What plot threads have still to be resolved?

[Tarris Vaal]

Its a common complaint on the Criticism thread that one of the big bugbears is how so many of the plot points brought up by the Nicktoons show dont seem to go anywhere, peter out, or are just thrown away (be it due to lazy writing, budget constraints and/or time restrictions)

I was wondering just how many there were and thought I'd make this a specific topic to discuss. As I recall there are the following plots outstanding;


Major:
Shredder vs Splinter / Foot vs Hamato feud

Karai's mutation

Mind Control Serum

Minor:

Retromutagen


Character specific:

April/Donatello/Casey

Leo/Karai

Timothy

Tigerclaw's background

Xever's misgivings

Baxter Stockman

Bebop/Rocksteady

Rahzar / Xever

Casey's family

April's Mother

April's psychic abilities

Fate of Spyderbytez/ Snakeweed/ Newtralizer/ Squirrelanoids/ Parasitica wasps/ Chimera

Raph's Anger Issues



Resolved:

Kraang invasion

Kirby's mutation (twice no less)



Now I'm sure I've missed a few, but to just review whats on the list:

Shredder vs Splinter / Foot vs Hamato feud - Its the core conflict of the show, so I wouldn't expect it to resolve until literally the last few minutes of the series

Karai's mutation - Getting on for 20 episodes long now and its rarely been far away from mind (especially for Leo). Far from being forgotten, its become a major focus

Mind Control Serum - Just introduced, and pretty much as subtly as a sledgehammer to the face. I'd expect this to be the major arc for the rest of this season and most of next.

Retromutagen - A long running plot mcguffin, I dont think the speculation this will build into a major plot point is wrong. Obviously its already been vital in defeating the Kraang, but its still having some effect on the Karai arc and potentially will have repercussions later. This may be the plot point that 'proves the point' of whether the show is guilty of dropping potential plot arcs.


April/Donatello/Casey triangle - The Big one. I get the impression 1/3 of the posters here dont mind it or actually like it, another 1/3 used to like it or were ambivalent and have gotten fed up with it, and the last never liked it in the first place.
Regardless, it has never been forgotten by the writers and has developed steadily over the show's run. Like it or not, this plot arc presumably MUST be going somewhere (either heartbreak or a happy ending) because it has never gone away. Why keep bringing it up if it wasn't going to matter? Plus, this has been a crucial arc to Donatello who otherwise might be relegated to 'tech guy' or 'middle brother'. It has, at minimum, provided an element of emotional depth to him (good or bad).
Because of its length and focus, this is probably the make or break arc of the show. If its forgotten, glossed over or screwed up, then the show is truly neglecting its own plot points. However, its going SO slowly that its easy to see why people are getting fed up with it. This really needs to have a definitive sign of concluding soon or it risks becoming grossly mishandled.


Leo/Karai - The 'other' romantic arc. Whilst primarily season 1-2, recent events obviously put a major stop to this. I dont think that can be blamed on the writers so much as on logic. Besides which, I doubt we've seen the last of this arc.

Leo's leadership - This is probably the best developed arc of the show. Leo has gone from a slightly geeky, self conscious character to a strong leader. This arc is arguably still ongoing, and has been generally quite subtly presented and well handled.

Turtle's rivalry - General focused around leadership, this has also been a strong arc for the show, but it's not without flaws. While Raph and Leo's tensions seem to have eased, the argument between Donatello and Leo appears to have been quietly forgotten. Its now arguable whether they could bring it up now in a logical way after so much time. Definitely a missed opportunity.

Timothy(mutagen man) - The first of the really tragically forgotten arcs. This was another major focus for Donatello's emotional development and it seems to have been completely glossed over. This may yet appear again later down the line, but for now the failure to even show Donatello greeting Timothy at the newly reclaimed lair seems a sadly lost opportunity.

Tigerclaw's background - Tantalising mentions of a Kraang abduction and a rival have never since been brought up. To be fair, a bit of mystery to a character is NOT a bad thing, and the opportunity to develop this hasn't yet been missed. We shall see..

Xever's misgivings - The more I look at this, the more I wonder if this is really just fan speculation and not a real arc. It could easily just be grumbling because there hasn't been any real evidence to suggest he is actually at the point of turning against Shredder.

Baxter Stockman - For a relatively major villain, Stockman has certainly felt very underplayed. His weasely nature and tragic story have been all but overshadowed and forgotten when other arcs have taken precedence. Though definitely evidence against the show for under utilising a key villain, its not too late to do something more with him.

Bebop/Rocksteady - To Nicktoons credit, I actually really like the way these two started as guest human characters and developed into mutant henchmen. This bit of backstory and early connection to the characters goes a long way. What they do with them in the future is anyone's guess, but certainly for now I think they have have a great start.

Rahzar and Fishface - For such long term villains both of these guys have really fallen to the wayside. Their rivalry is still there and nice nods to their relationship still appear sporadically (though they are very rare in season 3). However there has been very little done with them. They have established personalities and characters and yet we almost never get to hear them talk, argue, reminisce or even appear! Definitely a criminally underused element. That said, its still not too late for them either. Its also arguable just how much more could have been done with them in the context of the stories shown in Season 2 and Season 3 especially.

Casey's family - Mentioned once and never again. Casey's apparent disregard for his family during the Farm arc has caused no end of annoyance. This seems a really simple way to add a distinct element to the character that other iterations havent really played with much. Again its not too late to dabble with it later, but the lack of concern shown during early Season 3 was a serious missed opportunity.

April's Mother - Vaguely implied during S1+2 but brought up again S3 with Buried Secrets. Its a little used plot element, but its obviously not been forgotten. That said, where it fails is how April seems to forget about it the episode after Secrets - when the opening of that emotional wound should have been quite traumatic. Definitely a mishandled plot arc, but still with potential.

April's psychic abilities - One of the better handled arcs - albeit resulting in deus ex machina plot rescues every so often. Her abilities are brought up fairly rarely, but often enough to show they are developing, that the characters are learning about them and that the reasons for them are being revealed gently. This is a good thing overall and could lead to more down the road.

Fate of Spyderbytez/ Snakeweed/ Newtralizer/ Squirrelanoids/ Parasitica wasps/ Chimera/ Cockroach Terminator - As much as I appreciate its a superhero trope to not completely kill off villains and keep them as 'guest stars', it gets annoying when an interesting villain (Newtralizer, Squirrelanoids for example) is completely forgotten for ages and ages. To the shows credit, Mikey's portrayed fear of the Squirrelanoids is a great way of showing they had impact on the characters, and the same with Raph (Terminator). Its frustrating but its hardly specific to Turtles or Nicktoons. This is just a superhero issue we have to live with.

Raph's Anger Issues - They come and go. They come back and are promptly forgotten again. Raph's 'mood swings' are a source of frustration for many. Oddly, I've noticed recently some people have started complaining because he's mellowed out enough in S3 to NOT be going into rages. Since the movies, this has been a steady part of Raph's character and I appreciate the show wants to depict this trait as always 'just below the surface'. That it seems to manifest one episode and vanishes the next is probably just plot convenience (lazy writing), and if the writers wanted to explain it as 'he's trying to hold that trait back and grow from it' then it would be good for them to show that! Show us some of his inner turmoil! We haven't had any since Spike!
As it is, this one does have to be chalked up to missed opportunity, but we may get some better stories involving it down the road.



Overall, I think the writers have got a lot going on at once, which isn't helpful, but they have a large cast of characters to get through and limited time to do it. For my own opinion at least, I think that complaining that they are wasting plot points and throwing away character development is unfair - AT THIS STAGE. They have a lot of stuff going on at once, and there is still time and opportunity to look into these things. That said, there are issues - not least with Don/April (this really does need to show significant signs of it coming to a conclusion - one way or another)

What do you guys think?

[pennydreadful]

Excellent post, Tarris.

I agree that the writers have a lot going on at once and for me, that's a big part of the issue - they've thrown in too much, too fast and now are struggling to juggle it all.

I do enjoy this incarnation of Bebop and Rocksteady and it's well-executed -- but at the same time, it's something extra that's been added in which then takes time away from giving Xever more development, and now all we usually see of Rahzar, Baxter and Xever is that they continually fail Shredder every time they go up against the Turtles.

I think that having Shredder and the kraang as main seasonal villains both at the same time is also a problem - it's resulted in the kraang being seriously overused (to the point that we had kraang invasion/attempted invasion as the main action for season finales in both Seasons 1 and 2).

I also think that in Season 2, the hunt to retrieve all of the missing mutagen canisters plotline kind of just petered out without being resolved - we never really knew if they got all of them and it just happened offscreen, or what. This is something which could have been wrapped up with just one line of dialogue from one of the characters - y'know, "Well, now that we've retrieved all of the mutagen canisters, it's time to get back to training!" or something.

[CyberCubed]

Most of the stuff you list are just character quirks or personalities. Raph's anger issues a plotline? Leo being a leader? C'mon, those are just their personalities in every series ever.

The only real plotline still going besides the main stuff is April's mother and her powers, which will likely be picked on eventually. Mutagen Man will probably be cured eventually.

And the other mutants are just recurring monsters at this point until the Turtles cure NYC.

[Luckyday]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Most of the stuff you list are just character quirks or personalities. Raph's anger issues a plotline? Leo being a leader? C'mon, those are just their personalities in every series ever.

The only real plotline still going besides the main stuff is April's mother and her powers, which will likely be picked on eventually. Mutagen Man will probably be cured eventually.

And the other mutants are just recurring monsters at this point until the Turtles cure NYC.

They are more like basic character arcs but yes at this point, it feels like character 101 in any TMNT medium. It would nice to have them go with something else that's new. For example, I guess instead of having Raph dealing with his angry, let him trying to figure out his thoughts on how to be friends with Slash.

Now that Slash is on good terms with him, Raph wants to hang out with him because he misses him. However he's not sure how he act towards him, because (A) if he mouths off about his brothers, Slash might get the wrong idea and go after them and (B) He kinda still see Slash as Spike.

Might be too touchy feely but it's something different at least.

With Leo, you can do something with pride and obsession with winning that is often put first before the relationship and well being of his family.

[CyberCubed]

Newtralizer will likely return as he's an alien and not a mutant. He's another rogue villain so we'll see him at some point.

[senpai]

I am so over the love triangle. Just let Casey have April already >_<

[victory_angel]

Timothy(mutagen man) - The first of the really tragically forgotten arcs. This was another major focus for Donatello's emotional development and it seems to have been completely glossed over. This may yet appear again later down the line, but for now the failure to even show Donatello greeting Timothy at the newly reclaimed lair seems a sadly lost opportunity

I don't think Timothy will be restored to human. I feel that his purpose is to develop and bring out Donnie's pacifistic nature.

In previous incarnations Donnie has always been somewhat implied as as a pacifist. Yes he has been known to be violent at times and there are people he has killed without so much as blinking an eye (i.e. Mirage Donnie knocking Shredder off the Roof in the in the first issue. And destroying the remains of Baxter Stockman)

But there are other deaths he's been responsible for that just didn't sit right with him. Such as for example: The Leader of C.R.A.P. kills himself when he tries to detonate the nuke his militia had been planning to use. Donnie however had removed the plutonium core rendering the nuke to be just a regular explosive device. After all is said and done Donnie doesn't take it as a victory because even though the man who died was a flawed individual, he still was an individual who only wanted to inspire change.

Donnie's pacifism is never explored because it's pretty much an established part of his personality. Donnie's weapon is the least lethal of the four of them and often staffs are typically given to characters that would rather not cause blood shed if they can help it.

And typically Donnie does tend to incapacitate his foes more then consciously delivering a killing blow. The 2012 incarnation has given him a naginata blade as well which he is only occasionally seen with. And even then it's only when the situation is serous enough for it to be needed or as a sight gag when anyone other then Donnie is using it (Timothy when he was trying to use Donnie's staff in his debut episode or Mikey when he is poking Splinter in I Monster.)

However in 2012 version it feels more like they are exploring the possibility of Donatello as a pacifist rather then having that be established. He is clearly a different type of fighter then his brothers which is why he's brushed off as being a weaker fighter because he is trying to emulate something he is not. Still no one can tell him what sort of fighter he actually is... that is a bridge he has to discover and cross on his own.

The first indications that Donnie could be a pacifist occur in Metalhead. Because that is the first episode where Donnie loses faith in his weapon. As we learn in "Baxters gambit" it is the weapon that chooses you just as much as you choose it. Most incarnations the Turtles are fairly comfortable with what weapons they have been given. So having Donnie complain how his bo staff is holding him back indicates it may not have been his first choice when it comes to weapons.

Odds are likely is that he was hoping to have a cool weapon so that he can feel like he can prove his worth as a fighter. However the weapon he ends up with turns out to be nothing more then a six foot twig which is something that he has grudgingly accepted.

When Donnie creates Metalhead it is with the intent of making combat into a videogame. And while he claims that Metalhead is supposed to make him invincible. In reality he is putting distance between himself and the battle.

Another thing that can be brought up in Metalhead is there is a moment where Donnie is trapped into admitting he is a pacifist.

In that moment Raph calls out Donnie's creation a weapon for cowards. Pacifism is sometimes mistaken for cowardice or seen as a nice way of saying coward as in the minds of some people there isn't really that much of a difference. And yes in Raph's mind the fact that Donnie has to even create a weapon to replace him in battle is a cowardly act.

But Donnie responds by saying "No it's a weapon for people who are too smart to fight." Before realizing what he just said.

While the word Pacifist is used to describe someone who sees thing like war and violence as unjustifiable. However they are more anti-killing then they are anti-violence. But they do try to look for ways that try to avoid a violent outcome when possible.

In the Pulverizer, Donnie chooses to train the Pulverizer because he knew no matter what he said or did Timothy would go out and fight the purple dragons or whoever. And he couldn't in good faith let him walk into danger unprepared.

When Donnie is training him it strongly stated that by choosing to do this he is responsible for whatever happens because of it.

In Mutagen Man Unleashed. Donnie is able to tamper with a vile of mutagen. However this is an action he doesn't want to have to do and he even warns Timothy not to drink it. And when all is said and done, Donnie doesn't take it as a victory.

However when things end in a betrayal like this...it tends to be a precursor to an ultimate life changing event. Usually the person who has been doing nothing but trying to help is forced into a situation where they are forced to kill the person they tried to help in order to stop a monster. And the results are damaging to the person involved and I wouldn't be surprised if Donnie takes some time away from being a Ninja for an episode or two afterwards while he sorts out who he is as a result.

When it comes the Retromutagen, I think the only reason Donnie didn't use the Retromutagen on Timothy because of priority. Donnie has more then likely heard Splinter mourn his humanity on more then one occasion. As a child Donnie may have gotten it into his head that if he ever found a way to reverse mutations, then he would use it to restore Splinter's humanity.

After Timothy was mutated, Donnie added him to the list knowing that one day he would eventually discover a way to reverse mutations.

Then when April's dad was mutated the need for Retromutagen became all the more urgent. So when it was finally created Donnie wanted to restore April's dad and make good on his original promise to restore Splinter. And if things had gone as planned with Kirby, then yes Donnie would have offered the other vile to Splinter. And if Splinter didn't want it, he would have given it to Timothy.

And with everything that's been going on, Timothy restoration keeps getting pushed back. While I agree with Tarris that the Retromutagen will be a minor plot point now that the Kraang are gone for the most part at this time. However we know Leo wants to restore Karai and so does the Shredder and at this time the Shredder doesn't know Donnie has found a cure for mutations, and when he does learn about it he would stop at nothing to acquire it. We also have Rocksteady and Bebop who are also aware to the retromutagen and they would looking to take it or eliminate it's maker just to punish Shredder for turning them into mutants. And of course punish the Turtles for interfering and thus causing their mutations.

However these events will also bring back the issues between Donnie and Leo so it would tie into Leo's leadership, the team rivalry, Donnie/April/Casey triangle/ Splinter/Shredder rivalry and a number of the other plot points that Tarris has brought up. So it's likely the retromutagen still has a big role to play in all of this.

[miru]

There's also the Irma weirdness.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by miru

There's also the Irma weirdness.

That's not unresolved, Irma was simply just Kraang Sub-Prime in disguise. There probably never was a "real" Irma, her appearence in the show was nothing but a big joke, they pretended to bring back one of the most unpopular TMNT characters of all time for comedic effect. Deal with it.

[Shiro Kame]

I feel like the "Kraang Arc" hasn't been actually resolved (or at least, not very well...).

The Kraang are still ALIVE. They know how to transport, even without a teleportal. Kraang Prime wasn't even in the Battle For New York, and we still don't know WHY they wanted to mutate Earth.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Shiro Kame

I feel like the "Kraang Arc" hasn't been actually resolved (or at least, not very well...).

The Kraang are still ALIVE. They know how to transport, even without a teleportal. Kraang Prime wasn't even in the Battle For New York, and we still don't know WHY they wanted to mutate Earth.

Betting you (fake) money right now that the show NEVER gives an explanation as to why they wanted to mutate Earth.

[Metalwolf]

I'm thinking it's because they wanted to turn it into a Kraang home-world for this dimension, because I'm betting dollars to donuts that it was going to be used as a base of operations to invade and colonize the rest of this dimension. There are probably other aliens in this dimension too of which the Kraang know about (possibly Triceratons) and if the Kraang have already set up a foothold in an area, they will be a bit harder for the native aliens to get rid of.

At least that's my idea of their invasion plans

[senpai]

Originally Posted by Metalwolf

I'm thinking it's because they wanted to turn it into a Kraang home-world for this dimension, because I'm betting dollars to donuts that it was going to be used as a base of operations to invade and colonize the rest of this dimension. There are probably other aliens in this dimension too of which the Kraang know about (possibly Triceratons) and if the Kraang have already set up a foothold in an area, they will be a bit harder for the native aliens to get rid of.

At least that's my idea of their invasion plans

This is what I gathered too. I've been rewatching the series from the beginning so I can catch things I didn't notice before. Right now, my thinking is all spaced out because I've only seen the entire show once and some eps weren't even watched in order. I'm sure the Kraang just want universe domination. Like all cliched alien tropes.

[CyberCubed]

They already explained the Kraang wanted to terraform the Earth into Dimension X. They then probably would conquer the rest of this dimension.

[Shiro Kame]

Yeah, that's what I pretty much guessed... I'm still bummed out though about how Battle For New York felt somewhat lazy, like they were standalone episodes instead of an awesome 2-parter that served to only to bring back Slash as a protagonist and introduce the Mighty Mutanimals, and get rid of the Kraang in one hit. What really added insult to injury was when the turtles moved back into the lair that the Kraang DISCOVERED. What made them think that they didn't just tell Shredder as a contingency plan, and would come to finish them off?

Also, Nick needs to learn to get their priorities straight and finish plots that everyone is either frustrated or doesn't care about anymore.

[miru]

Originally Posted by neatoman

That's not unresolved, Irma was simply just Kraang Sub-Prime in disguise. There probably never was a "real" Irma, her appearence in the show was nothing but a big joke, they pretended to bring back one of the most unpopular TMNT characters of all time for comedic effect. Deal with it.

Fan demand could change that.

[Ninjinister]

Originally Posted by miru

Fan demand could change that.

Two people aren't going to change their minds.

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Betting you (fake) money right now that the show NEVER gives an explanation as to why they wanted to mutate Earth.

(literally)

[victory_angel]

Originally Posted by Shiro Kame

Yeah, that's what I pretty much guessed... I'm still bummed out though about how Battle For New York felt somewhat lazy, like they were standalone episodes instead of an awesome 2-parter that served to only to bring back Slash as a protagonist and introduce the Mighty Mutanimals, and get rid of the Kraang in one hit. What really added insult to injury was when the turtles moved back into the lair that the Kraang DISCOVERED. What made them think that they didn't just tell Shredder as a contingency plan, and would come to finish them off?

Also, Nick needs to learn to get their priorities straight and finish plots that everyone is either frustrated or doesn't care about anymore.

You may have a point, but the Kraang and Shredder sounded pretty much odds with one another following return to New York. And plus Splinter was assumed dead, Leo as far as we know may have been assumed to have died of his injuries. And plus the turtles were defeated and the Kraang didn't exactly have a reason to tell the Shredder the Turtles had escaped the city. Stockman even said himself that he thought the Turtles had been destroyed.

However the lair is still compromised in a way as we know Raph will be on the Shredders side soon enough. So it would be Raph who leads the Foot to the lair.

[Shiro Kame]

Originally Posted by victory_angel

You may have a point, but the Kraang and Shredder sounded pretty much odds with one another following return to New York. And plus Splinter was assumed dead, Leo as far as we know may have been assumed to have died of his injuries. And plus the turtles were defeated and the Kraang didn't exactly have a reason to tell the Shredder the Turtles had escaped the city. Stockman even said himself that he thought the Turtles had been destroyed.

However the lair is still compromised in a way as we know Raph will be on the Shredders side soon enough. So it would be Raph who leads the Foot to the lair.

True... why Shredder care about the location if the turtles were dead...? Although I still think it would have been smarter for the turtles to abandon the lair, take their belongings, and move somewhere safer just in case.

[T-U-R-T-L-E POWA!]

Didn't Donnie promise to fix Metalhead? I would love to see that happen. Metalhead was awesome in this show and I guess he might have been as close to a "death" as we will see. I still wish Donnie could restore him though.