How seriously should the 1987 tmnt cartoon be taken, if at all?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

Also, killing an extraterrestrial is considered more OK than killing an Earth Human. In Splinter No More they tricked the extraterrestrial monster into killing itself. And in Divide and Conquer, the turtles probably indirectly killed Dregg by throwing him from Earth through the portal.

True, those are all good examples.

Also, Leonardo stabbing the plant monster in "It Came from Beneath the Sewers".

Its these kind of examples which make me kind of dissapointed that we didn't get more of the 1987 turtles being violent in the Wanted Bebop and Rocksteady special from the Nickelodeon crossover.

I mean yes, that crossover got their personalities down perfectly, and the portrayal of the turtles not using their weapons was accurate to certain parts of the show (the most slapstickiest of seasons 3 and 4), but it was a missed pportunity to push some boundaries.

I mean, we get this buildup that the 1987 turtles are being trained to use their weapons again, and all that buildup just leads to them slicing up Foot Soldiers which was already a common staple from the show.

How awesome would it be if say, the 1987 turtles got a few cuts and stabs on the Nickelodeon Bebop and Rocksteady as a payoff for the training?