Darkest episode of each TV series? (Rise and NM included)

[Mugic]

I'm curious to know what are considered to be the darkest episodes/moments of each series, from the 80's toon, the 2012 series, the 2k3 series, Rise, and even The Next Mutation?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Good thread idea.

With the 1987 series, the first episode that comes to mind for me is Enter the Fly.

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Seeing Baxter screaming for his life as Krang ordered his execution was pretty grim by 80s cartoon standards.

And even though the execution didn't go as intended, we did get a glimpse of Baxter Stockman skeleton as he was getting mutated with the fly.

[sdp]

I'm not sure how you can find a darkest episode in TNM, maybe one of the Unchain My heart episodes that might end on a cliffhanger?
For 2k3 is easily Same as it Never Was
For 2012 the mutant apocalypse episode / finale where you see everyone died
For the OT it has to be one of the red sky episodes when they were trying to be more like Batman/X-Men but unsure which, I think that's also where they had a post apocalyptic episode

Now that I think about it, all the darkest episodes are post apocalyptic since it basically means it all went to hell

[Icebot]

For the 87 show, I’m thinking A Turtle In Time, there was a really good chance the turtles wouldn’t make it out of the Dreggnaught as they were too weak to do anything. They could have easily been destroyed. As Carter failed, he sounded hopeless when he talked to Splinter.

For 2k3, nothing beats Same as it never was but the first half of season 4 was super dark with Leonardo. Some really good ones are Meet Casey Jones (Casey’s dad) and The Shredder Strikes (Hamato Yoshi), The Shredder Strikes Back (how it ended), Tales of Master Yoshi (Tang Shen). Also maybe Good Genes, Insane in the Membrane.

For 2k12, the last episode of season 3, (The way it ended). Also Requiem (Splinter).

[neatoman]

Darkest for the 2003 show is easy, Insane in the Meembrane. It basically got away with what it did simply because it never showed blood.
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Alternatively, SAIN. I know it gets quoted a lot but it's all presented as an AU, which kind of dulls the impact a bit for me. Still, pretty dark:
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Tale of Master Yoshi does get some points for being the only adaptation for daring to:

Not depicting the murderer as entirely evil.
Not frame the killing of Tang Shen as an accident.
Have Yoshi actually take his revenge

(And yes, I know some of these apply to other adaptations, I mean that it hits all those boxes).
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As for the 2012 show, I guess the Mas Max arc as a whole if you accept that it's canon. I mean it's kinda ****** to just cut from the Usagi arc to just saying the world ended off screen but it's still kind of dark to imply the world went to hell despite all that had to be done to protect it

There are also episodes that are meant to be disturbing. I Monster, Parasitica, Fungus Humungous, Of Rats and Men, The Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman, Within the Woods, Buried Secrets, The Creeping Doom, Annihilation: Earth!, Riddle of the Ancient Aeons, The Super Shredder, Darkest Plight, The Power Inside Her, Requiem, Owari and the Hothead arc. Though in a lot of these things either turn out fine in the end or it was all hallucination. The Super Shredder episodes probably get my vote because of the outcome, everything doesn't turn out fine. The Power Inside Her would have been more darker if there wasn't a corrupting being behind it all and the acts were all April's own, but they weren't and everything still turned out OK. Not that the show doesn't try but there's a reason I didn't nominate The Entity Below for the 2003 show, same problem as most of the dark episodes in 2012, not much in terms of relevance.

As for Next Mutation, I don't know... Enemy of My Enemy? Not much that's "dark" in that show.
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FW has a similar problem, it never really gets dark. The Red Sky Seasons are superficially darker, which really just means dropping most of the comedy and making the Turtles look less cute. My best guess is that State of Shock is the darkest episode. While the villain is clearly in the evil category, he is still presented as a fallen hero and he primarily wants revenge against those who mutilated him. It's not really grey morality but it's as close as it ever got.

Rise isn't finished yet, so it's hard to say if the "darkest" episode will get topped. Regardless, same problem as with FW and Next Mutation, it never really gets dark (so far). Closest to dark so far is End Game because of what's at stake but that's it. Nothing all that disturbing or morally grey yet.

[snake]

Red Sky is dark if dark meant boring and sleep-inducing. God, those episodes suck.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Good thread idea.

With the 1987 series, the first episode that comes to mind for me is Enter the Fly.

wPvNxoCssOI

Seeing Baxter screaming for his life as Krang ordered his execution was pretty grim by 80s cartoon standards.

And even though the execution didn't go as intended, we did get a glimpse of Baxter Stockman skeleton as he was getting mutated with the fly.

That was Season 2, when Krang was still badass.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Nobody mentioned Shredder Triumphant or Shredderville in 87? How odd. Pretty sure blowing up Channel 6 or that horrible alternate timeline count. I kind of feel like the implications behind Splinter No More and The Old Switcheroo might also be included.

For 2012 Nick, I nominate The entire Triceraton Earth destruction arc, Splinter's death(s), and most importantly, Timothy/Mutagen Man's fate. Or even the mutation of ICK, for that matter- while that last one was sort of done for laughs, it was, in fact, incredibly horrific to see.

Shredder's sad ending in TNM might be included, if only because his defeat led to him becoming a weak and pathetic non-threat.

[Jephael]

When I was a kid I thought watching April suffocate in that airtight vault was a little distressing.

[Vicky82]

80s - haven't watched the 80s show in ages but I probably have to say, Enter the Fly and Get Shredder.

Next Mutation - I haven't seen this show since it ended so I can't remember most of the episodes. I can remember the vampires episode so I stick with that

03 - Same as it never was and Insane in the membrane.

2012 - It had quiet a lot of dark episodes, so my top picks, Darkest Plight, Requiem and the Kavaxas arc in season 5.

Rise - I going to wait till the show's ended for me to decide.

[D-ray]

For the 87 show, I’m thinking A Turtle In Time, there was a really good chance the turtles wouldn’t make it out of the Dreggnaught as they were too weak to do anything. They could have easily been destroyed. As Carter failed, he sounded hopeless when he talked to Splinter.

For 2k3, nothing beats Same as it never was but the first half of season 4 was super dark with Leonardo. Some really good ones are Meet Casey Jones (Casey’s dad) and The Shredder Strikes (Hamato Yoshi), The Shredder Strikes Back (how it ended), Tales of Master Yoshi (Tang Shen). Also maybe Good Genes, Insane in the Membrane.

For 2k12, the last episode of season 3, (The way it ended). Also Requiem (Splinter).
I mainly agree with your choices, even tho I would change "Tales of Master Yoshi" with "The Shredder Strikes" since it talks in deep about Yoshi's murder. I mean, the torture scene was pretty strong, and the moment when Shredder strikes the final blow is very heavy even if it's censored.

[PizzaPower1985]

I mainly agree with your choices, even tho I would change "Tales of Master Yoshi" with "The Shredder Strikes" since it talks in deep about Yoshi's murder. I mean, the torture scene was pretty strong, and the moment when Shredder strikes the final blow is very heavy even if it's censored.


Someone already said it, but for the 87 toon, I nominated State of Shock. The attempt at a morally dark episode fails but for that show, it was at least an attempt. Actually, a lot of the Dark Sky episodes could be said to try an attempt at darkness, especially compared to the earlier seasons, but maybe it was just superficial.

For 2K3 (4Kids) yeah, Same As It Never Was, but I'd also like to mention Shredder Strikes and oh another one of my favorites that isn't really dark BUT because of its theme: S04 E12: All Hallows Thieves.

Never cared for the rest of the shows as I'm nearing middle age here and they were not made for me.

[Torterra]

I'll say my chooses are:

2003: The forgot the episode's name but where Leonardo was in some nightmare realm and he kills an illusion of an evil Splinter. Mostly cause the illusion sounded like the actual Splinter and you also see the sword impale through it's back as he groans from the pain also Leonardo's expression afterwards. While he knew that it was an illusion of Splinter you can still see the sadness and horror of what he just did.

2012: Season 2's episode "Of Rats and Men" mostly from the scene where we seen a half human/ half rat hybrid he created saying "Help me" also the mutation of Ice Cream was also pretty dark.

[D-ray]

I'll say my chooses are:

2003: The forgot the episode's name but where Leonardo was in some nightmare realm and he kills an illusion of an evil Splinter. Mostly cause the illusion sounded like the actual Splinter and you also see the sword impale through it's back as he groans from the pain also Leonardo's expression afterwards. While he knew that it was an illusion of Splinter you can still see the sadness and horror of what he just did.

2012: Season 2's episode "Of Rats and Men" mostly from the scene where we seen a half human/ half rat hybrid he created saying "Help me" also the mutation of Ice Cream was also pretty dark.
Ah yes! "The Darkness Within", that episode was freaking dark too.
I wanted to list that one too, but I don't know why I didn't...

Also, that episode is the 66th of the serie. Very close to a 666; perfect for the theme of the episode since there is literally a cameo to Dante's hell (Divina Commedia).

[The Great Saiyaman]

First of all, Neatoman, thank you for posting those episodes. the only way for me to see 2003 series episodes was on DVDs which were only available in this TERRIBLE Dutch dub.

How terrible you ask?

I'll give you one example: Angel's voice actress was in her thirties and made Angel sound like an old woman.


Anyway.

2003 "Same as it never was"
Do I really need to explain that one?

Rise "Flushed but never forgotten"
I have always loved Goldfish and seeing as what the guys did to Piebald made me cringe. But also poor Mikey, he feels so guilty about it all.

2012 "Vengeance is mine"
I absolutely LOVE Karai, that episode still is hard for me to watch, the girl had lost so much and now she lost her humanity too? And this episode wasn't one of those "it will all be resolved at the end." episodes.
- Shredder's facial expression after he cut the chain, he looks as if he's relieving the moment when he murdered Tang-Shen "What have I done?"
- Splinter's facial expression after Karai fell into the mutagen: he loses his child to Shredder once more.
- Leonardo's facial expression, for him it was a coming of age moment, the happy-go-lucky 16 year old was severely traumatized. He stayed that way for the rest of the series.