TRANSFORMERS.TV
Home /Cartoons /Generation 1 /S02E37
Generation 1S02E37Season 2 · 1985–86

Sea Change

Written by Douglas Booth · First aired 1985-11-20 · Production code 700-48

Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use

Synopsis

Seaspray helps an alien mermaid free her ocean world from a tyrannical Decepticon-built ruler.

Seaspray is pulling a water skiing Bumblebee around a lake, but Bumblebee wipes out while trying to jump a ramp. 'Bee decides to call it a day, as the first star comes out. Seaspray makes a wish on the star, but keeps it a secret, otherwise it won't come true.

Meanwhile, on another planet, the Tlalakans are all wishing for one thing... freedom from Deceptitran, who has enslaved them. He has developed a unique method of gathering energon by directly harvesting it from the Tlalakans themselves. However, the Tlalakans have finally had enough, and revolt. As his droids appear incapable of stopping them, Deceptitran sends out a distress signal.

Back on Earth, Seaspray is still wishing on stars, when he suddenly receives a signal. Heading back to the base, the two Autobots show it to Optimus Prime and Perceptor. Perceptor can't identify any specifics, but he is sure that it's a distress signal. Optimus sends the three in Cosmos, but the Autobot leader himself is too large to come. The Autobots depart, as Optimus wishes them luck. Before they reach the planet, Perceptor discovers that the distress signal is similar to ones intercepted during the Third Cybertron War. Seaspray suddenly realizes that they're responding to a distress signal intended for the Decepticons. Before they can abort, Deceptitran detects them, and orders the droids to open fire. As the Autobots emerge from the crash, the droids swoop in to finish the job, when the Tlalakans suddenly attack. Seaspray manages to save one, who calls herself Alana... and Seaspray appears a little shy.

Meanwhile, Astrotrain enters the planet's atmosphere and lands in the city. Megatron has come with Soundwave, Dirge, and Rumble to assist. After Deceptitran briefs Megatron on the situation, the Decepticons go Autobot hunting.

Meanwhile, the Autobots are being taken to the Well of Transformation, which the Tlalakans describe as the one secret that they have kept from Deceptitran. Unfortunately, a pair of droids have followed them in. Bumblebee downs one, while Seaspray throws another into the Well...where it dissolves. Alana explains that the Well dissolves the body, leaving only the lifeforce, which the Tlalakans use to change into whatever they want. Alana warns them not to get in, fearing that they will die just like the droid. After turning into a mermaid, Alana bids them farewell, blowing Seaspray a kiss. Bumblebee has to drag a babbling Seaspray out of the cave.

Heading to the river, the Autobots are discovered by Laserbeak, and the rest of the Decepticons swoop in. Seaspray transforms and takes the Autobots down the river—and right over the waterfall. Perceptor, Seaspray, and Cosmos are rescued by the Tlalakans, while Bumblebee is captured. The Autobots are taken to the Tlalakans underwater city, the only place that the Decepticons have not conquered. They meet Tlaloc, their king, who loans them some warriors to rescue Bumblebee and storm the city. However, Cosmos and Perceptor are too damaged. It's just Seaspray and his men. Er, mermen. After the mermen and Alana change back into humans, some of the mermen set bombs under the city, heralding the start of the attack. The Decepticons go to attack the Tlalakans, while Bumblebee activates a homing beam. He signals Seaspray, who rescues Bumblebee and damages Deceptitran. The Tlalakans withdraw, taking Bumblebee with them, while Seaspray and Alana go to the well. Unfortunately, Laserbeak follows Bumblebee underwater...

In the control room, Deceptitran is having a panic attack, causing Megatron to simply turn him off (why he doesn't do that with Starscream is beyond anyone's guess). Megatron receives a signal from Laserbeak, and promises to join their little friend in a short while...

In the forest, the Tlalakans are being chased by the droids, but manage to reach the Well of Transformation. Seaspray asks if Alana really believes he would die if he went in, but Alana points out that they're both machines. Feeling dejected, Seaspray resolves to go into the Well, as Alana cries out in horror. Believing him dead, Alana muses that she did love Seaspray...only for Seaspray to emerge as a blond muscle man, but with robot feet (and for some reason, still has his gargling voice). The two jump into the Well and change into merpeople. They discover that the city is under attack by the Decepticons, but Seaspray doesn't have any weapons systems as a merman. Spotting them, Megatron orders Rumble to follow. Rumble begins firing, only for his body to also be affected by the Well. Alana begins to tell Rumble to think of a big tree, or become lost. Rumble survives...as a tree. Seaspray resumes his old robot mode, while Alana takes one of her own, as a measure for fighting Decepticons, but she likes her color (guess what it is). On the surface, Seaspray and Alana head to the above water city (with Alana transforming into a gondola) and attack Deceptitran's forces.

Memorable quotes

—Seaspray and Bumblebee
—borrowing a page from Broadside and Gears' playbook, Cosmos sweats the small stuff before collapsing
—Seaspray and Bumblebee on Seaspray's love life
—Megatron destroys Astrotrain's self-esteem with what appears to be a sea-related insult. Mercy.

Notes of interest

  • Nearly every discrepancy in the episode, big and small, is the result of the trimming that the first-draft script went through to get it down to a 22-minute episode: The "wish on a star" scene originally had Seaspray noticing a human couple together near the water, making clear to the viewer and to Bumblebee what his unfulfilled wish was. Bee gives him some ribbing about it a few times later on... but it's also why he mentions wishing on a star at the episode's conclusion.
  • The subplot of Perceptor and Cosmos's damage is almost entirely cut. The script calls for Perceptor to be visibly damaged as he's carried out of Cosmos, a visual that didn't make it into the animation. Later the Tlalakans showed Perceptor an organically developed welding torch, prompting his otherwise random line about repairing themselves. The two were to be shown with detached limbs as they worked to get them fully functional again, then frantically reattaching them as the Decepticons attacked!
  • A cut scene would have featured Astrotrain greedily devouring the stored energon, then drunkenly transforming to locomotive mode and smashing into a wall. He subsequently "sleeps it off" for the rest of the episode, with Dirge periodically checking in on him, explaining why he's absent for nearly all of the scenes on the alien planet. This also explains Megatron's strange insult to him during the retreat; originally Megs called him a "sot" -- a drunkard -- rather than a "sponge".
  • Dirge also grumbles during one of these checkins that he "never should have left Cybertron".
  • Dirge's memory probe originally uncovered a scene of little baby Bumblebee transforming for the first time, with his momma and daddy looking on proudly.
  • The chemistry/tension between Seaspray and Alana is expanded and ratcheted up a bit; at one point, complaining that the Tlalakans see him as nothing but a bunch of nuts and bolts, Alana replies that she *likes* his nuts and bolts!

Screencaps

6 stills
Sea Change screencap 1Sea Change screencap 2Sea Change screencap 3Sea Change screencap 4Sea Change screencap 5Sea Change screencap 6

Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.

Discuss this episode on the forum →← All episodes