TMNT – “The Good, the Bad, and Casey Jones” Review

“Prepare to meet … Casey Jones.”

Casey Jones is fed up with the mutant problem in New York City, and he’s ready to take matters into his own hands.  After training hard and suiting up, Casey is up for any kind of action.  Meanwhile, Master Splinter engages his sons in a Ninja Turtle free-for-all, and when Leonardo topples Raphael, the younger brother’s anger gets the best of him once again.  Angry with himself and with his family, Raph heads out into the city alone.

Crime fighting isn’t what he expected, but soon Casey Jones finds Purple Dragons mugging an innocent man.  The teen shows some impressive skills, but Raphael sees his anger getting the best of him and steps in.  Casey finds the appearance of a ninja turtle hilarious, and the two start their own brawl in the alley.  Both manage to get an upper hand, but Raphael comes out on top and Casey is forced to retreat.

The next day, Casey tries to tell April (and her friend Irma) about his encounter, while Raph apologizes to Leo.  Unfortunately for the turtle, his brothers are still busting his chops, and his anger flares up yet again.  Out on the city rooftops, Casey spots him, and the boy follows Raph back to the lair.  His stealth isn’t up to ninja standards, though, and the turtles catch him.  April also happens to be visiting the lair, and introduces her friends to one another.  Much to Casey’s chagrin, the turtles are good guys, not evil mutants.

The introductions are cut short, though, because Foot Bots followed Raph too, and now the turtles must prevent their lair’s location from being revealed.  Raphael and Casey give chase after the Foot Bot that recorded everything, but it keeps giving them the slip.  Fortunately, by learning to work together, the two are able to destroy the robot and keep turtles safe.  As friends and allies, Casey and Raph return to the lair.  Now the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a new ally in their quest to keep New York City safe.

Casey Jones has officially joined the fold.  While he hasn’t had many appearances this season, his inclusion thus far set him up in just the right way for this particular episode.  He’s interacted with April, skirted around the lives of the turtles, and now he’s a part of the team.  The dynamic between him and Raphael was exceptional, and there’s no doubt that those two, as always, will be the best of friends.  The story was strong, the characters were treated well, and the episode was exceptional.

It was also nice to see another Raphael episode that shows some real growth for the character.  While his anger issues might become a little too played out over time, this episode handled them in a new and interesting way.  He got to see outside himself how dangerous anger can be, and that control is necessary.  He also got to witness just how far his own control is from being anything resembling perfect, meaning there’s still plenty of room for him to grow.

Casey Jones shows once again how well this particular turtles show is written and developed.  He’s an iconic character that needs to be adapted appropriately, while also adding a spin that allows him to exist in this particular world.  An angry teen with a vigilante complex, mimicking Raphael’s, is exactly the way to go.  The team working on things hit it out of the park once again with this character, and hopefully more Casey will be in the show’s future.

After an extended hiatus, it’s good to see the show back on screens.  Starting with such a strong episode certainly helped, and it’s good to see Casey Jones on the turtles’ bench moving forward.  It was another great episode this season, and hopefully more will be coming in the very near future.

Rating: 9/10