"Carnage in C-Minor" Bloopers

SYNOPSIS FOR "CARNAGE IN C-MINOR"
PLOT OVERSIGHTS	DIALOGUE AND SOUND EFFECTS
ANIMATION AND CONTINUITY	TRIVIA ANSWERS

TOTAL NUMBER OF BLOOPERS: 90
BEST LINES:
SOUNDWAVE: "That was heaven! The purest, most vibrant, most perfect harmony I've ever heard!" (Who knew Soundwave could sing, eh?)
TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

What is the name of the planet from which the harmony originates?
From whom did Soundwave obtain the parts of the harmony and in what order?

NOTES:
Many fans consider this to be the worst Transformers episode ever produced, usually citing the numerous mistakes in the animation. In point of fact, there aren't any more animation bloopers than your average post-movie episode. But the ones that are there--the really glaring gaffes--are the ones that stand out in people's minds...
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: (11)

Need I bring up the fact that the Autobots are flying toward the comet neat the beginning of the episode?
After the opposing teams resume the battle on the alien planet, Hot Spot says, "Outnumbered two to one! Just the kind of challenge I like!" How do you figure, Hot Spot? The Autobots have Ultra Magnus, Blaster, Broadside, Perceptor, Grimlock (assuming he hasn't disappeared), five Protectobots, and five Aerialbots (Superion disappears on and off too, but he's present in the very last scene). That makes 15. The Decepticons have Galvatron, Soundwave, and six Constructicons. That's eight. So who's outnumbered two to one...?¹
When dealing with Basso Profundo, Blaster seems to be translating for Ultra Magnus. "Bad news, Mag, he doesn't want to help us!" Why can't Magnus understand Profundo? Zeebop sure seems to understand Magnus later in the episode when he offers to help the Autobots find Allegra.
On a similar "note" (you see, because the episode's about music, and, um...), at first Galvatron understands Allegra when she orders him to get out of her private retreat, but a moment later he needs Soundwave to translate when she says she only possesses part of the harmony.
So, when Soundwave begins recording Allegra's part of the harmony and Galvatron asks, "Soundwave, are you getting this?" does Soundwave record that, too?
Does it strike anyone else as odd that Magnus climbs out of the pit that the Decepticons buried him in, but he doesn't bother to check to see if Blaster and Broadside are okay?
Also, Magnus blasts Galvatron while he's still holding Allegra! Does this guy seem like Autobot material?
Zeebop runs up to grab Allegra after Galvatron drops her (thanks to Magnus's thoughtless shots). He sets her down at his feet, then stands there while Blaster and Soundwave fall on him. Shouldn't they both have been crushed?
The first time the Autobots depart for the Eurhythman city, Blaster and Magnus hitch a ride by grabbing Broadside's jet-mode wings. (Because Autobots can't fly!) But after Allegra heals Zeebop and they all depart together, they each fly off individually. (Oh, they can fly!)
Perceptor is perfectly fine when Galvatron and Soundwave leave the planet, but for some reason, he's suddenly terribly injured when Ultra Magnus arrives. (Yes, he did get blasted in the battle, but he's well enough to report, "Autobots--they've got the harmonic weapon!")
Blaster presses Soundwave's "erase" button, thereby deleting the harmony. Whaheck?! Cassette players don't have "erase" buttons!

DIALOGUE AND SOUND EFFECTS: (11)

At the very beginning, when Galvatron orders the comet's engine activated, Soundwave's woober doesn't move when he says, "But Galvatron, is that wise? We still need tests."
Allegra's lips don't match her words when she says, "Very well. Stand by to receive the harmony."
When conducting a test of Soundwave's harmony recording by using it on a boulder, Galvatron's mouth doesn't move when he says, "There--try that!"
When Broadside is complaining about "scorch marks on top o' everything else," Blaster's mouth is moving.
As Allegra protests that the Decepticons are attacking Zeebop and Galvatron grabs her, her voice becomes muffled before Galvatron put his hand over her mouth. Later, when the Autobots fall into the pit, she still sounds muffled even though Galvatron isn't covering her mouth.
After the Autobots climb out of the pit and attack, when Galvatron retaliates, his cannon makes wimpy, Starscream-esque laser noises instead of his usual distinctive sound effect.
When Blaster and Soundwave are locked in combat, Soundwave's voice is not Transformer-amplified. I think perhaps the two voice actors' struggling sounds were on the same vocal track, making it impossible for them to turn Soundwave into a monotone, but not Blaster.
After Allegra heals Zeebop, Blaster makes an amazed comment on her healing powers, but Broadside's mouth moves. (Lotsa ventriloquism in this episode!)
When Perceptor gets blasted during the battle on the planet, someone else is kind enough to scream for him. (It sounds like Hot Spot.)
Isn't it cool that Basso Profundo can sing the harmony without even opening his mouth?
Galvatron says, "Autobots? Impossible!" without moving his... ah, you know.

ANIMATION AND CONTINUITY: (68)

For most of this episode, Ultra Magnus is carrying a blue gun. It should be an off-white color.
As the Autobots are coughcoughflyingcough toward the comet, both Superion and Grimlock have mouths. They should have face plates. Also, Grim's got an extra dinosaur claw on each of his wrists.
In the next scene there is an unidentifiable robot on the right side of the screen with red arms and a blue cockpit on his back. I don't know who he's supposed to be, but he's colored like Broadside's jet mode.
All the Decepticons flew away after they activated the engine, but when the Autobots arrive, suddenly there are Decepticons standing around the engine again.
As the Decepticon defend the comet against the attacking Autobots, Soundwave and Devastator are fighting alongside each other, and they're both the same height.
Then in the very next scene, the Constructicons combine into Devastator. (The drawing of Devastator is an exact reproduction of his character model, by the way. Lazy animators.)
As Broadside crashes into Devastator, Broadside has a Decepticon insignia. (When he transforms to robot mode afterward, this drawing is also a reproduction of his character model, right down to his gun being poised in an upright position. Check his TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE profile and you'll see what I mean!)
At one point, Huffer and Brawn are seen fighting alongside Bonecrusher (who shouldn't be there either, since the Constructicons have supposedly combined).
When Ultra Magnus lunges for Galvatron, Galv transforms to cannon mode and proceeds to face in the other direction. Why? Is he planning on doing some fancy ricochet shot?
Magnus wrestles with Galvagun and accidentally blasts the rocket. In the very next scene, when Magnus declares, "Uh-oh," Galvatron is suddenly in robot mode again.
When Magnus asks Perceptor where the comet is headed, Perceptor's gun has a black barrel. The entire gun should be red.
Then in the next scene, the point-of-view is (presumably) from Perceptor's microscope lens, even though he hasn't transformed yet to track its trajectory.
Perceptor's transformation sequence is all wonky when he tracks the comet. His robot-mode chest becomes his microscope-mode arms.
When the Autobots are coughflyingcough to divert the comet, Superion is the same size as the other Autobots.
Then when the Decepticons intercept the Autobots above the comet, some colorist mistook Soundwave's forehead for his face and colored it grey, leaving his eyes and face plate blue.
Several Autobots either disappear or show up out of the blue in this episode. What became of Grimlock after the Autobots arrived at the comet? And where did Hot Spot and the Protectobots come from?¹
After crashing on the alien planet, when Bonecrusher gives the order to merge, he has an Autobot symbol.
During the Constructicons' transformation sequence, Scavenger and Mixmaster form the legs; the leg that Scavenger forms has a purple upper leg that should be green. Someone whom I've tentatively identified as Bonecrusher forms the lower torso; then Long Haul forms the upper torso. At this point, (another?) Bonecrusher runs toward them. In the next scene, another Constructicon forms the shoulders (and maybe the right arm is the same guy--I can't tell; either way, it's wrong). And Devastator's face shows through his chest as it emerges.
Then, Perceptor blasts Devastator, and Dev shatters into a dozen pieces. (Either Perceptor's got himself a very powerful new light cannon, or Dev isn't taking his vitamins!) In the very next scene, the Constructicons are fine... and there appear to be two Long Hauls.
At one point, Ultra Magnus grabs Scrapper and Hook by the scruff of the neck and bashes their heads together. Ignoring for the moment this decidedly un-Autobot behavior, the Constructicons are incredibly tiny in this scene. (On the other hand, that would explain why Devastator was so small...) Also, Hook has a crane cab on each foot, and they're both grey. He should only have it on the right foot, and it should be green.
The Autobots fly into the alien city under a daytime sky, but in a close-up of Ultra Magnus (when he asks where they can find the planet's "band leader"), there are stars behind him.¹
Any time Soundwave transforms to his tape player mode in this episode, he's--and I hesitate to use technical terms, but it's warranted here--Really, Really Big. Has he lost his ability to shrink, or does he just like being Really, Really Big now that he doesn't have to blend in on Earth?
Also, when we first see Soundwave in his tape deck mode, the middle upper panel on the back of him is grey. Now I don't believe we've ever seen him from the back in this mode before, so this may be correct based on the character model. But that panel forms his head (at least on the toy), so shouldn't it be blue?
Then when he transforms to robot mode, he's got two round volume knobs on the backs of his legs. One of those should be a square on/off switch (watch "More than Meets the Eye" part 1 when Soundwave reports that Laserbeak has found a source of energy).
When Galvatron and Soundwave arrive and attack, Blaster's missing the speakers on his legs in one scene.
After the first commercial, Soundwave says, "Think that destroyed them, Galvatron?" and the camera jumps just a little bit closer. I have to assume it's a screw-up since I can't image any director doing that on purpose; it's almost imperceptible.
Galvatron had buried the Autobots in a city, but when Zeebop Scandana rescues them, they're in a forest.¹
In this same scene, three generic robot hands pop out from beneath the rubble. The blue-and-white one is definitely not Ultra Magnus's hand--his forearm is the wrong shape and his hands are rounded instead of squared-off.
Then, the Autobots emerge from the rubble head-first. Why did they stick their hands out? Were they just testing the wind?
After Basso Profundo goes, "Ha ha!" and walks off, we cut to scene with Broadside. The only problem is the next scene uses the same backdrop, so it looks like Basso vanishes and Broadside appears out of nowhere.
When Broadside is complaining about the dents on his body, his left arm is drawn differently from his right arm. It's oversimplified and missing some of the detailing.
In Galvatron's meeting with Allegra, instead of the four red squares normally found on Galvatron's torso, he has a red cross.
When Galvatron asks her for the secret of the harmony, the visible part of Soundwave's face is blue instead of grey.
Initially Allegra was standing, but when we cut to the full body shot her her, suddenly she's sitting and leaning back on one arm.
When Galvatron asks Soundwave if he's "getting this," Soundwave turns his head and his shoulder cannon moves like it's connected to his head.
After Soundwave replies, "I am... I am!" and Galvatron says, "Never mind that!" Soundwave has an Autobot symbol.
Then when Galvatron picks up Soundwave, Galvatron is disproportionately huge! It's the revenge of the giant Galvatron from Danny's nightmares! (Seriously, I think perhaps the animators were using the toys as a size reference. That would also explain the Constructicons and Ultra Magnus.)
When Soundwave interprets Allegra's dialogue for Galvatron, Soundwave turns his head instantly. There are no "in-between" drawings in the animation. Also in this scene, his eject button is blue.
In the next scene when Galvatron grumbles in disgust... he's smiling! (It's the same scene as "Never mind that," so Soundwave has an Autobot symbol again, too.)
In the scene where Allegra begins to have doubts about helping the Decepticons ("I'm not so sure this is a good idea anymore"), Soundwave has an Autobot symbol.
As the Autobots head for Allegra's place, at one point there's a top view of Broadside. The only problem is there's a sky backdrop "underneath" him. So in fact, he's flying sideways!
When Blaster announces that Allegra has joined the Decepticons, Magnus has tiny eyes.
Zeebop doesn't actually sing part two of the harmony. He broadcasts energy waves from his forehead; his mouth is closed the entire time.
When Zeebop sings his part of the harmony, Galvatron's lower legs are purple instead of grey, and his Decepticon symbol is red.
At the moment where Blaster warns Zeebop not to sing his part of the harmony, suddenly Hot Spot has replaced Broadside! He remains for several scenes. Also, Zeebop is suddenly outside of Magnus's vehicle-mode cabin.
As the Autobots fall into the pit created by Soundwave, Magnus is suddenly in robot mode.
When Soundwave transforms back to robot mode, the drawing of Galvatron next to him is another direct lift from his character model. It's not even the right one--that's his "toy" design, not his regular "movie" design. (Note the differently-shaped chest.)
Right before the second commercial, Galvatron lets out a throaty cackle. His head is rocking back and forth so much, in fact, that it looks like it's ready to snap off his neck! (I think the animators overdid it a little.)
When Galvatron holds up Allegra and proclaims that he doesn't need her any longer, there's a space-scape in the background. Eurhythma's sky is blue.
When Blaster's struggling with Soundwave, part of Soundwave's upper left arm is grey instead of blue.
Blaster has a Decepticon symbol when he picks up the seemingly fatally injured Zeebop.
When Broadside assesses that Zeebop is "bound for the junkyard, not the repair shop," his forehead is red instead of grey.
As Allegra heals Zeebop, Blaster is standing in the background and the dots on the bottom part of his legs, which are normally red, aren't colored in.
When Blaster possesses Magnus and talks through him to comment on Allegra's healing powers, Magnus has connected goggles instead of separate eyes.
Back at the battlefield, Soundwave is among the Decepticons fighting Perceptor and the Autobots. Suffice it to say, Soundwave should be with Galvatron at this point.
In a scene where the Constructicons are backing away, Scavenger's head is white instead of black.
Hot Spot has a mouth when he asks Perceptor if there's been any sign of Ultra Magnus's team.
In a later scene, Hot Spot is fighting alongside Defensor! You know, the guys that's made up of... the Protectobots?
It's only briefly visible, but Bonecrusher has a purple Autobot symbol in a scene where the Constructicons are fending off the Protectobots.
In a following scene, Perceptor is carrying a white gun instead of a red one. In the scene right after that, Bonecrusher is missing his symbol.
When Magnus and crew find the injured Perceptor, Magnus is missing his shoulder pads, and part of his front chest component is red instead of blue.
When Galvatron and Soundwave arrive at Metroplex, Soundwave's cassette window is dark blue instead of light blue.
Superion flies through the air to tackle Galvatron, but there's a spacescape. This scene takes place on Earth.
After Superion tackles Galvy, Soundwave's cassette window is dark blue again right before he transforms. Also, as Superion takes Galvatron down, they're both the same size. (More of that toy-perspective thing goin' on.)
When Blaster first grabs Soundwave, the Wavester is missing the cassette buttons on his pelvis. Then we cut to an angle featuring Soundwave's back, only instead of that horizontal stripe pattern (which serves as the thumb hold for his battery cover on the toy), there's a grey Decepticon symbol.
When Blaster pushes Soundwave's buttons, Soundwave has one long lower button instead of two short ones. Also, Blaster's supposed to be pressing an "erase" button, but he's actually got his fingers on two different buttons. (For the toy, they are the PLAY and STOP buttons. If I tried that with my boom box, it would probably eat the tape. Perhaps that was Blaster's plan, but Soundwave very clearly said, "My tapes! You've erased my tapes!")
As Blaster coughfliescough away, he flies not behind Soundwave, but in front of him, giving the impression that he is--here's another technical term for you--Really, Really Small.
When Magnus promises Profundo and co. that the Decepticons won't return, his eyes are too small again.

TRIVIA ANSWERS:

Eurhythma.
He recorded songs from Allegra, Zeebop Scandana, and Basso Profundo, who each knew a piece of the harmony.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
¹Special thanks to Robert Powers, who kindly let me add his bloopers to my own for this episode.

©1999 Inspiration Studios