The Return of Optimus Prime, part 2

Optimus awakens and is given a recap of the previous episode's events by Sky Lynx, and thanks the Quintesson for his work before asking what forces they have left that aren't infected. Kup, Wheelie, Blurr, Bumblebee, Steeljaw and Blaster are those that remain, though since they're damaged as well, the Quintesson has more work to do.
 

They're soon all in tiptop shape and beyond delighted to see Optimus alive again, though Bumblebee was too damaged to be kept in his current body, so was rebuilt with a new one; Goldbug. The Autobots are more than willing to go and kick some Decepticon ass, though their leader hasn't got a plan to how their problem will be solved as he lacks the Matrix of Leadership and all the former leaders' wisdom inside, but if he gets it back then they may be in business.
 

However, since Rodimus is the one with it and he's infected, Jessica steps in to mention the alloy she and her father were working on that's resistant to heat and radiation which may solve that problem, but the Decepticons also pinched it so they'll need to get it back. They roll out to reclaim it, bringing Jessica along after she insists.

Over on Chaar, Galvatron is hounded by his infected troops, who are all ganging up against him and quite enjoying bossing their non-infected leader. The Autobots arrive to battle the infected and save their foe, claiming they must combine forces with him for their overall safety, and the emperor of destruction realises it's all he can really do. The infected fly off for no explained reason while Galvatron assumes position of navigator for the group.
 

He leads them into a cave and blasts the entrance, preventing the infected from getting in, while Prime explains his presence on Chaar is due to his search for the alloy the Decepticons have stolen. After a moment of thought, the Decepticon leader agrees to assist him, though not without warning them that they will encounter many dangers on the path they take.

They soon encounter a giant web stretching across a deep chasm, and Goldbug is right to be worried, as a giant spider begins to scurry off towards them! Galvatron takes to the air and laughs over the Autobots' inability to fly, while the spider's weight causes part of the hardened web to crumble beneath Kup, though he's pulled to safety by Blurr.

Goldbug is grasped by the spider's mandibles and about to be swallowed whole, only for Optimus and Blaster to step in and fire at the web beneath the beast, shattering it and sending it falling into the chasm with no one willing to save it. Galvatron sets down again and claims he believed they didn't need his assistance, though Prime cools any tension among his forces, resuming their minds on the mission.

Still on the trek, Galvatron tries to pry some information on his intentions for the metal out of his nemesis, though all he gets is a jab at his occupation as an evil tyrant.

The group are then attacked by life force sucking leeches, though Galvatron is kind enough to blast them off, only for the infected to show up again and take the less significant as part of their group. The emperor of destruction blasts the ceiling again to keep them at bay before finding the storage chamber for the alloy.
 

Galvatron, however, demands that he be told what the alloy will be used for, only for Jessica to unintentionally spew out that their intention was to coat Optimus in it. He's quickly subdued by Sky Lynx removing his cannon before a scuffle breaks out, and Galvatron seems fairly content to unload the alloy into his enemy's trailer...
 

Only for a hiding Cyclonus to leap out and grab Jessica, infecting her and allowing the Decepticon to plead with his leader to join their side. The emperor of destruction attempts to fight them off, though Jessica infects him and thus forces Optimus and Sky Lynx to make a hasty exit back to Autobot City to melt the alloy and coat the leader in it.

Optimus and Sky Lynx set out to find Rodimus, who's off in a junkyard racing with the Stunticons, ending with them crashing into a giant wall. The uninfected Autobots land and try to reason with him, claiming the entire universe is at stake unless the Matrix is returned to a less insane owner.

Rodimus, being infected and crazy and all, retorts with a scattering of laser fire and fleeing to a car factory (of Volkswagen Beetles, no less), where Optimus tries to subdue the crazy fool with some convenient claw things. He's merely kicked away while Rodimus takes to the scaffolding and opens a vat of smouldering liquid to blast Optimus into.

Sky Lynx saves his sane leader, though Rodimus hops aboard and infects him too, forcing Optimus to bail and hide on a conveyor belt of car chassis, leaping on the searching Rodimus to pull the Matrix out. The infected fool then tries to shove a dangerous tool in Optimus' face, only for it to be knocked away and the two to fall off the belt.

Knocking Rodimus out with one fell punch, he extracts the Matrix from his fallen comrade and returns to Autobot City to inform the Quintesson, the only other uninfected one left, that he must travel into the Matrix to find the answer with the wisdom contained inside.

He encounters Alpha Trion inside, who knows nothing about the Hate Plague but warns him that if he travels too deep into the Matrix, he may get lost and never return to reality again. Meanwhile, the Quintesson is left to defend himself and Optimus from the onslaught of infected, and all he can do is close the doors on them.

The face of the Quintessons appears in the Matrix to explain that the Hate Plague has been around for way too long, but the most anyone could do to stop them was launch them into the sun, though that didn't exactly destroy them either. This means that the only way to fight the madness is with wisdom, and since no one had that much wisdom either, this leaves Optimus only one choice...

You got the touch

You got the power

Yeah

The combined wisdom of the Matrix is released, and subsequently rids the universe of the Hate Plague, rendering everyone sane and friendly again. Gregory Swafford and Mr. Morgan apologise to Optimus for the terrible crimes against humanity they committed, while Galvatron shakes hands with his nemesis, stating that he has won his respect and for today there will be no war.

Hot Rod then realises that the wisdom inside Matrix is no longer there, but Optimus comments that everyone is all a little wiser from this experience, and from this moment on, they must refill it with their newfound knowledge and experience. And with the day saved and Optimus back in command, they roll out yet again, knowing they're back in good hands.

The artwork in this episode is really, really awesome. There's all kinds of dynamic angles and shading, and although the animation is nowhere near the quality of the movie, it's still pretty damn good overall. Five flaming heads!

Blaster goes completely unmentioned in Sky Lynx's list of the wounded, though Steeljaw gets a mention, who vanishes after the scene in the repair bay. Blaster tags along with Optimus until everyone gets infected, and speaks no lines of dialogue at all, which is really rather odd.

Optimus Prime is brought back to life and saves the universe, and Spike, Jazz, Cliffjumper, Powerglide or really anyone who knew Prime manage to miss out on the action. There ain't no justice!