#blusterjay

So let's run through them and tell a few specific reasons why these characters are so fabulous.

First of all we have our young protagonist Cody Burns.

The very first impression we get of Cody is that he is substantially younger than all his siblings who are already authorized emergency responders. In his very first scene we get to see that because of his age he is constantly left out. So his motivations are instantly clear and also very relatable. Then he finally gets an opportunity to help with the arrival of the Rescue Bots, and he jumps a the chance to help out his family and his new robot friends in their duties.

But despite him being mature in that regard and wanting to help people, they take care not to forget that he is just a kid. He gets into trouble on multiple occasions because he might want to prove he can be helpful and responsible using the technology around him to overcome his young age, but then his naivety shows through as he fails to be able to control or comprehend the tech he is taking advantage of.

Okay, so Cody is a good character with clear motivations and realistic flaws. Now how about his friend the fantastic Francine Greene? 

Frankie is an unapologetic badass. Oh what's that? Flying lobsters attacking your sweater? Well Frankie's got a spatula that says otherwise. Cross eyed lion attacking you on your way to school? This fierce little girl has a forcefield on her wristwatch! God DAMN she has a freakin' robot dinosaur as her BUTLER fetching her dad coffee!

And on top of being fearless as fuck, she's smart as all hell too! She is consistently raving over the cool new technology available in the town and goes into specifics about why this is SUPER COOL AND WE SHOULD BE EXCITED TOO!!

But beyond her awesome attitude and intellect, Frankie IS just a regular little girl. She can't always handle things on her own- she gets into trouble on multiple occasions and gets saved by the Rescue Bots just like everyone else. That's the great thing about Frankie- while she IS entirely fucking flawless, they never forget that she's just a kid and kids make mistakes and do stupid stuff. Like in Shake Up. It was REALLY dumb of her to get all up in the Rescue Bots' business- but she's just a kid. A kid who's REALLY excited about advanced technology and wants to get some footage to show everyone else she knows how cool it is too. She overlooks the danger of the situation because she's distracted by what she wants to accomplish, as many children are prone to do.

Also, Frankie is apparently a boss at After Effects. But she's got a freakin' forcefield watch. Adobe products are probably like baby toys to her.

Moving on to the Rescue Bots' partners; let's start off with Chief Charlie Burns. AKA the Silver Fox. :U

Chief Burns is a kind, caring father who looks out for his family AND the whole town. When he's not cooking for his family in his FABULOUS apron or playing hoops with his kids, he's out policing the town to keep people safe while remaining a friend to the community… He's freakin' GREAT is what I'm saying.

You know what? The only episode where Chief Burns messes up and gets into trouble because of it is when he lies about getting a cake because he doesn't want his kids to feel bad for forgetting his birthday. Oh gosh. He's such a sweetheart!

The best part about him is that he is constantly reminding the rescue team that people come before their cover. His compassion is a wonderful trait and he is definitely someone to be looked up to in this show. And since he is the main figure of authority besides Optimus, it's great that he's such a good role model.

Did I mention that he's a stone cold FOX? …because he is.

Now Kade Burns is another matter.

This guy is pretty self absorbed and stubborn. He constantly clashes with his partner Heatwave (who is just as stubborn), and he's unapologetic about taking all the "glory" from a rescue. He also seems to show his affection for his siblings through teasing and goading them- pretty much the opposite of his father. But the best part about Kade is how he clashes with Heatwave. Their relationship is one of my favorite parts about Rescue Bots. (and that's saying something- because EVERY part of Rescue Bots is my favorite part :U) 

When I saw Kade's initially dismissive attitude towards Heatwave I was SO EXCITED about how this character would grow and their friendship would develop. And, like with most things, Rescue Bots did not disappoint me with this. One of the most heartbreaking moments in the series is in Small Blessings when Kade is on the dam. He comms his father to tell him he's going to check out what's happening with the dam then turns to Heatwave to tell him what to do… but he's not there. Ohhhh my heart~ It shattered into tiny pieces

Regardless of how he chastises Heatwave and argues with him all the time, Kade grows to care about and rely on his partner. He develops. And that is the purpose of storytelling- developing characters. Kade you tsundere bastard- I love you SO MUCH!!

Then we have Graham.

Graham is a big sweetheart, just like his partner Boulder. He's somewhat similar to both Chief and Cody. He is a compassionate person like his father and he wants very much to be helpful like Cody does. Although unlike Cody, he seems very unsure of himself at times. His first few interactions with Boulder are awkward as he stumbles over himself because he thinks he's just a dumb primitive Earth creature compared to Boulder. In a show full of characters who are generally very strong and confident it's nice to see Graham's insecurity. The episode that focuses on him, You've Been Squilshed, actually centers on this insecurity. He gets accepted to this prestigious school (and that fact alone surprises him) and he has the opportunity to go expand his knowledge (which we've seen him doubt in front of Boulder at times) It also means he'll have to leave his family, but he brings up that he thinks they might not actually need him since he's just an engineer. This is a great episode for how it handles Graham's character- he's presented with a situation that an engineer can help solve and it helps reassure him that 1) he is needed by the rescue team, and 2) he can learn a lot better from his partner Boulder and being out in the field than he might in a stuffy classroom. (I'm also a fan of this "learning through experience" moral in that episode so it gets double points)

Aahh and now we get to Dani.

She's one tough cookie, and she enjoys the action and excitement of being on a rescue team. She also seems to have a bit of trouble seeing things from others' perspectives. She does this to Cody on occasion and initially with her partner Blades. Her first experience with him is pretty hectic for them both- she is very unhappy with having a partner who is afraid of flying. She doesn't understand because she LOVES flying. She gets frustrated and yells and is not at all sympathetic to his fear. She says what she wants and she expects Blades to do it. Though Cody points out that yelling really doesn't help Blades, she doesn't get it initially. Although once she calms down and sees how Blades can be encouraged with kindness and reassurance she works to remedy her behavior and eventually becomes great friends with him.

That's why Dani is awesome. She's a flawed character who manages to put aside her strong-willed nature in order to work with a partner who is much less aggressive than she is. In fact, Blades and Dani are the only partners who are that dissimilar to each other. They have an excellent dynamic, though, because throughout the season they got to learn and grow from interacting with the other. Blades became stronger and overcame his fear, and Dani learned to be more patient.

Those are all the main humans… well actually I could bring up Doc Greene- but wow. He's just great because he's a huge goofball! I hardly even have to say more about him than that. Big, adorable goofball. That's Doc Greene for ya :D