Arcee ♥s Starscream

Arcee ♥s Starscream
(April-6-2012)

Romance has permeated many iterations of the Transformers, starting in G1 with Optimus Prime and Elita-1, their pre-selves: Orion Pax and Arial, Powerglide and the girl who loved him. Blackarachnia and Silverbolt took over Beast Wars and became annoying in Beast Machines. Rattrap and Botanica scarred us. Optimus Prime and Blackarachnia drew mixed reviews in Transformers Animated. Why should romance not appear in Transformers Prime? Being the first show to feature a lead female since Beast Machines, it better. As it turns out, through thirty-three episodes, the stage has been set and the wheels have been put into motion for the potential greatest romance-epic in Transformers history between Arcee and Starscream. They are intimately connected to each other from the start by the death of Cliffjumper, by their personalities and later by Airachnid. They save each other's lives--a classic precursor of love, and they have the greatest source of tension in transformers history between them.

From its inception, Transformers Prime suffocated us with Arcee and Jack. In episode 18, "Metal Attraction", they play around with an Arcee/Bulkhead pairing, but from the beginning, even before seeing Jack Darby on screen, two seeds were planted for Arcee and Starscream. The first seed: Starscream kills Arcee's partner: Cliffjumper. The writers choose this short story to open their series. Let its significance not be underestimated. The second seed: Arcee and Starscream's personalities and how they contrast. They are polar opposites--Arcee a pitcher and Starscream the catcher. Such is established in two interactions between them from the episodes "Rock Bottom" and "Partners" (19 & 20). Arcee puts a gun in front of Starscream's face in episode 19 and he submits. Episode 20 builds on that by showing Starscream chained and on his knees while Arcee stands over him. These are the roles that they play in all of their relationships from the beginning of the series, so one can be assured that pitcher and catcher are truly their personalities. Therefore, the Arcee and Starscream pairing is as conceivable as night and day, north and south or positive and negative.

Airachnid appears halfway through season one and quickly establishes herself as an enemy to Arcee and soon enough as an enemy to Starscream. Her introductory episode, "Predatory" (12), deals with the hate Arcee has for Airachnid, who is responsible for killing an old partner and who wants to kill Jack. By episode 20, "Partners", Starscream senses that Airachnid has out-ranked him, even though she had only just joined the Decepticons. Megatron entrusts Airachnid with the task of retrieving the immobilizer and demotes Starscream to guide duty. Then, Starscream learns that Airachnid has "need-to-know" information that he does not. It is striking that he does not know this information, given that at the end of the episode Megatron fears that "all Decepticon intelligence could be at the finger tips of the Autobots" when Starscream does not return to base.

Enough episodes have passed for Arcee and Starscream's mutual hatred for Airachnid to bond them. In episode 20, "Partners", Arcee comes to Starscream's defense upon learning that he, then captured, hates Airachnid. She argues that, "this might be the one time our objectives align." Optimus agrees to bring Starscream along and assigns Acree to guard him, giving them another chance to talk. Airachnid proves to be a major catalyst for their relationship. Within thirty seconds of Starscream mentioning Airachnid, Arcee's manner transitions from complete disinterest in Starscream's small talk, "tell it to someone who cares", to smiling and then even confiding in him. She tells him (about Airachnid) "well, she terminated my partner," as if it was not true when she said, earlier, that she would never trust him and as if it could not backfire. In episode 33, "Crossfire", Starscream rescues Arcee from death at the hands of Airachnid.

Arcee defends Starscream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f01bVACMxow
Starscream spits game: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLwP2hm_DTw
Starscream saves Arcee: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz30mxEOzRY

Starscream's rescue of Arcee is not the only rescue of their relationship. In episode 19, "Rock Bottom", Arcee saves Starscream's life. The scene is not a traditional heroic rescue, but all of the important elements can be identified. Megatron is set up to execute Starscream who has no escape and no hope for rescue until Arcee comes along. She draws Megatron's fire long enough for Starscream to get away. Look at it this way: if Arcee had not been there, Starscream would have been killed. Furthermore, if Arcee had not caused the cave to collapse onto Megatron, Starscream would have never had the opportunity to redeem himself to Megatron by returning to look for him. It suffices to say that she is responsible for Starscream being alive, thus she rescues him. Key to this is that rescues such as these are common at the start of love stories.

Arcee saves Starscream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiMKRXrcqb0

Love stories also usually have a source of tension between the partners--something that makes an audience ask "will they or won't they?". In Beast Wars, being from different factions provides the tension between Blackarachnia and Silverbolt. In Transformers Prime, Cliffjumper's death provides the most exciting source of tension in Transformers history. One could argue that Cliffjumper's death makes asking "will they?" unreasonable, but there's no need to debate that because Arcee already flip-flops between attitudes that suggest she will and attitudes that suggest she won't (hereby referred to as being in the will or being in the won't state). Following her actions from episode to episode brings this to light. Arcee starts off in the will state because of her pre-Cliffjumper bonding with Starscream over their mutual hatred for Airachnid. In "Partners" (episode 20), her attitude draws the following criticism and concern from Optimus Prime: "revenge will not bring back those we have lost" after she recklessly chases after Airachnid, "your desire to avenge tailgate will only continue to cloud your judgement" after he demotes her to guard duty and "it is the external wounds which heal the quickest" after she recovers from her fight with Starscream, by which he means that Arcee might not be as tough mentally as she is physically. Don't forget Bumblebee's memorable wide-eyed expression towards the end of the episode. Evidently, Arcee's current goal is to get revenge, so when she learns that Starscream had killed Cliffjumper, she switches to the won't state and tries to kill him. Because of this fight, Arcee retires the want for revenge at the end of "Partners". "I thought settling scores would allow me to move on" she laments. If it is true that Arcee no longer supports "settling scores," one is left to wonder what could allow her to move on. Why not revenge's opposite: forgiveness?

Optimus Prime brings up the topic of forgiveness in episode 20, "Partners". He tells the Autobots that "every sentient being deserves an opportunity for redemption". Arcee challenges this, asking "even bot-killers?" Optimus Prime tells her "without that hope, we may never achieve lasting peace." Recall an earlier quote from episode 20: "I thought settling scores would allow me to move on." Here is the full quote: "I thought settling scores would allow me to move on. Instead, I chased away our hope of winning this war anytime soon." It does not have to be pure coincidence that she echoes Optimus Prime's use of the word hope. One could take it to mean that she adopts the point of view that even bot-killers deserve an opportunity for redemption. It also means that she returns to the will state.

Starscream makes the best of this opportunity during the Orion Pax arc. In "Orion Pax Part I" (episode 27), Arcee becomes very upset over the loss of Optimus Prime. At least three scenes support this, one where she recklessly speeds through a Decepticon ground bridge into their warship**, one where she screams in frustration after Soundwave bridges her to the arctic and one where she exhibits self-loathing upon returning to base. "If any of us needed rescuing, Optimus would have found a way. I didn't. Simple as that" she whines. Where she fails, Starscream does not. In "Orion Pax Part II", he gives the Autobots a chance to save Optimus Prime by telling Ratchet and Bulkhead the location of the Decepticon space bridge. Arcee figures this out later and lets out a joyful "thank you Starscream", meaning that Starscream takes a step towards atonement with this action. Given how upset Arcee was over losing Optimus Prime, one can even assume that he takes a giant leap towards it.

**Understandably, one might not see a difference between this and her aforementioned reckless chasing of Airachnid in "Partners," thus one could argue that Arcee's attitude remains the same. While true that both actions were reckless, boarding the decepticon warship was not an act of revenge, but a desperate attempt to locate Optimus Prime. For now it still holds that she does not want revenge.

Arcee thanks Starscream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4SP2yYl3ds

After many episodes of hardly any lines for either Arcee or Starscream, the writers revisit them in the episode "Crossfire" (33). Arcee learns that Ratchet and Bulkhead helped Starscream in return for information and she flips out. "Hold on, you just fixed him up and sent him on his way?" she objects, "Not that I wouldn't jump at any chance to put Airachnid down, but she isn't the only one who's robbed me of a partner." And so, she articulates that the desire for revenge against both Airachnid and Starscream has returned. In addition to expressing it, Arcee demonstrates it against Airachnid. Within seconds of spotting her, Arcee declares "Airachnid is mine," ignores a direct order from Optimus Prime and chases after her. Therefore while she may have given up on revenge at the end of "Partners", her resolve did not last, and she is now back in the won't state. However, the writers give us reason to believe that her attitude flips at the end of the episode again. Her pursuit of Airachnid is fruitless and she becomes captured. Airachnid intends to kill her, but is chased away by Starscream who continues taking steps towards atonement. Optimus Prime radios Arcee after Starscream saves her and asks for her status. She tells him that she is alive and so is Airachnid, but oddly leaves out Starscream despite making it clear at the beginning of the episode that she held equal animosity towards him.

Arcee leaves Starscream out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEESKL_eWJc

It should be clear by now that Arcee and Starscream are becoming more involved with each other. Starscream's atonement process will undoubtedly continue while Arcee flip flops between will and won't states in the upcoming episodes. Airachnid remains alive, so they can continue to bond over their hatred for her. Keep in mind that their pairing is as conceivable as light and dark, lost and found or life and death. Remember that they take turns saving each other's life. There is just no reason to believe that nothing substantial is developing in Transformers Prime between Arcee and Starscream.

Notes and Thoughts

*** About the events of "One Shall Fall": In "One Shall Fall" (Episode 23), Optimus Prime entrusts Arcee to attend to Bumblebee in light of Raf becoming injured. She doesn't let him down, telling Bumblebee that "revenge won't help Raf right now." While this supports the idea that Arcee no longer supports revenge at first glance, it does not stand under further scrutiny. First, the situation is different; Raf is not dead. Arcee makes this distinction clear while reasoning with Bumblebee: "You think I don't know how it feels to watch a partner..." she pauses to acknowledge the difference, "...harmed?" Revenge is not advocated here because Raf is still alive. It would be of no use. Moreover, her line about revenge contains the conspicuous phrase, "right now," further implying that revenge is useless while one's partner is still alive.

*** In the almost Arcee-less episode "Loose Cannons" (32), she fact drops that Starscream tried to raise Skyquake from the dead in "Shadowzone" (episode 15). I won't imply that she couldn't have known that it was Starscream, because he is within her view for a few seconds at the very end of the episode in the canyon, but the episode begins with all the Autobots suspecting Megatron. She stays at the base to operate the ground bridge, therefore she never sees Starscream before the autobots' attention wholly shifts to finding the missing kids. It stands to reason that she would be the least likely to remember such a detail, had she no interest, of course.

*** I think it's likely that Arcee installs Starscream's t-cog if he ever gets a replacement. See video: Will Arcee nurse Starscream back to health? www.youtube.com/watch?v=aebPuj0pz78

*** No need to worry about ArceexJack. Their relationship is more like Jack and his mom's, so it doesn't prevent Starcee.

*** Airachnid looks exactly like Maleficent from the Sleeping Beauty. I wonder if Arcee is like the Princess and if Starscream is like the prince, but at this moment there isn't enough glop to support either.

*** Starscream's relationship with Bulkhead and Ratchet is interesting. In scenes where Starscream trades information to Ratchet and Bulkhead, you can mute the scene and easily imagine that Bulkhead and Ratchet are Arcee's big brothers making sure that Starscream doesn't try anything funny on their first date.