Official Ep Discussion: S3 Ep8: "Vision Quest"

[Foombamaroom]

Originally Posted by Meliwen

I noticed that too. What I do like about the Leo/Shredder fight however, is how Shredder became a giant, and that's how Leo defeats him. We still have the proper Shredder turtle fight for later, and the fight in this episode is won in such an unreal way that the later fight won't feel rehashed or anything.

Also what exactly was up when the deer went into Leo's head? I'm not sure what that was supposed to signify. Was it just Leo finally getting his injury out of his mind?

Giant Shredder reminded me of Turtles Forever to be honest. I'm still hoping for the whole team to fight Shredder and he beats the living **** out of them. That's why I love 2012 Shredder: They always get the **** knocked out of them whenever they fight him.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by Rooish

Holy crap someone PM me a link please. Not one that can only be viewed in America.

Do people agree with the Turtles' elements? We've got fire, wind, mountain and forest. Usually I hear of earth air fire and water, and I would totally switch things around--Raph can be fire, but Mikey would be water, Leo earth and Don air. I think.

Just finished watching it, and this one was awesome! Loved the fights- especially Mikey. He is really bad-@$$ when he really focuses. Raph's was pretty cool, too.

As for the elements, the only one's I'd change would be that Leo would be water, not wind, and Mikey would be wind instead of forest, much like the 2K3 series.

Okay for my take on the spirit quest in general, here's some thoughts from someone who is familiar with the type of spiritual strength and enlightenment that is touched on here. Shamanic and "Zen" practices are both very ancient and very complex forms of self-empowerment that in many cultures, are as important as physical or mental strength. Donnie as a "stone shaman" was interesting in that masks are a very symbolic and powerful way of focusing one's inner power to manifest it as physical power. That makes sense for him, since he's always using "mind over matter" when he fights already- this just takes it to a higher level, which I really like.

Raph using his anger to "ignite" his inner strength is also extremely fitting, turning what is normally a weakness into an advantage. Spirit journeys are all about finding you true power and shedding the parts of yourself that hold you back- Raph needed to learn to use that.

Mikey's is the only one I have issue with, as a forest is rarely as still and calm as this makes it seem. A forest is LIFE, which is always in motion, and always changing, not static and "still" like the spirit-Splinter said. Wind would have been better for him, using his natural gift of speed and agility to his advantage, and his mind to tap into the potential that it represents- the unbridled potential of the storm, which is very much Mikey. He's wild and unpredictable, hard to pin down mentally, and when he is truly focused, he can blow through opponents with ease (Wind can wear down even stone, which is fitting, given his energy levels.)

Leo needs an element that suits his personality, which here would have been the forest or better yet, water. Water flows and can't be permanently contained- even water in a container still escapes as condensation, and it takes the shape of whatever it's in- it moves and adapts easily to any new environment- which is perfect for Leo. Or if we use the forest as the "element", he would bend and remain firm, yet always growing and changing. (Technically, it should be wood, not "forest". In the I-Ching, forest is one of the four secondary signs out of the eight basic elements, being a combination of earth and wood.)

Anyway, overall, I really liked the episode, and I'm really happy to see the campfire scene, though it would have been nice for Splinter to acknowledge that he loved them, or that he was proud of their progress.

[Gunstar_Red]

It was a good episode. Not as great as everyone is claiming. The main problem I have with this episode was it should have been 4-5 episodes. It should have been single character episodes exploring their growth as ninjas. Instead, we got rushed "summaries" with action sequences. I also found the camp fire scene (although I'm glad they added it and it was a cute homage) rather flat.

[Groverman62]

This was a fun and cool episode that provided a good conclusion to the farmhouse episodes. While I have enjoyed this arc, I was itchin to get back to New York. See you Next Sunday.

[Nasubionna]

Just got to watch it, and really enjoyed it. I loved their forest training montage before they donned their new outfits/weapons: it reminded me a bit of the "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" sequence in "Mulan." The music was great, and I loved them celebrating (chest-pounding and all) when Raph managed to get a fire going.
The fights and turtle vs. foe match-ups were great, and while I loved the Splinter-in-the-campfire 1990 movie reference, I agree with others that it would have been nice for Splinter and the turtles to show a bit more emotion. But then again, while I've mostly been enjoying season 3 so far, I've been a little disgruntled by the general lack of noticeable concern on the part of the turtles/April/Casey for Splinter and whatever the heck the Krang are up to in New York/April and Casey's family/etc....
Anyway, loved the episode, and super excited to return to New York!

[travelingcat]

Ehhh maybe it's because of all the hype for this episode beforehand, but I was a little underwhelmed by it. Really wish they dropped A Foot Too Big to make this an hour long. They forge new armor because...? Could've been more indepth.

Loved the action scenes during their quests though. And that deer spirit was pretty interesting.

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

I won't nitpick everything, but my main beef was with the campfire scene with Splinter. His speech in the first movie has moved me to tears several times, but here he shows up and basically says "you're an asshole, you're a retard, you're a nerd and you're a big pussy. Now go dress up and play make believe in the woods. Also I'm not dead."

Hahaha, my thoughts exactly.

[Gunstar_Red]

I forgot to mention, although I loved the spirit deer's design, I think we could have gone without another one dimensional "throw away" character. I know, its been watching them in previous episodes but I think the episode could have been even more streamlined (if that's why they sped though this supposedly important episode) if the deer was cut.

I'm getting tired of Leo being constantly reminded that the pain is in his head. We get it already! Move on!

Originally Posted by travelingcat

They forge new armor because...?

Yeah, I wasn't too sure about that line of thought too. I guess they wanted new identities to fit the whole reborn theme? But I think it was just an excuse to put them in cool outfits. ^^; At least it shows they know how to make their weapons like in the 2003 version.

[drgon78]

Good episode, liked the "boss" fights, kind of wished it was longer but I would rather save two part episodes for the season finally.

[Autbot_Benz]

Originally Posted by travelingcat

They forge new armor because...? Could've been more indepth.

They Forge new armor because the Spirit guide known as Playmates said we need new versions of you to make money off of.

[Nasubionna]

Originally Posted by Gunstar_Red

It was a good episode. Not as great as everyone is claiming. The main problem I have with this episode was it should have been 4-5 episodes. It should have been single character episodes exploring their growth as ninjas. Instead, we got rushed "summaries" with action sequences. I also found the camp fire scene (although I'm glad they added it and it was a cute homage) rather flat.

Ooh, yes, I would have loved if they had broken this up into 4 or 5 episodes, with one episode for each turtle's personal journey. That would have been epic. While I thought it was a good episode, it does feel a little bit disappointing to me that it was hyped up quite a bit but felt quite rushed. Not bad, but just felt like another missed opportunity for some truly special stuff in a distressingly long line of missed opportunities lately. *shrug*

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by drgon78

Good episode, liked the "boss" fights, kind of wished it was longer but I would rather save two part episodes for the season finally.

Is that the end of the sentence or...? The season finally what?

[Xav]

Originally Posted by Keroscene

And I was thought it was anti-climactic that Raph, Don and Mike all ended up fighting villains that they've actually fought and defeated before in the real world.

When did Don defeat Tiger Claw? Also why was Don fighting Tiger Claw anyway? He had no connection to him.

Originally Posted by Vicky82

I noticed when the spirit deer appeared and then Raph, Donnie and Mikey went to attack it because they thought it was a mutant then Donnie accidently hitting Mikey and Raph and then Raph got mad then started attacking Donnie.

Why did the Turtles attack the deer just because they thought it was a mutant? They met other good mutants before.

[drag0nfeathers]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! I just got home from work and my DVR didn't record!!!!!!!!!!!!! RAWR!!!! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME DVR WHY!?!?

[Meliwen]

Originally Posted by Xav

When did Don defeat Tiger Claw? Also why was Don fighting Tiger Claw anyway? He had no connection to him.

That fight was pretty random, and in one sense I thought it was a bit nicer than Raph and Mikey's, if only because it wasn't something we've seen before. I think almost any opponent would feel a bit out of place for Donnie since he doesn't have a specific rival in the Foot clan, unless I'm overlooking someone.

Why did the Turtles attack the deer just because they thought it was a mutant? They met other good mutants before.

I'm guessing they weren't taking their chances considering what they had to face in the past few weeks.

[Nasubionna]

Is it just me, or did Raph's flamethrowers sound pretty similar to Ghostbuster proton packs when firing up?

[victory_angel]

Originally Posted by Xav

When did Don defeat Tiger Claw? Also why was Don fighting Tiger Claw anyway? He had no connection to him.

Mikey has beaten Rahzar and Raph is equally matched with Fishface. Donnie has never actually faced Tiger Claw on his own. The last time he encountered him he threw smoke bombs at him to aid their escape. However Tiger Claw is the second in Command of the Foot. And in a way this is a reference that Donnie has become a second in command to Leo he is the loyalist member of the team.

Mikey's a loose cannon and while he loyally follows his brothers he does need to be reigned in.

Raph is loyal most of the time, but he is also a loose cannon at times and does things the way he feels should be done and does tend to call Leo out on what he feels is BS. While Leo considers the safety of the team before making a decision.

Donnie on the other hand also does things with the teams safety at heart and knows Leo is doing what he feels is best for the team. He doesn't always agree with Leo's judgment. He also isn't afraid to call Leo out on his BS particularly when he feels he has something important to offer the team and Leo just brushes it aside as if it was nothing. Leo in turn listens to what advice and suggestions Donnie has to offer, though sometimes he doesn't have the patience or interest for it.

[Luckyday]

Originally Posted by Nasubionna

Ooh, yes, I would have loved if they had broken this up into 4 or 5 episodes, with one episode for each turtle's personal journey. That would have been epic. While I thought it was a good episode, it does feel a little bit disappointing to me that it was hyped up quite a bit but felt quite rushed. Not bad, but just felt like another missed opportunity for some truly special stuff in a distressingly long line of missed opportunities lately. *shrug*

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the writers' room. I have a feeling that process is something like this.

"Ok what awesome thing can we do this season?"
test some animation
"Ok what awesome thing are we able to animate this time?"

Then they get started writing the episodes but mostly the main storyline which at the most is 3 to 5 episodes. Then wait for the upper management to order some mutant of week to sell toys and write the rest of the stand alone episodes to make up the bulk of the season and sprinkle a little continuity to pat themselves on the back. And then they start full production with voice overs and the animation.

This show is mostly about concepts and ideas which can make some really great stand alone episodes but when it comes to writing big story lines, it requires planning, and it's just not their speciality. Having a linear story arc just makes them inflexible.

My suggestion for the future, is to more focus on having stand alone episodes and have a rather vague and broad story line so that we don't feel distracted whenever watching a episode that not really to the main story.

However season 4 has fewer episodes so hopefully that means the next season has a tightly written script. It would be awesome if that dark Raph arc turns out to be the main arc for season 4. I have wonder though if season 4 will have the usual breaks and hiatuses which could really hinder the season since going in a plot heavy direction.

[Machias Banshee]

This was a pretty decent episode! I do like what someone described the campfire scene as... Pretty accurate with the blatant "You all suck, now get ready for death" talk... but when Splinter first met them, he said something in Japanese that I'm curious about:

watashi no musikotachi o

I have no idea if I have this spelt right, but I'm curious about what that actually Means... the boys used japanese in this episode as well, but Splinter is what I'm most interested in.

[snake]

Originally Posted by Machias Banshee

This was a pretty decent episode! I do like what someone described the campfire scene as... Pretty accurate with the blatant "You all suck, now get ready for death" talk... but when Splinter first met them, he said something in Japanese that I'm curious about:

watashi no musikotachi o

I have no idea if I have this spelt right, but I'm curious about what that actually Means... the boys used japanese in this episode as well, but Splinter is what I'm most interested in.

It means "What's up, guys. I'm going to tell you why you're all horrible in a second."

[Mellie]

Originally Posted by Machias Banshee

but when Splinter first met them, he said something in Japanese that I'm curious about:

watashi no musikotachi o

pretty sure it's supposed to be "My sons", watashi no musukotachi o