Outtakes

« Transformers: EarthSpark ep 12 »
"Outtakes"
Season	1
No. in season	12
Production company	Entertainment One Nickelodeon
Airdate	March 3, 2023 (Paramount+) June 13, 2023 (Nickelodeon)
Writer	Maasai Singleton
Director	Alex Kwan
Animation studio	Icon Creative Studio
Watch this episode on Paramount+

Unsure of what alt-mode is right for him, Jawbreaker interviews the other bots to help him decide.

Synopsis

Mo finds her father's video camera sitting around and grabs it, immediately press-ganging Thrash into being the monster in a forced-perspective giant monster film. Jawbreaker interrupts filming as he's looking for their help in selecting an alternate mode. Thrash attempts to keep the film going by mock-attacking Jawbreaker, who remains oblivious to what they're doing. Jawbreaker next startles Dot as she's in the process of working on some plumbing and asks about what Thrash and Mo were doing. She explains that Thrash's roaring was probably just him showing off for the camera, and the concept gives Jawbreaker the idea of filming people to get them to open up about picking alternate modes, so he asks if he can use the camera next. He finds Bumblebee exercising in the barn, and after a rough start, attempts to interview his teacher in an attempt to learn about picking alt modes. However, his assumption that Bumblebee picked a new mode because his original choice was wrong ends up with him being kicked out of the barn.

Jawbreaker next finds Hashtag watching a show. Hashtag is keen to help with the filming and downloads a user guide for the camera. When he has trouble working the device, she adopts the role of camerabot. She immediately starts driving off in search of things to film, at which point he points out he doesn't have an alternate mode with which to follow her. They instead head into the dugout, where Hashtag tries to get Twitch and Thrash to inspire Jawbreaker via a performance. Though their performance is pronounced awesome by all present, Hashtag sadly fails to capture any of it on film and it doesn't help Jawbreaker. Hashtag next carries Jawbreaker atop her vehicle mode to the naval yard, where Megatron and Elita-1 are still cleaning up after the battle with Mandroid while the whole area is cloaked under a privacy shield. Asked about how he picked an alternate mode, Megatron explains that at the end of the war, he was pressured to choose an Earth alternate mode as a sign of loyalty to his new allies, but refused until during a battle against the Seekers, he was forced to scan his current helicopter mode to protect Dot.

Hashtag attaches the camera to Jawbreaker's shoulder so he can do some filming himself while she "preps the climactic scene". Jawbreaker joins Elita-1 on her workout, albeit clumsily, and laments his inability to select an alternate mode. Elita points out he doesn't need one to help people, and explains that scanning an alt mode is done via his T-cog, and that it took her forever to select an alt mode because nothing felt right. Jawbreaker is still worried that he's broken because of his disinterest in cars, but she points out he's not limited to scanning vehicles.

Finally Hashtag completes preparations — she's lined up a number of vehicles for Jawbreaker to pick from. He doesn't appreciate being pressured and knocks the camera out of her hand, causing it to hit an Arachnamech which immediately reactivates. Jawbreaker tells Hashtag he just wants to go home, however as the pair look for the missing camera, they spot the Arachnamech scurrying off with it. Hashtag gives chase in vehicle mode, but the Arachnamech evades her by climbing on shipping crates. She's still hung up on Jawbreaker selecting an alt mode for the climax of the movie they've been filming, but he refuses, believing his spark will know when it's time to scan something. They continue the chase, desperate to catch the Arachnamech before it reaches the edge of the shield, and Jawbreaker launches himself into the center of a huge tire, using it as an ersatz alt mode so he can crush the fleeing mech. Unfortunately the camera is also smashed, and Hashtag apologizes for her attempt to help. While Hashtag heads home, Jawbreaker grabs the videotape from the camera.

That night, Jawbreaker springs a surprise on Hashtag — with the help of the rest of the family, he's salvaged the movie and also got her a camera lens as a gift. As they sit down to watch the movie, Hashtag apologizes that they didn't find Jawbreaker an alt mode, but he explains he's content to wait for his spark to pick something.

Featured characters

(Characters in italic text appear only in video footage.)
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"You didn't tell me we were going to see Megatron and Elita-1! They look busy, we should go!"
"Psh, come on. Everybody loves talking to you. Remember how Twitch and Thrash opened up? Come on, come on! Just go for it!"

—Jawbreaker gets encouraged by Hashtag to talk to his elders

"What is it, young one?"
"Well, sir, I'm interviewing bots so I can learn how to pick my alt-mode. How'd you choose yours?
"...No one has ever asked me that question before."

—Megatron is taken aback by Jawbreaker asking for advice.

"Autobots...work out!"

—Elita puts her own spin on her boyfriend's catchphrase.

"But what if I'm broken, or something? When I look at cars, I feel nothing."
"Then maybe you weren't meant to be a vehicle."
"You can scan other things?!"
"Almost anything you want. It's up to you."

—Jawbreaker's view of what an alt-mode can be is expanded by Elita

Notes

Continuity notes

• Megatron and Elita are performing cleanup duty at the same naval yard where the battle against Mandroid's giant mech fortress took place in "Age of Evolution, Part 2". The battleship that was flung on top of the warehouse is still there and visible in many shots.
• Megatron has a scar on the side of his chest where Mandroid attempted to surgically remove his arm in the same episode.

Transformers references

• T-cog as a proper name for the transformation cog was introduced in Transformers: Prime, while the concept of the cog itself dates back to "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1".

Real-world references

• Mo and Thrash's giant monster home movie is an obvious reference to Godzilla. The musical bit that plays during it even evokes the King of the Monsters' signature theme.
• Mo's red-haired humanoid lion action figure seems to reference Lion-O from ThunderCats.

Errors

Trivia

• In the photograph of Dot holding baby Robby that sits on Alex's desk, Robby's wearing a baseball cap—an element from an earlier version of his character design that was dropped for the finalised series.
• The bag of popcorn Dot is holding features text in Tagalog, suggesting it's been imported from the Philippines: Bagyo Popcorn, Ang Sarap! (Storm Popcorn, It's Delicious!)

Foreign localization

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "Saídas" ("Exits")
• Original airdate: March 4, 2023

German

• Title: "Die Kraft der Kamera"
• Original airdate: March 4, 2023

French

• Title: "Scènes coupées" ("Deleted scenes")
• Original airdate: April 25, 2023

Hungarian

• Title: "Kulisszák mögött" ("Behind the Scenes")
• Original airdate: April 25, 2023

Home video releases

DVD

2024 — Transformers: EarthSpark - Season 1: Episodes 11-26 (Paramount)