official new ep discussion thread for "Karate Schooled"

[VaughnMichael]

Synopsis:
When the Turtles are reunited with Casey and April, it’s smiles all around… until it becomes clear that Casey’s being brainwashed by his new martial arts instructor, Master Khan, a devoted Foot operative. The Turtles must save Casey (and themselves) from this deadly Foot fanatic!

Ok let's see the opening was rad, but then after the episode started and Mikey started with his typical crap which was way worse than anything I saw him do in Fast Forward I pretty much would have loved to take a bazooka to his face.

I felt so bad for Serling, I wanted him to drop whatever that was ok Mike's head stupid douche bag that he is.
It's great that Serling got to meet April and Casey, it's a shame we didn't get to see them talking more to him and the turtles about the future.
I also thought it was cute when Serling commented about April having the same eyes as Cody, made me totally have an awww moment.

I think Both Casey & April look really good fully animated also I was worried about how they looked at first and April is going to take a bit of getting used to still but I think in time I'll get used to it.
She does look cute it's just a bit to preppy looking now if I must say.
Casey looks pretty much the same to me.
I think this whole Master Khan thing could turn out to be really cool and I think Casey looks cool in his new dojo outfit.
Anyone else shocked that talked about Casey coming home with some one else's blood on him?
I guess it's ok as long as they don't show it.

So ummm the new Turtle Van thing, does anyone else think it looks like a garbage truck? The only think I could think of the entire time was that they had to take that from the garbage man.

I also hope everyone who was whining last week about them not caring enough about what happened to Splinter is happy now, they pretty much talked about it the entire episode and Donatello is becoming the Emo Leo of this season.
I enjoyed the scene when they found Splinter in cyberspace though.
I wonder what will happen when and if Kahn realizes that Cyber Shredder is not the true Shredder he served.

This series is really shaping up already, I hate that we've only got 13 episodes.
I really wish people including the companies backing them would have more faith in the turtles.

[CyberCubed]

Master Khan is like the new Tatsu.

When he said, "Master Shredder" at the end it sounded just like Tatsu from the movies.

[nimrod]

I agree that I liked this episode alot and hated the part with Mikey being a douche to Serling. I don't mind Serling being her at all (especially since Splinter is not around) and I think they have great opportunities with interaction between him and April/Casey.

Anyways, I loved the episode and Kahn as a villian. I was thinking the way he was moving around that he seemed like a foot elite to me. I wondered if he was one of them that has set out on whatever his plan is.

I just disliked the part when they were sad about Splinter gone in the beginning and Mikey is still just goofing around with Serling. I guess they were trying to put some comedic relief in there but that was really misplaced.


This season seems allready leagues better than FF. I wished they planned on making this 26 episodes now.

I think the Splinter voice they saw was not really Splinter but the Cyber Shredder trying to set a trap. That's just my prediction.

[terran631]

I wasn't one of the ones that was whining last week about their lack of emotions toward Splinter. I actually didn't see last week's episode and just had what people told me to go by.

I am not and never have been, a fan of angst. Even in television or fanfiction it kinda depresses me. But...

Why did it seem like Don was the only one that really...cared?

Yes it was mentioned throughout the whole show but APRIL showed more emotion about it than the other three turtles (with the exception of the one scene where she first mentioned it and they all looked like their puppy got kicked).

Mike is skateboarding and looking like he's ready to have a party, even with annoying Serling like he was.

Raph: *in reference to Don* Try to see if you can do something about MR SOURPUSS over there.
Because watching MY father get blasted to bits would make me the life of the party.

The episode as a whole was not bad. It's nice that Casey was being controlled by a machine. I know some were worried this would be a "casey is dumb" episode and it wasn't that at all.

Them finding Splinter at the end was good. Hope they can rescue him soon. But all in all I still say this looks like the "Splinter is kidnapped let's rescue him" plotline that we've seen a million times before.

[ToTheNines]

Cool episode, It'll be interesting to see if Ch'rell fights with Cyber Shredder when he gets back.

There were some really dumb things tho:
1. Mikey was ****ing inexcusable at the begining... who writes his dialouge?
2. The new ride is a garbage truck...
3. Don has soooo much new **** in like 8 hours, good for him.

[MrPliggins]

I thought the episode was great. I agree that the worst part was Mike at the beginning. It was a little too much.

It was really cool to see April and Casey return...they weren't in the Ninja Tribunal eps much and I can't remember the last time they had such a prominent role in an episode. It was refreshing. I thought the first commercial break cliffhanger was terrible though, it was obviously Casey!

I really like the Master Khan plot, but I'd like to see more backstory on him. I'm sure more of his past will be revealed as the series goes on. I was wondering the whole episode what his beef is with the Turtles anyway? Then it kinda made sense when I saw the Foot insignia.

Mike doesn't seem to be very bothered by the Splinter thing, though everyone else does. Maybe he just hides it well. Some people would rather laugh than cry, I guess.

This episode reminded me of the old cartoon episode with Octopus Ink. Funny, it also was a Casey Jones episode! Why's everyone trying to get to the Turtles by brainwashing Casey?

As far as I'm concerned, besides the pupils and April's anorexic design, the series is back to where it should be. Cool!

[CyberCubed]

I think its just like the writers can never be consistent with Mike's character.

It always seems like the play him up for comic relief but forget he should be just as concerned with what's going on as the rest of the Turtles.

Old toon Michaelangelo was far more responsible than his 2k3 counterpart. At least he spent all his spare time cooking pizzas.

[Tinuvielsdreams]

Over all I liked it. I dunno if Mikey is acting any different then he has perviously. I agree it is a little much that he is always doing something to bug everyone else and Raph is always knocking him on his butt. It is just getting over used.

Speaking of getting knocked on their butt. Casey really gave the guys a run at the beginning there when he came into the lair. I kinda had a hard time believing they wouldn't instantly know who each other was considering I don't think the turtles have many people coming in and out.
And was April just waiting outside the front door until she was cued

Poor Donny, I guess it is his turn to be all angsty like Leo was there for awhile in 2K3. At least the guys are being supportive and letting him know they don't think it was his fault at all. I think we will get a peek at a new side of Don which is nice even though it isn't under the best circumstances.

Being the first time I have seen April and Casey I am pretty happy with them. April didn't look right to me at first but hearing her talk reaffirmed that is still the same April. Her eyes are very striking.
I am still not sold on the turtle faces. I think sometimes the heads look small and the mouths are a little funny. They go to a V shape a lot???

I did like the plot overall and the way it ended leaves me wanting more!!!

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I think its just like the writers can never be consistent with Mike's character.
It always seems like the play him up for comic relief but forget he should be just as concerned with what's going on as the rest of the Turtles.

Old toon Michaelangelo was far more responsible than his 2k3 counterpart. At least he spent all his spare time cooking pizzas.

Sigh... I love Mikey and all, but the 2 low points were Mikey Skateboarding all over the place and that crap with Serling. HOWEVER...when he rushed out of the battle, and drove the Battle shell through the building, that was amazing. I agree he's inconsistent. I feel Mikey should be comic relief BUT should be responsible, like he was here. Though, I admit, I laughed for a whole 2 minutes after he puked and said "I didn't have corn!"

But as much as a cliche as "Brainwashing" or general mind control is, they really worked it well here. I especially like how Casey acted all normal outside of the class.... though somehow, I think the brainwashed Casey in Corporate Raiders from Dimention X was funnier... but maybe only because that was when he was wearing a hockey mask AND a suit and tie.

But I agree... this is shaping up to be a great season so far... and April looks pretty good in animation. Much better than just the flat character design. I had a feeling these new designs would look much better in animation.

I also enjoy how serious Don is over the scrambling of Splinter. I hope it doesn't become something he says every five minutes (akin to Leatherhead shouting "I'm a Monster" every five minutes). And it looks like we're gonna have a pretty exciting episode starting with Splinter's re-discovery.

[CyberCubed]

Does anyone think this season might focus a little more on Donatello than the others?

We've had plenty of Leo, Mike and Raph focus in the show, but Don tends to get the short end of the stick a lot.

Its almost the exact opposite of the old toon, where Don was the star of almost every episode and constantly saving the day, but in the new toon he hasn't had as many "glory" moments, so to speak.

Laird considers Don to be his favorite Turtle, which is why I always found it a bit odd than he doesn't get as much focus in the current cartoon as he should.

[MrPliggins]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I think its just like the writers can never be consistent with Mike's character.

It always seems like the play him up for comic relief but forget he should be just as concerned with what's going on as the rest of the Turtles.

Old toon Michaelangelo was far more responsible than his 2k3 counterpart. At least he spent all his spare time cooking pizzas.

Yeah, I agree. As much as I like the 2k3 cartoon better than the old one, Mike isn't nearly as annoying in the old cartoon. If his jokes were actually funny rather than annoying, it would be different. I think the 4th movie also suffered from this. Still just a minor quibble, though.

[Blade Raider]

Originally Posted by VaughnMichael

Anyone else shocked that talked about Casey coming home with some one else's blood on him?

That line disturbs me. It implies Casey beat or killed someone regardless of weather he was brainwashed. Eitherway, that's dark even it's not shown.

Originally Posted by Drtooth

Though, I admit, I laughed for a whole 2 minutes after he puked and said "I didn't have corn!"

I almost missed the next plot point because of laguhing to hard. It wasn't that funny, just had great delivery and was so random.

Anyways, this episode rocked to no end.

Prologue: Very much like one of the old ones. It's dark, starts the story, gets me interested about it, and is under a minute (All things FF failed at many times).

The Show: Oh dear god, what the shell is wrong with Mikey? He's really getting on me nerves. However, I've decided to forgive the way he's acting because he's sad later in the episode, thus impling that acting out is his way of dealing with Splinter's death.

April and Casey are back!

I know people have said it, and I agree that Khan seems to be a Foot Elite. Did they ever talk? I swear that he sounds like one. Maybe the actor did the grunts for them. Of course, I think the actor has done many voices for this show, so I may be wrong. He's the new badass of the show, and hey, he kicks the turtles' shells like most villians use to.

I liked the bit with Serling and April. Also, anyone notice that Serling doesn't insult them once?

Now, my favorite part: INTERCONFLICT! This hasn't been around since '06. That alone makes this the best episode I've seen in years. This is what was missing from FF. Not darkness, but the ability to blame themself and, dare I say, being able to feel pain other than physical.

Can't wait for next week. Btw, why ain't there a next week commercial? I miss them.

[Lil G]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Does anyone think this season might focus a little more on Donatello than the others?

you cant really say anything now becuz its the start of the show/season() i think donny had taken some spotlight in the first 2 eps but it would be weird for him not to. i mean, he is the brainy one so he is gonna go in turtle-x. he watched master splinter "die" so hes gonna be depressed. although i dont think hes depressed becuz he saw his father "die", but becuz he thinks he couldve done something and it was his fault.

but i think the whole episode was good overall. i dont really see wats wrong with the mikey part at the beginning, he did that in the first four seasons. hes used to it. i had to get used to aprils look though. and i like how all the episodes so far are cliffhangers. it leavs you wondering whats gonna happen in the next episode. that draws more viewers. i liked the humor. i especially laughed when mikey threw up and said "i didnt have corn!" i started laughing really bad when he said that. and the commercial casey in the dark thing was really lame. it was obviously casey. i wanted to stick my hand up and hit it on my chest then say "dee dee der". but i think it was good. the animations pretty good, but not when they draw characters far away or running into the distance *points to the opening*. i still miss the whole "character talks at the begnning" opening.

[Stephen]

Do they have the new lair already then? Or is it just an upgrade of the old one?

[TerranigmaFreak]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Master Khan is like the new Tatsu.

When he said, "Master Shredder" at the end it sounded just like Tatsu from the movies.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought that.

While I've generally been very tolerant of Mikey throughout the entire series, even I was annoyed by his behavior in the beginning. I wish they could have added a little something about how he was dealing with the lost of Splinter.

Oh and to all those griping about the lack of Splinter angst, I hope this episode will fill your angst meter for the rest of the week.

[gobo]

Nice to see that Mikey hasn't been given a full personality makeover this season. I guess it was a one-time thing for him to be all misguided heroic, hitting that dino with a branch before anyone else even had the chance to blink at it. ^_^

Well, this ep was more exciting than I expected. Did I see the FF opening scene of the Turtles zooming past Serling in a tunnel? I guess the BttS opening is still being tweaked... Anyone else noticed that when Master Khan and the Turtles met, they played the Foot Elite theme? Does 4kids know how to drop a hint or what?

The one thing that really ticked me off this morning was... the fact that my DVR didn't record it. Now, I have to wait for it to rerun before I can watch it again. Apparently, my DVR also registered this as a rerun of "Tempus Fugit", and it's set to record first-run-only... I'll be changing that ASAP.

EDIT: Oh, and April's new design doesn't look quite as weird to me now that I've heard her usual voice coming from the character... still pretty weird though.

[ToTheNines]

Anyone else think there's gonna be a joke about the "Splinter-net" next week?

[Leonardo_Warrior_Turtle]

So are we going to find out who Khan really is? Is he an Elite Ninja? That is what really intrigues me. BTW, "April's landlord" really wasn't revealed in this episode. That was Casey's karate instructor. So I guess it's a mystery for another episode.

Oh and I agree. Why can't we get 26 episodes? Even though Laird said it'll only be 13, I think they said the same for FF too. They made 13 more episodes that went towards Season Six. Here's hoping.

[Aneras713]

I hope Don's not gonna be like this all season, I mean the emo Leo in season 4 was bad enough, but now....I don't even wanna think about it.

Next thing you know Karai will come crashing through the lair (again) and Don will turn back to normal. (I hope it doen't happen like that)

[gobo]

Originally Posted by Tinuvielsdreams

I think we will get a peek at a new side of Don which is nice even though it isn't under the best circumstances.

Like 'The Dark Turtle'? ... Nah.

Originally Posted by Drtooth

Though, I admit, I laughed for a whole 2 minutes after he puked and said "I didn't have corn!"

Me too.

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

Anyone else think there's gonna be a joke about the "Splinter-net" next week?

It never occured to me.