Official Episode Discussion: S2 #4 "Mutagen Man Unleashed"

[DarkLightDragon]

It's not so much as being mad at Splinter but rather just not have anything to do with anything mutant-related at the moment. She obviously wants to have some semblance of a normal life so being in contact with both the turtles and Splinter is a big 'no-no' for her right now.

[JH24]

Wow, what an episode. Definitely one of my favorites in the entire series so far.

I did feel sorry for Timothy, but he made matters only worse for himself, but we don't know if we can blame him for that. Like Leonardo said it seems the old Timothy is gone. Seeing him go out of control more and more was very well done and actually made me feel uneasy. And then seeing him even turn against Donatello was a big shock.

I was glad the other turtles didn't act as jerks like they did at the end of Pulverizer Returns. Mikey and Raph didn't attack Timothy immediately on first sight, and Leo's actions were aimed at defending his brothers.

This episode cemented Donatello even more as my favorite character. He feels the most human of all four and how he's the easiest to relate with. I liked his glimpses of jealousy and uncertainty, his feeling of being a freak while Casey is human, him worrying about April and him worrying for Timothy.

Heh, there goes my initial hope Mutagen Man was trying to help Donatello with April.


Casey was awesome as well, I really like his character. His expressions are much better when animated and his voice feels, well, very natural and nice to hear.


I like how April still doesn't want to go back to the guys just yet, I appreciate how the writers are taking the time for this. It seems April needs to be convinced for herself that no matter how much she wants to have a normal life again, some things can never go back as they were.


In the end, a great episode. No happy ending for Timothy, but I was glad to hear Donatello still calling Timothy a friend at the end of the episode. And the same goes for that little scene at the end of that TV show, giving Donnie hope as well.

[Allio]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

You know, with Tim chasing to get April, it makes me wonder if Tim had any friends in his childhood. This is just a guess.

I mean... Tim seemed so determined to make April his friend, it looked like he was going to go insane. I know it's probably because of his memory loss, but still, it can be really sad if you think deeply about it.

pretty much, my character break down of Tim goes like this

Spoiler:

No one really likes/really wants him around - both the turtles and the foot...could easily be a person that wants to be accepted by his peers.

Tim is a person that doesn't like the way he is, so he easily changes his appearance - easily explains why he took the appearance of the turtle.

By becoming a ninja he tried to change himself as a person - doesn't work as he himself is still the same

so when the chance to change himself physically comes, it wasn't so much to become a hero as it was more to be something much different then he was then - maybe even become more accepted

he became different alright

at this point, the mutagen man is nothing but just what is leftover from Tim's personality...right now he is nothing more than a mindless animal (irony) looking for something to fill the void of what was once it's humanity

[raph27]

Okay: I'm gonna say it. I still don't like Casey's design.
1. Sometimes the animation on his face seems..well..messed up. Like when he says "What, like being a science Olympian?"
2. Why is there yellow flecks all over his suit? Is it barf? Is it mustard? Why is it on there?
3. Missing teeth. I'd be okay with maybe one on the side, but three right in the middle looks a bit awkward IMO.
His personality is kind of awesome though. Ciro said it will take 3 episodes for Casey to grow into the Casey Jones we know and love.



(why the heck is there a pizza on Aprils Trigonometry book?)

[Papenbrook]

Aw man..., now I feel sad for Timothy.

[TurtleTitan97]

Originally Posted by RaphaeltheAwesome13

Okay: I'm gonna say it. I still don't like Casey's design.
2. Why is there yellow flecks all over his suit? Is it barf? Is it mustard? Why is it on there?
3. Missing teeth. I'd be okay with maybe one on the side, but three right in the middle looks a bit awkward IMO.

2. It's suppose to be spray paint, since in past episodes in the background there's graffiti on the wall that says "Casey".
3. He's suppose to be a hockey player, and those guys get their teeth knocked out a lot.

[Papenbrook]

Why do some people want Timothy DEAD?

[DarkLightDragon]

Because most didn't really like him pre-mutation and are letting that bias get in the way of what his fate will be.

[Teddy]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

Why do some people want Timothy DEAD?

Because he's a lame character?

[Leofan26]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

Why do some people want Timothy DEAD?

I don't want him dead, I just want him to never appear again in the series
He's just not interesting to me and doesn't add any thing in my opinion.

That being said, I hope Donnie get's over April soon.

[drgon78]

I don't want him dead but I want to become a better person and more mature then a child like angry mutant but the hero he wanted to be when he was human.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

Why do some people want Timothy DEAD?

I want Mutagen Man to explode himself all over Shredder in the finale.

[BubblyShell22]

It's not that they want Tim dead, they just don't want him to be around anymore.

As for April keeping the fan, maybe she did it for sentimental reasons since she doesn't want to hold a grudge against him as he didn't do anything.

[Luigiperps]

You guys want all characters to be perfect. April can be mad, and Tim can be selfish, we can see them grow and change, no one is perfect, and if they were, they wouldn't be interesting.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by pannoni1

I agree with most of the posts above. I feel that in the short run, this may not have been that responsive, but after we see some additional episodes, this episode will keep its appeal, with its numerous questions involved. April's high school is shown for just the second time in the series (probably a senior now), but the biggest new addition was the follow-up to Space Heroes, and that was a clever gag by Donnie involving how crappy many old cartoons were. It makes you anxious about the outcome. As for Mutagen Man, nice job with regards to confusing what he's going to do next. But overall, you can have a solid episode with a break from the main villains attacking yet still introduce a lot more. The best non-Kraang/Shredder/Karai episode in the series so far. (BTW, at my local Wal-Mart yesterday, some of the TVs were playing the OT episode "Teenagers From Dimension X" and I told the customers (a father with two kids) that there is this new Nickelodeon show on, but he still believed the original was the superior version, and then told him to consider the online discussions about the new series).

Overall: 8.5/10

Nice to keep Shredder and Karai out of these silly "Mutant of the Week" epsidoes. It makes their appearances darker.

I hoped Donatello would turn Mutagen Man normal again so we would have one less "Mutant of the Week". The only mutant I look forward to is Tigerclaw (and Bebop and Rocksteady if they appear).

[Donatello19]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

Nice to keep Shredder and Karai out of these silly "Mutant of the Week" epsidoes. It makes their appearances darker.

I hoped Donatello would turn Mutagen Man normal again so we would have one less "Mutant of the Week". The only mutant I look forward to is Tigerclaw (and Bebop and Rocksteady if they appear).

Mutagen Man is not a "mutant of the week". His character was fleshed out over 3 episodes. A "mutant of the week" would be a character who is mutated in their debut episode (Spider Bytez, etc.)

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by DarkLightDragon

Because most didn't really like him pre-mutation and are letting that bias get in the way of what his fate will be.

hey! I liked him pre-mutation XD I thought he was funny

but he's turning into a power hungry jerk >:Y

...but I guess I don't count cause I don't want him dead....I just don't pity him right now.

he's on my turtle takedown villain list~

[Bossa Nova]

Originally Posted by Luigiperps

You guys want all characters to be perfect. April can be mad, and Tim can be selfish, we can see them grow and change, no one is perfect, and if they were, they wouldn't be interesting.

It's not about wanting April to be perfect. It's about wanting her to be the least bit likable if I'm expected to root for her.

[saber16]

Honestly, I was rooting for Mutagen Man to become a hero in some way (love the design, and I'm cool with underdog stories), and even as it stands I don't want to see him destroyed - but if it happens, it's out of the Turtles control.

The guy can hurl cars, tear down buildings, throw acid out of his hands and has zero understanding of right and wrong.
I see the comments saying "He was justified for attacking Raph and Mikey, and he didn't know any better."

He was going to KILL them -
REALLY, people gave Splinter crap for making them hand over their weapons - despite how easily they were able to adapt to that handicap.

But Timothy turns himself into Mutagen Man of his own free will, nearly shoves acid in Raphael's face, and vows to kill the turtles despite saving his life time and time again, when he was a human and even as an insane blob of guts. He even turned on Donnie, the closest thing he had to a friend who's been taking care of him and looking for a cure.

Mutagen Man get's a free pass because "It's not his fault, the mutagen made him do it." Or, "He never wanted to become this thing."
Well, to bad. He IS that thing now, and all he's doing is endangering lives. Had he become a "Cool" mutant and still ended up becoming a villain, would it still be the mutagen's fault?
Hell, if we're going to blame the mutagen, we should blame Donnie to for not trying hard enough to stop him from bathing in the unpredictable alien goo.

You can say, "But Timothy didn't know! He see's the Turtles, a dog man and fish thing- forget Donnie's warnings, it's 100% safe!"

Wouldn't that be like a kid chastising a long time smoker for telling them not to even try it. "Well, they seem fine! I'll be fine too!" Only to get throat cancer down the road. They made the choice, but they never wanted that to happen to them.
Their conclusion: it's products fault, not theirs


My conclusion: Buyer beware.



What about the complaints about April, "They saved her life multiple times! She can't be mean at them just because they played a hand in her father getting mutated! So ungrateful."

Meanwhile, "The turtles saved Timothy's life multiple times, but he can't help it that he wants to kill them for no reason other than to keep April to himself. It's the mutagen! They need to be nicer to him!"

Hell, he was going to kill Casey for no other reason than being with April.
Would he have done the same to her father if he was with her (mutated or not), other friends in school?

The turtles already have the foot and Kraang to worry about - not to mention any accidental results that come from the missing mutagen. The last thing they need on their plate is a walking emotional time bomb to endanger the city.

[Shark_Blade]

Originally Posted by saber16

Honestly, I was rooting for Mutagen Man to become a hero in some way (love the design, and I'm cool with underdog stories), and even as it stands I don't want to see him destroyed - but if it happens, it's out of the Turtles control.

The guy can hurl cars, tear down buildings, throw acid out of his hands and has zero understanding of right and wrong.
I see the comments saying "He was justified for attacking Raph and Mikey, and he didn't know any better."

He was going to KILL them -
REALLY, people gave Splinter crap for making them hand over their weapons - despite how easily they were able to adapt to that handicap.

But Timothy turns himself into Mutagen Man of his own free will, nearly shoves acid in Raphael's face, and vows to kill the turtles despite saving his life time and time again, when he was a human and even as an insane blob of guts. He even turned on Donnie, the closest thing he had to a friend who's been taking care of him and looking for a cure.
Mutagen Man get's a free pass because "It's not his fault, the mutagen made him do it." Or, "He never wanted to become this thing."
Well, to bad. He IS that thing now, and all he's doing is endangering lives. Had he become a "Cool" mutant and still ended up becoming a villain, would it still be the mutagen's fault?


The complaints about April, "They saved her life multiple times! She can't be mean at them just because they played a hand in her father getting mutated! So ungrateful."

Meanwhile, "The turtles saved Timothy's life multiple times, but he can't help it that he wants to kill them for no reason other than to keep April to himself. It's the mutagen! They need to be nicer to him!"

Hell, he was going to kill Casey for no other reason that being with April.
Would he have done the same to her father if he was with her (mutated or not), other friends in school?

The turtles already have the foot and Kraang to worry about - not to mention any accidental results that come from the missing mutagen. The last thing they need on their plate is a walking emotional time bomb to endanger the city.

Bless this post.