The Last Hope, Part 1

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"We're gonna need a bigger Terran..."
"The Last Hope, Part 1"
Season	1
No. in season	25
Production company	Entertainment One Nickelodeon
Airdate	July 28, 2023 (Paramount+) April 20, 2024 (Nickelodeon)
Writer	Dale Malinowski
Director	Matthew Humphreys
Animation studio	Icon Creative Studio
Watch this episode on Paramount+

With Mandroid having returned more dangerous than ever, the Maltos are put on the defensive as they struggle to survive.

Synopsis

At the Malto farm, a portal crackles in the sky as the newly-returned and augmented Mandroid opens a panel in his new cybernetic body to reveal his face. When Croft expresses surprise at his appearance, he reveals that by his clock he's gone for about a year. His henchmen, Blitzwave and Razor-Fin, also swoop down from the portal and Mandroid explains that he liberated the Sharkticons' planet from their oppressors. When Twitch defiantly asserts they'll defeat Mandroid, he responds by draining Shockwave's energon with the Cyber Slayer, putting the Decepticon in shutdown. Mandroid demands they turn over Robby and Mo's cyber-sleeves, at which point the Maltobots attack him, leaving him on the back foot long enough for the entire family to make a run for it. He sends the two Sharkticons after them, and when Croft asks pointedly about the changes Mandroid's control device seems to be making to her, he invites her to meet him at the space bridge.

As the Maltos flee through the woods, the pursuing Sharkticons bring trees down ahead of them. The Maltobots attempt to avoid the falling trees, but in the process, Alex and Dot are thrown into the air and Razor-Fin swallows them whole. The shocked kids have no choice but to continue their flight, lest Robby and Mo be captured. The Sharkicons manage to catch up while they're still trying to formulate a plan, and a rocket from the pair sends Jawbreaker, Hashtag and Thrash plummeting down a waterfall. Nightshade and Twitch attempt an aerial escape with Robby and Mo until Mandroid shoots them down. A fight ensues, with the four Maltos managing to overcome the two Sharkticons. However, Mandroid knocks Nightshade and Twitch aside, seizing the two humans and draining the energy from their cyber-sleeves before tossing them into Razor-Fin's mouth. Blitzwave blasts the remaining pair with missiles as the evil trio depart. The pair dig themselves out of the rubble and Nightshade attempts to raise the spirits of a now-despondent Twitch.

Bumblebee and Schloder are playing a card game in a G.H.O.S.T. cell. Breakdown accuses Bee of cheating just before the power cuts out. Twitch and Nightshade make quick work of the Ghoid guards and cut the power to Bee and Schloder's cell, before Twitch insists they free the Decepticons as well, given G.H.O.S.T. has not turned out to be all that was promised. Schloder announces G.H.O.S.T. is finished, dramatically pulling off his badge, but the kids have already deactivated all of the cells. They attempt to talk the 'Cons into helping fight Mandroid, but the former prisoners aren't interested and depart. The remaining group head to the space bridge, where they spy on Croft and Mandroid. The latter explains that Croft's scarring is due to an infusion of energon from the badge controller. He activates the space bridge to demonstrate how it can be weaponized to _target energon, causing Croft's skin to slowly decay until a burst of energy leaps from the bridge to her, killing her outright. Mandroid intends to power up the bridge, which will allow him to eliminate every energon-based being on the planet. Twitch has to restrain Schloder as they come up with a counter-plan, but his rage at the death of his sister causes him to charge Mandroid regardless. Nightshade uses their hologram emitter to cover Schloder by creating an army of fakes of themself, as the others join the bum rush. Bumblebee makes it to the space bridge, but Mandroid attacks him before he can make the required changes, swiftly overcoming the Autobot. Twitch and Nightshade attempt to come to Bee's rescue, leading to Mandroid impaling Nightshade with his Cyber Slayer...but then the hologram fades, revealing it's actually the unharmed Schloder, who blasts Mandroid and takes possession of the Cyber Slayer. Everyone piles through the space bridge to escape, but as Twitch leaps, she spots the four human members of the Malto family, unconscious and wired into the tangle of mechanical vines linked to the bridge.

Twitch lands on the other side of the space bridge link and Bee blasts the receiving pad, shutting down the portal. She quickly explains to the others what she saw, but before they can formulate a rescue plan, the ground shakes and a huge edifice rises from the ground, topped with the space bridge and Mandroid himself.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Ugh, a foul stench."
"I wonder how they taste."

—Razor-Fin and Blitzwave eye up the humans.

"Twitch, you are capable of lighting our darkest hour. Shine, and I will follow you anywhere."

—Nightshade encourages their sister.

"Please, don't give up on Earth."
"Earth ain't exactly been home to us."

—Twitch is unsuccessful in convincing Breakdown to help.

"This is for my sister."

—Schloder out for revenge.

Notes

Continuity notes

• As with the previous episode, this picks up where the previous one left off.
• While the weapon Mandroid wields goes unnamed in this two-parter, later episodes will reveal it's called the Cyber Slayer.
• Nightshade's hologram emitter was previously seen being brought into G.H.O.S.T. HQ by Bumblebee during his infiltration in "Stowed Away, Stowaways".

Transformers references

• Although Mandroid doesn't name the oppressors he freed the Sharkticons from, previous Transformers series have traditionally depicted the species as servants of the Quintessons. A sign of things to come, perhaps...?
• Nightshade tells Twitch that she can light their darkest hour.

Real-world references

Errors

Trivia

• Like previous two-parters, most online distribution platforms, such as Paramount+, do not list this episode separately from Part 2, instead choosing to combine both parts into a single 44-minute video.

Foreign localization

Hungarian

• Title: "Végső reményszikra, 1. rész" ("Final Spark of Hope, part 1")
• Original airdate: October 1, 2023

French

• Title: "Le dernier espoir, Partie 1" ("The Last Hope, Part 1")
• Original airdate: October 8, 2023

• The vocal effect applied on Soundwave's voice is different from the one used in other episodes.
• Breakdown is dubbed by Arthur Pestel instead of Denis Maréchal, his voice in Security Protocols. Denis Maréchal will only be back for season 2.

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "A Última Esperança, Parte 1" ("The Last Hope, Part 1")
• Original airdate: July 29, 2023

Home video releases

DVD

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