By Mark Rodriguez
For whatever reason, this episode was referred to as Wormquake on the Nick TV advertising, even though it's called The Manhattan Project. Also this was aired on a Friday night make it a full-hour event. However, for those that couldn't wait two weeks, it was for sale on iTunes almost as soon as it was announced... and then available for free on the Nick website. I decided til to wait til it actually aired on its normal timeslot before posting my review just in case people missed it or can't watch it online (some countries don't let them see it since they're not in the US). Yes, this is the series' third epic 2-parter, and I think we're lucky that all three times we get to see the full hour instead of waiting the following week for the second part. This episode brings back the Shredder, introduces the long-awaited Tiger Claw, features more of the Kraang, explains where Mutagen comes from and hey, is that the original 80's TMNT???? Let's check it out.
The episode starts at night as Karai, Rahzar and the Robo-Foot are stalking about. Rahzar tells Karai that Shredder didn't authorize this mission, and she tells him that she's in in charge in his absence... and they will both look good if they succeed in capturing the Turtles. Just then the Turtles are seen jumping across the rooftops. Leo stops the group and feels that they're being watched. Mikey says it must be a spy, and finds a squirrel (sigh). Just the the Foot attack and the Turtles start to fight.
Rahzar tackles Mikey down and Don smacks him away. The skeletal wolf nightmare then shoots sharp bones from his hands that Mikey manages to deflect with his nunchucks. Leo squares off with Karai and tells her than her real name is Miwa. She doesn't care to hear it. Just then, an earthquake happens and Leo manages to kick Karai out of the way before a tower collapses on top of him. Cue the theme song.
Once the episode truly begins, the others get the bricks off of Leo. Don explains that this was a localize earthquake. Leo is upset that Karai is gone. He wanted to change things but now it's too late. At the sewer lair, Chang Gambe O'Brien mentions how the earthquakes are so severe, even his hair is messed up. Don detects a pattern and determines some kind of tech is involved in causing this. Raph asks who it could be, and Mikey thinks of kittens.
Leo tells Splinter that he almost told Karai the truth, which he wasn't too pleased to hear about. The sensei does admit that it might be time for her to know the truth. Leo says it's time that he tells the others. Later on, Splinter tells the rest that Karai is in indeed the daughter that he thought was lost in the fire, but was actually stolen and raised by Shredder.
Mikey says Karai is their sister, but Raph reminds them that she's still their enemy. Splinter says there is good in her, and she must know the truth.
At the villain hideout, the bad guys are all gathered together awaiting Shredder's return with some sort of secret weapon. Fishface hopes it's a new mutant fish woman, which Baxter hopes it is not. Rahzar says it's a kid assassin that was mutated by the Kraang decades ago. Shredder makes his entrance, with several Foot showing their respect as he walks by. He comments that Bradford looks terrible. He then introduces Tiger Claw, the most feared assassin in all of Asia. Karai says he's just another mutant freak, and Tiger Claw comments he's disappointed by the Foot Clan. Karai draws her sword and Tiger draws his gun, and Fishface quickly breaks it up by offering refreshments (though I wonder why he would care if he blasted Karai's brains out??).
Tiger Claw requests some skim milk. Karai asks about the stub he has left of his tail. He says he lost it to a rival that he will find some day. Karai makes a joke about him not being able to keep his own tail, but Shredder cuts her off and says he is the new second of command and they will all treat him with the proper respect. Karai, of course, does not like this.
Casey and April are jumping across the rooftops, doing some vigilante action of their own. Casey asks when they go on a real date. Just before April and Casey start getting too cozy, April notices a bunch of Kraang walking into a portal. They both jump in and manage to attack the last Kraang before he can get away. April turns off the device, and it drops to the ground. She says they should take it to Donnie, and Casey asks they should take it to a real lab. She says Donnie is above more science labs, which annoys him.
At the lair, April shows the others how the portal device works. Don says it might have something to do with the earthquakes. Casey wants to jump in and Raph calls him crazy.... and then admits that he wants to jump in first. Casey jumps in after Raph and pulls April along, which makes Don jump after them. Mikey says they can't go alone and follows, and Leo sighs and also goes for it. Just then a small earthquake causes some debris to knock the device to the floor, shutting it off.
The heroes arrive in a strange dimension with lots of different portals lining up the sides, like some sort of gateway between dimensions. Mikey points that the portal they came from just closed. Leo tells everyone to look for a way home. Casey calls out for a particularly interesting portal which shows the classic 80's version of the Turtles, strolling down the street with April and Casey. Mikey asks why they look like dorks. Don is very impressed by 80's April jumpsuit.
The Turtles then spot what looks like Dimension X, and the Kraang soon notice them. Biodroids jump out and start fighting against the Turtles. During the fight, Raph, Leo and Mike get knocked into one of the portals, and one of the Kraang closes it. The Turtles fall into a dumpster, back in New York.
Just then they are attacked by Tiger Claw. An intense fight starts, and not only is he a skilled fighter, he's also armed with a freeze gun and has a jet pack.
Back to Casey, Don and April, they defeat the final Biodroid. They see another portal that shows more Kraang, and they are soon spotted. The trio are soon surrounded by the Kraang at gunpoint and have no choice but to surrender.
Back in New York, the Turtles are soon outmatched and defeated by Tiger Claw. He grabs Mikey and is about to throw him into the furnace unless they call Splinter. Raph tells Leo that it's a trap, but Leo says he has no choice. Splinter is meditating in the air when he is suddenly called on the 'cheese phone'... so it MUST be an emergency.
Meanwhile, Tiger Claw has the Turtles tied up and is tired of waiting. He's about to shove them into the furnace when Splinter arrives. Splinter fights against Tiger Claw, who soon takes out his gun, and the Tiger pulls out a sword.
Meanwhile, the trio are being taken back to New York to be fed to something. They soon take out the Kraang and get away from them, finding themselves in some kind of secret underground facility in an abandoned subway. They soon see the Kraang trying to contain giant worms. They finds out that they're being milked... for Mutagen! So Mutagen comes from space worms...? While the heroes check this out, April thinks Casey is rubbing her butt and tells him 'not now' (...wut?) Casey doesn't know what she's talking about, and she angrily tells him to stop. They then see it's one of the worms rubbing up against April's butt. As they scream in surprise, the Kraang discover them and unleash a giant worm after them.
As the fight between Splinter and Tiger Claw continues, the tiger manages to slice Splinter's staff in half. However, the rat sensei still has his speed and throwing stars at his disposal. Karai, hidden out of sight and watching the fight this whole time, shoots Splinter with a poisoned dart. He is soon taken down, much to the surprise of his sons. Leo tells Karai she doesn't want to do this since he is her father. Karai says they will say anything to save him and raises her sword so she can silence the Turtles.
Part 2 starts with Karai about to slice them down but Tiger stops them, reminding them that Shredder wants them alive. With the last of his strength, Splinter tosses shuriken to cut the Turtles free and tells them to run. Tiger gives chase but they soon escape thanks to a smokebomb.
Meanwhile, Don, April and Casey are running from the worm. Casey tosses a spray can bomb into its mouth which stops it for a while, but it keeps coming after them. They make it to the staircase leading to the surface, and as Don grabs April and Casey, the worm manages to swallow Casey. April is worried and Don feels bad over this. Don and April make it to the surface and go to Kurtzman for more information.
At the lair, Raph blames Leo for what happened and Leo says he thought Splinter would have been able to take them down. Mikey gives a cheesy inspirational speech, but Leo and Raph are with him anyway. They have to head to Shredder's hideout and get Splinter back. The TMNT gear up and get ready to go.
At the villain lair, Tiger splashes Splinter with some water to wake him up. Rahzar asks if the poison is enough to kill him. Tiger says it would have killed any normal man, but it only weakened him. Just then Shredder arrives with Karai. He taunts Yoshi's rat form, and Splinter says at least he doesn't have to wear a mask to hide whatever humanity he has left. Shredder blames him for having to wear a mask. Splinter says Shredder only deceives himself and continues to deceive those around him. Shredder gets angry and is about to kill him, but Karai stops him asking for an honorable fight, to which Tiger Claw agrees with to. Shredder leaves and tells the others to gather the Foot.
Splinter asks Karai why she saved him, she says it's because he looked so pathetic. Splinter says she reminds him of her mother. Karai snaps at him and tell him that he ruined her family. Splinter says it wasn't him, it was Oroku Saki, and then he passes out.
He already knew about the worms, but the ones they saw were the babies. The adults are even more giant sized. He also mentions the Kraang are able to ride them by grabbing onto their antennna. Kurtzaman also tells them his first name is James. He also calls the Kraang's worm plot the Manhattan Project. Donnie then gets the idea to use salt, which is like acid to slugs and such. Suddenly Casey calls April up, and April is happy he's alive, and also surprised he can get a signal from inside the worm's stomach.
The Turtles sneak into the Shredder's lair, taking down the robot Foot. They see Splinter lying down and Leo drops down to get him. Shredder arrives and Tiger Claw grabs Leo. The mutant wildcat says he's alone, and Shredder sets Splinter free so Leo can witness his final battle.
Splinter tries to fight but is still weakened due to the poison and gets smacked around by Shredder. Just as Shredder is about to finish him, another earthquake hits, which cracks Shredder's pool. Splinter further cracks the pool and and Shredder falls through the glass. Mike and Raph jump into the scene and the party turtle throws some firecrackers, which allows the heroes to escape.
Elsewhere, Don and April are underground and Don is hitting the railroad track rails, hoping to lure the worm with its vibrations. April has doubts but the worm does arrive. They throw boxes of salt at it, without effect until Don finally tosses a salt shaker. April desperately fans up the salt as the worm approaches them, and it comes to a stop just inches away from them. The worm throws up all over April and Don, which also sets Casey free. They also see a giant worm caught in a portal, with the Kraang trying to pull it out.
Meanwhile, out on the streets, Tiger Claw, Karai, Rahzar and Fishface are looking for the Turtles. The Turtles hide while Splinter tries to meditate and get the poison out of his system. The bad guys do find them soon enough, and the Turtles fight it out. This time, Fishface reveals giant knives, which are the ones his action figure came with. During the fight Tiger Claw manages to break one of Leo's swords.
At the Kraang base, Don plans to reverse the portal while April and Casey distract the Kraang. Casey yells at them and draws their fire. Casey tosses hockey pucks that have bombs tied to them at the Kraang while Don gets to work on the machinery.
Splinter returns and grabs Tiger Claw's arm before he could strike Leo down. Now with their sensei revitalized, the Turtles get ready to take down the bad guys.
Meanwhile, one of the defeated Kraang releases the giant worm. One of the Kraang is about to shoot Casey, but April manages to ride the worm and smack it away. Casey and April ride the worm around, causing trouble for the Kraang. Don manages to get to the portal itself.
Leo keeps trying to talk Karai out of fighting with them, but another earthquake has Karai fall off the roof. Splinter runs to help her, but Tiger Claw steps on his tail. Leo smacks Tiger away from Splinter, as Karai watches on. Just then Casey and April bust into the scene, riding the giant worm, much to the surprise of everyone.
Tiger Claw continues his attack using his jetpack, but Splinter manages to smack him right into the worm's mouth. Don reverses the portal that sucks all the worms back into it, including the one that April and Casey were riding. Don ties himself to the device to prevent himself from being sucked in as well, and manages to catch April and Casey when they get sucked towards it. Don shut off the device and they are safe. April is happy and Casey is glad Don saved the city.
As the heroes regroup, Raph is surprised to find out the giant worms were causing all the earthquakes. As police investigate the giant hole the worm left behind, Raph asks what they're gonna do about Karai. April is surprised she's Splinter's daughter, as Karai is still hidden, listening on. Splinter says it is up to her to believe it, but for now they can go home and celebrate. As they walk off, Mikey wonders where the giant worm ended up.
Meanwhile, the classic 80's Turtles are chillin on a rooftop, eating some pizza, when suddenly the giant worm appears and starts causing a panic in their world. Don thinks it might be Shredder and Krang up to no good once again, and Leo leads the charge. The classic Turtles jump into action while Michealangelo yells out 'COWABUNGA!!!'.
My Opinions:
As you can tell from what is essentially an hour-long episode, there is quite a bit to say, but I'll try to keep it from going on too long. There a few points to kinda get out of the way, like the slightly awkward 'April thought Casey was rubbing her butt and acted more annoyed than actually pissed' scene and the fact that we got to see Kurtzman again. Then we have Fishface and Rahzar that seemed to have been toned down, or weakened to make Tiger Claw look awesome. Baxter, for whatever reason, is STILL wearing the Mutagen vials around his neck.. you think that device would have gone off by now.
Then we have the fact that once the groups were separated, they completely forgot about each other. I know the whole deal with Tiger Claw and having to rescue Splinter was rushed in their faces and it was a big deal.. but not once did they even think about Don, April and Casey still stuck in who knows where. And Don, April and Casey were too busy trying to stop the Kraang, they completely forgot about the others. There was no way of knowing that the Turtles were sent back to New York, for all the knew they coulda been trapped in Dimension X or something.
The key points I'll mention here are Karai, Tiger Claw, Shredder, the love-triangle and the cameo...not precisely in that order. For Karai, she finally learns the truth, but still has to accept it. Her whole world has been turned upside down, and now she has to go back to the Shredder and pretend nothing is going on. Plus, the longer she hangs with the guy the more she notices how dishonorable he is.
As for Tiger Claw, the new main villain introduced... he really was a power house. He's an incredibly fighter, and he's armed to the teeth with all sorts of high tech weaponry. I do hope they explain where he got all that cool stuff, like the jetpack and the freeze gun. The deal with the tail being cut off by a rival he swears revenge on..... that leaves the door open for possibly another kick ass mutant down the line, or at least some other character. We'll have to see how he'll return since he was swallowed by one of the worms that is currently running around in the 80's cartoon world.
As for the cameo... well, it was short and sweet, though for some it might have been disappointing. The good thing is, as the series went on we had a one-episode crossover.... and then a big 3-part crossover. So we do get to see the 80's Turtles return. And yes, 80's Raph will eventually make cracks as 2012 Don's voice, as Rob Paulsen does both.
I do to have to say, this ep made me realize that this Shredder does target Splinter much more personally here than anywhere else. While the 80's Shredder did hate Splinter, most of his hatred went to the Turtles themselves. He would have just been happy sending Tiger Claw to take out the Turtles and be done with it. 2K3 Shredder also focused all his hate on the Turtles and only cared to kill Splinter if he happened to be around. This Shredder has most of his plans revolve around finding and killing Splinter directly. Even if he manages to catch the Turtles, he'll still let them live if it means luring out Splinter or seeking him out. Nice detail. This Shredder wants to destroy Splinter himself, and then the Turtles if they get in his way... instead of the other way around.
As for the love-triangle... I still don't see it. Casey and Don get in each other's faces a bit, and then pump fists at the end. I hope they don't make it seem like that's the end of it... cause in my opinion, it never even started. Casey has yet to know what Don's beef with him was, and he has yet to see any example of Don fawning over April in front of him. Don has also yet to blurt out something like 'hands off my girl' or something of the sort either. It's like Don turns off his April-crush whenever Casey is around, and turns on his Casey-hate, but without giving an exact reason as to why the hate. I know this show isn't meant to be a romantic drama, but wow guys, what a way to just dance around the subject. If they continue to be buds from now on or just make a random episode where Don just up and realizes it will never work out and 'hands April over' then wow... Nick either really sucks at the love-triangle thing for a kids' show... or they decided to wuss out and dance around the subject completely. We'll see.
And finally.... the Mutagen comes from space worms...???? The hell...???? I just.... wow. Why the hell would any kind of animal secrete stuff that mutates other creatures into all sorts of monsters? Dimension X must be really full of all sorts of creatures if anything these worms crap out can create anything. In the 80's version, Krang himself made the Mutagen, though they didn't seem to know what it did, since Shredder tried to use it to poison Yoshi, but instead literally created the instruments of his own destruction. In the Mirage comics and the 2K3 series the Ooze was an accidental waste byproduct of the Utroms using the Transmat, that again, had no idea it did what it did. The live action movies was also an accident, though they kept the alien aspect out of it. But all that just seems better than it coming from any sort of animal, worms or not.
It was a good episode, but wow, the origin of the Mutagen.... geez.
For whatever reason, this episode was referred to as Wormquake on the Nick TV advertising, even though it's called The Manhattan Project. Also this was aired on a Friday night make it a full-hour event. However, for those that couldn't wait two weeks, it was for sale on iTunes almost as soon as it was announced... and then available for free on the Nick website. I decided til to wait til it actually aired on its normal timeslot before posting my review just in case people missed it or can't watch it online (some countries don't let them see it since they're not in the US). Yes, this is the series' third epic 2-parter, and I think we're lucky that all three times we get to see the full hour instead of waiting the following week for the second part. This episode brings back the Shredder, introduces the long-awaited Tiger Claw, features more of the Kraang, explains where Mutagen comes from and hey, is that the original 80's TMNT???? Let's check it out.
The episode starts at night as Karai, Rahzar and the Robo-Foot are stalking about. Rahzar tells Karai that Shredder didn't authorize this mission, and she tells him that she's in in charge in his absence... and they will both look good if they succeed in capturing the Turtles. Just then the Turtles are seen jumping across the rooftops. Leo stops the group and feels that they're being watched. Mikey says it must be a spy, and finds a squirrel (sigh). Just the the Foot attack and the Turtles start to fight.
Rahzar tackles Mikey down and Don smacks him away. The skeletal wolf nightmare then shoots sharp bones from his hands that Mikey manages to deflect with his nunchucks. Leo squares off with Karai and tells her than her real name is Miwa. She doesn't care to hear it. Just then, an earthquake happens and Leo manages to kick Karai out of the way before a tower collapses on top of him. Cue the theme song.
Once the episode truly begins, the others get the bricks off of Leo. Don explains that this was a localize earthquake. Leo is upset that Karai is gone. He wanted to change things but now it's too late. At the sewer lair, Chang Gambe O'Brien mentions how the earthquakes are so severe, even his hair is messed up. Don detects a pattern and determines some kind of tech is involved in causing this. Raph asks who it could be, and Mikey thinks of kittens.
Leo tells Splinter that he almost told Karai the truth, which he wasn't too pleased to hear about. The sensei does admit that it might be time for her to know the truth. Leo says it's time that he tells the others. Later on, Splinter tells the rest that Karai is in indeed the daughter that he thought was lost in the fire, but was actually stolen and raised by Shredder.
Mikey says Karai is their sister, but Raph reminds them that she's still their enemy. Splinter says there is good in her, and she must know the truth.
At the villain hideout, the bad guys are all gathered together awaiting Shredder's return with some sort of secret weapon. Fishface hopes it's a new mutant fish woman, which Baxter hopes it is not. Rahzar says it's a kid assassin that was mutated by the Kraang decades ago. Shredder makes his entrance, with several Foot showing their respect as he walks by. He comments that Bradford looks terrible. He then introduces Tiger Claw, the most feared assassin in all of Asia. Karai says he's just another mutant freak, and Tiger Claw comments he's disappointed by the Foot Clan. Karai draws her sword and Tiger draws his gun, and Fishface quickly breaks it up by offering refreshments (though I wonder why he would care if he blasted Karai's brains out??).
Tiger Claw requests some skim milk. Karai asks about the stub he has left of his tail. He says he lost it to a rival that he will find some day. Karai makes a joke about him not being able to keep his own tail, but Shredder cuts her off and says he is the new second of command and they will all treat him with the proper respect. Karai, of course, does not like this.
Casey and April are jumping across the rooftops, doing some vigilante action of their own. Casey asks when they go on a real date. Just before April and Casey start getting too cozy, April notices a bunch of Kraang walking into a portal. They both jump in and manage to attack the last Kraang before he can get away. April turns off the device, and it drops to the ground. She says they should take it to Donnie, and Casey asks they should take it to a real lab. She says Donnie is above more science labs, which annoys him.
At the lair, April shows the others how the portal device works. Don says it might have something to do with the earthquakes. Casey wants to jump in and Raph calls him crazy.... and then admits that he wants to jump in first. Casey jumps in after Raph and pulls April along, which makes Don jump after them. Mikey says they can't go alone and follows, and Leo sighs and also goes for it. Just then a small earthquake causes some debris to knock the device to the floor, shutting it off.
The heroes arrive in a strange dimension with lots of different portals lining up the sides, like some sort of gateway between dimensions. Mikey points that the portal they came from just closed. Leo tells everyone to look for a way home. Casey calls out for a particularly interesting portal which shows the classic 80's version of the Turtles, strolling down the street with April and Casey. Mikey asks why they look like dorks. Don is very impressed by 80's April jumpsuit.
The Turtles then spot what looks like Dimension X, and the Kraang soon notice them. Biodroids jump out and start fighting against the Turtles. During the fight, Raph, Leo and Mike get knocked into one of the portals, and one of the Kraang closes it. The Turtles fall into a dumpster, back in New York.
Just then they are attacked by Tiger Claw. An intense fight starts, and not only is he a skilled fighter, he's also armed with a freeze gun and has a jet pack.
Back to Casey, Don and April, they defeat the final Biodroid. They see another portal that shows more Kraang, and they are soon spotted. The trio are soon surrounded by the Kraang at gunpoint and have no choice but to surrender.
Back in New York, the Turtles are soon outmatched and defeated by Tiger Claw. He grabs Mikey and is about to throw him into the furnace unless they call Splinter. Raph tells Leo that it's a trap, but Leo says he has no choice. Splinter is meditating in the air when he is suddenly called on the 'cheese phone'... so it MUST be an emergency.
Meanwhile, Tiger Claw has the Turtles tied up and is tired of waiting. He's about to shove them into the furnace when Splinter arrives. Splinter fights against Tiger Claw, who soon takes out his gun, and the Tiger pulls out a sword.
Meanwhile, the trio are being taken back to New York to be fed to something. They soon take out the Kraang and get away from them, finding themselves in some kind of secret underground facility in an abandoned subway. They soon see the Kraang trying to contain giant worms. They finds out that they're being milked... for Mutagen! So Mutagen comes from space worms...? While the heroes check this out, April thinks Casey is rubbing her butt and tells him 'not now' (...wut?) Casey doesn't know what she's talking about, and she angrily tells him to stop. They then see it's one of the worms rubbing up against April's butt. As they scream in surprise, the Kraang discover them and unleash a giant worm after them.
As the fight between Splinter and Tiger Claw continues, the tiger manages to slice Splinter's staff in half. However, the rat sensei still has his speed and throwing stars at his disposal. Karai, hidden out of sight and watching the fight this whole time, shoots Splinter with a poisoned dart. He is soon taken down, much to the surprise of his sons. Leo tells Karai she doesn't want to do this since he is her father. Karai says they will say anything to save him and raises her sword so she can silence the Turtles.
Part 2 starts with Karai about to slice them down but Tiger stops them, reminding them that Shredder wants them alive. With the last of his strength, Splinter tosses shuriken to cut the Turtles free and tells them to run. Tiger gives chase but they soon escape thanks to a smokebomb.
Meanwhile, Don, April and Casey are running from the worm. Casey tosses a spray can bomb into its mouth which stops it for a while, but it keeps coming after them. They make it to the staircase leading to the surface, and as Don grabs April and Casey, the worm manages to swallow Casey. April is worried and Don feels bad over this. Don and April make it to the surface and go to Kurtzman for more information.
At the lair, Raph blames Leo for what happened and Leo says he thought Splinter would have been able to take them down. Mikey gives a cheesy inspirational speech, but Leo and Raph are with him anyway. They have to head to Shredder's hideout and get Splinter back. The TMNT gear up and get ready to go.
At the villain lair, Tiger splashes Splinter with some water to wake him up. Rahzar asks if the poison is enough to kill him. Tiger says it would have killed any normal man, but it only weakened him. Just then Shredder arrives with Karai. He taunts Yoshi's rat form, and Splinter says at least he doesn't have to wear a mask to hide whatever humanity he has left. Shredder blames him for having to wear a mask. Splinter says Shredder only deceives himself and continues to deceive those around him. Shredder gets angry and is about to kill him, but Karai stops him asking for an honorable fight, to which Tiger Claw agrees with to. Shredder leaves and tells the others to gather the Foot.
Splinter asks Karai why she saved him, she says it's because he looked so pathetic. Splinter says she reminds him of her mother. Karai snaps at him and tell him that he ruined her family. Splinter says it wasn't him, it was Oroku Saki, and then he passes out.
He already knew about the worms, but the ones they saw were the babies. The adults are even more giant sized. He also mentions the Kraang are able to ride them by grabbing onto their antennna. Kurtzaman also tells them his first name is James. He also calls the Kraang's worm plot the Manhattan Project. Donnie then gets the idea to use salt, which is like acid to slugs and such. Suddenly Casey calls April up, and April is happy he's alive, and also surprised he can get a signal from inside the worm's stomach.
The Turtles sneak into the Shredder's lair, taking down the robot Foot. They see Splinter lying down and Leo drops down to get him. Shredder arrives and Tiger Claw grabs Leo. The mutant wildcat says he's alone, and Shredder sets Splinter free so Leo can witness his final battle.
Splinter tries to fight but is still weakened due to the poison and gets smacked around by Shredder. Just as Shredder is about to finish him, another earthquake hits, which cracks Shredder's pool. Splinter further cracks the pool and and Shredder falls through the glass. Mike and Raph jump into the scene and the party turtle throws some firecrackers, which allows the heroes to escape.
Elsewhere, Don and April are underground and Don is hitting the railroad track rails, hoping to lure the worm with its vibrations. April has doubts but the worm does arrive. They throw boxes of salt at it, without effect until Don finally tosses a salt shaker. April desperately fans up the salt as the worm approaches them, and it comes to a stop just inches away from them. The worm throws up all over April and Don, which also sets Casey free. They also see a giant worm caught in a portal, with the Kraang trying to pull it out.
Meanwhile, out on the streets, Tiger Claw, Karai, Rahzar and Fishface are looking for the Turtles. The Turtles hide while Splinter tries to meditate and get the poison out of his system. The bad guys do find them soon enough, and the Turtles fight it out. This time, Fishface reveals giant knives, which are the ones his action figure came with. During the fight Tiger Claw manages to break one of Leo's swords.
At the Kraang base, Don plans to reverse the portal while April and Casey distract the Kraang. Casey yells at them and draws their fire. Casey tosses hockey pucks that have bombs tied to them at the Kraang while Don gets to work on the machinery.
Splinter returns and grabs Tiger Claw's arm before he could strike Leo down. Now with their sensei revitalized, the Turtles get ready to take down the bad guys.
Meanwhile, one of the defeated Kraang releases the giant worm. One of the Kraang is about to shoot Casey, but April manages to ride the worm and smack it away. Casey and April ride the worm around, causing trouble for the Kraang. Don manages to get to the portal itself.
Leo keeps trying to talk Karai out of fighting with them, but another earthquake has Karai fall off the roof. Splinter runs to help her, but Tiger Claw steps on his tail. Leo smacks Tiger away from Splinter, as Karai watches on. Just then Casey and April bust into the scene, riding the giant worm, much to the surprise of everyone.
Tiger Claw continues his attack using his jetpack, but Splinter manages to smack him right into the worm's mouth. Don reverses the portal that sucks all the worms back into it, including the one that April and Casey were riding. Don ties himself to the device to prevent himself from being sucked in as well, and manages to catch April and Casey when they get sucked towards it. Don shut off the device and they are safe. April is happy and Casey is glad Don saved the city.
As the heroes regroup, Raph is surprised to find out the giant worms were causing all the earthquakes. As police investigate the giant hole the worm left behind, Raph asks what they're gonna do about Karai. April is surprised she's Splinter's daughter, as Karai is still hidden, listening on. Splinter says it is up to her to believe it, but for now they can go home and celebrate. As they walk off, Mikey wonders where the giant worm ended up.
Meanwhile, the classic 80's Turtles are chillin on a rooftop, eating some pizza, when suddenly the giant worm appears and starts causing a panic in their world. Don thinks it might be Shredder and Krang up to no good once again, and Leo leads the charge. The classic Turtles jump into action while Michealangelo yells out 'COWABUNGA!!!'.
My Opinions:
As you can tell from what is essentially an hour-long episode, there is quite a bit to say, but I'll try to keep it from going on too long. There a few points to kinda get out of the way, like the slightly awkward 'April thought Casey was rubbing her butt and acted more annoyed than actually pissed' scene and the fact that we got to see Kurtzman again. Then we have Fishface and Rahzar that seemed to have been toned down, or weakened to make Tiger Claw look awesome. Baxter, for whatever reason, is STILL wearing the Mutagen vials around his neck.. you think that device would have gone off by now.
Then we have the fact that once the groups were separated, they completely forgot about each other. I know the whole deal with Tiger Claw and having to rescue Splinter was rushed in their faces and it was a big deal.. but not once did they even think about Don, April and Casey still stuck in who knows where. And Don, April and Casey were too busy trying to stop the Kraang, they completely forgot about the others. There was no way of knowing that the Turtles were sent back to New York, for all the knew they coulda been trapped in Dimension X or something.
The key points I'll mention here are Karai, Tiger Claw, Shredder, the love-triangle and the cameo...not precisely in that order. For Karai, she finally learns the truth, but still has to accept it. Her whole world has been turned upside down, and now she has to go back to the Shredder and pretend nothing is going on. Plus, the longer she hangs with the guy the more she notices how dishonorable he is.
As for Tiger Claw, the new main villain introduced... he really was a power house. He's an incredibly fighter, and he's armed to the teeth with all sorts of high tech weaponry. I do hope they explain where he got all that cool stuff, like the jetpack and the freeze gun. The deal with the tail being cut off by a rival he swears revenge on..... that leaves the door open for possibly another kick ass mutant down the line, or at least some other character. We'll have to see how he'll return since he was swallowed by one of the worms that is currently running around in the 80's cartoon world.
As for the cameo... well, it was short and sweet, though for some it might have been disappointing. The good thing is, as the series went on we had a one-episode crossover.... and then a big 3-part crossover. So we do get to see the 80's Turtles return. And yes, 80's Raph will eventually make cracks as 2012 Don's voice, as Rob Paulsen does both.
I do to have to say, this ep made me realize that this Shredder does target Splinter much more personally here than anywhere else. While the 80's Shredder did hate Splinter, most of his hatred went to the Turtles themselves. He would have just been happy sending Tiger Claw to take out the Turtles and be done with it. 2K3 Shredder also focused all his hate on the Turtles and only cared to kill Splinter if he happened to be around. This Shredder has most of his plans revolve around finding and killing Splinter directly. Even if he manages to catch the Turtles, he'll still let them live if it means luring out Splinter or seeking him out. Nice detail. This Shredder wants to destroy Splinter himself, and then the Turtles if they get in his way... instead of the other way around.
As for the love-triangle... I still don't see it. Casey and Don get in each other's faces a bit, and then pump fists at the end. I hope they don't make it seem like that's the end of it... cause in my opinion, it never even started. Casey has yet to know what Don's beef with him was, and he has yet to see any example of Don fawning over April in front of him. Don has also yet to blurt out something like 'hands off my girl' or something of the sort either. It's like Don turns off his April-crush whenever Casey is around, and turns on his Casey-hate, but without giving an exact reason as to why the hate. I know this show isn't meant to be a romantic drama, but wow guys, what a way to just dance around the subject. If they continue to be buds from now on or just make a random episode where Don just up and realizes it will never work out and 'hands April over' then wow... Nick either really sucks at the love-triangle thing for a kids' show... or they decided to wuss out and dance around the subject completely. We'll see.
And finally.... the Mutagen comes from space worms...???? The hell...???? I just.... wow. Why the hell would any kind of animal secrete stuff that mutates other creatures into all sorts of monsters? Dimension X must be really full of all sorts of creatures if anything these worms crap out can create anything. In the 80's version, Krang himself made the Mutagen, though they didn't seem to know what it did, since Shredder tried to use it to poison Yoshi, but instead literally created the instruments of his own destruction. In the Mirage comics and the 2K3 series the Ooze was an accidental waste byproduct of the Utroms using the Transmat, that again, had no idea it did what it did. The live action movies was also an accident, though they kept the alien aspect out of it. But all that just seems better than it coming from any sort of animal, worms or not.
It was a good episode, but wow, the origin of the Mutagen.... geez.
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