Official Episode Discussion S2 Finale: The Invasion

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by JTH

To be different.

If they did everything the same, there'd be no reason to do a new show in the first place.

That's why Northampton is now North Hampton as in the Hamptons in the New York/New England region.

Same thing with a slight tweak.

oh...okay.

it just seems weird...."second time about" just doesn't sound right to me...
(not because it's not the same as the original shop...but because it just sounds incorrect)

[raphmike]

i like this episode. 8/10

Spoiler:

wow irma is robot kraang question is where is real irma.
leo and donnie argue and say about leader kind mind me of raph
leo argue about great leader from 90's movie. all turtle and april
watch splinter and shredder fighting wow kind mind me of new
movie 2014. all lot of leo did so far 30 year to fight foot and
shredder from comic book, 2003 and 2012 i know only on raph
from movie and throw into april apt. anyway poor lair and
april's dad

[oldmanwinters]

Oh, man, this episode was like the ultimate twisted love letter to the old 1989 "The Turtle Terminator" episode:




Image credits:
http://turtles-ninja.narod.ru/pics/old/055.html

I actually will miss Irma's presence on the show. She seemed to be a nice balancing "third wheel" for the April-Casey dynamic. Plus, the show has dropped from three recurring female characters down to basically 1.5 within the last five episodes. Aw, well, little girls should probably look elsewhere than Saturday morning cartoons for finding relateable characters, I guess. (sarcasm latent)

But as far as her actual reveal, it was a ton of fun to behold, even if it did sorta come out of nowhere. There's a ton of unanswered questions that make me think that twist might have been a knee-jerk decision that got made very late in development. I mean... if the "Kraang Subprime" spy was ordered to infiltrate April's social circles within the past year:
(A) why didn't "Irma" betray April during the events of Season 1 when April's capture was the Kraang's priority #1, since she clearly already knew her enough to have each other's cell phone numbers.
(B) how is it that Kraang Subprime seems to speak perfect (and annoying) English dialect while almost the entirety of the species still struggles to grasp basic slang and sentence structure?
(C) considering Irma was captured and nearly killed multiple times this season by other threats (Rat King, Pizza Face, Chinatown Ghost, etc.), how long was Kraang Subprime going to wait to reveal its true nature? Was he that hardcore of a spy?
(D) if Kraang Subprime's primary directive was to get April to reveal the location of the Turtles's lair, then why did it seem to waste a year doing stuff that served no purpose in the mission? Irma seemed really dedicated to her school work even when it didn't serve the purpose of leveraging info out of April.
(E) in fact, this episode may have been the first time Irma showed any prolonged interest in getting April to come clean about her "friends introduce friends to each other's friends" angle. Hence, I never suspected Irma had any ulterior motives until the early scenes of this episode... especially with her admission that she rarely notices the cold even in a mini-skirt.
(F) April has these special powers of perception but can't figure out there is something seriously messed up with her "best friend" [from the past year anyway]? Clearly, Casey Jones is the much better judge of character: "Irma... she's so nasty!"

Originally Posted by The Big Bad

No matter how many times they failed at getting April, getting her was always going to be more cost-effective than more random trying—especially since a) they can easily do both at the same time, and b) the more they wait to catch April, the higher the chance that she'll just eventually end up dying, meaning they'd have to wait more millennia for their perfect match. It makes no sense that they'd have an asset like Irma and not use her to, as you say, kidnap her when she's alone.


This isn't EVERYTHING, though—it's a change in what has been one of the more consistent bits of series lore. What's more, the weird thing isn't that April turned out to be not as important as advertised, but that what should have been treated as a game-changer goes completely unremarked. Even April-obsessed Donatello apparently has nothing to say about the fact that kidnapping April was apparently optional.

I totally agree. All the work of the past two seasons just seemed to be disregarded for the sake of an explosive and shocking season finale. I never watched Heroes, but I heard that the famous "save the cheerleader, save the world" mantra kinda became pointless during the 2nd season. I sense some possible parallels in TMNT.

Originally Posted by evan2000

I just found something freaky, Kraang sub-prime's android body actually has part-organic-part-mechanical organs that looked to resemble human lungs and heart! So that's how he successfully impersonate a human without being noticed about not breathing or heart not beating etc. He even fooled a ghost!

http://i.imgur.com/kpyafWN.gif

http://i.imgur.com/nx6B2Su.gif

Loved all these tiny details that Ciro & co. actually spent effort to put into the show!

Those are some great shots!

[Warhorse]

I don't know if this is good or bad, but I saw on another forum where people are feeling like the females in this show are be treated like sh!t, and that the creators are writing stories that are driving away the female fan base the show has built up over the past two seasons, in just one episode. Lot of the girls (I'm talking about the tween girls, the ones that have made Twilight, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games into HUGE phenomenoms) have tweeted how they like Apritello, Karai and Irma because it gives them something to relate to, and well, thanks to Karai's mutation and this latest episode, the girls are feeling like the creators don't really care about them tuning in and watching the show, it's getting rid of everything they liked.

I hope the creators aren't doing this on purpose, it would be kind of stupid for the franchise.

[snake]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

I don't know if this is good or bad, but I saw on another forum where people are feeling like the females in this show are be treated like sh!t, and that the creators are writing stories that are driving away the female fan base the show has built up over the past two seasons, in just one episode. Lot of the girls (I'm talking about the tween girls, the ones that have made Twilight, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games into HUGE phenomenoms) have tweeted how they like Apritello, Karai and Irma because it gives them something to relate to, and well, thanks to Karai's mutation and this latest episode, the girls are feeling like the creators don't really care about them tuning in and watching the show, it's getting rid of everything they liked.

I hope the creators aren't doing this on purpose, it would be kind of stupid for the franchise.

By any chance did you read this on tumblr?

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

I don't know if this is good or bad, but I saw on another forum where people are feeling like the females in this show are be treated like sh!t, and that the creators are writing stories that are driving away the female fan base the show has built up over the past two seasons, in just one episode. Lot of the girls (I'm talking about the tween girls, the ones that have made Twilight, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games into HUGE phenomenoms) have tweeted how they like Apritello, Karai and Irma because it gives them something to relate to, and well, thanks to Karai's mutation and this latest episode, the girls are feeling like the creators don't really care about them tuning in and watching the show, it's getting rid of everything they liked.

I hope the creators aren't doing this on purpose, it would be kind of stupid for the franchise.

Although I sympathize with the concern, I think the sad fact of the matter is that if the kids are all into Twilight, then they most likely already beyond saving.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by snake

By any chance did you read this on tumblr?

Nope. I haven't gone on there in ages. It was actually a Harry Potter site.

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Although I sympathize with the concern, I think the sad fact of the matter is that if the kids are all into Twilight, then they most likely already beyond saving.

The fact is, the same demo took a stupid concept and made into a major multi million dollar industry just from movies and books alone. Like I said, it would be asinine to ignore such a financially driving force in the entertainment industry.

[snake]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

Nope. I haven't gone on there in ages. It was actually a Harry Potter site.

That makes sense. Harry Potter was written by a female author, which usually results in more female characters.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by snake

That makes sense. Harry Potter was written by a female author, which usually results in more female characters.

Huh? Have you ever read Harry Potter? Hermione, Mrs McGonagall and Ginny are pretty much the only main female characters, the rest are all male. And it's not so much about "more" female characters, but female characters that are written well and relatable. April can be bit of a jerk, just when Karai was finally getting interesting, she gets mutated, and then the last human female standing ends up being a Kraang, while we still have Casey Jones and the Shredder, well, it's frustrating.

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

(B) how is it that Kraang Subprime seems to speak perfect (and annoying) English dialect while almost the entirety of the species still struggles to grasp basic slang and sentence structure?

He's a spy. I'm assuming the cops are too, that's why they didn't have the speech quirk. They're specially trained to blend in for long periods of time, unlike the Normans who are just "get in, get out" guys.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Vicky82

Got this from Tumblr

Comparing shots of The Invasion with Mirage Leo 1

https://33.media.tumblr.com/db924e8c...lbgso5_500.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/00ef6efe...lbgso2_500.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/a8d0b618...lbgso3_500.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/2d1a5ce6...lbgso4_500.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/8f229cff...lbgso7_500.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/6d08026b...bgso10_500.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/63a3942e...lbgso8_500.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/fab6c86e...lbgso9_500.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/afdbe350...lbgso6_500.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/77224821...lbgso1_500.jpg

Gosh, I like that a lot!

This adaptation was much briefer than the 4Kids show, but they did capture a few scenes like that which were not covered in the 2003 episode.

[snake]

Originally Posted by Warhorse

Huh? Have you ever read Harry Potter? Hermione, Mrs McGonagall and Ginny are pretty much the only main female characters, the rest are all male. And it's not so much about "more" female characters, but female characters that are written well and relatable. April can be bit of a jerk, just when Karai was finally getting interesting, she gets mutated, and then the last human female standing ends up being a Kraang, while we still have Casey Jones and the Shredder, well, it's frustrating.

I've read HP. It had far more well written female characters then any TMNT incarnation. They may not count as "main" characters, but Ron's mom, Luna, Bellatrix, ect, are pretty well written.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by Ninjinister

He's a spy. I'm assuming the cops are too, that's why they didn't have the speech quirk. They're specially trained to blend in for long periods of time, unlike the Normans who are just "get in, get out" guys.

This is where it gets weird. Yeah, April is assuming Irma was a Kraang spy for the entire year she's know her, but then Raph says something like the Kraang are already infilterating with the invasion, so maybe it's something that just started to happen. Heck, maybe something like this started to happen because of Plan 10 episode.

Originally Posted by snake

I've read HP. It had far more well written female characters then any TMNT incarnation. They may not count as "main" characters, but Ron's mom, Luna, Bellatrix, ect, are pretty well written.

Then, maybe Ciro should hire some female writers for the show. Jane Espenson comes to mind.

[Garfield]

god guys and gals! So we couldn't let Machias do her thing and create the official topics. Just steal her gig why don't you...

Much pathos in this episode. I went nuts when Leo went berserk on Shred Mutants, Or when Leatherhead beat the @#$% out of Shred. Or when Splinter aura'd the pipes off of him when Shred beat Leatherhead badly.

I choked up a bit when Raph was in a state of rage when I was witnessing Shred beat Splinter.

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by snake

I've read HP. It had far more well written female characters then any TMNT incarnation. They may not count as "main" characters, but Ron's mom, Luna, Bellatrix, ect, are pretty well written.

TMNT needs to take notes then.

well written female characters are never bad for a show.

[Shark_Blade]

Some people peeved about Raph. Some about peeved about the female treatment.

Me? I'm peeved how Shredder striked Leo with one deadly swipe (which can slice through metals like knife on butter) but Leo looked...fine. I was expecting maybe a slashed plastron or carapace, with blood trickling all over his body. At least make his front belt sliced/cut off.

#asking the real problems in a kids show

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Some people peeved about Raph. Some about peeved about the female treatment.

Me? I'm peeved how Shredder striked Leo with one deadly swipe (which can slice through metals like knife on butter) but Leo looked...fine. I was expecting maybe a slashed plastron or carapace, with blood trickling all over his body. At least make his front belt sliced/cut off.

#asking the real problems in a kids show

That made me upset too!! If your gonna slice him and have that cool effect on the screen looking cut into pieces you could at least show....I don't know...a line?? or something on this plastron??

This is the same problem I had when Mikey got "cut" by Rahzar and he was so injured he needed Raph to lean on even though.....1) there was no wound!! and 2) a wound to the arm shouldn't make you have trouble walking (unless a pain from an invisible cut is unbearable)

[Shark_Blade]

Maybe blood is considered too violent in a kids show I guess?

But wha-hey they can stab a knife and sword through robots heads just fine lol.

[snake]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

Maybe blood is considered too violent in a kids show I guess?

But wha-hey they can stab a knife and sword through robots heads just fine lol.

Gravity Falls had tiny bits of Blood.

[chrisdude]

They've pretty much established that blades don't cut people in this show, as much as just hurt or knock them out. This has happened lots of times throughout the series. Their choices are that, or not really use weapons, because blood's not going to happen.

Also, Karai can continue to be an interesting and well-written character, after she's mutated.

Anyway, amazing episode.