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Not exactly a top ten or twenty, just my thoughts on a couple of select episodes
-Sky Turtles: A brilliant action/comedy story that plays about with gravity, the types of which becoming more and more outlandish as Shredder tries to constantly outdo himself. You have to feel sorry for Krang, just as he finally gets his turn on the gravity altering device, everything comes loose and skyrockets...litterally. Throw in some great Shredder/Krang banter and Donatello's hilarious "stupendous dish" exchange with Irma and you get a soaringly fun episode
-Turtles at the Earth's Core: It's a shame we didnt return to this lost world, as it lended itself well to repeat performances. The 80s were all about cutesy over-friendly dinosaurs (evident by "The Land Before Time", Dink The Little Dinosaur, and Denver The Last Dinosaur) and I ate all that up as a kid, so having it cross over with the dish of the day in Turtles got smiles. Nice bit of proactivnesss from the characters as as Donatello at the beggining of the episode wanted to pinpoint the location of The Technodrome, and Krang deciding to yet again take personal charge of things with his mini-fortress, which is again something we didnt get to see a whole lot (though the idea did resurface in the form of the mini-technodrome in the Turteloid two-parter).
-Take Me To Your Leader: A great character peice for Leonardo, and a hilarious game of "you're it" for the other Turtles, all while the Earth freezes around them. I remember reading the adaptation of this before I saw the episode and thus I had pictured it far differently in my head. Again, I enjoy seeing Krang take a more personal stake in a project, as he joins Shredder and his lackeys in utlizing his weapon. The episode also demonstrated Donatello's impeccable leadership skills, it says a lot that he doesnt actually quit the role like Raph does, Mike only becomes leader by default when Don has to nip back to the lair.
-Donatello's Degree: It's no secret here that I am fairly obsessed with Donatello and Irma and I 'ship the s*it out of them. This is probably my favourite story involving the two of them. From the prostitute joke, to Irma's inflated ego and finally her ever so unpredictable bursts of bravery and slightly naive ingenuity showcase just how lovable her character is, all complimented by Donatello's sharp alertness to the situation. It's a shame romance was off the cards on this show for the most part
-Green With Jealousy: ...And whenever romance WAS on the cards, we got hilarious episodes like this. Another showcase of just how gullible and man-crazy Irma is, as well as a situation that goes Shredder and Krang's way for once. Even if the Turtles prevented further drainage of the submarine's energy, Krang had more than enough stored, and it's only due to Rocksteady and Bebop's inane steering that it all falls apart at the end.
-The Maltease Hamster: What starts off as a light parody of Dick Tracy and The Untouchables progresses into a faintly dark little struggle for our heroes, with the heavies wiping the floor with several of them. Donatello being almost killed chilled me as a kid, whilst the quiet little moment Irma discovers him in her office made me a fan of that pairing. The jokes don't slow down even after the story gets more serious, and it really makes the mood evenly balanced, so you have fun while remaning concerned. And who doesnt love that creepy "men's underwear" option on the antique magnet?
-The Big Blow-Out: If it wasnt for a sticker album I had informing me The Techodrome was in the artic I would have been convinced this was the end. Shredder and Krang on a roll with a fully powered Technodrome thwarting the Turtles and the Military at every turn. When Shredder fell down the shaft, I thought he was going to die. In truth, you could do some clever editing so that after Shredder falls, you can have Donatello instruct Raph to fire the missile, blast The Technodrome into Dimension X, cut to Krang saying "Shredder, what have you done" and then see the machine pummeled by Tragg's forces and crash, then cut to the Turtles celebrating. All to create the illusion Shredder was dead, but that's just the dark horse in me. Overall, it's the best finale the show had and it came at the peak of it's powers.
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