Official Episode Discussion: S2 #9 "The Kraang Conspiracy"

[blue_angel99]

This episode left me with so many more questions than answers.

Leo: Ninja training lasts 4...5 hours at a time. Awesome Right?

[victory_angel]

Originally Posted by blue_angel99

This episode left me with so many more questions than answers.

Leo: Ninja training lasts 4...5 hours at a time. Awesome Right?

I think he meant to say that ninja training is rather intense, but you get used to it.

[Shark_Blade]

As expected of Splinter Jr.

[bigk4062]

I think this episode really needed to be a two-parter...so much info it made my head spin

[BubblyShell22]

I think April being a mutant is a good twist because although she looks human and can still do human things, she can now sympathize with the Turtles about how it feels to be different from everyone else. She's not alone in that, and for her, that's why she's lucky to have the Turtles as friends.

[marcelangelo]

what is this?it seems somebody just wiped out the comment I made yesterday?!?!...I went through all the pages here and its suddenly gone...

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by victory_angel

I do agree with you that April is the bridge between the Turtles and the rest of the world. However April is human in appearance and that is not going away so even though she is essentially one of the "freaks". She is still able to go outside, have a life like a normal person would, so she is still a liaison between humans and humanity. But she is more like a representative from mutants towards humanity.

Superficially, yes. April will still look like a human and had human experiences, but psychologically she's more of an outsider than she ever thought she was, being a mutant, just like the Turtles. So her whole perspective is different now. It was formerly a human (April) trying to understand and relate to these "mutant freaks", but now it's "you were always one of the mutant freaks, April." It's an unique dynamic having both perspectives, but for me, April being a mutant will obscure the magnitude of her compassion and effort of her friendship toward the Turtles, because now she's part of the "mutant family" rather than a normal human who extended herself in trying to know others different from her. Anyways, we'll see if it can be executed effectively because incorporating these mental powers/dreaming/supernatural twists can be a dicey risk in the storywriting as to whether it's satisfying or not for the audience; plus, let's not forget April's character is already skirting dangerously close to "Mary Sue" territory.

[The Sports Warrior]

This episode really took "The Kraang can't shoot for guff" to the next level.

[BabyTurtles]

Originally Posted by The Sports Warrior

This episode really took "The Kraang can't shoot for guff" to the next level.

didn't Raph get shot once? in the TMNT season 1 finale....but that was when Raph was reaaaaallly distracted XD

he seemed fine though....and got back up and overkilled the kraang with weapons for shooting him

[DarkLightDragon]

The Kraang pretty much have always been rather gun-blasting crazy if I recall the first episode correctly.

[CyberCubed]

What's really odd is how the laser guns don't do any damage. They were firing the guns at the couches and walls and there was no damage at all. I hate that.

They should at least animate property damage to the areas where they're shooting.

[Eiko]

Just finished watching this ep so much better than last weeks episode. No idea why so many of you hate it oh well explained so much about April.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Eiko

Just finished watching this ep so much better than last weeks episode. No idea why so many of you hate it oh well explained so much about April.

The actual April reveal was fine. The plot of the ep itself was the same dull Krang infiltration plot they did 10 times already.

[Eiko]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

The actual April reveal was fine. The plot of the ep itself was the same dull Krang infiltration plot they did 10 times already.

Yea I know, but I still found it a good fun episode.

[bwrosas]

http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/02/...1237339#!vqyXm

[Shred87]

Just got around to catching up...

Overall i enjoyed the episode.... April was extremely annoying... If you know the kraang are trying to capture you why do you walk into tcri? The plot def seems to be rehashed.. Nothing too unique

When i first saw kurtzman i really thought for a second we were getting bishop. The reveal wasnt much of a surprise but im glad to finally get that out there.

Pretty fired up with this season. Theres a lot of balls in play right now with karai/splinter, april , kirby, kraang prime, and we are approaching the halfway point and dont know how shredder plays in. All in all an enjoyable episode that moved the story along.

[bigk4062]

Mikey's argument about Tofu Bacon still makes me chuckle... it was just so random!

[blindturtle02]

Originally Posted by bigk4062

Mikey's argument about Tofu Bacon still makes me chuckle... it was just so random!

I loved that bit too. He hasn't struck me as dumb or insensitive at all in this show. He's a bit random, but aren't all teens? I know I was. Sure Mikey's going to make food references at times as it's one of his passions. It was fitting too! I need to get on my instant vid and rewatch this one.

[BubblyShell22]

Yep, I noticed that, too, and thought it was funny since Beast Boy (another character voiced by Greg Cipes) also loves tofu.

[bwrosas]

2-12-14
8:55am

You know, I can understand and accept that Nickelodeon's teenage mutant ninja turtles cartoon series that has been currently running since 2012, I can understand and accept that this is just a different incarnation and take on the turtles franchise. I mean if you watch Turtles Forever, you get an understanding that this series is based in a different world/dimension then that of the original ninja turtles, the 87 to 96 ninja turtles, the 2K3 ninja turtles, and even the Archie comics, image comics, IDW comics, and so on, you can pretty much except that this is the kind of world that these ninja turtles and their allies and enemies live in. Basically a world, where the main human allies are not adults, but are teenagers going to high school.

So yeah, I can understand and accept that this incarnation is based in an alternate dimension and world different from those that I mentioned.

But even still, out of all those different incarnations that I just talked about, with the exception of the very beginning, every other April O'Neil that has appeared in any other incarnation of the ninja turtles, including the short-lived ova Anime's, never once was her background/origin revealed to be that of half alien/half human, thus making her a mutant. Never once was that even considered. But yet when it comes to Nickelodeon's version/take on April O'Neil, that rulebook gets tossed out the window.

And what's surprising about all this, is you have a decent amount of fans, old and new, that watch the series, are on the fence about the series, and just plain don't like it, and yet you have them all asking the question as of this past Sunday, "What is the point in making April a mutant?" I mean seriously, fans want to know. Heck, I keep up with the series either by my 10-year-old nephew talking about it, or reading and watching what other people have to say about it, and perhaps catching a glimpse here and there, but even I want to know what is the point?

I mean in previous incarnations, I can understand if she was mutated for one episode, I could accept that and I did. I mean I've seen episodes where she's been mutated into a cat, a fish woman, and insect Queen. And even though it took to the final season of the 2003 incarnation, I even saw her transform/mutate into a giant Ying-yang monster. Even in the Archie comics, for one of the 48 page special issues, she was temporarily mutated into a turtle. She even had a opening dream sequence in issue seven of the IDW micro-series of her being a mutant turtle.

So I, along with several other fans can understand that and except that, but here what really is the point? I mean what to perfect human DNA so the Krang can perfect their mutagens in their dimension and on earth. Is that why? That still does not make a lot of sense. I mean you spend portions of the first season and some portions of the second season, including this past Sunday to reveal the reason why the Krang have been after April this whole time. And the reason is to perfect their mutagen in their dimension and on earth. Again what's the real point?

And on top of all that, you have them perfect their mutagen through April's human DNA so they can make April clones? Again that doesn't make sense. I mean you have to have a legit reason for something this game changing to really mean something, to really have a purpose. And you know what, the official website that does reviews of each episode of the new series, I think said it best at the end of its review for this past Sunday's episode.

And that is, with something this game changing and revealing, you don't just throw it in there as a filler episode, you do what you did with the episode that came before it and even the episode they came before that, and that is you hype/build it up so that it really means something. Because in the end, if you don't build something like this up and you just throw it in as another filler episode, then it really isn't going to mean anything or have any real significance in the grand scheme of things when it comes to this series.

If anything you should have made this revelation of April basically being a mutant, you should have made it a two, maybe three part story that you could have split/span for three Sundays in a row and even then air it as a 66 min. prime time special. Because with something like this becoming a game changer in the series, you don't just throw it in as filler.

Then here's another question. Is having April being revealed as a mutant, is this just Nickelodeon's way of trying to ship an April O'Neil/Donatello relationship. Because apparently that's what may seem like they're trying to do in the eyes of some. I think they even said that throughout this episode from this past Sunday, that's she wanted Donatello's help more than she wanted Leonardo's and Raphael's. So if her being revealed as an overall mutant with a human appearance is just to try to ship her with Donatello, then this pretty much confirms what I had said before in a video and a revised typed up version of that video, and that is with this creative/writing staff headed by Ciro, that they are unpredictable and you cannot put anything past them.

Which is why I still question of whether or not that their going to take Irma and turn her into Mona Lisa through mutation. Because with this staff writing the show and coming up with the ideas that their coming up with, one never really knows. And more so, you could end up having an April/Donatello relationship, which I'm sure a lot of fans wouldn't mind, because they basically had been building up to it, even with her kissing him on the cheek about a few weeks ago, so it wouldn't surprise me if they finalize this relationship as Canon in this incarnation of the ninja turtles.

But again, this all points back to the question of what was the real point behind the revelation that April O'Neil in this incarnation is an overall mutant. So if I'm the creative staff on this show, I think I have a lot of explaining to do and hopefully it'll be answers they'll be straight and truthful, and not being given to just throw fans completely off course.

And that is all I'm going to say.

9:35am
2-12-14