Official Ep Discussion #13 "I, Monster"
 

So, we have a part Two to our Leatherhead Adventure from a few weeks back!

When we last saw the turtles, they'd taken a trip to the twilight zone inside an old subway car to what looked like a sewage plant, leaving Leatherhead in the hands of the Kraang.

Now, "I, Monster" is the same title that was used in the 2003 Series that introduced a Rat King that lived in the ruins of an abandoned industrial park. He was originally a prototype of a super soldier designed with DNA from both Splinter and Agent Bishop. Thus, the whole rat control thing... but things didn't go well, and he ended up getting eaten by his own rat minions in an old brick silo.

Rumor is, we are going to get a first look at our strange new Rat King - nowhere near as muscular, and a lot more rotten looking, like an old corpse - which kinda freaks me out. And this time, the Realm of the Rat King is very different...

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...ratpreview.pnghttp://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...theRatKing.jpg

The question now is, how will this Rat King be different? Sure, he'll have his mental abilities with the local rodent population. As the above clip shows, he's gonna get his claws into Splinter's brain at some point (poor bugger...) - but for him to appear in the leatherhead storyline... is there some strange sort of correlation, or is this simply the beginning of a longer, more complex storyline for the season? And HOW does he get his abilities in the first place?

We've just passed halfway this season, and if the quality of what we've seen already is a hint of what's to come... we're in for a hell of a ride.

More to come as we find more information!


STAY TUNED!

We're Open! :D

Just saw it. Nice episode. I won't spoil it but the Rat King is someone to guys fought before.

'bout time!

I thought this was a solid remake of "Enter the Rat King."


But I guess this episode really wasn't a "Part 2" of the Leatherhead episode; which means that episode really did have a weird ending.

This episode was too amazing for words. And when that one scene between Leo and splinter. I was on the edge of my seat. I give this show 5 stars. :tgrin:

That was an awesome episode! I truly loved it. Probably one of my favorites yet!:tgrin:

I'm watching it now :P

The way it ended, I'm thinking the episodes were put out of order. :ohwell: It's too odd of an ending to stop like that, there Has to be more to it.

I was thinking that too. "It Came from the Depths" ended on a double cliffhanger with Leatherhead fighting in the sewer and the turtles stranded in the subway car by the factory. Most episodes have ended with a brief little epilogue scene back in the lair with Splinter, but that one was the exception.

Good episode; Splinter's spell against the Rat King was definitely taken a lot further than he did in the OT, and this Rat King sure looks scarier compared to the others, and I enjoyed all of those horror gags and jokes. I also thought that April was going to get kidnapped before Don saved her, and I like her ringtone when she alerted the Turtles after Splinter was under the Rat King's control. It also showed the Turtles' fighting development proving that they are just as strong as Splinter, meaning that when Shredder comes back, they will be ready for him. We got another Channel 6 appearance, even if the font/graphics feel retro '70s/'80s.

Overall: 8/10

Best episode yet (IMO). I thought it was really cool that Anyway, I love how they showed the patrol buggies, Carlos Chang O Brian Gambe, Mr. Murakami, and more.

Awesome episode. Rat King was so creepy. My favorite parts are seeing the turtles in the daytime, Splinter with Rat King, Splinter attacking April, and Splinter vs Turtles. Also love how Splinter took out Rat King. :D

this was a great episode and a great debut for Nick's version of the Rat King tho I still do not like how Nick is kinda lacking in a continuation episode from the episode "It Came From the Depths". Nick shoulda made this the 14th episode with a part 2 for a Leatherhead episode being the 13th episode.
I loved it when the rat bit Mikey on the head and then he said "They got the taste for turtle now" :tlol:

That was a great episode, the turtles vs splinter was amazing. One of the episodes best yet. Still hoping they would continue leatherheads episode by making rat king live in the abandon sewer plant they landed in at the end of the ep. Still great!
But does rat king disappearing cross out any chance of seeing him again?

I love how they went deep into Splinter's mind. Falco even used his memories of his burning house against him.

I really liked the new episode- it appears the graphics have improved drastically. My favorite episode so far.

My only minor complaint with this episode was that the 'Mikey is buttmad over the Rat King's name (or the fact he didn't get to name him)' joke went on a little longer than it should have.

That said, this episode did not disappoint.

I'm a complete sucker for psychological-oriented plots (either exploration and/or horror), and this episode delivered it in spades. I think what really got my heart wrenched was in two spots:



So yes. This was definitely worth the wait (moreso for a die-hard Splinter fan like me).

Also, Rat King was suitably creepy. Also, I literally shuddered aloud when they pointed out the wall of rats. D;

I like that they seem to be filling out the environment a lot more, we had a lot of shots of random humans walking the street or being attacked by rats. And When the turtles are jumping on buildings in the daytime we see cars! Yes actual moving cars on the street! It's actually starting to look like a real city :P I hope they continue to improve on that.

Always love seeing Splinter in action and we got a ton of that this episode. Rat King is a sufficiently creepy villain, can't wait to see him again.

Does it need to be said for the millionth time that the show doesn't take place in Manhattan and areas like Brooklyn and the Bronx are actually quite empty at night?

I'm also glad they brought back Dr. Falco and merged his character with the Rat King. A very moody and suspenseful episode, especially with the Rat King trying to tempt Master Splinter. Good set up, where the training sequence reveals Splinter's fears of losing his sons.

I also liked the brief scene where Mikey is admiring the daytime; his optimism and appreciation for things like that is a side that's always nice to see.

Great episode all around, but the part that struck me the most was Splinter going at April with the katana. That was...intense, for this show.

Shows that Nick is willing to put kids into mortal danger like that in this show, and that was awesome. I'm actually surprised they were willing to show a teenage girl almost being slashed up with a sword.

Rat King in general is awesome, he has a better origin here than he ever did before too. Especially his crappy Mirage origin.

This episode was amazing, freaking perfect. Talk about an amazing opening sequence, and making the Rat King be a villian they had already fought instead of just another random bad guy stalking around the city was not only a brave move but a smart one. The worst thing about cartoons in the 80's was that lack of continuity. Having Falco come back is a great way to continue strengthening the world of the new Ninja Turtles.

The whole fighting within Splinters mind was very City at War, I loved the cerebral nature of the episode, and the question of lost humanity was fantastic. One of my big qualms with Splinter originally being Hamato Yoshi is that I felt it ruins that great drama that occurred when Splinter had to commit cannibalism to survive in City at War. Congratulations Nickelodeon for finding a way to prove me wrong.

Best little easter egg was Mikey saying he would have called him Verminator, as I am a huge fan of Verminator X and love even the smallest of shour outs to the character.

I also really love the continual growth of the Mikey and Raph brother relationship. Mikey calling exactly how Raph was going to insult him and then turning around and insulting him was very familial and I love when they have moments like that.

Overall I am happy with this as a return for the Turtles and am now even more amped for next week


Might as well if we keep telling people about it then eventually its going to sink in.

Knew you'd reply. Can't help yourself can you? You act like brooklyn is a ghost town which it is not. I am also talking about DAYTIME scenes, pay attention.

I am going to shut you down once and for all on this argument. Type in brooklyn youtube, here's the first vid. Very little research needed. Looks pretty busy to me -- even at night. Imagine that. A place with lots of people where they are actually seen.

*corrected video :p*

That was a great episode! I cracked up at the part where the blade at the end of Donatello's bo staff popped out inches from Splinter's face and they all freaked out. I also liked it when Michelangelo was trying to come up with nicknames for the Rat King and he mentioned Verminator from the Archie comics. That had to be a reference!

BTW, did anybody else get the urge to brush their teeth whenever we got an extreme close-up of Rat King's mouth?

The Projects? Where people are always skeezing about anyway? One or two bums and/or crackheads doesn't really count as busy. It's fine during
the day and they showed a bunch of people in this episode in the beginning so what's the issue?

Brooklyn, The Bronx and other places are nearly completely empty in the deep night. I was referring to the fact that people here seem to think the show takes place in NYC and complain about the streets being empty in the night scenes.

Don't try to educate me using a youtube video when I lived there for 20 years.

Maybe you should leave the house more. I live in SF, CA with a population density far less than brooklyn and yet when I go outside, any time of day, I see a lot of people. And yet even so, by some dark magic if the 2012 series took place in SF I would still notice how empty it looks. Get mad :)

The point still stands the show feels very 'empty' of any inhabitants and I think the show is making progress in that and I am happy about it. There were a lot of random citizens shown and It makes the world feel more real to me, something a lot of CGI shows sometimes are lacking -- they feel a lot like what they are, computer generated environments, a bit cold, etc., so anything they can do is a help.

They did show a couple of people in the opening and it was a daytime sequence. They obviously can't show a ton of people bustling about for obvious reasons but it was there this week.

It would still make no sense to have a ton of people running around in the dead of night in those areas. It's not about getting 'mad' (Which I don't get
) it's about how it really is. For a few years I was driving back from work at all hours of the night. Maybe 2 people outside for every 3 or 4 blocks max unless you're going through knickerbocker which is just loaded with puerto ricans that don't know when to go to bed apparently.

The Bronx is especially dead mostly because the only people out at night are drug dealers. Plus, you know...people like to sleep.

(Nothing against my PR brothers and sisters obviously. Even though I'll never understand late night domino tournaments.)

Best episode of the series so far!!! Amazing!

I'm not quite sure where to rank it just yet but it is up there. They are kicking off the 2nd block of season 1 really well.

http://markandpaigerodriguez.blogspo...i-monster.html finally got to review this the same day it aired. Airing twice gave me enough time to make sure I didn't miss details.

This same problem plagued the "Clone Wars" series when it first started, and I think it's the way it is with most CGI shows. However, as the show goes on and they build more character models they'll be able to do more. The environments and visuals on "Clone Wars" have improved drastically since it started and I would fully expect this show to do the same.

Awesome awesome ep!! Rat King is scary as all heck but those rats were adorable. Why did they all have ripped up ears tho? That was kinda odd.

It was way cool to see Splinter in action! :D

Not bad, a little predictable. I liked the location of the final battle scene, but the fight did not seem to have the right level of tension, which when fighting your father should seem more (?). The rats were pretty cute, possibly too cute. I wish they hadn't shown the Rat King's eyes in the teasers though, 'cause that would have been a nice little reveal.

Wow what a return episode! Splinter is so freaking awesome! I really want to see him and Shredder fight. And. Rat King was pretty creepy. I was surprised, my 3 year old wasn't scared by him at all. Cool to see Leo do pretty well against Splinter but they still aren't on his level or close to it. Love the whole father/son relationship.

man, creepy new Rat King is creepy.

@chrisdude
When that white rat climbed up on the Rat King's shoulder? First thing I thought of too. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnWe0iOXMcA

This episode was great! I love the new Rat King. But Splinter stole the show on this one. God, the fighting is just so satisfying in this show. Splinter is so badass... I really do think this is my favorite version of him to date.

On a side note - I swear I saw a fishbowl on Splinter's shelf with a palm tree sticking out of it. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Anyone else catch that?

Just got to say, another solid episode.:tgrin:

I don't think anyone has really pointed this out, but I saw this as a Splinter AND Leonardo centric episode. Think about it. Splinter is cursed by the Rat King, and we get to see him in action. Leonardo is the one who punches his father during training (even though he hesitated), AND is also the one who saves his father from being cursed. Both played a huge role in this episode, and I think we need to give them credit.:tcool:

:tgrin:Two thumbs up for Leo and Splinter!:tthumbsu::tthumbsu:

I don't get why you guys thought that was a cliffhanger. It didn't say "to be continued" (which the series used for the first episode) and everything got wrapped up. It's not hard to get.

Anyway, awesome episode.

I'm right there with you. I love seeing Leo shine. And I love his attitude:

Mikey: Leo!
Raph: Not bad!
Don: Dude I can't believe you actually tagged Sensei! That was epic!
Mikey: The hand that punched splinter! You know you can never wash this again?
Leo: I gotta say guys, it was all teamwork! We are definitely getting better.

Only a good leader would respond this way. Leo is great.