Worst arc

[Prowler]

What was the worst arc, in your opinion?

Notes From Underground maybe. I mean, 3 episodes long to explain the history of the Turtle's Lair area? And the story and characters introduced in it weren't that interesting anyway. It was rather early in the series and felt like a deture from the story. And it's not like we knew everything about the main story yet. We all wanted to know more about the Foot and Shredder and those mysterious Matrix looking guys, and yet we get this arc? Meh.

[Wesley]

Ninja Tribunal comes to mind. I didn’t care much for all the supernatural stuff.

[Icebot]

I guess for me it’s City At War.

[Andrew NDB]

"Return to New York." I get angry just remembering it the first (and only) time I saw it.

[neatoman]

So for an arc, let's say it needs to last three episodes and can be argued to be one cohesive story, otherwise it's just a two-parter or a set or recurring elements.

City at War is a really lame adaptation and is reduced to little more than a way to introduce Karai. But bad adaptation is not always the same as bad story, so I don't think I can just say that one.

I think Space Invaders/Worlds Collide might actually be it if we are being strict with the crieria. It's just kind really awkward and serves very little purpose aside from introducing Bishop and giving Ch'Rell the means to escape Earth at the end of the season. I can see why it needed to exist but the story could have been shorter.

If we're a little bit more relaxed, it's probably all of season 5. Everything that happens in season 5 is just so... Random and arbitrary, not to mention the power creep. I'm not sure I really understand what the hell is going on in that season.

And we just barely follow the guideline... BttS is garbage. Granted, it only counts as a season long "arc" because Splinter needs to be reassembled and other than that it's a series of mostly standalone episodes... But they're basically all garbage and especially if the collection Splinter is the focus.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

"Return to New York." I get angry just remembering it the first (and only) time I saw it.

... Meh... I know how you motivate it but I think that's one of the times where you really take your veneration for the source material way too seriously. I can't exactly say I miss the absurd explanation for how Shredder came back or the lack of explanation for where Zog came from.

I just don't take the original story that seriously and I'm not even sure it's that good. The artwork is really cool but the actual plot and writing leave something to be desired.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by neatoman

If we're a little bit more relaxed, it's probably all of season 5. Everything that happens in season 5 is just so... Random and arbitrary, not to mention the power creep. I'm not sure I really understand what the hell is going on in that season..

Pretty much everything that happened in Season 5 was foreshadowed as early as season 1 when the Foot Mystic first appeared, and then all of Season 4. It has a pretty cohesive plot the whole way through regardless if people like the Turtles got mystic abilities or not.

[neatoman]

I'm not so sure "Ch'Rell actually stole the Shredder identity from a demon Yoshi was destined to slay and those wizard guys were his servants" was ever implied before season 4.

[Prowler]

I wasn't a big fan of season 5 either but I'd not call it the worst arc. It's not bad per se. Just... underwhelming. And too anime-ish for an American cartoon. I like anime and I know TMNT has Japanese elements in it, but it just doesn't feel right to have both mixed up. Just felt off. The Turtles had no power ups before and after that but somehow had them in season 5. Even if there's an explanation for that it's still hard to buy.

Notes From Underground, however, was just boring.

[Leo656]

I liked "Notes..." but then I feel like it's important sometimes to do things to illustrate it wasn't just going to be all about TMNT vs. Shredder or whatever. I can see why it didn't play well with everyone but I felt like it was decent in a way of kind of fleshing out the larger world of the show.

I feel like I really need to do a proper marathon of the show before I can give this or the "Favorite Arc" thread a good answer. I have not seen most of the episodes in many years. All I can really say in either case was that I enjoyed the entire first Season when I rewatched it last year or whenever it was, but that's as far as I got.

Can I just say "All of Fast Forward" or is that cheating? I guess it probably is; I mean, I've only seen a tiny bit of it, but I hated all that I did see. I imagine there's probably nothing in the "real" 4Kids show - that meaning the earlier seasons, pre-revamp - I'd dislike more than "Fast Forward".

[MrPliggins]

I'd almost say "Secret Origins" because the "twist ending" was painfully obvious (and spoiled online by a video game if I remember correctly), but I was pretty entertained by the arc anyway.
I'll have to say "Notes from the Underground" because it just wasn't very interesting to me.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I liked "Notes..." but then I feel like it's important sometimes to do things to illustrate it wasn't just going to be all about TMNT vs. Shredder or whatever. I can see why it didn't play well with everyone but I felt like it was decent in a way of kind of fleshing out the larger world of the show.

I feel like I really need to do a proper marathon of the show before I can give this or the "Favorite Arc" thread a good answer. I have not seen most of the episodes in many years. All I can really say in either case was that I enjoyed the entire first Season when I rewatched it last year or whenever it was, but that's as far as I got.

Can I just say "All of Fast Forward" or is that cheating? I guess it probably is; I mean, I've only seen a tiny bit of it, but I hated all that I did see. I imagine there's probably nothing in the "real" 4Kids show - that meaning the earlier seasons, pre-revamp - I'd dislike more than "Fast Forward".

Yes. Ofc, on paper, the storyline of the Lair sounded interesting. But the execution wasn't too great. 3 episodes for it was a little too much, imo.

[Zog The Magnificent]

I'm counting Back to the Sewer because it has a season long arc revolving around collecting Splinter's data bites and the Cyber-Shredder. There is nothing in the show worse than season 7.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by Zog The Magnificent

I'm counting Back to the Sewer because it has a season long arc revolving around collecting Splinter's data bites and the Cyber-Shredder. There is nothing in the show worse than season 7.

What I did not like about Back to The Sewers was the lack of pay off from the season opener. We got a glimpse of a Shredder War. Instead we get the Utrom Shredder's digital doppelganger interrupt April O'Neil and Casey Jones's wedding.

One thing that was weird was seeing Baxter Stockman working for Hun when he has a history of personal antagonism of Hun and we know that Baxter will reform. It may not be until 2050, but still the regression was in multiple ways a disservice and Baxter needed not to appear again.

It's also interesting to see the Ultimate Ninja reform, Karai reform and seemingly in a relationship with Dr. Chapman, in the future Agent Bishop's misguided ways will reshape and he will reform and so will Baxter Stockman. Also seeing that both The Federation and Triceraton Republic was actually a personal macho grudge match between General Blanque and Zandramon and with them captured the civilizations could live in peace. All the villains got a finality to them aside from Darius Dunn, who was never incarcerated which I found odd. In 'Tempus Fugate' atleast there could have been a line referencing evidence given to the authorities that put Darius away. Then there is the question about who would legally raise Cody especially with Sterling tossed into the time portal assuming the robot was raising him whenever Darius was not present. It was really the only loose end aside from what the same mentioned episode never referring back to The Shredder War I was expecting.

I know Turtles Forever attempted to up the threat of the series main Shredder by putting a multiverse at stake so he could be the one to kill the Turtles, but making him a renegade utrom hurt his threat level in my mind and its hard to see past it. I suppose it was to get around censors to adapt Mirage stories and a twist, but I like Shredder and Rat King as human antagonists.

[Aaronardo]

I'm midway through Season 3 on my first full watch of this show, and so far City At War stands out as particularly bad. The oversimplified Leo/Raph debate, a very ho-hum introduction for Karai, a pretty jarring amount of reused animation, and my favorite 2003 characters the Biosites. I haven't tracked down the Mirage City At War yet, but my understanding is that this arc is even worse after having read the original.

Secret Origins gets an honorable mention for Shredder getting his ass kicked three times in ten minutes.

[The Terror of Death]

Originally Posted by neatoman

I'm not so sure "Ch'Rell actually stole the Shredder identity from a demon Yoshi was destined to slay and those wizard guys were his servants" was ever implied before season 4.

I doubt most of what happened in season 4 and 5's was conceived years in advance but there's a slight possibility the writers intended to explore certain concepts such as demons, mysticism and there being other Shredders if the show lasted long enough.

Utrom Shredder naming his ultimate weapon the "Sword of Tengu." The hall of champions in the battle nexus containing multiple Shredder statutes and helmets. Also, the foot clan's weapons, armor, and mutant experiments were shown to be the result of Baxter and the foot technicians and geneticists using human and Utrom technology. The foot mystics were always oddly disconnected from that and one of the few things Chrell possessed that didn't seem like they were science based.

Could be subtle foreshadowing of an early concept about the Ninja Tribunal and Tengu Shredder or mere coincidence and writers retrofitting those minor details into something bigger.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by neatoman

I'm not so sure "Ch'Rell actually stole the Shredder identity from a demon Yoshi was destined to slay and those wizard guys were his servants" was ever implied before season 4.

According to Peter Laird's old notes, Shredder was planned to be an Utrom from the beginning when they were writing Season 1. Then they said they planned the original Shredder being a demon not too long after.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

According to Peter Laird's old notes, Shredder was planned to be an Utrom from the beginning when they were writing Season 1. Then they said they planned the original Shredder being a demon not too long after.

[Teddygaming reviews]

Chuck patton also mentioned this and said that when they did the return to new york story, the only way they could keep the scene of cutting of his head was by telling the network there plan.

[TMNachoT]

It is not an arc but an episode that I do not like, the worst, it is "The Darkness Within".

"Notes for The Undeground", it is not that bad but I think 2 episodes part should have been better than 3 parts.

Regarding seasons, I do not like FF nor BttS.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Teddygaming reviews

Chuck patton also mentioned this and said that when they did the return to new york story, the only way they could keep the scene of cutting of his head was by telling the network there plan.

It was definitely a "woah" scene when you first saw it.

At the end of the episode, Shredder just picks up his helmet and walks away again. Which leads to another "woah" moment but this time it's a different kind of reaction.

Still a pretty ballsy move, I must say. Surprised the show didn't get more flack.