Transformers Animated Episode 20

Episode 20 of Transformers Animated was titled Garbage In, Garbage Out, and first aired in Canada on YTV on the 3rd May 2008. The episode was also shown at BotCon 2008 a week earlier and features the debut of Wreck-Gar.

Episode Summary
The episode open with a new report on the refuse dispute between the major of Detroit and Sumdac Systems acting CEO Porter C Powell. Powell announced that whilst the contract dispute continued, Sumdac Systems would not be responsible for maintenance of the garbage-bots. This has led to the garbage not being collected, and the residents of Detroit are have become quiet angry.

In the Sumdac Tower, Porter C Powell is seen talking with two technicians regarding Issac's nano-bots which they have managed to adapt into garbage consuming microbots which they can manufacture at a fratcion of the price and thus increase profits.

The scene shifts to the docks where the Autobots are trying to dispose of some of the cities waste. Ratchet gets into an argument with a angry senior citizen when he dumps the mans car into the river. The Autobots decide that Ratchet needs to work on his people skills and assign Bumblebee and Sari to that tasks, whilst the others return to their HQ. Un-noticed by the Autobots, Sari's key reacts to an Allspark fragment nearby, and as the Autobots leave, the key activates the fragment that brings a confused Wreck-Gar to life. Wreck-Gar, who at this point is not named, is rather confused ,not know what or who he is. An announcement is played that the Detroit Police Department are "here to help", and so the confused-bot decides to head into the city to try to find them.

Whilst using their sirens to sneaking through the heavy traffic, Bumblebee, Sari and Ratchet come across a panicing human, Spike, who tells them that his wife, later named as Carly, is pregnant. According to the Botcon panel this is their second child after Daniel, who has been seen in several episodes, though only occassionally with his parents. Spike and Carly get into the back of Ratchet, with Sari in the front, and the group set off to try to find the hospital, with Ratchet complaining about anything and everything.

Meanwhile Wreck-Gar unintentionally helps the Angry Archer to avoid the police and gains his name, "Worthless wreck walking pile of garbage", or, as Angry Archer dubs him, Wreck-Gar for short. When he asks the Angry Archer is he knows what he is, Wreck-Gar is told that he is his partner in crime. The Angry Archer tries to teach Wreck-Gar a few things, but the confused-bot has some problems. An armoured car then passes by which the Angry Archers decides they should attack. In doing so Wreck-Gar causes the vehicle to almost collide with Ratchet and Bumblebee, still with Sari, Spike and Carly. The Autobots drop off the humans whilst they try to stop Wreck-Gar only confusing him more. During all this, the Angry Archer steals the loot and decides to scarper. It turns out that the loot is actually some of Sumdac Systems micro-bots, and the Autobots realise that mixing that with the Allspark fragment can not be good, so they too head off after the Angry Archer. Wreck-Gar, who follows anything he hears, decides that he is an Autobot and must literally "catch the bad guy". He sets off after The Angry Archer, catching him and throwing him and his loot into the air. He catches the loot, but The Angry Archer escapes. The Autobots catch up and Ratchet has a go at Wreck-Gar telling him that the only thing he is good for is garbage. This simply results in giving Ratchet his new mission, to deliver garbage to everyone, thus adding to the problem. As Wreck-Gar drives around the city dumping waste, he ends up coming across Lugnut, who has detected the Allspark signature he is giving off. When asked if he is an Autobot, Wreck-Gar replies quoting the line that Ratchet told him, that he is "not an a Autobot and never will be". Lugnut decides that in that case, he must be a Decepticon. Sari's key leads the Autobots (Ratchet and Bumblebee) to Wreck-Gar and Lugnut who goes to perform his "the punch of kill everything" only for Wreck-Gar to think that it is a greeting and trigger it after quoting the universal greeting of "Bar Weep, Gra-nar weep, nini-bom". Lugnut flees, but not before Wreck-Gar can jump on his back. During the flight the microbots leak out form their container and begin to eat through Lugnut's hull. Wreck-Gar manages to detatch the tail of the Decepticon only to land back onboard a garbage scowl that is heading for the city. The Autobots knwo that they must stop the boat form touching the dock and spreading the microbots back onto land. Ratchet decides that it was all his fault and so he will eithre stop Wreck-Gar or die trying. Transforming and landing on the barge, Ratchet appoligises to Wreck-Gar and convinces him that he too could be a hero. Wreck-Gar vacuums up all of the microbots but they begin to react inside his "backpack" and he falls into the river with Ratchet unable to save him.

With the city now safe, Ratchet picks up the arguing Major and Porter C Powell and tells them to sort out their difference now and solve the problem of the cities garbage. The major agrees to re-instate their contract with a slight rise and som everyone is happy. The episode ends underwater with Wreck-Gar still functioning but trapped at the bottom.

All in all, this is a fun episode with a lot of knods to the Generation One series and a great cameo by The Angry Archer.

Below you will find the image grabs from the series.