Should you watch this, Wiki this, or wait for the recap? Watch it.
April & Donatello must find a way to rescue Casey Jones from the Kraang and the Kraathatrogons, while the addition of Tiger Claw to the Foot Clan proves to be more than the Turtles and Splinter can handle.
This episode concludes the two-parter that began with the previous episode, and features the return of Jack Kurtzman! Though his apartment seems to be strangely fine in this episode. The 80’s Turtles get a much longer cameo too. Like the previous episode, it’s an ensemble episode, but it manages to give each character (and there’s a sprawling number too, 13 characters to feature) some time to shine.
Highlights
Shredder vs Splinter
I love Shredder and Splinter fights. The music and atmosphere is always suitably epic, and their movements are quick and complex, something that you know the Turtles (with their current level of skill) could never accomplish. And there’s always the character conflict between the two of them – ultimately, they were rivals in love – that underscores the entire fight.
The Turtles vs the Foot Clan
The climax sees Splinter, Leo, Raph, and Mikey vs Karai, Tiger Claw, Rahzar and Fishface. Mikey holds his own well against Rahzar here, and it’s a very well balanced fight. You really doubt if the Turtles can win this one, but being our heroes, they find a way. It’s always great to see an action free-for-all!
Mikey’s speech
I’m a fan of Mikey, because he’s really the adorable doofus that I was always had as a classmate. He gets another moment of awesome here in his odd inspiration speech to the other Turtles, again hinting that he might very well be the most powerful of the four Turtles.
The 80’s Turtles!
They appear! For more than one shot! And they get to do something (not fighting though). That, plus the cheesy 80’s music, really revives that sense of nostalgia and makes use of the 2D animation department that the Nickelodeon studios evidently have.
Letdowns
The defeat of the Kraathatrogon
The Kraathatrogon were defeated in kind of a lame way. Both visually, and dramatically. The end to that scene was good, but April and Donnie vs the Kraathatrogon was really… meh. It could have been handled better, or at least given more anime stylisation.
Overall, it doesn’t have the suspense and excitement of the previous episode, but it’s still a worthy episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to watch! And it ends with Karai discovering more of her past – with her deteriorating relationship with Shredder, could this signal the beginning of her redemption?
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