Season 2 has had very little filler episodes, here is the proof
 

I'm noticing people constantly complaining about all the filler in Season 2. Are we actually watching the same show?

1. Mutation Situation - Introduces the plot of the season, Kirby gets mutated, non-filler

2. Invasion of the Squirrelanoids - filler, even though the Squirtlnoids are seen again it is the typical filler to introduce a mutant. (Cool episode though)

3. Follow the Leader - non-filler, deals more with Leonardo/Karai story.

4. Target: April O'Neill - non-filler, continued the Karai/April subplot

5. Mutagen Man unleashed - non-filler, Timmy fully mutates after being transformed in Season 1.

6. The Good, the Bad and Casey Jones - non filler, introduces Casey Jones.

7. Mikey gets Shellacne - non filler, Dogpound mutates into Rahzar and furthers the Shredder plot

8. Slash and Destroy - non-filler, even though it does introduce a new mutant, I feel like Slash will become a very important character in a later story arc. Is also tied to Raphael's development.

9. Metalhead Rewired - non-filler, very well done character episode for Donnie

10. Fungus Humongous - filler, I loved this episode due to its humor but it had no bearing on the overall plot.

11. Kraang Conspiracy - non-filler, introduces Kurtzman

12. Of Rats and Men - non-filler, I don't consider Rat King to be a non-important villain

13. Manhattan Project/Wormquake 2 parter - most important episodes of the season

14. Mazes and Mutants - filler

15. Lonely Mutation of Baxter Stockman - non filler, Baxter is mutated and the turtles demutate Kirby

16. Newtralized - mostly filler, other than Newtralizer returning and Slash deciding not to harm humans.

17. Pizzaface- filler, although this ep doesn't deserve the hate it gets


So out of all these episodes we've had around 5 filler episodes, all the other episodes furthered the plot of the season. And even then there are still important bits scattered in these episodes.

5 fillers out of 18 episodes so far? And people think this season is filled with filler? What?

I agree with most of that but I disagree with putting Newtralized! as filler. It is not filler at all imo.

Not only it shows what happened to Slash since Slash and Destroy, it expands more on Newtralizer and they both formed a relationship/companionship. And we get to acknowledge that Slash is not entirely evil, he walks his own path alone now. Solo. At least Raph knows that he's fine.

I'll disagree with you on Rats and Men, that didn't incorporate the Shredder or Kraang plot, and Rat King never really needed to come back, they just decided to, he could have stayed gone and it wouldn't have affected the show at all.

Also I'd say Mutagen Man, and the two Slash episodes are Sub stories, they don't really fit in the grand scheme of the story and are really stories amongst their own episodes in terms of continuity.

Like in Season 1, everyone said Monkey Brains was filler, but once I, Monster was done, it was no longer filler, it became a sub story to the Rat King episode.

Since when did every villain have to be connected to Shredder or the Kraang?

The Rat King is one of the most important villains in TMNT history. Of course he was going to come back, and him not being connected to Shredder or the Kraang is what makes him important. He's a strong recurring villain. I don't know why you think characters have to be connected to Shredder/Kraang to be important.

We're talking about him being important to the story, not the character.

If the Rat King episode had never aired, would you think something was missing in the grand scheme of the story?

Rat King, Slash, Mutagen Man, etc are significant characters and carries important stories that develop our main protagonists (i.e. the turtles, Splinter). Those shouldn't be regarded as fillers imo.

Filler episode is like Mazes and Mutants, which carries none/not much significance to the main plot and does nothing for our main characters.

By that logic when any major villain shows up who doesn't work for Shredder or isn't a Kraang mutant, they're not important to the story?

I'm sure we're going to see more of this too when the Triceratons arrive and hopefully other recurring villains not part of these two groups.

That's why I called the Slash and Mutagen Man episodes "Sub Stories". I never called those three episodes fillers.

I see. Yeah I can see it as sub stories too. :)

I don't like referring to an episode as "filler". There have been many one-shot or singled storylines in TMNT comics and cartoons. And as we've see so far, major events can occur in what may seem as an unimportant episode such as in "Mikey Gets Shellacne" when Dogpound mutates into Rahzar.

Yes I know I am one of the ones that thinks that season 2 has to many fillers but now when I look at that list I think my mind is changing. I guess the main reason I thought like that was just not enjoying this season therefore not paying attention like I should have been.

I'll throw out the argument that Newtralized! wasn't a filler, either, since it continued the main plot of the Kraang's intended conquest of Earth (Or New York, as it were) by having them try yet another new weapon. Also, Newtralizer revealed some tidbits about the Kraang, and the fact that there's "10 dimensions", which may very well be used later.

Episodes like Mazes & Mutants and Pizzaface I'd call filler simply because likely no future episode will need to refer back to them, and as such the series would be no different without those episodes (I honestly wonder if pizzaface still living as a single slice in Mikey's room was just a sight gag and not intended to be used in a future episode). But anything that furthers a main plot or even sub plot would not be filler.

I think its the long rerun breaks that honestly made people forget everything that was going on this season.

The toon is still on reruns during the break though. And those who bought the episodes online can rewatch everything again.

It's not like in the past where if you missed an episode, it's lost forever. So maybe..huh I dunno. Who would claim there's a lot of filler episodes in the first place? Mind boggling.

Cybs, will you stop trying to force your opinion on others. Some people just don't like this season for reasons of there own.

Just cuz you feel it's great doesn't mean every one has to, some shows even this series has it's ups and downs.

I think that 'Mazes and Mutants' is probably the most filler episode so far

That doesn't mean he can't disprove any reasons that are not true. Many people are complaining about filler, but he literally disproved that there were hardly any of them. Actually, Season 1 had a lot more in terms of "Mutant of the Week" episodes.