The Burden Hardest To Bear

Episode Name: The Burden Hardest To Bear
Series: The Transformers (classic, 1986), Season 3
Rating: Four and a Half Spaceships

Mission Briefing:
When the Decepticons attack Japan, it's the Autobots to the rescue! But afterward is a lot of talk and problems, and Rodimus Prime is already strained. He is tired of his giddi (definite sp?; it's Japanese, meaning "the burden hardest to bear"), his duty and destiny of leadership.
Then when the Decepticons steal the Matrix of Leadership, Rodimus, re-transformed into Hot Rod, decides he's totally done. Meanwhile, the Matrix proves useless to Galvatron, so he orders Scourge to destroy it. But Scourge instead steals the Matrix for himself. The Matrix's powers work too well, but while it super-powers him, it sickens his mind and body. He takes over the Decepticons, leaving Galvatron and Cyclonus supposedly dead, and heads for Earth...
Can Hot Rod learn to deal with his giddi before Scourge and the Decepticons destroy everything?

Mission Report:
This is another fave episode. The story was very good, though there were some glitches. Most of the glitches were minor and slightly annoying, though there's some new weird things about Scourge... like, when did the power get into Scourge's head and he play traitor? And why did the Matrix work (kind of) for Scourge, when the memories/ghosts of the Autobots come up and the Matrix refuse to work for Galvatron? Weird...
But, other than that, the story was very good, and I highly enjoyed it. The idea was good, though they could have gotten the moral through a little better.
This is another of my The Transformers Top Ten Seasons 3&4 episodes.