The Golden Lagoon (episode)

« The Transformers ep 41 » « Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers ep 31 » « Transformers: Generation 2 ep 12 »
Beachcomber is into watersports.
"The Golden Lagoon"
Production code	#700-40
Production company	Sunbow Productions
Airdate	November 4, 1985
Written by	Dennis Marks
Animation studio	Toei
Continuity	Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Beachcomber finds a pool of golden liquid that renders his hand invulnerable. Unfortunately, the Decepticons do too, and decide to take a dip.

Synopsis

Friend of all God's creatures.

Beachcomber, Powerglide, Seaspray, Perceptor and Warpath are taking a walk along the beach when they are attacked by Blitzwing, Ramjet and Thrust. In the middle of the battle, pacifist Beachcomber takes cover and finds a secluded glen full of flora and fauna right out of a Disney cartoon. In the middle of enjoying this impromptu petting zoo, the glint of gold catches his eye. In the middle of the glen is a pool of golden liquid he dips his hand into and identifies as "electrum". A rockslide sends him back to where he came from, just as Thrust flies over the glen and makes the same discovery. Thrust jumps into the pool and comes out completely covered in the gold liquid.

Beachcomber arrives back at the battle as the tide is turning against the Decepticons. Just then, Thrust appears and survives a powerful Autobot barrage without sustaining a scratch, thanks to his electrum coating. Warpath shoots an opening into the cliff face that he, Powerglide and Beachcomber hide in, while Thrust kidnaps Perceptor and Seaspray.

At Decepticon headquarters, the Autobots are imprisoned while Thrust notifies Megatron of the electrum pool. They hurry off to the glen and Megatron orders Starscream to jump in. When he emerges, Megatron shoots him, but the blast bounces off. The rest of the Decepticons jump into the pool and emerge, then have fun shooting each other. Megatron declares the Autobots are finished as the glen around them burns and the animals cower.

Normally, Skywarp would be the one to kick Starscream into the giant pool of urine.

Powerglide, Beachcomber, Warpath, Mirage and Smokescreen regroup and prepare to go after the Decepticons again. Beachcomber hasn’t told anyone about his discovery yet. The group rushes off and meets up with the electrum-plated Decepticons, and are quickly dispatched because their weapons have no effect. More Autobots join the battle, but their weapons are useless. Beachcomber realizes that they’ve found the electrum and drives off.

The Decepticons return to headquarters and Starscream forces Seaspray and Perceptor to fight each other. Soundwave rushes off to tell Megatron as Starscream gives the Autobots weapons.

Smokescreen, damaged from the battle, asks Omega Supreme to help and the giant Autobot declares (a bit prematurely) that failure is impossible.

Gulliver's Travels on acid.

Meanwhile, Beachcomber arrives back at the glen and finds the Decepticons have burnt it nearly to the ground. He is captured by Blitzwing while Soundwave tattles on Starscream. Megatron orders everyone to fight Omega Supreme. When they attack Omega fires, but even his weapons have no effect and he falls under enemy fire. Megatron sets his sights on Autobot headquarters next.

At Autobot headquarters, Mirage reports on Omega’s defeat and Optimus Prime can hardly believe it. Teletraan I reports a single word to them—electrum. Prime recognizes its significance and sends out teams to try to find it.

Powerglide discreetly follows the Decepticons and sees them swimming in the electrum. He flies off to report the discovery to Optimus.

Megatron gives the task of dispatching Beachcomber, Perceptor and Seaspray to Starscream. When Skywarp and Thundercracker come to take the prisoners to Starscream, Beachcomber forgoes his pacifist ways and overcomes both of them. He frees Perceptor and Seaspray and they swim back to the surface and head toward the golden lagoon. With Dirge left alone as guard while all of the others head to the fight, the trio takes him out, just as Prime and the rest of the Autobots arrive. Beachcomber invites them to jump into the electrum with him.

Lucky Draw Roll Call!

Back at Autobot headquarters, Megatron and company attack but they discover the base is empty. Megatron orders everyone back to the lagoon, where the electrum-coated Autobots are waiting for them, including Omega Supreme. The two sides fight, but since their weapons are useless the blasts bounce off and destroy the countryside around them. As the battle continues, the electrum on the Decepticons wears off. His advantage lost and seriously out-gunned, Megatron destroys the lagoon and orders a retreat. The Autobots cheer their victory, but Beachcomber laments the destruction of the glen.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Thrust, my man, you are about to become number-one Decepticon."

—Thrust, anticipating a promotion

"Personally, I need proof!"
"Personally, I don't care what you need!"

—Megatron puts Starscream in his place, again.

You're right, Megatron, this is enjoyable.

"Just shoot up the whole cloud! He's in there somewhere!"

—Megatron uses a rather sound tactic to foil Smokescreen's camouflage.

"Sunstreaker, our weapons don't seem to have any effect on them."
"I'll blast a few big D's for ya, and you’ll see what a difference a pro makes."

—Mirage and Sunstreaker

"Show no mercy!"
"Did we ever?"

—Megatron and Starscream

"Results: disappointing."

—Omega Supreme after three rounds of fire have no effect on the Decepticons.

Megatron: Victory over the Autobots is here.
Starscream: Cut the oration, Megatron. We already heard it.
Skywarp: Yeah, let’s talk about victory after we’ve got it.

—the troops sass back to Megatron now that they're invulnerable.

"We won..."

—Beachcomber's bitter statement as he surveys the wreckage of the lagoon.

Notes

Continuity notes

"Gee Beachcomber, I didn't know you spoke bird."
"No, that's Italian."

• Gadgets and powers:
  • Beachcomber is shown to have a translator that lets him understand animals. Assuming all Transformers have this, it would explain how they manage to communicate with every species they come across.
  • A glowing sensor in Beachcomber's chest reacts to the presence of the electrum.
  • Seaspray has a large top-mounted cannon and two smaller cannons that can deploy from his superstructure.
  • Like some vast, predatory bird Thrust deploys talons to capture Perceptor and Seaspray.
  • Perceptor can retract his wrist and fire a missile from it.
  • Warpath can likewise fire cryogenic shells from his retracted wrist. At the same time, Powerglide is shown using his forehead-mounted thermal ray.
  • Smokescreen can deploy his shoulder missile launchers from the hood of his car mode.
  • Smokescreen deploys his smoke from pipes that emerge from his trunk, rather than the usual tailpipe location.
  • Sunstreaker uses a rooftop cannon in car mode.
  • Blitzwing's laser gun can act as a magnetic tractor beam.

• Beachcomber reacts to the electrum with a cry of "Great Maximus!"
• Warpath speaks with glowing cheek blinkers in this episode.
• In a nice touch of continuity, Perceptor's shoulder cannon is not present when he's held captive. Somehow he's got it back after the escape, however.

Real-world references

• At the beginning of the episode, Perceptor stops to examine a rock on the beach with "traces of gold and silver". It's not just a random aside, but foreshadowing: in the real world, electrum is an alloy of gold and silver.
• When Warpath voices his excitement about KAZOWYing Decepticons, Powerglide reminds him that it's a rescue mission and not "the Charge of the Light Brigade", a catastrophic cavalry charge during the Crimean War.
• Star Wars sound effects:
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader slashing some equipment with their lightsabers is used as the sound of Seaspray's laser fruitlessly hitting a Decepticon in the undersea base.
  • TIE Fighter engine as the Decepticons fly through Omega's initial blasts.
  • Lightsaber ignition as Megatron's blast hits Omega Supreme.
  • Millennium Falcon engine noise and Death Star super laser as the Decepticons take off after defeating Omega.
  • X-Wing whine as Powerglide takes off to follow the Decepticons, and again as the 'cons take off inside their headquarters.

Animation and technical errors

• Wrong weapon sounds:
  • As he trades shots with Ramjet, Seaspray's cannon steals Optimus Prime's laser sound effect. A moment later, it changes to the standard Autobot laser sound.
  • The Decepticons' guns use the sound effects of Cobra's guns (from G.I.Joe) during the attack on Sunstreaker's team. Powerglide and the other Autobots likewise get a GI Joe laser noise as they fire.
• Coloring errors:
  • Blitzwing's helmet is purple instead of yellow as he stands to join the attack on the beach.
  • Perceptor's chest rim is dark gray instead of silver as he turns to fire on the newly electrum-coated Thrust.
  • The sides of Skywarp's helmet are colored white when he and Thundercracker present Perceptor and Seaspray to Megatron. It makes him look like he has chubby cheeks!
  • Smokescreen's forehead crest is blue instead of yellow as he ponders what Beachcomber is thinking.
  • Bluestreak is colored like Prowl as the Decepticons dive to attack.
  • Brawn's helmet is olive green instead of gray-silver as he transforms to fire on the Decepticons with Sunstreaker's squad.
• Warpath seems to have lost most of a line; as he's trading shots with him, he says "Blitzwing." for no clear reason.
• One gun, many lasers:
  • Thrust's lasers split in two on leaving his guns, giving him 4 lasers. But as he strafes the cliff from off-screen, nearly a dozen lasers are shown streaking in.
  • Thrust throws one piece of ice at Powerglide and Warpath, who are hit by dozens of pieces of ice.
• Starscream's missing one of his wing insignia after he lands at the electrum pool.
• Thundercracker likewise has only one wing insignia as Starscream dives into the pool.
• As he drives toward the Decepticons, Smokescreen's smoke camouflage has somehow gotten in front of him.

• When Mirage reports, Bluestreak's head crest is drawn as a pair of squared boxes on his head.
• Sunstreaker's squad gets the wrong transforming sound (ascending pitch) as they transform and roll out.
• Skywarp and Thundercracker are shown listening to Starscream pontificate... yet a second later they walk in from another room with the Autobot prisoners.
• The first syllable of Soundwave's report to Megatron is cut off, leaving him saying "Port on Starscream's activity completed."
• In the big lineup of golden Autobots, Windcharger is a bit deformed and off-model.
• All of this said? We think this episode probably deserves some kind of award for never once accidentally colouring Beachcomber's golden hand its normal blue.

Continuity errors

• It's never made clear if the Autobots in the opening scene were looking for rare minerals, or if Perceptor just happened to get lucky on patrol near a beach.
• Seaspray is somehow able to fly in hovercraft mode. While it's consistent with his other appearances, hovercrafts do NOT work that way!
• Thrust dives into the electrum and says he's about to become "number one Decepticon," implying he's planning a coup or something, but later simply reports the find to Megatron. Did he just change his mind on the way back or did he expect Megatron to reward him?
• When Starscream dives into the pool of electrum, he holds his nose, despite the fact that robots normally don't need to breathe. One may chalk it up to a cute little joke inserted by the animators.
• So...why was Mirage hanging around (invisible) for 10 minutes?
• Later in the show, Mirage turns invisible in vehicle mode. Smokescreen is kicking up dust behind him (before he engages his smoke trail), so wouldn't Mirage's dust trail be noticeable as well?
• For some reason, no one seems to notice that the Decepticons are gold and invincible - nor do any of the Autobots seem to notice Beachcomber's golden hand. Yet when they discover the pond full of electrum, the Autobots know exactly what the chemical is and what it does.

"I told you. Your weapons have no effect on me!"
"It is my considered advice that you discontinue your use of said weapon!"

• Despite knowing that lasers are useless against electrum-coated opponents, both sides keep vainly shooting at each other in the big fight at the end, rather than coming to fisticuffs.
• Is the pool of electrum really deep enough to entirely coat Omega Supreme?
• Megatron and the Decepticons are all rather surprised when the electrum coating wears off, but if they didn't know it was temporary, why were they bothering to stockpile it?
• Long Haul says he's going off to join the main force, but neither he nor the rest of the Constructicons are seen later.
• It's a bit absurd that the electrum, a substance that makes Transformers invulnerable to laser fire, was detonated by a barrage of laser fire.
• Though the ending is supposed to be sad, the usual "heroic Autobot victory music" is used for the scene.

Trivia

• This is the first episode since the premiere to have new commercial bumpers. They're all new and feature: Omega Supreme, Thrust, Devastator, Astrotrain and Cosmos.
• This is a rare human-free episode (though there are plenty of Disney-esque animals).
• Man, Skywarp sure didn't mention letting the prisoners get away, huh?

Foreign localization

Brazilian

• Title: "A Lagoa Dourada" ("The Golden Lagoon")
• Original airdate:

German

• Title (Generation 2 dub): "Die goldene Lagune" ("The Golden Lagoon")
• Original airdate: July 16, 1994

Italian

• Title (dub 2): "Il lago dorato" ("The Golden Lake")
• Original airdate: ?
• This episode was never broadcast in Italy in the '80s and, as such, it only got dubbed in Italian with the 2008 full G1 redubbing.

Japanese

• Title: "Golden Lagoon no Himitsu" (ゴールデンラグーンの秘密, "Secret of the Golden Lagoon")
• Original airdate: March 21, 1986 (see note below)
• In Japan, this episode only aired in the Kansai region (on March 21) and was never given a proper nationwide broadcast. Due to this, official episode guides, including those printed in Transformers Generations, offer no proper airdate for the episode. Oddly, its official Japanese episode number is 31, which places it between February 7 and February 14, 1986 rather than among the March-broadcast episodes. Incidentally, "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide" aired in all other regions on March 21.

Mandarin

• Title: "Jīn Jiāohú" (金礁湖, "The Golden Lagoon")
• Original airdate: ?

Russian

• Title: "Zolotaya lagoona" (Золотая лагуна, "The Golden Lagoon")
• Original airdate: ?

Home video releases

LaserDisc

1994 — Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers — Convoy Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.
1998 — The Transformers — Autobot Edition (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.

DVD

2001 — The Transformers — DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 2 (Rhino Entertainment)
2003 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 5 (Rhino Entertainment)
2004 — Transformers — Season 2 Part 2 (Metrodome)
2004 — Transformers — Collection 3: Series 2.2 (Madman Entertainment)
2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
2006 — The Best of The Transformers (Madman Entertainment)
2007 — Transformers — The Classic Episodes (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2008 — Transformers — Volume 04: Stagione Due Parte Seconda (Medianetwork Communication) — English and Italian audio.
2009 — Transformers — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome)
2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers — Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
2011 — The Transformers — The Complete Original Series (Shout! Factory)
2014 — The Transformers — Season Two, Volume One: 30th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
2014 — Transformers — The Classic Animated Series (Metrodome)

External links

• Episode Dossier at The Cybertron Chronicle