he let them happen just to see them blow up in his face and it's only now that Starscream's gig has worn out its entertainment value and thus, Megs decides to terminate him.
- Revenge Before Reason: Megatron opens fire at Arcee... in an underground cave that's hundreds of feet under the surface and densely thick in rocks.
- Sarcasm Mode: Jack's reaction to Miko's anger that her one of her favorite bands almost never comes to the U.S.Jack: There's a shock. I mean, who doesn't love obscure Bulgarian shriek metal?
- Save the Villain: Starscream is only saved from being blasted to death by Megatron by Arcee's unexpected arrival. Unlike most examples this was by accident.
- Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred!: When Jack accidentally uncovers Megatron trapped in rubble, Megatron knows that getting help from him is out of the question and instead taunts him to use his giant drill to kill him. But Jack refuses because he knows that it isn't what Optimus would do.Megatron: Well, what are you waiting for? Think of the glory—seize the day! Optimus would.
Jack: No, he wouldn't. Not like this. [turns the drill around and leaves]
Megatron: I will be sure to share the details of our little conversation with Optimus—the day I rip out his spark! - Single Tear: Miko when having to leave Bulkhead behind.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Bulkhead and Miko when the former's arms start to give out from the strain.
- Title Drop: Twice.
- Megatron to Starscream, metaphorically, when he criticizes how Starscream's failed underhandedness has grown stale.Megatron: You've finally become tiresome... predictable. You've hit rock bottom.
- Then Starscream to Megatron, literally, when he escapes the cave-in.Starscream: "Predictable", master? Is that what you called me? Well, now who has hit rock bottom.
- Megatron to Starscream, metaphorically, when he criticizes how Starscream's failed underhandedness has grown stale.
- Villain Ball: Starscream could've quite easily finished off Miko and left Bulkhead for dead, but he opted to drag out menacing her and gloating. He got a drill in the face and Arcee's blaster pointed at him for his trouble.
- Villainous Valor: Megatron confronting the possibility of his own death, at the hands of a human of all things, doesn't scare him in the slightest.
- What Would Optimus Prime Do?Megatron: Well, what are you waiting for? Think of the glory! Seize the day! Optimus would.Jack: No. He wouldn't.
- What You Are in the Dark: Most noticeably Starscream and Jack. Starscream has a chance to abandon Megatron to death yet again, but concludes that he's just going to survive somehow and he might as well take the chance to get on Megatron's good side. Jack finds Megatron at his mercy while piloting a giant Drill Tank and while Megatron says that Jack may as well finish him now, for glory, Jack knows it's not how Optimus rolls.
- Would Hurt a Child: Megatron was clearly aiming for Jack with his fusion cannon, but fortunately Arcee is able to grab her partner before the blast hits.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: What Megatron says to Starscream before intending to open fire, only to be distracted by Arcee and Jack stumbling onto the scene.
