TMNT Talkback: Episodes 5.12-5.13: "Enter the Dragons" (Spoilers)

[poofy balloon]

Episode 5.12: Enter the Dragons, pt. 1
Original Air Date: April 25, 2008
Written by Christopher Yost

Episode 5.13: Enter the Dragons, pt. 2
Original Air Date: May 3, 2008
Written by Christopher Yost

Previously on TMNT: A demon, The Shredder, arose in Ancient Japan. Five heroes were tasked with stopping them. They thought they had succeeded. They hadn't. The Shredder took over one of their number. They fought. They killed him, but couldn't destroy him. They waited. An alien adopted the Shredder's identity, and enslaved the Demon Shredder's heralds. He left behind a daughter, who became yet another Shredder. The Shredder's disciples plotted, winning their freedom through trickery. The Ninja Tribunal, seeing that the world was once again in danger, kidnapped eight new acolytes, including a quartet of turtles. They trained. They failed. Now the original Shredder has returned to power, and all is lost.

This week on TMNT: The Shredder and his demon army stand poised to make their final strike, and the turtles have only one chance left to stop him. Fortunately, they're not alone.

And now, the players:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo-Kidnapped by the Ninja Tribunal, the turtles have been tasked with preventing the Shredder from destroying the world. So far, despite rigorous training and new abilities, they have failed. Things are far from hopeless, however: the turtles have come back from worse, and nobody is unbeatable. They just have to figure out how...

The Enemy: The Shredder and his Heralds-Their millennia-long machinations now coming to fruition, the Shredder and his army now stand poised to take it all; they have turned New York into their power base, and have dealt with their greatest enemy, the Ninja Tribunal. Can anything stand in their way?

The Ninja Tribunal: Hisomi, Chikara, Juto, and Kon-Back in the fourth century, the four ninja masters collectively known as The Ninja Tribunal stopped the Shredder?s first reign of terror; unable to completely destroy their former comrade, and knowing that his return was imminent, they have been waiting for that occasion. Still, nothing could prepare them for the strike that would eliminate not only half their students, but themselves as well. The Ninja Tribunal prided themselves on being prepared; is this all part of a larger plot?

The Acolytes: Adam McKay, Tora Yoshida, Faraji Ngala, and Joi Reynard-Kidnapped alongside the turtles, the acolytes, each hailing from different parts of the world and each proficient in a different martial art, were supposed to have received equal billing on the whole ?preventing the shredder from getting resurrected bit?. And then they died.

The Gurus: Splinter and The Ancient One-Two decades ago, these two ninja lost the man dearest to them, Hamato Yoshi, to a man calling himself The Shredder. Now, the two fathers see visions of their great-grand/sons, the ninja turtles, dead at the hands of the first one. They will not let that happen. But the dream also includes another person, one who?s very much dead?

The Nakama: Casey Jones and April O?Neil-Throughout the years, Casey and April have been invaluable allies to the turtles, giving their lives a sense of normalcy and stability in the face of alien invasions, ninja attacks, and mass destruction. With New York now turned into hell, has the couple finally gotten in over their head?

The Justice Force: Silver Sentry, Tsunami, Ananda, Metalhead, Chrysalis, Nobody, Raptarr, and Nano (latter three not pictured)-Earth?s premier super-hero team has just increased its ranks, adding three new heroes to their roster; just in time, too: with New York now swarming with demons, the world is in dire need of some super-heroes. Can they prevail?

The Foot: Karai, Dr. Chaplin-Since the escape of the Shredder?s heralds, Karai and Chaplin have been preparing for the inevitable arrival of the original Shredder; however, no amount of prep time could have prepared them for his onslaught. Now, with their forces severely depleted, Karai has been forced into an alliance with her mortal enemies. Will it last?

The Earth Protection Force: Agent Bishop, Baxter Stockman-Played for fools by the Shredder?s heralds, the Earth Protection Force has helped bring about the same fate they?d hope to avert. However, Bishop and Stockman are not known for staying down?both have a knack for surviving seemingly impossible odds. Will their streak persist?

The Purple Dragons: Hun, Ruffington-After splitting from The Foot, Hun has set out on his own, turning his Purple Dragon gang into a formidable underworld empire, and he?s not giving it up without a fight. So what if he has to join everyone he?s ever pissed off?

 

[scabam]

TMNT Talkback: Episodes 5.12-5.13: "Enter the Dragons" (Spoilers)

Special Bonus Feature: TMNT: Ninja Tribunal Cast List

• Leonardo: Michael "Mike" Sinterniklaas
• Donatello: Sam Regal
• Michelangelo: Wayne Grayson
• Raphael: John Campbell

• Splinter : Darren Dunstan
• The Ancient One: David Chen

• Chikara Shisho: Zan
• Juto Shisho: Marc Thompson
• Kon Shisho: David Zen Mansley
• Hisomi Shisho: None

• Joi Reynard: Rebecca Soler
• Adam McKay: Britton Herring
• Tora Yoshida: David Chen
• Faraji Ngala: David Moo

• Oroku Saki/The Shredder: Scottie Ray
• Earth Mystic: Sean Schemmel
• Fire Mystic: Sean Schemmel
• Wind Mystic: Brian Maillard
• Water Mystic: Brian Maillard
• Metal Mystic: Sean Schemmel

• Karai Saki: Karen Neill
• Hamato Yoshi: Darren Dunstan

• Agent Bishop: David Zen Mansley
• Baxter Stockman: Scott Williams

• Hun: Greg Carey (Yes, still)
• Ruffington: Marc Diraison

• April O?Neil: Veronica Taylor
• Casey Jones: Marc Thompson

• Silver Sentry: Terence Archie
• Nobody: Sean Schemmel
• Raptarr: Marc Diraison
• Metalhead: Wayne Grayson

 

[Kunmui]

A massive TMNT team-up. I'm actually excited watching this thing.

 

[sahranghae_s2]

did hun's voice change?

 

[fcoleman43]

There were a lot of things to like about this episode, even if it did seem rather rushed. Random tidbits:

The Casey/April moment was sweet. Romance moments in this show have between those two been rather lame in the past but I think this time they pulled it off rather well.

I loved the way Shredder just took Silver Sentry and threw him through the ceiling window. By far the most amusing thing in the episode.

The Mystic Foot fight wasn't so much a fight as they were devastated, I don't think they even managed to do a single attack without the Turtles and everyone destroying them. Hopefully they're gone for good, right? No anti-climatic comebacks for the Mystic Foot in the next episode, I hope?

Speaking of anti-climatic, yeah the four humans are still alive, surprise, surprise. Oh well. I also really liked Hun's interactions with Karai and Baxter/Bishop in this episode for some reason. Amusing, especially Hun's, "Crud" when Shredder throws him aside.

I'm eager to see how the next episode finishes, and knowing this show, it usually doesn't end as well as its hyped up to be. Still as long as there is a decent conclusion I'll be fine.

 

[kbonier2007]

"We were badly beaten, but still very much alive!"
"Thanks to the power of the Ninja Tribunal, no doubt."

More like THANKS TO THE POWER OF THE FOX CENSORS!

Anyways, this is the type of thing I love in action shows. A massive team-up between the heroes and villains to fight an even greater enemy. Sadly, Casey and April don't really get to do much of anything. :sweat:

Also, you notice that they teamed up with all the heroes and villains in New York, except....

Where's Leatherhead?

But yeah, next week will be the final Lost Episode, the final episode of the 2K3 style, and the final episode that'll premiere on Fox (since it sounds like it'll be moving to the CW in the fall). :crying:

 

[Jives]

Yeah, thats what upset me most, they couldn't track down Leatherhead for this? Also, did we ever find out what happened to Professor Honeycut after "Exodus"? I know the season was kinda rushed but I think they deserved a part in the episode (more so then Hun anways).

Here's how I would've liked to have seen this episode end - The Turtles and there allies are beaten, there out-cold bodies stretched across the floor at the feet of the Demon Shredder. He gloats in his victory when all of a sudden a giant ice comet falls to the Earth. As the smoke and dust settle we see a small tentacle rise up out of the ground and a familiar voice saying "I still live". Karai looks up and says "father?". Then the Utrom Shredder rises up, wearing super new kick-ass battle armor made from cutting edge technology from the Utrom and a hundred other alien races all a million years more evolved then anything seen on Earth. Then we get the kick-butt battle to end all kick-butt battles - Demon Shredder vs. Utrom Shredder.

 

[haveaclue]

Which is peculiar considering that Hun's voice is very much different and the 4Kids rep over on the technodrome forums seems to be skirting the issue as to why Carey was replaced. :shrug:

I thought their scene in Space Invaders was a bit more better, IMO.

That was a very disappointing battle. You would've thought that you would see some more action from the Foot Mysics but they got their clocks cleaned too quickly. As for them being gone for good, that's debatable. After all, Splinter "destroyed" them with the sword of Tengu early on in the series and yet, they still came back. :shrug:

Yup, major copout. Although to be fair, I am glad to see them back. They do look like cool characters to me.

Major fail considering I don't get the WB channel. Looks like I have to resort to other means to catch season 7.

The episode itself was still pretty much good. Everyone coming together to put an end to the greater threat of the Shredder seems like an excellent way to end a series, to be honest. We'll see how this wraps up next week.

 

[gc_level_17]

Man, I completely forgot about Leatherhead. I knew it seemed like someone was missing, but obviously Usagi wouldn't be there and I didn't think what's her name...the girl with the purple hair who tried to join the Purple dragons would be there either.

But yeah, Leatherhead really should have been there. Does anyone know why they forgot about him?

 

[Kunmui]

IIRC, the assumption that some fans have come to is that Professor Honeycut went to live with the Utroms permanently after the trial, like the original Honeycut was going to do before the Triceraton invasion.



From what I remember hearing, they replaced him because he "disappeared off the face of the planet", since 4Kids doesn't keep very close contact with their own actors.

Luckily, they've managed to track him down recently, so he'll be reprising his role as Hun for the first time since Exodus in season 7.



The purple-haired girl's name was Angel, and she wouldn't have been in this since she didn't have any real skills to speak of.

And yeah, Leatherhead friggin saved the turtles, ESPECIALLY Donatello, back during the mutant crisis. The least they could do is give him some respect by acknowledging his existence. :sweat:

Speaking of the mutant crisis, I chuckled at Stockman's line in this episode about how "This time, it WASN'T my fault".

 

[ClothesRus]

Ugh, the new Hun voice is awful. My apologies to the new VA.

To answer a previous question: Prof. Honeycutt aka the Fugitoid remained w/ the Utroms on their homeworld following the trial of Ch'rell.

As for the "demise" of the Mystics/Heralds, who knows? The Fangs of the Dragons could very well be powerful enough to obliterate them. Either way, they're usefullness has come to an end.

I'm looking forward to this dvd release in a few weeks (20MAY!)

 

[Aerij]

Michelangelo : Destroying those guys felt awesome!

Was anyone else disturbed yet grinning at the same time upon hearing this phrase? Kind of reminded me of the original TMNT books where they actually did go for the kill with their opponents. The only other time I recall seeing this in the show is when Leo decapitates the first Shredder, as he was obviously intending to kill him.

 

[larmie]

Okay, here's the thing about Hun's voice, straight from the horse's mouth (or at least a suitable 4Kids Rep):




http://www.4kids.tv/images/uploads/TMNT_LE_-_Dragons_Versus_The_Shredder.mp3



TMNT4Kids, by the way, is the guy responsible for managing 4Kids' TMNT blog, among other things. The entire discussion with him can be seen here. In any case, how does this jive with the rumor we'd received earlier, about Carey's dissapearance (which he apparently did not), and that he would be returning next season (which he apparently hasn't, yet)? Here are my ideas:

1. Wayne was talking about the voice actor for Leatherhead's V.A., and whomever passed the rumor on assumed that he was talking about Carey instead of Owens, since several people (including me) assumed that the former voiced the croc.
2. Greg Carey "fell off the face of the Earth" only after having recorded his Fast Forward lines. When Wayne Grayson said that Carey had been sent a letter asking him to return to the role, he meant exactly that: Carey had been sent a letter. Whether he responded to it is another matter entirely. Fans, however, logically took it to mean that Carey was indeed returning to the role.

In any case, if this is the sort of perfomance we can expect out of Carey in the upcoming season, then I think replacing him with Mansley would problably be for the best.

But moving on to more on-topic matters...

The only reason I can think of for his abscence is that he didn't fit with the whole structure of the season. Hun, Bishop, Baxter, and the Justice Force all appear because they had been focused on earlier in the season (or would have, had Nightmares Recycled been finished)--or more properly, they appeared earlier in the season because they needed to be reintroduced for the finale. Leatherhead wasn't reintroduced, and therefore doesn't appear here.

Still, while it may make a certain amount sense from a structure standpoint or from an animation perspective (the story is packed enough as it is) and while it may be fanwanked away from a storytelling perspective (perhaps they all agreed off-screen that pairing him with Bishop, Stockman, and Hun, wouldn't be for the best, given his anger issues), his abscence should have still been explained.

 

[jazzie_marie]

Part 1 is very, very epic. I like to see what would happen with Part 2. Say, what was the name of that fairy woman in that episode?

 

[MrD]

If it's still Carey doing Hun's than why is his voice different?

 

[mrsx.parson]

Her name is Chrysalis. She began appearing as a member of the Justice Force since early season 3. Basically, she's a named extra.

I dunno--our source, TMNT4Kids, hasn't been able to answer that one yet. One theory suggests that Carey's voice has always been electronically manipulated until season 5, when it stopped for some reason. It's not a theory I personally put much stock in--I find it hard to believe a VA would be hired to do a character he'd need electronic manipulation to voice--but it's managed to persist so far.

More random thoughts:

• Yeah, the mystics' defeat, although satisfying and a good moment for the acolytes, came of as way too anticlimactic. While one could fanwank their poor showing, saying that The Shredder drained away a considerable amount of their power when he attacked them last episode, but yeah...

• So the acolytes are back. Whoop-dee-do. Seriously, though: while I like the characters and wish they'd make individual appearances next season, their plot thread has been the most mishandled one in the whole season.

• One has to wonder: does Karai now know where the turtles' new lair is? If the turtles do indeed end up moving to yet another lair next season, this could be the reason.

• The Casey/April scene was sweet, possibly their best yet, although the initial scene in Adventures in Turtle-Sitting comes close. The key, which I really hope writers have figured out? Confidence: the best scenes between the two occur when they both know what they're doing, and are not afraid of doing it. And of course, given that (Minor spoiler) we really don't see April doing any Mission Control stuff next episode, I'm just going to assume they just chose to scrap the mission and had sex.

 

[[email protected]]

Nothing like an epic teamup to get the adrenaline pumping. It was a shame the mystics, who beforehand had bested everyone repeatedly with relatively little effort, were taken out so ridiculously easy. They should've went ahead and killed them off in the last epic battle. At least they served a purpose before instead of being mere footnotes as they were in this ep.

I'm wondering how they're going to wrap this storyline up. The forces are duking it out, and now it's time for the final showdown between the Turtles, Splinter, Demon Shredder, and...er...his horse. Surely there'll be something majorly epic to finish things. The question is, what? Mystic Turtles vs. Tengu Shredder? Dragon Turtles vs. Dragon Shredder? Can't wait to find out.



Hun's voice has always sounded like Carey's pitch is simply being lowered to me. Why they'd bother changing it is anybody's guess.

Why do you find it hard to believe they'd manipulate his voice? Plenty of different actors have their voices manipulated electronically. Maybe tweaking Carey's pitch a little was all they needed to get the "spot on" Hun voice they wanted.

 

[KiLLA Kali]

It seems counter-intuitive is all. Hun's voice is low, but not low enough to make it impossible to replicate naturally (at least, that's how it seems to me--somebody can correct me if I'm wrong). Say Carey shows up for auditions and does a perfomance akin to his season 5 and 6 (presuming for a moment that the voice heard this season is his "natural" one, and that his voice as heard in seasons 1-4 is only achieved electronically)--why the hell would he be cast, when there are other actors who presumably can reach that kind of lowness, or don't have to resort to it to give a good performance (Michael Alston Bailey and F.B. Owens for one)?

 

[scrabbleaims]

Well this was a pretty satisfying finale. At least Shredder actually died this time, I remember when Season 3 ended a lot of people were disappointed by the copout that Utrom Shredder was banished instead of executed.

I was never keen on the TMNT turning into dragons but for some reason I liked the dragon fight in this episode. Is it just me or was there no concern for all the possible people in those buildings they were crashing into?

The secondary characters versus the monsters were great. Bishop's scenes were memorable, and I loved the Chaplain/Baxter and Hun moments in this episode. Funny stuff. Also glad to see Karai has moved on from that weird crush/obsession she had with Leo in the previous seasons.

The hell happened to April and Casey? No mention at all? Why am I getting Dragonball Z syndrome where the early characters are pushed to the sidelines and forgotten about when the more powerful characters arrive?

I'm not sure I get the whole part where the Turtles "die" and come back to life because of Hamato Yoshi, can anyone explain what was going on there?

I'm glad 4kids finally decided to play this season. They should have just aired it prior to Fast Forward like was intended, oh well.

Bring on Season 7!

 

[est :D]

I too was never a huge fan of the turtle dragons, but the writers managed to pull off a really epic fight scene, if not a little too short for my tastes. One second they're smashing through New York, the next the Shredder returns to normal and gets owned by Hamato Yoshi. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

I also loved how the episode title was twofold. The first part featured the Purple Dragons siding with the turtles, and the second featured the turtle dragons. Very clever.