Did You Like the Red Sky Era?
 

So I'm assuming that we all know about the "red sky" era of the original cartoon/seasons 8-10 (https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Sky_seasons). I know I'm in the minority here, in that I really enjoyed those seasons. But I'm looking to see exactly what the percantage is of members here who enjoyed the seasons, and those that didn't.

It was a definite change. I got used to what little I initially saw of Season 8. I missed the first two years completely due to an affiliate change, so i was surprised and a little annoyed that the Turtles could suddenly change forms, but Dregg was an impressive villain, at least compared to Season 9 where he had to remain hidden to preserve his charade. It wwas good seeing bebop and Rocksteady more competent as well.

I always got the impression from those seasons that all of the character introductions were maybe meant to spin off into another I.P. for a new show. Like "Carter and the Dimensional Warlords" or something like that.

Many of them are.... hard to get through. Which is crazy given that the Turtles were finally using their weapons in sword-to-sword fights and so on in those seasons as a result of the movie.

For the most part I loved the Red Sky era. I was just annoyed they didn't give Mikey his nunchucks back.

In terms of actual quality, it more or less remained the same as the previous seasons. Which means that in any measurable sense, it was bad but not actually worse than it already was. The Fred Wolf show started bad and ended bad, not really a big deal.

That said, I'm not sure how to really feel about the change in direction. Because I don't really like the first seven seasons where the Turtles essentially just spew lame pizza jokes and go through nonsensical stories with little to no consequence, a change in direction where the bad humor and poor storytelling is fixed does seem like the right direction. However, the stories are still largely nonsensical and there still isn't much in terms of consequence, so the attempt is just botched by default. And If the idea was to be more "mature" like the live-action movies (the weird inclusion of clips from those movies in the intro would imply they're trying to emulate in some sense), why not do what the first movie did and be more mature through actual character growth and actual adaptation of the source material? What is the point of creating Dregg when the new villain might as well be Zanramon?

I love season 8, season 9 by contrast was the worst season with Dregg,Carter, and secondary mutations. Season 10 was better in the episodes that included Shredder and Krang and the last couple were good. The Globfather was dumb and prolong Leonardo's secondary mutation cure was boring. So it hinges of inclusion of characters I like and removal or reduced focus on the ones that I don't like. I would have preferred to maintain the Technodrome gang and Channel Six News crew than Dregg and Carter. They can be more developed and be involved in stronger plots.

The United Kingdom didn't repeal those laws until 1999, so it would just cause trouble at the international market. That's why Michelangelo uses tonfas in Next Mutation.

https://whatculture.com/film/6-bizar...-banned?page=6

Did the Red Sky seasons even air in the UK?

As far as 80s cartoons go, I actually enjoy those seasons quite a bit. In my opinion, those seasons and the first two are the best in the show, simply because they take things slightly more seriously and there's an actual plot and continuity, and characters that actually have arcs, with the standout being Lord Dregg. I mean, it's the 80s version of all that, but within the context of it's time I think it's pretty decent. Plus, Tony Jay is always a win.

They were more or less decent seasons, so voted middle of the road. As neatoman said, the quality didn't really change, so looking back it's fine in that it decided to change to become more serious, rather than change to become more cheap. (Like 2003 did.) The literal red sky gets tiring though and I'm kind of "eh" on the villains (edit: and Carter is just okay and his mutation is too weird and random). I don't mind seeing a more serious side of those Turtles.

Just kind of realized that later seasons of it changed to become more like what 2003 would be... and then 2003 later changed to become more like what a lot of cartoons, including Rise, are now.

I haven't watched them in a while, but from what I remember I enjoyed Seasons 8 and 10 the most. I wouldn't mind seeing something similar for a new series. Personally, I really like "Mobster from Dimension X." It's a fun episode. "Turtle Trek" and the "The Day the Earth Disappeared" are also pretty good. The cover of "Transdimensional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" by Palladium Books looks very similar to what happens in the latter episode.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tm...mensional.jpeg

I enjoyed the Red Sky seasons to some extent. Seasons 8 and 10 were good for their time. I don’t care much for 9, as a lot of changes were abruptly introduced into the series and the Dregg turning the city against the Turtles arc got old after a few episodes, though Split-Second was a standout episode. Wrath of the Rat King and The Day the Earth Disappeared are my favourite eps of them all.

Uk
 

Yes. We discussed that here in early May last year.

https://forums.thetechnodrome.com/sh....php?p=1844281

Yeah, I liked it. It could be a bit dull at times, with the more serious tone, but I think those seasons hold up pretty well as far as being an action-only cartoon is concerned. It's more or less on par with the previous seasons in that there are both good & bad new characters, episodes, etc. I liked Dregg plenty, the secondary mutations arc was a favorite of mine, Carter's not half bad (though he should've been Keno!) & we get a fun Cyber Samurai episode + sort of a prototype Battle Nexus. In all honesty, though, I do have a nostalgia bias. I was born in 1990, so while I did grow up with repeats of all previous seasons, this stuff was what I was cognitive enough to see & closely follow in real-time, newly airing, so that was very exciting. Holds a special place in my heart for that reason.

If Season 8 had been a full 22-26 episode season, it could have been the best season of the show.

Amen!

An interesting note though, the Technodrome gang only appeared in 4 episodes and Splinter only appeared in those same ones.

Good point about Splinter!! I guess Season 8 was going to be the end at one point and they wanted to show as little of him as possible. Then after Shredder and Krang were trapped for good, they would no longer need him. Splinter only got in on the action once in each Red Sky season (not counting the flood in The Power Of Three).

It would have seen like Splinter could have played a part in counciling the Turtles when they were split on the emergence of HAVOC. However, I doubt Turtle Trek was meant to be a finale or even the end of Shredder and Krang's run because Splinter even warns that their threat is not over in the closing lines.

Also, it was a missed opportunity to not include Channel Six News crew in Dregg's manipulating the public. Burne would have been the perfect foil and be humbled upon the truth being revealed.

Speaking of The Power of Three arc, I was disappointed that it did not use the previous character design and have the Turtles pulled from Shredder Triumphant instead of Turtle Trek. It is also weird stating a couple of years pass from Turtle Trek to The Unknown Ninja. They are only teenagers for six years so if you want a time gap Shredder Triumphant to Power of Three works best visually and plot-wise as well as time.

I would’ve liked to have seen Colonel Knight from State of Shock work with the Turtles again.

Big Louie could’ve been used, as he was slightly serious compared to the other gangsters that appeared previously in the series.

The Day the Earth Disappeared is probably Splinter's strongest episode ever in the original series.

Agreed on both accounts. I was hoping IDW would have utilized Wesley Knight and Megavolt, but alas it was just a brief nod. Don't get me started on not seeing Big Louie's potential. I would have liked him to takeover the underworld and made reference to Turteli's gimmick as ridiculous as to how easy it was to take it over. Instead of Dregg and Carter CBS could have allowed use of what it already had.

Absolutely agreed!! He had enough technological knowledge to use the transporter controls to divert the black hole and he easily dispatched the Batmen. Too bad this was also his only time encountering Dregg face to face.

I would have loved to have seen a sword fight between the two. Shredder vs Dregg!

It may be silly of me, but it bothers me that Dregg immediately attacked the Turtles from afar twice more after he was sucked into a place foreign to him, Dimension X with Shredder and Krang and the latter were unable to attack from afar after doing so for so long? It may have been indirect justice with Krang's android body doing roided Dregg in, but it still does not sit well with me.

Additionally, why were Landor and Merrick created when they were less than a generation older than Krakus? It would seem like more could have been used of Krakus.

It would have been pretty one (four) sided since Dregg had the life energy from all four Turtles and assuming Krang was a fighter before losing his original body.

I believe the door was open for Shredder and Krang to finish off the season/series, but there were three episodes remaining and they knew the series was ending, so they were stuck with Dregg. Dregg almost died twice in season 10 and then for good at the end. So messed up.

Krakus was actually supposed to return instead of introducing Landor and Merrick according to the original plans for season 9 which are not long gone. "Carter The Enforcer" was supposed to be Krakus showing the Turtles a real what-if future unlike Shredderville which was a dream.

Can you share a link with me? I would like to read about it. Season 9 was easily the worst after the high of season 8.

Sadly, it was on the main site before archive.org snapped it. By the time Season 10 started, they were already promoting the heck out of Next Mutaation.

It was in the interview with the season 10 writer? I read that so many years ago that I cannot remember what it said and David Wise is no longer with us to run it by him. Krakus would have been good for continuity sake for sure because Landor and Merrick don't fit the overall story.

I also want to know why they did not use the seasons 2-7 character designs when plucking the Turtles from the past. Having so much time pass between Turtle Trek and The Unknown Ninja does not make sense. It would not have cost too much more if the character models already exist.

Even if he was, and you asked, Wise would have pivoted into how he invented the printing press, the internet, and had all the original ideas for Pokemon and Paw Patrol before someone ripped them off from him.

I think overall they were way better than the "wacky" series sometime post-season 4. There was a time when they ddn't care and the quality dropped immensly. The Red Sky seasons were trying to bring some good writing back by having actual stakes and actual bad guys that were threatening. And an over-arching storyline.

The Technodrome wasn't in the city. If it were, there would be widespread damage with a red sky. The series would be darker at least. And Channel 6 wouldn't be able to report it.

For the most part, yeah. Especially season 8.

The show was slightly more serious in tone now and it seemed badass to my 13 year old eyes.

I could have done without Dregg replacing Shredder as the main villain, though. Carter wasn't needed either. But still, there were some good episodes in the last 2 seasons even without Shredder and Krang.

Dregg being the last opponent of the Turtles was a bit of a letdown, but it was still better than the 2k3 series Finale.

Loved 'em! And I still do.

I absolutely love the Red Sky era. Interestingly though, that wasn't the case when I discovered the 80s show for the very first time.

Upon discovering the 80s show, and finding out that the last few seasons were much different, with Shredder being replaced, the turtles looking different, and the humour being gone, my first reaction was to dismiss this era as "not my show". And while the Blue Sky seasons will always clearly overshadow this era of the show for obvious reasons, I was absolutely blown away when I sat down to watch the Red Sky seasons for the very first time.

While the Red Sky seasons didn't get everything right, there is a lot to love about them. My 3 main reasons for liking these seasons are as follows:

1. New twists on existing characters: Being an episodic series, the characters were pretty static in it, and there's nothing wrong with that in of itself. However, seeing them change permanently after 7 seasons of essentially being almost the same was thrilling and engaging.
Notable examples are Shredder and Krang showing signs of legitimately caring for each other, Burne holding a personal grudge against the turtles, Rat King becoming more vengeful, Leo and Raph arguing over leadership, April distancing herself from Channel Six. All fantastic stuff.

2. New characters and tone: Once again, something that was a very fresh breath of air, after most of the show used the same characters and comedic formula. Dregg was a pretty good villain with an amazing voice of the Legendary Tony Jay, the new mutations were interesting, and Carter was an alright sidekick.
As for the tone, it felt like a very welcome callback to the series' earliest episodes, when it was less humour based, and then some more. The Red Sky seasons had more serious action scenes (I never bluff!), serialized continuity and character development, all of which existed in the serious before these seasons too, just to a much lesser extent, so seeing these parts of the show being focused and expanded upon, was a very welcome change that didn't feel out of place.

3. Wrapping up the show overall excellently: I still stand by the position that this show had the best ending out of any of the Turtles' cartoons. In addition to the Red Sky seasons raising the stakes which made for a satisfying finish, many of the shows core concepts are brought back one last time.
For example, side characters like Rat King, General Traag and Casey Jones get one last hurrah, the Technodrome gets destroyed by the end of season 8 (before making a final appearance in the last episode), Krang's enlarged android body plays a huge role in defeating Dregg, Dregg in the final episode is by far the most formidable foe the turtles have ever faced, and the turtles finish off the series having becoming Splinter's equals, a culmination of all their adventures through 193 episodes.

The Red Sky stuff is quite possibly my favorite incarnation of the Turtles. Season 8 in particular is my favorite and it has my favorite Shredder actor in Bill Martin.

In terms of Turtle Trek, I feel there was a missed opportunity to build up Super Shredder there. Like, the liquid in which Shredder fell into could have easily been retconned as mutagen and then he would appear in a more powerful form.

And yeah, Burne's plot point being dropped after season 8 really bugged me.

Didn't care for the Turtle Mutations, but since I missed them the first time around, for me it felt like this hidden extra batch of all-new Turtle episodes.

New mutations was the weakest aspect of the Red Sky.
Well, Red Sky was in general not impressive when it came to writing, pacing or coherence, but this aspect was dragged for too long and felt like a vehicle to make Carter a Marty Sue of the series.

Technically the mutations only went on 10 episodes. Remember they didn't start till Season 9, and they were cured by the first two eps of Season 10, with Leonardo basically being mutated out of control so technically it was only 8 episodes.

Out of the 24 episode Red Sky eps in total, the mutations were only in 8-10 eps at most. People really exaggerate or just don't remember and assume they went on all 3 seasons but they did not.

The turtles didn’t mutate in the first season 9 episode and in the second episode it only happened with their hands. Leonardo did not mutate in the 3rd episode, I don’t think Michaelangelo or Leonardo mutated in the seventh episode. So it’s 7-9 episodes for the turtles, unless you count Carter who did mutate in the first season 9 episode, that would make it 12 total episodes for the mutations (Carter also mutated in the 2nd and 3rd parts of the Shredder and Krang season 10 episodes, plus the first 2 Carter/Leo mutation season 10 eps, plus all 8 season 9 eps so that’s a total of 12).

The red sky seasons are some of my all time favorite parts of the ninja turtles franchise, I wish Shredder and Krang had more season 9 and 10 episodes though.

Me too. Especially considering that they were much meaner than they were in the previous seasons and I just would have loved to hear more of Bill Martin's Shredder.

As I said earlier in this thread, I feel like season 8 showed strength with the character sets and had room for them to grow both Channel Six News and the Technodrome quartet. A chance to flesh them out beyond defining traits and see what else there is. We got 7 episodes of a badass Shredder out of 24. A desperate cunning, and vengeful Shredder was finally able to sharpen his blades. That is apart of the dislike of Dregg taking the lead villain role. The beloved one was becoming edgier and had promised more yet was taken off the board.