#tmht krang

[bambiraptorx]

I keep forgetting to post my iteration art so here goes lol

[I.D. Drawing of a personal iteration version of Krang. They are a goopy bipedal person colored in various shades of pink. Their limbs and face have a melted appearance, and little definition. They have narrow eyes with blue sclera, and a somewhat annoyed expression. End I.D.]

Here's roughly what Krang's "true" form looks like, as much as they can have a true form given that they're a shapeshifting alien blob of flesh-goop lol. Technically they can go full blob and have no limbs, but they do tend to prefer a vaguely humanoid form if they have to be around people.

[I.D. 2. Sketch page of Krang's human form. The first image has two sketches of his face and one of his body. He is the same fleshy pink as before, but this time his features are much more defined and humanoid, with sharp, exaggerated features, strong cheekbones, and a bumpy nose. The first bust shows him frowning severely, while the second shows him smirking. The second is drawn without ears with the note "regularly forgets ears" next to it. Below them is a sketch of Krang from about knees up, one hand on their him and the other in a fist by their side. They are very muscular and broad-shouldered, their physique exaggerated. They frown slightly. End I.D. 2]

And here's some sketches of Krang's human disguise/form, plus their villain suit. Much more defined and humanoid. That said they do occasionally forget elements of human faces, like the ears. The human form is actually fairly hard for Krang to maintain, as it takes a lot of conscious effort. Even so they spend a lot of time in this form.

[I.D. 3. Two variations of Krang's villain suit, one with purple highlights and the other with red. In both, they stand with one fist against their hip and the other by their side. In both, the costume has a grey torso and legs, with the neck and arms being black. It has grey gauntlets with silver spikes on the elbows, and silver pockets on the thighs. It has a logo on the chest shaped like a symmetrical, three-toed foot. It also has a helmet that covers the entire head, black lenses covering the eyes. It has silver fangs over the mouth, and a three-pointed silver prong over the eyes with smaller decorative kites shapes between the main prongs. In the first image the helmet and foot logo are purple, and in the second they are red. End I.D. 3]

Might end up tweaking the suit over time because it doesn't fully scream "villain outfit" to me? Idk might be overthinking I do that. Also I'm still going back and forth on whether Krang is the Shredder or the two are separate characters, so that's also going to affect the design I think. Anyway, the suit is designed to help Krang hold its human form for longer periods of time.

[bane-boo]

Last night at 2 in the morning my brain decided "hey, tmnt isn't realistic. I mean, turtles in New York? They'd definitely get caught. You know what would be more realistic? IF THEY WERE RED NECKS IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE ON A FARM." Then I woke up, and now I have a new tmnt AU. I present: tmht; Teenage mutant hillbilly turtles.

Some rough designs for my four boys!

Also, my shredder in this AU! He's still splinters brother, but he lives about 6 miles away on a different farm. Also, he is the craziest red-pill conspiracy theorist alive. And it only got worse when krang was tossed out of an alien ship into his corn field. Also he's autistic. If you try to take his cape he'll cry. Have you ever seen a grown man wearing samurai armor he made out of rusty scrap metal cry?

[mintiicinnamonii]

TMHT VOICE CLAIMS!!!!

Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles

Charlie Gillespie as Leo

Booboo Stewart as Raph

Karen Fukuhara as Donnie

Caleel Harris as Mikey

Sydney Mikayla as April

Joe Keery as Casey

Ken Narasaki as Oroku Saki/ Shredder.

BD Wong as Bishop

Mia Korf as Tang Shen/Splinter

Betsy Sodaro as Krang Prime

[turtlethon]

"Beneath These Streets”

Season 3, Episode 1

First US Airdate: October 19, 1989 First BBC UK broadcast: April 3, 1990

Splinter is left in critical condition after Shredder unleashes an experimental ray gun.

The third season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kicks off with “Beneath These Streets”, written by season 2 mainstay Michael Reaves. In the UK, the BBC would begin broadcasting the third season the week after the second one had concluded. Around this time Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles also began airing every day on Galaxy, BSB’s new flagship satellite TV channel, and within the first few weeks not only would they catch up with the BBC but leave them in the dust. From this point onwards, all future Turtles episodes will get their UK premieres on BSB (and later, Sky). Concrete data for when each episode of TMHT first aired on satellite is seemingly impossible to come by now though, so moving forward I can only provide airdates for the BBC premieres.

This one opens with the oddly squat looking Turtles – Donatello in particular is tiny here - each enjoying their own leisurely pursuits. Splinter asks why they aren’t performing their daily katas, and is furious when the Turtles suggest they need some down-time. He hurls each of them across the room, then reminds them that even though Shredder and Krang appeared to be vanquished (in “Return of the Technodrome”), there’s no guarantee they won’t return.

Our villains are indeed very much alive, but in need of a vital component as the silicon brain of the Technodrome has been damaged. Krang explains to Shredder that he’ll need to go to the surface to obtain a vital component for its repair, using the transport modules to journey up from the Earth’s core.

Driving around New York, the weary Turtles complain that Splinter has been making them do six hours of ninjitsu training and patrol the streets every night. Deciding that they need a break, they purchase tickets to see the movie “Kung-Fu Commandos vs. Chainsaw Cheerleaders”.

April is reporting on the unveiling of a Medi-Laser, a ray-gun type device that has healing properties. Working the camera is regular Vernon, which I assume means we’ve seen the last of “Handsome Vernon”. Splinter interrupts the conference via Turtlecom to ask if April has seen the Turtles, who unbeknownst to him have turned their communicators off. Moments later Shredder and his mutants arrive. They take the Medi-Laser and hurl the professor who invented it onto a trolley, pushing it into both April and a nearby barrier.

Later, the Turtles finally emerge from the cinema, and begin discussing the idea that someone could make a movie about them. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” says Donatello, “I like the sound of that”. A little wink and a nod there to forthcoming attractions: when this episode would have been in production (in late 1988 or early 1989) the live-action TMNT movie would have also been in early development.

With the Turtles opting to get a pizza (and thus remaining unreachable), Splinter – accompanied by April – steps in to try and stop Shredder. But by reversing the polarity of the Medi-Laser, it becomes a deadly weapon. Shredder escapes and leaves his old foe knocked out, but doesn’t realise that during the battle he managed to lose a vital component of the laser.

Looking rather stumpy again, our heroes return to the lair to find April tending to a comatose Splinter – a reversal of the same situation we saw last season in “Enter: The Fly”. They vow to track down Shredder and retrieve the Medi-Laser in order to reverse its effects.

Back in the Technodrome, Krang attempts to use the Medi-Laser on the rolling fortress’s silicon brain – a green, slimy looking dome surrounded by cables – only for it to fire off in all directions. The directional component for the laser has been lost, and so Shredder will need to return to the surface to retrieve it.

After the team mistakes a man dressed as if he belongs in a Sherlock Holmes movie for Shredder, Raphael patrols the city using the Turtle Blimp while the rest of the team return to the lair. However, Shredder has correctly determined that the Turtles must now be in possession of the laser’s missing component. He sends Rocksteady and Bebop out to cause chaos in order to lure the Turtles out into the open, planning to follow them back into the sewers and ambush the green teens.

Things play out exactly as Shredder had planned until Leonardo becomes aware the team are being tracked. The Turtles quickly defeat their enemies and manage to obtain the Medi-Laser in the process, only to lose the control module.

Shredder discovers by way of a convenient newspaper that travels down a sewer pipe that a second Medi-Laser has been built to replace the one he stole. At the same time the Turtles learn this via a news report on TV, and correctly deduce that Shredder’s next step will be to attempt to steal the replacement.

Much like with “Invasion of the Punk Frogs” last season, this is where I have to step in and start asking questions about the passage of time here. Since the first Medi-Laser was stolen by Shredder, not only has an entirely new one been built from scratch, but the story of its successful replacement made it into a newspaper. Not only that, but said newspaper isn’t hot off the press, it’s apparently had time to circulate through the New York sewer system. Given that Splinter was hit by the Medi-Laser the same night it was stolen – while the Turtles were at the movies – how long has he been in critical condition for? Days? Weeks?

The rest of the episode plays out largely as you might expect. Shredder does indeed steal the second Medi-Laser, the Turtles confront him and his mutants, they win and retrieve the Medi-Laser. There’s a fun bit where Leonardo not only disarms Rocksteady, but also leaves him standing around in his boxer shorts. Ultimately the Turtles are victorious and retrieve the second laser.

We get one last appearance by the stubby Turtles as they revive Splinter with the Medi-Laser (I can only assume one person with some very creative ideas about proportions was assigned these scenes in the lair). Michaelangelo gets in his closing pizza-related one-liner but unusually this isn’t the end of the episode. This one instead closes with a drenched Shredder, flanked by Bebop and Rocksteady, returning to the Technodrome and placing a sheet of metal over the opening on Krang’s android body to shut him up.

“Beneath These Streets” is a serviceable but by no means remarkable season opener. The Turtles having to race against time to save April or Splinter is a familiar scenario by this point, as is the back-and-forth with Shredder to gain control of the macguffin of the day. This one is carried by Shredder and Krang’s banter, and if nothing else at least has some historical significance as it kicks off the longest and perhaps most memorable season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[ithenewyorkerblogstuff-blog]

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[bambiraptorx]

[I.D. Digital drawing of fan iteration versions of Baxter Stockman and Krang. Baxter Stockman sits upside down in an office swivel chair looking at his phone, a labcoat hanging off the corner of the chair. Krang, a muscular supervillain in a tight body suit, looms over him in annoyance. Krang yells "Stockman, why aren't you working on that shipment that's due tonight?!" Baxter responds, "Finished it half an hour ago, boss. Besides, I gotta beat my flappy bird high score." End I.D.]

I've been meaning to draw TMHT Stockman upside down in a chair for ages lol that's just what his vibe is.

[bambiraptorx]

[I.D. Four panel comic of an original TMNT iteration. The first shows an open panel that reveals mechanical parts, shown from the perspective of someone looking down at it. Their hands, one holding a screwdriver, and knees, are visible, as if they are kneeling. Above the panel is a metallic dish holding about half a dozen screws. As the person works, the chorus of 9 to 5 plays. The second panel shows Baxter Stockman sitting on a smooth, rounded surface. He sighs as from the side of the surface, someone yells "Stockman!" The third panel shows Krang in his villain suit from a bird's eye perspective. They hold a hand up to their face and yell in irritation "Why are you blasting music? and this song? Really?" The last panel shows a wide view of a massive mech in a sitting position, supported by cables. Krang is a tiny figure on the ground, and Stockman is sitting on one of the mech's shoulders. He says "I'll give you a hint: it's 5 AM on a Saturday and I'm reprogramming a Class Delta mech instead of sleeping in." End I.D.]

You have to be a special level of petty to play "I Hate My Job and My Boss The Country Song" around your actual boss and Stockman is, in fact, that level of petty.

[bambiraptorx]

one of the very important things about my version of krang is that he has blue eyes, like the 2003 utrom, so it's kinda like this

[I.D, Simplistic MS paint doodle meme of a smiling person with their arms crossed. The only thing colored is their pupils, which are large and strikingly blue. End I.D.]

[bambiraptorx]

10: Are there utrom/kraang?

I know Krang is there, but what is his species? Is he an utrom? Are there utroms?

I haven't put a whole lot of thought into the name of Krang's species - there's no particular reason that they wouldn't be called Utrom, but I'm not 100% sold on calling them that yet lol. There is at least one other member of their species on Earth, but if there's more than two total is gonna depend on if I want Krang to be the Shredder or not.

At the moment I've got two main options:

A) Krang is the Shredder, and Karai is his spawn/child (probably technically a biological clone based on how their species' reproduction works)

or B) The Shredder is a separate character from Krang, and Krang and Karai are siblings

It largely depends on the kind of dynamic I end up pursuing with Krang (Krang and Stockman single parent parallels vs Krang and Karai sibling beef) and both are fun potential directions, so I haven't decided yet lol

ask game

[bambiraptorx]

One of the fun traits of its species is that they can, with no damage to themselves, separate a portion of mass from their bodies and just kinda set it aside for a while. But watch out because if you leave it separated for too long it'll develop its own consciousness.

Also generally this species doesn't have much in the way of organs? Krang's got a weird stomach + mouth combo and probably like at least nine eyes. However it can kinda rearrange its organs at will.

Expressing emotions probably works totally differently when you are a glob of sapient goop/flesh that can rearrange organs at will. People like Krang, who don't really live around their own species and/or spend a lot of time blending in with a different species tend to pick up the 'mainstream' ways of expressing emotion relatively automatically.

Krang is big. Unusually big for a human (I'm thinking probably something like Hun from 2003). Whether or not that's typical for the species as a whole I haven't decided.

I need to make up weird/stupid lore about Krang's biology for my iteration

[bambiraptorx]

[I.D. Digital doodle of an original iteration version of Baxter Stockman. He is a Black man with a medium length afro and a stubbly mustache and beard. He holds a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other, using his shoulder and cheek to hold a phone. He is wearing a red t-shirt with a yellow cartoon cat with a creepy smile, jeans, and a dirty white lab coat tied around his waist. He raises one eyebrow and frowns as he talks to the person on the phone, only his side of the call represented.

He says "Yeah no, I'm not marking down the cost of our "Rent A Robo-Soldier" for you just because you want 500 units. ...Yeah I understand that it's gonna be expensive. I checked your off-shore accounts, you'll be fine. ...Oh, I'm not supposed to have access to those? All due respect, ma'am, but my job title is Evil Scientist. I can do what I want as long as--oh you're reporting me to my boss? To get me fired? Good luck with that. He's impossible to reach." End I.D.]

TMHT Stockman doodle yay! This guy may be a Certified Villain but sadly that does not exempt him from dealing with cranky customers 😔 And yes, his boss being referenced here is Krang. Krang sucks ass at answering phone calls.

[turtlethon]

"Return of the Shredder"

Season 2, Episode 1

First US Airdate: November 26, 1988 First UK Airdate (Hero Turtles version): January 3, 1990

Shredder re-emerges from Dimension X with a plan to frame the Turtles.

Turtlethon continues with a look at "Return of the Shredder", the first episode of season 2 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987). A memorable and historic episode in many ways, so apologies in advance if I go on a bit! This one is a story by season one's writers David Wise and Patti Howeth, but with a writing credit for Christy Marx.

"Return of the Shredder" is the first episode to air on the BBC in the UK as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles at the beginning of 1990, opposite Mr Majeika on ITV; The TV scheduling equivalent of being the first jobber to lose to Goldberg.

For most UK kids, this would have been the first piece of Turtles media they'd ever seen. And without any knowledge of S1, it raises a lot of questions. As mentioned in the "Turtle Tracks" recap, things like the comic adaptation and trading cards would do a lot of heavy lifting to fill in the gaps. The other notable thing is there's STILL a lot of ninja content in this episode, and some weapons use. It was largely edited out of the Hero Turtles version but the BBC took it upon themselves to make at least one additional edit.

2021 UPDATE: When I first revisited this episode in January 2020, I only had access to a German dub of the Hero Turtles version for comparison purposes. Since then I’ve been able to acquire multiple English language VHS releases of the TMHT edit of Return of the Shredder, so I’ll discuss the changes made in a separate post.

This episode opens with Michelangelo and Leonardo witnessing a robbery while shopping for groceries. They make short work of the crooks and after making their escape, April interviews the cashier about the incident for the Happy Hour News.

The German dubbers took some interesting liberties when they adapted the above interaction between April and Burne Thompson.

USA version

APRIL: They're heroes, I tell you!

BURNE: Bushwa!

German dub

APRIL: They're heroes, I tell you!

BURNE: BULLSHIT!

This episode includes the first appearance of Burne's girlfriend Tiffany, whose shtick is that she finds turtles disgusting. She considers anyone that defends them a "lousy turtle lover".

(Tiffany definitely went on to become one of those MAGA blondes that has a selfie of themselves in the car wearing giant shades as their userpic)

We then get a scene where the Turtles explain at length their connections to Splinter and Shredder, no doubt much to the relief of anyone watching the Hero Turtles run.

One of the first major turtle mix-ups here, where Raph is depicted talking at length but has Leo's voice. There's a way better one later on in this ep though.

Splinter has a vision that Shredder is about to return. I'd forgotten about this aspect of his character, where he has some vague mystical sixth sense about things and isn't just a wise old man that got turned into a rat. I kinda hate it to be honest.

Krang teleports Shredder to Central Park(?) where he's approached by two knife-wielding muggers, all of which remains intact in Hero Turtles. Why are nunchucks verboten and knives aren't? Your guess is as good as mine...

Shredder sees off the muggers by chopping a branch off a tree that kinda falls in front of them. They're so impressed that they give all THEIR money to HIM and run away.

This isn't even the only time in this episode that he gets people on-board by just wrecking up the place.

At the Slash-For-Cash Dojo, Shredder encounters Smash, voiced by Peter Cullen in sadly his only TMNT '87 appearance.

Ironically, Smash looks nothing like Smash from famous WWF tag team Demolition (Barry Darsow) but kinda does resemble his partner Ax (Bill Eadie).

Persuasion, the Shredder Way:

1) Walk in to someone's place of business and announce you're in charge now

2) When they object, destroy their property

3) Everyone will be so impressed they'll immediately fall in line

London, Tokyo, Paris, Washington. I'm impressed that Channel 6 is apparently so well-connected, considering we typically only ever see about four people working there

Over an unspecified amount of time Shredder turns Smash's useless students into super ninjas. They're all presented with spiffy turtle shell tunics.

WHO MADE THESE? Was Shredder up all night on the sewing machine meticulously crafting turtle outfits for the entire class?

The fake turtles go on a crime spree that mostly involves Smash karate-chopping cash registers and kicking bank vaults while the others watch, making the time Shredder spent training his pupils seem completely worthless. This soon makes the news, and the Turtles end up being blamed.

Shredder breaks into the asylum where Baxter is being held and they escape. They don't take the guy who thinks he's Napoleon with them, and frankly the rest of the series will be a little worse off as a result.

April's Turtlecom has a tiny satellite sticking out of the side of it.

Not a satellite dish, an actual satellite, the kind that orbits the Earth from space.

Donatello what are you doing

I love this scene where the animation just flakes out.  

Raphael = Leonardo

Leonardo = Leonardo

"Something strange has happened, now there are TWO Optimus Primes!"

5.1 billion people on Earth in 1988, and only two of them could teach a person this very nuanced method of kicking a door in.

Bizarrely, these lines of dialogue from Burne and April were sampled in Turtle Rhapsody Remix (from the 1990 TMNT movie soundtrack).

A recurring theme of the series later on will be that Shredder doesn’t know where the Turtle Lair is located, but Baxter just found it six episodes in. I guess they had to relocate after this.  

Our heroes soundly defeat Smash’s minions and grill him for info. He tells them where Shredder is, and they’re on their way.

The whole thing ends with the Turtles tracking down a kidnapped Splinter, some convoluted hi-jinks involving Baxter's rat-catcher and a battering ram, and the bad guys getting away. Pretty standard stuff.

April exposes the Crooked Turtle Gang as imposters. An infuriated Tiffany demands Burnsie debate her in the free marketplace of ideas.

The show ends with the turtles arguing about who April was winking at in her news report, only for her to break reality by responding from within the TV that it was intended for Splinter.

“Return of the Shredder” is a notable outing in a number of ways, particularly given that it ended up being the de facto first episode of Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. Putting that aside, it also expands on some ideas developed in the first season about the media shaping the public perception of the Turtles, something that we’ll see more of in the future (in “Turtles on Trial” next season, for example). The idea of the team being framed for crimes committed by someone else will pop up again even sooner, in “Invasion of the Punk Frogs”.

Sadly, neither Peter Cullen nor Smash will appear in TMNT after this. Other Transformers alumni will appear in guest roles throughout the series though. One character introduced here who will return is Tiffany, who we’ll see again next season.

As I alluded to previously, this episode was heavily edited to bring it in line with the BBC’s broadcast standards, in fact it might actually be the most censored in the entire run. Some of the changes made are downright ridiculous, and I’ll cover them in a future post.

[turtlethon]

“Enter: The Fly”

First US Airdate: November 12, 1988 First UK Airdate (TMHT): February 14, 1990

An accident causes Baxter Stockman to become a half-man, half-fly mutant.

We’re halfway through the second season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and it’s time to mix things up in a major way. This is the third episode credited to Michael Reeves, who shares billing with the debuting Brynne Stephens.

We open with the Turtles on the lookout for Shredder and Baxter, who are on the roof of the World Trade Center. Not the first time we’ve seen the twin towers represented in TMNT but it’s worth noting that this time they’re given their correct real-world name – when they appeared last season in “Hot-Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X” they were called the Global Trade Center.

In this case Shredder and Baxter are attempting to power up a forcefield generator between the two towers. After it malfunctions Stockman gets chewed out again, and upon seeing that the Turtles are pursuing them the villains quickly make their exit.

The Turtles return to the lair. They’re determined to get to the bottom of what happened at the World Trade Center. (Insert your own truther joke here.)

Shredder and Baxter are standing on a fly-ridden refuse barge at Krang’s insistence when they phone home to Dimension X. After explaining that Baxter’s experiment failed, Shredder pleads with Krang to send him further assistance in the shape of Rocksteady and Bebop. Krang agrees, on the condition that someone is sent back in return to maintain the currently delicate dimensional balance.

Without warning, Shredder hurls Baxter into the opened portal, a fly following him in. Bebop & Rocksteady are thrilled at the prospect of returning to Earth, but Shredder is insistent that it wasn’t done out of kindness. He explains that his next plan will involve striking at the Turtles via April.

At Channel 6, a messenger delivers a plant to April. Assuming it’s from the Turtles, she visits the lair with the intention of telling them she only likes them as friends. With the Turtles away she instead encounters Splinter, who flips out upon seeing that she’s holding A DOKU PLANT?! Almost immediately after discovering that this rare specimen can be deadly to anyone who inhales the blossoms, she collapses in his arms.

In Dimension X, perhaps the darkest and most horrifying scene in the series so far unfolds. Baxter howls for mercy from Krang as he’s dragged away by Rock Soldiers, insisting that he’s a scientist and can still be useful. Krang is entirely nonplussed by this. He retorts that he’s a scientist too, and has no need for the assistance of “a measly Earth creature”.

Krang orders that Baxter be thrown into the Disintegrator Unit.

To re-iterate: Krang just ordered that Baxter Stockman be executed by way of total disintegration. That is, by some distance, the most unsettling thing to happen in this series so far.

Baxter doesn’t actually get disintegrated, but his fate is still gruesome. A fly makes it into the chamber with him and a fusion occurs, transforming him into a half-human, half-insect mutant. This sequence is masterfully done, just hinting at what Baxter has become, although when he emerges from the chamber in his new form the establishing shot of him lacks the gravitas that I feel it really deserves.

An enraged Baxter grabs a gun, fighting off both Krang and a pair of Rock Soldiers before jumping back through the portal to Earth. Presumably the dimensional balance isn’t so delicate now, though in his deranged state Baxter probably doesn’t know that.

Back in the lair the Turtles return to discover Splinter tending to an unconscious April. He explains that they will need to locate a Gazai plant in order for him to create an antidote, and the team immediately march into action.

The Turtles are on their way when they encounter Baxter in his new mutated form, who opens fire on them. Not knowing that the fly is Stockman, they retreat to the sewers and plan their next steps. During this sequence the animation switches to the quirkier style we saw in “The Mean Machines”, with the same googly-eyed Turtles and detailed environments. I particularly appreciate the shot from behind of the team racing through the sewer, which is so nice that it’s used to book-end both the beginning and end of the scene.

Above ground, Rocksteady and Bebop open fire on Baxter, who says he doesn’t understand why Shredder is attacking him. Shredder retorts that he doesn’t understand why Baxter is attacking him, and that he thought they were friends. This is a hell of a thing for Shredder of all people to say after everything we’ve seen so far over the course of this season. Shredder somehow manages to convince Baxter that it was the Turtles who threw him into the portal, and his mind is so frazzled that he believes all of this. Baxter heads off to get revenge on our heroes.

The Turtles visit a conservatory where they find what’s said to be the only Gazai plant in the western hemisphere, but as soon as they’re out in the open Baxter spots them. Meanwhile in a nearby location, Shredder tests out what we’re told was one of Baxter’s final inventions before The Incident, a spider-like robot that ties up Rocksteady. Shredder names it in honour of his mutant henchman by dubbing it the Knucklehead. This will be one of two new toys from the Playmates line to debut in this episode (three if you count Baxter’s new form), although it’s smaller here than it’ll be in future appearances.

Shredder uses Baxter’s location to track down the Turtles in a cheese van, possibly suggesting that he’s still operating out of “H. Cheese Co.” from “The Incredible Shrinking Turtles". After briefly losing his trousers for a couple of seconds, he unleashes the Knucklehead, which captures Donatello, seen here sporting Raph’s colours. The other Turtles intervene to rescue him and the team make their escape via the blimp, only for Baxter to open fire. With the glider disconnected from the balloon, the Turtles begin to make their descent as we head into a commercial break.

The Turtles make their way back up and catch on to the blimp only for Shredder’s goons to open fire on it once more. When Leonardo makes the decision to deflate the balloon, Baxter is able to capture the Gazai plant and take it to a jubilant Shredder.

In the debut of another vehicle from the toy line, the Turtles escape from the waning blimp with the use of their Turtle Trooper parachutes, even borrowing the “Geronimo!” cry from the packaging. Their high spirits aren’t on show when they return to the lair though, as they confirm to Splinter that they were unable to get the plant needed to save April.

Shredder hijacks the Turtlecom frequency (it’s silver/grey again, a recurring staple in season 2 episodes from A-1 Productions). He goads the Turtles into a showdown in a scrapyard, reminding them he’s still in possession of the Gazai plant.

In the junkyard, Shredder attempts to lure the Turtles into the forcefield generator that he had previously set up atop the World Trade Center, which will throw them into temporal displacement, leaving them perpetually out of time from the rest of the universe. His plans are foiled by the arrival of Splinter in the Turtle Van, who opens fire and disarms the villains. In the commotion, Baxter instead gets trapped in the forcefield and vanishes.

Back in the lair, Splinter uses the Gazai leaves to create a potion that revives April. Michelangelo creates a foul-smelling Gazai topping in the now near-obligatory end-of-the-show pizza gag.

Michael Reaves has provided some of the best episodes of this season thus far (“The Mean Machines” being a surprise highlight during the Eye of Sarnath arc) and this one is of a similarly high standard. Brynne Stephens – later Chandler – receives her first TMNT writing credit here and will return twice more across this season and the next, each time working in conjunction with Reaves.

“Enter: The Fly” is a landmark episode, offloading Baxter in favour of Rocksteady and Bebop. This change brings us closer to what I consider the classic era of the series, where Shredder and the mutants, joined by Krang, become a comedic villainous family that steal the show from the Turtles.

[turtlethon]

“The Case of the Killer Pizzas”

First US Airdate: November 5, 1988 First UK Airdate (TMHT): February 7, 1990

Krang sends Shredder alien eggs from Dimension X that hatch into fearsome creatures.

With the Eye of Sarnath portion of season 2 done and dusted, the remainder of 1988’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes are self-contained fare, kicking off here with “The Case of the Killer Pizzas”. The writing credit for this episode goes to Douglas Booth, another eighties cartoon regular who provided us with several Transformers adventures, most notably the entirety of The Ultimate Doom trilogy in 1984.

Making their return in this one are Rocksteady and Bebop, seen here flanking Krang. At this point their role remains relatively minor, with both of them only getting a couple of bits of dialogue throughout. Krang is sending alien eggs through the dimensional portal to Shredder and... Baxter Stockman?

“Curse of the Evil Eye” saw Baxter finally break off from Shredder after one insult too many, and making a play to obtain the Eye of Sarnoth for himself. That episode ended with Shredder punching Baxter in the face before getting flushed away after the Eye exploded. Now not only is Shredder still around, but he’s patched things up with Baxter and we’re acting as if nothing ever happened.

Shredder and Baxter hit the town and intimidate a young man into giving them the flyers he’s handing out for an upcoming pizza bake-off. Shredder floods the sewers with the flyers to get the attention of the Turtles, but Splinter spots the tell-tale signs of his spiked gauntlets on the paper. The Turtles decide to attend the bake-off anyway to stop Shredder and pick up some pizza in the process.

The Turtles hide out in a back alley as the bake-off is held. Shredder is also lurking, seemingly hiding in an archway. Meanwhile Baxter volunteers to help announce the winners of some free pizzas that are being given away as prizes.

Actually, Shredder was somehow hiding behind a leaning tower model. After he emerges the Turtles end up battling him in a kitchen. By “battle”, I mean a lot of dough gets thrown around. Shredder comes out on the losing end, understandable given that the Turtles are in their natural element here.

Back at the bake-off, Baxter has placed the alien eggs on the pizzas and rigs the contest so that the Turtles are announced as the winners. But two of the contest prizes end up being used to fulfil deliveries and substitutes are provided as prizes for the Turtles instead. The third pizza – which does have one of the eggs placed in the box – is grudgingly provided by Michelangelo to April as a thank you.

Later, April and Irma re-heat the pizza in a microwave and a small red creature emerges. Irma faints at the sight of it, which gives April cover to contact the Turtles on what appears to be a 1980s cellphone.

The Turtles arrive and attempt to capture the creature, only for it to burn a hole through the wall and escape. They assume that it’s left the building, when in reality it’s climbed up into the roof above them.

Realising that the original pizzas that had been substituted must have also had these eggs placed on them, the Turtles spring into action to try and track them down. April and the Channel 6 news crew are on the trail. She’s accompanied today by Vernon and “Handsome Vernon”.

Dropping in via blimp, the Turtles confront two children. They attempt to warn them that they absolutely must not re-heat those pizzas.

I mean he’s got you there.

Needless to say, the kids ignore the Turtles and two more creatures emerge. April and her crew chase them through town, our heroes also in pursuit via the Turtle Blimp.

Meanwhile Irma discovers the first creature is still in the apartment. The alien forges a path from the laundry room down into the sewer system, with Irma following it. Soon everyone involved is in the sewers, where the three mini monsters submerge themselves in water and transform into enormous terrors.

Shredder and Baxter are also here, the latter wielding a device that he can use to control the monsters and have them attack the Turtles. Realising what the contraption does, Donatello knocks it out of Baxter’s hands into the water, meaning now the aliens are out of control and a threat to everyone. A tenuous alliance is briefly formed between Shredder, Baxter and the Turtles.

Ultimately the Turtles defeat the creatures by having them make contact with some severed electrical cables, and the resulting power surge causes them to revert to their egg forms. Shredder and Baxter soon make their exit.

In the mix also were Irma and the news crew, but mid-way through all this action April explains Irma fainted again and Vernon fled. That still leaves one person unaccounted for though: Handsome Vernon, who despite having appeared in at least four episodes now still doesn’t have a real name. Was he devoured by the killer pizza creatures or has he survived? I’ll keep you informed of any further developments.

In the lair, the Michelangelo has prepared more pizzas and some meatballs. The show ends by hinting that he may have mixed them up with the alien eggs and that the Turtles are about to have to go through this all over again, but that much is left to our imagination.

A-1 Productions again handle animation duties for this episode, and both in terms of looks and storyline it’s the kind of standard Turtles romp you might expect from this era, with an even greater than usual number of pizza gags and no shortage of slapstick. An average TMNT outing all-round.

Next time, the B-movie horror of season 2 continues as a major villain shake up takes place in “Enter the Fly”.

[turtlethon]

"It Came from Beneath the Sewers"

Season 2, Episode 3

First US Airdate: October 15, 1988 First UK Airdate (TMHT version): January 17, 1990

Shredder & Baxter unleash a mutated alien plant upon the Turtles.

Last time on Turtlethon, the Eye of Sarnath arc got off to a shaky start with our heroes getting downsized in "The Incredible Shrinking Turtles". Larry Parr is the credited writer again here, and the story continues with the Turtles in pursuit of the alien crystal's fragments.

April is excited at the prospect of covering proof of actual interplanetary life, but for the time being she can't report on any of it as the Turtles can't risk anyone else finding out about the Eye of Sarnath. Rest assured she will have many, many chances to do so in the future, as extra-terrestrial creatures showing up in New York and raising hell is going to be a major recurring theme next season.

The tracker provided by the dying alien in the last episode guides the Turtles to a fairground. When April points out they're being incredibly nonchalant about just walking into this crowded location with no disguises, the Turtles respond flippantly, assuring her that everyone will think they're part of the sideshow.

Krang has summoned Shredder to Dimension X to examine the crystal fragment he obtained in the last episode. An unusually sheepish Saki explains that it has since been lost, before angrily blaming Baxter. It seems highly implausible that Shredder would let this supposed source of so much power out of his sight, never mind entrust it to Baxter, but let's continue.

Krang quickly produces a printout of the fragment's whereabouts, before burying Shredder so brutally that even the Mirage comic Turtles are jealous.

Back at the carnival, we get a long string of the kind of "fish out of water" gags where people are alarmed, angered or confused at the sight of the Turtles that are quickly becoming a mainstay of this show. These are counterbalanced with all the fairground humour you might expect, including an extended sequence of Michelangelo winning stuffed toys from a ball game with the use of his nunchucks that was never, ever going to make it into the Hero Turtles version. In fact, there's a lot of weapons use in this one that ended up being excised.

As it turns out, two small boys have found the fragment. When the Turtles realise this, Michelangelo is again ready to deploy his nunchucks. It's a minor miracle there was anything left of this episode to make it to BBC One at all.

The Turtles get accosted by a guy who thinks they're circus performers who are late for work. Meanwhile, April tries to buy the crystal fragment from the kids, but they decline the offer.

We then get a lengthy sequence of the Turtles pretending to be clowns, driving in via a car that shrinks, and pouring water on a plant that grows, before performing the same stunt on a ladder. It's all nonsensical but the Turtles are dawn in a very cutesy style through this portion of the episode, and it makes it difficult for me to actively dislike it.

April turns to Michelangelo for extra funds to purchase the fragment from the two boys, but Shredder is already trying to nab it from them. In a sign of things to come, this supposed ninja master is easily defeated by a couple of small children.

At this point I would like to remind you that we are eight episodes into the 193-show run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Shredder's time as a legitimate threat was so brief that it almost calls into question if he was ever really supposed to be a serious villain in this incarnation of TMNT at all.

Baxter makes good by catching the fragment when it goes flying, and the villainous duo escapes. Back at their abandoned warehouse hideout, they examine the alien artefact but an accident occurs thar causes it to come into contact with some slime on Shredder's boot - slime that he just happened to have trudged back with him during his earlier visit to Dimension X. (FUN FACT: Shredder's hideout is available to rent! Just call 555-6161)

The exposure of the sludge to the alien crystal causes it to grow rapidly. Shredder and Baxter soon realise the potential of this super spore, and plot to use it against our heroes.

Back at the Lair, the Turtles are plotting their next move when the now giant plant smashes through the sewer walls. They quickly fight it off, sending it into retreat, but Splinter cautions that it's likely to return.

Shredder and Baxter become frustrated at how long it's taking for the plant to travel through the sewers, and begin plotting a different course of action. Baxter has taken all the insults Shredder has levelled at him on the chin over the last few episodes, so it's interesting to see him getting visibly agitated here.

April and Irma are talking over coffee when there's a knock at the door. A letter has been left for April, purportedly from the Turtles, asking her to go to the aforementioned warehouse hideout. Without delay April heads to the premises, where she's tied up by the bad guys. Shredder goes through her purse and uses her communicator to contact the Turtles, which only further reinforces how baffling it is that ace reporter April O'Neil never thought to do so immediately upon receiving the letter.

Shredder is delightful throughout the split-screen conversation that follows. He goads the Turtles into rescuing her. They soon determine they can't just burst into the building, given that Shredder is expecting them, and so...

...They dress up as a group of four pizza delivery guys. Shredder at least manages to get a decent one-liner out of it before...

...The Turtles just burst in the door in their standard attire anyway. So that was pointless.

A very brief fight scene unfolds before Shredder and Baxter escape, but the Turtles soon find another problem has arisen - in a very literal sense - as the mutant plant has burrowed up through the city streets and is now upturning and throwing around vehicles with wild abandon. Driving to the scene, we get a cool sequence where the Turtles utilise one of the more toyetic aspects of their van, with Raphael using the flip-out door/seat dealie to fire upon the creature.

The Turtle Van suddenly ends up looking a whole lot less cool though, after the plant relieves it of its front bumper and begins chowing down.

The plant retreats back into the sewers, where the Turtles attempt to subdue it by dressing Michelangelo up as a female plant named "Flora". This buys them enough time to attack the plant at the root, causing it to rapidly wither away.

Returning to the lair, our regular end of the episode pizza joke will not be seen tonight, as April shows up instead with a gift for the Turtles - a Venus Fly Trap. Hey, it's nice to mix things up once in a while!

I went into this one with very low expectations after "The Incredible Shrinking Turtles" but all things considered I ended up being pleasantly surprised. While it does little to really advance the Eye of Sarnath storyline and it's visually inconsistent, the gags here land more often than not, and the frantic pace means none of the settings ever outstay their welcome. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm tentatively giving "It Came from Beneath the Sewers" a thumbs up.

Two down, two to go. Next time, the Eye of Sarnath trudge continues in "The Mean Machines".

[turtlethon]

"The Incredible Shrinking Turtles"

Season 2, Episode 2

First US Airdate: October 8, 1988 First UK Airdate (TMHT): January 10, 1990

Shredder uses an alien crystal to downsize New York landmarks - and the Turtles.

The second season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is somewhat different than the one that preceded it and the season after. It begins with an episode that helps re-establish the status quo for this year ("Return of the Shredder") and ends by shaking things up again ("Return of the Technodrome"). The remaining outings from this season can be split into two distinct runs. S02E02 through S02E05 form the Eye of Sarnath arc and have a loose continuing storyline throughout. From S02E06 to S02E12 we get self-contained tales, often with a horror B-movie vibe.

All of this is a long way of saying that the next couple of episodes - The Eye of Sarnath Arc - are a trial to get through. This is very much the definition of a filler arc, adding nothing of value to the series or its mythos, but I'm going to persevere and try to see if there's anything here worth writing about. Notably, "The Incredible Shrinking Turtles" is the first episode not credited to David Wise in some fashion, and he won't return until season 3's "The Maltese Hamster".

This episode opens with the Turtles in the middle of a training exercise. Some of the visuals in this sequence will be burned into the memories of viewers of Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, as they were used as "fill-in" clips in place of the supposedly objectionable scenes in the Ninja Turtles opening. They make no sense in the wider context of the series - particularly glaring is the use of Michelangelo dressed in a shoddy Shredder costume.

The Turtles witness an alien spacecraft crash nearby - very convenient that it should happen to land in the laps of our heroes, but whatever - and rescue its passenger. He tells them that they need to collect the fragments of the Macguffin to end all Macguffins, The Eye of Sarnath, and that whoever should possess all the parts of the eye would become incredibly powerful. The alien gives them a tracker to help them find the fragments, then disintegrates before anyone can ask any follow-up questions.

The real Shredder is watching the Turtles from the bushes nearby - which seems kind of pathetic considering he supposedly used to have a network of spy cameras he used to track Splinter - and upon overhearing all of this naturally wants to find the pieces.

Contacting Krang in Dimension X, Shredder stresses his need for Foot Soldiers, but his demands fall on deaf ears. Krang is decidedly unimpressed with Saki throughout this episode, and so Shredder goes out of his way throughout this story to prove his worth.

It must be said though that we're only two episodes into the second season and already Shredder's credibility as a villain is beginning to crumble. He can't even get through a conversation with Krang without ending up covered in Baxter's ice cream.

The Turtles reluctantly rustle through some trash to find the first fragment of the Eye of Sarnath, but Shredder is spying on them again. He quickly defeats them once more, in a fight scene that I'm pretty sure we only saw half of in the Hero Turtles edit.

The upside of Shredder being less overtly evil is he's free to do more goofy one-liners.

Armed with the first Sarnath fragment, Shredder uses it on the Turtles, causing them to shrink (yes, we're doing THAT trope). Forced to flee, they evade the various dangers of the city and eventually make it back to the sewer, where they meet up with Splinter.

Meanwhile Shredder is shrinking New York landmarks, including the Empire State Building. Somehow only the buildings shrink, not the people or presumably the contents. I can't figure out the logistics behind this and it's probably best that I don't try.

Splinter and April are driving around in the Turtle van, and so the Turtles are left to their own devices in the sewers. They end up going toe-to-toe with various foes, including a sewer snake, before being flushed into a river.

Back at (checks notes...) "H Cheese Co.", Shredder unsuccessfully attempts to impress Krang with his collection of tiny buildings.

"What is this? A centre for ANTS?"

Krang demands that Shredder find the Turtles. Fortunately, Baxter has built a turtle tracking device and uses it to catch them, sparing them the fate of being swallowed by a particularly vicious fish.

Splinter knows the Turtles aren't in the sewer though, because he has Sensei Senses. I wish I was making this up.

At the cheese factory, Shredder is about to squash the tiny Turtles with a crowbar - a particularly gruesome way to go - when Splinter crashes through the door in the Turtle van.

Splinter pretty much wipes the floor with Shredder, only very briefly losing the upper hand, while April uses the eye fragment on the Turtles a second time. The theory here is that if one dose shrunk them, surely a second dose will revert them to their normal size. Nobody ever stops to wonder if it would actually disintegrate them completely, but of course as it turns out that's not a problem, and moments later the Turtles are their regular selves again.

Shredder gets a fleeting quasi-win by escaping with the first fragment. When Leonardo suggests they've failed him, Splinter kinda dickishly suggests "Yeah well, you'll know better next time, won't you".

Back at the lair, we get the already obligatory pizza gag finish. Splinter has ordered tiny meals for his pupils "to remind them they still have a long way to grow". They all stare daggers at him, and for once I can't blame them.

I can't really hide my contempt for this arc, and after re-watching this episode my stance hasn't changed. The shrinking trope had been done a million times even by 1988 and in general it feels like we're spinning our wheels. Next time, the Turtles will take on a big plant. Will that turn the Eye of Sarnath storyline around? We'll find out next time, as Turtlethon continues!