Lost and Found (episode)

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These two are Megatron's only hope…he's in trouble.
"Lost and Found"
Season	1
No. in season	11
Airdate	March 1, 2008
Written by	Rich Fogel
Directed by	Irineo Maramba Yutaka Kagawa
Animation studio	Mook
Continuity	Animated cartoon continuity
Watch this episode on YouTube

The Autobots clash with the Decepticons Lugnut and Blitzwing, who have come to Earth in search of their leader, Megatron.

Synopsis

The scourge of poor parking.

A lunar rover examines recent seismic activity on the Moon's surface and stumbles upon the crashed Nemesis. As it moves in for a closer look, a huge, unidentified object lands on the rover and crushes it. The huge thing turns out to be Lugnut. His partner, Blitzwing berates him for his clumsiness, but then offers some dancing lessons. An annoyed Lugnut points out they've traveled across the galaxy to find Megatron's ship, not become light on their feet. Blitzwing comments that this is the same sector in which they lost track of Lockdown, and an argument breaks out (Lugnut doesn't like Lockdown), culminating in Lugnut confidently stating he knows Megatron still lives.

On Earth, Ratchet is rudely awakened from a stasis nap by an unapologetic Sari, who is in the middle of a street hockey game with Prowl, Bulkhead and Bumblebee. The game picks up, and Bumblebee is about to score, when a trash can makes a save! Sari tries to write it off, but Ratchet is quick to notice the AllSpark Key currently plugged into said can. He tells her off, but they are interrupted when the Key begins to glow, followed by two glowing objects entering Earth's atmosphere. As a prophetic Ratchet decides this can't be good, camera-bots move in to investigate, but are quickly crushed by Blitzwing. Both he and Lugnut mistake a nearby crane as a sentient life form, and Lugnut demands to know Megatron's location. After a shove, the crane responds by slamming its wrecking ball into Blitzwing. Watching a live feed, Megatron muses over whether or not he can risk revealing himself. After all, he has already been betrayed once. At their home base, the Autobots get ready to mobilize. Sari is all fired up, but both Ratchet and Prime tell her she needs to wait behind, as they want to protect the innocents. (Bumblebee very quickly points out that they're innocent too.)

Tekken 6: Robot Revolution.

Back at the construction site, Blitzwing and Lugnut have decided to devastate the place in order to draw out the Autobots. It works, and things quickly kick off as Optimus is forced to slice a tanker thrown by Lugnut in half. This promising opener falls apart when Blitzwing prevents both Prowl and Bumblebee from launching any attacks. Ratchet manages to trap some of Lugnut's missiles (though they break through his magnetic grip, they still don't hit any of the Autobots), but as Bulkhead tries to outmuscle the massive 'Con, Lugnut proves to be too powerful and throws him aside. The combined efforts of Blitzwing and Lugnut prove too much for the Autobots, and things go from bad to worse when they tell the Decepticons that Megatron burned up "over Cleveland". Screaming "Megatron lives!", a raging Lugnut activates his Punch of Kill Everything and levels the entire area, flooring the Autobots and burying both himself and Blitzwing. As the Decepticons unbury themselves from the rubble, Blitzwing tells Lugnut to warn him before using his big punch...again.

As the Decepticons free themselves, Megatron becomes convinced of Lugnut's loyalty and opts to contact only him. Lugnut automatically decides to abandon the battle and answer the summons, dragging Blitzwing along and leaving behind some very confused Autobots. Blitzwing headbutts Lugnut in midair, and Lugnut responds in kind, slamming Blitzwing down into an army base. He explains he heard Megatron's voice, but Blitzwing merely hears approaching police. He suggests they scan local vehicle modes and hide, but Lugnut refuses until Megatron orders him to do so. He quickly scans a bomber, while Blitzwing, after a quick argument between his faces, scans both an assault tank and a fighter jet. Captain Fanzone arrives, but the Decepticons are already hiding in plain sight.

Are you Samuel James Witwicky?

The Autobots have returned to base and are making repairs. The constant danger of attack makes Prime decide the best thing to do would be to repair their ship and take the AllSpark off of Earth. Sari takes this very badly, and she is most unwilling to use the AllSpark Key to help Ratchet fix the ship. For his part, Ratchet is less than pleased about having to work with a "protoform". Prime settles it by ordering the two to be partners.

Meanwhile, Lugnut and Blitzwing are perched on a hover-billboard, observing the city below. As Blitzwing comments on the local wildlife, Megatron transmits information on the AllSpark Key to Lugnut and orders the retrieval of it and the AllSpark. Lugnut immediately transforms, followed by a less-than-willing Blitzwing.

"Who dares disturb the wizard!?!"

At Lake Erie, the Autobots arrive, with Ratchet and Sari still bickering. They are quickly interrupted by Blitzwing and Lugnut. Ratchet and Sari make a break for it, but Blitzwing freezes the lake, preventing them from reaching the ship. However, they get a hand from Lugnut, who accidentally blasts a hole for them to get through. The Autobots dive in, and as Ratchet heads for their ship under the lake, Lugnut and Blitzwing are stalled by the rest, thanks to some clever thinking from Prime. In the Autobots' ship, Ratchet has a moment alone with the ship, but ends up fighting with Sari, who storms off to the AllSpark's cargo bay. Dejected, she gets the idea of damaging the ship enough to prevent it flying, but the AllSpark Key quickly repairs it. Suddenly, the AllSpark opens to reveal an image of Megatron's head and the Key. Moments later, a fully restored Megatron materializes, and a terrified Sari panics and opens the airlock. As water pours in, Ratchet manages to save her. Sari confesses to her sabotage, but a sympathetic Ratchet explains the reason he wants to leave is because he cares about the planet and its people, especially Sari.

This is gonna leave a mark.

Finally understanding, Sari agrees to help. Ratchet reveals the ship was originally a military vessel, and he hopes to bring the weapons bay back online. Outside, the Autobots are in serious trouble, but Sari's AllSpark Key soon reactivates the weapons bay, and Ratchet tells Optimus to draw the Decepticons to the ship. As they close, he activates the main cannon and blows the pair of Decepticons to kingdom come. A furious Megatron loses his link, and the Decepticons crash down onto the surface of the lake in several badly damaged pieces.

Want to make a bad day worse? Just add Starscream.

Back at base, Sari uses the AllSpark Key to patch up Bumblebee, acting rather Ratchet like when he asks for some customization. Ratchet reveals that even with the Key, it'll take some time to get the ship up and running, so they won't be gone for a good while, and Sari smiles happily.

At the lake, Blitzwing calls for help, while Lugnut begs for a sign of Megatron's forgiveness. Remarkably they get a sign—a bad one, as Starscream shows up, promising repairs, in exchange for loyalty.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

Hothead Blitzwing: Careful, you copper-clad klutz! You stepped in something!
Random Blitzwing: But with a few dancing lessons, you'll be light on your stabilizing servos like me. Cha cha cha.
Lugnut: Silence, Blitzwing! I did not follow this beacon halfway across the galaxy for dancing lessons! This was Megatron's ship!
Random Blitzwing: Ahaha, Starscream never did have a knack for parking.

—Blitzwing and Lugnut find a crashed Decepticon warship on the Moon.

Hug-a-wrecking-ball day never really took off.

Hothead Blitzwing: These can't be those miserable Autobots, they're far too small—
Random Blitzwing: But look at that one! It's big, it's bold, it's sassy!
Lugnut: You! What have you done with our beloved leader Megatron? Talk!

—The Decepticons interrogate a highly suspicious-looking crane.

"Where is our glorious leader? Where is Megatron?!"
"Big scary dude?" [to Optimus] "Didn't he turn into a fireball somewhere over Cleveland?"

—Lugnut and Bumblebee

"I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: GIVE ME SOME WARNING BEFORE YOU USE ZE PUNCH!"

—Hothead Blitzwing to Lugnut

Icy Blitzwing: The Autobots have called in reinforcements. Perhaps we should lay low until we can determine their strength and numbers.
Lugnut: I will not hide. I will stand proudly and shout Megatron's name to the heavens!
Megatron: Oh, for spark's sake...

—Sometimes, the fanatic thing just gets ridiculous.

Optimus: We'll have to repair our ship and move the AllSpark off this planet.
Bulkhead: We can't just pick up and go. How will we break the news to Sari?
Bumblebee: She's a big girl. She'll understand.
[Scene switches to Sari crying "No" at the top of her lungs]
Bumblebee: I think she's taking it well.

—The Autobots tell Sari that they're leaving.

"Help! Give me a hand! Or-or a foot! How about a pelvis?"

—Random Blitzwing, unusually happy about being in pieces.

Notes

Continuity notes

• The vision Sari receives from the AllSpark (Megatron's head being infused with her Key's energy, followed by an illusion of Megatron's complete form) foreshadows the events of "Megatron Rising", where the Decepticon leader uses the Key to make his triumphant return.

Transformers references

• The initial scene with the lunar rover is highly reminiscent of the destruction of the Mars probe in the live-action movie. The two Decepticons' appearance on Earth as crash-landing meteorites also harks back to the film.
• The construction workers seen where Blitzwing and Lugnut first land are wearing outfits inspired by Spike and Sparkplug from Generation 1.
• After the airing of "Transform and Roll Out", some fans speculated on a possible connection between the Autobot ship and Generation 1 Omega Supreme, based on both Prime's dialogue referring to a weapons-system program as "Codename: Omega" and the resemblance between the ship's cannon (shown briefly) and Omega Supreme's tank turret. Adding to that speculation, in this episode, Ratchet addresses the ship as "old friend". Also, when Ratchet manages to activate the weapons systems, we see a clearer shot of the cannon, which indeed looks a lot like Omega Supreme's tank turret (it even has his color scheme). Foreshadowing? Yup, foreshadowing.
• This episode is the first in the series to feature the use of the words "slag" and "frag" as expletives.
• This isn't the first time a Decepticon battleship crash-landed on the moon.
• Ratchet calls Sari 'a Protoform'. More, slightly less obvious foreshadowing.

Real-world references

• When Lugnut overpowers Bulkhead, he comments, "Nothing moves Lugnut", similar to the minor X-Men villain the Blob.

Animation errors

• When Ratchet reactivates Teletran 1's main cannon and states that he has a plan, his broken forehead chevron is on the left side instead of the right.
• In two animation shots of Lugnut using his rocket punch, the ground is not iced, hinting that the animation sequence might be reused in future episodes.
• When Lugnut scans the bomber, it is much bigger than he is.
• Not so much an error as it is a curiosity, but Lugnut's faction symbol shifts from being on his shoulder panel to his chest after he scans an Earth Mode. You can actually see it for yourself on this page.
• When Blitzwing is talking about Lockdown, the section below his normal optic is miscolored tan.

Continuity errors

• Blitzwing transforms to tank mode to drop into Lake Erie, but right after he plunges in and appears before the Autobots, he's in robot mode. Why didn't he just go to robot mode in the first place? (In-continuity answer: Blitzwing's angry persona uses the tank mode as opposed to the jet mode, according to Prowl in "Megatron Rising", so him getting angry at Lugnut caused his transformation automatically. Out-of-continuity answer: To sell toys.)
• In the Autobots' first scuffle with the 'cons, Ratchet uses his magnetic powers to grab a bunch of missiles fired by Lugnut, exclaiming that he can't hold them forever. However, they just seem to disappear after that, as it's never shown whether or not they hit anything.
• As seen in stock-footage transformations in previous episodes, when Prime transforms after he hears of Blitzwing and Lugnut on the news, he turns into a sort of half-a-fire-engine. This form was likely animated using references for his Voyager-scale toy, from which the back end can be detached. In the next shot, in which he rolls out, he's a complete fire engine.
• Blitzwing's decision to scan both a jet and a tank seems to imply that he was not a Triple Changer before the scanning. However, The Arrival issue 5 clearly marks him as a Triple Changer before ever coming to Earth.

Trivia

• This is the fourth episode in which Sari has received direct warnings about misuse of her AllSpark Key. The Allspark seems to have chosen the "tough love" approach and scared the message into her. How long this will last is up for debate. Bets will now be taken. Answer: Beginning of the third season when she uses it to upgrade herself, and it makes her go nuts and stab Bumblebee. Betting is now closed.
• In a humorous background detail, we see the Blitzwing-shaped hole, left from where he crashed barely two minutes ago, as Captain Fanzone's squadron arrives at the hangar. Oddly enough, they don't take much notice of it.
• Captain Fanzone doesn't come off too well in this episode, since he A) forgets that Transformers can disguise themselves as vehicles, and B) doesn't notice that two of the military jets are sporting unusual purple paint jobs, and one of them has tank treads under its wings, not to mention the above.
• Prime's vehicle mode has manual transmission.
• It's unclear why Sari didn't mention the AllSpark-generated vision of Megatron to any of the Autobots. (Granted, she doesn't know who Megatron is, but even so....)
• When Sari tells Bumblebee that the AllSpark Key isn't a toy, she looks like she has wrinkles under her eyes. Obviously, this is meant to show that Ratchet has rubbed off on her a little bit. Even her mouth looks like his briefly. Of course, she may have just been doing an impression of Ratchet as a joke.
• Random Blitzwing seems to have a knack for songs and dances. We'll see if it remains a trend.
• Captain Fanzone is currently driving a regular Detroit police car. His old car was destroyed by Snarl in "Blast from the Past," but it returns in future episodes.
• Megatron seems unfamiliar with Blitzwing and Lugnut's personalities (i.e., that the first is crazy, and the second is loyal). However, they served under him on the Nemesis fifty years ago, and exhibited the same characteristics then. This discrepancy is not explained. (Possibly Megatron did not have much direct contact with them in the past, or he may be assuming that fifty years might have changed them.) It also shows that unlike his counterparts, Animated Megatron actually learns from betrayal, and is not so forgiving.
• This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "Transformers Animated Volume 5", with "Survival of the Fittest" making up the other half. It was also adapted in book form as "The Decepticons Invade!".

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "1 de perdu, 4 de retrouvés" ("You lose 1, you get 4 of them")
• Original airdate: ???

German

• Title: "Die alten Waffen" ("The Old Weapons")
• Original airdate: 5 July 2008

Italian

• Title: "Oggetti Smarriti" ("Lost Items")
• Original airdate: 6 December 2008

Spanish (Latin America)

• Title: "'Perdido y encontrado" ("Lost and found")
• Original airdate: 2 August 2008

Japanese

• Title: "Kotei no Gekisen" (湖底の激戦, "Fierce Battle on the Lake Bottom")
• Original airdate: 12 June 2010

• Blitzwing and Lugnut do the intro in this episode.
• Cut: The camera does a shot of the Autobots playing field hockey with Sari.
• Cut: Sari follows the Autobots to help them battle Blitzwing and Lugnut, but Ratchet objects that she won't stand a chance against two Decepticons when it took all of them to beat just one.
• Cut: Megatron questions himself whether he should trust Blitzwing and Lugnut when Starscream betrayed him.
• Cut: Ratchet comments "that was different" when Lugnut carries Blitzwing off to find Megatron.
• Cut: The Autobots recover from the recent skirmish with the two Decepticons.
• Cut: Starscream offers to help out Lugnut and Blitzwing if they pledge undying allegiance to him.

Polish

• Title: "Odnaleziona zguba" ("Lost and Found")
• Original airdate: ???

Portuguese

• Title: "Achados e Perdidos" ("Lost and Found")
• Original airdate: ???

Home video releases

DVD

2008 — Transformers Animated — Season One (Paramount) — English and Spanish audio.
2009 — Transformers Animated — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2009 — Transformers Animated — Volume Two: Lost and Found (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2009 — Transformers Animated — Volume Zwei: Die Alten Waffen (Paramount) — English and German audio.
2010 — Transformers Animated — Vol. 3 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only.
2013 — Transformers Animated — Season One (Madman Entertainment)
2014 — Transformers Animated — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)