Official Ep Discussion S4 Ep 11: Revenge of the Triceratons

[victory_angel]

And here we are, episode 11.

The countdown to the end of the "Turtles in Space" arc has begun. And this is the season's first Don centered episode.

Plot: Donatello is feeling inferior to Fugitoid, but his intellect is put to the test when the Triceratons attack.

The log line is intriguing as there has been nothing thus far to indicate Donnie feels overshadowed by Fugitoid in any shape or form. But then again, Don's been relegated to the background for most of this season thus far. So who knows...

Whether we will see a 'Wrath of Khan" Reference or a beginning of the end to 'Capritello' we shall wait and see.

[Vicky82]

The episode is up on I Tunes.

[thundermaster612]

What time does it air on tv?

[Powder]

11 AM EST :tsmile:

[Bitsy83]

Well, that was certainly a lot of fun!

Not only was it a clever shout out to the 80s Gremlins, but also to the myths from WWII and how pilots believed in tiny gremlins messing with there ships. Too bad about the BHG ONCE AGAIN being in the hands of the Triceratons, but we got some good character development for Donnie. And that Fugitoid was quite the hugger!

Sorry for the brief summary but I'm doing this on my phone and need to get to work. Talk to you guys later!

[Redworld96]

I like the episode a lot

The hug of Fugitoid at the end was so cute :) But Triceratons have stolen the two pieces, now the turtles have to get the third one and get back the others :ohwell:

[Vicky82]

Wow awesome episode, thanks Redworld ;)

Loved the Gremlins references and poor Donnie he was making my heart break

[cookie jar]

I liked this episode.

[Fang Wolf]

This was Awesome EP...
But little funny to...
+ The Triceratons have stolen back two pieces of
heart of darkness.

[tmntsplinterfan1997]

The Triceratons have stolen the two pieces of the Heart of Darkness but the turtles will try to get the last piece before they do. :D

If the Turtles fail once again, then it's bye bye planet Earth (and also, Master Splinter). :cry::lol:

[TigerClaw]

almost time.

[TigerClaw]

hah, just heard the Millennium Falcon Hyperdrive Fail sound.

[Fang Wolf]

If the Turtles fail once again, then it's bye bye planet Earth (and also, Master Splinter). :cry::lol:

Yes, indeed....

[IndigoErth]

lol Space Gremlins. Took them long enough to say so.

April though, telling them they'd have to come get it themselves... Uh, thanks, April? lol You don't call the shots, remember?


You know, Leo's been getting stepped on a lot lately. The shark, old Krang, now in this ep...

[tmntsplinterfan1997]

Yes, indeed....

I know. That's why I'm excited for the Earth and Splinter's return. :tgrin:

[GoldMutant]

So I just saw the episode early, and my first impression of it is that it's decent. Not the best episode of the space arc but probably the best Triceraton episode we've gotten since their debut. Essentially, it's another homage episode partially.

If you've seen Gremlins, it's sequel or know of the folklore of them in the mid 1900's, you've just seen a good portion of this episode. The designs were neat though reminded me of the 2002 Scooby-Doo monsters that Scrappy Doo utilized facial wise. Also, Mozar becoming a blood seeking monster was an awesome part of his character descending into madness. For the most part, nothing really to complain about except for one thing.

The main gripe I have with the episode though is that it feels Donatello questioning his intelligence wasn't played with enough. Sure, the Triceratons and gremlin creatures did get decent screentime, but I do wish Don had more to do. It's been a primary issue of mine throughout season 3 and 4: with so much to do in so little time, some things are kind of rushed. Unfortunately, for Don's only episode of the arc thus far (possibly at all) he's gotten the shaft big time. Just wished he could have gotten more to do as the plot looked good for him all things considered.

Overall, I don't think it was that bad of an episode, but a tiny bit disappointed. Certainly one of the best episodes in the space arc but could have been more with just an extra scene or two. I give it a 7 out of 10, decent episode that left me somewhat unsatisfied.

Positives:
+change in Mozar
+Gremlins homage
+The ending (adorable)
+Improvement in the writing department

Negatives:
-Don's plot not fully executed in potential
-Space gremlins also lacked importance (would have liked the Triceratons to join in with em)
-Mikey's television line (... really? :roll: I know Mikey loves T.V., but this is a serious issue, it can be fixed)
-April provoking the Triceratons to come (I'd expect that out of Casey or Raph, not her)

[pannoni1]

Well done episode that had a very good mix of writing, action, scariness, cleverness, and unexpected twists & turns. The Fugitoid being disabled twice, the two black hole pieces stolen, and the asteroid field even narrower than those shown in most sources really made this for a fun watch. I agree that as advertised Donnie wasn't featured enough, but if this was 1995-96, I would have dreaded the upcoming episode, but its time to move on to the Dreggnaugcht!

Show Grade: 8/10

[Vicky82]

IGN review up and I don't agree with Max's score this week.

7.5 :ohwell:

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/04/03/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-revenge-of-the-triceratons-review

[TigerClaw]

I thought it was a good episode, i wonder how many are left since, they gotta retrieve that last piece of the generator from the triceratons.

[Splinter the boss]

One of the best episodes of this season. Definitely liked the fight scenes, specifically the turtles, April, Casey vs the triceraton one. I just like the triceratons' fighting style. I like how it was centered on Donnie, and the fact that he almost cried at the end was terrific.

[Vicky82]

I thought it was a good episode, i wonder how many are left since, they gotta retrieve that last piece of the generator from the triceratons.

3 more episodes left of the space arc. The 3rd piece of the generator will be in the episode The Ever Burning Fire which is in 2 weeks.

[Splinter the boss]

Gotta say, I'm gonna miss the space arc.

[OrangeNinja1987]

It was a good episode. It certainly felt like the writing improved for this and the crossover. It was a really good Donnie episode, but I think he should have had more focus. He's been ignored practically this whole season. :(
The humor was great. The tension was good. Unlike a lot of recent episodes, I was actually wondering how they were going to get out of this unhurt.
The Gremlins were easily the worst part of the episode. I didn't realize they were a reference to the movie until after the episode, probably because I despise that movie. Anway, why were they called a virus? I saw nothing in this episode that even related to the actual definition of 'virus', unless you really stretch it, because the Gremlins did tear apart the ship like viruses hurt the body. :ohwell:
Once again, Fugitoid was a highlight of the episode. What was the line he said about them being awesome? I forgot most of it.
Episode score: 8.2/10

[IndigoErth]

I saw nothing in this episode that even related to the actual definition of 'virus'
Yeah, calling it that was kind of an ill fit. I was waiting for it to be an obvious sickness or computer virus. Hm. That was more of an infestation.





Though I was sitting there calling them Space Gremlins long before the Turtles finally said it, wasn't even expecting that they would. :tlol: Kinda loved the microwave reference.

What, no good one that becomes a pet?? :trazz:

[Yoshimickster]

Virus, not a virus, WHO CARES-we got to see Casey Jones murder a space gremlin in a microwave!

While underplayed, I did like Donnie's insecurity in this ep which I thought was a long time coming given his failure with the mutagen antidote. Also I'd freak out to if I was a scientist and learned my planet's science was THREE THOUSAND YEARS behind galactic standards. That...that's embarassing. BUT-gotta give love to the Fugitoid for being a total nicey nice this episode.

[Vicky82]

It did look like a virus when it come out of its rock and it did breed and spread like a virus.

I think there might be some Foreshadowing in Bradfords show. Bradford was down and got the Monkey to defend him while fighting ninjas. So maybe during the 2nd half of the season back in the New York, one of the Turtles is injured and the other Turtle will be fighting the foot bots and trying to defend the other injured Turtle.

[TMNTInsighter]

On a side note, ever since Season 2, the series has only had 3 directors working on episodes in a cycle (First Wan, then Chang, then Montes). Nice to see Chang gets some help in this one with newly acquired (?) Ben Jones. I don't know if it'll help things move along for the animators or what not, but I can just imagine having only 2 other directors besides yourself can burn you out after a while.

To the episode itself though, this episode seemed to lack quite a bit of focus. This thing tried to juggle the underdeveloped Gremlins-esque virus(es), the suspense of trying to stay cloaked, Donatello needing to rebuild Fugitoid, April's use of the Aeons' shard, and protecting the black hole generator pieces they have--which actually got shoved to the end. These things actually distracted and detracted from each other quite a bit, some being more developed than the others. I don't know how Avatar: TLA did it, but it was able to do a lot in 23 minutes without feeling crammed; something that this series is having trouble with. With the highlight being the Chris Bradford cartoon and the guys' reactions to it (not to mention Fugitioid's ever lovable nature) the episode remained a competent but unexciting episode full of the kind of hijinks one associates with a sci-fi disaster setting. *6.5/10*

**I also noticed that Mozar still has that same outfit of his in RotAA as compared to his outfit from "Annihilation Earth". I've said it before and I'll say it again, the time travel rules of this series (started in TotY) have to result in the turtles having a hand in the events of "Annihilation Earth" happening, and so far they're playing up to that. ...Which means, yes, we're going to see Mozar fulfill his destiny as Emperor--perhaps because of acquiring all three pieces--and our gang needs a bag of tricks to prevent history from fulfilling/correcting its course.

[ToTheNines]

So the Heart of Darkness is invulnerable? Didn't Slash smash it up with his mace in Annihilation Earth?

[Vicky82]

So the Heart of Darkness is invulnerable? Didn't Slash smash it up with his mace in Annihilation Earth?

No he didn't, he smashed a control panel but the Triceratons fixed it.

[matteso586]

IGN review up and I don't agree with Max's score this week.

7.5 :ohwell:

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/04/03/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-revenge-of-the-triceratons-review

You should know by now that the guys at IGN are very picky.

And theory time! How the Triceratons managed to track the gang down is never explained in this episode. They either planted a tracking device in the first piece, or they teamed up with Lord Dregg.

[Vicky82]

You should know by now that the guys at IGN are very picky.

Yeah I know but so far this season I agreed with his scores, except this one.

[TMNTInsighter]

You should know by now that the guys at IGN are very picky.

And pretty easy on the episodes too.

[TMNTInsighter]

P.S. "We're naked"--Leo (as the ship's cloak is removed)

You just realized that about yourselves, Leo? :tlol:

[Vicky82]

https://41.media.tumblr.com/3d9663a64885921ef6c464f92681a83a/tumblr_o52gvnd8GD1uluyg2o1_540.jpg

:lol:

[TigerClaw]

https://41.media.tumblr.com/3d9663a64885921ef6c464f92681a83a/tumblr_o52gvnd8GD1uluyg2o1_540.jpg

:lol:
the show always had this obsession with butt shots.

[picassotheninjaturtle]

IGN review up and I don't agree with Max's score this week.

7.5 :ohwell:

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2016/04/03/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-revenge-of-the-triceratons-review

Are they pulling a Vader vs Ahsoka again? Hate people like that.

[neatoman]

So wait, if the black hole weapon can't be destroyed, why did they state their mission was to destroy it last time? "Let's spend fourteen episodes trying to destroy something that can't be destroyed!" :roll:.

[Utrommaniac]

Is it ironic that Fugitoid has lost his head and thus leaving the turtles basically helpless in two versions at the same time? That's happening in the current IDW arch. Nickelodeon, what are you doing???

The Chris Bradford cartoon bit was great, though. "You can do it! For the honey nuts!"

[neatoman]

Is it ironic that Fugitoid has lost his head and thus leaving the turtles basically helpless in two versions at the same time? That's happening in the current IDW arch. Nickelodeon, what are you doing???

The Chris Bradford cartoon bit was great, though. "You can do it! For the honey nuts!"

Yeah this is a pretty funny coincidence... Or is it?

[Vicky82]

So wait, if the black hole weapon can't be destroyed, why did they state their mission was to destroy it last time? "Let's spend fourteen episodes trying to destroy something that can't be destroyed!" :roll:.

It's been mentioned in a few episodes that it can't be destroyed but Fugitoid thinks there might be way to destroy it.

There have been theory's on how it can be destroyed. Someone said that Fugitoid will sacrifice himself by using his fusion bomb to destroy it. My theory is that it probably can be destroyed when it's activated by someone destroying it from the other side of the black hole but that person is sacrificed also.

[TMNTInsighter]

So wait, if the black hole weapon can't be destroyed, why did they state their mission was to destroy it last time? "Let's spend fourteen episodes trying to destroy something that can't be destroyed!" :roll:.

Duh! They have to try! There is a way we just don't know it yet!

[neatoman]

It's been mentioned in a few episodes that it can't be destroyed but Fugitoid thinks there might be way to destroy it.

There have been theory's on how it can be destroyed. Someone said that Fugitoid will sacrifice himself by using his fusion bomb to destroy it. My theory is that it probably can be destroyed when it's activated by someone destroying it from the other side of the black hole but that person is sacrificed also.

I don't remember any previous mention of it's indestructable nature.

[TurtleTitan97]

I don't remember any previous mention of it's indestructable nature.

It mentioned in the last episode and before that.

[Vicky82]

I don't remember any previous mention of it's indestructable nature.

Well you need to watch the episodes again, obviously you don't listen to these important info. I expect you just focus on complaining about the episode and ignore the important stuff.

It mentioned in the last episode and before that.

Also mentioned in War For Dimension X.

[victory_angel]

Essentially Honeycutt claims he has a way to destroy the heart of Darkness. But he really doesn't have an idea as to go about it.

[Turtle-X]

good ep. though i wish Donny did something more than just rebuild Fugitoid.

[Splinter the boss]

So, the space gremlins rock weapon was illegal in many systems, while the ones that blew up the moon weren't? How weird!

[CyberCubed]

This episode was just fairly average, and a a little dull at parts. Although I wonder if its because it came right after last eps crossover ep making this a hard one to follow up, so I dunno.

Also was Mozar always this whiny in previous episodes? I don't remember him complaining this much.

[TMNTInsighter]

...
Also was Mozar always this whiny in previous episodes? I don't remember him complaining this much.

Well he hasn't been promoted to the rank we saw him in AE yet.

[CyberCubed]

Well he hasn't been promoted to the rank we saw him in AE yet.

Interesting I didn't realize that, I forgot they were in the past.

[Powder]

What's with all this "I'm/we're awesome" stuff lately?

[CyberCubed]

Also Fugitoid "beeping," in the middle of a sentence, did that ever happen before? I feel these rerun breaks are probably making me forget things.

[DVD]

Just watched in HD, and it was pretty good.
Lady week's stand alone was a hard act to follow and this gave it a pretty cool stab.
The gremlins were cool, and I was airing to see if they'd do the micro gag!!

[matteso586]

Seriously, is anyone confused about how the Triceratons tracked down the Fugitoid's ship?

[Vicky82]

Seriously, is anyone confused about how the Triceratons tracked down the Fugitoid's ship?

No because the Triceratons knew where the Turtles were going, as they all want 3rd piece of the black hole generator. So the Triceratons just caught up with them.

[JH24]

I have to say I really enjoyed this episode. Not one of the best but it was entertaining. The interactions between the characters was well done, I liked Donnie's struggle (although they could have done more) and Casey was portrayed as a useful, likeable character which is a plus.

My favorite moment of the episode was at the start though. I just loved seeing the turtles and Casey hanging out on the couch. I really enjoy those kind of (rare) moments in the series.

[Yoshimickster]

I'm hoping Fugitoid stays after the Space Arc, I know tradition states that he goes on an awesome adventure with the Turtles and then disappears into the ether, but DARNIT David Tenant is a treasure and makes that role!

[ABrown]

Also Fugitoid "beeping," in the middle of a sentence, did that ever happen before? I feel these rerun breaks are probably making me forget things.

Why wasn't that addressed? Is he malfunctioning or something? That was the impression that I got.

[matteso586]

No because the Triceratons knew where the Turtles were going, as they all want 3rd piece of the black hole generator. So the Triceratons just caught up with them.

Oh really? I just assumed that they either placed a tracking device on the first piece, or they teamed up with Lord Dregg.

But the better question is, how did they know where the pieces are?

[Vicky82]

Oh really? I just assumed that they either placed a tracking device on the first piece, or they teamed up with Lord Dregg.

But the better question is, how did they know where the pieces are?

I don't know but The Triceratons knew where the 1st piece was located, they got to the Aeons planet before the Turtles did. They probably know more than the Fugitoid.

[kelligrafie]

This episode was just fairly average, and a a little dull at parts. Although I wonder if its because it came right after last eps crossover ep making this a hard one to follow up, so I dunno.

Interesting how there's no connection between the end of that episode and this one. No conversation with April/Casey/Fugitoid or anything about meeting their trans-dimensional counterparts.

Unless it's some prime directive thingy. :D

Can't say I agree with you about the average/dull rating though Cubed, I really enjoyed this week.

[TMNTInsighter]

Oh really? I just assumed that they either placed a tracking device on the first piece, or they teamed up with Lord Dregg.

But the better question is, how did they know where the pieces are?

Well they did originally find them. That's why the main characters went into the past with Fugitoid in the first place.

[TheCollector]

I'm surprised the movie is so unknown that no one has said anything, but does no one else notice how not only was this episodes and those creatures similar to Gremlins, but also the Crites from Critters?
http://www.chud.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/critters20.png

[Powder]

Considering Critters is a Gremlins rip-off, there's no need to mention it.

[TheCollector]

Considering Critters is a Gremlins rip-off, there's no need to mention it.
But Crites actually eat anything. Gremlins pretty much only eat food.

So rip off or not, they still do provide an aspect.

And then also Gremlins really only had one good, the sequel wasn't that much so. Critters though had 3 that were good. It's only the fourth that was garbage.

[drgon78]

I have been really enjoying the space arc, it is sad that it is almost over.

[neatoman]

So has anyone else predicted the future events already? The Triceratons get all the pieces leading to a similar scenario to the season 3 finale, except now the turtles find out how to stop it.

[matteso586]

So has anyone else predicted the future events already? The Triceratons get all the pieces leading to a similar scenario to the season 3 finale, except now the turtles find out how to stop it.

Well I predict that the Triceratons team up with Lord Dregg, unless they already did that, prior to this episode.

[victory_angel]

From the plot log line to Earths Last Stand, it says the Fugatoid reveals a horrible secret from his past. I believe he may reveal that he is the person who was the creator of the Heart of Darkness.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

So I just saw the episode early, and my first impression of it is that it's decent. Not the best episode of the space arc but probably the best Triceraton episode we've gotten since their debut. Essentially, it's another homage episode partially.

If you've seen Gremlins, it's sequel or know of the folklore of them in the mid 1900's, you've just seen a good portion of this episode. The designs were neat though reminded me of the 2002 Scooby-Doo monsters that Scrappy Doo utilized facial wise. Also, Mozar becoming a blood seeking monster was an awesome part of his character descending into madness. For the most part, nothing really to complain about except for one thing.

The main gripe I have with the episode though is that it feels Donatello questioning his intelligence wasn't played with enough. Sure, the Triceratons and gremlin creatures did get decent screentime, but I do wish Don had more to do. It's been a primary issue of mine throughout season 3 and 4: with so much to do in so little time, some things are kind of rushed. Unfortunately, for Don's only episode of the arc thus far (possibly at all) he's gotten the shaft big time. Just wished he could have gotten more to do as the plot looked good for him all things considered.

Overall, I don't think it was that bad of an episode, but a tiny bit disappointed. Certainly one of the best episodes in the space arc but could have been more with just an extra scene or two. I give it a 7 out of 10, decent episode that left me somewhat unsatisfied.


This pretty much sums up my thoughts.

[TMNTInsighter]

From the plot log line to Earths Last Stand, it says the Fugatoid reveals a horrible secret from his past. I believe he may reveal that he is the person who was the creator of the Heart of Darkness.

Probably not likely.

[Powder]

It's super likely considering this arc is loosely based on Mirage's, in which he is responsible for a device that in the hands of the Triceratons proves deadly.

[TMNTInsighter]

He's probably more likely responsible for the events of AE happening in the first place under complex time travel machinations that will be revealed in the episode.

[JH24]

After re-watching the episode I couldn't help but wonder something. Why do the Triceratons even need the Heart of Darkness? I get they want to keep it out of the hands of enemies, but in this episode they already had those planet-busting Meteor missiles. It seems like quite a lot of effort to set up the Black Hole generator to destroy Earth while a few missiles would have sufficed.

Even when the turtles reverse or stop the effects of the generator, Earth would still be in danger of those planetbusters.

[victory_angel]

After re-watching the episode I couldn't help but wonder something. Why do the Triceratons even need the Heart of Darkness? I get they want to keep it out of the hands of enemies, but in this episode they already had those planet-busting Meteor missiles. It seems like quite a lot of effort to set up the Black Hole generator to destroy Earth while a few missiles would have sufficed.

Even when the turtles reverse or stop the effects of the generator, Earth would still be in danger of those planetbusters.

They weren't wanting to destroy Earth itself. They commented in AE that the Kraang use Earth as a back door into that dimension. So destroying Earth was just a matter of convenience and a backwater planet that nobody in the universe would have given two ***** about otherwise.

Plus having a power like the Heart of Darkness is more threatening then the planet busters. Since earth technology is 3000 years behind the rest of the universe, using a planet busting missile would be devastating. But most civilized planets are likely regulated by the Federation. And even if they weren't they could still cause an uproar that the Federation would have to do something about. While the Triceraton's are fierce, they aren't strong enough to withstand a war with the Federation due to the numbers they lost when the Heart of Darkness was used on them.

But having a black hole generator is something that Federation would not be able to withstand.

[JH24]

They weren't wanting to destroy Earth itself. They commented in AE that the Kraang use Earth as a back door into that dimension. So destroying Earth was just a matter of convenience and a backwater planet that nobody in the universe would have given two ***** about otherwise.

Plus having a power like the Heart of Darkness is more threatening then the planet busters. Since earth technology is 3000 years behind the rest of the universe, using a planet busting missile would be devastating. But most civilized planets are likely regulated by the Federation. And even if they weren't they could still cause an uproar that the Federation would have to do something about. While the Triceraton's are fierce, they aren't strong enough to withstand a war with the Federation due to the numbers they lost when the Heart of Darkness was used on them.

But having a black hole generator is something that Federation would not be able to withstand.

Thank you for your detailed reply, Victory_angel. I appreciate it. When reading your posts you always have such a detailed and deep understanding of this series and characters.

Yeah, you make some good points. I hadn't realized the use of the Heart of Darkness would also mean sending a message to the rest of the universe. "We possess the most powerful and destructive weapon in existence. Get in our way, and we'll destroy you."

It's interesting to see how much the destruction of the Triceraton Homeworld has influenced Triceraton culture. I like to think they were once honorable like Zeno. They were once victims of the horror of this weapon, but now they've become its masters and are unleashing this horror on other worlds. It was interesting how Mozar rationalized the use of this weapon by saying Humans are sub-lifeforms, unworthy, polluters, etc. As if he was trying to convince himself that they're doing the right thing. And that's why I like Zeno, he knows what the Triceratons have become, a bunch of hypocrites who've lost their honor when they lost their homeworld and are now believing their own lies.

[THGhost]

Watched this and Ep 12 together. Great episode, any time the Triceratons are on-screen is a good time. Nice to have some fun Casey and April moments again too.