Were-Rats from Channel 6

[rufus]

Just watched this episode the other night and one thing that stood out is that Michelangelo has his nun chucks in it despite using a grappling hook in earlier episodes.

[oldmanwinters]

I lose track of the nunchaku-grappling hook pattern during that 4th season.

Surely you also noticed the humongous animation mistake involving Donatello at the air field?

[MikeandRaph87]

Here it is,True Belivers, courtesy of a certain wacky duo.
http://media.tmnt.net/TMNT_Fan_Comme..._Channel_6.mp3

I liked seeing an A story and B story and then both plots interwine. It had the Technodrome gang and Rat King! Both of those facts make this episode a fun one! All the discussion going on about Rat King's less than steller Scarecrow DCAU redesign about him looking terribbly thin and how does he eat? Well,this episode sheds some light on that!

[oldmanwinters]

Ha, thanks for the free publicity, mikeandraph87.

I guess somebody had to do it since Jester was busy having his baby today.

[rufus]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I lose track of the nunchaku-grappling hook pattern during that 4th season.

Surely you also noticed the humongous animation mistake involving Donatello at the air field?

I noticed that hilarious animation mistake. Can not believe that no one working on it noticed that. Poor 5th turtle.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Ha, thanks for the free publicity, mikeandraph87.

I guess somebody had to do it since Jester was busy having his baby today.

Awesome! But a week too early if memory serves! I appreciate the commentaries. I have actually listened to them six months longer than my registeration date.Its a great concellation prize for the lack of extras our favorite cartoon's DVD releases lacked. Your commentary actually gets my mind going a mile a minute with its insightfulness i.e. the Ace Duck concept.

I like to think of the "5th turtle" as the Missingo glitch (Pok'emon Blue& Red for tohse not familar) and fondly refer to the extra Don as Kirby.

[TurtleFan2012]

Originally Posted by rufus

Just watched this episode the other night and one thing that stood out is that Michelangelo has his nun chucks in it despite using a grappling hook in earlier episodes.

Sadly, the episodes on some dvds are not in proper order
For example in the season 5 dvd box set, the technodrome is in the artic. The next episode, it's in a different location. The episode after that features the technodrome BACK in the artic.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by TurtleFan2012

Sadly, the episodes on some dvds are not in proper order
For example in the season 5 dvd box set, the technodrome is in the artic. The next episode, it's in a different location. The episode after that features the technodrome BACK in the artic.

Which episode are you talking abot?

[pannoni1]

I find it hilarious when Vernon mutates into a rat, since it makes a good avatar for Peter Renaday's other main character he voiced (Splinter). To me this episode builds upon the plot of "Enter The Rat King", but with Shredder and his mutants involved. Also, the word "Entrance" is misspelled "Entrace" on the side of the Channel 6 building. And TurtleFan2012, that was actually Season 6's "Leonardo is Missing", which comes after several episodes in which the Technodrome is under the ocean. Note that Season 6 has only 7 out of 16 episodes with Shredder in it, which is the lowest percentage of all Seasons except for Seasons 9 and 10, plus the episodes are very imbalanced in terms of Shredder/no Shredder. If I had to watch Season 6 in order for balance, I would schedule it like this:

-Leonardo is Missing
-Snakes Alive!
-Donatello Trashes Slash
-Rock Around The Block
-Polly Wanna Pizza
-Krangenstein Lives
-Nightmare in the Lair
-Super Irma
-Too Hot to Handle
-Adventures in Turtle-Sitting
-Mr. Nice Guy
-The Sword of Yurikawa
-Return of the Turtleoid
-Phantom of the Sewers
-Shreeka's Revenge
-Sleuth on the Loose


In this plan, there are no more than two episodes without Shredder, plus it assumes that the Season begins just as it was in Season 5 with the Technodrome at the North Pole. It then keeps all of the ocean Technodrome episodes in order. The non-Shredder episodes are inconsequential to the long-term plot, so they were mostly picked at random. It also provides two popular characters (Slash, the Turtleoid) during the two episode gaps between Shredder episodes.Finally, it still allows Sleuth on the Loose to be last given how Raph mentions "summer reruns" at the end of the episode. It's odd that with still more than half the season to go that Shreeka's Revenge is the last episode of Season 6 with the Technodrome under the ocean.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by pannoni1

I find it hilarious when Vernon mutates into a rat, since it makes a good avatar for Peter Renaday's other main character he voiced (Splinter). To me this episode builds upon the plot of "Enter The Rat King", but with Shredder and his mutants involved. Also, the word "Entrance" is misspelled "Entrace" on the side of the Channel 6 building. And TurtleFan2012, that was actually Season 6's "Leonardo is Missing", which comes after several episodes in which the Technodrome is under the ocean. Note that Season 6 has only 7 out of 16 episodes with Shredder in it, which is the lowest percentage of all Seasons except for Seasons 9 and 10, plus the episodes are very imbalanced in terms of Shredder/no Shredder. If I had to watch Season 6 in order for balance, I would schedule it like this:

-Leonardo is Missing
-Snakes Alive!
-Donatello Trashes Slash
-Rock Around The Block
-Polly Wanna Pizza
-Krangenstein Lives
-Nightmare in the Lair
-Super Irma
-Too Hot to Handle
-Adventures in Turtle-Sitting
-Mr. Nice Guy
-The Sword of Yurikawa
-Return of the Turtleoid
-Phantom of the Sewers
-Shreeka's Revenge
-Sleuth on the Loose


In this plan, there are no more than two episodes without Shredder, plus it assumes that the Season begins just as it was in Season 5 with the Technodrome at the North Pole. It then keeps all of the ocean Technodrome episodes in order. The non-Shredder episodes are inconsequential to the long-term plot, so they were mostly picked at random. It also provides two popular characters (Slash, the Turtleoid) during the two episode gaps between Shredder episodes.Finally, it still allows Sleuth on the Loose to be last given how Raph mentions "summer reruns" at the end of the episode. It's odd that with still more than half the season to go that Shreeka's Revenge is the last episode of Season 6 with the Technodrome under the ocean.

I know Leonardo is Missing, but that's season 6. Maybe set during season 5, or just intended to air before "Rock Around the Block".

[cammy85]

Originally Posted by Swedenfan 1982

I know Leonardo is Missing, but that's season 6. Maybe set during season 5, or just intended to air before "Rock Around the Block".

I still (vaguely) remember how they were supposed to air and wonder why it wasn't done like this. "Leonardo is Missing" and "Rock Around The Block" made up the first hour block of Season 6 with the Technodrome still in the Artic still trying to get free. Nice to see Shredder and Krang in the second episode for once. "Night of the Rogues" would make light of this in Season 7.

As for Were-Rats: easily one of my favorite Rat King stories and in a way more exciting than "Splinter Vanishes". The Rat King trying to get control of Splinter again, April being captured, Vernon and Irma being used again this time as rats instead of attempted zombies. Even though the two plots couldn't work without each other, I felt that Bebop and Rocksteady weren't really needed in this episode. After Act 1, you almost forget they're in the episode until the end.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by cammy85

I still (vaguely) remember how they were supposed to air and wonder why it wasn't done like this. "Leonardo is Missing" and "Rock Around The Block" made up the first hour block of Season 6 with the Technodrome still in the Artic still trying to get free. Nice to see Shredder and Krang in the second episode for once. "Night of the Rogues" would make light of this in Season 7.

As for Were-Rats: easily one of my favorite Rat King stories and in a way more exciting than "Splinter Vanishes". The Rat King trying to get control of Splinter again, April being captured, Vernon and Irma being used again this time as rats instead of attempted zombies. Even though the two plots couldn't work without each other, I felt that Bebop and Rocksteady weren't really needed in this episode. After Act 1, you almost forget they're in the episode until the end.

Bebop and Rocksteady are in almost every Shredder episode between mid season 2-season 8. That's just a fact.

[Killer Moth]

Originally Posted by cammy85

As for Were-Rats: easily one of my favorite Rat King stories and in a way more exciting than "Splinter Vanishes". The Rat King trying to get control of Splinter again, April being captured, Vernon and Irma being used again this time as rats instead of attempted zombies. Even though the two plots couldn't work without each other, I felt that Bebop and Rocksteady weren't really needed in this episode. After Act 1, you almost forget they're in the episode until the end.

I finally saw the episode for the first time, yesterday, so I can comment. Huzzah.

Putting aside the explosives subplot for a moment, Bebop and Rocksteady's main use in the episode seemed to be explain the mutagen and its properties (which, naturally, the Rat King overheard). Clearly, it was to drive the plot, as to inform the Rat King about his mutagen, since, obviously, he wasn't familiar with it. It probably was also for the benefit of the then-new CBS audience, as the concept of mutagen hadn't been addressed in the series for a while, I think.

It also addressed nicely about the fact that mutagen does break down eventually. Which brings up a question, as I don't think it was explained (or I have to re-watch): how did this extra canister end up in the sewers in the first place? Maybe Shredder, while tracking down Yoshi pre-series, dumped additional canisters elsewhere in the sewers as to cover his bets? Or, maybe it was an off-camera event and forgot about it? Not that it matters, but it should be asked.

Meanwhile, Splinter was willing to overcome his fear of the Rat King, and, as you said, it had a few follow-ups to the previous season's Rat King episodes. Save for the animation, it wasn't a bad episode, actually.

Oh, we have to like it, as the Steelbeak laugh might have gotten its start here. See the airport scene where the two crooks switched the boxes or containers. The one in the nice hat, voiced by Paulsen, he had a Steelbeak laugh. Yep, yep, yep.

[oldmanwinters]

I appreciated how this episode at least gave all the good guys a chance to shine in the final battle instead of just standing around on the sidelines. The 3 (or was it 4?) turtles battling the villainous goons and their enslaved friends on an airplane, Donatello providing (unexpected) air-support, Splinter getting his rematch with the Rat King, and even poor disrespected April getting to save the day by bringing Splinter back to his senses with a conveniently located bucket of water!

Well done, David Wise.

[Killer Moth]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I appreciated how this episode at least gave all the good guys a chance to shine in the final battle instead of just standing around on the sidelines. The 3 (or was it 4?) turtles battling the villainous goons and their enslaved friends on an airplane, Donatello providing (unexpected) air-support, Splinter getting his rematch with the Rat King, and even poor disrespected April getting to save the day by bringing Splinter back to his senses with a conveniently located bucket of water!

Well done, David Wise.

In regards to April, I noticed Wise did the same thing in an earlier episode, the Maltese Hamster, where she was hidden and then shot down the Maltese Hamster from Shredder's hands with the laser pistol Don absconded from the gangsters. Nice touch, as it's always good when April becomes part of the action.

Anyway, said action in "Were-Rats" was well done, but I had forgotten where she was on the airport grounds before that happened with the bucket. "Ahh! April appeared with a bucket of water! Where was she?"

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Killer Moth

"Ahh! April appeared with a bucket of water! Where was she?"

Heh, I guess she was having coffee with Donatello #2 ?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Heh, I guess she was having coffee with Donatello #2 ?

That should be Irma!

[TurtleFan2012]

Originally Posted by Swedenfan 1982

Which episode are you talking abot?

i think it's the episode where leo was missing, the same episode where dinosaurs were underground. the technodrome was at a different location, the previous episode had it in the artic.

[cammy85]

Originally Posted by Killer Moth

In regards to April, I noticed Wise did the same thing in an earlier episode, the Maltese Hamster, where she was hidden and then shot down the Maltese Hamster from Shredder's hands with the laser pistol Don absconded from the gangsters. Nice touch, as it's always good when April becomes part of the action.

Anyway, said action in "Were-Rats" was well done, but I had forgotten where she was on the airport grounds before that happened with the bucket. "Ahh! April appeared with a bucket of water! Where was she?"

In hiding, since the Turtles were on the plane and she either didn't want the Rat King to know she was free or she knew he would try to take control of Splinter so she was ready with said bucket of water just in case. Also, the Rat King only knew Splinter was there, he knew nothing of the Turtles or Bebop and Rocksteady being there.