Mech Cadets – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Know Your Enemy

Episode 3 of Mech Caets begins with the examination of the eggs discovered by the team. This is concerning, as the eggs display signs of life. The chemical compounds present in the eggs also show signs of evolution. Dr. Miller urges that the eggs be left for further study, but General Park orders them to be destroyed due to the high risk involved.

Meanwhile, the cadets line up for another day of training. They still appear puzzled by how Olivia has been accepted as a cadet without a Robo to bond with. The team is also introduced to their newly designed arsenal of weapons. General Park unveils Olivia’s Robot to the team – the Hero Force One robot – and she joins them in practice.

Down in the Garage, the new Hero Force One team starts moving in, which doesn’t sit well with Chief Max. General Park is alerted about a new development on Mars. The rover detects traces of a huge structure emerging from the ground before shutting down due to damage.

The cadet team heads to the canyon for their practice session. The initial drill involves destroying six mini drones that attempt to evade them. The cadets excel, but Olivia steals the spotlight with her precision target rockets. Another practice drill involves a game of Capture the Flag, where the cadets must snatch a flag from the head of the Captain’s Robo. Maya successfully accomplishes this by surprising him with a sneak attack and grabbing the flag.

In the lab, General Felix discusses the potential of egg studies with Dr. Miller. Impressed, he grants permission to continue studying them. In the Garage, Ava talks to Chief Max about the new Hero Force One robot. She’s enthusiastic about the possibilities, but General Max offers a different perspective, insisting that the Robos are more than just machines and that Chief Clark isn’t trustworthy.

Max recalls a story of her battle with the Shargs, when her Robo Mariposa ejected her from the cockpit to self-destruct and defeat a Sharg when all seemed lost.

Ava finally manages to get the GDR (Global Defense Response) online. Captain Tanaka acknowledges Maya’s efforts but stresses the importance of teamwork. He gives them another chance, and while Frank and Stanford attempt coordinated tactics, Maya and Olivia, driven by arrogance, resist coordinating.

Stanford, Frank, and Olivia decide to go solo but are quickly outmanoeuvred by Captain and the drones. Afterward, Maya charges to retrieve the flag, but Captain intercepts her, slamming her into the canyon wall. Maya, in response, kicks off the wall, injuring her arm but ejecting herself from the cockpit to seize the flag.

Maya’s celebration is short-lived as a massive boulder descends toward her. The scene transitions here to a flashback of Maya’s interview, where she expresses her desire to become a pilot and recalls the loss of her parents in a Sharg attack, mentioning her brother whom she wants to protect.

Upon regaining consciousness, Maya acknowledges the damage inflicted on her Robo from her previous action and vows to not be as selfish again. Olivia compiles a detailed list of glitches in the Hero Force and discusses it with General Park, who grants her the necessary access.

Finally, General Park and the team catch a glimpse of the enormous Sharg ship on Mars, though its exact nature remains unclear. Meanwhile, in the lab, a Sharg hatches from the eggs and attacks Dr. Miller.

The Episode Review

With the foundation of the storyline already established, the episode strives to cultivate a sense of an impending massive war. Alongside this, a few clichéd tricks are employed as we delve into the characters’ origin stories. Here, we witness these elements in action through two characters, Maya and Frank.

We catch a fleeting glimpse of the nature of the Robo’s Chief Max mentioned earlier. The episode concludes with the reveal of a colossal Sharg ship stationed on Mars and the hatching of one of the Sharg eggs, which is certainly an intriguing development.