European Vacation Side Season re-ordering

[Danetello]

I know most of you probably don't really care, but I thought I'd put this out there anyway!
Just take it for what it is - my random fanatical ramblings! LOL!

Anyway, having watched the whole side-season the last couple of days, I have come up with a new running order.

The reason for this is to make it a lot more logical (at least in my head).

There are a few instances where continuity would flow better had the shows been aired or put on the DVDs in this order...

1. Plan 6 from Outer Space - Raphael sets the scene with his dream of travelling, then at the end of the show, Michelangelo announces they have won a trip to Europe.
2. Tower of Power - they travel to France on the boat, where it is Bastille Day (14th July).
3. Rust Never Sleeps - they are still in Paris.
4. Ring of Fire - they drive to Portugal from France. Portugal is a tough one to insert in because of its location. I have decided to put it in here as I figure after Portugal they then go up across the Channel to the UK.
5. Shredder's New Sword - The UK has to be next because it's a pain to get to, especially for 4 green mutant turtles! So logically they would do it before they start out on their adventures that take them further east into continental Europe. So, to England to encounter Shredder and his sword...
6. The Irish Jig is Up - then, continuing their Channel hopping adventures, they head over to Ireland briefly.
7. Elementary, My Dear Turtle - before heading to Holland, the Turtles have to pass through the UK, and so decide to make another stop, before catching the ferry back to the continent...
8. April Gets in Dutch - the Turtles comment in this episode what a good idea it was to get the ferry/boat to Holland. Well, logically seeing as all other countries they visit are on the continent, the only place they could have come from on the ferry is the UK. So Holland must be after the UK.
9. Northern Lights Out - from Holland they travel up to Norway for their encounter with Thor.
10. Turtles on the Orient Express - the Turtles go back down from Norway to France and travel on the Orient Express to Eastern Europe. This sets the scene for their Grecian adventures, and later, travelling back to Western Europe.
11. The Lost Queen of Atlantis - following their train ride to Bucharest, they are making their way westwards again, and pass through Greece along the way.
12. Artless - the Turtles drive to Florence, and in the same episode, on to Rome, which is a little further south.
13. Venice on the Half Shell - The TMNT have travelled up through Italy, on their way to the Alps, to Northern Italy, visiting Venice along the way.
14. A Real Snow Job - April states it is winter. I know it's in the Alps, and winter comes earlier there, but they really are in BLEAK mid-winter here, so, logically, this would have to come at the end of the run, before travelling back to NYC. (Why this episode was #3 in the series is really odd... why would it be mid-July then winter?! Hence it HAD to be at the end of their trip.)
15. Turtles of the Jungle OR Dimension X Story (your own preference, depending on how you see the continuity) - we head back into the regular S04 run.

I tried to work out of anything else would contradict this theory overall, and as far as Shredder and company go, I don't think they really affect anything.
April on the other hand may cause a bit of an inconsistency, as in this series becomes Channel 6 News' European reporter. Some episodes might imply she has just arrived/heading back to the US, but overall that can be explained by the fact she is a US reporter who gets sent to report on things as they happen.
I know it's easier to assume she stayed in Europe the whole time, but there's nothing to say that she HAD to (technically)... so therefore her travels back and forward can simply be explained as mere business.

Anyone else have any other thoughts? Did I miss anything?

[Powder]

I can't invest myself too much into these kinda things, because unfortunately, unlike the comics, you can't physically re-arrange them as you wish.

Seems pretty solid, though.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

A boat can move from Norway across the North Sea over to the Netherlands as well.

[Danetello]

Well that's another possibility then I guess
I was just trying to think about it all as logically as possible.
Which is difficult given the series is so illogical LOL.
I just thought it was interesting to see if I could figure it out, and make a better, more sensical order.

[oldmanwinters]

Impressive work!

I'm sorry I'd never heard of this thread before DrSpengler gave it some props in his recent review of the episodes!

Thanks, Danetello!

[Wesley]

Interesting thread. Good work, Danetello. You did a good job of putting the episodes in a better order than the way they were aired. In Ireland, the Vacation in Europe eps were placed between "Unidentified Flying Leonardo" and "My Brother, the Bad Guy" so they made a little more sense.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Wesley

Interesting thread. Good work, Danetello. You did a good job of putting the episodes in a better order than the way they were aired. In Ireland, the Vacation in Europe eps were placed between "Unidentified Flying Leonardo" and "My Brother, the Bad Guy" so they made a little more sense.

I dont' remember exactly between which epsiodes they were aired here. But I recall them airing around the end of season 6 and the beginning of season 7. SO probably between the same episodes as well.

[CyberCubed]

The Technodrome is still on the Dimension X asteroid in the Euro episodes, which is the same place it was in during Season 4. So its definitely prior to Season 5 where the Technodrome moves to the arctic.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

They didn't say it's winter in "Real Snow Job", just cold season. It can probably be mid-August something.

[pferreira]

I know a thread on the episode order of the series was began but never finished although people have offered their opinions. I'd like to see that thread continued.

[pannoni1]

At the Zermatt Matternhorn in Switzerland (a glacier), you can ski year-round, and Austria has year-round glaciers with skiing as well. Perhaps the writer didn't know about that at the time, which is forgiveable in that pre-Internet age and lazily assumed that it was just winter or maybe the first part of spring. Also, Burne tells April in Venice On The Half-Shell (same writer as A Real Snow Job; imo the worst regular writer of the OT) to cover the Mardi Gras parade in Venice. First off, we already had a Mardi Gras parade in a Season 3 episode, so it may have been too soon. Also, Mardi Gras occurs in February/early March, so that provides another glaring error. I would have instead made it the Venice "Festiva Grande", which easily could take place at the height of tourist season. Otherwise, I agree with the OP about the logistical considerations to make the journey efficient. I'm sure the Turtles got rewards/money for their accomplishments along the way starting with Paris. I'm still disappointed that there is no fitting conclusion for this journey on any episode, though I wouldn't mind an extra, fan-made episode on one country they didn't visit: Spain. That's another Southern European destination, and I'd go right to London after Paris since its an easy journey across the channel anyways, and Portugal makes a good ending point.

In terms of where in Season 4, I'd probably say right after Plan 6, since the Technodrome's powers isn't of much consequence and the portal serves its purpose well enough. Also, Michelangelo is holding and even twirling his nunchucks in a couple episodes, something that was never done during the CBS portion of Season 4.

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=27141