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TMNT – “Heart of Evil” Review

by Dan Spitaliere
written by Dan Spitaliere

The train kept rolling this week, as we got answers to many of the questions from last week’s episode. “Heart of Evil” showed us where Shredder’s heart has been all this time, who has it, and what it means to the larger crime channels of New York. We also received a larger show of the cracks forming between Kavaxas and Tiger Claw. There is definitely more to the Shredder’s resurrection than meets the eye.

We were also treated to a very different side of Donatello. Overall, there has been consistently good character studies in this show, and it’s really interesting to take a look at what Donnie becomes when he’s angry. Obsessed even. Pulling this out of the trauma he received from Don Vizioso the last time we saw him was a perfect opportunity. Turns out, Donnie can be a real badass when he has a really good reason. It had the extra effect of showing more cracks in Leo’s role as sensei, and we had a nice touching moment between them at the end of the episode.

Don Vizioso and his mafia continue to be interesting additions to the show. It’s a great foil to see how the normal criminal elements of the city react to ninjas and mutants and demon dragons. Still, Vizioso isn’t quite normal, which makes him a fun character. The constant eating, the M.O.D.O.K. like flying chair, and his exaggerated gangster speech all add up to a humorous send up of movie mafia culture.

The family also gave the creative team the opportunity(?) to show just how evil Kavaxas is. He was killing people left and right in the ambush scene! I’m definitely going to miss The Hammer. What a ridiculous character.

The whole episode was a triple threat battle for the heart of Shredder. Don Vizioso took it after Shredder’s death, as a show of power in the city. I enjoyed how his enforcers all thought it was gross that he just kept it on the table while he ate (which is all the time). Vizioso’s line about gaining the power of your enemy by consuming their heart, really made it sound like he was going to eat it, but apparently even he’s not that gross. The episode even joked about this later on with Bebop riffing on him.

It was also interesting to see just how the Turtles are trying to deal with Tiger Claw and Kavaxas. Normally, any reconnaissance mission the group does is just a way for the writers to get the heroes in  a place for a battle. This time, however, Raph and Mikey (of all people) were actually successfully spying on the bad guys. They never gave away their position! It’s hard not to feel proud of both of them.

No, this time the conflict came squarely from Leo and Donnie, and Donnie’s desire for revenge. I spoke to this a little before, but it really is fun watching these two bang heads. Donnie is angry, but his analytical mind is still there. He’s got a grudge, but he wants to get rid of the anti-mutant weapons. When Leo tries to get him to focus, he just looks at it as multi-tasking. It’s a different kind of anger than Raph, and it’s just another example of how well this show really gets each turtle. Plus, did you see that grin on Raph when Leo was scolding Donnie? That’s some comedy gold, right there.

There was also the subplot of figuring out how to stop Kavaxas. The fight over the seal was really well done. Kavaxas wanted the seal for his freedom. April, Karai, Raph, and Mikey, wanted it to try to control Kavaxas. Tiger Claw needs it to maintain control. It was a visually interesting fight, with clear stakes. Mikey’s injuries at the end only highlighted those stakes, and reminded us how formidable Tiger Claw is. Plus, it’s setting up April for a big moment down the line, when she finally figures out how to harness her abilities and the seal in tandem.

“Heart of Evil” was another solid episode in the Kavaxas arc. With Shredder’s revival at the end of the episode, the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s obvious now that Kavaxas’ own plan relies on Shredder’s resurrection as well, and it will be interesting to see what actually steps out of that coffin. Will it be Super Shredder? The original Shredder pre-mutation? Maybe it’s a vessel for Kavaxas himself? Obviously there is power in Shredder, and Kavaxas has a great interest in it. “Heart of Evil” did a great job of boiling that interest, and setting us up for what will hopefully be an explosive episode next week!

 

 

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TMNT – “The Forgotten Swordsman” Review

by Dan Spitaliere
written by Dan Spitaliere

Well, would you look at that? I was not expecting Tatsu to get a cameo in this series, but what a pleasant surprise. And he looked just like Toshishiro Obata from the movies! “The Forgotten Swordsman” was full of little surprises and highlighted by a unique fight scene. The episode served mostly to inform the Turtles what Tiger Claw’s ultimate plan was, as well as draft Karai and Shinigami into the fight. By the end, the episode accomplished this goal, and created some tantalizing questions to think of moving forward.

The episode started off with a pair of surprises: First, Fishface didn’t die last season! Second, Rahzar most certainly did! We never had confirmation that Rahzar died, and we even saw him survive getting run over by a subway, so it made sense to assume he was alive. But no, Leatherhead totally killed him, drowing him at the bottom of the bay! What a time to be alive…for Rahzar. Tiger Claw put Kavaxas up to the task as a test of his resurrection abilities, and it totally worked! In order to revive Shredder, however,  Kavaxas needs Shredder’s heart and his helmet, The Kuro Kabuto. The helmet would be the focus this week.

Side note, where is Shredder’s heart? How did Tiger Claw recover his body without the heart? Did Leo take Shredder’s heart? How weird.

Multiple parties were after the helmet, with Fishface and Rahzar looking for Tiger Claw, Raph and Casey looking to stop them, Karai and Shinigami looking to control the Foot, and Tatsu trying to do the same. Eventually, all parties converged. Tatsu tried to lure Rahzar to his side. Karai and Shinigami teamed up with the Turtles. It all culminated in a Foot hideout, with our heroes vs. Tatsu.

In this iteration, Tatsu remained Shredder’s second, but ran the Foot in Japan. He was blind at birth, and became a master swordsman, leaning on his superior hearing to defeat his foes. Shredder was the only one who saw potential in him. When Tatsu learned of the power vacuum in New York, he decided to come to America to stop his former pupil Karai, and take his place as Master of the Foot.

What a great way to introduce Tatsu into this universe! He’s suitably badass, and while he talks much more than his movie counterpart, they pay homage to the character with his importance in the Foot Clan. The “blind warrior” may be a trope in many genres, but it served Tatsu well here. We got to see another reason for how Shredder breeds such loyalty. It also gave us a visually stunning and unique fight scene, highlighting the way Tatsu hears his enemies, and what happens when that hearing gets taken away from him.

Karai and Leo make a great team! The animation in this show can be so fluid, and that white splash taking over when Tatsu lost his hearing was striking. I’m really going to miss the CGI when this show ends.

In the end, the party was crashed by Kavaxas. Rahzar stayed loyal to Tiger Claw, and Tatsu seemingly had his life energy robbed by Kavaxas. With the Kuro Kabuto in hand, Kavaxas, Tiger Claw, and company leave, one step closer to their goal.

But are they unified in their goal? Tiger Claw clearly wants to resurrect Shredder, but how long will he able to control Kavaxas with that medallion? You definitely get the sense that Kavaxas has his own plan, and it’s only a matter of time before he puts it into action, if it’s not already.

And now that the Turtles and friends know that Kavaxas can resurrect the dead, how long is it before Leo or Karai try to make a deal with him to bring back Splinter?

“The Forgotten Swordsman” shows that the creative team of TMNT got their groove back after last week’s solid, but weaker episode. Fans were treated to another Turtle homage, an arc that pushed the season forward, and unique action scenes. Finally, we continue to see how powerful Kavaxas is. Putting a stop to this being currently seems insurmountable, but watching the Turtles try to change that should be entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

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TMNT – “Scroll of the Demodragon” Review

by Dan Spitaliere
written by Dan Spitaliere

 

Here we are. The final season of Nick’s first foray into the TMNT. Last season’s finale saw our heroes facing down a new world. A world in which they had defeated Shredder, but at the terrible cost of losing Splinter. We knew that this season would focus on the rise of Kavaxas, as shown at last years New York Comic Con, but I had assumed the first episode of the season would focus on how life has changed for the Turtles. Both the comics and movies have given us a glimpse as to what the Turtles lives are like when the Foot Clan are gone or rebuilding. I was interested to see how these Turtles would react to their current situation. Unfortunately, “Scroll of the Demodragon” forgoes that and cuts right to the appearance of this new villain.

Let’s get the problems with the episode out of the way first. It is unclear how much time has passed since last seasons finale, “Owari.” It’s clear it’s not immediately following the defeat of the Shredder, because Tiger Claw has had enough time to discover the cultists that live underground, and begin the search for the titular Scroll of the Demodragon. Additionally, he already has the Mystic Seal of the Ancients, so obviously some time has been put in.

By just jumping into the next big villain arc, however, the episode feels too close to the events of last season, and it just feels off. What has everyone been up to? How long has it been? Have Raph and Casey just been on patrol, and no one is doing anything else? There’s no new project from Donatello? Has there been any challenge for Leo as head of the family? How long has he been communicating with the spirit of Splinter?

Which brings me to another issue. Don’t get me wrong. I love Splinter, and it’s great to have more work from Hoon Lee, who is a great Splinter in his own right. But since Splinter passed, Leo has spoken to his spirit in both episodes. He might as well not be dead. It’s a weird conflict.

I understand that Leo should be struggling as leader, since he’s never had to do it without Splinter. But so far, we’ve seen no conflict with his leadership. Sure, he waffled when the team looked to him for a plan to deal with Tiger Claw and the cultists, and again after they met Kavaxas, but the cultists are seemingly immortal, and Kavaxas might as well be a god. What plan could he possibly come up with in that situation? The team didn’t fail because he was a bad leader or couldn’t make a decision; they stood no chance no matter what he did.

Because of that, his moments with Splinter feel unearned. Splinter can seemingly do this whenever he wants. Plus he’s only appeared to Leo. Are his other sons not grieving? What about Karai? Why is Leo afraid to tell Donnie what he witnessed? I’m sure there is a plan going forward, and we’ll understand more soon, but in the meantime it just seems weird.

Now, on to the good stuff. “Scroll of the Demodragon” was in no way a bad episode. The cult angle is interesting, from both a story and art perspective. The cultists themselves are mysterious. We don’t know what they are, or why they are seemingly invulnerable, surviving falls from buildings, and catching our heroes’ weapons. Have they really just been living underground this whole time, worshipping the Shredder? Why would they make themselves known now, after Shredder has died? Do they really worship Shredder, or are they tricking Tiger Claw to help them in reviving Kavaxas? These are all interesting developments I hope play out. Add into that the visual of the underground altar, flanked by lava and the creepy, zombified cultists, and you have a recipe for intrigue.

Of course, the best moment of the episode is reserved for the arrival of Kavaxas, played wonderfully by Mark Hamill. Hamill sure knows how to bring gravitas to a villain and it’s going to be a pleasure to hear his voice every week this season. At first, I was convinced that the Mystic Seal was a ploy to release Kavaxas, and Tiger Claw would not be able to control him, but it seems like it works! Kavaxas begrudgingly follows Tiger Claw’s orders, first attempting to kill the Turtles, Casey, and April, and then, after their escape, standing down to answer Tiger Claw’s questions.

The final moment of the episode is where we get the conceit that Tiger Claw’s plan is to use this demon to resurrect the Shredder. I’m sure Kavaxas has his own plans, and of course the Turtles will want to stop both plots. With this being the last season, I think it’s safe to assume the creative team is going to pull out all the stops.

“Scroll of the Demodragon” is a satisfactory beginning to the final season of the CGI Turtles, but it just can’t stand up to last seasons stellar finale. Despite the cool start though, the episode sets up an interesting conflict moving forward. Can the Turtles stop the resurrection of Shredder? Will Leo open up to his brothers about speaking with Splinter? What is Kavaxas’ true plan and who can stand up to his scary power? There’s still the fallout of Splinter’s death to deal with as well. The creative team has set up a supernatural story filled with mystery and intrigue, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out!

 

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TMNT – “Tale of Tiger Claw” Review

by Dan Spitaliere
written by Dan Spitaliere

I’ve been looking forward to this episode ever since I saw the teaser at New York Comic Con, and “Tale of Tiger Claw” did not disappoint. As a fan of Alopex in the IDW series, it was great to see this cartoon iteration. The episode tapped into the mystical side of the TMNT, giving us a fun adventure centered around Tiger Claws origin, the introduction of a new character, and Casey Jones trying to evade a fatal curse put on him.

“Tale of Tiger Claw” goes a long way into fleshing out his character. It’s great to get this treatment on villains, since it gives the audience insight. Was he always a bad guy? Well no, he and Alopex were abducted by the Kraang and experimented on. After not being able to return home, due to their transformations, they tried to live honest lives in the circus. It’s interesting to see how their two stores differ though. When Tiger Claw explains his past to Bebop and Rocksteady, he claims the circus was a waste of their considerable talents, so they joined the criminal underground as assassins. Alopex, however sees it differently. She blames Tiger Claw, not only for their transformation, but for succumbing to a life of crime. The writers did a good job of building empathy for Tiger Claw, sympathy for Alopex, and then hitting it all home with the revelation that they are brother and sister. The real home run was showing that Alopex still cares for her brother, even after all he’s done. Showing Tiger Claw attempt to take advantage of that mercy shows how much of his humanity he’s really lost.

And boy, what a price he paid! I can’t believe they got away with cutting his arm off! Sure, they didn’t show it on camera and it wasn’t gory, but still. I am continually surprised by how far the production team can push this show. And then Raph made a joke about it! Damn!

In all, Alopex comes across as an extremely dangerous, yet honorable foe. Who knows when we’ll see her again, but I hope we do soon.

But that’s not all the episode gave us this week. There was some real humor in this episode. Watching Casey have to deal with his curse, and all of the near deaths that brought with it was hilarious. You can tell the animators had a fun time coming up with each unlikely situation that almost got Casey, and the slow motion spot where everyone successfully saves Casey so he can break the Twin Blades of Vengeance was great.

Of course, how could I leave out Drunken Master Splinter? Another great spot and one I again can’t believe got on TV. The look on the Turtles faces when Splinter starts swigging on the bottle is priceless. He even grosses out Mikey, and who else can say that? What a fun segment.

Finally, we got some updates on Shredder and April. Shredder is still not in a good way, the after effects of his mutation still ravaging his body. His desire for vengeance still hasn’t subsided though, so the eventual rematch between him and Splinter should be epic. April, on the other hand, has finally recovered from her fight with the Aeon Crystal. She’s not as powerful as she was with the crystal, but it looks like she’s more focused and in a much better head-space. Splinter even points out she is the most “at one” with herself.

I also want to call out Tiger Claw quoting Darth Vader in the beginning. His “I sense something…Something I have not felt in many years,” is straight out of A New Hope. With that reference, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that he got his hand cut off!

“Tale of Tiger Claw” hit many points this week, but was able to stay focused and tell a fun, cohesive story. The updates on Shredder and April were necessary to keep us in tune with the over arching plot of the season, but didn’t take away from the big adventure of the week. The introduction of Alopex was very well done. Her speed makes her unlike any other character on the show and her vendetta against Tiger Claw is captivating. I hope we get to see a rematch between them soon.

 

 

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TMNT – “The Power Inside Her” Review

by Dan Spitaliere
written by Dan Spitaliere

In the comments of last weeks episode, one of our readers stated their concern that the show might be getting too dark and wondered if the show might lose some of its core audience – children. I posited that the show was just finding it’s line and probably wouldn’t go much further than what it had during “The Super Shredder” and “Darkest Plight.” “The Power Inside Her” just proved me wrong.

That’s not to say that “The Power Inside Her” wasn’t a strong episode. It really was. Circling back to April’s addiction to the Aeon Crystal, we got a powerful episode that focused on the apex of that addiction. Let’s think back to when April received the crystal. The Turtles, Casey, and April landed on their home planet that had been consumed in darkness. After being attacked by giant bat-like creatures, the crew found themselves at an ancient pyramid. After scaling the pyramid, they saved the day by replacing the Soul Star artifact at the top of the pyramid, cleansing the planet of the darkness. The bat-like creatures were actually the Aeons, and ancient and powerful race, who gifted April the crystal for saving them.

Well it turns out the crystal held the spirit of one of the original Aeons, who had been slowing taking over April’s mind as she used the crystal to augment her abilities. April wasn’t just dependent on the crystal, she was losing herself to it. And that’s when things got really crazy. April completely succumbed to the Aeon, named Zal-Naron, who made it her mission to cleanse the Earth, starting with New York. The Turtles, Splinter, and Casey kept trying to help April, but she proved too powerful.

Watching Splinter and Raphael get twisted into torturous positions was difficult enough, but the scariest part of the episode happened when Zal-Naron obliterated Donatello. Donatello, trying to save April and ultimately his own life, pleaded with April to overcome the Aeon, but in the moment April wasn’t strong enough. With a flash of his skin, skeleton, and organs, Donatello exploded. Just writing that feels gruesome. It’s hard to believe that this was, of all things, in a Nickelodeon cartoon. The description feels more like the non-canon Image Comics run.

Now Donatello was revived at the end of the episode. April used the last of the Aeon Crystal (she broke it trying to escape its hold on her) to reform Donatello from the “quantum smear” she reduced him to. But it was still hard to believe the whole episode. April/Zal-Naron was on a tear, force choking people, throwing them around like rag dolls, and twisting them into awful shapes. Hadn’t Splinter gone through enough in the last couple episodes? Blowing up Donatello was just the icing on the horrifying cake.

A couple side notes:

-Rahzar is apparently still alive! No idea how he survived getting crushed by a train, but the episode wisely glossed over that. Besides, April just crushed him with a dumpster anyway, so hopefully Bradford has a couple more lives saved up.

-One of our readers asked about the crews’ space weapons and where they were. Casey pulled out one of his space hockey pucks, and Donatello brought back his space staff again. I guess the writer’s were on the same wave length!

-Shredder’s henchmen are collecting all the mutagen they can get their hands on, in order to maintain Shredder’s super form. I wonder what happens when they run out of mutagen? I’m still trying to figure out why Tiger Claw would seek out Kavaxas in the upcoming episode. Maybe it’s to save Shredder from his mutation?

“The Power Inside Her” took yet another turn down a more mature path for Nick’s TMNT, touching on the topic of addiction and its fallout. More than that though, it felt like a crazy “What If?” episode, where a possessed and super-charged April tore through the ranks of friend and foe alike. You have to wonder how April will deal with this moving forward, and how this will impact her relationships with the Turtles, Splinter, and Casey. The episode ended on a positive note, with April breaking the control of the Aeon Crystal and forming better control over her powers, but after what happened, things can’t be the same moving forward.

 

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