Top Ten darkest episodes of the original cartoon series

[The Great Saiyaman]

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Enjoy and discuss.

[oldmanwinters]

I'm very surprised that Enter the Fly isn't on this list. I think that one is probably the clear candidate for "Darkest of Season 2" between Krang having no hesitation to disintegrate Baxter for a screwup (Shredder doesn't care either) and April being poisoned unto the point of actual death (and everybody gets very sad about it).

[FredWolfLeonardo]

"Cowabunga Shredhead" in a top 10 darkest episodes list, are you kidding me?

[Leo656]

I'll be honest, at a glance I thought this was a joke thread. :lol: "There were 'dark' episodes of FW TMNT? F*cking WHERE?" :lol:

I guess a couple of them might be considered "Dark" when compared to, like... the 99.999% of the episodes that were cotton candy fluffballs. But even then, like... the "darkest" episode of TMNT isn't even half as "dark" as the most benign Real Ghostbusters episode. Pre-"Slimer and..." seasons, obviously.

I guess that's why, to me, even as a kid I wouldn't have said a single episode of FW TMNT was "dark". To me the show was always nothing but a lark from A to Z.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

I'll be honest, at a glance I thought this was a joke thread. :lol: "There were 'dark' episodes of FW TMNT? F*cking WHERE?" :lol:

I guess a couple of them might be considered "Dark" when compared to, like... the 99.999% of the episodes that were cotton candy fluffballs. But even then, like... the "darkest" episode of TMNT isn't even half as "dark" as the most benign Real Ghostbusters episode. Pre-"Slimer and..." seasons, obviously.

I guess that's why, to me, even as a kid I wouldn't have said a single episode of FW TMNT was "dark". To me the show was always nothing but a lark from A to Z.

I agree with you that the show isn't dark, but the top 10 list is extremely bizzare, it doesn't even attempt to explain why the episodes are "dark", just summarises the plot in them. There were better episodes to choose from like the first episode of Red Sky where Shredder blew up Channel Six building or the episode where Krang tries to have Baxter executed like Oldmanwinters said.

[Leo656]

I honestly didn't watch it yet.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Some "dark episodes":

"Enter: the Fly" (Krang almost kills Baxter Stockman and Shredder almost poisons April O'Neil to death)

"Splinter No More" (deals with racism, Human fear of unknown)

"The Catwoman from Channel Six" (cat-April O'Neil almost kills Splinter)

"Enter the Rat King" (The Turtles coud have been beaten and kicked to death by their own sensei)

"Take Me to Your Leader" (Sun is shrinking and Leonardo si gone. The tone feels darker than many other episodes where Earth is in danger)

"Shredderville" (just a dream, but it deals with totalitarian governments and they aren't fun, even for a microsecond)

[Icebot]

I totally agree with the others about Enter The Fly. Krang was going to execute Baxter.

Here are some other episodes I think are dark:

A Thing About Rats - Shredder had the foot soldiers destroy Baxter from knowing too much.

The Big Ripoff - April suffocating in the vault.

Night of the Dark Turtle: as Donatello became the dark turtle, he was super obsessed with killing Shredder and he came so close to doing it in the end.

The Legend of Koji - Shredder tried to destroy Splinter’s ancestor to prevent Splinter and the turtles from ever existing.

Carter The Enforcer, the turtles go to the future where Dregg rules the world and the turtles were destroyed. Landor and Merrick were holding hands as they were about to be destroyed as they sent the turtles back to the present. I find this episode similar to Same As It Never Was from the 2003 series though that episode is way way way darker.

In Doomquest, Splinter said the turtles may have to sacrifice more than they can imagine to defeat Dregg. They had to destroy the vortex crystal because there was more at stake than what happens to the four of them.

The Return of Dregg, the way he got rid of hi tech.

Beginning of the End, Leonardo came so close to exploding with his mutation.

A Turtle In Time - getting their life energy drained.

[ABrown]

And these episodes in the video are considered "dark" in comparison to what exactly?

[Anarchistguy]

None of the pre red sky episodes were dark in any way, shape or form.

What about "Get Shredder", where the latter blew up the Channel 6 building?

[the_minimizer]

1987 TMNT was hated by some parents for being too violent. There's darkness in that.

I think it's important to distinguish peril from darkness. The 1987 series was more perilous than dark.

Some moments that had darkness were The Technodrome being at full power, the raw power and technological advantage Shredder and Krang had over the turtles and the world.

The highway scene in the Big Blowout had darkness.

[shredder orokusaki]

The best was the one where i blew up the channel 6 bulding. I was very close to kill April but unfortunately she managed to escape GRRRR!!!! But this is nothing compared to the millions i kiled in 2003 series !

[Prowler]

OK I was curious about this video but then I saw it was 36 minutes long. I was expecting a quick top 10 list or something. Not a full analysis.

Anyway, I don't agree with the list at all. Cowabunga Shredhead, really?! :lol:

From the pre Red Sky seasons I can only think of two episodes I could possibly call dark: Enter The Fly and Shredderville. That's it.

Most of the darkest episodes and moments were in the Red Sky episodes. And yet, only one of the Red Sky seasons episodes made it to the list. Which makes it not very credible in my eyes.

[neatoman]

You know, it's kind of hard to think of anything in this show as being "dark". Not just because it's the TMNT show you are meant to take less seriously than the others, but also because the source material has a storyline in which Casey commits manslaughter and becomes a depressed alcoholic, just saying.

[Prowler]

You know, it's kind of hard to think of anything in this show as being "dark". Not just because it's the TMNT show you are meant to take less seriously than the others, but also because the source material has a storyline in which Casey commits manslaughter and becomes a depressed alcoholic, just saying.

Well yeah. It's not a dark series at all. When I talk about dark moments in it I mean dark in relation to most of the rest of the series and other kids cartoons from its era.

[PizzaPower]

"Cowabunga Shredhead" in a top 10 darkest episodes list, are you kidding me?
Great episode too lol

[neatoman]

I have kind of toyed around with the idea that a "dark" episode of this show, would be to reveal that the happy-go-lucky world of this show is a fake reality created by Savanti Romero to torment and weaken a more comic accurate version of the turtles, with the Red Sky season being a result of the illusion starting to break apart.

That would probably be a really hated episode though.

[oldmanwinters]

I have kind of toyed around with the idea that a "dark" episode of this show, would be to reveal that the happy-go-lucky world of this show is a fake reality created by Savanti Romero to torment and weaken a more comic accurate version of the turtles, with the Red Sky season being a result of the illusion starting to break apart.

That would probably be a really hated episode though.

Heh, Peter Laird might enjoy that. Or Andrew.

[sdp]

I have kind of toyed around with the idea that a "dark" episode of this show, would be to reveal that the happy-go-lucky world of this show is a fake reality created by Savanti Romero to torment and weaken a more comic accurate version of the turtles, with the Red Sky season being a result of the illusion starting to break apart.

That would probably be a really hated episode though.

We have a winner.

[superstaff]

1987 TMNT was hated by some parents for being too violent. There's darkness in that.

I think it's important to distinguish peril from darkness. The 1987 series was more perilous than dark.


My mother was one of those parents, for TMNT, Simpsons, Power Rangers, etc. Those shows are pretty tame, in my opinion, especially after re-watching them as a teen/adult over time. But...you know, some people are too dumb to distinguish between peril and dark.

I'm actually surprised she didn't think Pokemon was satanic. No, she just thought Pokemon was 'stupid', not evil.

[Leo656]

It blows my mind how anyone ever could have thought FW TMNT was "too violent".

Then again, they'd said the same thing about He-Man before that, and he solved most of his "fights" by picking guys up, spinning them around and casually tossing them aside in a heap. The "punch the screen" animation cycle is iconic, but you never actually saw contact, only the bad guys flying away post-hit, and in truth, he very rarely ever actually punched anyone to begin with. He also has this big-ass magic sword that he seemed to only ever use as a shield, hardly ever a weapon.

And yet, even THAT was "too violent" for a lot of parents. So in that context, I can almost see how TMNT would also qualify. But... c'mon.

It was indeed "a simpler time", but in a lot of ways you can swap "simpler" for "stupider" and it works just as well.

[superstaff]

In my case specifically, I think my mother felt that way because the media said so (there were lots of news reports about stuff like The Simpsons corrupting the youth), and influence from her religious friends, who were all also helicopter parents.

I agree that times were simple...and stupid back then, and people have only gotten worse since, sadly. Humans have no chill.

[Coola Yagami]

It blows my mind how anyone ever could have thought FW TMNT was "too violent".

Then again, they'd said the same thing about He-Man before that, and he solved most of his "fights" by picking guys up, spinning them around and casually tossing them aside in a heap. The "punch the screen" animation cycle is iconic, but you never actually saw contact, only the bad guys flying away post-hit, and in truth, he very rarely ever actually punched anyone to begin with. He also has this big-ass magic sword that he seemed to only ever use as a shield, hardly ever a weapon.

And yet, even THAT was "too violent" for a lot of parents. So in that context, I can almost see how TMNT would also qualify. But... c'mon.

It was indeed "a simpler time", but in a lot of ways you can swap "simpler" for "stupider" and it works just as well.

The worst offender was the Legend of Zelda cartoon where Link would use his sword to fire magic blasts. He was once tricked into selling his sword in exchange for a more bad-ass looking sword but it couldn't shoot those energy blasts or whatever. So he's cornered by bad guys, completely 'defenseless' despite the fact that, you know, he could actually try to swing the sword at them.


Although in more recent times the 2012 cartoon had that one scene where Xever ran at the turtles and flashes his knives at the screen..... and the Turtle in question flew back as if he were punched.

And that one ep where the 2K3 Turtles were 'defenseless' when they were disarmed... but the moment they got their weapons back Leo and Raph start kicking things. I guess getting a tight grip on that sword handle makes your kicks extra tough. Just... not the same if you're holding something in your hand while thrusting your leg out.

[Prowler]

It blows my mind how anyone ever could have thought FW TMNT was "too violent".

Then again, they'd said the same thing about He-Man before that, and he solved most of his "fights" by picking guys up, spinning them around and casually tossing them aside in a heap. The "punch the screen" animation cycle is iconic, but you never actually saw contact, only the bad guys flying away post-hit, and in truth, he very rarely ever actually punched anyone to begin with. He also has this big-ass magic sword that he seemed to only ever use as a shield, hardly ever a weapon.

And yet, even THAT was "too violent" for a lot of parents. So in that context, I can almost see how TMNT would also qualify. But... c'mon.

It was indeed "a simpler time", but in a lot of ways you can swap "simpler" for "stupider" and it works just as well.

I know right? And the UK took it further and censored the word Ninja from it and removed Mike's nunchucks in its version. Ridiculous. Talk about paranoia.

[NeonTurtledude]

New York's Shiniest was quite a dark episode at times, with what's implied about rex 1 before Donatello rebuilds him

[Cowabung-Gal]

“The Incredible Shrinking Turtles” because a character actually dies.

[NeonTurtledude]

“The Incredible Shrinking Turtles” because a character actually dies.

I agree the alien death was quite shocking,

I also found the episode Enter the fly to be quite dark, with April almost dying from the poisonous doku plant and Baxter about to be killed by Krang until he turns into his fly form.

[Ninja Tiptup]

Basically none of those 10 episodes feature body horror which is some of the most disturbing imagery in the show.

Not even including Enter the Fly or Enter Mutagen Man (kinda funny how similar those titles are) just seems wrong.

I suppose Seymor's body parts floating around in mutagenic acid isn't dark so much as it is disturbing but I mean... isn't disturbing imagery dark? I feel like that episode scarred me for life. He eventually was human again though not his prior self. That kinda just gets brushed off as a joke because he's more concerned about delivering a package.

Enter the Fly though, Krang tried to kill Baxter. That's pretty dark.

At least one of the episodes in the short Titanus and H.A.V.O.C. arc also had people being turned into mutants against their will. That's pretty dark though arguably not more so than Shredder turning Bebop and Rocksteady into mutants.

It's also kind of dark when Leonardo's mutation goes bonkers though that's quickly resolved.