Plus One (RB)

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This is just typical of the British. Arrive in a new country and before long you're ordering people around like you own the place. Well, lady, the British empire fell.
"Plus One"
Season	4
No. in season	4
Production company	Hasbro Studios
Airdate	May 7, 2016
Writer	Brian Hohlfeld
Director	Kevin Altieri
Animation studio	DHX Media Top Draw Animation
Watch this episode on YouTube

When Heatwave invites her to take a turn at leadership, Quickshadow upsets the Rescue Team's dynamic.

Synopsis

Chase reports on recent events, then runs a search through Cybertronian records for Quickshadow, only to come to a worrying realization: according to the official records, she doesn't exist! Blades and the rest of the rescue team are showing her around elsewhere; Blades offers to throw her a welcome party, but she says that she's not really a fan of parties. Dani asks how many Rescue Bots there are, and the team is explaining that they don't really know when Chase shows up to reveal what he's learned. Quickshadow points out that as an undercover agent, she's not listed under her real name, and provides a number of false names which are in the database. She gushes about her job a bit. Cody says that it sounds like a spy movie, and Kade realizes that he recognizes her from the "Maven Danger, Secret Agent" series of films; she apparently scanned her vehicle mode from the main character's car. Cody requests a ride, but Quickshadow reacts with horror before the others explain that it's normal for humans to ride inside Cybertronians here. Quickshadow reveals her mission: Optimus sent her to teach all of them how to operate alone, as she does. Doc Greene arrives, is introduced to Quickshadow, and tells the team that he's expecting a shipment of the highly volatile chemical Phodolite, which is prone to forming large acid clouds when jostled. It's coming in via the groundbridge, and he'd like the team's help transporting it up to the lab.

They're cut off in their planning by a small fire at the gas station. Quickshadow decides to stay behind at the firehouse and watch how the team works. She is unimpressed by the lack of a cohesive plan. Meanwhile, back at the gas station, the fire spreads into the mechanical area. Ernie the mechanic, fleeing, falls into a pit and twists his ankle. The team manages to put out the fire, only to discover that Quickshadow has already extracted Ernie; she apologizes, but says that they have a lot to learn from her.

Quickshadow starts lecturing the bots on the importance of the individual after they get home, while the Burnses hide behind the door and listen in. The team is unhappy with her assertions that each of them should consider themselves the most important member of the team, and after her lecture, Heatwave takes out his frustration on a training dummy. She offers to spar with him after correcting his stance, and wins in a few seconds. The second round goes much the same way. She then leaves, and the Rescue Bots take the opportunity to vent about her without her listening. Blades is particularly annoyed by her constant rhetorical questions. Chief Burns calls to tell them that Doc's shipment will be arriving momentarily, and Cody suggests that the team let Quickshadow run this mission as a learning experience for everyone.

She feels that none of the team members should really need to know what anyone else is doing. Boulder and Graham are assigned to clear the route ahead of Heatwave and Kade, who are pulling the trailer with the Phodolite; Chase and Chief Burns are to patrol the perimeter, and Dani and Blades keep track of everything from above. Cody and Quickshadow will watch from the command center to make sure everything's going okay. The team attempts to roll out, but Quickshadow cuts them off and tells them that they aren't going to be using the catchphrase or otherwise talking to each other. Everything is going okay, although somewhat tensely, until Mr. Harrison accidentally wanders onto the route. Quickshadow orders Blades and Dani to redirect him, but he accidentally cuts off a tree branch in front of Heatwave in the process. As the trailer rolls over the branch, the last crate falls off the back, and one of the canisters opens and starts leaking.

Heatwave and Quickshadow just vaporized the Constructicons.

Heatwave and Kade immediately realize the problem, but opt to continue their mission. Quickshadow agrees to let everyone talk to each other, and reveals that she doesn't actually have a backup plan - she'd been so focused on making sure the crates arrived safely, she didn't think of what would happen if they didn't. Chase reveals that he, however, does; Doc Greene has a chemical that can neutralize the Phodolite cloud ready at his lab. Quickshadow turns over command to Heatwave and heads out with Cody to pick up the neutralizer. Boulder, finished with his task, manages to stop further leakage. Quickshadow arrives at Doc's lab and retrieves the neutralizer; as she, Cody, and Doc are heading out, Heatwave arrives with his cargo.

When Quickshadow arrives at the fire, Doc realizes that he forgot to bring something to disperse the neutralizer with. Fortunately, Blades immediately arrives carrying Heatwave. He loads one canister into his spray system, Quickshadow takes the other, and together they clear the cloud. Quickshadow admits that it's nice working with a team sometimes, but also explains that she's done working with the Griffin Rock Rescue Bots because there's not actually anything they can learn from her; next, she's going to the mainland to instruct Blurr and Salvage. Heatwave wishes her good luck, and she drives off into the distance.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Wait, how can it be a team if there's only-"
"I'll explain later."

—Blades and Boulder, the former of which has trouble with the concept of a "team of one".

Heatwave: "He's the most important?"
Cody: "Kade?!"
Dani: "Did he pay you?"
Graham: "Um, no offense, maam, but maybe you should get to know him better."

"So after all this time, it turns out there is an I in team?"
"I'll have to take down that poster."

—Chase and Blades

Notes

Continuity notes

• Quickshadow notes there are "certain Cybertronians out there who can't be trusted".
• Cody notes that, as with High Tide in the episode "Turning the Tide", Optimus Prime likely sent Quickshadow to learn from the team as much as they would learn from her.
• At the end of the episode, Quickshadow says that she's off to the mainland to work with Salvage and Blurr at the training center. She promptly transforms and drives off into the distance, despite the fact the firehouse has a GroundBridge link directly to the training center.

Transformers references

• (tbd)

Real-world references

• The "Maven Danger" franchise is an obvious reference to the "James Bond" franchise, including riffs on the famous opening sequence from the films and the titles of various entries.
• The "Austley Benton" driven by Maven Danger is a mashup of the names "Aston Martin" and "Bentley", both cars driven by James Bond.

Animation and technical errors

• (tbd)

Trivia

• Aliases used previously by Quickshadow include "Slipchain", "Bootlatch", and "Overdrive".

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Chacun pour soi" ("Every man for himself")
• Original airdate: ?

Italian

• Title: "Uno in più" ("One More")
• Original airdate: 12 September 2017