Compromised Lairs

[ryukenden]

It really is quite common in any incarnation when the Turtles' Lair is either compromised or destroyed. Thus the Turtles would have to relocate. I'm going to go over the instances when the lairs were compromised.

Mirage: Destroyed by Mousers and the Turtles did relocate to April's place until that fateful Christmas Eve.

OT: It's possible they relocated after Rocksteady and Bebop "accidentally" discovered their first lair.

Original Movie Trilogy: First lair compromised and yet they still went back to it. Abandoned for good after first movie.

TNM: Discovered by Foot at the beginning but not abandoned for some reason.

2K3: These guys really had it the worst. First lair destroyed by Mousers, second lair lost to Karai, third lair destroyed by a joint Foot force led by Karai, Rocksteady and Bebop.

Nick: Lost to the Kraang

2014 Movie: Destroyed by the Foot

If I'm missing any, go ahead and fill in. There were times the Turtles would take measures to prevent their lair from being discovered. I'm sure they would scout for fallback locations in the worst case scenario.

[Autbot_Benz]

It really is quite common in any incarnation when the Turtles' Lair is either compromised or destroyed. Thus the Turtles would have to relocate. I'm going to go over the instances when the lairs were compromised.

Mirage: Destroyed by Mousers and the Turtles did relocate to April's place until that fateful Christmas Eve.

OT: It's possible they relocated after Rocksteady and Bebop "accidentally" discovered their first lair.

Original Movie Trilogy: First lair compromised and yet they still went back to it. Abandoned for good after first movie.

TNM: Discovered by Foot at the beginning but not abandoned for some reason.

2K3: These guys really had it the worst. First lair destroyed by Mousers, second lair lost to Karai, third lair destroyed by a joint Foot force led by Karai, Rocksteady and Bebop.

Nick: Lost to the Kraang

2014 Movie: Destroyed by the Foot

If I'm missing any, go ahead and fill in. There were times the Turtles would take measures to prevent their lair from being discovered. I'm sure they would scout for fallback locations in the worst case scenario.

Bebop and Rocksteady were not in the 2003 series only 1987 and 2012 show.

[oldmanwinters]

Bebop and Rocksteady were not in the 2003 series only 1987 and 2012 show.

I think that might be a reference to the Turtles Forever movie.

[ryukenden]

I did mean Turtles Forever.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

I'd like to point out that they never did relocate in the OT- same lair throughout the series, even after Lotus found it! It was also flooded, and partially demolished by Mousers, but apparently they repaired the damage.

Also, they only went back to the first lair in the movie for one night. April specifically stated as much right before Casey's "Claustrophobia" mix-up!

[oldmanwinters]

I'd like to point out that they never did relocate in the OT- same lair throughout the series, even after Lotus found it! It was also flooded, and partially demolished by Mousers, but apparently they repaired the damage.

Also, they only went back to the first lair in the movie for one night. April specifically stated as much right before Casey's "Claustrophobia" mix-up!

In my own "fan canon" musings, I do like to think the in-verse explanation for why the layout of the OT lair is so different from Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3 is that the Turtles & Splinter relocated after Season 1 due to the damage from the Mousers in "A Thing About Rats," then they relocated again due to fears their location had been compromised twice in "The Cat Woman from Channel Six" thanks to Rocksteady & Bebop's dumb luck and mutated April being played as Shredder's puppet (who apparently had invisible cameras following her and the tiger around, I guess). Or maybe they just decided the Season 2 lair was a terrible place to live due to other events like being attacked by giant killer weeds in "It Came from Beneath the Sewers."

Then you've got the familiar "on-model" lair seen in Season 3 and following. Its location is compromised at least twice early on due to Lotus with her sniffing machine ("Beware the Lotus") and Metalhead's tunneling ability ("The Making of Metalhead"). One would assume Shredder or Krang would have had the ability and foresight to track these invasions and save it in their computers. But apparently they didn't. And I can only assume the Turtles & Splinter were out of ideas on better places to live. :tsweatdr:

I hope this explanation might win me a "Mirage No Prize" award one day.

[neatoman]

The compromised base is usually a decent storytelling trope when it comes to characters in hiding, makes their situation more dire.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

In my own "fan canon" musings, I do like to think the in-verse explanation for why the layout of the OT lair is so different from Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3 is that the Turtles & Splinter relocated after Season 1 due to the damage from the Mousers in "A Thing About Rats," then they relocated again due to fears their location had been compromised twice in "The Cat Woman from Channel Six" thanks to Rocksteady & Bebop's dumb luck and mutated April being played as Shredder's puppet (who apparently had invisible cameras following her and the tiger around, I guess). Or maybe they just decided the Season 2 lair was a terrible place to live due to other events like being attacked by giant killer weeds in "It Came from Beneath the Sewers."

Then you've got the familiar "on-model" lair seen in Season 3 and following. Its location is compromised at least twice early on due to Lotus with her sniffing machine ("Beware the Lotus") and Metalhead's tunneling ability ("The Making of Metalhead"). One would assume Shredder or Krang would have had the ability and foresight to track these invasions and save it in their computers. But apparently they didn't. And I can only assume the Turtles & Splinter were out of ideas on better places to live. :tsweatdr:

I hope this explanation might win me a "Mirage No Prize" award one day.


The funny thing is, there was no consistency in the lair layout in those first two seasons. The FIRST episode has the exact layout used in later seasons, with the four bedrooms. (Mikey is seen twirling one of his chucks in front of his while Splinter is telling April their story, and April is shown waking up in what would have been Donnie's room.) Then the next episode, and the later 50 Irma episode both used the single room with the bunk beds, and it seems to have gone back and forth a few times in those first two seasons.

But my take (based on screenshots captured from various episodes of all three seasons) is that they never moved, since the rest of the lair (aside from the exact placement of Donnie's workshop) never changes. They still always have the "play area" attached to the living room, the dojo and weapons storage off the wall by the TV, the kitchen across from that, and Splinter's room at the far end of the play area, past the turtles' rooms. Donnie's workshop is usually in a room beyond the kitchen, though that gets moved around in a few episodes, once or twice appearing to come off of his bedroom. But the basic layout was the same throughout the series.

[oldmanwinters]

But my take (based on screenshots captured from various episodes of all three seasons) is that they never moved, since the rest of the lair (aside from the exact placement of Donnie's workshop) never changes. They still always have the "play area" attached to the living room, the dojo and weapons storage off the wall by the TV, the kitchen across from that, and Splinter's room at the far end of the play area, past the turtles' rooms. Donnie's workshop is usually in a room beyond the kitchen, though that gets moved around in a few episodes, once or twice appearing to come off of his bedroom. But the basic layout was the same throughout the series.

Ah, but in this season 2 episode, they jump straight from the kitchen/dining area to Splinter's meditation room!
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showpost.php?p=674703&postcount=26

[ryukenden]

There were times when some human villains not affiliated with Shredder or the Rat King did discover the lair but apparently never spoke up when they were arrested. There was that one time when Shredder was in Splinter's body whom was conveniently blindfolded going in but never attempted to step outside. When the Turtles did discover the switcheroo, they had to have found a way to prevent Shredder from seeing the path as the scene ended with all of them walking out. The OT Turtles were just very fortunate that incompetence and coincidence kept their lair from being under siege.

[oldmanwinters]

There were times when some human villains not affiliated with Shredder or the Rat King did discover the lair but apparently never spoke up when they were arrested. There was that one time when Shredder was in Splinter's body whom was conveniently blindfolded going in but never attempted to step outside. When the Turtles did discover the switcheroo, they had to have found a way to prevent Shredder from seeing the path as the scene ended with all of them walking out. The OT Turtles were just very fortunate that incompetence and coincidence kept their lair from being under siege.

Really, though, over the course of 193 episodes, a few slip ups are to be expected. Fortunate indeed it never seemed to come back to bite them.
:tlol:

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Ah, but in this season 2 episode, they jump straight from the kitchen/dining area to Splinter's meditation room!
http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showpost.php?p=674703&postcount=26

That's one of the continuity slips I was referring to. I think it may have been intended as a cut scene that got "cut" itself, (someone wanted to reduce animation costs by removing frames?) or else they simply switched the meditation room (which is really part of Splinter's bedroom, according to all the screenshots I've got) with the workshop. The odd thing about the workshop is that sometimes there's a door in the kitchen next to the cabinets and microwave, and other times, the kitchen is reversed, with the same cabinets and appliance on the wall leading into the living room! Interestingly, that is the very place where Splinter and the other turtles hid the surprise party they were planning for the Michelangelo's Birthday episode, and also Irma's birthday. Since they never made any mention of moving, and the lair entrance and the van and blimp hanger area was never changed, it's reasonable to assume that it's just bad continuity on the part of the animators.

[DarkFell]

I think that the animators were trying to meet their deadlines before the next episode had to be put on the air. Rush jobs are just that and they leave LOTS of opportunities for mistakes to happen.

Even the main villains were located in different parts of the Technodrome just as the Turtles *and at times their rooms* were located in different parts of the Lair. Not every room they were in was the Pan Dimension Portal Room or the living room / kitchen. Sometimes they were someplace else.

Oh, and another FW episode of a compromised lair *even though it was a dream and if it counts* was Shredderville. The Turtles didn't even have the Lair during their dream / nightmare.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Haha, true! They go to sleep in their rooms, and wake up in an empty tunnel with water right next to them!

The other big "exposure" that comes to mind for me is the one with the rich guy who buys the sewers to turn them into underground condos. Um, WHY would the city sell their only means of waste and runoff water transport/disposal/treatment? That's just dumb. I want to speak to the Mayor!!!!

[cammy85]

Baxter found it in "Return of the Shredder" somehow (rat senses?) and Chronos did it in "Split Second" as well. You'd think he would've sold the info to Dregg in exchange for his freedom after the Turtles trapped him.

Oh, and of course the Rat King too. :) That was so awesome!! Too bad Splinter was virtually invisible in the last three seasons.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Place is starting to sound like the worst kept secret in history....